Soccer By Ives

Morning Ticker: Blanco leads Fire to SuperLiga final, Estudiantes wins Copa and more

  

The Chicago Fire moved one step closer to silverware on Wednesday night, riding a Cuauhtemoc Blanco free kick to knock off the New England Revolution, 2-1, in the SuperLiga semifinals.

The victory means the Fire will now face Mexican side Tigres in the SuperLiga final. Tigres defeated Santos Laguna, 3-2, in the second semifinal at Gillette Stadium. The SuperLiga final is set for Aug. 5 at Toyota Park.

Here is Blanco's free kick, which may have fooled Matt Reis just a bit (as you can tell by the above photo):

Here are some other stories to get your day going:

Morning Ticker: City closes in on Adebayor, Beckham open to EPL return and more

 

Manchester City keeps on spending.

The best team oil money can buy is set to land yet another key weapon ahead of the upcoming EPL season by acquiring striker Emmanuel Adebayor from Arsenal in a 25 million pound transfer.

The move for Adebayor comes in the same week Manchester City completed the move for Argentine striker Carlos Tevez, who now means City boasts a strike force of Adebayor, Tevez and Roque Santa Cruz.

City may not be finished yet as it continues to pursue Chelsea captain John Terry

Here are some other news and notes from Europe and MLS to get your day started:

Would Greece be a good fit for Altidore?

 

                                                                     Photo by ISIphotos.com

So you probably heard about the false alarm reports of Jozy Altidore heading to Greek powerhouse Olympiakos on loan (the interest in Altidore had been in the Greek papers for weeks). While we wait for a decision to actually be made on where Villarreal sends the young striker (assuming they don't keep him) I couldn't help but wonder what a move to Greece would mean for the young striker.

Such a move would put Altidore on a respected European squad, but it would mean playing in the Greek League, which is a notch below the likes of England and Spain. Olympiakos is in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League though, so Altidore would have the potential to play in the Champions League group stages.

Then there is the travel element.

Onyewu's Milan move has U.S. teammates excited

 

                                                                            Photo by ISIphotos.com

BY DYLAN BUTLER

WASHINGTON, D.C. --  As news of Oguchi Onyewu's move to AC Milan on a free transfer reached the U.S. National Team here, Charlie Davies couldn't help but be excited. Yes, he's thrilled for his Confederations Cup teammate, but seeing an American player go to one of the world's biggest clubs he thinks can hopefully break down barriers for others.

"Gooch signing with AC Milan opens a lot of doors for Americans and makes a lot of clubs realize that Americans can play," he said after the U.S. training session Tuesday morning at RFK Stadium. "Hopefully now younger guys coming up can have a dream that they can play at Madrid, they can play at Milan because now Gooch has been able to break the barrier."

After a breakout performance in the Confederations Cup, Davies' stock is on the rise, as well. The Hammarby striker has drawn interest from Ligue 1 sides Rennes, St. Etienne and Sochaux.

"For me it's definitely exciting to hear all these clubs talking about me and wanting me for my services," Davies said. "At the moment, I'm just focusing on the national team and continuing to have success with this team. Hopefully everything will sort itself out soon."

Transfer Ticker: AC Milan bids on strikers, Puyol rejects City and more

 

by GIANFRANCO PANIZO

Fans really do have a say in what happens with a club. Well, at least in Italy they do.

One day after AC Milan had around 300 supporters protesting outside of its first preseason training for lack of major off-season signings, the club has made bids for forwards Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (Real Madrid) and Luis Fabiano (Sevilla).

AC Milan, which received a hefty bid of €67 million ($93.1 million) from Real Madrid for Kaka earlier this summer, are looking to fill the void created by the Brazilian's departure. 

The bids for the pair of strikers comes on the same day that AC Milan signed U.S. national team centerback Oguchi Onyewu to a three-year deal.

Here is some more transfer talk to help you get through the day:

Onyewu signs with AC Milan

After a summer of speculation about where he may wind up, Oguchi Onyewu has signed with one of the biggest clubs in Europe.

Onyewu has signed with AC Milan, joining the Italian giants on a free transfer. Milan announced the signing on its club website.

A standout for Standard Liege over the past five seasons, Onyewu left the Belgian club after helping lead Liege to a pair of Jupiler League championships. He had been linked with clubs ranging from Fenerbahce to Ajax to Real Madrid, but ultimately landed with AC Milan in a deal finalized on Monday evening.

Packed Bernabeu welcomes Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid

You know how you can tell when a player is truly a mega-star? When a stadium fills just to see his introductory press conference.

Cristiano Ronaldo was unveiled at the Bernabeu on Monday in front of a crowd of more than 60,000 fans (with some reports putting the figure as 80,000). Wearing the Real Madrid uniform, and the number nine shirt, Ronaldo went through the usual introductory fanfare, and even addressed the crowd in Spanish.

It is a scene that needs to be seen to be believed:

Impressed by the scene? What do you think of Cristiano Ronaldo joining Real Madrid? Do you see him leading Real Madrid to championships? Do you see the new 'Galacticos' struggling like the old 'Galacticos'?

Share your thoughts below.

Report: Real Madrid eyeing Onyewu

 

Oguchi Onyewu has apparently caught the eye of none other than mega-million-spending club Real Madrid, who could land the U.S. defender if its bid for Liverpool defender Alvaro Arbeloa falls through.

That's what Spanish website Mundo Deportivo is claiming in a report released today. The report suggests that Real Madrid would sign Onyewu, at least in part, as part of a plan to make headway in the United States and establish it as one of the most popular clubs in this country.

It is the silly season though, so reports from foreign websites must always be taken with a grain of salt. In general, Spanish newspaper Marca is the top source for Real Madrid news and the paper's website has nothing on any Onyewu interest.

Also, the Deportivo report suggests that Onyewu would be an alternative to Arbeloa, a fullback by trade (though someone who can play centerback badly if needed). The story also suggest that Onyewu can play as a central defender and as a fullback. Listen folks, Onyewu is a beast in the air and a solid centerback, but he would get torched like a fried turkey if he played right back in La Liga.

Tevez set to join Manchester City

 

Carlos Tevez is already accustomed to wearing light blue while on national team duty with Argentina. It appears he is ready to wear the color full-time as he is on the verge of signing with Manchester City.

The former Manchester United striker is set to join United's cross-town rival in a deal sure to anger United fans who grew to love the mercurial striker. Tevez's public claims that Sir Alex Ferguson lied to him as the reason for him not re-signing with the EPL champions will only add more fuel to a derby that has enough intensity on its own.

What do you think of Tevez signing with Manchester City? Do you see the additions of Tevez, Roque Santa Cruz and Gareth Barry being enough to push City into the top four? Do you think Michael Owen will be able to pick up the slack left by Tevez's departure?

Share your thoughts below.

Owen to Manchester United a done deal

                                                                                   Photo by ISIphotos.com

 Manchester United has lost Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez this summer and has just added Antonio Valencia as a replacement. The next potential replacement is a player few could have ever imagined wearing a Manchester United uniform.

That player is Michael Owen.

You may have heard the rumors by now, and with Owen undergoing a physical on Friday, the momentum behind an Owen move to Manchester United is gaining speed and looks to be happening (check that, the deal is now done and Mr. Glass is headed to Old Trafford).

What do you think of Owen joining Manchester United? Are you a Liverpool fan who can't believe what you're hearing? Are you a United fan who hates the idea? What do you put the over/under on number of games Owen actually plays in next season?

Share your thoughts below.

Benzema latest to join Real Madrid, Ribery wants in

 

                                                             Photo by ISIphotos.com

Fiorentino Perez said he was bringing in a new group of 'Galacticos'.

He was not kidding.

Real Madrid has added Karim Benzema to Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo in the Real Madrud summer haul, and now Bayern Munich star Franck Ribery wants to be next.

Real Madrid is adding Benzema for €35 million euros ($48.77 million), who joins a stable that has now surpassed $200 million in value. With Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Benzema and defender Raul Albiol already in the field, and Franck Ribery reportedly ready to join, Real Madrid is looking like the team to beat in Spain and the Champions League, though defending champions Barcelona will still have something to say about that.

So what does the new Real Madrid look like? Here is how the starting lineup could look:

Transfer rumors abuzz as interest in Americans grows

 

                                                                         Photo by ISIphotos.com

American soccer fans weren't the only ones watching the U.S. national team's run to the Confederations Cup final, and the stellar performances from several American players to make it happen. European scouts were also watching and now clubs from all over Europe are suddenly in the market for Americans.

The summer transfer market is always good for rumors and potential moves, but this is the first summer when several top U.S. players are at the heart of the speculation. If you haven't been able to keep up with all the transfer talk, here is a rundown of some of the speculation:

Clint Dempsey has been linked to a move to Everton, but there are rumblings about clubs from Spain to Germany. With just one year left on his deal, and with Dempsey having rejected a recent contract extension, look for Fulham to sell and look for Dempsey to move on to a bigger club.

Mid-Day Musings (on MLS roster moves, Gold Cup roster slots and more)

 

As we grind our way from the post-Confederations Cup glow to the CONCACAF Gold Cup, things in the American soccer world have slowed down quite a bit. There was the rash of U.S. Open Cup upsets last night, tonight's much-anticipated Seattle SOunders-Portland Timbers Open Cup match, but not much else going on really.

There are still plenty of topics to address, so here are some notes, thoughts and topics to discuss this Wednesday:

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Wondering why that player is still on your MLS team's roster even though it seemed by all accounts that the player would be cut today, July 1st, when MLS contracts become guaranteed? You probably forgot that MLS teams are allowed to designate two players into a non-guaranteed mode after July 1st. Of course, the players have to agree to make that switch.

So why would a player agree to have that guaranteed protectection removed from their roster? They could be faced with either agreeing to that or being waived immediately. On rare occasions, such as with John Wolyniec last season, players survive that and stay the whole season. In cases such as Khano Smith, who sources tell me is one of the Red Bulls players to agree to that this season, it just means his departure from the team will come later. In Smith's case, it will probably come once Ernst Obster is eligible to join the Red Bulls on July 15th.

Transfer Ticker: Benzema given the green light, Maicon saga continues and more

by GIANFRANCO PANIZO

Karim Benzema is free to go.

Okay, well not "free", but the Lyon striker has been given the green light to join any of the big clubs reportedly interested in his services.

Lyon coach Claude Puel told the team's website that if Benzema wishes to leave then he will be allowed to do so as long one of the interested clubs meets the transfer fee, reportedly around £34 million ($56.5 million).

Benzema will return to the club team on July 2 and the two parties will discuss his future. As of now, no concrete offers have been made for the French international.

Here are some more stories to help get you through the day:

An in-depth look at the Beckham-MLS experiment

                                                                             Photo by ISIphotos.com

If you ever wondered what David Beckham's arrival in Major League Soccer, and his impact on the Los Angeles Galaxy, was really like, wonder no more.

Sports Illustrated writer Grant Wahl has written a book, titled The Beckham Experiment, that gives us a detailed behind-the-scenes look at Beckham's arrival in America. The book isn't out yet (it comes out on July 14th), but  the first excerpt from the book was released today by Sports Illustrated. In short, it is a must-read.

Give the excerpt a read and feel free to share your thoughts on it below.

European clubs eyeing Clark and Davies

 

                                                                               Photo by ISIphotos.com

by GIANFRANCO PANIZO

When the U.S. national team closed out its historic run in the Confederations Cup on Sunday, one got the sense that it would only be a matter of time before European suitors came calling for some of the team's key contributors.

It only took one day.

Midfielder Ricardo Clark and forward Charlie Davies, two of the U.S. team's standout players in the tournament, received interest from European clubs almost immediately following the conclusion of the Confederations Cup final, where the U.S. fought valiantly before giving up a two goal lead and falling, 3-2, to five-time world champions Brazil.

Clark, who enjoyed a stellar tournament despite missing one game to suspension, is being linked with Rennes. The Houston Dynamo midfielder's agent revealed that the French club has inquired about Clark.