Soccer By Ives

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:

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.

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.

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.

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.

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:

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.

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.

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:

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.

Champions League: Matchday Six (Your running commentary)

It is do or die time for Liverpool.

The English club must beat Marseille on the road today to secure a place in the knockout round of the Champions League, and likely to salvage the job of under-fire manager Rafa Benitez. The match will be shown on ESPN2 at 2:30pm.

This isn't the only match with drama today. Rosenborg and Schalke meet, with Schalke needing a win to secure a place in the knockout round.

All four teams still have hope in Group C, where Real Madrid and Olympiakos can advance with draws. Werder Bremen needs a win against Olympiakos to advance while Lazio needs a multi-goal win against Real Madrid and A Werder Bremen rout to advance. Okay, so maybe Lazio's chances are closer to slim and none.

Real Madrid and Lazio will be the tape-delayed match on ESPN Classic at 5pm.

Here is a rundown of today's matches:

• Besiktas at FC Porto
• Liverpool at Marseille
• Valencia at Chelsea
• Rosenborg at Schalke 04
• Werder Bremen at Olympiakos
• Lazio at Real Madrid

If you will be watching any of the matches today then feel free to share your thoughts on the matches in the comments section below. I wasn't planning on doing a running commentary on Liverpool-Marseille but I may join in with one.

Enjoy today's action.

Americans Abroad: Weekend rewind

You can start calling Michael Bradley a goal machine.

Bradley was the unquestioned star among Americans Abroad last weekend, netting a first-half hat-trick to lead Heerenveen to a 4-2 derby victory against Groningen on Sunday.

Bradley wasn't the only American to do well. Bobby Convey was stellar in helping Reading knock off Liverpool on Saturday. He helped set up two goals in the 3-1 victory and his resurgence has American fans feeling a little more at ease about DaMarcus Beasley's lengthy layoff due to knee surgery.

It wasn't all good news though. Carlos Bocanegra remains in the Fulham doghouse, failing to make an appearance for the second straight game. Meanwhile, new Derby manager Paul Jewell continued ignoring his two American players, choosing to leave Eddie Lewis and Benny Feilhaber off the bench for their 4-1 loss to Manchester United.

Here is how all the Americans Abroad did last weekend:

Morning Ticker: Arena wants a job, Lippi eyeing England, USC women win title

Bruce Arena wants a job.

The former U.S. national team and Red Bulls coach has expressed his interest in the vacant Scotland job. It is a pretty smart move by Arena because coaching a UK national team is one way to score a club manager job in England, which I believe is Arena's ultimate goal.

Does he have a real chance of getting the job? I really don't think so. Not because he doesn't have the credentials, but because one thing Scotland doesn't have a shortage of is coaches. The tiny nation must produce the most soccer coaches/managers per capita of any top soccer nation.

You have to wonder whether Arena's interest in the Scotland gig will lead New England coach Steve Nicol to throw his hat into the ring. Why shouldn't he?

Monday Morning Centerback: Americans Abroad and MLS

Ahn nyeong haseyo everybody. It is Morning morning and even though ice storms are covering large parts of the country, it is still soccer season.

There will be plenty to blog about today, from the U.S. Under-17 team's exploits this past weekend to updates on Toronto FC and the expansion Seattle MLS franchise. You also had Michael Bradley's derby day hat-trick for Heerenveen as well as Bobb Convey's stellar performance for Reading against Liverpool.

Before we get to all of that, I wanted to start the day discussing my weekend column on ESPN.com. In case you missed it, I wrote a column with the premise being 'What if MLS could bring back some of the talented American players currently struggling for playing time in Europe.'

There may have been some confusion about the point of the column so here is some clarification.

Michael Bradley nets hat-trick in Heerenveen romp

Michael Bradley cannot stop scoring.

The U.S. national team midfielder netted his first career hat trick on Sunday to lead Heerenveen to a 4-2 win against Groningen on Sunday. Bradley scored all three goals in the first half to help Heerenveen win its derby.

When was the last time an American scored a hat-trick in a top European league? Very good question. Bradley was already beginning to draw interest from bigger European clubs. His performance on Sunday should only serve to send more clubs on the trail of the 20-year-old former MetroStar.

Here are the goals:

Also, here is Bradley's post-match interview in Dutch. Okay, I know most of you don't know Dutch, but I figured you might want to see the interview anyway. Maybe someone can translate.)

What do you think of Bradley scoring a first-half hat-trick? Share your thoughts below.

This weekend's soccer on TV

If you were hoping to see some high-profile European club matches this weekend, I'm afraid to break it to you. There aren't any can't-miss encounters.

That doesn't mean there isn't still some good soccer to watch. Fiorentina at Palermo and Espanyol at Zaragoza are two of the better matches on offer this weekend, while EPL lovers can turn to Liverpool-Reading and Manchester City-Tottenham for good match-ups.

Here is the rest of the weekend's soccer on TV:

Morning Ticker: Solo speaks, Milan arrives and Jose is closing in England

Goedemorgen everybody. It is bright and early and I would be feeling just fine if I wasn't in the midst of an all-nighter. I just came from Atlantic City where some friends and I celebrated the last night of bachelorhood for one our buddies (well, not THE last night, but the last night 10 of us could pile into a limo and make a run to AC).

Needless to say I'm dragging right now. It's one thing to operate on no sleep at a poker table, where a steady stream of caffeine coupled with 20-second mini-naps can keep you going. It's not the same when you're trying to blog and offer up some coherent thoughts.

Before I pass out, here are some news nuggets for you to munch on this morning:

No Real Madrid for Altidore this winter

If you are a Red Bulls fan who was worried about Jozy Altidore leaving the Red Bulls for a move to Real Madrid this winter, you can relax. For now.

Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon told media on Tuesday that Real Madrid will not bring in any new players during the winter transfer period.

"It is not necessary for anyone to come in," Calderon said. "Neither will we give away any players."

Does that mean that Altidore still can't make a move elsewhere? No, but it makes it appear that much more likely that Altidore will play one more season in MLS.

What do you think of this development? Do you think Calderon is lying? Do you think Real Madrid will make a bid this summer? Do you think some unidentified team will swoop in for Altidore this winter? Share your thoughts below.

SBI European Club Top 25

Can anybody stop Inter Milan?

That's the question these days around Europe as the Italian champions keep plowing through the competition. Led by Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Inter is riding an 11-0-2 streak in its past 13 matches. Their only blemish this season was an early-season Champions League loss to Turkish club Fenerbahce. Inter took care of avenging that last week with a 3-0 thrashing of Fenerbahce.

Inter took over the top spot this week after Arsenal's Champions League loss to Sevilla. Truth be told, Inter probably deserved the top spot even before that.

Here is how the entire SBI European Club Top 25 shakes out this week:

Americans Abroad: Weekend Rewind

Good morning SBI Nation, it is Tuesday and there should be plenty to discuss today. I will start the day off with the weekly installment of Americans Abroad.

There were no goals scored by Americans this past weekend but there were more players playing than usual (at least it seemed that way). Yes, injuries have several top Americans on the sideline now (Beasley, McBride, Keller) but players from Josh Wolff to Bobby Convey made their ways into starting lineups.

Here is how European-based Americans fared this past weekend in Europe's top leagues:

Mourinho leaving England door open

Dzien dobry folks. I will be posting Americans Abroad as well as a college soccer update shortly. For now, consider the word coming out of England that former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho would consider coaching the English national team.

Does it really come as a surprise? It shouldn't. There is little debating Mourinho's class as a manager, and his established relationships with England stalwarts John Terry and Frank Lampard should only help matters. The talent is there to lead England through World Cup qualifying, but you wonder if even Mourinho won't be able to make England serious World Cup contenders in 2010.

What do you think of the possibility? Share your thoughts below.

Monday Morning Centerback: Euro 2008 and a brutal Group of Death

Konichiwa people. It's Monday morning and I am struggling. Saturday night's frigid conditions in Newark got the better of me and now I'm nursing a cold that has me dragging a bit so apologies if you were looking for new posts on Sunday.

I will get to a wide range of topics today, from the NCAA tournament to the weekend's European club soccer action, but I wanted to start the week off talking about the Euro 2008 draw. If you haven't heard by now, the draw produced what may wind up being one of the toughest groups in tournament play, that's of any soccer tournament. France, Italy, Holland and Romania will do battle, with just two slots available for the quarterfinals. Can you say WOW?

Here are all of the Euro 2008 groups:

This weekend's soccer on TV

Good afternoon folks. If you are a fan of Serie A then this is the weekend for you. Three high-caliber match-ups in Italy's first division headline a good weekend of soccer action on TV.

Juventus travels to AC Milan on Saturday before Inter Milan travels to the Viola to face Fiorentina. Sunday's action is capped with red-hot Udinese traveling to Rome to square off with Roma.

Italy doesn't have all the top action. The Barcelona derby is this weekend, with Barca traveling to face arch-rival Espanyol, a squad that has been on a good run of form lately. Germany's premier match of the weekend pits SBI Top 25 clubs Hamburg and Werder Bremen in a match that is definitely worth a TIVO hit.

The EPL slate is a bit light this weekend, though the Arsenal-Aston Villa match will be interesting to see since Arsenal is coming off its first loss of the season in any competition.

As good as these games are, the most exciting soccer TV may come on Sunday morning, when the draw for the Euro 2008 Tournament is shown on ESPN2. I know that's REAL early to be waking up but you can always just go back to sleep after seeing how the teams are drawn and see who teams like England Italy and France will be playing.

Here are the rest of the weekend's soccer games on TV:

Beasley could miss rest of European season

DaMarcus Beasley looks to be out for the year with damaged knee ligaments, according to the Glasgow Daily Record. Beasley injured his left knee after colliding with Stuttgart goalkeeper Raphael Schafer during Stuttgart's 3-2 Champions League win against Rangers on Wednesday.

If Beasley has torn knee ligaments, he could be sidelined through the summer, with a fall return likely at best. Torn ligaments would also mean that the U.S. national team winger would almost certainly miss the U.S. team's second-round World Cup qualifying match against the Barbados/Dominica winner and could lead to him missing some games in the first group stage of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying.

The injury comes just as fellow American left winger Bobby Convey has recovered from his own injury issues. The U.S. team will lean heavily on Convey come the summer (if he is healthy) and will also need to turn to veteran winger Eddie Lewis as well. Lewis has remained on the U.S. team radar in recent months despite his age (33).

As it stands, the Glasgow Daily Record is reporting this exclusively. I will post further confirmation as it surfaces.

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

Champions League: Matchday Five (Your Running Commentary)

Good afternoon folks. Apologies for the delay in getting this up. You know the drill. If you're watching Champions League action today then share your thoughts as well as letting us know what you're seeing. I will do a light commentary on Chelsea-Rosenborg.

Let's have some fun.

The 50 most exciting teenagers in soccer

If you missed the November issue of World Soccer magazine you missed a cover story on the 50 Most Exciting Teenagers on the Planet. It was a great piece with quality information, especially for those of you who relish knowing about the best up and coming talents in the game.

Some of the players you would expect were on the list, including Sergio Aguero, Alexandre Pato, Micah Richards, Giovani Dos Santos, Bojan Krkic and Anderson, but there were two players who were NOT on the list that left me scratching my head a bit.

Jozy Altidore and Freddy Adu were nowhere to be found.

Now I'm not saying it's a travesty that neither is on the list. I just found it interesting that neither made it, particularly after how both performed at the Under-20 World Cup. Altidore nets two goals against Brazil and Adu was on fire, but neither made the list.

If you are wondering what players WERE on the list, here they are:

Riquelme on his way back to Boca Juniors

Those of you praying that Argentine playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme would somehow make his way to Major League Soccer will have to find a new dream. Riquelme will return to Boca Juniors once the winter transfer period opens in January. The deal will be a full transfer, not a loan deal like the one Riquelme joined Boca Juniors on earlier in the year.

Riquelme hasn't played a minute for Villarreal this season because of a major falling out with Villarreal manager Manuel Pellegrini. Riquelme's absence hasn't hurt Villarreal much. The Yellow Submarine sits second in the La Liga standings, just a point behind Real Madrid.

Riquelme's club hiatus hasn't stopped him from dominating for Argentina. The free kick maestro has recorded four goals in World Cup qualifying for Argentina despite his lack of first-team club action.

There is no truth to the rumor that Ray Hudson is paying out of his own pocket to have GolTV air all Boca Juniors matches starting in January (okay, I just made that part up.)

What do you think of Riquelme's move? Disappointed that he won't be playing in Europe? Crushed that some MLS team didn't find a way to lure him here? Happy because Boca will now win the Argentine League title? Share your thoughts below.

Beasley suffers serious knee injury in Rangers UCL loss to Stuttgart

U.S. national team winger DaMarcus Beasley was taken off the field on a stretcher during Rangers' 3-2 loss to Stuttgart on Wednesday. Beasley stated after the match that he believes he injured a knee ligament. The extent of the injury is not known yet but Rangers manager Walter Smith is calling the injury serious.

Beasley is expected to have an MRI today which will reveal the extent of his injury.

Champions League: Matchday Five (Your Running Commentary)

Good afternoon all. We are less than an hour away from kicking off most of today's Champions League fixtures and it's a good time to set up a running commentary post (As you can see by the picture above, some Champions League action has already begun, with PSV opening the scoring against CSKA Moscow).

I will be following the Manchester United-Sporting Lisbon match and providing commentary. You can feel free to comment on that match, as well as any matches you have access to. Check in and let us know if you'll be following along. Once the matches begin you can share your views and thoughts below.

Enjoy the action.

SBI European Club Top 25

Good morning folks. The Champions League is set to kick off in a few hours, with some truly exciting match-ups, so what better time to reveal the latest SBI European Club Top 25 than now?

Yes Arsenal fans, there is a change at the top. Manchester United's loss means that Inter Milan is the new No. 1. Okay, I'm kidding. Arsenal is back on top after Man U's stumble. Staying there won't be easy with road dates against Sevilla and Aston Villa.

The same 10 teams are in the Top 10, with some minor changes near the bottom. The real changes took place in spots 11 through 25, with Werder Bremen making a big jump and Manchester City returning to the standings.

Here it is, the SBI European Club Top 25:

Champions League: Matchday Five

The UEFA Champions League is back and this week's slate of games features some very juicy match-ups for those of you who are craving them after a weekend with few truly marquee match-ups.

Barcelona-Lyon headlines Tuesday's matches (and will be shown on delay on ESPNClassic at 5pm), with Manchester united-Sporting Lisbon being shown on ESPN2 (2:30pm). Real Madrid and Werder Bremen top the schedule on Wednesday (and will also be shown via delay on ESPN Classic at 5pm), though Chelsea-Rosenborg will be the game shown on ESPN2.

Chelsea-Rosenborg? Really? Okay, I know, Chelsea fans will be happy to watch this game but seriously, whoever picked this game is clueless. Porto-Liverpool, AC Milan-Benfica and Real Madrid-Werder Bremen would all have been better choices to show but somebody with a Chelsea jersey on under his suit at ESPN made the call.

One game you are going to want to follow is Inter Milan-Fenerbahce. Inter's lone loss of the season so far was its Champions League loss to Fenerbahce. Expect some payback to be handed out.

Here is the full slate of Champions League matches this week:

Americans Abroad: Weekend Rewind

Freddy did it again.

Yes, Freddy Adu scored another goal and Benfica fans are starting to feel the same Adu-mania that enveloped MLS fans just a few years ago.

Adu was the only American to deliver a goal in Europe last week, but there were plenty of other quality performances. Bobby Convey started and played 90 minutes for Reading, moving him closer to a return to the U.S. national team mix. U.S. national team defensive anchors Carlos Bocanegra and Steve Cherundolo sat out the action last weekend.

Here is a rundown of how American soccer players did in Europe's top leagues last weekend:

Monday Morning Center Back (Altidore, Adu, Asia and Another coach fired)

Good morning all. The World Cup qualifying draw was this past weekend and it gave us plenty to look forward to in the next two years. from England's chance at revenge against Croatia to the USA drawing an easier path to the Hexagonal than Mexico.

We also had increasing talk about Jozy Altidore going to Europe. Real Madrid is ramping up its interest while Altidore has stated that he will only leave for the right situation. Is Real Madrid the right situation? Here is my column on Jozy's situation for ESPN.com. I'll try to make my point very clear. Altidore should spent one more season in MLS. That's it. A full year as a starter in MLS will help him far more than a year as a sub in Europe will. You can disagree, and some folks do, but that's my stance.

Here are some other tidbits from the weekend and today: