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.

Man U takes over first place. Manchester United destroyed Sunderland, 4-0, while Portsmouth held Arsenal to a scoreless draw, which means Man U is in first place at the mid-way point of the season. The lead is a point, but is effectively two points based on Man U's superior goal difference.

There is still plenty of soccer to be played, so you shouldn't go chiseling Man U's name in the trophy just yet, but you have to like the Red Devils' chances of holding on in the second half of the season. And you can wave goodbye to Chelsea's already dim chances of winning the league after its crazy 4-4 tie against Aston Villa, a match that saw two Chelsea players red carded and goalkeeper Peter Cech look like a shell of himself. I'm still trying to figure out why Avram Grant would play an injured Cech when he has some pretty decent goalkeepers on his bench.

Ronaldo to transfer back to Brazil?  Beleaguered Brazilian striker Ronaldo has gone to Brazil to receive treatment for an injury, but now reports are surfacing that link the 2002 World Cup winner with a move to Brazilian club Flamengo. Ronaldo has struggled to stay healthy in recent years, and has yet to make any sort of contribution to AC Milan this year, so a move to Brazil could help him regain his form. I'm sure some Red Bulls fans would say that a stint in MLS could help Ronaldo's form as well. Too bad AC Milan is already denying the rumors. It sounds like some wishful thinking from Brazilian journalists. Sound familiar?

Trouble for former MLS player. Remember Onandi Lowe? The former Jamaican national team and Kansas City Wizards striker? He had a little trouble with the law in Jamaica recently. Apparently Lowe thought it was a good idea to go for a drive with 42 marijuana cigarettes in his car. Yes, you read that right, 42. Save your "Marijuana is illegal in Jamaica?" remarks. My first thought was, "how long a ride was he going on?" Major League Soccer's version of Nate Newton apparently didn't learn his lesson when he was nearly convicted for trying to smuggle crack out of England.

I'll be back with a Boxing Day recap in a bit. For now, share your thoughts on these stories, and any other stories making the rounds this morning.

Comments

[Aaron]

Finals and semifinals take place in Nashville, Tennessee not Memphis...which is awesome. Anyone plan on going to those matches?

[Brian]

Olympic Qualifying is far from easy. The Concacaf system is idiotic in that in creates a winner take all semi-final. The final and third place games are meaningless. Why do they even play them?? They should just have some rational system of a single table and the top 2 move one.

But as it is, it will all come down to one game at the semi-final. Anything can happen. The US didn't qualify in 04 but we weren't expected to since the semifinal game came down us beating Mexico in Mexico. We were heavy underdogs in that match and I don't know why everyone is so shocked we didn't qualify for the Olympics. If we had to play Mexico in Mexico 10 times, we would have won maybe once. And that's generous.

On the other hand, upsets can happen when it comes down to one game. Mexico lost to Honduras in their 2000 semifinal match in Hershey PA in a shoot out after the game finished 0-0 and Mexico had 90% of the possession. Mexico did this after thrashing all of their opponents in the group stage. But they didn't qualify after the shootout loss. I actually don't believe they conceded a goal the entire tournament. But they didn't make it.

Concacaf really needs to figure out a better system so the deserving teams have a fair shot. As of now, it's a total crapshoot. I am not sure we'll make it this year. We won't even have our best players available.

[KingSnake]

Great, substitute an elderly, skirt-chasing, sub-bathing German (Oldthar) for a somewhat less elderly, skirt-chasing, sun-bathing Brazilian (Ronaldo). That would be a winner. Commence Ronaldoturbation in 3-2-1 ...

[BK (the artist formerly known as Brad)]

Vote:

Who is uglier?

A) Ronaldo
B) Ronaldinho
C) Ronald McDonald

[Toothless]

why does anyone care about ronaldo anymore? he's done. finished. no impact and no one is scared of him anymore. end it. if you stop reporting on him, he'll just go away as he should. let him live off his fat.

[Andrew]

easy.
Ronaldinho.
mos def.
Whenever I see a picture of him with his mouth wide open screaming at a teamate or celebrating a goal I'm afraid that a tiny little ronaldinho head is going to pop out of his mouth and chomp the keepers face off. alien style.

[soulshadow]

Funny seeing Iniguez's name as one of the scorers. I had him briefly on my Peterborough team in FIFA 08. But I digress...

In the last Olympic qualifiers, the reason Mexico and the US faced each in the semi-finals was because one of them failed to win their group, correct? (As I recall, it was whichever one had Costa Rica... I think it was Mexico but can't be sure). That lead to the match being in the semis instead of the final, which is pretty much the match-up CONCACAF is looking for. With Costa Rica out, they should get it, but you never know. After all, Mexico nearly didn't even make it out of the group stage of the Gold Cup. Gotta love these tourneys, you never know what will happen.

Mike

[kpugs]

Andrew: best comment ever. Hands down.

[cbr]

who knew he had such a beautiful head of hair?

[ejs]

Ronald Mcdonald is the type of person that should not be hanging out by little kids

[BK (the artist formerly known as Brad)]

I'd be more afraid of Grimace and the Hamburglar. There's something about Grimace that just doesn't sit well with me.

But then again, clowns scare me more than anything in the world.

[BK (the artist formerly known as Brad)]

I think we should dye Ronaldo's hair bright red and he could start his own chain of McDonalds as Ronaldo McDonaldo.

Their hair is similar.

[eshad15]

Ives-
What happened to the Chicago coaching update?

[Kosh71]

RBNY fans do you really want Ronaldo in your side? better yet with the baggage this guy's been hauling lately, would MLS want to spend decent coin on him and place him in party city USA??

Ives, I know the dude still has mad talent...but at this point, with all the strives that the league has made (last year in particular) do we really need Ronaldo? And if we do, is he value for cash less than what a JBS got from Columbs last year?

Thanks for the update, keep up the good work, and have a Happy New Year, Ives.

[Ives]

Hey, I didn't say Ronaldo was a good idea. I said that some fans would love to have. There's no way I would sign him to a DP slot these days, or ever at this point.

[inkedAG]

Not one person commented on the ganja?

[Ives]

I know inkedAG, I thought that Onandi Lowe note was gold when I found it. Maybe I need to re-post it tomorrow. It should have gotten way more of a response.

[Warren]

Ives, two questions.

Any updates on the Fire's new
coach?

&

What's up wit Red Bull Park? Is it ever going to start getting built?

[KingSnake]

How much wood could a wood chuck chuck, if a wood chuck could chuck wood? *rat teeth noises*

[inkedAG]

Ives, perhaps none of your readers are potheads. :)

As for me, I'm think those 42 joints he had were for training. The Reggae Boyz have qualifying coming up, no?

[Thomas]

agreed

[Jeff]

If anyone is looking for the Mexico National Team away jersey, they are here.