Soccer Insider

Beckham Status and MLS Notes

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:40:41 -0500

Galaxy star David Beckham, who has a bone bruise on his right foot and has been wearing a protective boot, says he will play in Sunday's MLS Cup. He will receive injections to manage the pain. Today at Qwest Field, Beckham trained for the first time this week. "We're not anticipating any issues," Coach Bruce Arena said. Much more on the continuation .....

Olsen to Retire

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:45:44 -0500

Ben Olsen, D.C. United's gritty midfielder who overcame severe ankle injuries to resurrect his career this season, has decided to retire, several sources told the Insider. A formal announcement is expected next week. Olsen, 32, is not a candidate for United's head coaching job, sources said, but seems likely to remain with the organization in some capacity, perhaps as an assistant coach. Neither Olsen nor club officials were willing to discuss the matter today. Teams typically refrain from making major announcements in the days leading up to the league's marquee event, MLS Cup, which will take place Sunday night in Seattle (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN). Enduring pain throughout the season, Olsen had to work with the club to carefully manage his playing time. He ended up playing 20 of 30 regular season matches and started 18. Beyond his contributions on the field -- second in team history in games played

Video: Keane on Henry

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:19:11 -0500

Irishman Roy Keane takes a contrarian view of the Thierry Henry handball controversy and, in typical feisty and combative style, offers a variety of rants. "They should have cleared it. The ball bounced in the six-yard box. ... Would I call him a cheat? Nah, I wouldn't think so. Did he bend the rules a little bit? Yeah. ... France was there for the taking and Ireland never grabbed it. Usual stuff. Afraid of that next step. Mentally not strong enough. They can complain all they want. France is going to the World Cup: Get over it."

Friday Kickaround

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:40:36 -0500

*Thierry Henry says a France-Ireland replay would be the right thing to do. "Naturally I feel embarrassed at the way that we won and feel extremely sorry for the Irish who definitely deserve to be in South Africa. There is little more I can do apart from admit that the ball had contact with my hand leading up to our equalising goal and I feel very sorry for the Irish." Which brings up the (semi-serious) question: Would Henry be retroactively red- carded for an intentional handball? *Maryland advances to the second round of the NCAA tournament with a 2-1 victory over Loyola. Check all the first-round results. *In the women's tournament, Virginia Tech will attempt to continue its best season ever with a visit to Portland tonight for a round-of-16 match. All the pairings are here. *Soccer atop Seattle, with Qwest Field in the background (photo courtesy of MLS):

Weekend TV Listings

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:55:14 -0500

What are you going to watch? SATURDAY Russia, Rubin Kazan-Zenit 6 a.m. ET Setanta England, Liverpool-Manchester City 7:30 a.m. ESPN2 Germany, Schalke-Hanover 9:30 a.m. GolTV England, Sunderland-Arsenal 10 a.m. Fox Soccer Channel England, Chelsea-Wolverhampton 10 a.m. Setanta Spain, Deportivo de Coruna-Atletico Madrid 11:55 a.m. ESPN Deportes Spain, Tenerife-Sevilla noon GolTV

Olsen Weighs Retirement

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:33:05 -0500

D.C. United midfielder Ben Olsen, the heart and soul of the club who has endured numerous ankle operations and medical setbacks during a standout career spanning 11 years, is mulling retirement, the Insider has learned. A decision is expected within a week. United officials declined comment and said Olsen, 32, would not discuss the issue. Last winter, after missing all but one game of the 2008 season and undergoing three additional surgeries, Olsen contemplated retiring. But he held up well in preseason workouts and went on to make 20 league appearances and 18 starts playing primarily in defensive midfield in a 3-5-2 formation. Olsen's 221 regular season games played and 200 starts are second in club history behind Jaime Moreno. He is seventh in goals (29) and third in assists (49). Whether or not he calls it quits next week, Olsen has a bright future in the sport. He has

Donovan Is MVP

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:15:05 -0500

*Landon Donovan is the MLS most valuable player, finishing ahead of Golden Boot winner Jeff Cunningham of Dallas and New England midfielder Shalrie Joseph. In the league's complicated voting procedure involving media, coaches, general managers and players, Donovan received a weighted score of 39percent, Cunningham 25.3 and Joseph 17.6. Donovan had 12 goals and six assists in 25 regular season matches for the Western champion Galaxy. The only other Los Angeles recipient was Carlos Ruiz in 2002. Donovan is only the second U.S.-born winner the past nine seasons (Taylor Twellman). *After three seasons at Chivas USA, Preki was introduced as Toronto FC coach today. "Preki has everything we were looking for, and we feel he will be a perfect fit with our club," TFC Director of Soccer Mo Johnston said. "His resume with Chivas is impressive -- having made it to the playoffs in every season he was there. His

MLS News & Notes

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:15:08 -0500

*MLS will announce the MVP winner Thursday after 4:30 p.m. ET on ESPNews. However, none of the three finalists will be present for the ceremony in Seattle. Jeff Cunningham is returning from the USA friendly in Denmark, Shalrie Joseph is apparently on vacation and Landon Donovan will be en route from Los Angeles with the Galaxy. I'm thinking Donovan is the winner. *Guidelines for next Wednesday's expansion draft are set: Philadelphia will select 10 players; current clubs must submit their 11-man protected list by Monday afternoon; no club will lose more than one player, which means five teams won't lose anyone; Generation Adidas and home-grown players (for D.C. United, that means Rodney Wallace and Bill Hamid) need not be protected; developmental players claimed must be offered a senior contract; clubs must protect designated players that have no-trade clauses. DCU will surely protect Pontius, Namoff, Quaranta, Simms, Jakovic and James. Despite

USA Loses at Denmark, 3-1

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:20:13 -0500

The USA finished the 2009 calendar with a thud -- a troubling 3-1 loss at Denmark after seizing the lead in the first half. Jeff Cunningham scored on a left-footed strike from about 21 yards, but the Danes shredded the USA backline in the first 10 minutes of the second half with three routine goals, including the equalizer 70 seconds after the break. Edgar Castillo made his long-awaited debut, entering midway through the second half on the left side of midfield. Frankie Hejduk showed his age. The USA was without several regulars, but most of those given the opportunity to shine flopped. The Americans played 24 matches this year (13-8-3 record) and used 54 players. The starting lineup was different every match, except for the Gold Cup semifinal and final. Positives: Securing World Cup berth, finishing first in final round, upsetting Spain to advance to Confederations Cup final, taking lead

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Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:20:13 -0500

Matchday: USA-Denmark

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:25:54 -0500

....as well as those final World Cup qualifying playoff matches. The Americans wrap up a busy, productive and mostly successful 2009 calendar with a friendly against World Cup-bound Denmark in Aarhus. Kickoff: 2:30 p.m. ET. TV: ESPN Classic will show the entire match. ESPN2 will join the game in progress after its coverage of Ukraine-Greece. USA LINEUP Guzan; Hejduk, Spector, Bocanegra, Bornstein; Holden, Bradley, Clark, Feilhaber; Altidore, Cunningham. Subs: Hahnemann, Conrad, Goodson, Castillo, Rogers, McCarty, Johnson. Not in Uniform: Perkins, Pearce, Kljestan, Casey. Your pregame, in-game and postgame remarks are warmly welcome. We'd also love to hear your thoughts about the qualifiers.

Red Bulls' Sporting Director?

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:03:55 -0500

Erik Soler, a former Norwegian international and player agent who has worked for IK Start, is the leading candidate to become sporting director of the New York Red Bulls, the Insider has learned. The choice of a European without any MLS ties to oversee team operations would likely lead to the hiring of a head coach with an MLS background. Soler, 49, had 39 caps for Norway between 1982 and 1988 and played for several clubs, including Hamburg. In New York, Erik Soler would work with Erik Stover, the club's managing director. I am awaiting comment from the Red Bulls. [UPDATE: The club confirmed that Soler is a candidate. An outside source said Soler was in New Jersey today.] Other names mentioned for the job include MLS senior vice president Nelson Rodriguez and former Kansas City coach Curt Onalfo.

Wednesday Kickaround

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:41:13 -0500

*After more than two years of matches, qualifying for the 2010 World Cup ends today with the final six berths at stake: France carries a one-goal advantage into the second leg against Ireland in Saint-Denis (2:45 p.m. ET, select bars and restaurants for a cover charge). Greece is on the road against Ukraine after a scoreless tie in the opener (1 p.m., ESPN2). Portugal visits Bosnia with a 1-0 lead (2:45 p.m., Setanta; 9 p.m. ESPN Deportes) and Russia is in Slovenia with a 2-1 edge (2:45 p.m., Setanta Xtra on DirecTV; 5 p.m. Setanta). Costa Rica faces a one-goal deficit heading into the return leg against Uruguay in Montevideo (7 p.m. ET, bars/restaurants). Egypt and Algeria face one another in a special group playoff in Sudan (12:30 p.m.), where 15,000 security officers are in place in attempt to deter violence between feuding supporters. *The USA friendly at Denmark can

Schelotto's Status

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:28:18 -0500

Have we seen the last of Argentine maestro Guillermo Barros Schelotto in Columbus? In a meeting this week, the Crew told the 2008 MLS most valuable player that, in order to remain with the club, he would have to agree to a salary cut of more than 50 percent, the Insider has learned. The decision was apparently made by upper management. I am awaiting comment from the Crew. Schelotto, who is 36, has guided Columbus to consecutive Supporters' Shields and last year's MLS Cup. His base salary this season was $650,000 ($775,000 guaranteed), according to players' union records. In 2008, he earned $250,000 ($375,000). Schelotto has expressed a desire to remain in MLS, but after receiving the Crew's latest offer of less than $300,000 in base salary for 2010, he will apparently weigh two offers from Argentina or asked to be traded to another MLS club. Negotiations with Columbus might

Tuesday Kickaround

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:37:00 -0500

*The final act in World Cup qualifying is Wednesday with six slots available. Will you be able to watch the matches? Yes and no. ESPN2 will show the Ukraine-Greece match live at 1 p.m. and Setanta has Bosnia-Portugal at 2:45. Slovenia-Russia can be found on Setanta Xtra on DirecTV at 2:45 and on tape on normal Setanta at 8:30. You'll also find Bosnia-Portugal on tape on ESPN Deportes at 9 p.m. Sorry, no standard coverage of France-Ireland, Uruguay-Costa Rica or Egypt-Algeria. You'll need to find a pirated feed online or pay a cover charge at your favorite futbol-friendly watering hole. ESPN Classic and Galavision has the USA-Denmark friendly at 2:30 and, even though ESPN2 will join the match in progress after Ukraine-Greece, Classic will maintain coverage from start to finish so you won't have to re-set your TiVo/DVR. GolTV will carry the Italy-Sweden friendly at 2:30. *Spanish publication Marca predicts

The Commissioner Speaks

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:02:39 -0500

Highlights from MLS Commissioner Don Garber's State of the League address..... SEATTLE'S IMPACT: "The launch of the Sounders will go down as one of the key moments in the history of this sport in this country. ... The credibility that we have, the awareness that we have of the great success in Seattle -- on the field and off the field -- gives us something that we have never had before, and is a real indication as to what this sport can be in this country. ... That team was just plain relevant. People cared about it, from the governor to the mayor to the man on the street to those people who love the game. That's what we need: We need more relevance for our teams, and we now have a great case study. ... That was an important lesson to our clubs, particularly some of the clubs that