Edu Could See Action This Weekend + Champions League News
Posted on August 27, 2008 in the Barcelona, Champions League, SPL, Serie A category
Former Toronto FC midfielder Maurice Edu will likely be in the squad for Rangers on Sunday when the club faces rival Celtic in Glasgow. If Edu arrives in the city on time, manager Walter Smith sees no reason why the US international would not factor into the Old Firm match. Rangers spent £2.6m on Edu who agreed to a five-year deal. He recently competed for the United States in a World Cup qualifier against Guatemala. The 22-year-old also competed in the Olympic tournament in China.
In UEFA Champions League news:
Juventus, Barcelona, and Greek-power Panathinaikos all qualified for the group stage of the tournament.
England Premier League – Week 3 Preview
Posted on August 26, 2008 in the Premier League category
Week three marks the end of the first part of the Premier League race with no more games until mid-September because of International matches.
Because of the UEFA SuperCup game this coming weekend, Manchester United’s game with Fulham has been postponed. As a result, Liverpool and Chelsea will be 5 points ahead of United after the Internation break when United travel to Anfield and Stamford Bridge in successive weeks.
After two weeks of action we are a poor 9 and 11, putting us clearly in Mark Lawrenson territory
Why Hope Solo Hasn’t Been Redeemed
Posted on August 25, 2008 in the News category
The WNT has won the Olympic Gold.
Did they have the most talented team? Nope.
Did they have the most talented goalkeeper? Yes.
But as you may have noticed, Hope Solo isn’t the “star” of the WNT. No, some say she’s lucky to be on the team at all. After all, her own teammates voted her out after the 2007 World Cup semifinal loss to Brazil. They didn’t even let her attend the bronze medal match. Pretty harsh punishment for someone who only said what she was honestly thinking.
Small Clubs Make Run at Champions League Group Stage
Posted on August 25, 2008 in the Champions League category
The second leg of the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round will conclude this week and several small clubs from throughout Europe are in position to qualify for the group stage. A closer look follows.
Anorthosis Famagusta FC: The Cypriot squad defeated Greek power Olympiacos CFP by a score of 3-0 in the first leg. If Anorthosis holds on, the club will be the first from Cyprus to qualify for the group stage of the UEFA Champions League. The squad is captained by 35-year-old midfielder Nicos Nicolaou. The Cypriot international has been with the club since 2001.
United Send Over Second Bid for Dimitar Berbatov
Posted on August 25, 2008 in the Man Utd., Premier League category
Sir Alex and Manchester United are determined to land elite striker Dimitar Berbatov. The Red Devils are desperate to bring in an attacking option as the club looks to defend its Premiership and UEFA Champions League crowns. Luckily for United, the relationship between Berbatov and Spurs’ manager Juande Ramos is severely strained following the Bulgarian international’s recent antics. Only his teammates know what effect his constant transfer requests have had on the locker room. Berbatov, who has been hankering for a move out of London for several weeks, was also photographed autographing a Manchester United shirt in his home country.
Sir Alex Informally Approached to Manage an All-Britain Olympic Squad in 2012
Posted on August 25, 2008 in the Man Utd., News category
Prime Minister Gordon Brown has stated that Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has been informally approached to lead an all-Britain squad in 2012 when the games come to London. The Prime Minister is hoping to see both a men’s and women’s team fielded in the Olympic tournament. In the past, Britain has not entered because the four home countries - England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - compete separately in other international tournaments such as the World Cup. The Prime Minister has held talks with FIFA president Sepp Blatter hoping to secure this compromise for the London-based games. After, the home nations’ football associations will have to agree to the all-Britain idea.
Premier League Winners and Losers - Week Two
Posted on August 25, 2008 in the Premier League category
Week two of the English Premier League was full of surprises from Fulham’s victory over Arsenal to Hull being in the top four. Here are winners and losers from an exciting weekend of football.
Winners
Liverpool and Chelsea
Both have six points after two weeks and with Arsenal losing and Manchester United’s game against Fulham postponed, they have a chance to be at least 3 and 5 points ahead of their biggest rivals.
Rafael Benitez said after the Middlesbrough victory that they would have drawn this game last year. Both Chelsea and Liverpool looked improved over last year’s squads and both Arsenal and Manchester United have a tough battle on their hands in they are to overtake these two.
Major League Soccer Weekend Recap
Posted on August 24, 2008 in the MLS category
As the clock moves towards September, it is not surprising to find traditional MLS contenders, New England, Dallas, Houston, New York and DC United beginning to make their moves.
NY Red Bulls 3, Houston 0
Mike Magee scored once and set up another goal as the New York Red Bulls extended their winning streak to three games with a 3-0 victory over the Houston Dynamo. Sparked by the recent play of Magee, the surging Red Bulls (7-7-7) evened their record and improved to 3-0-2 in their last five matches.
U.S. MNT Defeats GUA in WC Qualifier
Posted on August 24, 2008 in the World Cup category
Now, winning in Guatemala is no easy task. Winning anywhere on the road isn’t actually, so it’s an excellent start to this World Cup qualifying round to pick up three points.
In spite of the win though, I took away only one really positive thing from this match, the knowledge that Howard may be the best keeper right now America has ever had. He looks fantastic out there physically and mentally. I loved it when he got in Ruiz’s face after The Fish (not so inconspicuously) kicked him in his grill. He may be the kind of leader our team could really rally around.
Rest in Peace, Alexi Lalas’s Career as a GM
Posted on August 23, 2008 in the LA Galaxy category
Readers of this site know I have been harsh on Alexi Lalas in the past. Like here, here, and here. To get some closure, I am going to go ahead and write Alexi’s obituary as a GM in the hopes those who read it (i.e., MLS owners) will simply let his career as an executive rest in peace.
Alexi Lalas’s GM career (Jan. 2004 - Aug. 2008) was euthanized by AEG on August 11, 2008 after a long and painful bout with chronic underperformance.
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