Soccer By Ives

Wanted: Andrei Arshavin

If you missed Zenit St. Petersburg's 2-0 UEFA Cup triumph against Rangers FC then you missed the international coming out party of Russian playmaker Andrei Arshavin. The 26-year-old forward/midfielder dazzled on both Zenit goals and stands at the top of the list of Zenit players now being coveted by Europe's top teams.

If you haven't seen him play, here is a compilation of some pretty impressive moves from a quick and skillful player who is equally adept at playing as a second forward or a playmaker:

Not bad for a player who most casual soccer fans in the United States didn't know about before this week.

If you're circling the calendar to watch him at this summer's European Championships, you will have to wait a while. Arshavin is suspended for Russia's first two games, which leaves him one game to work his magic and pump up a growing transfer value.

So where do you see Arshavin winding up? Chelsea? Somewhere in the Bundesliga? Share your thoughts below.

Deco shown the door: Where will he go?

The Barcelona exodus has officially begun after the struggling Spanish club released the Portuguese midfielder Deco on Thursday.

Where will he wind up? Deco expressed a desire to play in the Premier League or Serie A and let's face it, he is a world-class central midfielder who can still dominate at the age of 30. He did have some injury issues this past season but I can't imagine he wouldn't be able to earn a place at a top club in Italy or England.

Might Deco reuinite with former manager Jose Mourinho when 'The Special One' finally ends his hiatus by taking a new job? Might Deco and Mourinho find their way to Inter Milan if Inter's late-season collapse is completed this weekend? How about a Mourinho-Deco double at Manchester City? Could Deco wind up with the New England Revolution (I'm kidding, but it would be pretty special, wouldn't it?)

Where do you think he might go? Share your thoughts below.

(Some of ) Your Questions Answered

Good afternoon folks. Apologies for the lack of posts but I have had some website-related issues to attend to as well as going to Red Bulls practice today. I will be putting up some posts in the early evening but for now here is the first part of the most recent Q&A. Apologies for not being able to maintain the recent run of quick turnarounds for the Q&A sessions but these past two weeks were a bit nutty.

I will post the first part now and am aiming to post the rest throughout the day on Friday. So here are the first 20 of your questions answered:

Reyna and Stammler out vs. KC

Red Bulls midfielders Claudio Reyna and Seth Stammler are out for Saturday's match against Kansas City. Red Bulls coach Juan Carlos Osorio stated on Thursday that Reyna's strained left calf isn't likely to be healed in time to play on Saturday. Stammler is out with a herniated disc in his back.

Rookie Luke Sassano filled in well in central midfield against Los Angeles and is likely to start again vs. the Wizards. Osorio praised Sassano's performance against the Galaxy, saying he was the best player for the Red Bulls.

Red Bulls forward Juan Pablo Angel and midfielder Dane Richards trained and are set to play on Saturday. Angel sported ice on his sore left hamstring while Richards wore an icepack on his right knee after training.

What lineup might we see for the Red Bulls against the Kansas City Wizards? Here's one possible group:

Brunner close to signing deal with Miami FC

Former Red Bulls draft pick Eric Brunner is close to finalizing a deal with United Soccer League squad Miami FC, multiple sources with knowledge of the negotiations told SBI on Thursday.

The No. 16 overall selection in the 2008 MLS Draft, Brunner was waived by the Red Bulls in order to make room for defender Andrew Boyens on their senior roster. Brunner rejected an offer of a developmental contract from the Red Bulls.

Brunner is in France with the U.S. Under-23 national team for the Toulon International Tournament. He is expected to travel to Miami after the tournament to finalize a contract with Miami FC.

Miami FC is off to a 1-4-1 start, having allowed a league-high nine goals so far this season.

The Red Bulls still hold Brunner's MLS rights but Brunner is free to sign with any team outside of MLS. The 6-foot-3 center back from Ohio State struggled with some injuries in pre-season and never really challenged for playing time.

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

Here comes Barcelona

Major League Soccer and FC Barcelona have established a new multi-year partnership, the league announced on Thursday. The most promising aspect of the announcement was this tidbit:

As part of the agreement, FCBarcelona and its heralded roster of international superstars including Carles Puyol, Thierry Henry, Ronaldinho, Lionel Messi, Samuel Eto’o, will play games this summer. Details for the tour will be announced in the near future.

Games in Chicago and at Giants Stadium (on Aug. 7) have long been rumored but this announcement is the first public step toward those matches becoming a reality.

If you are wondering why there isn't more excitement about this announcement, it might have to do with Barcelona absolutely imploding this season. That aside, the club still has too much star power (Messi, Ronaldinho, Henry, etc.) to not draw the masses to games this summer.

What do you think of this announcement? Share your thoughts below.

Morning Ticker: Zenit wins UEFA Cup, Kahn retires,

Good morning all. With the UEFA Cup in the rearview mirror it is time to look toward what should be an entertaining weekend of soccer, particularly in Italy. I will be heading to Red Bulls practice today and reporting from there. For now, here are some stories from yesterday and this morning to get your day going.

Zenit wins UEFA Cup

After 72 minutes of trying to break down Rangers' stingy defense, the attack-minded artists from Zenit finally broke through with a pair of late masterpiece goals to help Zenit post a 2-0 UEFA Cup final win in Manchester, England.

If you missed the match then you missed a stunning performance from Zenit playmaker Andrei Arshavin, who has surely rocketed up the wanted list of Europe's top clubs. I think it's safe to say that Roman Abramovich is getting a pile of cash ready.

Kahn retires

Long-time Bayern Munich and German national team goalkeeper Oliver Kahn has retired, ending a 21-year playing career. I will never forget his heroics at the 2002 World Cup, particularly how he stoned Landon Donovan on two occasions to keep the U.S. national team from pulling off an all-time upset. As much as he was an easy player to hate, there was never any doubting his quality when he was at his best.

U.S. Soccer announces World Cup qualifying venues

U.S. Soccer announced the three venues that will host home matches in the semifinal round of World Cup qualifying on Wednesday. Chicago, Washington D.C. and Commerce City, Colorado were chosen for the three home games in the semifinal round, which the United States can qualify for by beating Barbados in the home-and-home series in June.

Here is the schedule (all times Eastern):

• Sept. 10 (8pm)- vs. Trinidad & Tobago/Bermuda, Toyota Park, Bridgeview, Illinois.
• Oct. 11 (4pm)- vs. Cuba/Antigua & Barbuda, RFK Stadium, Washington D.C.
• Nov. 19- (10pm)- vs. Guatemala/St. Lucia, Dick's Sporting Goods Park, Commerce City, Colorado

The U.S. national team's World Cup Qualifying campaign kicks off at Home Depot Center on June 15 when it faces Barbados.

What do you think of the venues chosen for the semifinal round? Share your thoughts below.

Real Salt Lake 2, FC Dallas 1: A Supporter's View

With head coach Jason Kreis serving a suspension, Real Salt Lake proved once again that they enjoy a home-field advantage at Rice-Eccles Stadium. RSL showed life, creativity and purpose in beating an FC Dallas squad that looks like a shell of the team they were three weeks ago.

The Hoops are winless in their past three after starting the season unbeaten in four. A shaky defense, FC Dallas' problem last year, has resurfaced as an issue and Saturday's loss to Real Salt Lake.

SBI Correspondents Scott McAllister and Casey Corcoran took in the action on Saturday and give us their takes on the match.

Keller discusses the Fulham Escape

Admit it, you're still basking in the glow of Fulham's escape from relegation. Well, if you are, here's another treat for you. American goalkeeper Kasey Keller spoke with USsoccer.com about the experience.

Revolution 2, Chivas USA 1: A Supporter's View

Things are getting ugly for Chivas USA. The same team that showed so much skill and creativity and potential last season has returned in 2008 looking like a disjointed mess.

New England could have fallen into a similar hole early on this season due to injuries, but strong performances from the Revolution's reserves have kept the Revs afloat in the mighty Eastern Conference. This should leave it as little surprise that New England could go to Home Depot Center and record a road win against the struggling 'Goats'.

The best news of the day for New England, along with the win, was the return of Taylor Twellman, who scored a goal in his 2008 debut. Unfortunately, an ankle injury he suffered later in the match put a damper on the proceedings.

SBI Correspondents Andrew Karl and John Sandate took in the action and shared their views on the match with us: