Soccer FanHouse

Portugal Plans to Calls In Injured Ronaldo for UEFA Playoffs

Michael Cardillo — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 12:25:00 EST

Filed under: European Soccer, FIFA World Cup, International

Carlos Queiroz has always been an interesting character. Heck, anyone that coached the New York/New Jersey Metrostars and lived to tell about it deserves a special place in the history of world soccer.

Saturday, the now coach of the Portugal national team, made a move that will certainly make headlines one way or the other as he plans to call in injured superstar Cristiano Ronaldo for the upcoming two-leg UEFA World Cup playoffs against Bosnia-Herzegovina. (Portugal will announce its full lineup on Sunday.)

Normally calling in a talent like Ronaldo is a no-brainer. At worst he's a top three talent in the world.

Yet, Ronaldo isn't fit. He's missed seven-straight league matches for Real Madrid due to an injured ankle, which he aggravated on national team duty on Oct. 10 against Hungary.

Real Madrid, which paid a king's ransom for the Ronaldo over the summer to pry him away from Manchester United certainly can't be too pleased with Queiroz's decision, especially with Los Merengues clinging tenuously to second-place in the Champions League Group C standings with two matches left to play in the group stage. (You wonder, if Queiroz didn't mind tweaking the Spanish giants since he was fired as the club's head coach after 10-months at the helm in 2004.)

Obviously this once again raises the issue of club vs. country and which entity has the authority to decide whether or not a player can in fact play on international duty.

Another question it raises is Queiroz right to gamble with Ronaldo, for both the short and long term?

Is it worth using a roster space on a player who might not be able to play? Suppose Portugal falls behind to Bosnia on the first leg in Lisbon on Nov. 14? What if they need to bring on Ronaldo, for say, 15 minutes. Is it worth risking him re-injuring the ankle and forcing him completely out for the second-leg on Nov. 18?

Queiroz clearly thinks the gamble of even a half-strength Ronaldo is more useful than a fully fit player. He still has some time to finalize his roster and determine if Ronaldo will be able to play.

Either way, Queiroz is setting himself up for a classic second-guess, especially if Portugal falls short of qualifying for South Africa.

Portugal Plans to Calls In Injured Ronaldo for UEFA Playoffs originally appeared on Soccer FanHouse on Sat, 07 Nov 2009 12:25:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

American Midfielder Maurice Edu Claims Racial Abuse After Loss

Michael Cardillo — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:25:00 EST

Filed under: European Soccer, U.S. Men's National Team

A rough couple of months for American midfielder Maurice Edu might have hit a new low on Tuesday night. While going to his car after Rangers' stunning 4-1 home loss to Romanian minnows Unirea Urziceni in Champions League group play, Edu said via his Twitter page that he was racially abused by his own home fans.

Edu posted this late Tuesday:

"Not sure what hurt more: result last nite or being racially abused by couple of r own fans as I'm getting in my car...smh...off to rehab."

Sadly, this isn't the first claim of this type of nature from an American playing in Europe, as last spring Oguchi Onyewu filed a lawsuit against another player in the Belgian League whom he claimed had slurred him during a match.

For Edu, this situation is truly insult to injury. The promising midfielder and 2007 MLS Rookie of the Year has been sidelined since June after knee surgery, forcing him to miss both the Scottish Cup final and the Confederations Cup.

Tuesday night's loss by Rangers put them in last place in Champions League Group G with only one point after three matches. However upset fans might be, taking it out on a player for his ethnicity, especially a player that didn't even feature in the match, is absolutely unjustifiable.

The club itself has come down hard on the allegations made by Edu, labeling the fans in question as "moronic" and would work toward identifying the alleged abusers and taking appropriate measures thereafter.

American Midfielder Maurice Edu Claims Racial Abuse After Loss originally appeared on Soccer FanHouse on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:25:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Slovakia, Switzerland Punch Tickets to 2010 World Cup

Michael Cardillo — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:50:00 EST

Filed under: European Soccer, FIFA World Cup, International

It's hard to imagine a scenario where the date Oct. 14, 2009 doesn't become the stuff of lore in the European country of Slovakia as it turned out to be the day the nation booked its place in its first FIFA World Cup finals.

And the Slovaks achieved history in perhaps the most adverse conditions possible in a soccer match, downing Poland 1-0 at the Silesian Stadium during a driving snowstorm that would seem more at home for an NFL playoff match than a World Cup qualifier.

Slovakia made an own-goal by in the fourth minute from Seweryn Gancarczyk stand up for the rest of the match. When the final blew, the Slovakian players rushed toward the crowd to celebrate with the handful of fellow countrymen who braved the weather to witness history.

The run by Slovakia under coach Vladimir Weiss is rather remarkable, as they edged out both the Czech Republic (which the nation split apart with in the 1993) and Poland, which had qualified for both the 2006 World Cup and 2008 Euro. In fact neither of those countries will be in South Africa, as Slovenia finished second to enter the UEFA Playoffs.

But back to Slovakia. For English-speaking fans, perhaps the only known entity on the Repre roster is Liverpool central defender Martin Skrtel.

No matter, the Slovaks went through qualifying with a 7-2-1 mark and join Serbia as European countries that will make their Finals debut as independent nations next June.

Elsewhere across the continent, Switzerland qualified by winning Group 2 thanks to a 0-0 draw with Israel, knocking Greece into the second-place playoffs.

Rounding out the second-place playoffs will be: Russia, Ukraine, Bosnia and Herzogovina, Portugal, the Republic of Ireland and France, along with the aforementioned Slovenia and Greece.

The draw for the playoffs will take place on Ict. 19 in Zurich and will be played on Nov. 14 and 18. The draw will use the FIFA rankings released on Friday to seed the teams, so it's likely that Russia, France, Greece and Portugal will be seperated, as they have the current highest rankings by a fair amount.

Notable countries that will now start looking toward qualification for Euro 2010, include: Croatia, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Turkey and Norway, which was the lowest rated second-place finisher and eliminated from playoff contention.

In other noteworthy matches from the final day of qualification included, England defeating Belarus thanks to a brace from Peter Crouch, Italy ralling from down two goals to beat Cyprus 3-2 on a hat trick by Alberto Gilardino in the final 14 minutes and Spain finishing qualification with a perfect 10 wins after a winning at Bosnia 5-2.

Overall, aside from the mild surprise of Slovakia getting through automatically, UEFA qualification went pretty much by the book, though the exclusion of Croatia is a bit surprising. The playoffs could yield the bigger shocks, especially if France or Portugal stumble.

Slovakia, Switzerland Punch Tickets to 2010 World Cup originally appeared on Soccer FanHouse on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:50:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Italy, Denmark, Germany, Serbia Qualify For 2010 World Cup

Michael Cardillo — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 17:36:00 EST

Filed under: European Soccer, FIFA World Cup, International

The puzzle pieces for the 2010 FIFA World Cup became a lot clearer on Saturday on the penultimate day of UEFA qualification. Longtime stalwarts Germany and Italy both punched their tickets, while Denmark and Serbia also booked passage to South Africa next June.

Germany was the first European country to qualify on Saturday, defeating Russia 1-0 in what was essentially a first-place Group 4 playoff game in Moscow. The Germans held on with 10-men after a first-half goal from Miroslav Klose. Meanwhile, Guus Hiddink's Russia must now await its fate in the second-place playoffs. For the Germans, it's the country's 15th-straight World Cup finals berth and 17th overall placing it second to Brazil. (These streaks include time as West Germany.)

A little later in Copenhagen, Denmark kept up its unbeaten run in Group 1, defeating rival Sweden 1-0 on a late goal from Jakob Poulsen. It was a sweet victory for the jubilant Danes, which were ousted from qualifying from Euro 2008 by the Swedes.

Sweden now must await its fate on the final matchday, as it drops behind Portugal by one point for second place, which defeated Hungary Saturday. Sweden will host Albania, while Portugal welcomes Malta. As a result, it means either Zlatan Ibrahimovic or Cristiano Ronaldo will miss out on the world stage next June in South Africa.

Later from Croke Park in Dublin, Marcello Lippi's Italy will travel to South Africa, looking to defend its 2006 crown. The Azzurri got through at the expense of the Republic of Ireland, who's fate is now left to the second-place playoffs. Tied 1-1 late in the match, Ireland looked like it would keep its chances of automatic qualification alive when Sean St. Ledger got on the receiving end of Stephen Hunt's 87th minute free kick. The Irish, however, couldn't hang on as Vincenzo Iaquinta found Alberto Gilardino at the top of the box, as he beat Shay Given to make it 2-2.

Serbia took care of business, romping 5-0 over Romania to qualify for its first World Cup independent from Montenegro. The Serbs victory means France, a 5-0 winner over the Faroe Islands, throws its fate into the UEFA second-place playoffs.

Elsewhere, England suffered its first qualifying loss under Fabio Capello, falling 1-0 at Ukraine on a goal from Serhiy Nazarenko. Ukraine now gets the inside edge on Croatia for the second-place spot by one point. Ukraine is at Andorra on Wednesday, while Croatia travels to Kazakhstan.

The only two UEFA Groups that haven't been claimed are 2 and 3. Switzerland leads Group 2 and gets through with a win or draw vs. Israel, which itself is still alive for the second place spot with Greece and Latvia. In Group 3, Slovakia has already clinched at least a playoff spot and will fend off a challenge from Slovenia, which places point-less San Marino on Wednesday. Slovakia owns a two-point lead, with an equal goal differential with Slovenia and plays Poland Wednesday. The Czech Repblic and Northern Ireland are still alive, but are likely long shots for second-place.

Around the globe, Cote D'Ivoire booked its place in its second-consecutive World Cup, winning CAF Group E.

The playoff between Oceanicia winners New Zealand and fifth-place Asian team Bahrain played out to a 0-0 draw. The return leg will be played in New Zealand on Nov. 14.

CONMEBOL and CONCACAF qualifiers take place later on Saturday night.

Italy, Denmark, Germany, Serbia Qualify For 2010 World Cup originally appeared on Soccer FanHouse on Sat, 10 Oct 2009 17:36:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Manchester United Wins 7-Goal Thriller Over Manchester City

Michael Cardillo — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 11:30:00 EST

Filed under: European Soccer, English Premier League

There are times when the marketing aces at the Barclay's Premier League home office must get a little tired of constantly telling anyone who will listen that the league is the greatest in the world. Surely partisans in Barcelona and Madrid would argue otherwise.

However smug these assertions might come off, the Premier League did get another amazing game to add to its resume and worldwide popularity in the form of Manchester United's last-minute 4-3 derby victory over Manchester City at Old Trafford. As far as a 90-minute soccer game goes, it's hard to ask for more than anything than this match because it had pretty much everything.

More EPL Coverage: FanHouse UK

Early goals? Late goals? Players making returns to their former club? Controversy?

This match had it all in spades, all wrapped inside the cauldron of a century old-rivalry that's only gotten more intense since Manchester City's takeover and mega-cash infusion.

Perhaps those watching could have expected a wild match when Wayne Rooney powered in from close range inside of two minutes to give United a 1-0 advantage.

The lead didn't last long, when ex-United striker Carlos Tevez made keeper Ben Foster look silly in the 16th minute. Foster attempted to come out to clear a ball, then decided against it, went to ground, tried to pluck it off Tevez's foot, before the Argentine squared it across to Gareth Barry, who ripped a low shot into the open net.

After the restart the unlikely form of Darren Fletcher scored his first of two goals on the day to make it 2-1 in favor of the Red Devils in the 49th. The huge crowd at Old Trafford barely had time to serenade the visiting fans before Craig Bellamy converted from outside the box on a pass from Tevez making it 2-2.

United appeared to have a winner in the 80th minute on a close-range header from Fletcher.

Yet instead of a ho-hum final 10 minutes (plus stoppage time, mind you) the remainder of the game will likely be talked about in debate between fans for years to come.

On the verge of injury time, City intercepted a lazy clearance from Rio Ferdinand and were able to spring Bellamy as the Welshman proceeded to blow past the England international and squeeze a shot by Foster at the near post.

Conventional wisdom would figure that the match was over at 3-3.

Wrong. Originally slated for four minutes of stoppage time, the match ended up having closer to six, to the disdain of a apoplectic City coach Mark Hughes.

Everyone inside Old Trafford must have thought that Wayne Rooney's 94th-ish minute free kick from midfield would have been United's last chance, especially after City cleared it back with ease. Rooney, though, kept the ball in and somehow it squirted over to Ryan Giggs, who threaded a ball into Michael Owen, who beat City keeper Shay Given from close to give United the almost surreal victory.

The major talking point, naturally, will be how much stoppage time the match should have had. Referee Martin Atkinson will surely come under some scrutiny for allowing the match to stretch out so long. In his defense, he did need to take into account the post-Bellamy equalizer celebration by City and then the sneaky extra time substitution of Michael Carrick for Anderson made by Sir Alex Ferguson. Either way, expect Manchester United conspiracy theorists to have a field day with this one.

Lost in the immediate shuffle is that barring the last second stunner, the new-look City did go toe-to-toe with the four-time defending Premier League champions and likely should have walked away Sunday with at least a point. Instead, City suffers its first blemish of the season and United has quietly sneaked up to the top spot in the table pending the result of Chelsea/Tottenham later Sunday.

Finally, if you're a neutral fan, you'll probably be hard pressed to find a more thrilling, exciting match any time soon. And you don't need anyone from Premier League HQ's propaganda division to tell you that, either.

Manchester United Wins 7-Goal Thriller Over Manchester City originally appeared on Soccer FanHouse on Sun, 20 Sep 2009 11:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

England, Spain Punch Ticket to South Africa

Michael Cardillo — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 17:15:00 EST

Filed under: European Soccer, FIFA World Cup, International, Soccer Posts

Wednesday England became the ninth team to qualify for the 2010 World Cup thanks to its comprehensive 5-1 victory over recent nemesis Croatia at Wembley Stadium. Manager Fabio Capello completed the turnaround for the Three Lions in the first cycle after missing out on Euro 2008 as they improved to 8-0-0 in qualifiers.

What made England's victory a double-delight is that midfield stars Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard each scored twice. Former England coaches Steve McClaren and Sven-Goran Eriksson were continually criticized for their failure to find a system where both Premier League standouts could function successful for the country.

Wayne Rooney also scored, keeping him atop the UEFA qualifiers leaderboard with nine goals.

England, which qualifies with two games remaining, still could have a major say in who places second in UEFA Group 6 and moves on to the second-place playoffs. Croatia currently sits second with 17 points, two ahead of Ukraine, which has two more games remaining compared to Croatia's one. Ukraine hosts England on Oct. 10 and then plays at Andorra, while Croatia only plays at Kazakhstan on Oct. 14.

Spain also joined England as UEFA 2010 qualifiers on Wednesday, thanks to a 3-0 win over Estonia.

Meanwhile, Serbia and Denmark each failed to automatically clinch berths. Serbia drew 1-1 to 10-man France at home, but still leads Group 7 by four points. Denmark coughed up a 1-0 halftime lead at Albania, drawing 1-1 so it's lead is down to three points over rival Sweden in Group 1.

Overall in UEFA Group 1 remains the group to keep on eye on, because as it stands either Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal or Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Sweden will miss out on South Africa. Sweden seems the more likely to survive, as it benefited from an 81st minute own-goal to win at Malta 1-0 Wednesday. This comes days after Ibrahimivic's 93rd minute winner at Hungary, which revived Swedish hopes.

Sweden plays at Denmark on Oct. 10 in the group's most important match. As you'll no doubt recall, the two met in Euro 2008 qualifying, when a Danish fan rushing onto the field forcing the match to be abandoned.

Portugal, even with it's 1-0 win away to Hungary Wednesday, still face an uphill climb needing to beat the Magyars at home on Oct. 10 to stay alive and other results to fall in its favor.

Elsewhere across European qualifying Slovakia maintained its lead in Group 3 and appears on track to qualify for its first World Cup since splitting with the Czech Republic. Five teams remain in line for second place with Slovenia, North Ireland, the Czech Republic and Poland all still mathematically alive.

Group 2 remains a four-horse race with Switzerland (17 points), trying to fend off Greece (14), Latvia (14) and Israel (12).

In Group 4 its down to powers Germany (22 points) and Russia (21), with everyone else in the group eliminated. As luck would have it, Russia hosts Germany on Oct. 10, so queue up your World War II references.

Italy is on the verge of qualifying atop Group 8 after beating Bulgaria 2-0 Wednesday. The Republic of Ireland remains on track to finish second and hosts the Azzurri on Oct. 10.

Finally in Group 9, the Netherlands finished a perfect 8-0-0 campaign with a late 1-0 win vs. Scotland, which eliminated the Tartan Army. Norway currently finishes second in the group but needs other results to break in its favor to gain the UEFA second-place playoffs.

The UEFA playoffs will be contested on Nov. 10 and 14.

England, Spain Punch Ticket to South Africa originally appeared on Soccer FanHouse on Wed, 09 Sep 2009 17:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

FIFA Lays the Smackdown on Chelsea

Michael Cardillo — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 12:09:00 EST

Filed under: European Soccer, English Premier League, Soccer Posts

Let's face it, Chelsea isn't exactly the most beloved club soccer team in the world. Whether it's because you loathe how Roman Abramovich ushered in a new era of big-money transfers when he bought the West London club in 2003 or you can't stand the on-field antics of guys like Didier Drogba, the Blues are a team many soccer fans love to hate.

Love them or hate them, from a logical standpoint Thursday's FIFA ruling that Chelsea cannot sign another player until 2011 because the club induced French teenager Gael Kakuta to breach his contract with French club Lens in 2007 at first glance seems extremely harsh.

It almost makes you wonder if it weren't Chelsea, would FIFA have broken out its double-secret probation provision?

Chelsea did break a rule by getting Kakuta to break his contract with Lens. The Blues will pay a fine, but no transfers until January 2011? It does make your eyes pop out.

On the flip side, FIFA sets a strong precedent with its decision by its Dispute Resolution Chamber. A ruling like this seems like it was probably in the works for a while, and not simply piling on English clubs in light of the Eduardo diving ban.

There is clearly a rift between the governing bodies of soccer (FIFA, UEFA, etc.) and the world's mega-clubs like Chelsea, Real Madrid, etc. FIFA, et al, don't want these huge clubs tampering with young players at other clubs, trying to lure them with big money. Simply fining these deep-pocketed clubs probably wouldn't serve as a deterrent, both banning them from transfer certainly might.

In this specific case, Kakuta (who faces a four-month ban himself) had been with Lens since he was eight years old. Chelsea apparently swooped in before he was 16 and aimed to lure him away to London. It would seem reasonable that Lens should be compensated in some form. (FIFA ruled Chelsea should pay Lens $1.1 million.)

Lens president Gervais Martel told the Associated Press:

"It's a logical decision, they stole the lad off us when he was 16. He was at our place since the age of 8½. Unfortunately, 95 times out of 100 it's the English clubs who come and help themselves."

Chances are Chelsea will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and have its transfer ban reduced. Regardless of how the appeal plays out, FIFA has signaled once again that it'll attempt to preserve the integrity of the game in the face of escalating dollars, pounds and euros.

Chelsea fans, of course, won't see it that way, instead feeling their club was unfairly singled out and penalized.

For the time being, Thursday's Kakuta ruling has the chance to become this decade's Bosman ruling.

FIFA Lays the Smackdown on Chelsea originally appeared on Soccer FanHouse on Thu, 03 Sep 2009 12:09:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Horror Tackle Nets Belgian 10-Match Ban

Michael Cardillo — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 14:59:00 EST

Filed under: European Soccer, International

It's not everyday a soccer highlight on YouTube nets an age warning restriction. Standard Liege ace Axel Witsel's tackle on Anderlecht's Marcin Wasilewski this weekend in a Belgian league match certainly warranted such a warning. (Again, you've been warned.)

If your stomach is strong enough to watch the clip, Witsel's ban until Nov. 23 doesn't seem that out of line, especially since Polish international Wasilewski's broken leg will keep him out for up to 12 months and will certainly next June's World Cup. Witsel should miss at least 10 league matches and Standard Liege's upcoming Champions League matches.

After the tackle Witsel has quickly become public enemy No. 1 in Belgium, even receiving death threats. The 20-year-old didn't even bother to appeal the sentence handed down by the Belgian FA, which is somewhat ironic for American fans who are used to seeing pro baseball pitchers appeal suspensions as short of five games for throwing pitches at players.

An unfortunate aspect of all this is that Witsel is the reigning Belgian Golden Shoe winner (best player) and had a promising future. This tackle, which he said was unintentional, figures to haunt him the rest of his career.

It once again goes to show how much sports really are a game of inches.

Horror Tackle Nets Belgian 10-Match Ban originally appeared on Soccer FanHouse on Wed, 02 Sep 2009 14:59:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

US Defender Heath Pearce Signs with Turkish Club

Michael Cardillo — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 11:46:00 EST

Filed under: European Soccer, International, MLS, U.S. Men's National Team

If there's one edict that U.S. National Team coach Bob Bradley has established since taking over the reigns from Bruce Arena at the end of the 2006, it's that if a player wants to be included in the U.S. squad he'd better be playing for his club team.

U.S. semi-regular left back Heath Pearce found this out the hard way when he was left off the 23-man roster for the upcoming crucial qualifiers against El Salvador and Trinidad & Tobago since he was out of contract and without a club to call home.
Pearce, who fell out of favor at German club Hansa Rostock and was released at the end of the Bundesliga season, was heavily linked to a move to MLS with FC Dallas the likely destination.

Wednesday it came out that Pearce won't come to the States, rather he signed on with Turkish club Bursaspor. Talk about coming straight from left field.

As it stands with any U.S. would-be international with intentions of playing in next summer's World Cup (assuming the U.S. qualifies), it all boils down to regular playing time for Pearce. You'd have to figure that Bursaspor made some time of assurances to Pearce, otherwise why would he sign with a club pretty much off the American soccer fan's radar.

Pearce, who's been capped 28 times since 2005, has had ample chances to fully claim and establish ownership of the left back position, a position that's been historically thin for the U.S. (Witness Eddie Lewis attempting a crash course to learn the position ahead of the 2006 World Cup.) That said, Pearce has blown hot and cold over his appearances in the U.S. shirt and clearly isn't locked into a starting role even though he featured regularly at the CONCACAF Gold Cup in July.

In the end Pearce's National Team fortunes for 2010 are probably tied to whether Bradley elects to continue playing Carlos Bocanegra at left back with Oguchi Onyewu and Jay DeMerit paired in the center of the defense. It doesn't exactly bode all too well for Pearce that he was omitted from the most recent U.S. roster when Onyewu is suspended for Saturday's must-win match against El Salvador in Sandy, Utah.

Still, Pearce has time to establish himself in Turkey and convince Bradley he's the best left back the U.S. has at its disposal. He just better make sure the Turkish word for "bench warmer" isn't part of his vocabulary.

US Defender Heath Pearce Signs with Turkish Club originally appeared on Soccer FanHouse on Wed, 02 Sep 2009 11:46:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

UEFA Bans Arsenal Cheat Eduardo

Brian Straus — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 14:30:00 EST

Filed under: European Soccer, English Premier League

Much of what we all detest about modern soccer exists because the authorities who control the game do nothing. Clubs whose fans sing racist songs are slapped on the wrist, cheaters who dupe the referee escape without penalty (and are celebrated in some cultures), the same wealthy teams repeatedly run roughshod over the opposition and Major League Soccer continues to allow every club to play in all-white uniforms.

Now, Michel Platini is riding to the rescue. When it's all said and done, the French legend and UEFA president may be known as much for what he's accomplished as an administrator as for what he did in central midfield. He has spoken out against the oligarchy in European club football and opened the Champions League to a wider variety of teams. Then on Tuesday, his organization handed down a brave and perhaps historic decision -- banning Arsenal's Eduardo for last week's embarrassing diving spectacle against Celtic.

The Brazilian-Croatian, who had the world's sympathy 18 months ago following his nasty leg-break against Birmingham City, will miss Arsenal's Champions League games against Standard Liege (Sept. 16) and Olympiakos (Sept. 29) unless the London club is successful on appeal.

UEFA has had the jurisdiction to punish diving and "simulation" for some time. Article 10, paragraph 1c of its disciplinary regulations states that "players may be suspended...for acting with the obvious intent to cause any match official to make an incorrect decision or supporting his error of judgment and thereby causing him to make an incorrect decision."

Of course, this isn't enforced. The pressure brought to bear by the affected clubs, the Pandora's Box of using post-game video analysis to usurp a referee's on-field authority, the obvious impossibility of reviewing and punishing every cheat out there, the risk of setting precedent, as well as simple musty tradition, have been enough to stay UEFA's hand until now.

But none of that is a valid excuse to avoid doing the right thing, and the European body finally has realized it. This sort of cheating will continue indefinitely unless men in suits with the power to make a difference do something about it, and the issue was becoming critical. The increasing popularity and visibility of the sport around the world enhances the importance of all its major competitions and raises the likelihood that a player resorting to such cowardly behavior will have an impact on a critical result. The stakes are too high, and soccer's governors' were faced with a credibility issue. Not to mention that in the U.S., diving and theatrics such as Eduardo's are routinely (and validly) cited as a reason the sport remains outside the mainstream.

Now, cheaters and those who have no regard for fair and honest competition will have to think twice before flopping to the ground hoping to win a call. The notion that these gifted athletes might prefer to win by demonstrating superior skill is naive. Eduardo's action represents much of what is wrong with modern soccer, and UEFA was 100% correct to punish him.

Unfortunately, Eduardo's club has demonstrated as much cowardice in the incident's aftermath as the player did when challenged by Celtic goalkeeper Artur Boruc. Initially, manager Arsene Wenger called UEFA's investigation of his player "a witch hunt" and lacking in "objective judgment." With a straight face, he claimed Eduardo was "getting out of the way of the goalkeeper" and not doing a backflip into the deep end. Baghdad Bob was more believable.

In response to UEFA's decision on Thursday, Arsenal said it was "deeply frustrated by the perfunctory and apparently arbitrary process that UEFA has followed in this instance" and that the ban lacked "clear and comprehensive standards that will be consistently enforced."

For the good of the sport, without which Arsenal wouldn't be making its millions, here's what the London club should have said: "We accept UEFA's decision in the spirit of honesty and fair play, and will make it clear to Eduardo and the rest of our players that they should attempt to win matches through skill and teamwork rather than dishonesty and simulation."

Either way, the tide had started to turn. The cheaters' days are numbered, and it would be a significant step for the game in this country if Major League Soccer joined UEFA and made a commitment to sanction diving and other such nonsense through the use of post-game video.

UEFA Bans Arsenal Cheat Eduardo originally appeared on Soccer FanHouse on Tue, 01 Sep 2009 14:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Zlatan Ibrahimovic on Target in La Liga Debut

Michael Cardillo — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 18:12:00 EST

Filed under: European Soccer, Soccer Posts, La Liga (Spain)

ESPN's commitment to airing European soccer matches continued Monday afternoon when instead of the block of "Around the Horn" and "Pardon the Interruption" it was reigning La Liga champion Barcelona hosting Sporting Gijon in their 2009-10 league debuts.

Viewers were able to watch as Barcelona dominated over the 90 minutes at Camp Nou winning 3-0 with big-money summer transfer Zlatan Ibrahimovic scoring on a header in the 83rd minute.

Ibrahimovic's goal matched the output of Barcelona's eternal rival's big summer transfer, as Cristiano Ronaldo tallied from the penalty spot in Real Madrid's 3-2 win over Deportivo La Coruna on Sunday.

Barcelona, which lost its first league match last season before rolling to the title, managed to dominate without its three big scorers from last season absent from the Nou Camp field. Thierry Henry and Lionel Messi were each held out of the lineup, with Messi already on his way back for Argentina's crucial upcoming World Cup qualifiers and Henry rested after Barcelona's 1-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk in Friday's UEFA Super Cup. (The third, Samuel Eto'o, is now plying his trade at Inter Milan as part of the Ibrahimovic deal.)

No matter, rising star Bojan Krkic flashed the skills that had both Spain and Serbia in a bidding war for his national team services. Krkic scored the opener in the 18th minute and dazzled throughout, before limping off with an apparent injury in the 80th minute.

During the ESPN telecast commentator Adrian Healey posed a question to analyst Robbie Mustoe if with its influx of stars from England's Premier League and Italy's Serie A if La Liga had become the preeminent league in the world. Mustoe, wisely, deferred to pass judgment until the later stages of the Champions League come to pass.

Whatever your thoughts, it's certainly a storyline that will continue as ESPN continues airing matches from the Premier League and La Liga in build up to the 2010 World Cup in June.

It's too bad it's highly unlikely that debate between the Premier League and La Liga will ever spill over to any of ESPN's endless string of debate shows.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic on Target in La Liga Debut originally appeared on Soccer FanHouse on Mon, 31 Aug 2009 18:12:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Freddy Adu Loaned to Belenenses

Michael Cardillo — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 14:24:00 EST

Filed under: European Soccer, U.S. Men's National Team

For what seems like the entire summer, Freddy Adu's Twitter account has been buzzing with transfer speculation. The one-time U.S. wunderkind had fallen out of favor at Portuguese super club Benfica and Adu openly pined for a move to Dutch team Eredivisie in July after he returned to Portugal to train after two games with the U.S. National Team during the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Anyway, score one for traditional journalists as the Washington Post's Steven Goff beat Adu to the punch, announcing his loan to Belenenses about 45 minutes before the 20-year-old American midfielder could break the news to his followers.

As the frustration of his move away from Benfica began to set in, including a failed move to Odense of the Danish league, Adu's tweets became fewer and farther between. It seems, though, that the final move away from the Lisbon giants was a relief. For whatever the reasons, Adu and Benfica never found a common ground.

"Im excited about this new opportunity.Had to come down to the last day of the transfer window but it got done and i thank God."

This will be Adu's second loan away from Benfica after spending time at AS Monaco during the 2008-09. The move to Ligue 1 didn't exactly help the former D.C. United teenager advance his game, as he only was featured nine times.

How exactly the move to Belenenses pans out for Adu is anyone's guess, though it's a fairly simple equation.

It all boils down to playing time. Although he's still young another wasted year of sporadic first team action will further stunt his growth and curb the potential that had all of U.S. soccer buzzing when he made his MLS debut in 2004. It's nothing short of remarkable that since moving to Benfica in 2007, Adu has only made 20 first-team appearances. (Perhaps the 5-foot-8 Adu is a victim of the changing times, as soccer players across the board are getting bigger and stronger and the diminutive superstars like Lionel Messi are a dying breed.)

Being loaned to Belenenses -- currently seventh in the Portuguese Liga -- might actually benefit Adu since he's at least somewhat familiar with the league.

Of course it cannot be stressed enough, if he sits the bench and or struggles for playing time under Belenenses coach Joao Carlos Pereira, then Adu can kiss his fleeting chances of playing in the 2010 World Cup goodbye. As it stands, he has nine months to impress U.S. coach Bob Bradley and convince him that he's worthy of inclusion on the 23-man roster bound for South Africa, assuming the U.S. qualifies.

In the near term, Adu will get a chance to show Benfica what it's missing when the clubs meet next weekend.

Freddy Adu Loaned to Belenenses originally appeared on Soccer FanHouse on Mon, 31 Aug 2009 14:24:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Patrick Vieira Hints at MLS Move

Michael Cardillo — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 09:58:00 EST

Filed under: European Soccer, MLS, Soccer Posts

If I had a nickel for every time I read a rumor about an aging soccer star linked with a move to MLS, well, I might be able to buy something tasty off the McDonalds Dollar Menu.

Saturday the latest of these rumors shifted toward Inter Milan midfielder Patrick Vieira who revealed to Orange Sport that this would be his final season playing in Europe. On top of that, the 34-year-old said he'd consider a move to the United States citing the influence of former France teammates Youri Djorkaeff.

Hopefully Djorkaeff, who played 45 games for the New York Red Bulls from 2005-06, didn't tell Vieira that MLS rules allow you make up a phony excuse about a family emergency while you leave the team to attend the World Cup as a spectator which the Frenchman did in 2006.

Vieira making the open statement that he'd like to play in MLS, however, probably won't have clubs from the league lining up to capture his signature. It's not like clubs exactly want to chew up a good chunk of their salary cap or a designated-player spot on a 34-year-old defensive midfielders closing in on 600 games played.

Vieira's not exactly a Pavel Nedved or Luis Figo (both extensively linked to MLS in recent years before retiring), who could have still been a dynamic offensive players in the league while serving as box office draws. Viera, meanwhile, plays an unglamorous position on the field and would only really resonate with hardcore soccer aficionados.

At his peak Vieira was a key cog when Arsenal became the "Invincibles" earlier this decade. And yes, Vieira's former Arsenal teammate Freddie Ljungberg has acclimated himself quite well with the Seattle Sounders this season, but they're different type of players at different stages of their respective careers.

On the plus side, if Vieira is actually serious about moving to MLS to wind down his illustrious career, he'd bring a wealth of experience and professionalism to any locker room.

There's also another reason a club might be wise to take a flier on Vieira, as it could possibly help grease the wheels of another ex-Arsenal Frenchman who's also hinted at finishing his career in the States -- Thierry Henry.

Patrick Vieira Hints at MLS Move originally appeared on Soccer FanHouse on Sat, 29 Aug 2009 09:58:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Real Madrid Avoids English Clubs in Champions League Draw

Michael Cardillo — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 13:20:00 EST

Filed under: European Soccer, Soccer Posts, UEFA Champions League

Let's face it, the European method of pulling names out from the proverbial hat to determine the pairings for its knockout competitions is, well, a foreign concept. About the only Stateside comparison is the selection committee drawing up the NCAA Tournament brackets every March.

To whit, Thursday in Monaco, UEFA staged its annual gala to determine the groups for the 2009-10 Champions League replete with glitz, glamor and the former Miss Switzerland pulling balls out of pots. Certainly a far cry from a group of middle-aged men sitting together in a hotel room discussing RPI.

Ahead of the draw probably the biggest storyline was if the reborn Real Madrid Galacticos featuring Cristiano Ronaldo would end up paired against any of the four English teams in the tournament, most notably Manchester United. However that potential drama ended quickly when the free-spending Madridistas were put into a group with venerable Italian giants AC Milan.

Instead, the big return matches will feature Samuel Eto'o and Zlatan Ibrahimovic who swapped from defending tournament champion Barcelona and Inter Milan this summer, playing against their former clubs in Group B.

The rest of the proceedings were fairly typical, assuming you have a degree in advanced mathematics to comprehend the UEFA coefficient system.

Group A: Bayern Munich, Juventus, Bordeaux , Maccabi Haifa

Group B: Manchester United, CSKA Moscow, Besiktas, Wolfsburg

Group C: AC Milan, Real Madrid, Marseille, FC Zurich

Group D: Chelsea, Porto, Atletico Madrid, Apoel FC

Group E: Liverpool, Lyon, Fiorentina, Debreceni

Group F: Barcelona, Internazionale, Dynamo Kiev, FC Rubin Kazan

Group G: Sevilla, Rangers, VfB Stuttgart, Unirea Uriziceni

Group H: Arsenal, AZ Alkmaar, Olympiakos, Standard Liege

On name reputation alone, Group A should be a doozy with Bayern, Juventus and Ligue I champion Bordeaux.

Manchester United seems to have a trickier draw than usual, with long trips to Moscow -- the sight of its 2008 Champions League win -- and Turkey, plus Bundesliga champions Wolfsburg, which is making its competition debut.

In Group C you'd figure Milan and Real Madrid get through, although Marseille has shown some spark lately in the competition.

Chelsea and Porto meeting again loses some of its luster now that Jose Mourinho is coaching Inter. Atletico Madrid is looming and perhaps the best third-seeded team with a chance to move to the knockout stages.

Liverpool, too, finds itself it a relatively tough grouping with Lyon and Fiorentina dangerous opposition.

In Group F, Barcelona and Inter should advance, though the prospect of trips to the Ukraine and Russia are never easy.

Group G probably has the least juice of any of the groups, with Sevilla not quite what it once was under Juande Ramos. Still, the two-time UEFA Cup Champions should get through. Who will join them is probably a toss-up between Rangers and Stuttgart.

Finally, Arsenal landed itself a very manageable draw with a tour through the Low Countries with Dutch Champs AZ and Belgium champs Standard Liege wrapped around a trip to Greece with Olympiakos.

For Americans one thing to watch for is that for a change a U.S. player will be in the tournament with Oguchi Onyewu suiting up for Milan. How much center back plays is another story. Rangers also features American midfielders DaMarcus Beasley and Maurice Edu.

The first Group Stage matches begin September 15.

Real Madrid Avoids English Clubs in Champions League Draw originally appeared on Soccer FanHouse on Thu, 27 Aug 2009 13:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

US Youngsters Renken, Gyau Sign with Hoffenheim

Michael Cardillo — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 18:25:00 EST

Filed under: European Soccer, US Soccer, U.S. Men's National Team

American players moving to Europe to enhance their soccer careers is nothing new. However the news reported Tuesday by ESPN's Justin Rodriguez that U.S. U-17 stars Joseph-Claude Gyau and Charles Renken (seen in the video above) signed with Bundesliga club TSG Hoffenheim 1899 raises an eyebrow since they are only 15 and 16 respectively.

The duo, who'd been training at the U.S. residency program in Bradenton, Fla., will split their time between Hoffenheim and the Vancouver Whitecaps residency program.

What makes this move interesting is that while American players have gone to Europe, they haven't gone at this early a developmental stage.And the fact that it's Germany and American teenagers also conjures images of Landon Donovan's ill-fated time at Bayer Leverkausen.

The difference here, is that Gyau and Renken will enter the club's youth program and will slowly be reared in the finer points of the European game. It's also right around a decade after Donovan's move after a standout showing a the 1999 U-17 World Cup and as we all know, the U.S. soccer program has experienced a sea change between then and now.

As for Hoffenheim, the club was a surprise last year in the Bundesliga due to its rapid approach through the German league pyramid thanks to the investments of Dietmar Hopp in the 1990s. The club placed seventh in its debut in the Bundesliga, but doesn't appear to be taking the Real Madrid approach to building its team, instead investing instead of highly touted youth players like Gyau and Renken who'd been recruited by club's across Europe.

This sort of long term planning helps ensure the club will be able to maintain its status and dispel the notion it was a flash in the pan. It's also a mutually beneficial plan for the club and the U.S. youngsters. Hoffenheim should allow the duo plenty of time to grow and acclimate to Europe. In turn, if they develop they can help the club for a couple seasons and then be sold off to bigger clubs for profit down the line.

Something to watch for down the road is if the pair's move to Europe at such an early age -- at least by American soccer standards -- pays off. Across the globe players leaving at such a young age is nothing new, but is still met with some level of skepticism in the states when the players in question would only be high school sophomores.

Then again, the track record of players coming out of the IMG program in Bradenton, Fla., is mixed so Tuesday's news should be met with optimism and a healthy does of curiosity, too.

US Youngsters Renken, Gyau Sign with Hoffenheim originally appeared on Soccer FanHouse on Tue, 25 Aug 2009 18:25:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Jozy Altidore Debuts for Hull City

Michael Cardillo — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 12:42:00 EST

Filed under: European Soccer, English Premier League, Soccer Posts, U.S. Men's National Team

American fans of the Premier League were in for a treat Saturday morning, with up to four matches all airing live at 10 a.m. Unfortunately, the mouth-watering Hull City v. Bolton was not one of those matches.

Well, despite the sarcasm, the match turned out to be worthwhile for U.S. fans and it's too bad the match wasn't live, despite the less than marquee teams involved.

The reason for this? American international Jozy Altidore made his long awaited debut for Hull as a second-half substitute in the Tigers 1-0 win. The fact Atlidore saw the field is a bit of a surprise since he only returned to England after last week's U.S./Mexico World Cup qualifier on Thursday due to some red tape approving his work permit for his season-long loan from Villareal.

Altidore, who entered the match at the KC Stadium in the 60th minute for Caleb Folan, made an instant impact following a warm reception from the home fans. He proved manager Phil Brown's words that Altidore was "champing at the bit" to be correct.

Within 30 seconds of coming on, Altidore's first touch was an outrageously acrobatic overhead through ball over the top which helped set up Kamel Ghilas's eventual game-winner.

Altidore also had a couple good chances to get on the scoresheet in the final 20 minutes of the match. First Altidore streaked up the left side and latched onto a long diagonal pass form Geovanni. He chipped the keeper, but it rolled just wide of the right post. Later a shot was stopped by Bolton keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen.

All-and-all, a none too shabby debut for the 19-year-old New Jersey native. It's only one game, but it looks like Hull is ready to make Altidore a part of its season plans, something that didn't happen last year for him at Villareal. It's reasonable Villareal -- a team that had Champions League expectations -- wouldn't want to risk playing an unproven player to Europe. On the other hand, despite today's win, Hull figures to be fighting against relegation all season and a player of Altidore's upside who didn't cost a fortune is a potential difference maker.

There is some good news, even if Altidore's debut wasn't televised live in the states, the match will be replayed Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. on Fox Sports En Espanol and at 5 p.m. on Fox Soccer Channel. The nice thing is, you know you don't need to tune in until the 60th minute.

Jozy Altidore Debuts for Hull City originally appeared on Soccer FanHouse on Sat, 22 Aug 2009 12:42:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Fulham Extends Clint Dempsey's Contract

Michael Cardillo — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 14:24:00 EST

Filed under: European Soccer, English Premier League, US Soccer, U.S. Men's National Team

It's not going to make up for Wednesday's crushing 2-1 loss in Mexico City, but American midfielder Clint Dempsey got a spot of good news Thursday when Fulham extended his contract with the English club until the end of the 2012-13 season.

The contract extension might be considered a late reward for the 26-year-old Texas native, who's goal against Liverpool late in the 2006-07 Premier League season helped keep Fulham in the top flight as his contract was set to expire at the end of this year.

Dempsey, who moved to Craven Cottage from the New England Revolution in 2007 for $4 million, has steadily improved each season in England. Last year, as Fulham finished its best-ever seventh in the league, Dempsey co-lead the team with seven league goals.

He's seemed to thrive under Fulham boss Roy Hodgson, as Dempsey's turned from a fancy dribbler with an eye for goal into a more complete, well-rounded two-way midfielder. For whatever reason, this hasn't exactly translated into his form with the U.S. national team, where he remains more of a threat when moved into a forward role closer to goal.

More importantly, Dempsey's been one of the few American field players able to establish himself as a key contributor in the Premier League. For the upcoming 2009-10 season that begins this weekend, Demspey is probably the only American non-keeper with the possible exception of Jonathon Spector at West Ham who should see action. Jozy Altidore is still acclimating himself to Hull City and young defender Eric Lichaj trying to establish himself with the Aston Villa first team.

Dempsey, it's rumored, it's making some nice coin, too, somewhere in the range of $60,000 per week.

Fulham Extends Clint Dempsey's Contract originally appeared on Soccer FanHouse on Thu, 13 Aug 2009 14:24:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Chelsea Downs Manchester United in Penalties to Win Community Shield

Michael Cardillo — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 12:36:00 EST

Filed under: European Soccer, English Premier League, Soccer Posts

It's probably not going to make up for losing the 2008 Champions League final in rainy Moscow, but Chelsea got a modicum of revenge against Manchester United Sunday by defeating the reigning Premier League champions 4-1 in a penalty shootout after a thrilling 2-2 draw after 90 high-octane minutes at London's Wembley Stadium.

The traditional curtain-raiser for the English season featured a little bit of everything, with the two world powers trading blows and giving each other everything they could handle. The game probably had a little more juice than other Community Shield matches due to the longstanding rivalry between the clubs.

The win gives Chelsea's new Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti his first trophy with the Blues less than three months after taking over at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea appeared on track to win the match in regulation, rallying from a 1-0 halftime deficit behind goals from longtime standbys Ricardo Carvalho and Frank Lampard.

Yet Manchester United forced penalties through Wayne Rooney's stoppage time goal on a nice pass from substitute Ryan Giggs that allowed him to get behind the Chelsea defense.

Any momentum from the last second goal was doused quickly for United. Chelsea cooly and causally went 4-for-4 from the spot, while Petr Cech stopped weak shots from Ryan Giggs and Patrice Evra.

The match, as if written to script, featured its share of controversial moments, too. The Cheslea go-ahead goal came after Michael Ballack collided with Evra outside the Chelsea box. The Blues broke quickly, with 3-on-2 scenario and Didier Drogba centering to Frank Lampard, who ripped a shot off the hands of United keeper Ben Foster. The United players protested, but to no avail.

Despite the loss of all-world attacker Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid, there were signs of encouragement for Manchester United. Nani, who's so far underwhelmed at Old Trafford, scored the game's first goal on a nice juke and long range shot from outside the penalty area, although the Portuguese winger left the game in the second half with an apparent shoulder injury.

United did look sharp offensively in the first half, but probably need to figure on a way to hold down the fort until defender Nemanja Vidic and No. 1 keeper Edwin van der Sar return from injuries. Rooney will need to keep supplying goals, too, as Michael Owen acclimates himself to the squad. And with Sir Alex Ferguson still pulling the strings, United obviously cannot be counted out, though winning a fourth-straight Premier League title does seem unlikely from a purely odds perspective.

More than anything, Sunday was a clear signal of intent from Chelsea. If the Blues weren't already the favorites to win the 2009-10 Premier League, they took a major step in that direction even if the victory came from penalties.

Chelsea was probably the best team last season, but let the coaching turmoil from Phil Scolari boil over and derail the season. So long as things remain harmonious with Ancelotti, Chelsea has a deep, talented squad that should thrive in both the league and more importantly the UEFA Champions League.

It'd almost be a fluke if the Community Shields ends up being the last piece of silverware hoisted by the Stamford Bridge outfit this season.

Chelsea Downs Manchester United in Penalties to Win Community Shield originally appeared on Soccer FanHouse on Sun, 09 Aug 2009 12:36:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Columbus Crew Owner Interested in West Ham United?

Michael Cardillo — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 14:52:00 EST

Filed under: European Soccer, MLS, English Premier League, US Soccer

Word of warning before proceeding, take anything reported by The Sun with a grain of salt. That said, the always reputable rag reported that American Clark Hunt is in the mix to possibly buy West Ham United.

Hunt, the son of the late Lamar Hunt who was one of the main architects of MLS, currently owns the Columbus Crew and FC Dallas. Should this rumor actually come to fruition, Hunt would join Stan Kroenke in owning an MLS team (Colorado Rapids) and a Premier League team (Arsenal, which he owns 28 percent).

To say West Ham finances are in shambles is an understatement. The short story is the club was purchased by Icelandic investors in 2006. Things were running smoothly until the world economy crashed, with the banking system of Iceland practically crippled.
So yeah, the current ownership group -- CB Holdings -- would likely sell at the first good offer.

Is that good offer going to come from Hunt? Unlike some of the other American investors in the Premier League cash cow -- the Glazers and Tom Hicks/George Gillett come immediately to mind -- Hunt does actually have a background and appreciation for soccer. However a the jump from the essentially socialist structure of MLS to the free market madness of the Premier League might be a shock to the system. I'd guess West Ham supporters would be thrilled to gain some stability from the ownership box, yet it's not as if Hunt has the money to throw around like a Middle Eastern oil tycoon.

I'd be nice to ask Hunt if he was influenced to look into West Ham United to any degree by last summer's friendly between the Crew and Hammers when a couple supporters decided it would be a perfect time to flex some beer muscles.

Columbus Crew Owner Interested in West Ham United? originally appeared on Soccer FanHouse on Fri, 07 Aug 2009 14:52:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

FC Barcelona Exciting Fans on Its Tour

Elie Seckbach — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 15:42:00 EST

Filed under: European Soccer, International Soccer, International, Soccer Posts, La Liga (Spain), FanHouse Exclusive

Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.

They are the hottest soccer (aka futbol) team on the planet. They're FC Barcelona, which last season captured three titles, including the UEFA Champions League title, making them numero uno in Europe. These days Barcelona is in the middle of a three-city U.S. tour, visiting Los Angeles, Seattle and San Francisco this week. In this FanHouse video, we get an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the team's workout, which is normally closed off to outsiders. Find out what's it like to be a teammate of Lionel Messi, what fans do to get a glimpse of their favorite stars and more.

Check out the video after the jump.

FC Barcelona Exciting Fans on Its Tour originally appeared on Soccer FanHouse on Tue, 04 Aug 2009 15:42:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments