Mathis traded to Red Bulls

I am not sure this means anything since Clint Mathis is well past his prime. This move smells of desperation. What are you doing Red Bulls.

The 30 year-old Mathis is expected to join NYRB reuniting with head coach Bruce Arena, under whom he earned the first of his 46 U.S. national team caps on Nov. 6, 1998 in a 0-0 tie with Australia. Here's a little background on Mathis interesting career:

Mathis played college soccer at the University of South Carolina and was drafted sixth overall by the Los Angeles Galaxy in the first round of the 1998 MLS College Draft. After two and a half years with Los Angeles, Mathis was awarded to the MetroStars in the dispersal draft after the Galaxy signed Mexican forward Luis Hernandez. Clint immediately took his game to a new level, flashing an "I ♥ NY" shirt after scoring goals, and breaking the MLS record by scoring five goals in a game against the Dallas Burn on August 26, 2000. He finished second in the league in scoring with 16 goals and 14 assists and was named to the MLS Best XI.

2001 saw Mathis start a season on a tear, scoring seven goals in his first six games, including the league's eventual Goal of the Year on a half-field run against Dallas. He was also a contributor for the United States national team in the early stages of World Cup qualifying, scoring the game-winning goal against Honduras and setting up Josh Wolff's game-winning goal against Costa Rica. In June he tore his ACL, which ended his year.

In 2002, Clint became the first male soccer player in eight years to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated in its World Cup preview issue. At the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Mathis shaved his hair into a mohawk and scored a goal in the United States' 1-1 draw with South Korea. He never recovered his pre-injury form and scored only 13 goals in his remaining two seasons with the MetroStars.After the 2002 MLS season and his excellent World Cup performnce, elite German club Bayern Munich attempted to acquire Mathis but was blocked by MLS. Mathis was furious and played poorly for the rest of his time in MLS.

In 2004, after his contract Mathis left the MetroStars to sign on a free transfer with Hannover 96 of the German Bundesliga. He finished his Metro career with 33 goals in league play and 39 in all competitions, both marks second-best in team history to Giovanni Savarese. Mathis played well in his first season in Germany, scoring four goals, but his second Bundesliga season was not as successful. After entering a game as a very late subsitute and immediately scoring, Mathis ran to the sideline and tapped his watch at the new Hannover coach, Ewald Lienen. The gesture earned Clint a permanent move to the doghouse and, unable to break into the first team again, he worked out a transfer back to MLS, joining expansion club Real Salt Lake.

Mathis said he returned to fulfill a promise made to RSL head coach John Ellinger. His only season in Utah was a major disappointment, as Mathis only scored three goals (all three were named MLS Goal of the Week). In December 2005, he was traded to Colorado in exchange for Jeff Cunningham. For a period of time in 2005, USA Head Coach Bruce Arena said he was open to putting Mathis on the 2006 World Cup squad if he could improve his fitness and make an impression with RSL. However, neither happened, and Mathis was not taken to Germany.

Despite the apparent demise of Mathis' career, he is still a legendary and beloved figure in the American soccer community.

Clint Mathis club level history:

Senior clubs
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1998-2000 2000-03 2004-05 2005 2006 2007	Los Angeles Galaxy MetroStars Hannover 96 Real Salt Lake Colorado Rapids Red Bull New York	65 (15) 67 (33) 17 (5) 27 (3) 25 (2)

Clint Mathis national team history:

National team
1998-	United States	46 (12)

ESPN's review of DC United

Here is ESPN's review of DC United for the upcoming season.

US National team ties with Guatemala

Here is how the soccertimes rated the US National team members individual performance. Take a look - pretty interesting if you compare to the game on Sunday.

U.S. player ratings

Starters

Goalkeeper Kasey Keller - 6: His 46th international clean sheet was among his easiest. He was not really challenged all evening; when he was challenged, he made covering them look easy.

Defender Frank Simek - 6: In his first cap, he showed he is an experienced professional who can play with pace and not get rattled under pressure.

Defender Jimmy Conrad - 6: Responded well to marking Ruiz, a man he faces regularly in MLS. He only lost Ruiz once, allowing a potentially dangerous volley which missed the target.

Defender Jonathan Spector - 6: He pushed forward aggressively without giving up anything in back. He is gaining experience and maturity in England.

Defender Jay DeMerit - 6: With Conrad concentrating on Ruiz, DeMerit was left to shut down the middle. Although he was not put under much pressure, he showed a year in the English Premier League with Watford has given him experience, which allowed him to handle tonight's assignment with ease.

Midfielder Justin Mapp - 6: At times, he was the point of the U.S. attack, pushing the ball up the left side. Still young and improving, he could compete to start on the left flank. for the U.S.

Midfielder Benny Feilhaber - 5.5: A decent outing, but after recording his first two caps wince Sunday, he is still trying to find his role on the team. Will he be most effective as a defensive midfielder, as a link or by stepping into the attack? At 22, he still needs to gain more international match experience.

Midfielder Clint Dempsey - 5: Playing reserve matches and a few odd first-team minutes for Fulham in England, he is not sharp and could not take advantage of the couple of opportunities that came his way. Twice, he probably should have had goals or at least made a better effort. He needs to start playing somewhere as a regular.

Midfielder Michael Bradley - 5.5: He partnered well with Feilhaber in the middle, but the 19-year-old seemed to be have difficulty flowing from defense to attack and back. He could not find much room to operate in the crowded midfield and while his play was decent, he did not add much to the offense.

Forward Landon Donovan - 5: To his credit, he put in 90 minutes of effort, but the U.S. captain did not get the help or the breaks that went his way on Saturday. He was smothered by a defense designed to deny him the ball, but he also was not very effective on set plays, while his corner kicks and crosses were not sharp.

Forward Eddie Johnson - 4.5: For the second time since Sunday, he made a sub-par start and was replaced early. He was completely ineffective, even though he appeared to expend a lot of effort. He must do something to play his way out of his deep slump both at the international and club levels.

Reserves

Forward Kenny Cooper (59th minute for Benny Feilhaber) - 5.5: His entrance changed the shape of the attack for the better. He had his moments, but got little help. It will be interesting to see him over 90 minutes.

Midfielder Brian Mullan (67th minute for Johnson) - 5.5: He had a few good moments and did not make any glaring errors in a generally an understated appearance.

Defender Wade Barrett (83rd minute for Spector) - 5.5: Fit in well on the back-line.

Red Bulls get a new striker...

MLS and Aston Villa have agreed on a transfer fee for Colombian forward Juan Pablo Ángel to join the Red Bulls if he and the club can agree on compensation, according to Soccer America.

Ángel started playing professional soccer at Atlético Nacional in his home city of Medellín, Colombia. Ángel was sold to River Plate, Argentina, where he was considered one of the best players.

Ángel was Aston Villa's record signing from Argentinian side River Plate at £9.5 million, an increase of £2.5 million on the previous record, set by Stan Collymore. He was reportedly Villa's highest earner on £40,000 per week. After an indifferent start to his Aston Villa career, he settled down and started to produce the form that persuaded Doug Ellis to shell out the massive transfer fee. He was the club's top scorer in the 2003-04 season with 16 goals in the FA Premier League, but slipped to 7 goals in 2004-05.

Since the departure of Darius Vassell to Manchester City the summer of 2005, Ángel has been heaped with pressure to score more goals. In August 2005, Milan Baroš was brought in however, in an attempt to take off some of the burden. However, Baroš seemed to find scoring as difficult as Ángel, and was sold to Olympique Lyonnais in the January 2007 transfer window. Despite early promise, Angel later fell out-of-favour with manager David O'Leary, and spent most of the season either as a substitute or watching from the stands.

Martin O'Neill's appointment as Villa manager has resulted in a huge turnaround in Ángel's Villa career. He is now first choice striker again and is rewarding his manager with goals.

For Colombia, Ángel has appeared over 30 times, averaging a ratio of nearly a goal every 3 games. For Villa he averages a goal every 3rd game.

Here is Ángel's club history:

Senior clubs
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1993-97 1997-00 2000-	Atlético Nacional de Medellín River Plate Aston Villa	057 0(9) 091 (45) 175 (44)

Here is Ángel's national team history:

National team
1996-	Colombia	33 0(9)

Portland in MLS???

According to reports, Major League Soccer hopes to have an expansion franchise in the Pacific Northwest by 2010, and Portland is a possibility.

On Tuesday, MLS Commissioner Don Garber took a 45-minute tour of PGE Park, but Portland is no sure thing to land the expansion team. The league might not find PGE Park suitable, and there's the possibility that Seattle gets the Pacific Northwest entry.

Garber said the league has been discussing adding a Northwest franchise for at least six months with an investment group. The investors, whom Garber declined to identify, initially envisioned Seattle as the locale. Only recently has Portland emerged as an option.

Los Angeles is home to the West Coast's only two MLS teams, the Galaxy and Chivas USA. The two-time MLS champion San Jose Earthquakes moved to Houston after the 2005 season.

MLS started with 10 clubs in 1996 and now has 13. The league is expected to add three more teams by 2010.

US National game tomorrow!!!

A good test tomorrow! Here is the details on the game:

U.S. vs. Guatemala,
March 28
9 p.m. ET, ESPN2

U.S. player ratings for Sunday's game...

Big win on Sunday...

Here is how Soccertimes ranked the performance of the US players. Let me know what you think!

U.S. player ratings

Starters

Goalkeeper Tim Howard - 5.5: Looked a bit unsettled at times and might have done better on Ecuador's goal, but he did make a couple of nice saves though he was rarely pressured.

Defender Carlos Bocanegra - 5: Still seems more comfortable playing in the center of defense rather than the left flank, as he did today. Was beaten several times by midfielder Luis Valencia, including once that should have resulted in a goal

Defender Oguchi Onyewu - 5.5: Go off to a rough start and was abused when he was outmuscled by Caidedo. But settled down in the second half and did better.

Defender Jimmy Conrad - 6: Played well, though seemed to have some communication problems with Onyewu at times in the first half and was bothered by the pace. His slide tackle in the 28th minute did save what almost certainly would have been goal. Ecuador would have led 2-1 and the tenor of the game might have changed.

Defender Steve Cherundolo - 6: Produced a steady effort, especially in the second half. He pushed the ball forward at times and was a threat down the right side.

Midfielder Landon Donovan - 8: Not only did he have a hat trick, but he was outstanding in all facets of the game. Now, he must learn to perform consistently at this level and live up to his role as the natural successor to Claudio Reyna as team leader.

Midfielder Benny Feilhaber - 5.5: For a number of reasons, he was much better in the second half than in the opening 45 minutes of his first international appearance. In the first half, he seemed a bit unsure of his role, offensively and defensively. When Michael Bradley was inserted at the break, he helped clog the middle defensively and slow the pace, which helped Feilhaber, a promising 22-year-old, do much better.

Midfielder Clint Dempsey - 5: Except for a few brief minutes, he was never really in the match. Perhaps he is showing the effect of not playing regularly at Fulham in England

Midfielder DaMarcus Beasley - 5: Much like Dempsey, he mostly had little impact and was often pushed off the ball by defenders. He ran freely, but failed to use his pace effectively. He did lay off a nice ball for Donovan's third goal.

Forward Brian Ching - 5.5: Considering he is really still rounding into form following off-season knee surgery, he is looking better. A hard-nosed player, he was in the thick of things all afternoon and worked well with Donovan, his former Major League Soccer teammate in San Jose.

Forward Eddie Johnson - 4.5: Another appearance with little impact. He should have done better given the wide open spaces available to him in the first half.

Reserves

Midfielder Michael Bradley (46th minute for Johnson) - 5.5: He helped settle down the defense and offered support, allowing Donovan to move forward. Took advantage of the slower play in the second half and did everything asked of him.

Forward Taylor Twellman (72nd minute for Ching) - 5: Made little difference other than occasionally dropping back to give some help on defense.

Defender Jonathan Spector (80th minute for Cherundolo) - 5.5: Showed some speed on the defensive flank. but had some trouble near the end, though no harm done was done.

Midfielder Brian Mullan (80th minute for Dempsey) - 5.5: Helped run tome off the clock.

Midfielder Justin Mapp (83rd minute for Beasley) - 5: made little impact during short stint.

Midfielder Brian Carroll (91st minute for Donovan) - no rating: A token appearance.

Toronto Waives Jon Busch

With the trade of Richard Mulrooney to Toronto FC, the team had one too many senior internationals on the roster. This past week Toronto bid farewell to goalkeeper Jon Busch. The former Columbus Crew netminder was waived.

I would be shocked if Busch isn't picked up by another MLS team. His road to MLS and to the national team (one appearance - Jon earned his first and only cap for the United States on March 9, 2005, shutting out Colombia.) is nothing short of amazing. I am sure we will see him again. Here is Jon's story:

Jon Busch was a NCAA All-American in 1996 while playing at UNC-Charlotte, his road to MLS was not an easy one. Undrafted out of college, he spent a number of years in the United Soccer Leagues, playing for the Worcester Wildfire, Carolina Dynamo, Hampton Roads Mariners, and Hershey Wildcats. He was named the A-League Goalkeeper of the Year during his final year in the USL, 2001, and was then drafted by Columbus with the 23rd overall pick of the 2002 MLS SuperDraft. He played with Columbus until the end of the 2006 season.

Busch did not become a starter for the Crew immediately, sharing the duties in his first MLS season with incumbent Tom Presthus. He became a starter by 2003, but did not do too well, as Columbus floundered in the standings. But both the Crew and Busch had terrific 2004 regular seasons, as the team, led by Busch's goaltending, embarked on a league-record 18-game undefeated streak. Busch was a finalist for the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Award for his performance, and his impact on the team's season was cited as the third-highest impact of any MLS player on any MLS team in the history of the league by MLSnet writer Jeff Bradley.

In 2005, he was sidelined by a knee injury for most of the season, leading the Crew to acquire Jonny Walker. The Crew's goalkeeping injury woes intensified in 2006, as Busch was one of several injured keepers on the team roster, managing only 8 games. He was waived prior to the 2007 season and the only player picked in the 2007 MLS Waiver Draft, selected by Toronto FC. Unfortunately, the team has one too many senior international players and had to release Jon Busch.

Jon Busch's club history:

Senior clubs
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1997 1997 1998-00 2001 2002-06	Worcester Wildfire Carolina Dynamo Hampton Roads Mariners Hershey Wildcats Columbus Crew	? (?) 2 (0) 64 (0) 27 (0) 84 (0)

Jon Busch's national team history:

National team
2005	United States	1 (0)

US National game today!!!

A good test today since we have several European based players back. Let's see how Bradley uses them, especially in the Midfield! Here is the details on the game:

U.S. vs. Ecuador,
March 25
Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Fla.
12 p.m. ET, ESPN2

Fmr English National Team player in MLS -- not Beckham???

According to reports, Manchester City winger Trevor Sinclair will look to play in MLS if he is not offered a new contract. Not a bad catch if MLS can get him.

Trevor Lloyd Sinclair is a 34 year old midfielder, who currently plays for Manchester City. He is a former teammate of American Caption Claudio Reyna. Prior to Manchester City, Sinclair played for Blackpool (1990-93), Queens Park Rangers (1993-98), and West Ham United (1998-2003).

Although he only earned 12 caps for England, four of those caps came in the 2002 World Cup, when he was a last-minute replacement for the injured Danny Murphy. He replaced Owen Hargreaves (who was injured early in the competition) in the team and was widely regarded as one of England's better players in the tournament.

Here is Sinclair's club history:

Senior clubs
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1990-1993 1993-1998 1998-2003 2003-	Blackpool QPR West Ham United Manchester City	112 (15) 168 (16) 177 (37) 076 0(5)

Here is Sinclair's national team history:

National team
2001-2003	England	012 0(0)

Keller expects to be in the net for the National Team in 2010!

Kasey Keller doesn't consider himself a has been. He's a starting goalkeeper and hopes to be the starter for the 2010 World Cup team.

The U.S. starter at the 1998 and 2006 World Cups, Keller will be 40 by the time the 2010 tournament opens in South Africa.

If Keller is picked for the U.S. roster at the 2010 tournament, he'd be part of a small group to be selected for five World Cups. He was a backup in both 1990 and 2002.

Meanwhile Keller has made 25 Bundesliga appearances this season for last-place Borussia Moenchengladbach in Germany.

"From my first trips with the national team in '89, it's been an astronomical change in the game," Keller said in a CNNSI article. "We have a long ways to go, but we also have a tremendous amount of competition to compete against. I think if we continue the good steady growth we've had over the last 15, 16, 20 years, I think this sport will be in a perfect position come 2015, 2020."

Let's hope Keller is right and that he continues to compete.

Cobi Jones retiring after 2007 season...

Cobi Jones announced yesterday that he was planning to retire at the end of the 2007 season. He will be missed - he has contributed so much to this countries national team and to MLS. I admittedly was not a huge Cobi fan, but he won me over a couple years ago with his great national team game versus Mexico when he came in as a sub. I can still see him getting fouled earning that red card for the Mexican captain. Well done!

That said - there are different accounts to the importance of David Beckham joining the Galaxy.

According to ESPN, Cobi planned to retire before the 2007 season -- but when the Los Angeles Galaxy signed David Beckham, he decided to play another year. When Jones originally let his intentions be known to Tim Leiweke, president and chief executive officer of Galaxy owner AEG, Leiweke interrupted him to say Beckham might be joining the Galaxy. "

MLS website sings a different toon - Jones insists that returning for another season wasn't really a close decision at all. He also insists that the offseason signing of David Beckham had absolutely no influence over his decision either. That's not to say that he isn't excited at the prospect of lining up alongside the former England captain.

Either way hopefully Cobi will enjoy playing with Beckham and have a good last run. He deserves it!

MLS Financial status?

Steve Davis of ESPN, today explored the financial status of MLS. It's interesting to see that the league has improved even with the NYRB lossing $14 million last season. With Toronto FC doing so well in ticket sales and Beckham driving up ticket sales/promotional items, we might see a great movement toward a large chunk of the teams actually making money.

Let's hope!

3 players MLS should take a hard look at...

If you don't read Jen Chang's blog on ESPN you should start. Jen recently wrote an article about the type of players MLS GM's should/will be looking at.

Here's an example of players (that Jen thought) that MLS should be taking a hard look at:

1. Ismail Matar, Al-Wahda -- A 23-year-old midfielder who is by far the best player in the United Arab Emirates. In addition to his knack for scoring spectacular goals, Matar was named the best player at the 2003 World Youth Championships and current UAE coach Bruno Metsu has said that Matar has more than enough talent to excel in Europe.

2. Ledesma, Kaunas -- Only 24, the Brazilian Ledesma is the finest attacking player in the Lithuanian league and has great speed and skill. I doubt it would take a lot to convince him to trade in the frigid climate of the Baltic States for MLS.

3. Allan Delon, Brasiliense -- At 27, Delon (named after the French movie star) is the perfect type of Brazilian player for MLS. A domestic league player of some quality (he's a potent goal-scoring midfielder), Delon falls into that dreaded tweener category of being a domestic league standout who's not good enough for a national team call-up or good enough to attract attention from top European leagues. This being the case, he makes perfect sense for MLS since he's probably affordable and probably looking for a chance to make his name abroad.

Also it should be pointed that Jen did predict that DC United will win MLS Cup this year.

Blanco & MLS - yes or no!

ESPN had a great article on the pitfalls of MLS signing Cuauhtémoc Blanco.

Personally, I think a two year 3 million dollar is not so bad deal for the league, but if he asks for more MLS will have to take a long look at his knees and the benefits. He is 34 and I am sure there are other internationals younger who might be a better fit.

Where are they now?

On a slow soccer news day you should take a look at where the stars of the last world cup are today. (source: CNNSI)

Catching up with World Cup Stars

Dynamo blank Pachuca in first leg

Second-half goals from Brian Ching and Chris Wondolowski gave Houston Dynamo an impressive 2-0 victory over Mexican side Pachuca on Thursday evening in their CONCACAF Champions' Cup semifinal first leg at Robertson Stadium.

Dynamo will visit Pachuca on April 5 for the return match, and the match will be carried live on Fox Soccer Channel (6 p.m. ET) . The winner of the two-game aggregate goals series will face off with the winner of D.C. United's semifinal series against CD Guadalajara for the Champions' Cup title. The tournament's champion will then take part in December's FIFA Club World Cup in Japan.

Let's hope that DC United can do the same and show how MLS has improved. The game is currently being played on Fox Soccer Channel.

UPDATE:
With a late score DC United and Chivas finished in a 1-1 draw. It was a good game and both team had their chance. DC United escaped a huge hole with a 90th minute header just when it looked like they were running out of gas. It's not the most ideal situation, but I think the United will take a 1-1 draw into the second leg on April 3rd.

I think it should be noted that RFK was packed. They opened the upper deck and it was quite full.

U.S. roster for exhibition games against Ecuador and Guatemala.

Below is Bob Bradley's roster for the next two national teams game. Three players were chosen who have never played for the national team: defenders Jay DeMerit and Frank Simek, and midfielder Benny Feilhaber.

Also interesting to not that Bradley picked his son. Thirteen of the players are based in Europe, including seven in England.

Take a look:

Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan (Chivas USA), Tim Howard (Everton, England), Kasey Keller (Borussia Moenchengladbach, Germany)

Defenders: Carlos Bocanegra (Fulham, England), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover, Germany), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City), Jay Demerit (Watford, England), Oguchi Onyewu (Newcastle, England), Heath Pearce (Nordsjaelland, Denmark), Frank Simek (Sheffield Wednesday, England), Jonathan Spector (West Ham, England)

Midfielders: DaMarcus Beasley (Manchester City, England), Michael Bradley (Heerenveen, Netherlands), Brian Carroll (D.C. United), Ricardo Clark (Houston), Clint Dempsey (Fulham, England), Benny Feilhaber (Hamburg, Germany), Justin Mapp (Chicago)

Forwards: Brian Ching (Houston), Kenny Cooper (Dallas), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles), Eddie Johnson (Kansas City), Chris Rolfe (Chicago), Taylor Twellman (New England)

Houston's match vs. Mexican club CF Pachuca Postponed, will be made up today!

Due to a power outage at University of Houston the Houston Dynamos will have to wait another due to take on Mexican club CF Pachuca. Together with DC United's contest tonight versus Mexican giants Club Deportivo Guadalajara will pose a huge test for MLS. Hopefully they can both represent MLS well.

EPL player coming to MLS

According to Soccer America, Toronto FC will soon announce the acquisition of winger Andy Welsh. Welsh played this season for Leicester City while on loan from Sunderland.

It's nice to see an EPL player make the move over to MLS. While Welsh is not a marquee player, like Beckham, he does represent a quality that MLS has not been able to attractive over the last couple years. A player who is at the EPL level who is not an old fart looking to have a vacation on MLS' dime. Welsh in his early 20's is exactly the type of players MLS needs to start attracting to the league. Good move Toronto FC!

Andy Welsh's career stats:

Senior clubs
Years	Club	App (Gls)
2001–2004 2002 2004- 2006 2006	Stockport County → Macclesfield Town (loan) Sunderland → Leicester City (loan) → Leicester City (loan)	75 (3) 06 (2) 21 (1) 10 (1) 07 (0)

MLS Offseason Moves

Here is a list of MLS transfers this offseason - both players coming and going.

Red Bull lost $14 million last season...

How bad was Red Bull's first season as owners of the former MetroStars? According to the North Jersey Herald, the Red Bulls lost $14 million last year.

WOW!

The article is a stinging testament to how Red Bull mismanaged the business side of the team. Losing sponsors, not marketing or advertising for games! That's just terrible and you would think the league might have something to say about that.

I think the Red Bulls soccer team is actually improved with hiring Arena and signing some new players this offseason. Hopefully New York can finally have a team that deserves support and in a free will fill their new stadium. Plus as a United fan, it would great to finally get some competition from that town up North.

MLS and Bundesliga team up...

MLS announced today that it will work with the German Bundesliga to promote soccer in America, help player development, and exchange knowledge regarding soccer facilities. Most of all - maybe they can show EPSN and MLS how to present the world's game on TV properly.

It's good that the league is working with the soccer community and I am sure any little bit can help. Hopefully you will see more loans coming and going to the German's top league. Maybe American players integrate more into the Bundesliga. I am a big believer that the more players we have in Europe's top leagues the better for the National team and MLS in the long run.

DC United Stadium - is it ever going to happen?

Soccertimes' Robert Wagman wrote a great article on a possible new DC United Stadium at Poplar Point. Clearly this is a messy project. Read the article - it's very interesting.

My take... I think DC United fans would all love a soccer stadium of their own, but we have to understand that it's not so easy dealing with the DC Government. I mean, DC has a tradition of messing up a stadium deals. I think we can thank them for FedEx field and not a football stadium in DC or almost losing baseball with the stadium dispute. So I can't imagine how DC United doesn't get the shaft especially if the Redskins move back to DC as Wagman suggests.

All we can do is hope the United's stadium deal gets worked out in the near future.

Convey's injury the low point in Reading's season

In the evening post it was reported that Kevin Dillon says Bobby Convey's injury-plagued campaign has been the low point of Reading's incredible first season in the Premiership. The United States winger has only managed 11 starts due to a long-standing knee problem.

Hopefully Convey can get back on the pitch soon and play the football we all know he is capable. Convey is a very important player to the National teams chance in the next world cup. We need him to continue to develop as a player.

Source: CNNSI

Another Big International player to MLS?

According to reports discussions between Chicago/AEG (Chicago Fire) and Mexican international Cuauhtemoc Blanco have gone far enough that the two sides are juggling salary terms and length of contract, playing the money against the risk. Looks like the Fire would have to pay him a salary of between $1.5 million and $2 million per season, and offer him better terms than a one-year contract plus an option.

I think this is a good move for MLS - get another big time international player that will come relatively cheap. I am not sure Chicago is the best place for Blanco - I was thinking Houston or Chivas off the top of my head, but it's good that LA, Chicago and NY all got big time international players this offseason. Let's hope that this does in fact take place.

Another Brazilian on DC United?

According to the Washington Post, DC United has signed its second Brazilian of the off season. Like many Brazilian players, he is known by by his first name - Fred. His full name is Helbert Frederico Carreiro da Silva and he plays striker/midfielder.

But not so fast says Fred's former team - Melbourne Victory of the Australian league champions. "As far as the club is concerned there is no confirmation or anything from the club," says a Melbourne media official.

I will keep an eye on the situation - if you want more information I would urge you to read the Offside Rules blog. It's where I found out about Melbourne's objections.

More to come...

Young US player returning home from Europe

Bucking the recent trend of young players going overseas Robbie Rogers has left his club, Heerenveen of the Dutch Evedivisie, to return home and play in MLS. The 19 year old forward/midfielder rights were won in a weight lottery by the Columbus Crew.

Rogers is a member of the US-20 team and is considered a young talent that deserves watching. Hopefully he can get back to form he showed in the University of Maryland.

Here is a story on ESPN regarding Rogers.

US MAY PLAY MORE IN EUROPE???

West Ham defender Jonathan Spector is hopeful of a return to international action soon and thinks in the future the US might be playing more games outside America.

I think he has a good point. Take a look at the full article from Yanks Abroad.

Americans in Europe

Greg Lalas and Jonah Freedman (of CNNSI) run down 15 of the most important players currently succeeding in Europe.

Take a look!

Welcome Soccer Fans

Welcome to a new blog that will highlight news, articles and opinions on soccer/football in America and around the world. Please feel free to comment, add insight and forward on to friends.