The Official 2010 Pre- World Cup Thread

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[b][size="5"]Fans would give up food, jobs for World Cup glory?[/size][/b]

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[font="arial, helvetica, sans"][size=4](Reuters) - What would you sacrifice to see your country win soccer's World Cup? Food for a week, according to a survey that also found fans willing to lose a limb for their team's glory.[/size][/font]
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[size="4"]Fifty-one percent of respondents to the tongue-in-cheek survey of 20,000 people, who live in North America but hail from countries with teams in the June 11-July 11 World Cup, said they would starve themselves for a week if that would bring victory to their national squad.[/size]

[size="4"]More than 40 percent offered to give up dating for a year, while seven percent said they would gladly give up their job to see their country win the title.[/size]

[size="4"]A further four percent were willing to give away a body part.[/size]

[size="4"]The survey was conducted by U.S.-based international calling firm VIP Communications Inc (www.JoinVIP.com) ahead of the South African extravaganza featuring 32 nations.[/size]

[size="4"]It found that a majority of English respondents -- 93 percent -- would give up food for a week to see England win, while some 70 percent of Italians would give up their job for an Italian victory.[/size]

[size="4"]Americans were most willing to sacrifice their homes, while South Koreans were most ready to sacrifice their love life.[/size]

[size="4"]And the people least willing to make a sacrifice?[/size]

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[font="arial, helvetica, sans"][size="4"]The survey found that only 3 percent of Slovakians would give up anything to improve their country's chances of victory.[/size][/font][/quote]



[url="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE63K20E20100421"]http://www.reuters.c...E63K20E20100421[/url]

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[b][size=5]Injured Essien fears he may miss World Cup[/size][/b]
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[color="#111111"][font="arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif"][size="2"]LONDON (AP)—Ghana midfielder Michael Essien fears he may miss the World Cup because of a knee injury.Ghana's top player injured a hamstring while playing for Chelsea against APOEL Nicosia in the European Champions League on Dec. 8.

He returned to play the second half for Ghana against Ivory Coast in the African Cup of Nations of Jan. 15, then injured his right knee two days later during training. He had hoped to return to action for Chelsea before the Premier League season ends next month, but has had setbacks in his rehabilitation.

"To be honest, it is possible my season for Chelsea may be over," Essien said Wednesday on his website. "It is still down to the medical team but it looks more unlikely that I will play for Chelsea again this season."

Ghana opens the World Cup on June 13 against Serbia, then plays Australia on June 18 and Germany on June 23. If the Black Stars advance to the second round, they could play the U.S. in a rematch of a 2006 World Cup first-round game they won 2-1.

"As at now I don't know. I am just taking it day by day, and if I can make it I will," he said. "If not then I will have sit at home and support the team like every Ghanaian. Until I know how the injury improves in the coming days and weeks, it will be difficult to say whether I will make the World Cup or not."

[/size][/font][/color][color="#111111"][font="arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif"][size="2"]Essien helped Ghana reached the second round of the 2006 World Cup in its first appearance at the tournament. He was suspended for the second-round 3-0 loss to Brazil after getting a yellow card against the U.S.—that even then-American coach Bruce Arena criticized referee Markus Merk for awarding[/size][/font][/color] [/quote]



[url="http://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/news?slug=ap-wcup-ghana-essien"]http://sports.yahoo....up-ghana-essien[/url]

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[b][size=6]South Africa issues free visas for World Cup[/size][/b]
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[/size][font="arial, helvetica, sans"][size="2"][size=4](Reuters) - South Africa is issuing visas free of charge to World Cup ticket-holders in a bid to entice more foreign fans to snap up unsold seats.[/size][color="#CCCCCC"] [/color]

[size="4"]Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Malusi Gigaba told Reuters that visa fees, normally costing 425 rand ($57), would be waived for fans who held a ticket.[/size]

[size="4"]"Visas will be issued free of charge to anybody who possesses a FIFA World Cup ticket or the certificate that proves that they have purchased their ticket.[/size]

[size="4"]"These visas will be provided in South Africa's foreign missions and we have made available these visas to about 112 missions abroad," Gigaba said in a telephone interview.[/size]

[size="4"]World Cup organizers launched a drive last week to sell hundreds of thousands of tickets -- many of them returned from abroad or by corporate sponsors -- before the tournament begins on June 11.[/size]

[size="4"]Estimates for the number of foreigners coming to South Africa for the World Cup, first to be held on the continent, have recently been sharply reduced from 450,000 to 200,000.[/size]

[size="4"]Nationals of countries who do not need visas to enter South Africa, like Britain, will be unaffected by the new scheme.[/size]

[size="4"]"It is the first time it is happening in the world. No other country has done something like this and its specially designed around facilitating easier travel for the World Cup," ministry spokesman Ricky Naidoo said.[/size]

[size="4"]Gigaba dismissed concerns expressed on radio phone-in programs and elsewhere that foreigners would use the free visas to enter the country and stay on after the World Cup.[/size]

[size="4"]"We should as South Africans be preparing to welcome all the hundreds of thousands of visitors expected to come and watch the World Cup, " Gigaba said.[/size]

[size="4"]"But instead of doing that some of us are busy obsessing about people who will not be returning to their countries ...this is wholly inappropriate, it goes against the grain of us having made the bid to host the World Cup in the first instance."[/size]

[/size][/font][font="arial, helvetica, sans"][size="4"]He said anybody who overstayed their visa would be tracked down and deported in the normal way.[/size][/font] [/quote]



[url="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE63J41Y20100420"]http://www.reuters.c...E63J41Y20100420[/url]

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[color="#FF0000"][color="#000000"][size="5"]Davies still hopeful despite Sochaux president's remarks

[/size][b][size="1"]by [/size][url="http://www.socceramerica.com/author/45/paul-kennedy/"][size="1"]Paul Kennedy[/size][/url][size="1"], April 22nd, 2010 3:10PM[/size][/b][/color][/color]

[color="#FF0000"][AMERICANS ABROAD][/color] [b]Alexandre Lacombe[/b], president of French club Sochaux, said [b]Charlie Davies[/b] will not play for the Ligue 1 club this season, dealing a blow to the striker's bid to make the U.S. World Cup team after suffering multiple injuries in a car accident last October. But the 23-year-old striker remains hopeful he'll play.

Davies has been rehabilitating in France for two months and hoped to return to action this spring.

"He will not play again in Ligue 1 this season," Lacombe [url="http://www.estrepublicain.fr/fr/sport/sport-franc-comtois/info/3029305-SPORTS-FRANCHE-COMTE-L1-Bien-finir-a-Bonal"]told[/url] L'Est Republicain. "He is in good health and that's the main thing."

Davies resumed training at Sochaux last month, saying he was "closer and closer to being back" and it was "great to prove people wrong." Despite Lacombe's remarks, Davies still hopes to resume playing soon.

"I am still very hopeful of playing this season. We will see come the next couple of weeks," Davies [url="http://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/news?slug=ap-davies-sochaux"]told[/url] AP on Thursday. "I've made so much progress to get to where I am now that it's not impossible for me to play this season."

Davies says playing in the World Cup has motivated him during his recovery.

"Since leaving his wheelchair, he has gone through a lot physically to come back," Lacombe added. "We know he could well suffer a blow to his morale if he misses the World Cup, the beacon that has guided him since his accident."

Davies' injuries included two broken bones in his right leg, a broken and dislocated left elbow, a broken nose, forehead and eye socket, a ruptured bladder and bleeding on the brain.

His elbow injuries in particular have been a concern.

While the deadline for the U.S. World Cup coach [b]Bob Bradley[/b] to name his short list of 30 players is May 11, he has until June 1 to cut that list down to 23 players.

Bradley will [url="http://www.socceramerica.com/article/37748/usa-will-train-at-princeton.html"]hold[/url] an eight-day camp at Princeton University. Players and coaches will begin to report May 15 for the eight-day camp. The first training session is scheduled for May 17 at Roberts Field.

Davies isn't the only starter from the 2009 Confederations Cup runner-up team who has been sidelined.

[b]Oguchi Onyewu[/b] injured his knee a day after Davies' accident and hasn't played for AC Milan since then.

[b]Ricardo Clark[/b] hasn't played for Eintracht Frankfurt's first team since arriving from the Houston Dynamo in January.

[b]Stuart Holden[/b] suffered a broken leg in last month's U.S. friendly against the Netherlands but hopes to return to action for Bolton Wanderers before the end of the English Premier League season on May 9. [/quote]



[url="http://www.socceramerica.com/article/37765/davies-still-hopeful-despite-sochaux-presidents-r.html"]http://www.soccerame...esidents-r.html[/url]

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[color=#FF0000][color=#000000][size=5]Dempsey: 'We're so close to the final ...'

[/size][b][size=1]April 22nd, 2010 6:18PM[/size][/b][/color][/color]
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[color=#FF0000][EUROPA LEAGUE] [/color]Seventeen hours on the bus didn't stop Fulham from achieving what it set out to do as the visiting Cottagers held Hamburg to a 0-0 tie Thursday in the first leg of their Europe League semifinal series. American [b]Clint Dempsey[/b], who came on in the second half for his first appearance for Fulham in 18 days, is confident the Cottagers can get the job done in next week's second leg.

Goalie [b]Mark Schwarzer [/b]was the Fulham star, stopping[b] Jonathan Pitroipa[/b], [b]Piotr Trochowski[/b] and [b]David Jarolim[/b] in the second half.

Like Barcelona and Lyon in the Champions League and Liverpool in the Europa League, Fulham had to travel by bus to their away game because of the disruption in air travel across Europe caused by the Icelandic volcano.

Fulham was the only visiting semifinalists that didn't lose. Liverpool fell at Atletico Madrid, 1-0, on Thursday.

Fulham's 600-mile journey to Hamburg included a three-hour delay in traffic on a German freeway.

“We’re happy with the result tonight and the next leg’s back at home so we’re in a good position to get the job done next week," Dempsey [url="http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2010/April/DempseyHamburgReaction.aspx#ixzz0ltVwfRSo"]told[/url] fulhamfc.com. "Personally, I felt good tonight. I felt sharp and I thought I made a difference tonight.

Given the Cottagers' good record at home, Dempsey believes can win next week's game and return to Hamburg for the final on May 22.

“It would be great for Fulham and great for the players to reach the final," Dempsey added. "We’re so close to the final and we’ll be doing everything to make sure we’re there.”

[color=#FF0000]April 22 in Hamburg[/color]
[b]Hamburg 0 Fulham 0.[/b]
[b]Hamburg -- [/b]Rost, Demel (Rincon, 82), Boateng, Mathijsen, Aogo, Trochowski, Ze Roberto, Jarolim, Pitroipa, Van Nistelrooy, Guerrero (Petric, 72).
[b]Fulham -- [/b]Schwarzer; Baird, Hughes, Hangeland, Konchesky, Duff, Etuhu, Murphy, Davies, Gera, Zamora (Dempsey, 52).
[b]Referee:[/b] Claus Bo Larsen (Denmark).
[b]Att.:[/b] 49,171. [/quote]




[url="http://www.socceramerica.com/article/37767/dempsey-were-so-close-to-the-final.html"]http://www.socceramerica.com/article/37767/dempsey-were-so-close-to-the-final.html[/url]

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[b][size=5]Buddle budding at right time: Will he get call?[/size][/b]
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[/i][i][size=1]By RONALD BLUM[/size][/i][size=1]The Associated Press
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NEW YORK -- Edson Buddle has had soccer stardom in his name from birth.

His father Winston, a player himself, named his son after the man considered the greatest in the sport's history: Pele, whose real name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento.

"I thought Pele would be too much pressure," Winston Buddle said this week. "Edson not many people would know.'"

By summer, most U.S. sports fans could know the name.

Edson Buddle hasn't played for the U.S. national team since 2003 but has put himself into consideration for next month's final training camp ahead of the World Cup. The 28-year-old New Yorker has seven goals - count 'em, all seven of his team's goals - to help the Los Angeles Galaxy to a 4-0 start in Major League Soccer.

Because of injuries to Charlie Davies and Brian Ching, the U.S. is uncertain which forwards it will select for its 23-man roster. There are two candidates so unexpected they weren't even picked for last month's exhibition at the Netherlands - Puebla's Herculez Gomez and Buddle.

One named after a mythological Greek hero, the other named after a real Brazilian one.

"I've always thought Edson was a player that could run really hot and cold, and that when it looked like he was really in tune with things and working hard and focused at the right moment, he was extremely dangerous," said Jason Kreis, coach of MLS champion Real Salt Lake. "Edson has shown on multiple occasions in every single season that he's a very, very capable and gifted striker and could be exactly what our national team needs, just with his athletic abilities alone.'"

Eager fans have been debating the pair on Internet message boards, wondering whether U.S. coach Bob Bradley thinks this Bud's for him or is willing to give Mighty Herculez a lift

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Buddle, 6-foot-1 and a strong 185 pounds, has been a MLS lifer. After growing up north of New York City in Westchester County, he spent 1999 at State Fair Community College in Sedalia, Mo., and won the national junior college title.After a season with the Long Island Rough Riders in the A-League, he played for Columbus for five years. He wound his way through Toronto, New York and Los Angeles over the next two seasons, finally finding a home with the Galaxy alongside Landon Donovan and David Beckham.

Playing two years ago for then-Galaxy coach Ruud Gullit was a key turning point. Gullit was European player of the year in 1987 and captained the Dutch to the European Championship title the next year.
"He was a forward, and he told me I wasn't really playing the role right. And he showed me what I need to do," Buddle recalled this week during an interview with The Associated Press. "He taught me how to stay high, stay high and post up my guy, and movements up in the attacking third. Make sure you look when you shoot. Play with a little bit more conviction, you know? I tend to seem like I'm not trying with my, with my body language."

Buddle has had far more an up-and-down career than a consistent one. After scoring 15 league goals in 2008 - his highest total since 2004 - he dropped to five last season. His injuries read like a medical school orthopedics final - torn right meniscus (1998), torn right quadriceps (2002), Achilles' tendinitis (2003-8), torn left quadriceps (2009), sprained toe (2009).

This year he's healthy, after spending the offseason in California working out rather than returning to New York. His scoring has been unprecedented in the 15-season history of MLS. With one goal against New England, and two each against Chivas USA, Houston and Real Salt Lake, he became the first player to score seven goals in the first four games.

"When you are consistently injured, you lack confidence in a lot of things. So being healthy for a long period of time, he's more confident and more consistent without having to start fresh all the time," said current Galaxy coach Bruce Arena, the former coach of the U.S. national team. "I think the biggest thing about him is he's a big, strong mobile forward that can hold the ball and score goals, and he's good in front of the goal."

Still, it's hard to figure out how the MLS hot streak would translate to fast-paced international play.

"Right now it's electricity in a bottle, and it's certainly impressive to watch," Kreis said, "but it's only four games."

Buddle admits he wasn't the most dedicated player when he was younger. His father says that stems from the way he learned the game.

Winston Buddle, now 53, was born in Jamaica and played there for Montego Bay's Seba United. He says he went on to stints with Iraklis Thessaloniki in Greece and Anorthosis Famagusta in Cyprus, later winding up with the New Jersey Americans and Jersey Eagles of the American Soccer League.



Father couldn't wait to play soccer with his son.

"The ball was there before he was born. It was in the crib waiting for him," he said. "It was nice to have a son to kick the ball around with."

Saying he followed the tradition he knew from Jamaica, Winston Buddle had his son play ball with older men.


"From Day One he showed up, he had talent," said the father, who runs the Golden Touch Soccer training center in New Rochelle. "Any time we have a talented player that's young, you always have him play the big boys. Edson was a scorer, so it would cover up his lack of work rate off the ball and knowledge of the game. It was very hard as a parent, for his dad as coach, to motivate him because he was making everything at full speed."
And perhaps that was a cause of some of the injuries.

"He never put in all the running, so he jumps from not running hard, to not training hard," Winston Buddle said.

Edson's talent showed quickly. He was selected for the U.S. team at the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship for players under 20, on the roster in Argentina alongside future national team starters Landon Donovan, DaMarcus Beasley, Oguchi Onyewu, Bobby Convey and Conor Casey. Buddle entered as a second-half substitute and scored the final goal in the 4-1 first-round win over Chile.

"I remember Convey dribbling the ball and passing it to Beasley and him passing it to me, and just making sure I put the ball on target. I was just so happy to score for my country," Buddle said.

He finally got to make his national team debut on March 29, 2003, under Arena, replacing Brian McBride in the 80th minute of a 2-0 exhibition win over Venezuela at Seattle. Buddle got hurt shortly after that and those 11 minutes are his entire national team resume, quite a short and distant C.V. for a possible World Cup selection.

But now the goal-scoring spurt is coming at a time when Davies is fighting to regain fitness following severe injuries sustained in an October car crash, and Ching is out after injuring a hamstring April 1 in Houston's season opener. There could be an opening at forward alongside Jozy Altidore ahead of the U.S.'s first World Cup match against England on June 12.

"The national team coaches are always watching. Being in the program so long, they know who I am. So it's not like they're unfamiliar of how I play," Buddle said. "You've just got to keep working hard. You can't just be a little bit better than the guy to take anyone's position. My dad always told me you've got to be three times better than the next person to take the next step forward."

His attributes are clear.

"I'm a target player. I like to help my team join the attack, I would say, I have good feet. I would say. I think I'm good on crosses," Buddle said. "I'm deceptionally fast. I have long legs. I'm a goal scorer."


He is in the final season of his MLS contract, a deal that earned him $179,950 last year. If he keeps scoring at this rate, he'll get a big raise from the Galaxy or wind up with a European club.

"If he's continuing to perform the way he's performing, he's going to have a lot of options," said his agent, Richard Motzkin.

Fitting for someone who has always been tied to soccer's most famous star.



"When I played travel soccer, guys knew who Pele was but they never expected me to live up to that name," he said.

They were even in the same place at the same time, at Giants Stadium in April 2006.

"I didn't shake his hand," Buddle said. "We crossed paths and I got the opportunity to see him in person."

Winston Buddle said his wife went along with naming their son Edson. It wasn't a problem.

"You have the next one," he remembered telling her.

And she did, choosing their daughter's name, Audrey.

However, he reserved the right to make the decision if their second child was a son. After all, Pele isn't his only beloved Brazilian soccer star.

"If I had another boy," Winston Buddle said, "I would name him Zico."[size="3"][/quote][/size]

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[size="3"][url="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/22/AR2010042204578.html"]http://www.washingto...0042204578.html[/url][/size]

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[b][size="5"]Coyle: Holden closer to resuming training[/size][/b]
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[font="verdana"]BOLTON, England (AP) -American midfielder Stuart Holden is closer to resuming training with Bolton, 1 1/2 months after breaking his right leg while playing for the United States.The 24-year-old, injured March 3 by a challenge from the Netherlands' Nigel de Jong, still hasn't resumed full training, Bolton manager Owen Coyle said Thursday on the team's website.

"Stuart is coming on leaps and bounds from where he was when he picked up the injury,'' Coyle said. "He is getting stronger by the day. and although he isn't ready to join in with training today, he is getting closer.''

Holden hopes to return for Bolton's final Premier League games, at Tottenham on May 1 and home against Birmingham on May 9.

"What I would say to add balance is that we won't be rushing him into any game that he isn't ready to play in,'' Coyle said. "We would love to have him fit and available to play a Premier League game before the end of the season, but he is going to have to be at 100 percent because I won't jeopardize his longterm future,''

[/font][font="verdana"]Holden, who joined Bolton in January from Major League Soccer's Houston Dynamo, hopes to make the U.S. World Cup roster. The Americans report to Princeton, N.J., on May 15 and start training two days later for the tournament. They open June 12 against England.[/font] [/quote]


[url="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/soccer/wires/04/23/2050.ap.soc.bolton.holden.1st.ld.writethru.0301/index.html"]http://sportsillustr...0301/index.html[/url]

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[color=#FF0000][color=#000000][size=5]Sharp form of unproven players complicates U.S. World Cup prep

[/size][b][size=1]by [/size][url="http://www.socceramerica.com/author/49/ridge-mahoney/"][size=1]Ridge Mahoney[/size][/url][size=1], April 23rd, 2010 4:20PM[/size][/b][/color][/color]
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[color=#FF0000][MY VIEW][/color] In a few weeks, maybe sooner, U.S. coach [b]Bob Bradley[/b]will make known his selections for a pre-World Cup training camp, and I don't envy his task.

Injured players in every position except goalkeeper (knock on wood for [b]Tim Howard[/b] to stay healthy) cast dark clouds over the roster. The shadows are deepest at forward; the steady but slow progress of [b]Charlie Davies[/b] has precluded him from playing for Sochaux this season and [b]Brian Ching[/b] will be hobbled until next month. [b]Clint Dempsey[/b] has just come back from an injury layoff and should be fit for the World Cup, but still there are open slots for the forward spots.

The excellent form of [b]Edson Buddle[/b] and [b]Herculez Gomez[/b] would seem to be reason enough to invite them into camp, at least, though neither has more than token U.S. duty on their resumes. Had this World Cup been played last year, the same din would have been heard for [b]Robbie Findley[/b], [b]Conor Casey[/b] and [b]Jeff Cunningham[/b], who scored a combined 45 goals in MLS last year.

While form can be fleeting, class is intrinsic. A bad game or even a poor month doesn’t make [b]Landon Donovan[/b] a stiff. After [b]Brian McBride[/b]’s contributions in the 1998 and 2002 World Cup and his consistent scoring for the national team, there was no way he wasn’t going to the 2006 World Cup if healthy, no matter how good or bad his club form may have been.

When you have a player of class in great form, you get performances like [b]Lionel Messi[/b] hitting all four goals in a 4-1 Barcelona rout of Arsenal, or [b]Wayne Rooney[/b] running rampant. But when even a great player like Messi dips in form, he can be nullified by a good team, as Inter proved this week in throttling Barca, 3-1.

Like players, teams can hit peaks and valleys of form. Along with sound tactics devised by [b]Jose Mourinho[/b], who deployed [b]Esteban Cambiasso[/b] and [b]Thiago Motti [/b]to harass Messi whenever he got on the ball in midfield, Inter out-thought and outfought Barca all over the field. The roles could be reversed in the second leg next week at Barcelona, so transitory can be the form of players and teams, and sometimes, even coaches.

This is the conundrum faced by Bradley. If Buddle is picked for the World Cup but goes off-form, can he still help the USA? Dempsey and Donovan can contribute even on their mediocre days; can the same be said of Buddle, Casey, Findley and Cunningham, all of whom in the past two or three years have sparkled during hot streaks and also lurched through barren stretches?

Ideally, players will hit top form during the World Cup, but coaches can't count on this even though they strive for it. A player at his physical peak can struggle against top competition if his instincts, touch, vision and acumen aren’t up to snuff. Coaches cannot rely on a brief training camp and a few run-up friendlies to imbue players with talents and abilities and accomplishments they have yet to display and probably aren’t capable of.

Last year, the clamor for Casey and Cunningham grew deafening; Casey scored twice in the historic 3-2 triumph in San Pedro Sula, yet didn’t impress at all a few days later against Costa Rica at RFK. Findley’s regular-season and playoff goals for champion RSL last year earned him callups to the January and February camps; were his innocuous performances a function of offseason rust, or a true measure of his capabilities at the international level?

Since then, fans who trumpeted the cause of others have jumped on Gomez & Buddle Bandwagon. Fans and media pundits can focus on who’s playing well right now in their league, which is a neatly confined universe. Bradley’s task is to evaluate their past and present performances, and look into the vastly more daunting dimension of this World Cup: the world’s biggest sporting event that will be played in a Southern Hemisphere winter against fiercer competition and harsher environments than most of his players have ever encountered.

Without that proven international track record, any neophyte is a gamble. A great game, or run of games, in MLS doesn’t make Buddle even a good international player. Has the Gomez of Puebla truly transformed into something special, or is he simply hitting the best form, never to be duplicated, of his club career?

Twenty years ago, an intense public outcry prompted [b]Azeglio Vicini[/b], coach of the Italian national team, to pick a Sicilian striker named [b]Salvatore Schillaci[/b], who'd been banging in goals for Juventus. Schillaci scored on his international debut against Austria in the 1990 World Cup and led the competition with six goals. (Only the USA managed to keep him off the scoresheet.)

It turned out to be the peak of his career. He scored only one more goal for Italy, moved to Inter while battling injuries, and ended his career as the first Italian to play in the J-League (for Jubilo Iwata). Vicini had hit the jackpot on a player in great form, but Schillaci had been scoring in Serie A, not MLS or the Mexican league.

[b]DaMarcus Beasley[/b] dazzled at the 2002 World Cup, and three years later, was in outstanding form as PSV Eindhoven lost a tough two-leg semifinal to AC Milan. But he played sparingly for PSV the following season leading up to the 2006 World Cup, and he struggled as the Americans went out after three games. Then-coach [b]Bruce Arena[/b] picked Beasley on the basis of what he’d done during the course of his career, not just the last few months, and got burned.

Given the dearth of options, Bradley may well roll the dice on a Buddle or Gomez or Findley or Cunningham. He could also project the brief yet impressive performances of [b]Alejandro Bedoya[/b] into the World Cup cauldron and judge him as worthy of a roster spot despite his youth and inexperience. Whatever he decides, he will use his decades of experience and the observations spread across the totality of a player’s career, and not just obsess on the past few months, as others are wont to do. [/quote]



[url="http://www.socceramerica.com/article/37780/sharp-form-of-unproven-players-complicates-us-wo.html"]http://www.socceramerica.com/article/37780/sharp-form-of-unproven-players-complicates-us-wo.html[/url]

[MAGICTOUCH]

[quote]
[color=#FF0000][color=#000000][size=5]Five matches we're following ...

[/size][b][size=1]April 24th, 2010 2:37AM[/size][/b][/color][/color]
[color=#FF0000]
[/color]
[color=#FF0000][AMERICANS ABROAD][/color] [b]Maurice Edu[/b] and [b]DaMarcus Beasley[/b] could be celebrating another Scottish title on Sunday, while [b]Jozy Altidore[/b]and[b] [/b][b]Jonathan Spector [/b]fight to avoid relegation on Saturday. Here's five games involving Americans abroad we're following this weekend ...
[b]Jozy Altidore: [/b]Hull City vs. Sunderland (Saturday: 10 am ET)
[i]The Tigers must win if they want to have any realistic chance of staying in the EPL.[/i]
[b]
Jonathan Spector: [/b]West Ham United vs. Wigan (Saturday: 10 am ET)
[i]The Hammers begin the weekend with a three-point cushion over Hull and four-point cushion over Burnley in their bid to avoid relegation. (They also have a huge edge in goal difference.)[/i]

[b]Carlos Bocanegra: [/b]Rennes at Paris SG (Saturday: 3 pm ET)
[i]Rennes coach Frederic Antonetti could put Bocanegra back in the starting lineup. The left back has been sidelined with a groin injury.[/i][b]
[/b]
[b]Maurice Edu/DaMarcus Beasley: [/b]Rangers at Hibernian (Sunday: 9:30 am ET)
[i]Rangers will retain its Scottish title if it wins at Hibs. (It will also clinch if Celtic fails to win at Dundee United earlier in the day.)[/i]

[i][b]Jonathan Bedoya: [/b]Orebro vs. Halmstad (Sunday, 11 am ET)
[/i]

Bedoya, a darkhorse candidate to make the U.S. World Cup, could help his cause with another solid game for Orebro, fourth in the Swedish Allsvenskanliga after seven games. [/quote]



[url="http://www.socceramerica.com/article/37784/five-matches-were-following.html"]http://www.socceramerica.com/article/37784/five-matches-were-following.html[/url]

[MAGICTOUCH]

Can't do that dude. Don't want to become a punk like Zidane, or Rooney for stomping on the Portugal dudes crotch in 2006 WC.

[quote][font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"][size="3"][size="3"]
[b][size="6"]Altidore ejected for head butt[/size][/b][/size][/size][/font]
[font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"][size="3"][size="3"][size="6"][b]
[/b][/size][/size][size="3"][size="2"]Associated Press[/size][/size][/size][/font]
[font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"][size=2]
[/size][/font]
[font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"][size=2]
[/size][/font][font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"][size="3"] [/size][color="#333333"][size="3"]HULL, England -- American forward Jozy Altidore will miss Hull's last two matches of the Premier League season after he was ejected for head butting an opponent.[/size][/color]

[color="#333333"][size="3"]Altidore got the red card in the 50th minute of Saturday's 1-0 home defeat to Sunderland for a clash with Sunderland defender Alan Hutton. Hutton threw the ball at Altidore, and the 20-year-old responded with a head butt.[/size][/color]

[color="#333333"][size="3"]A red card for violent conduct earns a three-match ban. Hutton also was sent off.[/size][/color]

[color="#333333"][size="3"]Hull (6-20-10) is 18th with 28 points in the 20-team Premier League, six points behind 17th-place West Ham (8-18-10).[/size][/color]

[/font][color="#333333"][font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]The Tigers can avoid relegation only by winning their two remaining games by huge margins and hoping West Ham goes 0-2. The Hammers' goal deficit is minus-18; Hull's is minus-41.[/font][/color] [/quote]


[url="http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/soccer/news/story?id=5133031&campaign=rss&source=ESPNHeadlines"]http://sports.espn.g...e=ESPNHeadlines[/url]

[MAGICTOUCH]

[quote]
[color=#FF0000][color=#000000][size=5]Jozy Altidore will pay for vicious head-butt

[/size][b][size=1]by [/size][url="http://www.socceramerica.com/author/45/paul-kennedy/"][size=1]Paul Kennedy[/size][/url][size=1], April 24th, 2010 5:21PM[/size][/b][/color][/color]
[color=#FF0000]
[/color]
[color=#FF0000][AMERICANS ABROAD] [/color]On a U.S. frontline with slim options, young[b]Jozy Altidore[/b] has been viewed as a sure thing for the World Cup, but his actions on Saturday cast doubts whether he's ready to lead the American attack.

His English Premier League career at Hull City may be over after he was ejected for head-butting Sunderland defender [b]Alan Hutton[/b] in a vicious retaliation that, according to Sunderland manager [b]Steve Bruce[/b], left Hutton with a cut eye, a smashed nose and a chipped tooth. As for the result, Hull's 1-0 loss all but mathematically doomed the Tigers to relegation.

As for the result, Hull's 1-0 loss all but mathematically doomed the Tigers to relegation.

The incident came seconds before the end of the first half when Altidore and Sunderland right back [b]Alan Hutton[/b] battled for a ball and the Scotsman threw the ball at Altidore's head.

Altidore responded by headbutting Hutton and was immediately sent off. Referee [b]Lee Probert [/b]also red carded Hutton.

Altidore is on loan to Hull City from Spanish club Villarreal. Financially strapped Hull doesn't have the money to buy out his contract, but in any event he might not be wanted after what happened on Saturday.

West Ham, which is one spot ahead of Hull, won, 3-2, on Saturday and has a six-point margin and an edge in goal difference.

"Jozy reacted stupidly. I'm not going to defend my player," said Hull's caretaker manager [b]Iain Dowie[/b]. "He'll be disciplined because of it. It's not acceptable. In a big, big game, he's let his teammates down.''

Altidore faces a three-game ban from the EPL for violent conduct.

Sunderland manager [b]Steve Bruce[/b] was furious that Hutton got sent off.

"The incident after that is totally ridiculous," Bruce said. "Hutton's got a cut eye, a smashed nose and a chipped tooth so he's close to having really serious facial injuries. That for me doesn't warrant the same punishment but the letter of the law is if you throw the ball I do believe it's a red card." [/quote]



[url="http://www.socceramerica.com/article/37787/jozy-altidore-will-pay-for-vicious-head-butt.html"]http://www.socceramerica.com/article/37787/jozy-altidore-will-pay-for-vicious-head-butt.html[/url]

[MAGICTOUCH]

LOL, I didn't realize Pablo was such a hack-master.

[quote]
[color=#FF0000][color=#000000][size=5]The problem with Pablo

[/size][b][size=1]by [/size][url="http://www.socceramerica.com/author/40/mike-woitalla/"][size=1]Mike Woitalla[/size][/url][size=1], April 26th, 2010 3:04AM[/size][/b][/color][/color]
[color=#FF0000]
[/color]
[color=#FF0000][MLS PLAYER SPOTLIGHT] [/color][b]Pablo Mastroeni[/b] hit a 28-yard rocket for Colorado's game-winning goal in a 2-1 win over New England. In the same game, he also sent a reminder of why, with all that talent, he isn't in the USA's World Cup picture after being a key player in its quarterfinal run at the 2002 World Cup.
In 2002, at age 25, Mastroeni played three games for the USA at the World Cup. A tenacious defender with excellent ball skills, he was exactly what the national team needed. A bright career with the red, white and blue beckoned.

He was there four years later, at the World Cup in Germany, but earned a red card during the USA’s second game against Italy, which went on the lift the title. The USA managed a 1-1 tie against Italy. A game it could have won had Mastroeni stayed on the field.

His shot against New England was a beauty. But he also committed a foul that gave the Revs the free kick they scored from. And, no surprise, he earned a yellow card. His second of the season in five games, and the 71st of his career.

Mastroeni is MLS’s all-time leader in yellow cards and second in red cards, with seven. He’s in the Top 10 for foul committed, with 417 in 262 games.

But his goal against the Revs was only his fifth in a 13-year MLS career.

At age 33, his national team career is over. He's too much of a liability. But he still has a chance to shed the dark side of his game in his remaining days in MLS. [/quote]



[url="http://www.socceramerica.com/article/37806/the-problem-with-pablo.html"]http://www.socceramerica.com/article/37806/the-problem-with-pablo.html[/url]

[MAGICTOUCH]

[quote]
[color=#FF0000][color=#000000][size=5]Edu repeats as Scottish champion

[/size][b][size=1]April 25th, 2010 4:52PM[/size][/b][/color][/color]
[color=#FF0000]
[/color]
[color=#FF0000][AMERICANS ABROAD] [/color]Rangers clinched its 53rd Scottish title with a 1-0 win at Hibernian on Sunday that gave it an 11-point lead over archrival Celtic with three games to play. [b]Maurice Edu[/b] played the entire game for Rangers to give him two Scottish titles in two seasons at Rangers.

[b]Kyle Lafferty[/b] put Rangers ahead at Easter Road, but Edu missed two chances to pad to Rangers' lead.

Edu had what was considered the most important goal in the title campaign, a stoppage-time goal that gave Rangers a 1-0 win over Celtic on Feb. 28.

Once again, fellow American [b]DaMarcus Beasley[/b] did not suit up for Rangers.

He hasn't played an SPL match in almost seven weeks.[/quote]



[url="http://www.socceramerica.com/article/37796/edu-repeats-as-scottish-champion.html"]http://www.socceramerica.com/article/37796/edu-repeats-as-scottish-champion.html[/url]

[MAGICTOUCH]

[quote]
[color=#FF0000][color=#000000][size=5]Yanks top charts in Mexico

[/size][b][size=1]April 26th, 2010 2:05AM[/size][/b][/color][/color]
[color=#FF0000]
[/color]
[color=#FF0000][AMERICANS ABROAD][/color] [b]Hercules Gomez[/b], suspended for the final game of Puebla's season, shared scoring title in Mexico's Torneo Bicentenario with Mexican [b]Javier Hernandez[/b] (Guadalajara) and Peruvian [b]Johan Fano[/b] (Atlante). But Gomez wasn't the only American to win a scoring title in Mexico ...

Former U.S. under-20 striker [b]Sammy Ochoa[/b], who plays for Estudiantes Tecos, shared the scoring title in Torneo Sub-20 with Brayan Martinez of Monterrey.

Ochoa scored 18 goals in 18 games. He also played nine games during the 2009-10 season with Estudiantes Tecos first team.

He debuted with the first team during the 2005-06 season. [/quote]



[url="http://www.socceramerica.com/article/37804/yanks-top-charts-in-mexico.html"]http://www.socceramerica.com/article/37804/yanks-top-charts-in-mexico.html[/url]

[MAGICTOUCH]

[quote]
[color="#FF0000"][color="#000000"][size="5"]U.S. national team weekend

[/size][b][size="1"]April 25th, 2010 4:37PM[/size][/b][/color][/color]

[color="#FF0000"][AMERICANS ABROAD][/color] [b]Brad Friedel[/b]'s Aston Villa moved into a tie for fourth place -- which is worth a berth in next season's UEFA Champions League preliminary round -- with Tottenham in the English Premier League thanks to its 1-0 win over city rival Birmingham on Sunday. Other Americans to win on Sunday included[b]Alejandro Bedoya[/b] (Orebro), [b]Clarence Goodson[/b] (Start), [b]Tim Howard[/b](Everton) and [b]Michael Parkhurst[/b] (FC Nordsjaelland). For all the weekend action ...

[color="#FF0000"]DENMARK, Superligaen[/color][color="#FF0000"]
Sunday:[/color][b] Benny Feilhaber[/b], 90 minutes (AGF, 0-3, Koge)[color="#FF0000"]
Sunday: [/color][b]Michael Parkhurst,[/b] 90 minutes (FC Nordsjaelland, 3-1, vs. Sonderjyske)
[color="#FF0000"]Sunday:[/color][b] [/b][b]Chris Rolfe[/b], 45 minutes (AaB, 0-2, at FC Copenhagen)

[color="#FF0000"]ENGLAND, Premier League[/color]
[b] [/b][b]Jozy Altidore[/b], 54 minutes (Hull City, 0-1, vs. Sunderland)
[color="#FF0000"]Sunday: [/color][b]Brad Friedel[/b], 90 minutes (Aston Villa, 1-0, vs. Birmingham)[b]
[/b][color="#FF0000"]Sunday: [/color][b]Clint Dempsey[/b], 90 minutes (Fulham, 1-2, at Everton)
[b]Marcus Hahnemann[/b], 90 minutes (Wolves, 1-1, Blackburn Rovers)
[color="#FF0000"]Sunday: [/color][b]Tim Howard[/b], 90 minutes (Everton, 2-1, vs. Fulham)
[b]Jonathan Spector[/b], 90 minutes (West Ham, 3-2, vs. Wigan Athletic)

[color="#FF0000"]FRANCE, Ligue 1[/color]
[b]Carlos Bocanegra[/b], 90 minutes (Rennes, 1-1, at Paris SG)

[color="#FF0000"]GERMANY, Bundesliga 1[/color]
[b]Michael Bradley[/b], 90 minutes (Borussia Moenchengladbach, 1-1, vs. Bayern Munich)
[b]Steve Cherundolo[/b], 90 minutes (Hannover, 0-3, at Bayer Leverkusen)
[b]Ricardo Clark[/b], 90 minutes (Eintracht Frankfurt, 3-3, Mainz)

[color="#FF0000"]GREECE, Cup Final[/color]
[b]Freddy Adu[/b], sub: 10 minutes (Aris, 0-1, at Panathinaikos)

[color="#FF0000"]MEXICO, Torneo Bicentenario[/color]
[b]Jose Francisco Torres[/b], sub: 35 minutes (Pachuca, 1-2, at Tigres)

[color="#FF0000"]NORWAY, Tippeligaen[/color]
[color="#FF0000"]Sunday: [/color][b]Clarence Goodson[/b], 90 minutes (Start, 2-0, vs. Honeloss)

[color="#FF0000"]SCOTLAND, Premier League[/color]
[color="#FF0000"]Sunday:[/color][b] [/b][b]Maurice Edu[/b], 90 minutes (Rangers, 1-0, at Hibernian)

[color="#FF0000"]SWEDEN, Allsvenskanliga [/color]


[color="#FF0000"]Sunday:[/color][b] Alejandro Bedoya[/b], 90 minutes (Orebro, 3-0, vs. Halmstad) [/quote]



[url="http://www.socceramerica.com/article/37795/us-national-team-weekend.html"]http://www.soccerame...am-weekend.html[/url]

[MAGICTOUCH]

[quote]
[font="sans-serif"][size="2"][size="3"][size="2"]
[b][size="5"]HULL CITY: Altidore says sorry for 'stupid' red card[/size][/b]

[/size][/size][/size][/font]
[font="sans-serif"][size="2"] [/size][/font]
[font="sans-serif"][size="2"][size="3"]JOZY Altidore has apologised for his "stupid and immature" sending off in Hull City's crucial 1-0 defeat to Sunderland via Twitter.[/size][/size][/font][font="sans-serif"][size="2"][color="#000000"][font="sans-serif"] [/font][/color]

[color="#000000"][font="sans-serif"][size="3"]Dismissed for head-butting Alan Hutton in first half stoppage time on Saturday, the 20-year-old left the Tigers with an uphill task at the KC Stadium.[/size][/font][/color]

[color="#000000"][font="sans-serif"][size="3"]A three-match ban means the on-loan striker will not play for City again and Altidore was in regretful mood.[/size][/font][/color]

[color="#000000"][font="sans-serif"][size="3"]"I'm so sorry about yesterday. Made a stupid, immature and costly mistake," he wrote on his Twitter page.[/size][/font][/color]

[/size][/font]
[font="sans-serif"]"I apologise to Hull City and the fans who I let down. I let my emotions get the best of me and lost my composure. Believe it or not this year playing for hull was to date the best trip I've ever been on."[/font] [/quote]



[url="http://www.sporthull.co.uk/headlines/HULL-CITY-Altidore-says-sorry-stupid-red-card/article-2069600-detail/article.html"]http://www.sporthull...il/article.html[/url]

[MAGICTOUCH]

[quote]
[color=#FF0000][color=#000000][size=5]Davies resumes full training

[/size][b][size=1]April 26th, 2010 7:35PM[/size][/b][/color][/color]
[color=#FF0000]
[/color]
[color=#FF0000][AMERICANS ABROAD] [/color]Striker [b]Charlie Davies[/b] trained Sochaux on Monday, the first time he has participated in full training with the French club since suffering multiple injuries in a car accident last October.

"It’s about time & it feels great!" Davies [url="http://twitter.com/charliedavies9"]wrote[/url] on his Twitter page. "My speed is getting there too! Today was a good day!”

[b]Alexandre Lacombe[/b], president of French club Sochaux, had said last week Davies would not play for the Ligue 1 club this season, dealing a blow to the striker's bid to make the U.S. World Cup team. But the 23-year-old striker remains hopeful he'll play in one of Sochaux's last four games.

Davies' injuries included two broken bones in his right leg, a broken and dislocated left elbow, a broken nose, forehead and eye socket, a ruptured bladder and bleeding on the brain. His elbow injuries in particular have been a concern.

While the deadline for the U.S. World Cup coach [b]Bob Bradley[/b] to name his short list of 30 players is May 11, he has until June 1 to cut that list down to 23 players.

Bradley will hold an eight-day camp at Princeton University. Players and coaches will begin to report May 15 for the eight-day camp. The first training session is scheduled for May 17 at Roberts Field.

In the New York Times, Bradley [url="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/27/sports/soccer/27davies.html?pagewanted=2&ref=sports"]set out[/url] what he expects of Davies if he is to be invited to the camp: “It needs to be clear that we feel at that time that he is fit, sharp and really in a strong position to be able to help our team. The ideal situation is that players are coming in May and that they’ve played important roles for their club teams.” [/quote]


[url="http://www.socceramerica.com/article/37816/davies-resumes-full-training.html"]http://www.socceramerica.com/article/37816/davies-resumes-full-training.html[/url]

[JC]

I can't think of a player that is more of a roller coaster than Beasely. I know Adu and Johnson are up there..but DeMarcus exploded not too long ago..now isn't dressing. Jeez man.

[MAGICTOUCH]

[quote name='JC' date='27 April 2010 - 12:39 PM' timestamp='1272389955' post='884292']
I can't think of a player that is more of a roller coaster than Beasely. I know Adu and Johnson are up there..but DeMarcus exploded not too long ago..now isn't dressing. Jeez man.
[/quote]



Yeah, it seemed like he was going to get regular PT and now nothing. There are going to be so many questions for Bradley that he will fall back on "his guys" that he is so enamored with.

[MAGICTOUCH]

[quote]
[color="#111111"][font="arial, sans-serif"][size="2"][size="3"]
[b][size="5"]Should USA be worried about Altidore?[/size][/b]
[/size]

It says a lot about Jozy Altidore's first season in the English Premier League that his final action of the campaign – an immature and ill-conceived head butt – generated more attention than anything he did in the preceding eight months at Hull City.

Altidore's mindless clash of skulls with Sunderland's Alan Hutton on Saturday will be seen as the final embarrassment in a year that has been filled with them for struggling Hull, which was finally condemned to relegation in a 1-0 loss.

American fans and United States head coach Bob Bradley will be more concerned with the 20-year-old's mindset heading into the World Cup.

The facts don't make for pleasant reading. Bradley goes into soccer's greatest tournament with a first-choice forward who has managed just two goals this season and who failed to lock down a permanent starting role with one of the worst sides in the EPL.
[/size][/font][/color]
[color="#111111"][font="arial, sans-serif"][size="2"]Yet barring an untimely injury in the lead-up to South Africa, Altidore will be the one who leads the line for the U.S. at the World Cup with his young shoulders carrying the bulk of the team's attacking responsibility.Bradley believes in the former[url="http://sports.yahoo.com/mls/teams/nyr/;_ylt=AiWFEpiwFB3BS7b5Rewr71edXYp4"]New York Red Bulls[/url] man, who was loaned to Hull by Spanish club Villarreal and whose immediate club future is uncertain. The coach certainly isn't going to overreact to Altidore's weekend overreaction.

After Altidore and Hutton tangled while chasing down a loose ball, Hutton threw the ball at his opponent's head as it went out of play. Altidore responded furiously, leaping to his feet and shoving his head into Hutton's face. Both players were red-carded and sent off.

"I'm so sorry about yesterday," Altidore wrote on his Twitter account. "Made a stupid, immature and costly mistake. I apologize to Hull City and the fans who I let down. I let my emotions get the best of me and lost my composure. Believe it or not this year playing for [Hull] was to date the best trip I've ever been on."

Altidore's display of petulance will be kept in perspective by Bradley, and not just because the coach has limited attacking options to choose from.

Bradley knows Altidore fits more comfortably in the USA lineup than he ever did at Hull, and while he will not be delighted by his player's paltry goal scoring, he won't be panicking too much. Last season, Altidore did not exactly set the world alight in Spain, but that didn't stop him from turning in several productive efforts at the Confederations Cup.

Despite Hull's woeful form, Altidore has clearly made some improvements playing in England. He has gained some physical strength, presence and experience at handling tough and hardened defenders, and he has rarely looked out of his depth in England.

Altidore could use some confidence ahead of the World Cup and will only get two chances to gain that in friendlies against the Czech Republic and Turkey. But if he can achieve some form, he will be a valuable cog in the USA's bid to reach the World Cup's knockout stages.

[/size][/font][/color][color="#111111"][font="arial, sans-serif"][size="2"]The main concern, given the evidence of the weekend, is whether Altidore can keep his composure. With the Americans' penchant for red cards in international tournaments, cooler heads must prevail.[/size][/font][/color] [/quote]


[url="http://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/news?slug=ro-weekendreview042610"]http://sports.yahoo....endreview042610[/url]

[MAGICTOUCH]

[quote] [font=arial][size=4]
[b][size=5]Bob Bradley's salary and USSF finances[/size][/b]

[size=5]
[/size][color=#000000]According to the most recent U.S. Soccer Federation tax statement made available for public review, national team coach [b]Bob Bradley[/b]earned $499,025 between April 1, 2008, and March 31, 2009. He also received $23,898 from the USSF and other organizations (not specified) for a total of $522,923.[/color]

[color=#000000][url="http://voices.washingtonpost.com/soccerinsider/2009/08/usa_coaching_salaries.html"]The previous year, Bradley earned $452,500 plus $24,070 ($476,570)[/url]. Bradley's four-year contract expires in December 2010.[/color]

[color=#000000]In stark contrast, England Manager [b]Fabio Capello[/b], Bradley's foe in the World Cup opener June 12 in South Africa, has a base salary valued at $7.6 million.[/color]

[color=#000000][b]Peter Nowak[/b], Bradley's top assistant who since left the USSF to guide the MLS expansion Philadelphia Union, was paid $230,025 between April 2008 and March 2009 (which included the Beijing Olympics), plus $23,676 in additional compensation ($253,701 total).[/color]

[color=#000000][b]Pia Sundhage[/b], coach of the women's national team, received .....[/color]

[url=""][/url][color=#000000]$257,000 in salary and $11,892 extra ($268,892). [b]Thomas Rongen[/b], who oversees the men's under-20 program, earned $150,133 overall.[/color]

[color=#000000]The highest-paid USSF official is chief executive [b]Dan Flynn[/b] at $646,066. President [b]Sunil Gulati[/b], whose full-time job is teaching at Columbia University, is not compensated by the USSF.[/color]

[/size][/font][font=arial][size=4]As a tax-exempt, non-profit organization, the USSF is required to release its financial statement annually. Bradley's bonuses earned for qualifying for the World Cup last fall were negotiated privately and won't be known until the next tax year.[/size][/font][/quote]



[url="http://voices.washingtonpost.com/soccerinsider/2010/04/bob_bradleys_salary_and_ussf_f.html"]http://voices.washingtonpost.com/soccerinsider/2010/04/bob_bradleys_salary_and_ussf_f.html[/url]

[MAGICTOUCH]

[quote]
[color=#111111][font=arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif][size=2][size=3]
[b][size=5]FIFA confident World Cup stadiums will be full[/size][/b]
[/size][/size][/font][/color]
[color=#111111][font=arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif][size=2]
[/size][/font][/color]
[color=#111111][font=arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif][size=2]DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)—FIFA president Sepp Blatter is confident all World Cup stadiums in South Africa will be full despite earlier concerns about sluggish ticket sales.There are only 136,000 unsold tickets—or 4 percent of the 2.8 million that went on sale, he said Tuesday.

“Let us have the reality: When you are in South Africa, you will see how packed the stadiums are. We have no doubts,” he said.

FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke said he was “much more optimistic than three weeks ago” that there will not be any empty seats. Valcke said people were “waking up very late,” but FIFA was happy with the progress of sales for the monthlong tournament.

Half a million tickets were still unsold by April 15, with Valcke saying FIFA made a mistake by not allowing South Africans to buy tickets over the counter until the final phase.

Since tickets were made available at ticket centers across the country, sales have picked up. Valcke said “more or less” 40 of the 64 World Cup matches were now sold out.

Local organizers have said they will ensure that all World Cup games are full to avoid shots of empty seats on international broadcasts.

Soccer’s governing body and the local organizing committee have previously acknowledged worries over certain “low interest” games where tickets are not selling.

Foreign ticket sales, particularly in Europe, have been disappointing. Fewer than 350,000 people are expected to travel to Africa’s first World Cup, down from initial estimates of 450,000.

The final ticket batch was released this month, and fans in South Africa could buy over the counter for the first time. Fans can make purchases at 11 ticket centers and a network of 600 bank branches. Supermarkets across South Africa also started selling World Cup tickets.

Along with shifting the focus from Internet sales and opening over-the-counter ticketing centers earlier, FIFA has said it is considering relaxing limits on how many tickets one person can buy. FIFA originally said fans could purchase only four tickets per match for 2010. Supporters can now buy up to 10.

[/size][/font][/color][color=#111111][font=arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif][size=2]Looking toward the 2014 World Cup, FIFA said it might set up ticket centers in participating countries ahead of the tournament in Brazil to avoid late worries over sales.[/size][/font][/color] [/quote]



[url="http://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/news?slug=ap-wcup-fifa-tickets"]http://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/news?slug=ap-wcup-fifa-tickets[/url]

[JC]

I'm really not worried about Jozy. He was in and out of form, but he had absolutely no support, which is pretty crucial for some strikers. He is 20 years of age and he just couldn't seem to get in favor of his coaches. Hopefully he can make a bigger jump to a better team where there not playing defense 75 percent of the time. The dude is an ox. If he works on his speed, watch out.

[MAGICTOUCH]

I'm not too worried about Jozy either. One thing the US players got to do though that go overseas is find the right team. Getting a Euro contract does no good if you're just a warm body for training purposes.

[MAGICTOUCH]

[quote]
[color=#FF0000][color=#000000][size=5]Eddie and Freddy Show in Greece

[/size][b][size=1]by [/size][url="http://www.socceramerica.com/author/45/paul-kennedy/"][size=1]Paul Kennedy[/size][/url][size=1], April 28th, 2010 5:40PM[/size][/b][/color][/color]
[color=#FF0000]
[/color]
[color=#FF0000][AMERICANS ABROAD] [/color]It might be too late to earn them consideration for the 2010 U.S. World Cup team, but [b]Eddie Johnson[/b]and [b]Freddy Adu[/b] enjoyed their best game together since joining Aris this winter. Johnson scored twice, while Adu assisted on one of Johnson's goals and earned a penalty that was missed in Aris' 2-0 victory over Olympiakos on Wednesday in the Greek playoffs for next season's European competitions.

Adu's cross found Johnson for the first goal in the 39th minute.

In the 53rd minute, Adu was taken down for a penalty kick, but[b]Sergio Koke[/b]'s spot kick was saved by goalkeeper [b]Antonis Nikopolidis[/b].

Johnson clinched the win in stoppage time when he pounced on a defensive mistake at the top of the penalty area and put away the insurance goal into an empty net.

Olympiakos had earlier hit the woodwork twice.

The playoff series will consist of six rounds involving four teams. In Wednesday's other game PAOK and AEK tied, 0-0.

The winner of the playoffs will play in the third qualifying round of the Champions League. The other three will play in the Europa League. Greek champion Panathinaikos has clinched a berth in the Champions League.[/quote]


[url="http://www.socceramerica.com/article/37842/eddie-and-freddy-show-in-greece.html"]http://www.socceramerica.com/article/37842/eddie-and-freddy-show-in-greece.html[/url]