I am definitely going to take a break from wub Nord.I have no idea if it will be for days, weeks, months or forever.But I do know that I am burnt out, and need to step away.As soon as I know more, so will you.Thanks for all the great patronage.
OF This World News
The volume on the speculation of David Beckham staying at AC Milan has reached supersonic levels. It's like a parana feeding frenzy. One headline caught my attention as the most clever: "Defaulting on a loan" from the Philadelphia Daily News. Bravo!
CD CHIVAS USAThe team has re-signed newly acquired left fullback Ante Jazic. I assume this move will push Jonathan Bornstein up into the left midfield spot left vacant when Pancho Mendoza left the Amerigoats for the Mexigoats.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~The team has also hired their former defender, and former USA International, Carlos Llamosa as a new assistant coach! Cool.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKESAnn Killion of the Mercury News feels that the Quakes
landing a major sponsor in this economic climate is very big news.
-Here are
several pictures of the new shirts and a giant blow up version.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~SEATTLE SOUNDERS FCDon Ruiz of the Tacoma News Tribune and
Gary Washburn of the Post Intelligencer both with a articles on newly signed midfielder Osvaldo Alonso.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~TORONTO FCGareth Wheeler of The Sun knows that
TFC still has a long way to go to be a true contender. And I completely agree with his assessment of the teams lack of improvement on defense. They have done almost nothing since day 1 to improve their biggest weakness.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~MLS Rumor City - Don't Tease Me Bro!The Orlando Sentinel says that
RSL is looking at Liga de Quito striker Luis Miguel Escalada. He is a very talented player, but has a highly questionable personality (6 teams in 5 years speaks volumes). The good news is that he is young.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~MLS Stadium TalkJay Hipps of Center Line Soccer has a
Q & A with San Jose Earthquakes owner Lew Wolff on team and stadium progress.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~The Harrisburg Patriot News with
the latest on the stadium financing arrangements for Philadelphia.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~MLS Expansion NewsSlams Sports describes the
MLS Honcho's meeting with potential new franchise owners in Ottawa.
-Slam also looks at
what it would take to build a stadium in Ottawa.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~Team USACoach Bob Bradley plans to continue training sessions with players who were on the team for the Sweden friendly, with some of them ending up on the roster for the World Cup qualifier against Mexico on Feb 11. The list of those players for the extended January camp is expected to be announced shortly.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~Americans In EuropeLandon Donovan at Bayern MunichHere is what is on the docket for Landon Donovan and Bayern Munich over the next 2 weeks:
-Friendlies:
Bayern Munich 3-0 Bamberg -Sat Jan 17 - the game was played on a snow covered pitch with an orange ball. LD came on at half time already up 2-0 and did not figure in the last goal.
Kaiserslautern 0-2 Bayern Munich - Mon Jan 19 - LD came on as a sub in the 62nd minute and scored on a great glancing header to seal the win.
Bayern Munich 5-0 Mainz - Thu Jan 22 - Came on in the 60th minute and this time Landon bags 2!
-DFB Pokal Round of 16:
Stuttgart 1-5 Bayern Munich - Tue Jan 27 - LD came on as a sub in the 67th minute with the score already 0-5.
-Bundesliga:
Hamburger v Bayern Munich - Fri Jan 30 - live at 1:30pm Central on GolTV.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~Most Recent Matches(only players who saw the field are listed)
All games on Wed Jan 28:
England Premiership
-Tim Howard - Everton - v Arsenal
-Jonathan Spector - West Ham - v Hull
~ ~ ~ ~ ~England Championship
-Eddie Johnson - Cardiff - at Coventry
~ ~ ~ ~ ~German DFB Pokal
-Heath Pearce - Hansa Rostock - at Wolfsburg
~ ~ ~ ~ ~Americans In MexicoLuis Bueno of the Touchline has
a recap of how our players did last weekend.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~UNCAF ChampionshipCentral American Championship website~ ~ ~ ~ ~This 7 team tournament, being hosted by Honduras, will qualify 5 teams for next summers CONCACAF Gold Cup. The top 5 are the ones who will advance.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~Group A*9 Honduras +6
*4 El Salvador +3
2 Nicaragua -3
1 Belize -4
Group B*6 Costa Rica +5
*3 Panama -3
0 Guatemala -3
~ ~ ~ ~ ~So Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama & El Salvador advance to the Gold Cup, with the 5th place game winner joining them.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~Group Stage Matches & Scores:
-Tue Jan 27
Panama 1-0 Guatemala - Pana goal by Alberto Zapata.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~5th Place Match & Score:
-Thu Jan 29
Nicaragua v GuatemalaSemifinal Matches & Scores:
-Fri Jan 30
Costa Rica v El SalvadorHonduras v Panama3rd Place Match & Score:
-Sun Feb 1
Loser SF1 v Loser SF2Final Match & Score:
-Sun Feb 1
Winner SF1 v Winner SF2~ ~ ~ ~ ~Mexico & FMF NewsNational Team Match & Score:
-Wed Jan 28
Mexico v Sweden - in Oakland CA at McAfee Stadium
~ ~ ~ ~ ~Copa LibertadoresThe final play-in round of the Libertadores starts on Tuesday. 6 teams will advance to the group stage which begins on Tue Feb 10.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~Pre-Round 1st leg Matches & Scores:
-Tue Jan 27
El Nacional (Ecuador) 0-5 Nacional (Paraguay)-Wed Jan 28
Independiente Medellin (Colombia) v Penarol (Uruguay)Universidad de Chile (Chile) v Pachuca (Mexico)-Thu Jan 29
Sporting Cristal (Peru) v Estudiantes (Argentina)Deportivo Anzoategui (Venezuela) v Deportivo Cuenca (Ecuador)Palmeiras (Brazil) v Real Potosi (Bolivia)~ ~ ~ ~ ~European NewsFRANCECoupe de France15 teams have advanced to the Round of 16, with one game yet to be played in this round. Here are the teams who advanced: En Avant Guingamp, AC Ajaccio, Lille, Toulouse, Dijon FCO, Lorient, US Boulogne, Rodez AF, AS Vitre, CS Sedan Ardennes, Stade Rennes, Le Mans, Grenoble, Paris St Germain & Monaco.
Round of 32 Match & Score:
-Wed Jan 28
Lyon v Marseille~ ~ ~ ~ ~GERMANYDFB PokalRound of 16 Matches & Scores:
-Tue Jan 27
Freiburg 1-3 MainzStuttgart 1-5 Bayern MunichHamburg 3-1 1860 MunichCarl Zeiss Jena 1-4 Schalke-Wed Feb 28
Bayer Leverkusen v Energie CottbusKarlsruher v Wehen WiesbadenWolfsburg v Hansa RostockBorussia Dortmund v Werder Bremen~ ~ ~ ~ ~SPAINCopa Del ReyQuarterfinal 2nd leg Matches & Scores (with 1st leg scores included):
-Wed Jan 28
Sporting Gijon v Athletic Bilbao (0-0)
Barcelona v Espanyol (0-0)
Real Betis v Mallorca (0-1)
Sevilla v Valencia (2-3)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~Important PodcastGlenn Davis on his radio show Houston Dynamo All Access had interesting interviews with Marcelo Claure (teaming with Barcelona to bring MLS back to South Florida), Brian Ching (Houston and USA forward) and Dwayne DeRosario (new in Toronto) on Tuesday night.
Download or listen here. (NOTE: podcast in .wav format, not .mp3)
The 2009 MLS Schedule Has Been Released
No More Talking Without Payment News
A 0-1 win at Portsmouth today moved Brad Friedel and Aston Villa up to a tie for 2nd place in the EPL, but they have played one more game than Liverpool. None the less - amazing!CD CHIVAS USAThey re-signed Swiss midfielder Raphael Wicky. Let's hope he plays more than the 10 or so seconds he played last season.
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKESThe Quakes have a sponsor for the front of their shirts -it's Amway Global. Here is
the logo.
SEATTLE SOUNDERS FCThe team has signed Cuban midfielder Osvaldo Alonso from First Division team Charleston.
The team's Domestic Preseason Matches:
-Feb 9 at LA Galaxy (training game)
-Feb 10 v Shandong Luneng (China) in Oxnard CA (training game)
-Feb 11 at Ventura County Fusion (PDL) (open to the public)
-Feb 13 v San Jose Earthquakes in San Luis Obispo CA (open to the public)
-Feb 20 at U Portland (NCAA) (open to the public)
-Feb 22 v Vancouver Whitecaps (USL-1) at Qwest Field (closed)
-Mar 12 v Colorado Rapids at Qwest Field (closed)
MLS Expansion NewsThe Ottawa Citizens reports that
the MLS Expansion scouting circus rolled into town today.
Soccer In AmericaBilly Witz of the New York Times tells us that
your best bet to becoming a long time member of the US national team is to become a left fullback.
Americans In EuropeLandon Donovan at Bayern MunichHere is what is on the docket for Landon Donovan and Bayern Munich over the next 2 weeks:
-Friendlies:
Bayern Munich 3-0 Bamberg -Sat Jan 17 - the game was played on a snow covered pitch with an orange ball. LD came on at half time already up 2-0 and did not figure in the last goal.
Kaiserslautern 0-2 Bayern Munich - Mon Jan 19 - LD came on as a sub in the 62nd minute and scored on a great glancing header to seal the win.
Bayern Munich 5-0 Mainz - Thu Jan 22 - Came on in the 60th minute and this time Landon bags 2!
-DFB Pokal Round of 16:
Stuttgart 1-5 Bayern Munich - Tue Jan 27 - LD came on as a sub in the 67th minute with the score already 0-5.
Match report from Bayern's website.
-Bundesliga:
Hamburger v Bayern Munich - Fri Jan 30 - live at 1:30pm Central on GolTV.
Upcoming MatchesAll games on Wed Jan 28:
England Premiership
-Tim Howard - Everton - v Arsenal
-Jonathan Spector - West Ham - v Hull
England Championship
-Eddie Johnson - Cardiff - at Coventry
German DFB Pokal
-Heath Pearce - Hansa Rostock - at Wolfsburg
Most Recent Matches(only players who saw the field are listed)
All games from Tue Jan 27:
England Premiership
-Clint Dempsey - Fulham - played the entire match but they lost 1-0 at Sunderland.
-Brad Friedel - Aston Villa - went the distance as they beat Portsmouth 0-1 on the road.
England League One
-Jemal Johnson - Milton Keynes - played all 90 but lost at home 1-2 to Leyton Orient.
Italy Serie B
-Danny Szetela - Brescia - came on as a sub in the 83rd minute as they drew at Sassuolo 0-0.
German DFB Pokal
-Landon Donovan - Bayern Munich - came on as a sub in the 67th minute and they won big 1-5 away to Stuttgart. They move on to the quarterfinals now.
-Gregg Berhalter - 1860 Munich - played the full match but lost at Hamburg 3-1.
CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying NewsWhere will the USA play their other 4
[CORRECTED] home qualifiers in the Hexagon (game 1 is in Columbus)? They have already said that they will not play any games on grass or a field that has grass laid over fake turf. That eliminates places like Boston, Portland & Seattle right off the top. Dallas, Salt Lake, Los Angeles and Chicago all have nice MLS stadiums with real grass to they are in. I can't imagine this round going by without a game at RFK in Washington DC either. So where else could the games be held? In the past Cleveland, Hartford and Birmingham have all played host to the USA. What about Houston or Phoenix. The Bay Area. The Carolinas. Anyone with other ideas?
UNCAF ChampionshipCentral American Championship websiteThis 7 team tournament, being hosted by Honduras, will qualify 5 teams for next summers CONCACAF Gold Cup. The 4 semifinalists and the 5th place game winner will advance.
[CORRECTED]Group A*9 Honduras +6
*4 El Salvador +3
2 Nicaragua -3
1 Belize -4
Group B*6 Costa Rica +5
0 Guatemala -2
0 Panama -3
* have qualified for the semifinals.
Tuesday's final group stage game between Panama and Guatemala will determine the 4th team to advance. The losers goes into the 5th place game.
Group Stage Matches & Scores:
-Thu Jan 22
El Salvador 1-1 Nicaragua - El S goal by Carlos Ayala. Nica goal by Marlon Medina.
Honduras 2-1 Belize - Hond goals by Walter Martinez & Amando Guevara(PK). Beli goal by Lisbey Castillo.
-Fri Jan 23
Costa Rica 3-0 Panama - CR goals by Andy Furtado & Alvaro Sanchez.
-Sat Jan 24
Belize 1-4 El Salvador - Beli goal by Jeremy James. El S goals by Alfredo Pacheco (3, one via PK) & Ramon Sanchez.
Honduras 4-1 Nicaragua - Hond goals by Mario Cesar, Danilo Turcios, Saul Martinez & Walter Martinez. Nica goal by Armando Ismael Reyes.
-Sun Jan 25
Guatemala 1-3 Costa Rica - Guat goal by Marco Papa. CR goals by Alvaro Sanchez, Pablo Herrera & Roberto Segura.
-Mon Jan 26
Nicaragua 1-1 Belize - Nica goal by Juan Berrera. Beli goal by Byron Usher.
Honduras 2-0 El Salvador - Hond goals by Carlos Pavon(PK) & Marvin Chavez.
-Tue Jan 27
Panama v Guatemala -