Soccer By Ives

Nowak names 24-man roster for U.S. Under-23 national team camp

European-based forwards Charlie Davies, Preston Zimmerman and Kamani Hill headline the 24-man roster chosen by U.S. Under-23 national team head coach Peter Nowak ahead of a two-week training camp in January in Bradenton, Florida. The camp is being held as part of preparations for U.S. Olympic qualifying.

Here is the roster:

GOALKEEPERS: Chris Seitz (Real Salt Lake), Chris Brown (Boston College), Billy Chiles (Towson University)
DEFENDERS: Sean Franklin (Cal State Northridge), Steve Purdy (1860 Munich), Patrick Ianni (Houston Dynamo), Greg Dalby (SC Charleroi), Julian Valentin (Wake Forest), Pat Phelan (Wake Forest), Mike Randolph (Galaxy), Chance Myers (UCLA)
MIDFIELDERS: Stuart Holden (Houston), Johann Smith (Darlington), Dax McCarty (FC Dallas), Stephen King (Maryland), Alejandro Bedoya (Boston College), Eric Avila (UC Santa Barbara), Arturo Alvarez (FC Dallas), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew)
FORWARDS: Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake), Charlie Davies (Hammarby), Preston Zimmerman (Hamburg), Chad Barrett (Chicago Fire), Kamani Hill (Vfl Wolfsburg)

If you are wondering where MLS-based stars Jozy Altidore and Maurice Edu are, they are both taking part in the U.S. national team camp in California.

The U-23 camp will take place from Jan. 6 to Jan. 20 and will be used as preparation for the U.S. team's upcoming Olympic qualifiers in Tampa in March.

What do you think of this group of players? Is there anybody missing? Is there anybody who surprised you by being selected? Share your thoughts below.

Altidore and Donovan headline U.S. national team camp roster

Landon Donovan, Jozy Altidore and Brad Guzan headline the 26-man roster Bob Bradley selected for the U.S. national team's January camp.

The squad will begin training on January 3 at Home Depot Center in Carson, California ahead of the national team's first friendly, on Jan. 19 against Sweden.

Here is the roster:

GOALKEEPERS – Brad Guzan (Chivas USA), Will Hesmer (Columbus Crew), Matt Pickens (Chicago Fire), Zach Wells (D.C. United)
DEFENDERS  – Dan Califf (Aalborg BK), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City Wizards), Ramiro Corrales (SK Brann), Todd Dunivant (Toronto FC), Clarence Goodson (San Jose Earthquakes), Drew Moor (FC Dallas), Michael Parkhurst (New England Revolution), Eddie Robinson (Houston Dynamo), Marvell Wynne (Toronto FC)
MIDFIELDERS – Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo), Maurice Edu (Toronto FC), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Justin Mapp (Chicago Fire), Pat Noonan (New England Revolution)
FORWARDS – Josmer Altidore (New York Red Bulls), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Eddie Johnson (Kansas Cit y Wizards), Chris Rolfe (Chicago Fire), Taylor Twellman (New England Revolution), Jeremiah White (AGF Aarhus)

If you are wondering where most of the big names are, keep in mind that European-based players are still in their seasons (except for Scandanavian leagues). I will offer my take on the roster shortly. Let me know what you think of Bradley's selections in the comments section below.

Monday Morning Center Back: Out with the old, in with the new

Good morning people. I know some of you are at work today wondering like heck why you didn't save up one more sick day to use on this exact day.

As we stare at the clock and think about tonight's New Year's Eve celebration, you might want to think about 2007 and what it meant for American soccer and the soccer world in general. It wasn't a boring year by any stretch. In fact, for it to not be a World Cup year, or even a year with World Cup qualifying or a European Championship, 2007 was pretty exciting on the soccer pitch.

For those of you who may have missed it, here is my take on the 10 best storylines in American soccer in 2007 for ESPN.com. Everyone is doing these types of year-end lists so I had to do mine and I think it's fair to say that you can ask 10 people their choices for 10 best storylines and you will get 10 different answers.

With 2007 almost over, it is time to think about 2008 and all the great stories to come. The New Year will also bring some major changes to SBI. You will hear about those changes very soon.

For now, enjoy the last day of the year. I will come back with a few posts throughout the day to get you through this workday (which I'm sure will feel longer than most) so stay tuned.

The last full EPL Matchday of the year: Your running commentary

Good morning folks. Today marks the final fulll day of soccer of the season and the English Premier League has been kind enough not to take this weekend off.

Instead, we have a robust schedule of matches, all of which can be seen either on Fox Soccer Channel or Setanta Sports USA. I will be busy attending to non-soccer matters today so I figured the least I could do was give you folks a post where you could add your comments on today's matches.

Whether you're home lounging, or at work for some reason, feel free to follow along here as everyone shares their comments below.

Enjoy the action.

Meet Fulham's new manager: Roy Hodgson

Fulham has named its permanent replacement for fired coach Lawrie Sanchez on Friday, choosing veteran manager Roy Hodgson to take over. Hodgson will be on the sidelines for Fulham's match against Birmingham.

What will this mean for the Americans? It shouldn't mean a thing for Clint Dempsey, who is a first-choice player no matter who is the coach, but it will be interesting to see what becomes of Carlos Bocanegra. The Fulham defense has been a wreck and it will be interesting to see what Hodgson does to fix the back-line.

What do you think of this hire? Do you think Dempsey and company will benefit from learning from such an experienced manager? Do you foresee an overhaul of players that could claim Bocanegra? Share your thoughts below.

This weekend's soccer on TV

It's all England, all the time this weekend. With the other leagues on Europe on a winter break, we will be forced to live on a steady diet of EPL action this weekend.

If the EPL isn't your cup of tea then you might consider watching GolTV, which will have several replays of some of the year's best games, from the Colombia-Argentina World Cup qualifier to a good Spain-Sweden Euro qualifier.

If you prefer the live stuff, and prefer the EPL, then you'll have some quality choices. Actually, if you have Setanta Sports and Fox Soccer Channel you will have access to all 10 EPL games this weekend.

And here they are, all 10 EPL games on TV this weekend. Enjoy:

TGIF: The last weekend

Good morning people. The end of the year is fast approaching and as we begin to find a slew of year-end stories capping the best games, moments and stories (mine is coming on ESPN.com shortly) I got to thinking about what exactly was the most memorable moment of 2007 for American soccer fans.

The question is simple enough. What one soccer moment will stand out in your mind from 2007? Was it a great goal (Like Messi's Maradona-like run)? Was it a game (like the Red Bulls-Galaxy thriller in a packed Giants Stadium)?

What moment stands out for me? Benny Feilhaber's game-winning goal in the Gold Cup final comes to mind. If something else comes to me I'll post it later.

For now, I want to hear from you. What was the most memorable soccer moment of 2007 for you? Share your thoughts below.

Morning Ticker: Olympic Qualifying Sked set, ManU in first, Fronaldo heads home and trouble for a former MLS player

 

Good morning everybody. Let me start by apologizing for the low number of posts recently. I can assure you that the action will pick up after New Year's Day. For now, I will try to keep you updates on the goings on in the American and international soccer world.

Before we get into the day's events, I must make another request for SBI readers to take part in the SBI reader roll call. If you haven't already taken part, please do so. Your input is going to go a long way toward helping me shape and set a direction for SBI as we head into 2008.

Secondly, I have not forgotten about the most recent Q&A session. I am working on it and am hoping to have it done for tomorrow. It will be done by Monday at the latest.

Now, onto the news. Here are some recent tidbits you may or may not have heard:

U.S. Olympic qualifying games set. The U.S. Under-23 national team learned the path it will take to Olympic qualifying yesterday as the match schedule for CONCACAF Olympic qualifying was announced. The Americans will face Cuba (March 11), Panama (March 13) and Honduras (March 15), with all matches being played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. There will be tripleheaders played each of these days, with the U.S. team's game serving as the nightcap on each occasion.

The top two teams in the group will join the top two teams in Group B (Mexico, Canada, Haiti, Guatemala) in the semifinals and final, which take place in Memphis Nashville on March 20 and 23.

I was going to point out that the Americans should have little trouble qualifying, but you know what happened the last time around. That said, this Olympic team should qualify and this qualifying tournament should give us a good glimpse at what Peter Nowak has planned for the Olympics.

Americans Abroad: Boxing Day Rewind

American soccer players had a busy Boxing Day in England on Wednesday, with 10 of them playing at least a half and nine earning starts (That's including Watford's Jay DeMerit and Millwall's Zak Whitbread.)

There were mixed results, from Tim Howard posting yet another shutout for Everton to Carlos Bocanegra watching his Fulham defense be torn to shreds yet again. There were even two goal-scorers on the day, with usual suspect Clint Dempsey being joined by DeMerit.

Before I get to the rundown, I wanted to talk about Benny Feilhaber's performance for Derby County against Liverpool. It had its ups and downs, but his effort, or lack thereof, late in the match could hurt his chances for more playing time in the future.

Boxing Day EPL Soccer (Your running commentary)

Good morning folks. It is the day after Christmas, which means you are either heading to work and hating it or you're laying around enjoying another day off.

It also means a full slate of Boxing Day English Premier League matches. I listed today's TV schedule yesterday. Now, you can follow along with the action here. I won't be doing a marathon running commentary like Sunday but I figured I could provide a post for SBI readers to share their thoughts and views on today's matches. Those of you lucky enough to have Setanta or Fox Soccer Channel can feel free to discuss the action, and share it with those folks stuck at work today.

Enjoy the action:

Merry Christmas from SBI (and Boxing Day TV Sked)

 

Good afternoon and Merry Christmas to everybody. I hope your holiday was as enjoyable as mine was (and for those of you who don't observe Christmas, I hope you enjoyed the day off.)

It is around that time when you've unwrapped all the presents, the kids have spent a little time playing with all their new toys (the ones they like anyway), and things are a little slow. It's a good time to relax, watch some TV (and take in some of the TIVO'd action from the weekend if you didn't already get around to watching all of the weekend's great games).

If you are lucky enough to also have tomorrow off then you are in for a nice mid-week treat. It is Boxing Day in England, which means a full slate of EPL matches. Fox Soccer Channel and Setanta Sports USA have us covered, showing eight different games which will give us a chance to see as many as eight Americans play. Yes, I know, I don't normally list Setanta, but I know that enough of you die-hards have already added it to your cable packages (and maybe some of you even got it for Christmas).

So, without further Freddy Adu, here is tomorrow's soccer TV schedule:

Americans in European Soccer: Weekend Rewind

Good afternoon everybody (good morning to the West Coast). As great as the European soccer action was this past weekend, it was also a great weekend for American players.

Why? No, there weren't goals in bunches (though Clint Dempsey scored another clutch goal for Fulham). It was great for American players because most of them started and played good minutes. The number of "did not dress" and "did not play" announcements was the fewest I think it's been all season.

Eddie Lewis and Jonathan Spector both earned starts and Benny Feilhaber made his way onto the field as every healthy American in the English Premier League saw playing time, with Feilhaber being the only one not to start (that's not including young reserve players like Johann Smith and Eric Lichaj of course).

Before we get to how the Americans Abroad did this weekend, I need to make one more reminder for those of you who have yet to take part in the Soccer By Ives Reader Roll Call to please do so. Your input is going to go a long way toward helping me shape and set a direction for SBI as we head into 2008.

Now, back to the action. Here is how the Americans in Europe did this past weekend:

MMCB: The Christmas present that is European soccer

Good morning folks. I know we're short on numbers at this time of year but I figured at least a few of you are stuck working on Christmas Eve and just might be looking to talk soccer.

I will post an Americans Abroad: Weekend Rewind before noon and may have a post on the latest candidate to join the race for the Chicago Fire coaching job, so keep an eye out for those things. For now I want to talk about Sunday's amazing slate of European games and what it means on the grander scale.

If you watched Sunday's games you had a chance to see the brilliance of Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Andrea Pirlo, Kaka, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Frank Lampard, Sergio Aguero, Ronaldinho, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Carles Puyol, Samuel Eto'o, Robinho and Wesley Snjeider just to name a few.

   

Think about that. Think about how lucky we, as American fans of soccer, are to see these stars playing in key games, and live no less. Imagine what it was like 10 years ago, when trying to see top-quality European soccer was a real chore. In short, I don't think we realize how good we have it.

SUPER SUNDAY: Real Madrid-Barcelona (Running Commentary)

Good morning all. Today is arguably the best day of club soccer action of the year and I have decided to try and take it all in. It is 7am and Man U-Everton is under way. We will have AC Milan-Inter Milan at 9am, Atletico Madrid-Espanyol and Chelsea-Blackburn at 11am and arguably the best of bunch, Barcelona-Real Madrid, at 1pm (all times Eastern).

I have have decided to try and do a running commentary throughout the day, more importantly I've put this post up to give everybody somewhere to post comments on all the action. If you are watching today's games please feel free to share your comments below. Let's make this a full day running commentary.

Enjoy the action.

No torn ligaments for Freeman

Christmas came early for Red Bulls fans. According to a team source, Red Bulls defender Hunter Freeman suffered a grade two MCL sprain in his left knee during the U.S. Under-23 national team's  3-3 tie with China last Sunday. The injury should sideline Freeman for six weeks, which means he shouldn't miss any significant pre-season training.

For those of you who saw the video of the injury Freeman sure looked he was in serious pain and the early fears were that he suffered a torn ACL. Luckily for Freeman and the Red Bulls, the injury wasn't that severe and shouldn't affect him ahead of the 2008 season.

This weekend's soccer on TV

Well, the weekend is here and it is time to prepare you for one of the best schedules of matches you will see all season.

No fewer than five top-quality matches will be on display on Fox Soccer Channel and GolTV this weekend. Barcelona-Real Madrid and AC Milan-Inter Milan is the kind of doubleheader soccer fans dream of and it should keep most of us glued to our seats this weekend.

Now, without further ado. Here are this weekend's soccer matches on TV:

SBI European Club Top 25

Good afternoon folks. It is the Friday before Christmas and I know most of the regulars are hitting the stores or are stuck in traffic.

For those of you who happen to be in front of a computer, here are this week's European Club Top 25. Not a lot of change at the top, but that may not be the case next week after some very high-profile matches this week. Inter Milan faces AC Milan and Real Madrid plays Barcelona. You can't get much better than that.

There was some considerable shuffling near the bottom of the rankings, including the continued rise of AC Milan and Everton.

Here it is, the SBI European Club Top 25:

TGIF: The Champions League Draw

Good morning everybody. No foreign greeting today. I'm sure some of you were growing tired of the different languages so I'll give it a break today.

This morning brought soccer fans one of the most exciting days of the season, the Champions League knockout round draw, and it DID NOT disappoint.

Talk about some delicious and brutal match-ups. Arsenal vs. AC Milan, Liverpool vs Inter Milan, Real Madrid vs. Roma and Manchester United vs. Lyon are all thrilling pairings that will have fans lining up to order Setanta and ESPN Deportes so we can catch them all.

What team came away happiest? It has to be FC Porto, which drew Schalke 04. Sevilla could have done much worse than Fenerbahce as well. And then there is Barcelona, which gets to face Celtic after disposing of the other Scottish giants, Rangers, in the group stage.

What do you think of the match-ups? Which are you most looking forward to? Which player vs. player match-ups already have you drooling? Share your thoughts on the draw below.

Fulham sacks Sanchez

America's favorite English Premier League team is looking for a new manager.

Fulham has fired manager Lawrie Sanchez. The decision comes just seven months after became the full-time successor to Chris Coleman. Former Fulham player John Collins as emerged as a potential candidate and you have to wonder if Bruce Arena won't stump for this job too.

Whoever Fulham hires, here is hoping they don't bench all Americans like Derby's new manager, Paul Jewell, did upon his recent arrival to the Premier League's cellar dwellers.

One player who probably won't be sad to see Sanchez go is Carlos Bocanegra, who went from captain to bench warmer in recent weeks.

I know there are a ton of Fulham fans in the SBI Mafia ranks so share your thoughts on this move below.

Greg Ryan Speaks

Good evening all. Apologies for the afternoon absence of posts. Like some of you, I was trying to get some Christmas shopping done.

For those of you on the West Coast checking in, and there are a bunch of SBI readers in Cali, here is an interesting read courtesy of the Arizona Republic. Former U.S. women's national team coach Greg Ryan made an appearance in Phoenix and discussed his time with the national team, including the Hope Solo World Cup blowup.

What's my take? It is interesting to see Ryan give details of how bad Solo was supposedly looking in practice before the Brazil game, and how she missed a team meal. Was Miss Solo distracted? You have to wonder what else was going on with her during this time and maybe Ryan shouldn't have been the villain after all. Alas, we'll never know. At least not until Solo writes a tell-all book, which I'd bet a bronze medal she does eventually.

What do you think of Ryan's comments? Share your thoughts below.

Morning Ticker: Nowak clarification, the concession speech, UEFA Cup update and Schopp

Jo San everybody. It is Thursday morning and I'm sitting here trying to figure out how I will get my Christmas shopping done. I'm technically on vacation (have been all week), but as you know, SBI never really goes on vacation.

I will be taking a bit of a break from the blog today but before I do, here is some news to tide you over. Before I get to that, I will make the now daily reminder to readers to take part in the SBI Reader Roll Call if you haven't already.

Now, onto the news and notes:

Nowak NOT a Red Bulls finalist. When Juan Carlos Osorio was hired as head coach of the Red Bulls it was widely reported (by SBI as well) that Peter Nowak was one of the other three finalists for the job. Nowak's agent insists that this was not the case.

"Peter left a great MLS job with DC United for his current position with US Soccer," said Ron Waxman, Nowak's agent, in a written statement. "Peter is fully committed to his work with the U.S. Under-23 team and the senior (national) team. He is not interested in leaving for any MLS position."

According to sources, Nowak was contacted by the Red Bulls but was not interested in the position, or any other MLS position. This is bad news for Chicago Fire fans, who were surely holding out hope that Nowak would make a return to Chicago as head coach after having captained the Fire to the 1998 MLS Cup title.

Chivas USA coach Preki and St. John's head coach Dave Masur have been identified as two of the candidates managing director Marc deGrandpre did interview for the position.

What was the best game of the year?

Good afternoon folks. With the holidays upon us and New Year's around the corner, I couldn't help wondering what was the best soccer game I saw all year. There were plenty of candidates for the honor and picking one was downright impossible. I have some candidates I will discuss tomorrow.

For now, I want to hear from you, the SBI readers. What was your game of the year? What soccer game was the most exciting, entertaining, fulfilling and/or unforgettable? Was it the US-Mexico Gold Cup final? Was it AC Milan/Manchester United in last spring's Champions League semis? Was it Real Madrid-Barcelona when Messi dropped three? Was it when the U.S. Under-20 national team beat Brazil in the Under-20 World Cup? Was it the Red Bulls-Galaxy game, the one with NINE goals?

Let's hear them. Cast your (unofficial) vote for best game of the year in the comments section.

Fire away.

Morning Ticker: Castillo loaned, Messi hurt and Man U eyeing a striker

The news never stops in the soccer world, does it?

There are plenty of news stories to discuss today and I will try to go over some of them, as well as other nuggets, this morning. Before I get to that, I will make the now daily reminder to readers to take part in the SBI Reader Roll Call if you haven't already.

Let's get started. Here are some soccer news tidbits to start your day off (including a story after the jump that could affect the future of one of the U.S. national team's best young players):

Nery Castillo going to Manchester City. No, really. He's going this time. Seriously. I'm not kidding. Yes, the on-again, off-again, on-again, off-again marriage between Mexican striker Nery Castillo and Manchester City appears to be on for real finally. After some posturing from Shaktar Donetsk in an attempt to jack up Castillo's loan price, Donetsk and City finally agreed to a deal.

MLS rule changes: a closer look

Guten Morgen everybody. There is plenty to get to on the American soccer news front this morning. The Juan Carlos Osorio press conference took up most of my afternoon on Tuesday and therefore kept me from blogging on two other newsworthy developments.

I will get to the U.S. Under-23 team's Olympic qualifying draw later this morning but for right now I wanted to talk about Major League Soccer's announcement of changes to its roster guidelines. For those of you who missed it, MLS revealed that it has changed the number of international players team can have. Now, instead of being limited to four senior international players, MLS teams will start out with as many as eight slots that can be used on international players, a number that teams can increase via trade.

Yes, you read that right. Not only can teams have up to eight foreign players, they can trade for other team's foreign slots. So in theory, a team could field a starting 11 made up entirely of foreign players. A scary thought? Not really. It is actually a necessary evil brought on by the league's rapid expansion.

Osorio press conference recap (and other Red Bull tidbits-UPDATED)

Hello folks. Apologies for the lengthy delay but there was a lot of networking to be done in NYC and I wound up getting stuck in traffic on the way back. That'll teach me not to bring the laptop.

Here is a quick rundown of what transpired today:

The other Red Bull candidates

So who were the other candidates that the Red Bulls seriously considered to replace Bruce Arena as head coach? Most you have heard before but at least one may surprise you.

According to sources with knowledge of the Red Bulls' coaching search, U.S. Under-23 national team coach Peter Nowak, Chivas USA coach Preki and St. John's coach Dave Masur were finalists for the job that Juan Carlos Osorio was eventually chosen for. Nowak, a former MLS Cup winner as player and head coach, and Preki, a former MLS MVP and the 2007 MLS coach of the year, were understandable. Masur was the surprise.

One of the most well-respected college coaches on the East Coast, Masur has spent 17 seasons with the Red Storm, leading the New York school to an NCAA title in 1996. Now an associated athletic director at the school, Masur's resume drew interest from Red Bulls managing director Marc deGrandpre, who gave him one of the few interviews for the position.

As for some of the many other names linked to the position, from Martin Jol to Paul Mariner to Ray Reid, none of them received interviews.

Spencer, Mariner the latest to interview for Fire post

Houston Dynamo assistant John Spencer and New England assistant Paul Mariner have interviewed for the Chicago Fire's vacant head coaching position, sources in Chicago have told SBI.

Spencer and Mariner join Fire assistant Denis Hamlett and long-time Chicago soccer star Frank Klopas on the list of candidates to be interviewed by Fire president John Guppy. There is no word yet on who is left on the list of potential replacements for Juan Carlos Osorio, who was introduced as Red Bulls head coach on Tuesday. If I had to rate their chances right now I'd set the order as: Hamlett, Mariner, Klopas, Spencer. That's not the order that I think they should be considered. That's the order I think they stand.

What do you think Fire fans? Do these candidates make you more optimistic than the first two? Do you think Hamlett deserves to be the front-runner? Are you still not buying that he is a serious candidate? Are you still holding out hope that Hristo Stoitchkov emerges from the woodwork to take the job? Share your thoughts below.

Off to the Osorio press conference

Hello again. Just checking in one last time before I head to Manhattan for the Juan Carlos Osorio press conference.

What I can say to Red Bulls fans is that Osorio is extremely excited about the opportunity. I spoke to Osorio at length last week and you could already tell he was ready to start work on building the Red Bulls in his image. What tends to be forgotten about his short stint in Chicago was that he coached a team he did not build. Yes, he added Paulo Wanchope and Wilman Conde, but he still coached what was essentially someone else's team.

That is what makes me chuckle a bit when some folks want to try and talk about Osorio's so-called defensive style. Yes, Osorio certainly puts an emphasis on defense, but you shouldn't assume the 2008 Red Bulls will play the same way the 2007 Fire played. They are different teams with different strengths and weaknesses, and most importantly, Osorio will have a full off-season to address the changes he feels need to be made.

Osorio does feel upset about the way things ended in Chicago, but ultimately, the way things went down in the end probably made his departure easier for him to handle.

And lastly, in an unrelated note, for those of you who didn't take part already, please join the SBI Reader Roll Call.

That's all for now. I will be back later this afternoon with more news and notes so stay tuned.

Americans Abroad: Weekend Rewind

Good afternoon everybody. It was a rather low-key weekend for Americans in Europe. There were no hat-tricks or crazy goals to speak of, though there was a shutout (by Tim Howard) and another win for Michael Bradley's Heerenveen. There was also another set of Did Not Play notes for Derby duo Eddie Lewis and Benny Feilhaber.

There was some good news too. Carlos Bocanegra returned to the starting lineup in Fulham's tragic 1-0 loss to Newcastle (I say tragic because the penalty call that gave Newcastle the win was extremely harsh). Gregg Berhalter kept this list from being goal-less by providing a score in 1860 Munich's romp on Sunday.

Here is the rest of how the Americans in Europe did this past weekend:

Morning ticker: News & Notes, new and old

Shubhu prabhaat everybody. Today is the day Juan Carlos Osorio is introduced as the Red Bulls new head coach and I must say it is a long time coming for a coach who spent five years trying to get a break in MLS and here he is, about to take what amounts to his dream job in MLS.

There will be plenty to discuss about Osorio later today and in the coming days. For now, I wanted to catch you all up on some news that may or may not have slipped by your radar. Here are some news nuggets to start your day off with:

Derby eyeing American investors- Derby County is struggling, and not just in the standings. The last-place team in the English Premier League is also dealing with debt and facing the prospects of having no money for the winter transfer window. Those problems may soon be gone thanks to some American investors who are ready to give the Rams a sorely-needed cash infusion.

Fire interviews Klopas and Hamlett

Chicago Fire fans, if you have gotten over Juan Carlos Osorio's departure and are now focused on who will replace him, you should have your new coach soon.

According to sources in Chicago, Fire president John Guppy held/is holding interviews with leading candidates Frank Klopas and Denis Hamlett today. Guppy should make a decision very soon and the early favorite is Hamlett.

Why Hamlett? The way he handled being passed over when Osorio was hired during the summer was very impressive and he has certainly paid his dues with a club he has been with since year one in 1998. He has the respect of the current squad and his hire will help make for a smooth transition from Osorio.

So why is Guppy going through an interview process if Hamlett is a front-runner? It's a little thing called due diligence. Guppy must put together a list of candidates and go through the interview process to make sure the club isn't missing out on a very good candidate. I also can't imagine that the club's new owners would be keen on just handing over the coaching job to an assistant without a thorough coaching search taking place beforehand.

Anyone hoping for a search as quick as the last one shouldn't hold their breath. The reason the last Fire coaching search was so short was because Guppy basically had his man before he even fired former coach Dave Sarachan. That doesn't mean this search will be a long one, just not super-quick.

What say you Chicago fans (or anybody else)? Would you like to see Hamlett hired? Are you still holding out hope for Peter Nowak (It isn't happening). Do you like Frank Klopas as a head coach? Would you like to see Cuauhtemoc Blanco as a player-coach (okay, I'm kidding). Tell us what you think.

Red Bulls to introduce Osorio on Tuesday

Red Bulls fans, the wait is over.

The Red Bulls will introduce Juan Carlos Osorio as the team's 11th head coach at a press conference in New York City on Tuesday at 1pm. The introductory press conference will be held at the Hotel Gansevoort.

Osorio will become the club's 10th head coach (11th if you count Richie Williams' time as interim head coach).

No word yet on what Osorio will do with his coaching staff. He is expected to meet with current assistant coaches Richie Williams, John Harkes and Des McAleenan shortly. The best bet to stay out of that group is McAleenan, who worked with Osorio during his last tenure and knows him very well. According to sources, Williams and Harkes are both interested in staying.

USA Under-23s leaves China with pair of ties

The U.S. Under-23 national team is on the way back home after its two-game friendly series against China in China and the Americans were forced to settle for a pair of ties after a goal-less first match and some questionable officiating in the second match.

Robbie Rogers, Patrick Ianni and Charlie Davies scored first-half goals to stake the U.S. team to a 3-0 lead, but a China comeback and a terrible penalty call helped the Chinese pull all the way back and salvage a 3-3 tie on Sunday.

Rogers headed home a re-directed Marvell Wynne throw-in, Ianni headed home corner kick and Davies blasted one home from the edge of the penalty area to help the American attack show some life after being held scoreless in a 0-0 tie in the first meeting between these teams on Dec. 13.

Osorio announcement looming

Those of you tired of waiting for an announcement on Juan Carlos Osorio's hiring as Red Bulls coach will be able to relax soon. Osorio and the Red Bulls are dotting i's and crossing t's on Osorio's contract at this point and an announcement will be made very soon, possibly tomorrow. One source suggested that a press conference was set for New York tomorrow afternoon (at the Hotel Gansevoort). I haven't been able to confirm that one yet but it is a possibility since Osorio is currently in New York.

So why the hold up? There really wasn't a hold up, just the typical negotiations that go on between a club and a new coach over a contract. The only difference was that Osorio's former employer, the Chicago Fire, announced to the world that Osorio was set to be the Red Bulls' new coach a week before a deal was close to being struck.

As for the compensation package Chicago will receive, sources tell me that we may never find out the details of the financial compensation but one source called the cash portion of the package "substantial." At least one allocation as well as the Red Bulls' first round pick in next month's MLS Draft are also included in the deal, though we may not learn until draft day if any other picks are involved (as far as I can tell the Red Bulls' second-round pick, No. 16, still belongs to the Red Bulls).

That's all for now. I was actually at the mall trying to Christmas shop when I got a few calls on this, only to get home and find out nothing was announced yet. ESPN Radio did report that Osorio was set to be named the team's new head coach. Not sure if that was based on a tip or if someone at the station just got around to reading my story on Osorio's impending hire a week ago.

Are you glad the wait is (almost) over? Share your thoughts below.

England, your new manager has arrived (You Write the Caption special)

Fabio Capello was introduced as England's new manager on Monday. The new highest paid soccer manager in the world must now figure out how to justify his HUGE salary in a year when England won't play any meaningful games for a long while.

Perhaps the funniest, and most fitting aspect of Capello's press conference was him posing above with an England jersey with THE TAG STILL ON IT. Wow. I get that England is paying Capello a lot of money but do they really plan on taking that shirt back to put it on the rack again?

How much is Capello being paid? Try 6.5 million pounds a year, which comes out to like 100 million in U.S. dollars. Okay, I'm kidding, it's about $13.1 million a year in American coin. I know, still depressing.

The above photo merits its own You Write the Caption. It has been a while since the last YTWC. So here is what I will do. I will give you all three Capello photos and you can write captions for any or all of them.

The above photo is Photo ONE. Here are the other two:

Monday Morning Center Back: The hangover

Oglooni mend everybody (That's Mongolian if you were wondering. SBI has at least one reader there so I decided to show him some love.)

The American soccer news front has slowed to a crawl. No, Juan Carlos Osorio still isn't officially the Red Bulls head coach and yes, Juan Veron really did leave D.C. United at the altar. The U.S. Under-23 team posted its second tie in two matches against China (and please, no sky is falling commentary, they were friendlies) and well, that's really it.

If you are wondering about the headline, no, I didn't go on a drinking binge this weekend. It is just in reference to a weekend chock full of high-quality soccer action. Whether it was the intense EPL clashes, the entertaining La Liga fixtures, AC Milan's masterful victory against Boca Juniors in the Club World Cup, or Wake Forest's NCAA title-clinching comeback on Sunday, there was something for everybody.

Here is a look back at the weekend:

Super Sunday: Arsenal, Man U and Milan prevail

Good afternoon folks. It was a wonderful Sunday of soccer and while I'll get more in detail about this weekend's action tomorrow, I figured all the action today deserved a post and a place for you to discuss.

Arsenal downed Chelsea, Manchester United held off Liverpool and AC Milan thrashed Boca Juniors in the Club World Cup. Three great games, some intense and beautiful soccer that made it easy for some of us, including yours truly, to forget there were NFL games to watch.

Arsenal earned a deserved three points by beating a Chelsea squad that didn't have much in the way of attacking ideas. This one could have wound up a draw but Manuel Almunia made some qualty saves and the Gunners held on, reclaiming the top spot in the EPL in the process.

Man U stayed on Arsenal's tail by escaping Anfield with three points after being outplayed by a Liverpool squad that controlled play but couldn't find the finishing touch. Kudos to Man U's defense for holding firm even as Edwin Van Der Sar had some uncharacteristic hiccups.

And then there was Milan, led by the masterful Kaka, who shredded Boca Juniors for a goal and two assists. Yes, it is clear that Milan is one of the best teams in the world. Now, if only they could win some league games.

For those of you interested, the NCAA College Cup Final will kick off at 3pm, with Wake Forest facing Ohio State. There are about a half-dozen legit MLS prospects in this match so you might want to check it out.

Share your thoughts on today's European (And Club World Cup) action below.

Veron says no to DC United

Juan Veron's On again, Off again courtship with DC United has apparently ended in OFF mode.

According to a report out of Argentina, Veron has decided to stay with Argentine club Estudiantes rather than accept a lucrative offer from D.C. united that would have made him the club's Designated Player.

Marcelo Sottile of Argentina's Ole broke the story, getting the words straight from Veron (thanks to reader Christian Reyes for passing this story along this morning).

"I stay for the people and for my teammates," Veron said. "The truth is Friday was a bad day. I could not say good goodbye. The request of the boys for me to stay was very important."

If Veron has, in fact, turned down D.C. United, it leaves D.C. looking for other alternatives, potentially Claudio Lopez. That still won't offer much consolation considering how close the four-time MLS Cup champions came to landing a quality player in Veron.

Share your thoughts on this turn of events below.

This weekend's soccer on TV

 

The weekend is almost here and if you are starving for some high-profile matches, this is your weekend.

English Premier League fans will be downright giddy as the top four square off in a pair of Sunday blockbusters. Manchester United travels to Liverpool while Chelsea make the trip across London to face arch-rival Arsenal. It doesn't get much better than that.

There are quality games elsewhere as well. Red-hot Bayer Leverkusen meets a reeling Werder Bremen side in a Saturday morning tilt while Juventus faces Lazio in another quality encounter.

Before we get to the weekend though, there are matches this evening. The NCAA Final Four is tonight on ESPNU and if you have that channel you have no excuse for not at least TIVOing and watching them later.

Here are this weekend's matches on TV:

SBI European Club Top 25

 

Good afternoon folks. If you were wondering what happened to the SBI European Club Top 25, the Juan Carlos Osorio news earlier in the week forced me to move it to later in the week and the truth is I think it will stay.

There wasn't much of a shake-up at the top of the rankings, with Inter Milan holding on to the No. 1 spot. Arsenal slipped a bit while Porto returned to the Top 10.

There are some new teams lower in the rankings and three teams actually tumbled all the way out. And guess who made it back? Yes, AC Milan, the pre-season No. 1, is back in the mix.

Here is the SBI European Club Top 25:

Morning Ticker: Capello on his way to England, Nery for sale and Peru's party fiasco

Dobri ranok everybody. If you're wondering what language that is, it is Ukrainian (at least that's what the internet tells me).

I will be posting the European Club Top 25 early this afternoon as well as this weekend's Soccer on TV schedule so keep an eye out for those. For now, here are some nuggets to tide you over:

England managers slam Capello hiring

With Fabio Capello set to become England's new manager, there was bound to be some criticism from England managers at another foreigner being hired. The jabs came from Gareth Southgate, Mark Hughes and Steve Coppell, who all feel Capello's hire spells bad news for British managers. On one hand I can understand the frustration but Capello's resume is top notch and England cannot afford to falter ahead of 2010 World Cup qualifying.

It's Q&A Time

(NO MORE QUESTIONS!! Thanks to those of you already submitted questions. Those of you who missed out. There is always the next one.)

Good afternoon folks. It is a SLOW news day today on the soccer front (for now) so it is probably a good time to have another Question and Answer session.

You know the routine by now. Ask me your soccer related questions (on topics from MLS to international soccer) and I will try to provide you with an answer. Try to keep them reasonably-sized and try to limit your questions to one or two. I will do my best to try and answer your questions, or at least find the answers. I will try to post the answers by Monday.

Let's have some fun. Ask away!

Morning Ticker: Capello to England, Milan reaches Club World Cup final,

Remember when there was a rumor of a potential David Beckham-Fabio Capello reunion with the LA Galaxy? Well, the reunion is happening, but not in Los Angeles.

Reports out of the UK have Capello set to take the England national team managerial post vacated by Steve "Dead Man Walking" McLaren on Thursday. Will there actually be a reunion between Beckham and Capello or will Capello cut ties with Mr. Posh in order to focus in 2010 World Cup qualifying?

Milan wins, will face Boca in Club World Cup Final

Clarence Seedorf scored the only goal of the match to help AC Milan hold off a fiesty challenge from the Urawa Reds, 1-0, on Thursday in the Club World Cup semifinals. The win means Milan will face Boca, as expected, in the final on Sunday.

Kaka was his usual brilliant self, supplying the service for Seedorf's goal, setting up what should be a quality final. Too bad it's being played in the middle of the night in the USA. You might want to set your TIVO now.

That's all for now. I will probably be doing a Q&A session later today so keep an eye out for that. The European Club Top 25 will return tomorrow ahead of a weekend full of high-profile match-ups.

Champions League Knockout Rounds: The Draw

Buon Giorno everybody. The group stages of the Champions League are over and we now know the 16 teams that will battle through the tournament's knockout round.

The draw, set for Dec. 21, will mark the most exciting aspect of the tournament that doesn't involve on-field action. The draw for the last 16 will be held and we are sure to see some very tasty match-ups.

Here are how the teams will be split up, with group winners in the first group and second-place finishers in the second group (group stage groups in parentheses):

Top Seeds: Porto (A), Chelsea (B), Real Madrid (C), AC Milan (D), Barcelona (E), Manchester United (F), Inter Milan (G), Sevilla (H)

Second Seeds: Liverpool (A), Schalke (B), Olympiakos (C), Celtic (D), Lyon (E), Roma (F), Fenerbahce (G), Arsenal (H)

Teams from the same country and teams who were in the same group cannot play each other, meaning Real Madrid can't play Olympiakos but could face anybody else in the second pool of teams.

Here's a look at what you could see:

MLS selects seniors for MLS Combine

Major League Soccer announced the 54 college seniors who will take part in the MLS Combine in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida from Jan. 11-15.

Here they are (Players to watch in bold):

2008 ADIDAS MLS PLAYER COMBINE LIST BY POSITION

GOALKEEPERS (5): Dominic Cervi (University of Tulsa); Brian Edwards (Wake Forest University); Andrew Kartunen (Stanford University); Casey Latchem (Ohio State University); Steve Sandbo (Southern Methodist University);

DEFENDERS (19): Scott Bolkan (Stanford University); Matthew Britner (Brown University); Eric Brunner (Ohio State University); Adrian Chevannes (Southern Methodist University); Sean Franklin (California State University Northridge); Matt Hatzke (Santa Clara University); David Horst (Old Dominion University); Andy Iro (University of California - Santa Barbara); Julius James (University of Connecticut); Jonathan Leathers (Furman University); Rauwshan McKenzie (Michigan State University); Ryan Miller (University of Notre Dame); Brandon Owens (University of California - Los Angeles); Andre Sherard (University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill); Julian Valentin (Wake Forest University); Yomby William (Old Dominion University); David Worthen (University of North Carolina - Greensboro); Mike Zaher (University of Tulsa); Geoff Cameron (University of Rhode Island);

MIDFIELDERS (23): Jeremy Barlow (University of Virginia); Eric Burkholder (University of Tulsa); El Hadj Cisse (North Carolina State University); Hugh Cronin (North Carolina State University); Pavle Dundjer  (University of Illinois - Chicago); Joe Germanese (Duke University); Brian Grazier (Saint Louis University); Pat Healy (Towson University); Andrew Jacobson (University of California); George Josten (Gonzaga University); Stephen King (University of Maryland); AJ Kulp (Old Dominion University); Peter Lowry (Santa Clara University); Ryan Maduro (Providence College); Pat Phelan (Wake Forest University); David Roth (Northwestern University); Shea Salinas (Furman University); Luke Sassano (University of California); Ben Shuleva (Southern Methodist University); Dan Stratford (West Virginia University); Michael Videira (Duke University); Andy Wright (University of West Virginia); Cesar Zambrano (University of Illinois -Chicago);

FORWARDS (7): Ely Allen (University of Washington); Xavier Balc (Ohio State University); Ryan Cordeiro (University of Connecticut); Kevin Forrest (University of Washington); Joseph Lapira (University of Notre Dame); Sherron Manswell (Boston College); Lukasz Turnicz (University of Rhode Island)

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

DC trades Boswell to Houston for Wells

It looks like D.C. United has a new goalkeeper and the Houston Dynamo has a new all-star blogger.

The Washington Post's Steve Goff is reporting that D.C. United has traded Bobby Boswell to the Houston Dynamo for Zach Wells and a future draft pick.

The deal isn't a complete surprise given the imminent sale of Troy Perkins and D.C. United's willingness to part ways with Boswell, who went from 2006 MLS defender of the year to benchwarmer and playoff goat in one year's time.

Wells' departure also isn't a surprise. Sources told SBI in November that the Dynamo were ready to part ways with Wells and the defending MLS Cup champions were in talks with San Jose to deal Wells to the Earthquakes before San Jose settled on Chivas USA back-up Preston Burpo.

If Boswell can regain his all-star form, he should step in for the departed Ryan Cochrane, though Patrick Ianni will be difficult to keep off the field come 2008.

Wells is a solid goalkeeper who should just be entering his prime. I really don't see a dropoff from Perkins to Wells, but I was never a big Perkins fan to begin with.

The deal should also end any speculation about Pat Onstad either retiring or leaving Houston to go to Toronto. He looks to have a few more years with the Dynamo ahead of him.

What do you think of the trade? Should the Dynamo have been forced to include a blogger to balance out United's loss of Boswell? Might we see Zachwells.com in the near future? Will D.C. United fans accept a former MetroStar as their starting goalkeeper? Share your thoughts below.

Champions League: Matchday Six (Your running commentary)

Good afternoon folks. The final day of the Champions League group stage is upon us and there are still some spots in the knockout round up for grabs.

Rangers and Lyon will face off with the winner assured of second place in Group E. Rangers need just a tie to advance while Lyon must find a way to win at the Ibrox. ESPN2 will be airing this match at 2:30pm.

Fenerbahce and PSV Eindhoven are still alive for the second spot in Group G, but they don't play each other. PSV must find a way to beat Inter Milan and hope that Fenerbahce doesn't beat group cellar dwellar CSKA Moscow. Yes, PSV is looking at a longshot to advance.

Arsenal and Sevilla are still jostling for the top spot in Group H but they both play weak opponents, meaning Sevilla is likely to hold on to its two point lead on Arsenal.

Here is the full slate of games today:

• Barcelona at Stuttgart
• Lyon at Rangers
• Manchester United at Roma
• Dynamo Kiev at Sporting Lisbon
• CSKA Moscow at Fenerbahce
• Inter Milan at PSV Eindhoven
• Steauau Bucharest at Arsenal
• Sevilla at Slavia Prague

If you want to see the Barcelona-Stuttgart match, ESPN Classic will air it via delay at 5pm Eastern. The Man U-Roma clash is on Setanta while PSV-Inter can be seen on ESPN360.

If you will be watching any of today's matches feel free to offer your opinions, as well as details of the action, in the comments section below.

Enjoy the soccer.