July 11, 2009
USA vs. Haiti Gold Cup Highlights
If you're like me, you weren't able to watch the USA's final group match versus Haiti. And boy, did we miss a dramatic finish. My boy Stuart Holden came up with the goods (a goal and assist each), which gives him two goals in as many senior squad appearances.
July 10, 2009
Everton signs American Midfielder
And it's not Clint Dempsey.
Everton has signed 22-year-old midfielder Anton Peterlin (who?) from the Ventura County Fusion, a team in the fourth tier of the American soccer pyramid. He has no senior caps for the US national team, nor does he have any youth level caps.
That said, he seemed poised to make a step up from his current club. He had already rejected offers from Chicago and San Jose...but Everton? Talk about one hell of a step up.
This is a kid I'll have to keep an eye on.
Also, I wonder how he ever got to be on Everton's radar. Was Everton really scouting this kid playing down in the US's fourth division in California? I doubt Tim Howard knows him personally.
Everton has signed 22-year-old midfielder Anton Peterlin (who?) from the Ventura County Fusion, a team in the fourth tier of the American soccer pyramid. He has no senior caps for the US national team, nor does he have any youth level caps.
That said, he seemed poised to make a step up from his current club. He had already rejected offers from Chicago and San Jose...but Everton? Talk about one hell of a step up.
This is a kid I'll have to keep an eye on.
Also, I wonder how he ever got to be on Everton's radar. Was Everton really scouting this kid playing down in the US's fourth division in California? I doubt Tim Howard knows him personally.
July 8, 2009
Video: Hilarious Soccer Throw-In
I wish I learned how to take a throw-in like this! Also, that must've hurt...a lot.
Taken from College Humor (if you couldn't tell from the ridiculous advertising they have embedded with the video...sheesh!)
Ronaldo's Ego
In an ESPN Soccernet article posted today, Cristiano Ronaldo thanks Sir Alex Ferguson for making him a less selfish player.
Some of Ronaldo's quotes about this topic are pretty funny I think:
Ok so maybe I'm taking comments out of context and am being a bit harsh in my interpretation of them, but my God, he's one of the most selfish soccer players I've ever seen! He throws tantrums whenever a call doesn't go his way, and he always demands extra protection from referees (which is certainly warranted some of the time, but not in every game he plays). Sure, he has all the talent in the world, but he seems to have really taken that to his head specifically during these last two seasons at Manchester United. I do think he calmed down a bit this season when he realized he couldn't repeat his 31 league goals from the year before.
Of course, Madrid didn't do anything to quell his ego after shattering the world transfer fee record on him after just breaking it for Kaka just a few days before.
In Ronaldo's defense, he had some very kind things to say about Sir Alex Ferguson, giving him all the credit for turning him into the player he is now.
It makes you wonder though...if Ferguson stalled Ronaldo's ego, what was it like before he came to Manchester United and what would it be like now if he had never been under Ferguson's tutelage??
Some of Ronaldo's quotes about this topic are pretty funny I think:
"It's obvious that I'm a less egotistical footballer now. I know for sure that four years ago I always played to try to end up scoring myself.
Ok so maybe I'm taking comments out of context and am being a bit harsh in my interpretation of them, but my God, he's one of the most selfish soccer players I've ever seen! He throws tantrums whenever a call doesn't go his way, and he always demands extra protection from referees (which is certainly warranted some of the time, but not in every game he plays). Sure, he has all the talent in the world, but he seems to have really taken that to his head specifically during these last two seasons at Manchester United. I do think he calmed down a bit this season when he realized he couldn't repeat his 31 league goals from the year before.
Of course, Madrid didn't do anything to quell his ego after shattering the world transfer fee record on him after just breaking it for Kaka just a few days before.
In Ronaldo's defense, he had some very kind things to say about Sir Alex Ferguson, giving him all the credit for turning him into the player he is now.
It makes you wonder though...if Ferguson stalled Ronaldo's ego, what was it like before he came to Manchester United and what would it be like now if he had never been under Ferguson's tutelage??
July 7, 2009
Gooch to AC Milan (!!!!)
There was a lot of speculation as to where American center back Oguchi Onyewu would end up this summer, but I don't think anyone thought he would sign with a club of this stature.
AC Milan have signed Gooch to a three-year deal on a free transfer from his old club Standard Liege. Yes, AC MILAN, who are 17-time winners of Serie A and 5-time winners of the Champions League, have signed an American!
I know Gooch was being linked with various English and French sides, but I don't think anyone - no American fans, no AC Milan fans - saw this coming. The story on the ESPN Soccernet website is speculating that he could start at center back next to Thiago Silva, a young Brazilian who also recently signed with the club.
I wonder if his impressive performance at the Confederations Cup won him this move. It's a great step forward for the national team, and if he performs well, it would open numerous doors for top American players down the line. As long as he gets playing time (I don't think anyone knows how much he will get at this point), he will become an even more vital part of the national squad.
Congrats Gooch! Now go make the most of it! I've never liked AC Milan, but I think I can make exceptions this time around for the team.
July 6, 2009
Gold Cup - USA vs. Grenada
Since I live in Seattle, I had to go see the US national team play when they were here - on the Fourth of July no less! Even if it was a "B" squad made up of players whom I hadn't heard of (for the majority of them, at least) coming into the game.
It shouldn't come as any surprise that the United States dominated Grenada, especially when you consider that the US has 300+ million people and Grenada has only 110,000 people. It was a complete mismatch, really. But still, I thoroughly enjoyed myself, and for any soccer nut in my position, how could I not go watch the national team as a way to celebrate our country's independence?
And for those of you who don't know, the United States won 4-0, with goals from Freddy Adu, Stuart Holden, Robbie Rogers and Charlie Davies.
Best US Player: Stuart Holden, Houston Dynamo (honorable mention goes to Robbie Rogers of the Crew). Holden has had experience playing on the U-20 team and more recently on the US Olympic Team in Beijing last summer, but in his first senior team appearance, he didn't make a single bad pass, dribble or move that I could see for the whole 90 minutes. He scored a goal and might've assisted another one if my memory serves me right. As a player who looked like he was playing some hybrid of central midfield and right winger, I think he could make the national team in the future (since I do not rate Ricardo Clark highly, but I don't like his chances of unseating Michael Bradley, Landon Donovan or Clint Dempsey in the first team). A real exciting, fundamentally strong, and most importantly, smart player on the ball.
Most Disappointing US Player : Freddy Adu. It's certainly not his fault that he was tagged as being the future of United States soccer at such a young age, but boy, did he look lazy for still being a fairly inexperienced player who hasn't earned any right to be lazy. He never seemed to hustle for a ball, electing instead to wait for the ball to reach his feet. Adu also seemed to have a really bad first touch. He had a very nice goal in the 6th minute of play, but all the credit should go to the assist man (Rogers it was I think?) for picking out an unmarked Adu in the box.
It's certainly a bit harsh to call Adu the "most disappointing player," but everyone else on the US squad (again, half of whom I hadn't heard of) all played very well. Adu didn't necessarily have a bad game, but he didn't seem to be taking advantage of his time on the field. Now I have a better idea why he hasn't been cracking the first team squad lately.
Overall, a good day out. There were drunk Honduran fans four rows behind me blowing horns the entire time that might've come straight from South Africa last week. I saw one of them funneling a beer down the horn. I'll bet he enjoyed that.
It shouldn't come as any surprise that the United States dominated Grenada, especially when you consider that the US has 300+ million people and Grenada has only 110,000 people. It was a complete mismatch, really. But still, I thoroughly enjoyed myself, and for any soccer nut in my position, how could I not go watch the national team as a way to celebrate our country's independence?
And for those of you who don't know, the United States won 4-0, with goals from Freddy Adu, Stuart Holden, Robbie Rogers and Charlie Davies.
Best US Player: Stuart Holden, Houston Dynamo (honorable mention goes to Robbie Rogers of the Crew). Holden has had experience playing on the U-20 team and more recently on the US Olympic Team in Beijing last summer, but in his first senior team appearance, he didn't make a single bad pass, dribble or move that I could see for the whole 90 minutes. He scored a goal and might've assisted another one if my memory serves me right. As a player who looked like he was playing some hybrid of central midfield and right winger, I think he could make the national team in the future (since I do not rate Ricardo Clark highly, but I don't like his chances of unseating Michael Bradley, Landon Donovan or Clint Dempsey in the first team). A real exciting, fundamentally strong, and most importantly, smart player on the ball.
Most Disappointing US Player : Freddy Adu. It's certainly not his fault that he was tagged as being the future of United States soccer at such a young age, but boy, did he look lazy for still being a fairly inexperienced player who hasn't earned any right to be lazy. He never seemed to hustle for a ball, electing instead to wait for the ball to reach his feet. Adu also seemed to have a really bad first touch. He had a very nice goal in the 6th minute of play, but all the credit should go to the assist man (Rogers it was I think?) for picking out an unmarked Adu in the box.
It's certainly a bit harsh to call Adu the "most disappointing player," but everyone else on the US squad (again, half of whom I hadn't heard of) all played very well. Adu didn't necessarily have a bad game, but he didn't seem to be taking advantage of his time on the field. Now I have a better idea why he hasn't been cracking the first team squad lately.
Overall, a good day out. There were drunk Honduran fans four rows behind me blowing horns the entire time that might've come straight from South Africa last week. I saw one of them funneling a beer down the horn. I'll bet he enjoyed that.
July 3, 2009
Michael Owen to Manchester United
My three thoughts about this deal:
1. Savvy move on Manchester United's part. They get a proven international goal-scorer without having to pay a transfer fee. Sure, his injury history is something to worry about, but he passed their (surely rigorous) physical, and he apparently is on a performance-based contract. Only gets paid if he produces - if he's injured, Sir Alex won't have to pay it appears. And it gives him incentive to perform well.
2. Wonder how he'll be received at his former club, Liverpool...Manchester United's arch rivals and all.
3. Manchester United > Hull City. Remember when Phil Brown was talking about trying to land Owen? That looks pretty ridiculous right about now.
EDIT: There's something else I want to add. I wonder if he'll find his way back into the England squad if he performs well at Old Trafford. We're less than a year away from the World Cup, and England has essentially qualified without him, but it would be tough even for Fabio Capello to turn away an experienced striker with 40 international goals.
July 2, 2009
Fulham Pre-Season Training Begins
Fulham's first competitive game of the season will be in the third round of the Europa League at the end of August, a good 2-3 weeks ahead of the first Premier League game. Add on their pre-season trip to Australia, and you see why they are starting pre-season training camps so early.
Photos from Fulham's first pre-season training session today in London can be seen here.
I'm excited, not gonna lie.
Photos from Fulham's first pre-season training session today in London can be seen here.
I'm excited, not gonna lie.
Real Madrid Give up on David Villa
Real Madrid have already spent 94 million euros for Ronaldo, 65 million for Kaka, and now 35 million for Karim Benzema. Rumors have it that Franck Ribery wants in at the club, and he'll surely require a hefty transfer fee as well. According to Wikipedia (again, my ever reliable source for sports/soccer statistics), Real Madrid have already invested 209 million euros in this transfer window, while only receiving 10 million euros in return for players they've shipped out.
In a startling turn of events (I think at least) Real Madrid have showed they might actually be human by giving up their pursuit to sign striker David Villa. Real Madrid claim that they no longer need Villa for goals since their summer signings so far exceed the necessary requirements (no really...). But I find this as surprising...if they can afford him, why not try and sign him? Valencia needs the cash, and Villa would instantly become Madrid's best striker (over van Nistelrooy, Robben, Raul, Huntelaar...and yes, Benzema).
Will Chelsea or Manchester City now try and buy Villa? City certainly don't need another striker, but Chelsea have yet to make any noise in the transfer market yet. With Pato most likely not joining Ancelotti at Stamford Bridge and Drogba always seemingly on his way out of Chelsea, I wouldn't at all be surprised to see them try and bring him in.
In a startling turn of events (I think at least) Real Madrid have showed they might actually be human by giving up their pursuit to sign striker David Villa. Real Madrid claim that they no longer need Villa for goals since their summer signings so far exceed the necessary requirements (no really...). But I find this as surprising...if they can afford him, why not try and sign him? Valencia needs the cash, and Villa would instantly become Madrid's best striker (over van Nistelrooy, Robben, Raul, Huntelaar...and yes, Benzema).
Will Chelsea or Manchester City now try and buy Villa? City certainly don't need another striker, but Chelsea have yet to make any noise in the transfer market yet. With Pato most likely not joining Ancelotti at Stamford Bridge and Drogba always seemingly on his way out of Chelsea, I wouldn't at all be surprised to see them try and bring him in.
How well do you know your Soccer Trivia?
My recent obsession with sporcle.com has finally paid off. Today, a new quiz was added which tests your knowledge on the most expensive transfers in soccer history. Granted, this test is accurate as of today, and if Manchester City and Real Madrid continue to get their way, then this list will obsolete pretty quickly.
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