Guzan Transfer Nixed

Brad Guzan's potential transfer to Premiership side Aston Villa was blocked today when a work permit was denied for the American goalkeeper. This is some sad news for Guzan, as playing with Villa would have provided invaluable experience for the young player. I guess he can always try again next year. On the other hand, Chivas USA must be eccstatic. They get to retain the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year for one more season.

Liverpool Fans Propose Club Buyout

Liverpool's ownership saga is shrouded with more drama today as fans of the club have stated that they are seeking to buy the club back from American owner's George Gillett and Tom Hicks.

A group known as "Share Liverpool FC" is slighted to release their plan to raise the necessary £500m in order to buy out the American's. This comes on the heels of the news that Gillett and Hicks are not going to sell the club to the Dubai's DIC group, and have week finished a £350m refinancing of the club.

The article states that Share Liverpool FC would probably use similar tactics to those used by FC Barcelona fans to raise the money. If successful, Liverpool would become the first EPL team to be owned by its fans. Fan ownership is slightly more common in La Liga where the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Osasuna and Atletico Bilbao are all owned in some way by their fans. Here in the United States the most well known fan owned professional sports team is the Green Bay Packers.

Ronaldo, Adebayor are Advanced

Both United and Arsenal are continuing to steamroll all opposition in both the EPL and the FA Cup. Arsenal defeated Newcastle for the second time in three days (both games won by an impressive 3-0 margin) and today a Ronaldo fueled United defeated Portsmouth.

There is no other way to put it, Cristiano Ronaldo is playing evolved soccer. Today, he netted the matches' two goals and has now scored 27 goals in 24 starts with the Red Devils. And with 19 of those goals coming in the Premier League, he has now passed Arsenal's red hot Emmanuel Adebayor to lead the EPL in goals scored. Love him or hate him, there is no denying that is a pretty impressive statistic for a winger to hold.


Arsenal is looking just as threatening. Their rapid-fire midfield conducted by Cesc and Helb is proving to be unstoppable. Having such an impressive force to provide service to the long strides of Emmanuel Adebayor is ideal. And with Adebayor playing the best football of his life its hard to deny that he looks like the best striker in the EPL.

In what is quickly becoming one of the most anticipated matches this year, Arsenal drew United for the Round of 16 in the FA cup. The title race is as close as ever and both sides will be looking to continue their EPL success in the FA Cup.

Thursday at midnight can't come quick enough

I just want the stupid transfer window to be finished with. I am really tired of just reading about speculation and rumors. But while we are on the topic of speculation, there are still some players out there in interesting situations, if you are an American soccer fan.

Michael Bradley (see post below) has been on fire as of late scoring 15 goals in all competitions for Dutch side Heerenveen. Could he move to a more prominent league such as England, Spain or Italy? Hopefully.

Brad Guzan has been linked to Celtic and now Aston Villa. Personally I would like to see him go to Villa. He would add to the number of American netminders in the Premiership (he would be the 5th), he would continue to improve due to exposure to a high level of play and finally, I would be able to watch him play since FSC doesn't carry and Scottish league games.

Eddie Lewis has made several appearances for lowly Derby this season. Could the veteran U.S. international return stateside? Rumors have mentioned his name and the San Jose Earthquakes in the same sentence. Honestly, anyway in which he can leave the debacle that is Derby County sounds good to me. (Same goes with Feilhaber. Actually, it is more important that he moves on and logs those valuable playing minutes.)

Danny Szetela is supposedly on the move to Italian side Brescia. Once again, a necessary move to log those minutes.

Michael Bradley's Buzz

In case you haven't been following his success, Michael Bradley is having a break-out year with Dutch club Heerveneen. Bradley has become the newest 'buzz-player' to be sough after by several European teams. It has been reported that Everton, Blackburn, Sunderland and German side Hamburg are all varyingly interested in acquiring the 20 year old American. These transfer speculations have been compounded by Bradley's publicly made aspirations to play in either England or Germany.


Bradley, son of US Men's National Team manager Bob Bradley, has been erasing all doubts of nepotism every time he steps onto the pitch (both here and abroad). All accounts out of Holland indicate his continual progression and development as a player. He has become an intelligent midfielder with a keen knack for find the back of the net. Bradley added two goals (which makes 15 on the season) today in his clubs 3-0 stomping of Dutch side De Graafschap. Olympic qualifying is at hand and with the "bragging rights" friendly against Mexico in the near future, Bradley must certainly be excited at the opportunity for continued success while wearing country's jersey.

With the rumor mills churning, its hard to know what to expect; however, this much is certain. Bradley is being scouted by Blackburn Rovers (lets hope Mark Hughes' men saw today's performance) and desired by Everton. Meanwhile interested Sunderland and Hamburg are doing their best to keep things exciting. This all makes for great drama, especially since the end of the European Transfer Window is looming (January 31st). You can expect to hear more as this develops.

Simply put, as an American soccer fan I am nothing shy of ecstatic of Bradley's current, and seemingly destined future successes. Let the buzz continue.

Manchester United's New Prospect -- Manucho

24 year old Angolan striker Manucho Gonçalves, simply known as Manucho, agreed to sign with United a few weeks ago, but it wasn't until recently that his work permit cleared. He is set to join Sir Alex's squad after the African Cup of Nations.

I haven't seen much of Manucho play (African league games aren't easy to find on television), but his performance in the African Cup of Nations seems to be promising. He scored a fantastic goal against 2010 World Cup hosts' South African in his first match of the tournament (check out the goal and highlights from the match below.)



While it may seem like overkill for Manchester to pick up another attacking player, I think it is a wise move. Manucho, who is left footed, could be used as an effective substitute on the left wing for veteran Ryan Giggs. Especially as Giggs' (age 34) fitness may be an issue as the schedule of play becomes more intense.

On a side note, all of the action I have seen from the African Cup of Nations has proved to be exciting and fast paced. It really is a shame that there isn't more coverage of it here in the West.

EPL -- A Two Horse Race?

Liverpool sits in 5th place in the Premier League and striker Peter Crouch publicly expressed his doubts at the teams chances in competing for top spot in this years Premier League. Basically, Crouch stated that it is time to start worrying about securing a Champions League spot for next year. He insisted that team's inability to live up to the grand expectations (or even stay in the top 4) on both the flawed coaching Rafa 'The Tinkerer' Benitez as well as Rafa's strained relations with American club owners. One can only wonder, at this stage in the season, how many teams are still in the race for the the Premier League? Arsenal and Manchester are neck and neck at the top of the table, is anyone going to be able to catch them?

Chelsea has the best (and Crouch might say the only) chance at challenging for the top spot; however, the next few weeks look pretty grim. While they are only a few points behind the two leaders, they have lost several key players to the African Nations Cup. Chelsea cannot afford to lose any ground. Chelsea must be looking to transfer some of the success they have been experiencing in the Carling Cup to the EPL. They defeated Everton yesterday and secured a trip to the finals where they will face Tottenham. Although definitely not in the title race, struggling Tottenham must do same thing if they are looking to fight into a UEFA Cup spot.

As for Liverpool, the future is not bright, but the gloom and doom suggested by Crouch can still be avoided. They still have one of the best forwards in the Premier League in Fernando Torres. But it is awfully hard for a single player that can save any team (ask Clint Dempsey). The next few months will give captain Stevie Gerrard the chance to show his quality, and hopefully keep his team focused on the matches at hand, and not the managerial strife.

Right now The EPL seems to be a contest between United and Arsenal, but we will see who can keep up in the coming weeks as the teams start to juggle league, UEFA and the FA Cup matches.

It's Official...

United States international Eddie Johnson signed with Fulham today after being granted a UK work permit. This should be interesting to see if he can make a splash in the same manner that Dempsey did last year. Could he help in their task of fighting off relegation? Only time will tell...

Rumor Mill & Signings

Here are the latest rumors (which inevitably will prove to be untrue) and some signings concerning Americans in the transfer window in Europe:

Supposedly Eddie Johnson is hoping to sign with Fulham as soon as a work permit can be secured. Manager Roy Hodgson is attending a hearing Wed to apply for said permit. We'll see...

Benny Feilhaber wants to continue to try his luck abroad. His agent has said that he does not currently have any interest in returning to MLS. I guess he thinks playing in Israel (I honestly don't know much about any Israeli teams) or the reserves for Derby "Automatic 3 points" County is more beneficial than being a major contributor in MLS...

Brad Guzan is officially on trial with Celtic after giving a solid performance against Sweden on Saturday. Although, £1 million does seem a bit low for a keeper with so much going for him...

Houston's lanky Nate Jacqua is reportedly seeking a contract in Europe...

Former United keeper Troy Perkins has signed with Norweigan club Valerenga...thats it.

MLS vs Europe: Young American Players' Choice

For some of the young American soccer talent, the choice of playing in the MLS or trying their luck overseas presents itself at an early stage in their careers. Should they start out in the U.S. in a league of lower caliber but with a higher likely hood of logging valuable playing time? Or, should they take their chance at playing for a larger, more competitive club in Europe while they have the opportunity?

While results have varied for Americans going abroad, I believe that for the majority of U.S. players, gaining valuable experience in MLS is essential to success in Europe. Some of the more successful instances of Americans moving overseas have come from players who started in MLS. Some examples are Demarcus Beasley (Chicago to PSV Eindhoven, Rangers), Brian McBride (Columbus to Preston North End, Fulham), Carlos Bocanegra (Chicago to Fulham), Clint Dempsey (New England to Fulham) and Tim Howard (New York to Man U, Everton). Time has yet to tell but Freddy Adu's (DC, RSL to Benfica) recent substitute form at Benfica is promising for the young player as well.

That is not to say that there aren't Americans who have gone straight to Europe without starting out in the MLS and have had success. Some of the best examples that come to mind are Claudio Reyna (Leverkusen, Wolfsburg, Rangers, Sunderland, Man City), Kasey Keller and Brad Friedel (Liverpool and Blackburn). Some younger guys like Michael Bradley (Heerenveen) and Jonathan Spector (Man U, Charlton, West Ham) have also impressed as of late. There have also been those that have tried to make the transition to playing in Europe and just haven't been able to make it work. Whether it is the level of play, the culture difference or a mixture of both, players such as Landon Donovan and Clint Mathis (now trying his luck with Greek side Ergotelis) had to make there way back across the Atlantic to try there luck in MLS (Benny Feilhaber might be headed back this way as well).

So for a young American coming out of high school or college, what is the best choice? Overall I guess it is hard to generalize but I would say that gaining valuable minutes playing in the MLS can lead to a successful stint overseas. Especially with an expanding league (Seattle in 2009 and more to come) there will be more roster spots opening meaning a good likelihood that a talented young player will get minutes against improving competition. This combined with an influx of talented foreign players can lead to a learning and development experience that was not available for young American players in the U.S. just several years ago.

It seems like this very dilemma is presenting itself to former DC United reserve player Bryan Arguez who is reportedly ready to sign with Hertha Berlin. He played one year for the DC reserve team but never made any MLS appearances. It wil be interesting to see how he does in Germany. If you would like to see just how many Americans are playing abroad, check out Yanks-Abroad.

Nyarko to the Fire; Saturday's US Soccer

With all the speculation, analysis and predictions that occur before any Draft in American sports, it is always nice to get to see the experts surprised. And surprised is certainly a good word to describe today's MLS Superdraft. For complete coverage of all the twists and turns check out this ESPN piece by Ives Galarcep.

The Chicago Fire had to be ecstatic to come away with Patrick Nyarko, who was widely considered one of the most talented forwards available. The Fire can certainly be happy to get Nyarko with their 7th pick--most assumed he would be one of the first to be selected. The former Virginia Tech striker will now have the chance to learn from the likes of Cuauhtémoc Blanco, Diego Gutierrez and Justin Mapp.

In US soccer news, Fulham (ok I know this isn't US soccer, but they are basically America's Premier League team) FC takes on red hot Arsenal Saturday morning. The game will broadcast at 10 am on FSC. Lets see if the news that Arsenal will be without Robin Van Persie for several months can inspire Fulham to get a much needed win.

Also, Bob Bradley and the US National Team take on Sweden at the Home Depot Center tomorrow evening. Look for youngsters Jozy Altidore and Maurice Edu to get some serious playing time. Kickoff is at 7 pm--be sure to flock to your local football-friendly watering hole to catch this one, it won't be broadcast on any ESPN affiliate.

Video Spotlight: Funny Soccer Clips

Here is a pretty funny video made up of numerous clips from matches from around the world. My favorite clip might be of the guy scoring and then rushing over to the stands to celebrate with his club's fans...or lack there of. Enjoy.

Transfer Spotlight; Eddie Johnson to Fulham FC

Eddie Johnson has the potential to energize a struggling Fulham side as he becomes the newest American to put on a Cottagers uniform. As previously reported by my colleague, Eddie Johnson of the Kansas City Wizards is in final stages of a move to Fulham FC. Sources say that he could be playing there as early as this weekend. Fulham, currently 19 of 20 in the Premier League, is walking a dangerous path towards relegation. But, will the injection of Eddie Johnson combined with Bryan McBride returning from his devastating injury be enough to get the team back on track?

The odds against Johnson are staggering; he is going to face competition tougher than anything he has ever seen, higher stakes and an unfamiliar culture and climate. Despite their lack-luster performances, Fulham has a strong following here in the United States due to its American players. And while most of the EPL has written Fulham off as a team that will be relegated, for many fans there is still hope. Sitting in next to last place with 15 points, Fulham’s situation is not as bad as it could be. Struggling Bolton and Birmingham, 15th and 16^th place respectively, are just a few points ahead in the overall standings. With several teams still relatively close in points, Eddie Johnson will be arriving at a pivotal point in Fulham's season.

Comparisons (premature ones at best) are already popping up—will Eddie Johnson save Fulham as Carlos Tevez did for West Ham United last season? Can he recreate some of the magic that fellow American’s Bryan McBride or Clint Dempsey has? After all, it was Clint Dempsey’s goal against Liverpool in May of last year season that saved Fulham from relegation in 2007. Will lightning strike twice? Eddie Johnson has proved that he can score goals in both the MLS with the US National team. Now he must prove himself once more.

Coming off a devastating lost to West Ham, Fulham gets no easy breaks. They travel to the Emirates Stadium to face Arsenal this Saturday.

MLS Notes: Signings and Transfers

There has been a good amount of action on the MLS player trade/signing front as of late. Teams are in high gear trying to improve their quality for the upcoming season. The MLS Combine finished up today and there have been some foreign signings as well. Needless to say, lots of activity all around the league. Here is a rundown of the action with some of the bigger names so far:

Eddie Johnson - KC Wizards to Fulham?! This is supposedly a done deal. This would make 5 Americans for the Cottagers. Maybe Clint "Deuce" Dempsey and EJ can do a rap video together like this one.

Brad Guzan - Chivas USA to ..... not sure yet. He has been linked to Celtic as a possible acquisition in the transfer window for the Scottish club. Goalkeeper is one position where the USA has been able to consistently turn out some quality players (Friedel, Keller, Howard, Hannehman) and Guzan is no different.

Taylor Twellman - $2.5 million offer from English side Preston North End rejected by the New England Revolution front office. Twellman is not very happy camper after seeing an opportunity to make the jump across the pond disappear into thin air.

Joe Canon - LA Galaxy to San Jose Earthquakes. San Jose picks up a quality goalkeeper while LA clears out some salary cap room for.....

Carlos Ruiz - FC Dallas to LA Galaxy - The Fish swims his way back to LA to join the circus that is the Galaxy. I have a feeling that a lot of players in MLS want to kick Ruiz like Ricardo Clark did last season.

Clint Mathis - LA Galaxy to Greek club Ergotelis. This guy just seems like the biggest meatball around. It has gone down hill for him since he decided to sport a mohawk at the 2002 World Cup.

Nick Garcia - KC Wizards to LA Galaxy (in exchange for the #1 Superdraft pick). KC will have some big shoes to fill in EJ and may be able to do so with the coveted first pick of the draft.

Duilio Davino - Former Club America player signed with FC Dallas. Should help to fill in FCD's back line nicely with a promising player in Clarence Goodson leaving Dallas through the supplemental draft.


More news to come as the 2008 MLS season creeps closer...

MLS Stadiums: Buildings of Their Own

I have to say that one of the most frustrating things about watching soccer in the United States is seeing a team play on a pitch with NFL and college football lines painted all over it. Since MLS has only been around for a little over a decade, there are only a limited number of soccer specific stadiums in the country. It is important to have these stadiums for several reasons. Probably the two most important reasons are (i) having a properly sized pitch and (ii) having a stadium with an appropriate amount of seats (20-25,000 instead of 60-80,000 for American football stadiums). In this first post of two, I am going to highlight those soccer-specific facilities that are already in place and those that are under construction or in the planning stages in Major League Soccer's Eastern Conference.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

1. Crew Stadium - Columbus Crew

This was the first soccer stadium that was built for an MLS team. It opened on May 15, 1999 and seats 22,555. A great looking facility. Now all they need to do is improve their team. Is it possible that a Designated Player might be coming in this season to help improve the Crew's record? A rumor floating around says that it is a possibility.

2. Toyota Park - Chicago Fire

The Fire's stadium opened on June 11, 2006 in Bridgeview, IL. This stadium has a few less seats with the capacity for soccer matches at 20,000. And there is no doubt about it, more and more fans will be flocking to Toyota Park to see Blanco and Co. take on the rest of the league in 2008. Hopefully '08 will hold a bright future for the new skipper Denis Hamlet and the Fire.

3. BMO Field - Toronto FC

A new addition to MLS in 2007, Toronto FC came into the league with a brand new facility. BMO Field holds 20,000 and is notorious for having one of, if not the best fan atmosphere in the league. The fans help to create a very hostile environment for the visiting teams and will act as a 12th player to aid TFC in their quest to improve on their league worst 25 points in 2007.

4. Red Bull Park - Red Bull New York

Construction on this stadium supposedly broke ground in 2006 although this is a picture of the construction site as of January 3, 2008. A summary of the status of the stadium development is found here in a piece from the New Jersey newspaper, The Star-Ledger. The artist rendering actually looks pretty cool. I would love to watch a match in a stadium like this. Too bad that the projected completion date is not until summer 2009. By then Juan Pablo Angel and Jozy should be long gone from RBNY.

5. DC United Stadium - DC United

After a lengthy development process with numerous private parties and the District of Columbia, it looks as though the plans for a stadium at Poplar Point have fallen through. United are still in search of a site to suit their needs for a place to call home. In the meantime, RFK Stadium is home to some of the best supporters in the league with the Barra Brava and the Screaming Eagles cheering for their team.

COMING SOON: A summary of Western Conference stadiums in the MLS

EPL Manager Body Count Continues to Rise

R.I.P. Big Sam

They are stacking 'em high in England this season with another Premiership manager being axed today. Big Sam Allardyce took one on the chin from the management at the Toon. That brings the season's tally to 8 managers who have been fired/resigned. Talk about ridiculous. I guess this is the result of teams playing in one of the most scrutinized and most lucrative leagues in the world. The constant threat of relegation and the pressure to succeed on the field and at the gate are obvious catalysts to many team's coaching turnovers. Here is a quick rundown of this years victims, in no particular order, and a link to my post about the coaching situation in December.

Jose Mourinho - Chelsea

Steve Bruce - Birmingham

Martin Jol - Tottenham

Sammy Lee - Bolton

Chris Hutchins - Wigan

Billy Davies - Derby

Lawrie Sanchez - Fulham

Sam Allardyce - Newcastle

MLS Superdraft Preview

With less than two weeks until the MLS Superdraft I thought it would be fitting to do a quick rundown of what we can expect to see happen in Baltimore.

For those of you who don’t know, the MLS Superdraft allows the 14 MLS teams to pick from the newest crop of professional soccer players. Where in the past only those who had graduated from college were available to participate in the Draft, now younger players are being allowed (and encouraged) to enter the draft. These encouragements are attempts by both the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) and the MLS to stimulate player development.

Part of this investment into youth development is the Generation Adidas (GA) program. Generation Adidas encourages players who have a future in professional soccer to leave college early and pursue their career professionally. If the encouragement to leave school sounds a bit sinister; don’t worry, all GA players are ensured scholarship money if they decide to return to college. All Generation Adidas players are available for selection during the Superdraft and participate in the MLS Training Combine the weekend before the draft. The MLS Combine is a good chance for team scouts and coaches to get a last minute look at all the hot prospects. Teams often see the GA players as bargains because one of the rules of the MLS Superdraft is that GA player’s salaries do not count against the teams’ salary cap. Unfortunately, the vast majority of these players usually receive a relatively low pay (usually equal to or not much more than the MLS base salary.) On a side note -- as the MLS continues to get its feet off the ground, I expect the horrendously low salary cap to continue to be an issue of debate within the MLS.

Despite the fact that a majority of GA players start with a low salary, the Generation Adidas program has had its fair share of success stories and has produced some top notch American players. 2007 MLS rookie of the year Maurice Edu participated in the GA program; other former GA players include: Tim Howard, Bobby Convey, and DeMarcus Beasley. Two notable players participating in this year’s program are Virginia Tech’s Patrick Nyarko and Wake Forests’ Marcus Tracy.

So what can we expect to see in the 2008 draft? San Jose will have the first pick of the draft, and being the League’s newest team they have a lot of ground to make up. Expect to see them pick a midfielder who can hopefully provide some stability as well as prove to be a creative force for the team. Keep an eye on defenders Julius James and Andy Iro to go early as well. James has played a key role in University of Connecticut defense over the past few years, and has seen time with the Trinidad and Tobago National Team. As reported by Ives Galarcep, Andy Iro has been weighing the options of moving his professional career to England; however, if he stays in the US his MLS future could be bright. Expect to see both James and Iro go as top 10 picks.

(UCSB's Andy Iro)

The Superdraft takes place January 18th in Baltimore Maryland and is being broadcast on ESPN2. Until then, enjoy the speculation!

Video Spotlight: Brian McBride

When thinking of the best American players in the past ten years, Brian McBride should be on almost everyone's list. For a national team which hasn't had the most prolific scorers, McBride was a mainstay for USA and his club teams in MLS and the Premier League. Here is a video tribute I found that shows some of his goal highlights and the injuries he has sustained over the years. Needless to say, he is one of the best soccer players in the air. I would not want to go up for a header with this guy.

P.S. He needs to recover from his knee injury as soon as possible as Fulham is in desperate need of his services in their battle to avoid relegation.

Happy New Year From Soccer On The Brain

Hopefully everyone has been enjoying some of great soccer that has been played in the closing days of 2007. 2007 has been a great year for soccer here in the US and abroad. As 2008 is already upon us, I wanted to take a quick look back at some of my favorite matches from this past year. Without further ado:

1. UEFA Cup Final of 2007. Sevilla v Espanyol
This was an exciting match that really highlighted the fast paced Spanish style of play. In all the glamor of the Champions League, great UEFA Cup games often go under appreciated. If you missed the game, check out the highlight link above.

2. West Ham United v Tottenham Hotspur
In my opinion this was 2007's game of the Premier League . There were some great goals, and the game served as Carlos Tevez's introduction to European football.

3. USA v Mexico Gold Cup Final
The only thing better than beating Mexico in the Finals of the Gold Cup is beating Mexico in the Finals of the Gold Cup with one of the best strikes of the year. Feilhaber's legendary goal was pure class, and was truly one of the best goals of 2007.

I hope everyone enjoys the highlights, and once again Happy New Year from Soccer On The Brain!