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Showing posts from July, 2010

Movsisyan, Pittman on torrid goal-scoring runs

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By FRANCO PANIZO While most players are in the midst of trying to shake off the pre-season cobwebs, forwards Jon-Paul Pittman and Yura Movsisyan have been busy scoring goals. Lots of them. Pittman continued his scoring ways for Wycombe Wanderers by netting a hat-trick earlier in a friendly match against a young Chelsea reserve teamon Thursday. The opponents may not have been of the utmost caliber, but Pittman's three goal-performance was impressive due to it happening in his first four minutes on the field after he entered in the 74th. Pittman's last goal, a lofted shot with his left foot, sealed him winning man of the match honors. The hat-trick brings Pittman's goal-scoring total to seven so far in the pre-season. Yura Movsisyan also scored during the midweek, but his goals came in a Europa League qualifier. The former Real Salt Lake player, who is believed to be in the process of acquiring American citizenship, bagged a brace in Rander FC's 3-2 first leg loss to Swi

AEK enjoy Burns night against Rangers

AEK Athens 1 - Rangers 0 (Pre-season friendly, July 31, 2010) AEK Athens Australian attacker Nathan Burns headed in Nikolaos Karabelas cross to score the decisive goal on 72 minutes. World Soccer News | Video | Podcast | Gallery | Live Streaming

Manchester United & Liverpool target Defour saves Standard; Shakhtar whizzkid Costa downs Arsenal; Nalchik & Saturn win; Goals from Bulgaria & Romania

Standard Liege 1 - Zulte-Waregem 1 (Jupiler League, July 30, 2010) Standards season got of to a disappointing start as Khaleem Hyland curled the visitors ahead in the first half. Ligiege salvagaed a point when Manchester United and Liverpool target Steven Defour equalised in the final minutes of the match. *** Arsenal Kyiv 1 - Shakhtar Donetsk 3 (Ukrainian Premier League, July 30, 2010) A stunning 35-yard ripper from Sergey Simonenko blasted Arsenal ahead on the half hour. Shakhtar pulled level minutes before the break when a quick free-kick was finished by 19-year-old starlet Douglas Costa, and in first half injury time Douglas Costa bagged his second of the game with a powerful arching set-play that nestled in the far top corner. Shakhtar completed the turnaround within two minutes of the restart as Adriano Luiz scored in the six yard box from a low right wing cross. *** Spartak Nalchik 2 - Amkar 1 (Russian Premier League, July 30, 2010) Roman Kontsedalov and Leandro had t

VIDEO: Javier Hernandez scores against Manchester United as Chivas win 3-2 in a friendly

All the focus was on Javier Hernandez who would play for his old club in the first half and his new side in the second period. Footage of Hernandez with his Manchester United team mates in Mexico. Chivas Guadalajara 3 - Manchester United 2 (Pre-season friendly, July 31, 2010) It took El Chicarito Javier Hernandez just eight minutes to score against Manchester United with a low show on the bounce in the game to mark Chivas new stadium. Two minutes later another Manchester United new signing equalised, Chris Smalling heading home a corner. But either side of the break Sir Alex Fergusons side conceded sloppy set-piece goals by Adolfo Bautista on 38 and then Hector Reynoso on the hour. Nani pulled one back for Manchester United in the 80th minute with Cleverley heavily involved. Manchester United: Kuszczak; De Laet, OShea, Smalling, Fabio; Cleverley, Gibson (Nani 46), Scholes (Giggs 65), C. Evans (Fletcher 74); Berbatow (Hernandez 46 (Macheda 65)), Diouf (Welbeck 65) Football Betting Tips

Sounders deal Ljungberg to Chicago

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Photo by ISIphotos.com By JOSE M. ROMERO Freddie Ljungberg's days in Seattle were numbered as soon as he was allowed to explore the possibility of going to another team. Those days in limbo came to an end Friday when the Sounders dealt Ljungberg, Seattle's first designated player, to the Chicago Fire for a conditional draft pick in 2011 or 2012. Ljungberg becomes the Fire's second DP joining Mexican national Nery Castillo, whose signing was announced Thursday. "I want to start off by saying how proud I am to have been part of the most successful new franchise in MLS history, the Seattle Sounders FC," Ljungberg said in a statement from the team. "I didn't know exactly what to expect when I first came to Seattle but I have to say that how the city and the fans have embraced me has gone beyond my wildest dreams and for that I am forever grateful. " I also want to thank my teammates who are absolutely great on and off the pitch. I have made some very cl

Sounders send Freddie Ljungberg to Chicago Fire

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By JOSE M. ROMERO Freddie Ljungberg's days in Seattle were numbered as soon as he was allowed to explore the possibility of going to another team. Those days in limbo came to an end Friday when Sounders FC dealt Ljungberg, Seattle's first designated player in franchise history, to the Chicago Fire for a conditional draft pick in 2011 or 2012. Ljungberg becomes the Fire's second DP joining Mexican national Nery Castillo, whose signing was announced Thursday. "I want to start off by saying how proud I am to have been part of the most successful new franchise in MLS history, the Seattle Sounders FC," Ljungberg said in a statement from the team. "I didn't know exactly what to expect when I first came to Seattle but I have to say that how the city and the fans have embraced me has gone beyond my wildest dreams and for that I am forever grateful. I also want to thank my teammates who are absolutely great on and off the pitch. I have made some very close frien

Freak Goal of the Year Contender: Zahari Sirakov (Amkar) vs Spartak Nalchik

Nalchik keeper Otto Fredrikson was left receiving death stares from his teammates after the keeper managed to allow Zahari Sirakovs crazy shot on the angle to end up in the back of the net. English & European Football Clubs & Leagues News | Video | Commentary

This Weekend's Soccer on TV

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Photo by Howard C. Smith/ISIphotos.com The European club season isn't quite here yet, but that doesn't mean there aren't some intriguing match-ups involving European clubs this weekend. Arsenal, AC Milan, Lyon and Celtic are taking part in the Emirates Cup, while Inter Milan takes on Manchester City in another high-profile friendly American soccer fans can watch on TV. The weekend's action is kicked off tonight with Chivas Guadalajara's opening of a new stadium with the arrival of favorite son Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez and Manchester United. Major League Soccer is in full swing this week, with eight matches on the schedule. Thierry Henry's MLS debut for the New York Red Bulls will come on Saturday night against the Houston Dynamo, while the suddenly struggling Los Angeles Galaxy look to rebound against the Chicago Fire. Here is the schedule for This Weekend's Soccer on TV: This Weekend's Soccer on TV TONIGHT 10pm- FSC/ESPN Deportes- Chiva

Afternoon Ticker: Sion passes on Adu, James signs with Bristol City and more

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By TRAVIS CLARK Fredy Adu's professional playing future is once again up in the air, and his next club destination is unknown. What is clear is that he won't be joining Swiss club Sion. After a short trial this week, the team decided that it would pass on the chance to add the 21-year-old. It leaves the midfielder who is on contract to Benfica and currently on loan at Aris Thessaloniki in limbo once more. Staying at Aris remains unlikely as he is no longer in the club's plans. With the club season just a few weeks away in several parts of Europe, Adu's search for a playing destination will continue into August. Here are a few other stories for this afternoon. James lands in the Championship England goalkeeper David James decided not to continue his career in the English Premier League, opting instead to sign with Bristol City in the Championship. The 39-year-old elected to bypass offers to join Sunderland or Celtic in the Scottish Premier League. James had been looki

Milk Cup Final: USA vs. Northern Ireland (Your Running Commentary)

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The U.S. U-20s are in action in today's Milk Cup Final, taking on Northern Ireland as the European Youth tournament comes to a close. Thomas Rongen's side is in the final after Wednesday's win over Denmark, and look to take home the trophy against the host side. The game kicked off at 1 p.m., and a BBC live stream of the action can be viewed here. If you will be watching the action, please feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below. Enjoy the action. Watch Free Live Soccer Football Matches Online Here

MLS Week 18: A Look Ahead

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By TRAVIS CLARK The All-Star Game has come and gone, but its impact could be felt this weekend. With almost every team represented, tired legs might hamper some of the star players involved in Wednesday's game. Overshadowing that is the likely MLS debut of New York Red Bull signing Thierry Henry, who could start against the Houston Dynamo. All 16 teams are back in action after breaks for friendlies, Champions League and SuperLiga. Action out West is focused on Seattle's visit to San Jose. Because of their struggles at home, the Sounders need to pick up points on the road, something that isn't easy against a tough Earthquakes side. Here's a look at this weekend's MLS action: NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION (4-9-2) vs. PHILADELPHIA UNION (4-8-2), Saturday 3:30 p.m. MLS Direct Kick A new rivalry could be on the offering in Chester, as two Northeast teams square off in the shadow of the Commodore Barry Bridge. PPL Park welcomes the New England Revolution, in a matchup of two te

Americans Abroad: A Look Ahead

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By FRANCO PANIZO Sacha Kljestan scored his first goal in Europe during the midweek in a UEFA Champions League qualifier, and he will look to follow that up in Anderlecht's season opener this weekend. Anderlecht hosts recently-promoted Eupen on Saturday, a club that will be playing its first ever match in Belgium's top division. Kljestan would start his second game in five days if he were to be announced in Anderlecht's starting eleven. While their season may have already started, Pachuca's trio of Jose Torres, Herculez Gomez and Marco Vidal will be aiming for a win against Toluca to keep their early lead atop Group 2 intact. Pachuca is coming off a 3-0 win over America in its season opener. Here is a rundown of who the Americans Abroad will be playing this weekend: SATURDAY Sacha Kljestan and RSC Anderlecht play Eupen. Marcus Tracy, Chris Rolfe and Aalborg BK play FC Copenhagen. (Rolfe is out injured.) SUNDAY Michael Parkhurst and FC Nordsjaelland play Randers FC. Ste

Ouch, Ouch, Ouch! Jose Manuel Rodriguez (Sevilla U19) vs Jose Aquino Allende (Boca Juniors U19)

Those of a squeamish disposition should look away as a mistimed tackle from the Boca keeper left the poor Sevilla forward with a broken tibia and fibia. Watch Free Live Soccer Football Matches Online Here

Roy Hodgson may still have mountains to climb in his first summer and first season at Liverpool, but rarely will clearing a molehill have meant so much - Rory Smith

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Comment & analysis round-up Quote of the day : Im a Barca fan, Im a socio, as is my grandfather, my uncle, my cousin. I have felt the colours from a young age, Im Catalan. However, Im the captain of Arsenal, Im a Gunner, and I have become a player there and matured as a person. He [Wenger] is a second father for me, the most important person in my life after my father. He has behaved really well with me and taken me in like a son. I am part of his family. He doesnt want me to leave. And in my last conversation with him in London, it was one of the most difficult moments I have experienced. I ended up very upset. - Cesc Fabregas. Runner-up : He is having to stay at a club where he no longer wants to be for another year. I wonder how intelligent it is keeping a player who doesnt want to be there. After seven years of great service, I thought Arsenal could have granted him his dream move. Cesc has given everything to Arsenal to try to win a trophy but they havent

VIDEO: Rossi hits trips as Villarreal batter Tottenham 4-1 at the Lane

Whilst Spurs fans are making cute videos celebrating their entry in to the Champions League, Villarreal gave a stark warning of the quality Harry Redknapps side could come across this season. Tottenham 1 - Villarreal 4 (Pre-season friendly, July 29, 2010) On 22 minutes Giuseppe Rossi was on the end of a fine move and through ball by Cazorla to put the Yellow Submarine ahead. ten minutes later, Spurs evening got a lot tougher when Giuseppe Rossi again beat Tottenham keeper Gomes, this time thanks to a pass from Senna. A host of substitutions at the break looked to have yielded a Spurs response when Giovani Dos Santos pulled one back after good work by Crouch. Villarreal though eventually ran out comfortable winners over Tottenham with Guiseppe Rossi completing his hat-trick thanks to aheavy deflection off Corlukaand Ruben adding the fourth late on. Spurs (4-4-2): Gomes (Button, 46); Hutton (Walker, 46), Dawson (Bassong, 46), Corluka, Naughton (Assou-Ekotto, 46); Lennon (Bale, 46), Hudd

Fire introduce Castillo after 2 years of interest

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BY ANTHONY ZILIS Over two years have passed since Fire technical director Frank Klopas and managing director Javier Leon met Nery Castillo for coffee while on a scouting trip in England. At that point, Castilo was on loan to Manchester City and in stellar form after leading Mexico to a third-place finish in the 2007 Copa America. "We were actually thinking that one day, potentially, this guy could be a great addition to the Chicago Fire organization," Klopas said. The Fire finally got their man, introducing Castillo as their newest designated player on Thursday. "This time, when the opportunity arose and they showed interest in me I didn't think twice about it," Castillo said. But whether Castillo can regain the form that had him pegged as a future star for El Tricolor remains to be seen. Since his breakout summer in 2007, the 26-year-old striker has scored one goal for Mexico and one for his club teams, which include Ukranian clubs Shakhtar Donetsk and Dnipr

Canada Corner: TFC warns Arena, Canadian expansion and more

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By: KURTIS LARSON For Toronto, it's the story behind the MLS' 5-2 loss to Manchester United. TFC head coach Preki let it be known Tuesday, following a CONCACAF Champions League match with Motagua, that under no circumstances should Dwayne De Rosario play in the MLS All-Star exhibition in Houston. Still, All-Star head coach Bruce Arena defied TFC's request that De Rosario rest ahead of Toronto's busy week, bringing on the TFC playmaker 15 minutes from time with Galaxy star Landon Donovan. What's worth mentioning is that Arena elected to rest L.A. target man Edson Buddle for the entire match while only playing the Galaxy's Omar Gonzalez a mere 45 minutes even though Gonzalez didn't see time the previous night in a 4-1 embarrassing loss to the Puerto Rico Islanders. The organization of the 2010 All-Star game was a disaster to begin with and dressing/playing top players on absolutely no rest is irresponsible of the coach and the league. The idea of MLS side

Zizzo looks for a fresh start in MLS with Chivas USA

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Photo by ISIphotos.com BY ADAM SERRANO Sal Zizzo is a player in need of a new beginning. After being heralded as the next great American winger, after an impressive showing in the 2007 U-20 World Cup, the UCLA product headed to the Bundesliga for Hanover 96, but after a series of injuries and failed loan moves, the winger has returned to MLS looking to restart his career. Recently selected by Chivas USA in an allocation draft, a club close to his native San Diego and boasting Jonathan Bornstein, Zizzo's teammate at UCLA, the winger feels that beeing around such familiar surroundings is just the type of situation that he needs after a difficult few years in Germany. " I'm happy to being here being from San Diego and I'm excited to get started in America," said Zizzo. "After my injury it was difficult to findoptionsand I wanted to play right away and I think that in this point in my career, I need to play so I'm just focusing on getting fit.&qu

VIDEO: Rossi hits a hat-trick as Villarreal batter Tottenham 4-1 at the Lane

Whilst Spurs fans are making cute videos celebrating their entry in to the Champions League, Villarreal gave a stark warning of the quality Harry Redknapps side could come across this season. Tottenham 1 - Villarreal 4 (Pre-season friendly, July 29, 2010) On 22 minutes Giuseppe Rossi was on the end of a fine move and through ball by Cazorla to put the Yellow Submarine ahead. ten minutes later, Spurs evening got a lot tougher when Giuseppe Rossi again beat Tottenham keeper Gomes, this time thanks to a pass from Senna. A host of substitutions at the break looked to have yielded a Spurs response when Giovani Dos Santos pulled one back after good work by Crouch. Villarreal though eventually ran out comfortable winners over Tottenham with Guiseppe Rossi completing his hat-trick thanks to aheavy deflection off Corlukaand Ruben adding the fourth late on. Spurs (4-4-2): Gomes (Button, 46); Hutton (Walker, 46), Dawson (Bassong, 46), Corluka, Naughton (Assou-Ekotto, 46); Lennon (Bale, 46), Hudd

Afternoon Ticker: Bradley to coach vs. Brazil, Ronaldinho injured and more

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photo by ISIphotos.com By FRANCO PANIZO Bob Bradley's long-term future as head coach of the U.S. national team might be uncertain, but what is known is that he'll coach at least one more game. Bradley will coach the United States in the team's first post-World Cup friendly against Brazil on Aug. 10, USSF confirmed. The match at the new Meadowlands Stadium will mark the fourth time Bradley coaches against the Selecao. Bradley is expected to announce his roster for the match sometime next week. Here are more stories from Thursday: Ronaldinho sidelined a month Ronaldinho will miss a month of action after picking up a muscle injury in training on Wednesday. Ronaldino will undergo medical tests to determine the extent of the injury, but the knock is believed to be severe enough to force him to miss AC Milan's season opener against Lecce on Aug. 29. Maradona hits out at AFA You just knew Diego Maradona would not go away quietly. Maradona hit out at the Argentina Football As

Fernandez becomes Sounders FC's third designated player

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By Jose M. Romero The Sounders today announced the signing of midfielder Alvaro Fernandez, who played for Uruguay in the recent World Cup in South Africa. Fernandez is with the team this morning at its practice session. The 24-year-old becomes the club's third designated player, joining Blaise N'kufo and Freddie Ljungberg, and his signing and addition to the active roster will be finalized upon receipt of his international transfer certificate. Fernandez started for semifinalist Uruguay in the quarterfinal against Ghana and was a substitute in three wins before that as La Celeste took fourth place. He has 11 caps. "Seattle is beautiful and I think it's the ideal place to be with my family," Fernandez said in a statement from the Sounders. Coach Sigi Schmid likes Fernandez's versatility, that is, his ability to play multiple midfield positions. The Sounders have been affected by injuries to key midfielders at various times in the season, and currently

All-Star Embarrassment In Houston, Brings Back Article From Last Year

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After what happened on Wednesday night at Reliant Stadium I just had to bring back my article after the All-Star Game at Rio Tinto Stadium. I understand it's a glorified money maker for Major League Soccer, but I still contend that this event must be scrapped for good. From July 30th, 2009 Beautiful Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah. A suburb of Salt Lake City was the hostfor this years All-Star Game which was a fantastic display of Goalkeeping we haven't seen in a while. Both Kasey Keller & Tim Howard making diving save, after diving save to keep their sides alive for the eventual match winner that never came and all credit to Everton's Manager David Moyes for taking this event seriously and having a little fun. Also for being a great guy when Zach Thornton got injured and allowing Keller to return to the net for the MLS All-Stars. A fabulous penalty kick shootout showed that Kasey Keller still has it if he ever wanted to return with the National Team and Tim Howard sh

Sounders take first leg of CCL preliminary round

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By Jose M. Romero Qwest Field just didn't look quite the same with all those empty seats, but home was still good to Seattle Sounders FC Wednesday night in its first-ever CONCACAF Champions League match. The Sounders, decked out in their third "electricity" kits, provided all the energy in their 1-0 preliminary knockout-round, first-leg win over Isidro Metapan of El Salvador. The preliminary round is aggregate-goal based, so the Sounders go to Estadio Cuscatlan in San Salvador for a 10 p.m., EST second leg next Tuesday with the upper hand in advancing to the CCL group stage. Striker Fredy Montero was instant electricity, coming on as a sub for Nate Jaqua in the 60th minute and finding the net with his first shot, a long one-bouncer from perhaps 35 yards out that goalkeeper Misael Alfaro couldn't gather in. The ball bounced off his arms and over the goal line. "We wanted to hold them at zero at home and get as many goals as possible at home," Sounders coach

Morning Ticker: Manchester United trounce All-Stars, Vancouver wins first pick and more

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Photo by Tony Quinn/ISIphotos.com By TRAVIS CLARK It only took 23 seconds for Manchester United to open the scoring Wednesday night in Houston. Italian starlet Federico Macheda took an errant backpass from Kevin Alston and beat Donovan Ricketts, a harbinger for the rest of the evening, as Manchester United beat the MLS All-Star team 5-2. Macheda then doubled United's lead off a corner kick just over 10 minutes later. The All-Stars settled down, and Brian Ching pulled one back in front of a home crowd of 70,728. It would get no closer, as United hit again, scoring three more times, including a brilliant individual effort from Tom Cleverly, and a cheeky lob by Mexican forward Javier Hernandez, who scored on his Manchester United debut. Dwayne De Rosario added a second for MLS. Here are a few other stories to get your morning going: Vancouver to pick first At halftime of last night's All-Star Game in Houston, a coin toss was won by the Vancouver Whitecaps, awarding the 2011 expan