South Jersey FC 0, Cannons FC 0

Here - finally - is the South Jersey FC vs. Cannons FC game recap courtesy of Adam Evans:

South Jersey FC 0, Cannons FC 0

The inaugural season champions vs. last season's champions.

SJFC's Lifetime Record vs. Cannons FC: 1-0-1

South Jersey FC had its toughest match yet this season last weekend, when they took on Cannons FC at Pennypack on the Delaware. Saturday marked the first time the two teams met since South Jersey defeated Cannons in a penalty kick shootout for the Casa League championship last Fall. South Jersey (3-0-2) stepped up the level of play from previous weeks (which was somewhere on the spectrum between “sloppy” and “abysmal”) to hold Cannons (2-0-3) scoreless for the duration of the match.

Despite a slight personnel shortage at the start, South Jersey managed to keep Cannons’ offense in check from whistle to whistle. Cannons’ usual reliance on striker Anthony Mitchell’s speedy breakaways was misplaced, as Carlos Clay kept a tight mark on him throughout the match. While Mitchell is typically dangerous on the attack, Clay’s physical style of play kept him away from the goal mouth and mostly on the ground, effectively hobbling the Cannons offense. Mitchell’s one viable attacking run was cut short when goalkeeper Eric Wirth rocketed from goal to tackle the ball away at the 18. Eric Danner, making a strong appearance at sweeper, broke up the Cannons’ other would-be plays with numerous mid-air wins and calm feeds into the midfield. The South Jersey midfield was slow to warm up, though, allowing Cannons to complete some short exchanges. Cannons midfielders Craig Spear and Chris Fahey orchestrated several possessions and managed quite a few on-target switches, but Jersey soon settled in started playing tougher in the middle. Jorge Montoy and Brandon Bonnette repeatedly broke up Cannons’ exchanges, mounting immediate counter-attacks, and Matt Acciani was an immovable target up top. Acciani consistently muscled the Cannons defense and, along with striker Breton Bonnette, made several promising charges at the net. As has been the case for most of the Spring season, however, Jersey failed to execute up front. Several crosses went unclaimed, and shots were generally off-target. As a result, the match ended in a scoreless tie, a faithful recreation of the teams’ initial meeting six months prior. There were many bright spots, however, perhaps indicating that South Jersey has shaken out the Winter cobwebs and is ready to rise to the challenge of defending a league championship.

Current CASA Standings and Scores

South Jersey FC next plays this Saturday, May 12th vs. The Steagles

SJFC's Scoring Leader: Brandon Bonnette (2)

All photos courtesy of Channing Johnson

South Jersey FC 1, McCrossen Cosmos 1

A 25-30 minute wait for the ref to show up didn't dampen the heated atmosphere of the game. SJFC, once again, had most of the chances but failed to convert them to push into an early lead. There were many good buildups in midfield between John Brackmann and Brandon Bonnette, who fed outside to Adam Evans (who had his best game of the season so far) and Breton Bonnette (a returnee from injury). They, in turn, fed the target men: Eric Danner, Ed Bonnette, Tim Green and Matt Acciani. Unfortunately, errant crossing, hard-to-predict ball movement, and iffy execution led SJFC to go into the half scoreless. South Jersey's best chance came with center midfielder Kevin Murphy finding a little room about 25 yards out and unleashing a long range bomb which, to our dismay, hit the crossbar and bounced out of danger. McCrossen's goalie, Jennifer Goebel and sweeper Phil Randazzo were also big reasons for the 0-0 score.

The game was deadlocked until around the 60th minute when McCrossen wing midfielder Pepe trapped a ball at the corner of the penalty box and drove a swerving half volley right by the near post surprising South Jersey goalkeeper Eric Wirth. Otherwise, Wirth had a relatively quiet game as the defensive combination of Brendan Oakes, Devin Oakes, Jim Bonnette, Chris Gercke and Gerald Van Wilgen got the job done. After McCrossen's goal, South Jersey woke up and barraged Goebel and the McCrossen goal. Each shot was parried or caught in a very impressive display of keeping. In the 75th minute or so, SJ still in the hole, a penalty could have been called on a McCrossen defender who slid in on winger Steve Fatula with a scissor tackle. The call was play on however and chance after chance followed. Eric Danner broke through eluding two defenders to rip a shot at a narrow angle but with considerable power. Goebel punched the ball away. Again. To rewind, right before halftime, Brandon Bonnette took a hard driven ball to the tip of the foot bending it awkwardly and putting him out for seemingly the rest of the match. Once McCrossen went up 1-0 and things on field became somewhat choppy, Brandon laced up and returned. The game was most definitely a physical one as Carlos Clay also picked up a knock and had to sit out the last 20 minutes. For what was physical, however, there was only one card given. Regardless, within 5-7 minutes of Brandon returning, the damage was done. Brandon picked up a feed from someone (anyone know??) and found his way in the penalty box with enough time to fire one early to near post. The power surprised McCrossen's keeper and the game was tied once again. It was Brandon's first goal of the year and preserved South Jersey FC's 14 game unbeaten streak. SJFC is in third with a 2-0-1 record based on goal differential.
South Jersey FC will play Real Men Wear Pink next week, 4/28 at 5:00pm. In last season's meeting...South Jersey beat Real Men Wear Pink 5-0.


Other Scores

Scorers:

SJFC: Brandon Bonnette (77)
MCC: Pepe Aguiar (60)

If anyone would like to set up a scrimmage with South Jersey FC, e-mail me at BonnWM3@hotmail.com.

South Jersey FC 1, West Philly FC 0 (Week 2)

Passing the prison, on the way to Pennypack on the Delaware right next to the Riverview Homes, Adult Services Building, how can you not want to play soccer. To be honest, I never knew any of that was there. Either way, a great game by SJFC today with fairly mediocre play.

There were several real highlights to an otherwise calm game. Eric Danner's aerial acrobatics as he flung himself five feet off the ground, attempting a bicycle and then proceeded to fall to the earth without support. Danner resumed play as those on the sideline wondered how his rib cage wasn't shattered. Guess it was one of those 'it looks worse than it feels' sorta thing. Regardless, Danner and Acciani were frustrated up top, all the while still creating chances for themselves. None of the shots found the net though. Dominance rang true in the midfield for Jorge Montoy (his first game of the season), John Brackmann, and Brandon Bonnette. The field, as most could tell, was keeping even the simplest of passes from being completed. The midfield trio coupled with strong outside performances from Kevin Murphy and workhorse Adam Evans allowed the only goal of the game to be scored. Murphy received South Jersey FC's first card of the season starting the run to beat 7 bookings by the end of the season. Problem is, the card was for nothing. The goal was scored by John Brackmann, who picked up a loose ball about 30 yards, dribbled unopposed the top of the penalty box and with finesse placed a shot to the far post.

The way the attack was producing chances, it seemed SJFC could have been up by 2 or 3 at the half, but strong play from West Philly's backline and SJFC's inability to string more than a couple of passes together kept that from happening. South Jersey's defense was captained once again by Brendan Oakes, whose Fall season was cut short after four games by a broken collarbone sustained against Toten Hosen 3. His play was certainly inspiring and representative of one who has not missed a step despite 5 months off. Tim Green, Devin Oakes, and Chris Gercke dealt efficiently with the West Philly threat of Martin Kerin and their other speedy forwards. In the end, SJFC hung on and moved to 2-0 which will keep them at the top of the table. West Philly has dropped two straight 1-0 decisions and it looks as if they will fight again next week. Brendan Oakes grabs the game MVP for his valiant comeback with little skill or fight lost.

SJFC plays next vs. the McCrossen Cosmos, Saturday, April 21st at 5:00pm.

I will have recap of all the MLS games going on this weekend, but no real time for previews. Instead, I have predictions.

Saturday, April 14th

Columbus 1, RSL 2
Toronto FC 0, New England 1
Chivas USA 1, Houston 0
Kansas City 1 , D.C. United 1

Sunday, April 15th

Chicago 2, Colorado 2
FC Dallas 2, RBNY 3

South Jersey FC vs. UPenn Dental Molars, Game 1

The first game of the CASA Spring 2007 Season was a long time coming. After two successive cancellations, Due to the field conditions, which all honesty they were better than anything we had played on before, the play was ultimately shaky. A touch at foot could just as easily hit a snag and bounce waist-high. On several occassions forward Carlos Clay had the ball in wide open space. Before a shot could be fired off, the ball would zig-zag or bounce too high. Essentially, what was a regular shot turned into a shin deflection. The chances were aplenty for South Jersey, though, and several times midfielders John Brackmann and Eric Danner over compensated for the crappy pitch by skyrocketing shots over the bar. The play of the UPenn Dental goalkeeper was certainly a factor too. SJFC struck first in the 57th minute, however, with a scrum in the penalty box that allowed Carlos Clay to trickle a shot by the UPenn Dental GK who was probably expecting a bomb. Play continued with UPenn pushing men forward, at times over-extending their midfield, allowing the solid SJ backline led by Matt Acciani to quickstart a counter attack leading to the majority of South Jersey chances. Acciani also fueled the inter-penalty box dog fights with his long throws. In the 65th minute, Acciani's efforts were rewarded when Eric Danner took his long throw on his feet and fired a shot low to the far post beating the UPenn keeper to make it 2-0. This was especially rewarding as he had been taking a beating physically the whole game. Danner celebrated fittingly and capped a great game for the former Wheaton College player. The game seemed to be sealed, but another scrum this time in the South Jersey box led to an errant UPenn goal making it 2-1 a couple minutes before time. SJFC held out with other strong efforts from new acquisition Steve Fatula, right full-back Chris Gercke, defensive midfielder Brandon Bonnette, and first time striker Adam Evans. SJFC also donned their new kelly-green uniforms sponsored by Janney Montgomery Scott, LLC. and were missing such starting line-up mainstays as Jorge Montoy and Mike Mellencamp.

South Jersey FC's next game will be against a strong West Philly FC team at 11:15am on Saturday, April 14th. Last year's match-up ended in a last gasp 2-1 win for SJFC. It will assuredly be a tough match.

OTHER CASA SCORES

CASA Spring 2007 Season Schedule

Future games will surely have pictures of the new jersey.

CASA Select vs. Xelaju

CASA Select 2, Xelaju 2
(CASA wins on penalties 2-0)


CASA Select's first competitive match got off to a great start. Our opponents were Xelaju, an amateur side consisting of mainly Guatemalan players but with no relation to the actual Guatemalan professional side Xelaju MC. Within the first 5 minutes, Jorge Montoy put in a loose ball in the penalty box to put Select up 1-0. The early play from CASA Select was organized and fluid and fatigue set in only with about 10 minutes to go in the first half. However, in the 38th minute, a restart was given to CASA about 20 yards out due to an errant tackle by a Xelaju player. Anthony Mitchell and Jorge Montoy both wanted the kick. The latter took it and drove it low past the wall and right into the side of the net. The fatigue and lack of match practice was apparent after the break as Xelaju began to stretch CASA's midfield and launch balls over the offside trap. Xelaju grabbed the tying goal with about 12 minutes to go in the second half. Despite the fatigue, CASA Select held onto the regulation tie and braced themselves for a windy penalty shootout. The MVP of the match, however, did not involve goalscorers. Instead, it was the lack there of. Evan Curtis, CASA Select goalkeeper, seemed inpenetrable and knocked several sure goals out of the goalmouth. Even more importantly, with the game tied and penalty-kicks imminent, Curtis proceeded to save 2 of 4 penalties with the other two drifting harmlessly by the goal. CASA Select has won its first piece of hardware: La Quezlataca Trophy. Thank you to Sussex Tech High School and those who put on this competition.




CASA Select Starting Line-up

GK Evan Curtis (Cannons FC)
DR Mario Gentile (Cannons FC)
DL Carlos Clay (South Jersey FC)
SW Wakengo Mahaniah (Cannons FC)
ST Brandon Bonnette (South Jersey FC)
MR Mike Mitchell (Cannons FC)
ML Chris Fahey (Cannons FC)
MC Jorge Montoy (South Jersey FC)
MC Craig Spear (Cannons FC)
FC Matt Acciani (South Jersey FC)
FC Anthony Mitchell (Cannons FC)

Substitutes:
MRL Breton Bonnette (South Jersey FC)
FC Scott Miller (Cannons FC)
MRL Adam Evans (South Jersey FC)

Goalscorers
CASA: J. Montoy (6), T. Mitchell (38)
XELAJU: 2 unknown goalscorers
Attendance: 150

Substitutions:
B. Bonnette for C. Fahey (45)
A. Evans for M. Mitchell (45)
S. Miller for C. Spear (45)

Variety

- Take a look at the Fulham FC website splash. They like their American boys.

- Thanks to formerRedBullfan for the link to Giovanni Savarese's letter to fans and inquirers as to how he was dispatched of: CLICK HERE.

- Want to know what it's like in Norway. Cam Weaver, last year's USL Division One Scoring Co-Champion (with Romario no less) was transferred from the Seattle Sounders to FK Haugesund of the Norwegian Tipplegangen (1st Division). This kid can play and won Rookie of the Year and Scoring Champion awards last year. Here is a link to his take on the Scandanavian life on and off the field.


- I understand that the MLS Goal of the Week shows live clips of the nominated goals, but the English Premiership has a pretty sweet take on their Goals of the Week. Check it out here.

- First week of CASA Soccer League games are cancelled thanks to the wonderful Northeast weather. Same first week schedule next weekend.

Here's the USA roster for the friendlies coming up against Ecuador and Guatemala:

U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION
Goalkeepers (3) - Brad Guzan (Chivas USA), Tim Howard (Everton FC), Kasey Keller (Borussia Moenchengladbach)
Defenders (8) -Carlos Bocanegra (Fulham FC), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City Wizards), Jay Demerit (Watford FC), Oguchi Onyewu (Newcastle United), Heath Pearce (FC Nordsjælland), Frank Simek (Sheffield Wednesday), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United)
Midfielders (7) - DaMarcus Beasley (Manchester City), Michael Bradley (SC Heerenveen), Brian Carroll (D.C. United), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo), Clint Dempsey (Fulham FC), Benny Feilhaber (Hamburger SV), Justin Mapp (Chicago Fire)
Forwards (6) - Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo), Kenny Cooper (FC Dallas), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Eddie Johnson (Kansas City Wizards), Chris Rolfe (Chicago Fire), Taylor Twellman (New England Revolution)

- Trust me when I say I didn't forget about the new partnership between the German Bundesliga and Major League Soccer. Regardless of whether or not it is pure crap, a partnership is a partnership and any marketing is good marketing. Here are several news sources to read up on it: Eurosport, MLSNet

- Ronaldinho's proposed transfer to AC Milan has been referred to as a "joke". His brother and agent has reports that Ronny is planning on sticking around at Nou Camp. Read here.

- Juninho Pernambucano, the midfield artist of Olympique Lyonnais, is uncertain about his future at Gerland. Terrible blow if this happens. Not that they don't have a solid midfield in Tiago, Kim Kallstrom, Jeremy Toulalan, and others. I guess it's just not the same when you've won 5 Ligue 1 titles and still no Champions League final to your name. Somebody tell Juninho that the Houston Dynamo of D.C. United would be happy to give him that Champions League (Cup) title...

- The UEFA Cup Quarterfinal Draw

FC Sevilla (ESP) vs. Tottenham Hotspur (ENG)
AZ Alkmaar (NED) vs. Werder Bremen (GER)
Bayer Leverkusen (GER) vs. Osasuna (ESP)
Benfica (POR) vs. Espanyol (ESP)

Three Spanish teams. Not bad. I can't believe Newcastle choked.

- England squad for the upcoming Euro 2008 Qualifiers against Isreal and Andorra


Goalkeepers: Scott Carson (Charlton Athletic, on loan from Liverpool), Paul Robinson (Tottenham Hotspur), Ben Foster (Watford, on loan from Manchester United)
Defenders: Ashley Cole (Chelsea), John Terry (Chelsea), Phil Neville (Everton), Jamie Carragher (Liverpool), Micah Richards (Manchester City), Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United), Gary Neville (Manchester United), Jonathan Woodgate (Middlesbrough, on loan from Real Madrid)
Midfielders: Owen Hargreaves (Bayern Munich), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Michael Carrick (Manchester United), Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough), Kieron Dyer (Newcastle United), Scott Parker (Newcastle United), Aaron Lennon (Tottenham Hotspur)
Forwards: Darren Bent (Charlton Athletic), Andrew Johnson (Everton), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham Hotspur)

Beckham would have fit right nice in there. Joey Barton got arrested and consequently dropped from the squad.

- Here's another analysis of the problems and benefits of the Designated Player Rule. So far this rule has done nothing but good, unless somebody can prove to me otherwise. Anyways, here it is.

- Can somebody please tell me why I should keep giving FSC Commentator Christian Miles more chances to redeem himself? This guy is terrible. There is not one redeeming quality about his presentation and commentating. Please persuade me to like him (I muted the last game).


***I was asked recently to cover some aspect of World Soccer for a website, Sportingo.com. I would really like your input as to what I should write about. Americans Abroad? Team Breakdowns, A Breakdown of Great Young Players Worldwide by Continent (I'm partial to that one)? PLEASE throw me any suggestions you might have!

South Jersey FC

For those looking for the normal stuff, I will be back to that tomorrow. Recap the news. Throw in my two cents. I will be following my club team through its season statistically, analytically, and non-sensically. This is what makes soccer fun.


First Match, March 17th, 2007:
vs. UPenn Dental Molars
(Past Meetings 0-0-0)

Should have played them last year, but game was rained out and never re-scheduled.

Roster Breakdown and Potential Starting Line-up

Goalkeeper: Eric Wirth - starting GK with moderate experience but a lot of heart, won MVP for the team last season, a regular Jeremie Janot
Right Fullback: Chris Gercke - consistent at fullback last season, scored 2 goals (in the same game no less)
Left Fullback: Mike Mellencamp - excellent ball control and movement, looks to make the attacking run; will move back to his regular position this season after Brendan Oakes' return; collected and technically sound
Sweeper: Brendan Oakes - returning from a broken collarbone, will probably not start here until his fitness is fully regained, tough and strong competitor, equally as calm and collected
Stopper: Brandon Bonnette - will push up when necessary, strong long shot, good footwork and excellent marking abilities, his awareness is contagious
Right Midfield: Breton Bonnette - pacy and reliant on a simple cutback, had 5 goals last season alternating between striker and right midfield
Central Midfield: Jorge Montoy - the heartbeat of the team, calm distributor, vocal captain, and alert at all times, restart taker; relies on the good simple pass that people often neglect but will get creative if he has to, also has one hell of a work rate, he is a Michael Essien with the great combination of defensive and offensive prowess
Central Midfield: Matt Acciani - big, strong, and relatively fast; wicked long throw, great in the air, he is Brian McBride's aerial ability when it meets Kenny Cooper's footwork, scored 5 goals last year and looks to tack on more, moving back from striker to try his hand at midfield
Left Midfield: Adam Evans - a pacy workhorse with great skill to compensate for a less physical presence, however - he plays a lot stronger than he looks, reminds me of Ki-Hyeon Seol of Reading
Striker: Eric Danner - strong, pacy, balls-to-the-wall guy from New England, his combination of speed, determination, aggression, and strength last season earned him 3 goals in 4 appearances, think Bobby Convey meets Vinnie Jones...
Striker: Carlos Clay - very aggressive and an all-out clutch performer, scored a beautiful winning goal against West Philly FC, strong all-around and versatile as he could also see some time at fullback

Tim Green: a GK, striker combination who looks to use his strength and skill to act as a holding man right behind the striker; also real experienced in the net and will most likely see some time with the gloves on
Devin Oakes: a solid fullback who can also move forward to wing midfield; will see a lot of time at fullback, tight marker and aggressive in his tackles (not sliding of course...)
John Vick: a skilled midfielder who likes to play on the left, has a nose for crashing the goal mouth but was unlucky in his tally last season, will certainly see much time at outside midfield
Lee Pease: an aggressive fullback with the ability to push up to outside midfield, another strong voice on the field with experience and a good work rate
Emily Pease: a talented and skillful midfielder, great ball control and vision, good acceleration and pace allows to her effortlessly move past defenders
Gerald Van Wilgen: a big, physical fullback who would always like to slidetackle but can't, will occassionally fire a shot from the back, strengths are his strength and aggressiveness, hails from the Netherlands
Scott Sebens: another big, physical holding midfielder, lacks experience but reacts well to the game, his strengths are fitness, physical, and aerial ability, will be real hard to mark on restarts

New Acquisitions:
James Andrew Huff
Keith Kushin
Kevin Murphy
Steve Fatula
Katie Ponzi

CASA Spring 2007 Preview

For those who are unaware of the CASA Soccer League (which is highly likely). It is a non-profit soccer league based out of Philadelphia, PA. It's low-cost, well-run, and people-friendly. It's co-ed and real competitive. It is only two seasons into it's existence but has rapidly gained supporters and people who want to see it succeed. There are two divisions - Primera and Segunda - with promotion and relegation between the two. There is also a ban on slidetackling in order to avoid lawsuits in its nascent years. Me, I am the captain of South Jersey FC, the Fall 2006 champions. Here - to those from CASA who read this - is a brief preview of the Spring 2007 season.


South Jersey FC
A team mostly consisting of, what else, South Jerseyans; the only team from New Jersey in the league. SJFC has a good blend of skill levels - those that played in high school, in college, and never before. They were led by the goal scoring of Matt Acciani with 4 goals and the leadership of central midfielder Jorge Montoy. Other notable players include GK Eric Wirth, SW Brendan Oakes, DMC Brandon Bonnette. Schools represented are: Union College, Harvard University, Wheaton College, Rutgers-Camden.

Cannons FC

The Summer 2006/inaugural season champions return this spring looking to win 2 out of 3; they lost on penalty kicks to South Jersey FC in the fall of 2006. Solid throughout, Cannons fell upon some tough losses in the playoffs. Anthony Mitchell won the Fall 2006 Golden Boot with 15 goals. Other notable players to watch out for: SW Derek Segesdy, GK Evan Curtis, DRL Wakengo Mahaniah. Schools represented are: Allegheny College, Haverford College, and some others.

University of Penn Dental Molars

A large contingent team looking to intimidate with line changes (as there is no cap to subs). All of these players are fittingly from the UPenn Dental School plus several guest players I am sure. Their roster consists of 35 to be exact.

Real Men Wear Pink

A tough team which would be known for racking up an 11-0 win last year. Fell to South Jersey FC 5-2 in the second round of the Fall 2007 playoffs. They largely can contribute their late season run to playmaker Evan Anderson. Should be rather competitive this year.

The STEAGLES

Formerly the SEI Leg Cannons, the majority of these guys work for SEI and had a good showing last year. They were led by the scoring prowess of a man simply known as 'Tim' with 10 goals and Steve Andrews with 6.

McCrossen Cosmos

A late surge at the end of the season. McCrossen looks to improve their record and by the looks of their preseason roster, they should do so. On it there are two names that stand out: Dave Daigle who spent some time with the PDL team South Jersey Barons and Schools represented: Rowan University, Dario Mescia led the Cosmos with 4 goals last season.

West Philly FC

Second place in the regular season, but bowed out to Philly United in the play-offs. Solid up front with the presence of Jeremy Lane (10 goals) and Martin Kerin (5 goals) look to compete again this season.

The Skulls

The lone new team for the new season. Their roster looks rather deep and is highlighted by the presence of Andy Kulinski, an All-Atlantic 10 performer at Saint Joseph's University. As of yet, no logo and no real sense of what their team will play like.

CONTENDERS: South Jersey FC, West Philly FC, Cannons FC
UNKNOWNS: McCrossen Cosmos (with some interesting acquisitions, The Skulls (now)
RELEGATION BATTLERS: Real Men Wear Pink, UPenn Dental Molars

GOLDEN BOOT CHALLENGERS: Matt Acciani, Eric Danner, Jeremy Lane, "Tim", last year's Champion Anthony Mitchell

CASA Soccer Champions:
Summer 2006: Cannons FC
Fall 2006: South Jersey FC
Spring 2007: ?????????

Even more to come...

English FA Cup

Middlesbrough 2, Manchester United 2

In a relatively even game, Manchester United almost bowed out of the FA Cup to a hard-working Middlesborough. Young and industrious Lee Cattermole and Dutchman George Boateng got the goals for M'Boro, while Wayne Rooney scored early and Cristiano Ronaldo saved Man U's Treble-driven asses with a penalty kick in the 68th minute. Man Utd played this game without Van der Sar in goal and Louis Saha up front. Gareth Southgate had his team, however, playing inspired football making Man Utd's survival a long ordeal.

MID: Cattermole (45), Boateng (47)
MAN: Rooney (23), C. Ronaldo PK (68)

Spanish Primera Liga

Real Madrid 3, Barcelona 3

This was Lionel Messi's game. No question, he single handedly kept Barca in this game. Especially when crap defender Oleguer (will a Barca fan tell me why he's on the pitch?) was sent off right before the half-time whistle. Even before that though, the score was 2-2 by the 28th minute with Messi and Ruud Van Nistelrooy trading goals back and forth. The game was certainly extremely pacy and dominated by individual skill and harsh physicality. The scoring pattern of Messi and R.V.N. was broken in the 73rd minute by young Uruguayan defender Sergio Ramos. He powered a header blindly to far post hitting the cross-bar and in. Messi was not to be done, however, as he eluded three Madrid defenders in a Maradona-esque fashion and buried far post a hard shot past Iker Casillas. All this in injury time.


RMD: Van Nistelrooy (5, 13), Sergio Ramos (73)
BCA: Messi (11, 28, 90)

Italian Serie B

Brescia 3, Juventus 1

Hah. I love this.
_____________________________________________________________________________________

*Michael Bradley got on for the last 5 minutes of Heerenveen's clash with RKC Waalwijk. My sources say he didn't have much of an impact.

*Delran grad and former South Jersey stud-ess Carli Lloyd is lighting up the international fields with the U.S. Women's National Team. At the Algarve Cup, Lloyd has two goals in two games. These games weren't 10-0 wins against Chinese Taipei either. One was a 2-1 win over China and a 1-0 win over Finland. Congrats Carli. The USWMNT play next on Monday, March 12th against Sweden.



*Another local player, Monmouth grad Hugh MacDonald was just signed by the New York Red Bulls. I could be wrong but I think this will be Monmouth U's first player in the MLS.


*John Terry, a Chelsea mainstay, has apparently asked for a 9-year extension to his contract. He wants a pay raise from 67 thousand pounds weekly to 121 thousand pounds weekly which is what Michael Ballack and Andrei Shevchenko earn. If you're comparing return on investment I'd say John Terry has an arguement, but that would give a central defender 60 million pounds over 9 years (roughly $120,000,000 or $13,333,333 /year). Good luck with fielding that request Peter Kenyon.

*According to Jesse's Toronto FC blog, TFC is in the process of finalizing the signing of Andy Welsh. 23-year-old outside midfielder Welsh has apparently fallen out of favor at Championship-side Sunderland. Roy Keane ain't keen on him (I'm sorry).

*Go here for a great interview with D.C. United's new back-up goalkeeper Jay Nolly.

*35-year-old French star Lillian Thuram apparently could be on his way to Fulham this summer. If you think Fulham has a strong American connection, their French connection is bigger. Steed Malbranque (now gone to Tottenham), Louis Saha (now at Man Utd), Sylvain Legwinski (now at Ipswich), and all plied their trade with Fulham. French internationals Frank Queudrue and former Marseille back Philippe Christanval still do. Clearly it has something to do with the fact that Jean Tigana, a French manager, coached the team from 2000 to 2003 before Welshman and former player Chris Coleman took over. Regardless, here's the source.


____________________________________________________________________________________

* In other news, CASA Select beat PCOM today 4-3. Sloppy at times, with flashes of brilliance, it was certainly a good session. You don't appreciate the game soccer until you feel your body after a 2 hour game on a field with a strong resemblence to quicksand. Thanks to Cannons FC for putting that together.

* Next weekend is the start of the CASA Soccer League season, check out www.phillysoccer.org and instead of the Team of the Week this Wednesday I will be previewing the season. Sunday, March 18th, is the first competitive game of CASA Select. It will take place in Bridgetown, DE at the Sussex Technical High School. CASA Select will play Xelaju for the La Quetzalteca Trophy. Some time at the end of the week, there will be a preview of that game as well as a roster breakdown of CASA Select. Meanwhile, if anyone has played this so-called Xelaju, please share the wisdom.

There are a bunch of Reals and Betis is the worst of them all.

Well here's that penalty update I promised - stupid Real Betis fans threw a bottle at Sevilla's manager Juande Ramos only to hit him square in the head. Do you think it's one of those things where you throw something knowing full well you will probably miss the target your aiming for?? But then when you actually hit it/him, you feel remorse and guilt about what you did? Then again, this is Spanish futbol we're talkin about here, NOT hitting some duck sitting comfortably on the pond with a rock. Annnnyways, Betis and its' fans were hit with a three match stadium ban. Should be more, but the world of soccer has to keep on turning. Douchebags.

Quick MLS Transaction Round-up

- 33-year old keeper Zach Thornton to the Rapids. Columbus Crew waive Jon Busch, decent young'un Ivan Becerra, Jose Retiz, and boatload of other names. The Rapids also signed Costa Rican U20 international Yherland McDonald. You have to love the name and I've seen this guy on FSC, he's got speed and still looks like he's 4. RSL ditched Kevin Novak after a decent year of service. Chris Leitch is homeless again. I kinda like when he's homeless cause I don't like watching him. USL-1 here he comes. Injury-plagued Domenic Mediate gone from DCU but once proven fit could fit in nicely somewhere else. Also, bye bye Peter Philipakos. You were a headline (of the 14th page) at one point, but Arena doesn't like unfit players. What about unfit coaches? Anyways, Philipakos is a good enough player that he'll rebound, play somewhere for 6 months, and find his way into the MLS.

- A little news too late to cover last nite, U.S. International and Kansas City Wizard Jimmy Conrad signed a new 4-year deal with the club. This is a good thing and MLS Underground covers it real well. Go there by clicking here.


- Craig Bellamy tries to explain his outburst towards fellow Liverpool man Jon Arne Riise by claiming it was the karaoke that did it. Read all that here. He is a class act man, I hate him but I want him in the MLS. It's the same reason we should all want 86-year old Cauhetamoc Blanco to come to the States, so we could potentially pelt him with batteries J.D. Drew-fashion. And by that, I mean boo very nicely.

* CASA Select meets tomorrow for the first time at my old home, Franklin Field. If you don't know what that is, check it out at www.phillysoccer.org. Fastest growing co-ed soccer league in the Philadelphia metro area. Whether you want to or not, you'll be hearing how things go this season!

South Jersey FC

CASA Soccer will start up again March 17th. South Jersey FC will then have to defend its title which it won posting a record of 10-0-1 and winning it the semi-final and final on nail-biting penalty kicks. I will analyze the roster of yes, my club soccer team, as the season gets closer and also keep up-to-date on the happenings of the newly appointed CASA Select which takes 9 from both the CASA Champions South Jersey FC and the runner-ups Cannons FC. We will be playing various teams from Vermont and New Hampshire for the "La Tezlataca" Trophy in Bridgetown, DE. It is USASA level. For us out of shape, club players this is a big deal. Don't rain on my parade. So far the SJFC schedule looks like this...

MARCH 3 Scrimmage vs. Tenzing FC
MARCH 4-11 Spring CASA Schedule should be announced
MARCH 17 Spring CASA Season Opens vs TBA
MARCH 18 CASA Select in Bridgetown, DE.

Pretty soon, there should also be a logo forthcoming as we're only in our second season of existence...meaning less than 6 months old.



In other news, the Bermuda Hogges look like a real interesting team to support in the upcoming USL2 season. Check them out.