Soccer By Ives

Mid-Day Ticker: Cold weather threatens European slate, Bornstein plays & more

Frigid temperatures and snowstorms across Europe are starting to take their toll on the soccer schedule.

Saturday's anticipated match between Roma and Inter Milan has already been postponed because of snow blanketing Rome. The Cesena-Catania match has also been called off, and that is in addition to four midweek Serie A games having to be rescheduled because of the snow.

One game that was not cancelled this week in Italy, the Inter Milan-Palermo bout on Wednesday, finished in a wild 4-4 draw.

Temperatures have dipped into the negative (celsius) across Europe, and it is not out of the realm of possibility that even more matches throughout the continent fall victim to Mother Nature.

Here are a few more stories to keep your day rolling:

Beasley scores winner for Puebla vs. Jaguares

DaMarcus Beasley has picked up where he left off with Mexican side Puebla, continue his stellar form since moving South of the Border with his latest goal.

Beasley delivered the game-winning goal in Puebla's 1-0 victory against Jaguares on Saturday, scoring a right-footed finish after making a fast back-post run and latching onto a perfect pass before pulling off a perfect cut-back and finish.

The goal helped Puebla post their first victory of the Clausura campaign.

Here is Beasley's goal:

Transfer Ticker: Dos Santos on verge of move, Ibisevic heads to Stuttgart & more

Giovani Dos Santos is no stranger to moving during the winter transfer window, but instead of what has happened in past years, he is on the verge of leaving club purgatory for good.

Forever glued to the bench at Tottenham, the 22-year-old Mexican star is on the verge of a full transfer to Spanish club Villarreal, according to reports from Europe.

It would mark the second straight year that Dos Santos has secured a move to Spain during the winter transfer window, going on loan to Racing Santander last year. The previous two years he had been loaned to Galatasaray and Ipswich Town.

With no real place in Harry Redknapp's lineup, Dos Santos has struggled for playing time with Spurs. He scored against Cheltenham Town when given a rare start in the FA Cup on Jan. 7, and he also tallied a goal in the Europa League earlier this season, but he hasn't figured into Redknapp's long-term plans for some time and is nearing a chance at a new start.

As the last week of the winter transfer window winds down, here are more items from around Europe:

Wednesday Kickoff: Dynamo sell naming rights, Santos reaches final and more

Houston Dynamo fans have been waiting since the club's inaugural 2006 season for a soccer-specific stadium they could call their own, and, come May, that dream will be realized.

According to the Houston Chronicle, that stadium will be named BBVA Compass Stadium at an official ceremony slated for Wednesday afternoon. BBVA Compass is a worldwide bank that has a large presence in Houston and also holds sponsorship rights to La Liga in Spain.

The naming deal for MLS' newest stadium is reportedly worth $20 million over the next 10 years. The first game there is scheduled for May 12 against a yet-to-be-announced opponent.

Here are a few more stories to get your Wednesday going:

Gomez headed to Santos Laguna

While Santos Laguna is busy trying to climb out of a one-goal deficit in the Mexican Apertura final, the club has an eye on sustaining its success during the Clausura campaign as well. A piece of that puzzle involves Herculez Gomez.

Cash-strapped Estudiantes Tecos has sold Gomez to Santos Laguna, putting the U.S. international forward on one of Mexico's top teams, Fox Soccer reported today.

It will be his fourth Mexican team in the last two years, as prior to Tecos, Gomez was with Puebla and Pachuca. Gomez scored seven goals this past season, which tied him for fourth-most in the league.

Gomez, who has remained outside of the national team picture despite his goal-scoring form, will likely get a chance to compete in the United States at least once next year, as Santos Laguna is matched up with the Seattle Sounders in the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals. The first leg is in Seattle on March 7.

What do you think of the move for Gomez?

Share your thoughts below.

Friday Kickoff: Vidic out for season, Tigres take Apertura final lead and more

Manchester United's week has gone from bad to worse.

After being eliminated from the UEFA Champions League in the group stage, United got word Friday that centerback Nemanja Vidic will miss the remainder of the season after suffering ligament damage in his right knee.

Vidic suffered the injury at the end of the first half of United's UCL finale against FC Basel Wednesday while battling Marco Streller for the ball. He immediately collapsed to the ground and waved for help before being stretchered off the field.

Sir Alex Ferguson has Chris Smalling, Phil Jones and Jonny Evans as options to pair with Rio Ferdinand at central defense in Vidic's place.

Here are a few more stories to get your day going:

Wednesday Kickoff: Milan closes in on Tevez, Mexico lines up friendlies & more

Carlos Tevez appears to be inching closer to resolution on his future.

The much-maligned Manchester City striker has a major suitor in AC Milan, which has reportedly extended an offer to take the player on loan for the rest of the season before purchasing his contract during the summer.

Milan president Adriano Galliani told Italian media that the club has already agreed to terms with Tevez and just needs the green light to go ahead with the loan.

The situation isn't completely cut-and-dry, though, as City reportedly prefers a permanant transfer for the wantaway striker in the upcoming winter transfer window as opposed to sending him on loan. The ball would appear to be in the English club's court. It has a real chance to rid itself of the Tevez headache, which has been going on for months and reached its apex when the Argentine striker would not come off the bench to appear in a UEFA Champions League game.

Here are a few more stories from around the world to get your day going:

Weekend Rewind: Stanford wins women's NCAA title, Mexican final set and more

Photo by Steven Limentani/ISIphotos.com

Stanford's women's soccer team has completed its climb up the NCAA ladder. Finally.

After falling in the national title game in each of the last two seasons, Stanford held off Duke to capture the 2011 title with a 1-0 victory in Kennesaw, Ga., on Sunday.

Teresa Noyola scored the game-winner in the 53rd minute and was named College Cup MVP. The achievement caps off a stellar career for her and the rest of Stanford's seniors, who compiled a 95-4-4 record over the last four seasons, including an undefeated 25-0-1 campaign this season. The only blemish this year was a scoreless draw at Maryland on Aug. 26.

Here are other weekend results spanning the world's top leagues:

Mid-Day Ticker: Lucas out for season, Europa League continues and more

By FRANCO PANIZO

If Liverpool is to overcome its less-than-stellar start to the season and get back in contention for a Champions League spot, it will have to do so without one of its top players.

Lucas Leiva has been ruled out for the remainder of the Premiership campaign after sustaining a knee injury in Liverpool's 2-0 quarterfinal victory over Chelsea in the Carling Cup on Tuesday. The 24-year-old midfielder was stretchered off the field following a collision with Juan Mata.

Having proven to be one of Liverpool's best players during the past two seasons, Lucas is set to undergo surgery after a scan revealed a torn ACL in his left knee.

The news comes as a crushing blow to the Reds, which currently sit in sixth place in the Premier League.

Here are more stories from Thursday:

Eight-team field set for CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament

By JOEY SAMUEL

The field competing for CONCACAF's spots at the 2012 Summer Olympics is officially set.

Trinidad & Tobago and Cuba each recorded the results they needed Monday night to advance out of Caribbean qualifying and earn the final two spots in the 2012 CONCACAF Pre-Olympic Tournament.

North American nations Canada, Mexico, and the United States were each awarded automatic berths into the eight-team Olympic qualifying tournament.

In September, El Salvador and Honduras each won their respective three-team groups to qualify directly. Then, Panama outlasted Costa Rica over two legs in a matchup of the second-placed teams from those three-team groups to earn the third spot out of Central America.

Monday, Trinidad & Tobago thrashed Suriname, 9-1, while Cuba earned a 1-1 draw with St. Kitts & Nevis to round out the field. Cuba finished first, while Trinidad & Tobago finished second in a four-team group in the second round of Caribbean qualifying. Each team in that four-team group had already won a four-team (or in Cuba's case, three-team) group of their own in the first round.

Garza on trial with Club Tijuana

U.S. Under-23 national team defender Greg Garza's search for a club team has led him to Mexico, where he recently secured a Mexican passport and is now beginning a trial with Mexican First Division side Club Tijuana.

A former youth player with Portuguese powerhouse Sporting Lisbon, Garza has been searching for a new club since leaving Portuguese second division side Estoril Praia earlier this year. He was recommended to Club Tijuana by midfielder Joey Corona, who played with Garza in the recent Under-23 national team camp in Germany.

Garza will spend a week on trial with Club Tijuana, who is preparing for the Mexican Clausura season.

Mid-Day Ticker: Semifinals set in Mexico, doubts remain over '22 WC host, & more

By JOEY SAMUEL

A wild weekend that included several major upsets concluded Sunday night in Mexico, where the four semifinal places in the Apertura playoffs were set.

Chivas de Guadalajara, despite finishing first in the regular season standings, could not overturn the deficit from their shocking 2-1 loss to Queretaro from last week. Despite playing in front of their home fans at Estadio Omnilife, Chivas were ousted in the first round and Queretaro won a playoff series for the first time in team history as the teams played to a 0-0 draw on Saturday night.

Also on Saturday, Cruz Azul once again disappointed in the playoffs after a solid regular season when they were defeated at home, 2-1, by Monarcas Morelia. After Morelia posted a 2-1 home victory last week, they duplicated the result at Estadio Azul to take down second-seeded Cruz Azul, who continue their history of let-downs in the postseason.

On Sunday, things were less shocking as Santos Laguna earned a 2-1 home win over Jaguares to advance 4-3 on aggregate. Then, Tigres de la UANL cruised to a 3-0 win over Pachuca, winning the series 4-0 overall.

With the top two teams in the league eliminated, the semifinal matchups are set. Eighth-seeded Queretaro will face third-seeded Tigres in one series, while the other will feature seventh-seeded Morelia against fourth-seeded Santos Laguna.

Here are some other stories to keep your Monday going:

Mid-Day Ticker: Impact sign Arguez, Castillo joins Tijuana, and more

Photo by ISIPhotos.com

By FRANCO PANIZO

The Montreal Impact continued their preparations for the 2012 MLS season by signing Ft. Lauderdale Strikers midfielder Bryan Arguez.

The former U.S. U-20 international, who had a stint with D.C. United in 2007, helped the Strikers reach the NASL Championship Series this past season. A defensive midfielder by trade, Arguez had explored options in Europe before returning to the United States for a stint with Fort Lauderdale.

According to the Impact, they signed Arguez through the MLS Discovery process.

Here are some other stories to get you through Black Friday:

Monday Kickoff: Bradley making Egypt debut, Puebla hires Osorio and more

While Jurgen Klinsmann struggles to find wins or goals with the U.S. men's national team, the man he replaced is ready to begin his latest coaching adventure.

Bob Bradley will coach his first game as head coach of the Egyptian National Team, which takes on Brazil today (Noon, ESPN3.com).

Bradley will be looking to help Egypt overcome the disappointment of failing to qualify for the African Nations Cup.

Here are some other stories get you through the early part of the day:

Red-hot Gomez scores two more goals as Estudiantes Tecos topple Santos Laguna

After scoring goal after goal as a substitute, Herculez Gomez was given a chance to show what he could do in the Estudiantes Tecos starting lineup on Saturday.

He responded by scoring even more goals.

The American forward scored his sixth and seventh goals of the Mexican League season to help Tecos defeat Santos Laguna, 5-2, on Saturday. As impressive as that goal total is, he could see that total go up to eight goals if he has a goal re-instated that was ruled an own goal just last week.

Here are highlights of Gomez's goals (the first two scored by Estudiantes on Saturday):

Mexico 1, Brazil 2: Match Highlights