Cahill’s stoppage-time goal leads Red Bulls over Galaxy

New York Red Bulls midfielder Tim Cahill scored the game winning goal over the Los Angeles Galaxy on a header in the 91st minute. The Red Bulls won 1-0.

MLS Week 12: Your Running Commentary

The New York Red Bulls and Los Angeles Galaxy meet for the only time this season in Major League Soccer action at Red Bull Arena.

Soccer Sunday: Your Running Commentary

The Premier League season draws to a close today, with Arsenal and Tottenham facing their opponents in an attempt to qualify for the Champions League.

MLS Ticker: SKC to lose Kamara, Saad to WCQ’s; Dynamo president hosts second Soccer Night in Newtown; and more

Kai Kamara

By DAN KARELL

A day after hearing that defender Matt Besler and midfielder Graham Zusi would be joining the U.S. Men’s National Team, Sporting Kansas City manager Peter Vermes found out he’d be without two additional players for a three week stretch in the middle of the season.

Having just returned to the club, forward Kei Kamara has been called up by Sierra Leone and reserve winger Soony Saad has accepted a call-up to represent Lebanon, after filing a one-time switch with FIFA following a career representing the U.S. at the youth level.

The call-ups will leave Vermes without Besler, Zusi, and Kamara for a three week stretch between May 27 and June 18, though Saad will only be gone from May 25-31. The foursome will each miss at least two matches, May 28 in the U.S. Open Cup and June 1 at Montreal.

Here are some more stories to get you caught up around the league:

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Posted in Featured, Major League Soccer, MLS- Houston Dynamo, MLS- New England Revolution, MLS- Sporting Kansas City, MLS- Toronto FC | 17 Comments

MLS Spotlight: Wallace emerges for Timbers with breakout campaign

RodneyWallace (GettyImages)

By THOMAS FLOYD

Two moments stick out to Caleb Porter regarding Rodney Wallace’s rapid ascent from useful utility player to emerging MLS standout.

The first was in late January, at Estadio Nacional in San Jose, Costa Rica. With the host nation locked in a scoreless Copa Centroamericana semifinal against Honduras, Wallace not only secured passage to the title game by converting a late back-post header — he also gave Porter a glimpse of his underestimated class in the final third.

The second was in mid-March, under the bright lights of a Cascadia Cup clash between the Portland Timbers and Seattle Sounders. Given 10 minutes off the bench by Porter, Wallace again showcased that uncanny awareness close to goal, looping a 90th-minute header into the back of the net to give the Timbers a hard-earned road point.

At that point, Porter was sold.

“You want the players on the field that you trust, players you can count on,” Porter said. “When he pulled that header out to give us a result in the final minutes against Seattle on the road, I thought to myself, ‘This guy’s got it. He’s got game-changing ability. He’s got mental toughness.’ When you want more out of a player and you get more with the game on the line, you feel like you can trust him.”

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Posted in Featured, Major League Soccer, MLS Spotlight, MLS- Portland Timbers | Leave a comment

Friday Kickoff: PSG makes massive offer for Ronaldo; Cruz Azul dominate Santos Laguna in Torreon; and more

RonaldoCelebratesGoal1-Malaga (Getty)

By DAN KARELL

Real Madrid might end up with Carlo Ancelotti managing their club next season, but it could come at a high price.

According to a report out of France, Ancelotti’s current club, Paris Saint-Germain, have said that they will entertain offers for the Italian manager if Real Madrid allow PSG to submit an offer for Cristiano Ronaldo. The report says that the PSG Qatari ownership would be willing to give Madrid a $128.8 million transfer fee along with a contract to Ronaldo for just over $23 million per season.

The 28-year-old has been heavily linked with a move away from the Santiago Bernabeu due to his issues with the club last fall when he wouldn’t celebrate, and also his resistance to sign an extension to his current contract, which goes through 2015.

The Portuguese international has continued his stellar form since moving to the Spanish capital, scoring 34 goals in 34 matches in La Liga this season. In all competitions Ronaldo has scored 55 goals. He has a chance to win his second Copa Del Rey on Friday, in a one-off match against city rivals Atletico Madrid.

Here are some more stories to get your Friday started:

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Posted in European Soccer, Featured, Mexican Soccer, South American Soccer | 20 Comments

Americans Abroad: Weekend Preview

ClintDempseyBasel (Getty)

By FRANCO PANIZO

Clint Dempsey joined Tottenham last summer with the idea and hopes that the club would eventually give him the opportunity to play in the UEFA Champions League for the first time in his career.

Well, that idea and those hopes hinge on this dramatic final weekend of action.

Dempsey and Spurs face a must-win situation against Sunderland on Sunday if they are to have any shot of partaking in next season’s Champions League, but picking up a victory at home is not all they need. On top of needing the three points, Tottenham need Newcastle United to hold Arsenal to at least a draw in order for Spurs to finish the campaign in fourth place and claim the Premiership’s only Champions League qualifiers spot.

Fabian Johnson and Hoffenheim are also shooting for a win and some help, but they are doing so under a different kind of pressure. Hoffenheim are staring relegation right in the face and the only way they have a shot at avoiding the drop is by picking up what would be a shocking win vs. second-place Borussia Dortmund and either an FC Augsburg loss to cellar-dwellers SpVgg Greuther Furth or Fortuna Dusseldorf defeat to Hannover. Even then, Hoffenheim might still need to play in the relegation play-offs to determine their Bundesliga future.

A similar uphill battle is what Herculez Gomez and Santos Laguna will need to climb in order to keep their season alive. Santos suffered a 3-0 loss at home in the first leg of their Liga MX semifinals series against Cruz Azul and a big victory will be needed in order to prevent their playoff hopes from ending.

Here is who the Americans Abroad take on this weekend:

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Posted in Americans Abroad, Featured | 12 Comments

European Weekend Preview: UCL spots up for grabs on the final matchdays in England, Germany and Italy

TottenhamArsenal (Getty)

By JUSTIN FERGUSON

Even though the titles in Europe’s top leagues have already been clinched, that does not mean there will not be any drama on the final days of the season.

The race for Champions League spots in England, Germany and Italy will end this weekend as three of the world’s elite leagues close their seasons with one final matchday.

On Sunday, London rivals Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur finish their fight for the last two Premier League spots in next season’s edition of the UCL.

Arsenal, who are coming off a strong finish to their midweek win against FA Cup champions Wigan Athletic, head to Newcastle with a one-point advantage over fifth-place North London neighbor Tottenham. The Gunners will remember their seven-goal bonanza against Newcastle to finish off the 2012 calendar, and they will certainly go after as many goals as they can at St. James Park on Sunday.

If Arsenal win, they are guaranteed a Champions League spot. If newly crowned Europa League champions and top four locks Chelsea draw with sixth-place Everton and Arsenal win by one goal, a playoff will be held at a later date to decide who gets third place in the final league table. If Chelsea draw and Arsenal win by two or more goals, Arsenal will finish in third place. While both teams will be involved UCL action next year, third place goes automatically to the group stage of the tournament, and fourth place must go through an extra round of qualifying.

If Arsenal drop points against Newcastle, who ended their awful slump with a 2-1 win at QPR last weekend, Chelsea grab third place and the Gunners could be in danger of missing out on the Champions League. A Tottenham win over Sunderland would put Spurs into the UCL, a competition they missed last season because of sixth-place Chelsea’s win in the 2012 Final. Although Sunderland are now safe, manager Paolo Di Canio says he wants his side to give it all in their final match of the season and shake up the top four.

Here is a closer look at the rest of the weekend’s action from the top leagues in Europe:

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Posted in European Soccer, Featured | 1 Comment

Kljestan scores as Anderlecht move closer to Belgian title repeat

Sacha Kljestan Anderlecht 3 (Getty Images)

By FRANCO PANIZO

RSC Anderlecht took a giant step towards repeating as Pro League champions on Thursday with a 4-2 victory over Lokeren and Sacha Kljestan was the player who helped get things started for his club.

Kljestan scored the opener in Anderlecht’s road win over Lokeren, heading the ball home from close range to end a well-worked set piece in the 25th minute. The goal was the first of four straight that Anderlecht scored before they surrendered two late and it gave Kljestan his fourth tally across all competitions this season.

The victory now puts Anderlecht in a prime position to repeat, as they sit on 48 points heading into the final round of the Belgian playoffs this weekend. Anderlecht does, however, have to host second-place Zulte-Waregem (46 points) on Sunday so they will need at least a draw to capture the Belgian title for a second straight year.

Here is Kljestan’s goal:

What do you think of Kljestan’s goal? Think Anderlecht will repeat as champions? Expecting them to get a tough match from Zulte-Waregem on Sunday?

Share your thoughts below.

Posted in Americans Abroad, Featured | 20 Comments

USMNT Daily Update: A closer look at Klinsmann’s roster selections

USA Starting 11

By IVES GALARCEP

Amid all the talk about who won’t be going to the upcoming U.S. Men’s National Team training camp, something getting lost a bit is the fact that the squad preparing for June’s qualifiers is very much a stacked squad by U.S. standards.

Injury issues with Steve Cherundolo and Timmy Chandler (and Landon Donovan’s absence) will keep Jurgen Klinsmann from having a full-strength team, but he will bring in a group that includes the nucleus of the squad that recorded four points from two World Cup qualifiers in March along with the return to health of Jermaine Jones and Fabian Johnson.

There are certainly still some concerns about the attacking quality in midfield, and whether there is enough of it, but Klinsmann sounds confident he can construct an effective midfield with the options on the roster.

Here are some more thoughts on the roster, and some more comments from Klinsmann on his decisions:

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Posted in Featured, U.S. Men's National Team, Uncategorized | 239 Comments

Disappointed Donovan turns focus to possible Gold Cup call-up

Landon Donovan

By FRANCO PANIZO

Landon Donovan didn’t hide his disappointment with being left off the latest U.S. Men’s National Team roster, but he also isn’t keeping him from wanting to make his way back to the team he leads in career goals.

On the day when Jurgen Klinsmann confirmed the early reports that Donovan would be left out, Donovan acknowledged his unhappiness with being left out, but is determined to work his way back into the national team picture eventually.

“I’m disappointed that I’m not (selected) but I’ll keep going and I’ll keep working hard and I hope that I get the chance,” Donovan told Reuters. ”But I certainly understand it, I’ve been gone for a long time. I basically excused myself from the first three so I understand the way the world works.

Jurgen Klinsmann left the door open for a Donovan return to the national team, and Donovan is hoping that return can come in July during the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

“My hope would be that I would get called into the Gold Cup squad,” Donovan said. “I sort of need to get back and prove myself there and prove that I can get back into the rhythm of the national team. I guess that will be in some ways a platform to get back into the fall side and hopefully eventually the World Cup.”

Donovan  starred in the Los Angeles Galaxy’s 4-1 win of the Philadelphia Union on Wednesday night. He showed glimpses of his dominant self by being involved in all four of his club’s goals, first helping to force an own goal before assisting on two others and scoring one of his own.

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Posted in Featured, MLS- Los Angeles Galaxy, U.S. Men's National Team | 108 Comments

Beasley, Shea among 29 players called into USMNT training camp for summer qualifers

Herculez Gomez Clarence Goodson

by IVES GALARCEP

There weren’t many surprises in 26-player roster chosen by Jurgen Klinsmann for the upcoming U.S. Men’s National Team training camp starting in Cleveland on March 26th.

The camp, which will prepare the team for a busy stretch of matches from late May to mid-June, features Clint Dempsey, Tim Howard and Michael Bradley, as well as March qualifying standouts such as DaMarcus Beasley and Matt Besler.

Missing from the list was Landon Donovan, which was no surprise by now given early reports revealing his absence. Also not on the roster are veteran Steve Cherundolo and Carlos Bocanegra, as well as  Tim Chandler and Jose Torres. Both Cherundolo and Chandler were left out due to injury.

A total of 29 players were named to the roster, but only 26 will be with the team at any one time as Klinsmann circulates a quartet of MLS goalkeepers for the five matches the team has in the coming weeks.

Here is the USMNT training camp roster:

GOALKEEPERS- Tim Howard, Brad Guzan, Bill Hamid, Sean Johnson, Nick Rimando, Tally Hall

DEFENDERS- Geoff Cameron, Omar Gonzalez, Matt Besler, Clarence Goodson Edgar Castillo, Fabian Johnson, Damarcus Beasley, Michael Parkhurst

MIDFIELDERS- Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey, Jermaine Jones, Graham Zusi, Brek Shea, Maurice Edu, Sacha Kljestan, Joe Corona, Stuart Holden, Brad Davis, Danny Williams

FORWARDS- Jozy Altidore, Herculez Gomez, Terrence Boyd, Eddie Johnson

——

The team will begin gathering in Cleveland on May 26th, ahead of their May 29th friendly vs. Belgium. Several players will be missing from the start of camp due to club commitments. Michael Bradley is playing in Coppa Italia with Roma while Corona and Castillo will be playing in the quarterfinals of Copa Libertadores with Club Tijuana.

What do you think of the squad? Disappointed that Donovan isn’t on the team? Who are you happy to see make the cut?

Share your thoughts below.

Posted in Featured, U.S. Men's National Team | 372 Comments

RSL Notes: Saborio returns to training; RSL want to make a statement; and more

ALvaro Saborio

Photo by ISIPhotos.com

By TYLER GRAY

SANDY, Utah – Real Salt Lake have been bolstered this week by the return of some key players who were missing due to injury.

Both forward Alvaro Saborio and defender Nat Borchers were full participants in training on Wednesday, opening speculation as to whether or not they will feature this Sunday against Chivas USA.

“The good news is that everybody is recovered enough to at least be out on the training field training in some capacity,” RSL manager Jason Kreis said after training.

Saborio went down in late April with a quad injury and reports stated that he might miss miss several weeks. The Designated Player has not featured for RSL in their last four matches, while the 32-year-old Nat Borchers has missed the last two games due to illness.

“I feel like a new man,” Borchers said.  “I trained the whole training today. I did the fitness and everything felt fine.”

Also returning to training was forward Robbie Findley from a hyper-extended knee, and midfielder Cole Grossman, who has been dealing with the after effects of a concussion.

Here are some more notes from RSL practice this week:

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Posted in Major League Soccer, MLS- Real Salt Lake | 2 Comments