More poll results and Iaquinta, Suazo, Lalas, etc.

Out of the four last contenders for the Gold Cup title, here is what people think...

United States 81% (51 votes)

Mexico 16% (10 votes)

Canada 3% (2 votes)

Not much of a surprise here...but overwhelmingly (although I don't have many Mexican readers) Too Much About Soccer...'s reader think the Yanks will come out on top.

Quick news:

Alexi Lalas threw some shots at the Premiership and the English media. Read the story here.

Milan have won the race for big Honduran target man David Suazo. A cool 11 million Euros is what it took (although new reports from Soccernet are now saying the deal is not fully complete). Juventus countered with a forward acquisition as well, snapping up Vincezo Iaquinta from Udinese for some $22 million. Iaquinta has been consistently phenomenal within Serie A and is looking forward to perform on an even bigger stage.

Finally some rumors involving an American. BBC Sport is reporting that the newly promoted Birmingham Blues are interested in securing Oguchi Onyewu for their attempt at staying in the Premiership.

Middlesbrough has signed Frenchman and Arsenal castoff Jeremie Alliadiere for $3 million. Gareth Southgate's first signing of the off-season.

In somewhat of a coup, Atletico Madrid has signed promising Spanish young'un Raul Garcia from Osasuna for a $17.5 million. With an Intertoto Cup spot in hand, Atletico will be looking to reboud from a somewhat disappointing season with the injection of quality talent (and hopefully keeping Fernando Torres).

Herb-a-what?

Two big pieces of MLS News:

So the reason the Los Angeles Galaxy did not announce a jersey sponsorship deal with Citibank earlier was because it was more of a two potential sponsor race...with Herbalife. The Galaxy yesterday announced a $3.5 to $5 million a year agreement through to 2011 with the nutritional giant Herbalife. So far...the money is good, but the jersey is shite. What happened to the new colors? New logo? When did that get scrapped? Or is it still in the works?


The Bank of Montreal (BMO) has built itself a rather big influence in the Toronto FC organization with the announcement of a jersey sponsorship deal (pretty much in tandem with the LA announcement). First, the stadium. Second, the jerseys. Next?? At least it's better than Herbalife. No word to the logistics of the deal. Anyone got that?


- A flurry of transactions of happened within the MLS recently. They are all up to date in the top right of the this blog. Enjoy.

- There are some great Euro 2008 qualifiers and International Friendlies going on right now. I will round those up tomorrow, but there aren't many on TV in America.

FOR NOW, here are the updated scoring leaders for the big European leagues:

English Premiership

1 Didier Drogba Chelsea 18
2 Cristiano Ronaldo Man Utd 16
3 Wayne Rooney Man Utd 12
Ayegbeni Yakubu Middlesbrough 12
Benedict McCarthy Blackburn 12
6 Andrew Johnson Everton 11
Frank Lampard Chelsea 11
Robin Van Persie Arsenal 11


Spanish Primera Liga

1 Frederic Kanoute FC Sevilla 19
2 Alberto Diego Milito Real Zaragoza 18
3 Ronaldinho Barcelona 17
4 Ruud van Nistelrooy Real Madrid 14
5 Fernando Morientes Valencia 11
6 Raúl Tamudo Espanyol 10
Fernando Baiano Celta Vigo 10
David Villa Valencia 10


Italian Serie A

1 Francesco Totti AS Roma 18
2 Rolando Bianchi Reggina 15
Zlatan Ibrahimovic Inter Milan 15
Luca Toni Fiorentina 15
5 Tommaso Rocchi Lazio 13
Adrian Mutu Fiorentina 13



German Bundesliga

1 Mario Gomez VfB Stuttgart 13
Theofanis Gekas VfL Bochum 13
3 Roy Makaay Bayern Munich 12
4 Alexander Frei Dortmund 11
Kevin Kuranyi Schalke 04 11
Miroslav Klose Werder Bremen 11
Marko Pantelic Hertha Berlin 11


French Ligue 1

1 Steve Savidan Valenciennes 13
2 Aruna Dindane Lens 11
3 Fred Lyon 10
Ismael Bangoura Le Mans 10
Pauleta PSG 10
6 Bafetimbi Gomis St Etienne 9
Seydou Keita Lens 9


Scottish Premier League

1 Kris Boyd Rangers 19
2 Anthony Stokes Falkirk 14
3 Christopher Killen Hibernian 13
4 Steven Naismith Kilmarnock 12
5 Barry Robson Dundee Utd 11
Scott McDonald Motherwell 11
7 Jan Vennegoor of H. Celtic 10
Colin Nish Kilmarnock 10
Darren Mackie Aberdeen 10



Dutch Eredivisie

1 Afonso Alves Heerenveen 25
2 Blaise N'Kufo Twente 19
Danny Koevermans AZ Alkmaar 19
4 Klaas-Jan Huntelaar Ajax 17
Danko Lazovic Vitesse 17
6 Jefferson Farfan PSV Eindhoven 16
7 Wesley Sneijder Ajax 13
Kennedy Bakircioglu Twente 13



Portuguese Liga

1 Sabrosa Simao Benfica 10
Helder Postiga FC Porto 10
3 Aparecido Nei Naval 9
4 Salazar Jose Pedro Belenenses 8
Da Silva Liedson Sporting Lisbon 8
6 Collins Mbesuma Maritimo 7
Lucho Gonzalez FC Porto 7
Roland Linz Boavista 7

Frustration for the Rovers

English Premiership

West Ham United 2, Blackburn 1

I am now convinced that goal-line technology is now needed to ensure proper results. Carlos Tevez effectively blocked his own team's goal by roving on the goal-line. The shot, however, was ruled a goal which disrupted B-burn's game and momentum. Bobby Zamora, West Ham super-sub, got the credit. All in all, Blackburn was the better team but this time, the best team didn't win. A lucky win for Alan Curbishley and yet another review for the FA to take a look at.

WHU: C. Tevez (PEN 71), B. Zamora (75)
BLA: C. Samba (47)

Middlesborough 0, Manchester City 2

The life of Stuart Pearce just got a little easier. Gareth Southgate's life just got a little bit harder. He will come under scruting for leaving big-guns Mark Viduka and Jonathan Woodgate on the sidelines for this clash. A prime example of Man City losing a lot and then taking advantage of a sheer underestimation to gain momentum. DaMarcus Beasley got on in the 84th minute. By then, however, the damage was already done by new Belgian signing Emile Mpenza and French veteran Sylvain Distin.

MID: NONE
MNC: S. Distin (61), E. Mpenza (74)

Tottenham 3, Watford 1

Ben Foster, a young GK phenom, showed his inexperience today. Paul Robinson, an established England international, dealt the blow. Robinson struck a free-kick into the penalty box from his own half (clearly for someone to head). The ball fell however and bounced high, Foster who was out off his line judging the ball jumped to intercept but the ball went clear over his head and into the back of the net. This brought me great pleasure as it was retribution for Paul Robinson who against Croatia last year whiffed on a Gary Neville backpass which ended up in England's goal. To Foster's credit, he bounced back nicely and fought the onslaught from Tottenham. Watford, however, did nothing exciting or remotely productive proving their Championship worth. By the way, that goal was Paul Robinson's second of his career. A far cry from Jose Luis Chilavert, but close enough for a half-assed comparison.


TOT: J. Jenas (41), P. Robinson (63), H. Ghali (85)
WAT: D. Henderson (89)

Manchester United 4, Bolton 1

Manchester United is unstoppable lately. I would love to say it is also because of the new leadership of Americans Malcolm Glazer and his sons but no. However, I can safely say that the change in leadership has given the players something else to play for. They now have to reprove their worth and take whatever distrust and skepticism out on the opponents. Maybe that was the missing ingredient or maybe it never really mattered and football is football. Regardless, Park Ji-Sung and Wayne Rooney headlined this game by striking for two a-piece. We all know who the architect was, however. Cristiano Ronaldo was simply brilliant causing all sorts of trouble on the wings. This Drogba vs. Ronaldo debate shall continue until the bitter end. Anyways, Man U...amazing. They are going to win it all. Small backstep for Man U, though, as Gary Neville had to go off injured. No word on the verdict yet.


MAN: P. Ji-Sung (14, 25), W. Rooney (17, 74)
BOL: G. Speed (PEN 87)

Wigan 0, Fulham 0

Carlos Bocanegra and Brian McBride were quiet and Dempsey didn't get on again. Essentially, this was a bore draw. However, Fulham missed a chance to get a tad higher than 14th and frankly, their play has been crap as of late.

WIG: NONE
FUL: NONE


Chelsea 3, Sheffield United 0

Butt-whooping. In all honesty, not many were expecting anything much different. Chelsea and Man Utd are going win for win. Shevchenko deserves goal of the game with a beautiful volley real early in the game. Solomon Kalou has simply been brilliant as of late and this game was no different as he scored for the 2nd time in 3 games. Shevchenko seems to be slowly adapting to the pace and physical nature of the English Premiership. His touch is improving again (not exactly back to Milan-standard, but certainly close). Also, the fans and media are beginning to change their minds about the approximate 50 million dollar man.


CHE: Shevchenko (4), S. Kalou (17), M.Ballack (58)
SHF: NONE

Reading 0, Portsmouth 0

Reading actually missed the presence of Bobby Convey today. Glen Little hustled on the sideline with several brilliant crosses, but overall, he botched the chances that would have most likely led to results. Regardless, Convey is out. Glen Little is decent on the right and Shane Long has been playing fantastic filling in. These points were critical, however, as Reading and Portsmouth are locked in the European competition struggle. Hard fought game for both. No real stars in this one, except for Portsmouth's Hughes' shot from 30 yards out. Look it up and check it out.

REA: NONE
POR: NONE

Sunday, March 18th

Charlton Athletic 2, Newcastle United 0

The Shandong cast-off Zheng Zhi should have probably had 2-3 goals today and was, by far, the man of the match. Zhi, before coming over to Charlton on loan, had several skeptics as the transfer speculation was very Agustin Delgado-like. This really helps the Addicks out though. Onyewu went all 90 in a rather porous Newcastle back-line.


CHA: Zhi (53), J. Thomas (PEN 88)
NEW: NONE

Everton 1, Arsenal 0

The Gunners' woes continue and Andy Johnson gets the last laugh. Arsenal has been kicked in the teeth within all three competitions they are involved in. No Abou Diaby deflection to save Arsene Wenger this time. The game was fairly even but Everton's physical play clearly intimidated the vulnerable young Gunners. The Toffees had 6 yellows to show for it. David Moyes gave James Vaughan, part of an Everton young'un duo that is showing a lot of promise (Victor Anichebe is the other half), his first start of his Premiership career. Timmy Howard survived several Arsenal barrages and held his own, which is sort of becoming the usual. Goodison Park is a magical place.


EVR: A. Johnson (90)
ARS: NONE

Aston Villa 0, Liverpool 0

Gareth Barry gave Steve McClaren a swift kick in the arse with his great performance against Liverpool. Barry was axed from English national team duty by McClaren along with delinquent Joey Barton. Unfortunately, Barry didn't put one in the net. In fact, not many chances were created for either side. L'pool still get one point closer to third place Arsenal.

AVI: NONE
LIV: NONE

Italian Serie A

Sampdoria 1, Palermo 1

Still no first Serie A appearance from former-Red Bull New York young'un Gabriel Ferrari.

German Bundesliga

VfL Wolfsburg 3, VfL Bochum 1

Kamani Hill saw 3 minutes in Wolfsburg's mastery of Bochum.

French Ligue 1

AS Nancy Lorraine 0, Olympique Lyonnais 3

Not exactly a dominant performance from OL, but the scoreline says all. With 5 shots on goal, OL scored 60% of those shots. In many senses, that is dominance. The 6th Championship in a row now seems a foregone conclusion. I think within the next year or so we are going to see a good many OL players seeking new challenges. Juninho shall be the first to go. It is unfortunate but probably true.

NAN: NONE
LYO: M.Baros (36), K.Kallstrom (76), Fred (81)

Scottish Premier Division

Falkirk 1, Celtic 0

Shared this because the Scottish Premiership minnows Falkirk gave the Hoops a real hard time and actually have a win to show for it. I told you I like upsets.

Other big results:

Recreativo 0, Barcelona 4
Real Madrid 2, Gimnastic 0
FC Sevilla 2, Celta Vigo 0
Ascoli 1, Inter Milan 2
PSV 1, Ajax 5
Heerenveen 4, NAC Breda 2
Hannover 96 0, Hamburg 0
Frankfurt 1, Bayern Munich 0

IN OTHER NEWS:

- Steve Davis writes about how a Cauhotemac Blanco signing could and would be bad news. Read here.



- Greece skipper Otto Rehaggel has shocked pundits by selecting 7 strikers (out of 23) for their upcoming Euro 2008 qualifiers against Turkey and Malta next weekend. He even dropped one. The striker contingent is meant to keep the momentum as they have won their past five matches.

- Inter Milan are preparing a rather significant bid for Chelsea captain and central defensive stalwart John Terry. The bid is supposedly around 20 million pounds (40 million dollars). Inter's purchase of Terry would either shore up a defense that currently has won 16 in a row in the Serie A or it would stir a pot that doesn't necessarily need to be stirred.

- Shalrie Joseph is finally going to show his true colors apparently. He could be leaving the MLS sometime soon. I just hope we can get something along the lines of the offer we got before from Celtic. Here is the article.

Wild Bill Guarnere and Weekend Updates

English FA Cup

Watford 1, Plymouth 0

They might be heading down to the Championship at the end of the Premiership season, but Jay Demerit's Watford boys are making something out of essentially nothing. With a favorable draw, Watford took advantage of young Hameur Bouazza's new-found goalscoring prowess and shot their way to the FA Cup Semifinals. I'm just happy Demerit is tasting some sort of success this season. For what he lacks in skill, he makes up for in 'kahunas' and a lot of heart. None of this, however, changes the fact that Watford was thoroughly outshot and outmaneuvered, but as always, the finisher prevails.


WAT: Bouazza (21)
PLY: NONE

Chelsea 3, Tottenham 3

First Man U and now Chelsea will have to endure a quarterfinal replay. A thriller fro m start to finish. It's Frankie Lampard's world and we're all just livin' in it. The man had two before game's end. Tottenham, however, wouldn't accept the prospect of allowing Lampard to rule the world and, apparently, neither would Chelsea-mate Michael Essien as his own goal put the Hotspur ahead before the half-time whistle. Berbatov, the big Bulgarian Hotspur striker was magical and Egyptian defensive midfielder Hossam Ghaly was not too shabby himself. Solomon Kalou, the young Dutchman, saved Chelsea from a FA Cup quarterfinal bow-out. Overall, it is safe to say the inferiority complex that most Premiership teams were operating under against Chelsea is well.....nullified. I like it that way.

CHE: Lampard (22,71), S. Kalou (86)
TOT: Berbatov (5), M.Essien (OG 28), H. Ghaly (36)

Blackburn 2, Manchester City 0

Brad Friedel went the full 90 for the Rovers and Damarcus Beasley came in for Sun Jihai in the 57th minute for Citeh. Friedel, however, prevailed. Man City never really challenged as South African defender Aaron Mokoena and young Matt Derbyshire made sure the Rovers punched their ticket into the semis. To celebrate his goal, Mokoena decided to find a way to get a red card. Not smart - he'll be out for the semis. City not only has to swallow this loss, but also the thoughts of facing Chelsea this week in the Premiership. Poor Stuart Pearce. Sack up, lad and make something happen.


BLA: A. Mokoena (28), Derbyshire (90)
MCY: NONE

Italian Serie A

Inter Milan 2, AC Milan 1

Cruz's near-miss of a backheel half-volley was the highlight of this match. It also was played at more of a frenetic and errant pace than most Serie A games. Obviously, though, this was no ordinary Serie A match. It was the Milan Derby. Key players were Luis Figo and Zlatan Imbrahimovic both of which you could tell were pushing themselves to the limit. AC Milan scored a beautiful 20-yard goal and acted as Inter's punching bag. He took each hit, though, and got right back up. The guy can still play. By the way, Gennaro Gattuso from AC Milan looks exactly like "Wild" Bill Guarnere (Frank John Hughes) from Band of Brothers. Just add the facial hair.


INT: Cruz (54), Ibrahimovic (75)
ACM: Ronaldo (40)

U.S. Lamar Hunt Pioneer Cup


FC Dallas 0, Columbus 3

I'd say the most exciting thing about this preseason match up was the amount of times the phrase "you know" showed up in game interviews. Between Frankie Hejduk and 19-year old Dax McCarty the phrase should probably never be used again. Speaking of McCarty, though, his play was pretty damn good for that age and I would love to see him on the field more for FC Dallas this year. At times, FSC commentators proceeded to call Alex Yi - Alex Lee, Dax McCarty was Dax McCartney, and Clarence Goodson was Clarence Goodness. Was this the same guy who called the D.C. United vs. CD Olimpia match-up a couple weeks ago? Half-time when posted - will certainly update.

Update: Sigi Schmid's Crew lit a match under their butt in the second half to dispatch of FC Dallas, 3-0. Good play by Dax McCarty, Eddie Gaven, and we even got a glimpse of the new Crew acquisition, Robbie Rogers. Stefani Miglioranzi (i.e. the injury king) also assisted on each of Columbus' 3 goals.

CLB: Ngwenya (58), Kei Kamara (62), A. Chandler (86)
DAL: NONE

Scoring Leaders Update

ENGLISH PREMIERSHIP

1 Didier Drogba Chelsea 17
2 Cristiano Ronaldo Man Utd 16
3 Ayegbeni Yakubu M'Bro 12
4 Robin Van Persie Arsenal 11
5 Obafemi Martins Newcastle 10
Thierry Henry Arsenal 10
Frank Lampard Chelsea 10
Wayne Rooney Man Utd 10
Benedict McCarthy Blackburn 10
Andrew Johnson Everton 10
Kevin Doyle Reading 10
Nwankwo Kanu Portsmouth 10
13 Brian McBride Fulham 9



SERIE A

1 Francesco Totti Roma 14
2 Luca Toni Fiorentina 13
3 Gionatha Spinesi Catania 12
Rolando Bianchi Reggina 12
5 Zlatan Ibrahimovic Inter 11
Adrian Mutu Fiorentina 11
7 Tommaso Rocchi Lazio 10
C. Lucarelli Livorno 10
Fabio Quagliarella Sampdoria 10
Vincenzo Iaquinta Udinese 10
Cristiano Doni Atalanta 10


GERMAN BUNDESLIGA

1 Mario Gomez Stuttgart 13
2 Kevin Kuranyi Schalke 04 11
Roy Makaay Bayern 11
Miroslav Klose Werder 11
Marko Pantelic H. Berlin 11
6 Theofanis Gekas VfL Bochum 10
7 Sergiu Radu Cottbus 9
Ivan Saenko Nurnberg 9
Alexander Frei Dortmund 9
Diego Werder 9


FRENCH LIGUE 1

1 Steve Savidan Valenciennes 13
2 Aruna Dindane Lens 10
Pauleta PSG 10
4 Frederic Piquionne Monaco 9
Aruajo Ilan St Etienne 9
6 Ismael Bangoura Le Mans 8
Fred Lyon 8
Kanga Akale Auxerre 8
Karim Ziani Sochaux 8
Juninho Lyon 8



DUTCH EREDIVISIE

1 Afonso Alves Heerenveen 22
2 Danny Koevermans AZ Alkmaar 18
Blaise N'Kufo Twente 18
4 Danko Lazovic Vitesse 16
5 Jefferson Farfan PSV 15
6 Klaas J. Huntelaar Ajax 12
K. Bakircioglu Twente 12
Wesley Sneijder Ajax 12


SPANISH PRIMERA LIGA

1 Frederic Kanoute FC Sevilla 18
2 Ronaldinho Barcelona 16
3 Diego Milito Zaragoza 15
4 Ruud v. Nistelrooy Real Madrid 11
5 Fernando Baiano Celta Vigo 10
David Villa Valencia 10
7 Raul Tamudo Espanyol 9
Fernando Morientes Valencia 9



The pictures are of the respective scoring leaders. You got any questions on the leaders themselves? Ask me. I will help you out.

Games on TV this Week

Tuesday, February 27th

Manchester United v. Reading (FA Cup 5th Round Replay)
3 PM, FSC

Reading just need to do what they've been doing all year, except even better. Man U is on a tear and not even Marcus Hahnemann, Kevin Doyle, or Mr. Leroy Lita himself is enough to scare the Red Devils.
Prediction: 2-1, the Royals fight but give in to a Nemanja Vidic header and Cristiano Ronaldo strike. Lita does get one for the Royals.

Wednesday, February 28th

Blackburn v. Arsenal (FA Cup 5th Round Replay)
3 PM, FSC

Blackburn will have its hands full. Though they could have some help from the FA on this one. Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Adebayor could be out for this match due to their roles in the 90th minute brawl in the Carling Cup final this past weekend. Look for Frenchman Jeremie Aliadiere or Julio Baptista to get the start in place of Adebayor. He's decent, but containable. American GK Brad Friedel will certainly be tested in this one.
PREDICTION: Blackburn 3-2. Yes, a high score I know. It will be scrappy but both Benni McCarthy and Shabani Nonda will contribute in this one with David Bentley hitting the third. Thierry Henry will score 1, Van Persie the other.

Lazio v. Catania (Serie A)
5 PM, FSC

Watch this for Goran Pandev. He's pretty damn good. Macedonian strikers often don't get a lot of press though. At 23, he's got 27 caps for the Macedonian national team with 10 goals. He's already got 7 this year for Lazio and 11 last year in the Serie A.



Real Betis v. Sevilla (La Liga)
5:30 PM, GOL TV

Sevilla is the team of the season so far. With Frederic Kanoute in crazy form and recent Russian signing (a while ago) Alexandr Kerzakhov, Sevilla has as strong a strikeforce as any. Add in young Brazilian Daniel Alves at right wingback and Italian Enzo Maresca, Danish Christian Poulsen, and the young, talented Spaniard, Antonio Puerta and you have an international mix of damn-goodness. If you don't want to watch a new team - you can watch Barcelona take on Real Zaragoza at 3 PM on Gol TV or you can see Inter take on Udinese at 9 PM same channel. All three and you're a nut.

Thursday, March 1st

D.C. United v. CD Olimpia (2nd Leg, CONCACAF Champions Leg)
7 PM, FSC

With the aggregate at 4-1, United really has to screw this one up to not push through to the semis. Look for the Moose to get more time and we might even see the newbie 17 year old Bryan Arguez. That Palacios guy though is big trouble.
Prediction: 1-0, Luciano Emilio.


Houston Dynamo v. Puntarenas (2nd Leg, CONCACAF Champions Leg)
9 PM, FSC

Down 1-0 on aggregate, the hole is not that deep to get out of. I can't imagine Brian Ching, Brian Mullan, or Dwayne DeRosario letting this one slip through their fingers.
However, the odds are against them. I have faith.
Prediction: 1-0, Dalglish scores - Houston wins on PKs cause they like to do that.

Saturday, March 3rd

Newcastle v. Middlesbrough (Premiership)
11 AM, FSC

Finally, Oguchi Onyewu on TV. Hopefully, they don't cough up three more points to a team they shouldn't (they lost to near bottom dwellers Wigan 1-0).
Prediction: 2-1, Lee Cattermole the young M'Boro defensive midfield scores on a 30 yard shot, but both Scott Parker and Obafemi Martins scores two second-half goals to save the win at St. James Park.


Manchester City v. Wigan (Premiership)
2:30 PM, FSC

Odds are Damarcus Beasley won't get in til the 60th minute onwards. The game will certainly be scrappy and probably going to end up a 0-0 draw. With 1 point in their last 4 games, however, Man Citeh needed this win desperately. New free transfer signing Emile Mpenza, pretty decent Belgian dude, will look to help Citeh NOT repeat their last performance against Wigan.
PREDICTION: 1-0, Man City pull a win off a controversial goal by Hatem Trabelsi. You probably thought I was gonna say Joey Barton.

Sunday, March 4th

West Ham United v. Tottenham (Premiership)
11 AM, FSC

The relegation battle continues although it seems pretty safe to say that WHU will be playing Championship ball again next year. If there is a guy capable of leading a team out of the cellar I would hope it would be Carlos Tevez. He's gaining form. Slowly but surely. Spector should be back in the line-up, back from a yellow card accumulation suspension. Dimotar Berbatov, however, has been ridiculous as of late.
PREDICTION: 3-1, Tottenham - Berbatov 1, Defoe as a sub scores 1, Lennon 1, a Calum Davenport against his old team pulls one, just one, back.

Other important televised games:

EPL --------- Portsmouth v. Chelsea, Saturday 3/3 12 PM
Serie A ----- Lazio v. Sampdoria, Sunday 3/4 9 AM (American ex-Red Bull Gabriel Ferrari might get into this one!)
Bundesliga -- Schalke 04 v. Hamburg, Friday 3/2 2:30 PM (no Benny Feilhaber unless some injuries happen over the week)

There are others I know. These were my personal selection. Check out www.soccernet.com or www.foxsoccer.com to find the rest!

Hopefully, I will have a Lyon game preview before their match vs. Saint Etienne on Saturday, March 3rd.

Fulham's Thrashing

A 4-0 loss to the Tottenham Hotspur just makes me angry. How does a team with such decent momentum get slaughtered like that (and it was a slaughtering). There was no real sign of life from any one, even McBride really. My question is, Bocanegra and Dempsey both sat on the bench. Why? They are coming off a well-deserved high of beating the Tricolores, why keep them on the bench? Helguson is doody. Give someone else a chance. Play the Americans. That goes for you Stuart Pearce leaving Damarcus Beasley on the bench while Hatem Trabelsi playing rather pisspoor for Citeh.

In other news:

- Kamani Hill has a nice showing for Wolfsburg. Setting up the restart that led to Klimowicz's game-tying header is not too shabby.

- Doesn't look like Gabriel Ferrari got in the line-up for Serie A side Sampdoria. Not too worried, he'll get his time soon enough. I've seen this kid play, he's good. No Johnny Exantus though.

- Check out Goran Pandev of Lazio. This big Macedonian can play. He single-handedly trounced Torino today with two goals and a boatload of troublesome shots. Maybe that was because he was against Torino.

- The Red Bulls look strong this offseason. I actually like what their line-up is shaping up to be. The midfield looks as strong as any. Van Den Bergh, Reyna, Schopp, possibly Kovalenko (if he sticks around). Only problem is not enough pace on the wings but when you have a right-fullback like Marvell Wynne you don't need any. Regardless, it will be interesting to see how this shapes up.

Very shortly, I will be posting my MLS predictions for the year, based on past performance and off-season action. Not to mention probable lineups. Should be interesting. Hopefully Fulham rebounds, that would make me happier.

Tidbit of the Week:

Read the book "Castel di Sangro". A great insight into the nature of the Italian game and its fight between off-field and on-field passions/goals. An American journalist travels to this small town Castel di Sangro, a Serie B team at the time (after a long line of fortunate and somewhat controversial wins). He meets, greets, assimilates, gets attached, and then proceeds to try and influence what has already taken control of a city that obsesses over its' soccer. I would love to say more, but I am no book critic. Just read it, as a soccer fan, you will like it.