Soccer Insider

Operation Freedom

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:01:45 -0500

The Washington Freedom has begun its marketing campaign for the 2010 WPS season with several not-so-subtle digs at the hapless Redskins. In an ad that appears in Monday's Washington Post, the club trumpets its: -- "Freedom Speech and Self Expression, Including the Right to Create Signs and Banners and Bring Them into the Stadium!" (The Redskins have been confiscating posters at FedEx Field.) Zing! -- "Highest Level of Customer Service, Tickets Will Always be Offered First to Our Fans!" (The Redskins sold seats to ticket brokers, despite an alleged waiting list in the thousands.) Meow! -- "Economic Forgiveness! You Will Not be Sued if for Some Reason You Must Default on Your Payments in This Challenging Economy; We Will Work With You!" (The Redskins filed suit against season ticket holders who tried to cancel their plans.) Boom! -- "Full Media Access and Welcoming of All Coverage, Positive or Hostile!" (The

Sunday Kickaround

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 10:17:54 -0500

*With all due respect to the Revolution, which overachieved in the absence of Taylor Twellman and Steve Ralston and offered admirable playoff performances, Chicago's 2-0 victory Saturday night was in MLS's best interests. Presentation remains important to this young league, and an Eastern Conference final next Saturday at a packed, medium-sized, natural-grass stadium in Bridgeview provides a more soulful atmosphere for a big match than a mostly empty, made-for-the-NFL, artificial-turf venue at Foxborough. The clincher by Cuauhtemoc Blanco: *Today's second legs: Seattle at Houston, 3 p.m. ET (Telefutura) The clubs played to a 0-0 tie last week Chivas USA at Los Angeles, 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2) The clubs played to a 2-2 tie last week *Devin Barclay went from high school to MLS in 2001 and played for four clubs in five seasons, including D.C. United in '03. With the ability to kick a ball long distances and wanting to

Duka to MLS

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 13:55:18 -0500

Dilly Duka, the USA under-20 national team midfielder who left Rutgers this fall and explored pro opportunities in Europe, agreed to a four-year contract with MLS, the Insider has learned. "It's done," a source close to the situation said. Duka -- who scored on a long-distance shot against Cameroon at the U-20 World Cup on Sept. 29 -- will be available to all clubs in the league draft in January. However, the New Jersey native has been part of the Red Bulls youth system and, according to sources, adamant about playing for New York. With the second overall pick, the Red Bulls seem almost certain to select him. Expansion Philadelphia has the top choice. Duka, who turned 20 in September, has Albanian and Belgian family ties, making it easier for him to sign in Europe. Multiple German clubs have been interested in him. My understanding is that, though Duka would

Saturday Kickaround

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:05:43 -0500

*Who will host Real Salt Lake in the Eastern Conference final next weekend? We'll find out tonight when New England takes a 2-1 advantage to Toyota Park for the second leg against the Chicago Fire (8:30 p.m. ET, Fox Soccer Channel). *D.C. United defender Dejan Jakovic was named to the Canadian national team for friendlies at Macedonia next Saturday and Poland on Nov. 18. The only other MLS player on the 17-man list is Toronto midfielder Julian de Guzman. *Former DCU defender Ryan Nelsen discusses New Zealand's World Cup qualifying playoff finale against Bahrain. Meantime, ex-DCU forward Nick Addlery, who has done well for USL-1 Puerto Rico, has been loaned to Aguila in El Salvador. *Did Houston goalkeeper Pat Onstad deserve a red card (instead of a yellow) for knocking down Seattle's Fredy Montero in the first leg of their playoff match last weekend? In the USSF's opinion: No. The

Pulling Ponytails and Other Mischief

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:38:02 -0500

Video from the BYU-New Mexico women's soccer match.....

Friday Kickaround

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:55:54 -0500

*Read the accounts of Real Salt Lake's rare road victory and a Columbus Dispatch column about the champion's reign coming to an end. Watch the video highlight package here. In its second consecutive appearance in a conference final, RSL will play at Chicago or New England next Saturday. *More importantly, the comely Jessica Alba was on Capitol Hill on Thursday to promote 1GOAL, a global initiative to provide education to 75 million impoverished children ahead of next year's World Cup. *Sticking with a Hollywood theme, today marks the national release of "The Men Who Stare at Goats," starring George Clooney and Jeff Bridges. Finally, a Chivas documentary! *Americans abroad: Today F Freddy Adu and Belenenses vs. Pacos GK Luis Robles and Kaiserslautern vs. Oberhausen GK David Yelldell and Koblenz at Paderborn Yesterday GK Tim Howard 90 minutes in Everton's 2-0 loss to Benfica MF Clint Dempsey 90 in Fulham's 2-1

Crew-RSL Countdown

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:27:20 -0500

With kickoff of the Columbus-Real Salt Lake playoff match a few hours away, a few items to share..... *Guillermo Barros Schelotto and Alejandro Moreno have been told by Coach Robert Warzycha that they will start tonight after sitting out for tactical reasons in the first leg last weekend. One contact told me that Schelotto, the 2008 MLS most valuable player, was "upset and disappointed" about being held out, but after meeting with Warzycha early this week, the matter was quickly resolved and the Argentine is focused on helping the defending champions overcome a one-goal deficit in the total-goals series. I'm also hearing that Emmanuel Ekpo will start in place of Robbie Rogers. In the opener, Ekpo replaced Rogers in the 85th minute. *The Crew's Chad Marshall was named MLS defender of the year for the second straight season, the first repeat winner since Carlos Bocanegra at Chicago in 2002-03. Marshall

Weekend TV Listings

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:30:17 -0500

What are you going to watch? FRIDAY Germany, Bayer Leverkusen-Eintracht Frankfurt 2:30 p.m. ET, GolTV England, Derby County-Coventry City 2:40 p.m. Setanta NCAA women, Portland-San Diego 11 p.m. ESPNU NCAA men, Santa Clara-San Francisco 11 p.m. Fox Soccer Channel SATURDAY Australia, Melbourne-Central Coast 3 a.m. FSC England, Swansea City-Cardiff City 7:40 a.m. Setanta Germany, Hoffenheim-Wolfsburg 9:30 a.m. GolTV Germany, Bayern Munich-Schalke 9:30 a.m. ESPN Deportes England, Spurs-Sunderland 9:55 a.m. ESPN2 England, Manchester City-Burnley 9:55 a.m. Setanta England, Aston Villa-Bolton 10 a.m. FSC Spain, Deportivo de Coruna-Getafe noon ESPN Deportes

Thursday Kickaround

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:27:03 -0500

*A look at tonight's MLS playoff match between the Crew and RSL from a Columbus angle and a Salt Lake perspective. TV coverage begins at 8 p.m. on ESPN2. The defending champion Crew faces a one-goal deficit in the two-leg series. *In a column about MLS fining DCU President Kevin Payne for critical comments he made concerning playing styles, Soccer America's Paul Gardner says: "You could argue that he was wrong to single out New England, Colorado and Real Salt Lake as being dourly defensive teams -- maybe he should have chosen other examples. But by drawing attention to the fact that there is too much tritely defensive soccer in MLS, and that this is highly damaging to the league, Payne is spot on. Which makes Garber's response over-sensitive. He's doing what is never a good idea -- shooting the messenger who brings the bad news, instead of facing up

Poll: United's Next Coach

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:00:57 -0500

poll by twiigs.com

Wednesday Kickaround

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:40:47 -0500

*Tom Soehn talks about his departure from D.C. United: *DCU defender Bryan Namoff, who missed the final month of the season after suffering a concussion, tells the Insider that, if all goes well, he should be able to resume workouts in December. Namoff recently visited a specialist in Boston. *New York Red Bulls midfielder Luke Sassano has begun a three-week training stint with Red Bull Salzburg in Austria. *The USA under-17s face Italy at 10 a.m. today in the round of 16 at the World Cup in Nigeria. Sorry, no TV coverage, but the match is available via ESPN online video. *Americans abroad: D Jonathan Spector and West Ham vs. GKs Brad Friedel and Brad Guzan for Aston Villa MF DaMarcus Beasley and Rangers at Unirea Urziceni MF Jose Francisco Torres and Pachuca vs. Cruz Azul D Edgar Castillo and Tigres at Queretaro D Michael Orozco and San Luis at

MLS Coaching Carousel

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:59:09 -0500

With four openings and perhaps two more on the way, here's where things stand on the MLS coaching front..... [Read the full story behind Tom Soehn's departure from D.C. United.] EASTERN CONFERENCE COLUMBUS: Robert Warzycha won the Supporters' Shield in his first season but is in danger of first-round elimination after leaving Guillermo Barros Schelotto on the bench in the playoff opener at RSL. CHICAGO: Rumblings in league circles are that, unless the Fire makes a substantial playoff run, Denis Hamlett will not return next season. Preki en route? NEW ENGLAND: Steve Nicol, the foundation of the Revs' success, has two years left on his contract and seems set to stay much longer. D.C. UNITED: With Tom Soehn out, Richie Williams and Curt Onalfo are early front-runners. How's this for a longshot candidate: former USA defender Thomas Dooley, who coached in his native Germany years ago and lives/works in the

DCU: Looking Back and Ahead

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:17:40 -0500

D.C. United midfielder-forward Santino Quaranta, on the departure of Coach Tom Soehn: "I will always have a special place for Tommy because he helped me so much when I came back to the team. I've got a lot of respect for him. ... Late in the season, you could tell what this year was doing to him. He had been through so such and he was tired. ... In the end, it wasn't Tommy that was playing. You could see how inconsistent we were. We had so many chances to get it right and we couldn't do it. How much of that was Tommy? I'm not sure. Everyone on our team can put their hand up and say that they let him down." Defender Bryan Namoff: "I was under the impression that he was coming back. I'm a little surprised. ... It's a difficult transition for the players when you

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Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:17:40 -0500

United Coaching Change

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:28:14 -0500

Tom Soehn will not return as coach of D.C. United, ending a three-year reign that began well but deteriorated the past two seasons as the club failed to qualify for the MLS playoffs and fell short in international competition. He was in the final season of a three-year contract. Although club officials had apparently not reached a decision on whether to offer him a new deal, Soehn informed them Monday that he did not want to seek an extension and withdrew his name from consideration. "My family and I have spent a lot of time in reaching this very difficult decision," Soehn said. His record in league play was 36-30-24, plus 0-1-1 in the playoffs. United won the U.S. Open Cup in 2008 and lost in the final this year. In the CONCACAF Champions League, United made major strides this year, registering a 3-2-1 record in group play, but fell

Tuesday Kickaround

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:48:47 -0500

*The USA roster for friendlies at Slovakia on Nov. 14 and Denmark four days later won't be finalized until the first round of the MLS playoffs is completed this weekend and domestic players become available after clubs are eliminated. There are no such conflicts for European-based players, whose clubs are off for the international fixture break, which was created primarily for the final games of World Cup qualifying. *Vote for MLS's goal of the year and save of the year. *Local non-league college matchups tonight: Navy (8-9-0) at sixth-ranked Maryland (10-4-2), 7:30 p.m., and American (9-4-1) at 10th-ranked Virginia (10-3-2), 7 p.m. *Soccer on TV: Atletico Madrid-Chelsea 2:30 p.m. Fox Soccer Channel; 5 p.m. Setanta Manchester United-CSKA Moscow 2:30 p.m. Setanta; 5 p.m. FSC AC Milan-Real Madrid 2:30 p.m. Comcast SportsNet/DC, Fox Sports Espanol; 7 p.m. FSC Bayern Munich-Bordeaux 6:45 p.m. Setanta *USA striker Jozy Altidore, trying to get to