I have to say, I’m a bit disappointed the U.S. Men’s National Team match against Costa Rica tonight didn’t have more snow angels. But if you take that away, considering everything, I have to say I’m breathing a massive sigh of relief with the result. And I’m on a snow high.

The conditions in Denver were worrisome from the get go. Snow had already started to fall and coat the pitch by the time the whistle blew to start the game. While that was a bit scary, it actually seemed to help the USMNT? I don’t get it either, I won’t pretend to try to understand it. My head is spinning a bit from it. There was even a point at the 55 minute mark that the game was halted. The players pretty much begged to continue – USMNT players because, hey they were in the lead off an early goal from Clint Dempsey, and Costa Rica players because they were in the middle of strong run at the US goal – and so the ref allowed the game to continue.

Insanity, folks. Utter insanity. The Battle for Hoth, for you fellow Star Wars geeks out there (And credit for Jared from the Best Soccer Show for coming up with that. I’m sorry, it’s awesome). But it was the bit of insanity I think the team needed, especially after the past week. So, to recap the night? I’ll keep it to a few points.

1.)    DaMarcus Beasley – Wow. Just, wow. I am not too ashamed to admit when I saw he was going to be a left back for the match, I was pretty damn frightened by the prospect. That’s not the man’s natural position. And the last time he played … well, that didn’t end so well. But, I can admit when I’m put in my place. Tonight that man put me in it. I can’t believe how right this call was for U.S. Head Coach Jurgen Klinsmann. I’m still on the fence as to whether it was sheer dumb luck or something he was able to piece together through training sessions.

Whatever the case, it was a damn good call. DaMarcus was spectacular tonight. He tracked back, got Costa Rica’s Bryan Ruiz feeling off balance a few times and was able to help push the ball up the field. I was incredibly pleased. So you go, DaMarcus. Bask in this win cause you helped them earn it, man.

2.)    Jozy Altidore – Again, another wow. I’ve been pretty disappointed in Jozy as of late. It’s been one of those instances where he hasn’t been able to transfer his club performance to country. Now, it wasn’t a perfect game for him. There were many passes he wasn’t able to hook up on. But, he put in some work. He did get some nice shots on goal; one that deflected into the path of Clint Dempsey for the lone goal of the match.
I think if the snow hadn’t been so bad, we might have seen a Jozy goal. I feel like this was the first step toward the Jozy Altidore USMNT fans used to see. And all I have to say to that is, “Welcome back, Jozy!”

3.)    The Back Four – If you would have told me you weren’t worried about the defense situation of the USMNT, I would have told you, you were nuts. With the team’s “injuries” – some of which I’m not really sure are justifiable, hence the quotations – Klinsmann was digging deep in the talent pool to figure out what to do. He chose Geoff Cameron, Clarence Goodson, Omar Gonzalez and DaMarcus Beasley … and it freakin’ worked. It worked really well.
Goodson was stellar, giving the stability and experience that was needed. And he was just spot on all night. Great clearances, holding the line … just fabulous. Cameron made a few mistakes here and there, but overall, he put in great work on the right. Beasley, see above. And Omar was a bit quiet but he did his job and did it well. He deserved the start and is a solid defensive player, one I hope Jurgen continues to use.
So, I applaud you Jurgen. You nailed it. In a crazy, snow blizzard, these four held it together. They got a little shaky there toward the end, but over all, I am massively happy with their performance.

4.)    The USMNT Coming Together – After what is being labeled as “Klinsmann Gate” earlier this week with Brain Straus’ article, everyone knew this team had a lot to prove. They had two options. Rise to the occasion and show the fans and the media they could over come, or fall into tragedy and into the rumors and accusations. And while as a fan, I believed there had been a lack of communication and a disconnect, I was praying they would bond together and learn from the experience.
I believe they did just that with this game. And you can say the weather thwarted it, even if they did win, and this game didn’t count, but I would say you’re wrong. They came together and the team as a whole had a good game considering the conditions. From Brad Guzan in goal to Altidore up front, the USMNT went out and performed and they got the three points they needed. Of course this game counted! It was always going to be the difference between frustration at dropping points or relief and elation at nabbing a win. As Taylor Twellman is fond of saying, a win is a win. Let’s not try to break that down or take that away from the players or hell, ourselves as fans. The USMNT are now sitting second in the group; I’ll take that, thank you very much.

5.)    Geoff Cameron, snow shoveler – Because I want to round out to five points in this, I’m going to end with probably one of the most awesome ones. We might not have seen snow angels from the USMNT. But we did get to see Geoff Cameron put in some work helping the grounds crew shovel snow off the lines.
Yes, you read that right. In stoppage time of the game, the cameras panned over to see Cameron helping one of the snow shovelers push their shovel full of snow across and off the pitch. It was pretty cool to see. Especially when you factor in the game was minutes from being over and the snow was getting heavier and heavier. So go you, Geoff. That was pretty cool.

Side note: Every one of the 20,000 fans that were in that stadium, you all are amazing. Staying through that entire game and being loud the entire time. You guys represented well and it was fantastic.

To wrap up; with snow up to their ankles, no one played “beautiful” football. But I could care less. It’s almost 1 a.m. here in Indiana and I’m still grinning. The USMNT needed that win, not just for the points. The game will go down in history; for the snow, for the craziness leading up to it and for the win. Some times it’s not all about the style of play.

By now, if you’ve read a few of my articles or know me at all, you know I’m a panicky person. I freak out a lot. And no more do I freak out than when it concerns the U.S. Men’s National Team. Today the boys in red, white and blue took on Honduras in San Pedro Sula in the first of their hexagonal matches on the road to qualify for World Cup 2014.

Going in, I knew it wasn’t going to be an easy game. As I stated so eloquently in my post about the friendly against Canada last week,  I wasn’t expecting this match up to be smooth sailing with an easy three points going the U.S.’s way. At best, I was hoping for a draw and praying for a win. But a loss? Oh Lord, no.

But a loss is what happened. When the final whistle blew, it was 2-1 and the stadium in San Pedro Sula was shaking with the noise. And I wanted to find a pint of beer. Don’t get me wrong, Honduras is not a push over team. In the last few years, they’ve become a strong force to reckon with. Get them on their home turf, and it’s down right scary. But man, I thought with the squad on the books for U.S. Head Coach Jurgen Klinsmann, a draw was surely in the team’s future.

Now, the debate has raged since the ending of the game – to panic or not to panic. It’s only the first game of the Hex, but in any tournament in which CONCACAF teams are facing off, every game and point counts. Even the first one. I’ve seen people make statements from both sides. But here’s what I can say for sure; I’m definitely one of the people slamming my hand against the panic button.

I feel I am justified in this as well, considering the sort of play that came from the U.S. Most of the first part of the match was spent chasing after Honduras, who pressed in the final 18 of the U.S. half and even had the midfielders pressing deep to help defend. Seriously people, Eddie Johnson was helping in the final third! This shouldn’t be happening.

There was a bright spot where the U.S. started to hold possession, which helped lead to the fantastic service from Jermaine Jones that put the ball in front of a sprinting Clint Dempsey. That first goal was brilliant. But the joy that goal brought didn’t last long.

So I should really wrap this rambling up with a point, shouldn’t I? Okay, here it is.

My biggest pet peeve about this game? It wasn’t that the USMNT players were sluggish, because there were a lot of factors in that – heat, humidity, the grass, the pitch, etc. Honduras struggled a bit with the heat as well, I believe, but they bore everything else better. It wasn’t that Jurgen used all three of his substitutions pretty early and very quickly. Though that did touch a nerve, I don’t pretend to know what plan he had. No, the biggest pet peeve was the lack of some experience in our back line.

The USMNT’s captain, Carlos Bocanegra, didn’t start the match. He didn’t even get subbed in! I know Bocanegra is getting up there in the years – he’s not the fastest horse out there. But I’ll tell you what he is, he’s a war horse. He’s been there, done that, bought the T-shirt, yadda, yadda. Could he have provided a header goal? Not necessarily. Could he have dashed after Jerry Bengtson and stopped Honduras’ second goal? Eh, probably not.

But what Bocanegra offers is something far more valuable – leadership. Something severely lacking in the team that took to the pitch today. The two guys in the US back line center are young. Geoff Cameron and Omar Gonzalez are good, and they have matured, but they don’t talk to each other or others on the pitch. Bocanegra talks, pushes, points out holes and looks around at what’s going on instead of tending to worry solely about his spot. He’s not the perfect defender, he’s not the best or the fastest. However, he’s got the experience and the knowledge to help settle the team – to anchor it when things get a little out of hand or too stagnant.

I’m not saying get rid of the back line – though I will not get started on my opinion of Timmy Chandler. What I think Jurgen Klinsmann flubbed up on today was leaving out his seasoned vet. Yes, Boca is playing with a second-tier Spanish team. But this isn’t his first rodeo. And that fact could have helped settled the young back line today.

And who knows, maybe that scoreline would have looked a little different.

The USMNT take to the pitch again March 22 against Costa Rica for their next Hex match up. Here’s hoping they can nab those needed three points.

Photo courtesy of Major League Soccer’s Twitter account

How to start this, how to start this. Hmmm.

At the conclusion of the U.S. Men’s National Team match against Guatemala in Kansas City tonight, I did one thing I think the majority of USMNT fans did. I let out a big, huge breath. One I think I had been holding since Friday and that ugly, ugly game in Antigua. And let me tell you, if feels so nice to breath easy again.

I feel like praying to the soccer gods because tonight I saw a U.S. team I would like to see continually. Was it perfect? Lord, you know this song and dance from me by now. It wasn’t perfect at all. But it was something. And that something was solid. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what this national team needs.

Remember, we are still in the infancy of the Klinsmann era here. He’s smack in the middle of a push of World Cup qualification and it puts the pressure on immediately, but that doesn’t take away the fact that he’s implementing a change here. A change revolving around attack. It’s created some trials, a whole lot of errors, but it’s shown fans and critics there is a lot of potential under it.

We saw the worst of it in Antigua. But tonight we saw where he can start. In the first five minutes of the game, it seemed like the same old song and dance. USMNT held the majority of possession, but a simple mis-communication between Carlos Bocanegra and Geoff Cameron found Carlos Ruiz with free range to slap one past Tim Howard.

The death blow? Not quite. In the post game interview, Kasey Keller said, “With that, (Guatemala) poked the bear in the beginning and the U.S. woke up a bit.” What I believe is always the telling factor of a team is how they respond. Do they get frustrated? Do they continue to error? What happens, as a team, after they go down in a crucial match?

Tonight, the U.S. responded just as they should; they dug in and they took that control back. They responded effectively, clinically, and most importantly, calmly.

Yes, they were smooth and cool. Frankly, a USMNT I’m not use to seeing. It was a solid performance from everyone. Every. Single. Player.

Sure, Boca and Cameron had that miscue earlier in the night. But you could see, by the mid of the first half, it became a “Ruiz who?” game. If Bocanegra wasn’t shutting down the speedy Guatemalan forward, Cameron sure as hell was. Because of that, Parkhurst and Cherundolo could push up.

Did the midfielders get passes picked off? Yeah, but they tracked back to help shut down the Guatemalan offense. Hell, even Tim Howard seemed to be having an off night, which would have normally frightened the ever-lovin’ dickens out of me. But tonight … it didn’t really bother the USMNT that much.

Granted, this was just Guatemala, who have one speedy forward in Ruiz. But like I said, if the USMNT can be solid like they were tonight, consistently, then it’s a platform to build on. To get stronger and be able to be formidable opponents  to say, our neighbors to the south?

So really, what does this mean? Other than the U.S. won their group and their moving on to the hexagonal? Well, it means a few things actually.

It means that if no one knew it before, they know it now – Michael Bradley is not just needed in the USMNT line up, he is  essential. I remember first watching Michael and thinking he had a lot of growing to do. And now, he’s matured so much as a player, it’s fantastic. He’s one of those resources the U.S. cannot afford to lose. He was pure class tonight and when the USMNT is working as a well-oiled machine, the things Michael Bradley can do are pure magic.

It means that Eddie Johnson has come full circle. I’m not going to hate on Jozy Altidore, but Eddie Johnson has done in two games what Jozy hasn’t been able to do in a long time. And that’s score in open play and if he’s not scoring, he’s creating the chances to help score. He, Clint Dempsey and Herc Gomez played beautifully off each other. He could have been the missing link we needed all along.

It means that Geoff Cameron is clearly the heir apparent to the throne that is Carlos Bocanegra’s reign over the back line. And he’s definitely capable of that crown and the responsibility that comes with it. I admit, I was weary of Cameron at first. But he’s done well, he’s learned and he’s come into his own. And tonight after the blunder, instead of continuing to fumble, he and Bocanegra learned from the mistake. Cameron took what happened and built on it. It’s a positive thing and also shows that he’s versatile – he plays on the right for Stoke, not the center.

I could go on, (Graham Zusi, Herc Gomez, etc., etc.) but this is already a novel. So, here’s my sum up. Solid play gets solid wins. If this team continues being cool and collected, Klinsmann can finally start going more forward with his grand scheme. And that’s good news indeed. Because a cool, calm, smooth USMNT is one that can be a force to be reckoned  with.

And that will help me breathe easier again.

The USA captured the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup crown with a 1-0 defeat over Germany. Photo via ussoccer.com

Before we get to discussing the dreadful U.S. Men’s National Team performance last night, I want to give a big shoutout of congratulations to the U-20 U.S. Women, FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Champions! That’s right — not only did our senior squad capture gold in London this summer, but the U-20 girls held on to a 1-0 lead in the final against Germany today, taking their third World Cup crown and ending Germany’s 610 minute shutout streak. The future of the U.S. Women’s National team is looking good.

The men on the other hand… well, the good news is that Clint Dempsey is back in red, white and blue and scored the fastest goal in USMNT WCQ history 36 seconds into last night’s World Cup Qualifier against Jamaica in Kingston.

The bad news? The team stunk it up big time with a “lack luster” performance (to put it mildly), driving our own editor to the bottle. Trista really threw it down on our boys, who deserve to be ripped to shreds after that uninspired showing:

We had no midfield and no service. We couldn’t keep the ball worth anything. How can Dempsey or Gomez – or hell, even Altidore if Klinsmann wants to keep using that flag ship – score if the team can’t keep the ball in the mid and allowing opposing teams to practically pick their pockets so to speak?

The USMNT have the pieces, they just have to put them together in with the plan and get to work on dominating. Lack luster is not good enough. Gritty scrappy wins aren’t good enough. It’s time to step up and live up to the name of being a dominant team in CONCACAF.

MLS’s Armchair Analyst also focuses on the team’s inability to possess the ball in three things we learned from the loss, but offers a different perspective on the pieces involved:

Yeah, the US got those 1-0 wins at Italy and Mexico, but those wins had waaaay more to do with great goalkeeping and a few timely interventions than they did with keeping the ball. Even against Antigua & Barbuda, which was as unimpressive as a 3-1 win could be, the US were hardly dominant in stringing together long series of passes.

So the question is twofold: Does Klinsmann have the team to play a possession game? And if so, is he lining them up to do just that?

I’d say the answer to the second is “yes”, but the answer to the first, with this squad, anyway, is “no.” A US team that omits the most skillful midfielders in favor of multiple d-mids is not designed to hold the ball.

And, unfortunately, with the narrowness of the formation, they weren’t designed to hit on the break, either. It’s not a catch-22, it’s just the wrong players.

In another CONCACAF stunner, Canada defeated Panama 1-0 behind Dwayne DeRosario’s 20th career goal. Canada leads Group C now with 7 points and will face Panama in a rematch in Panama City Tuesday.

Turning to UEFA World Cup qualifying, Ashley Cole will not be available for Tuesday’s match against Ukraine, and John Terry is questionable, as both recover from ankle injuries.

And speaking of injuries, poor Phil Jones can’t catch a break, suffering a tear of the meniscus in his knee that will keep him off the field for eight weeks:

After an extensive break following Euro 2012, Jones suffered a back injury that prevented him from playing any part in the preseason.

He missed United’s opening three Barclays Premier League games and the start of England’s World Cup qualifying campaign, but Jones’ return to training was supposed to be the prelude to his comeback.

Instead, Jones is sidelined until November.

It means he will miss England’s next two qualifiers against San Marino and Poland next month.

More importantly for United though, he is ruled out of a succession of key league fixtures, including matches against Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal.

In addition, he will miss at least the Red Devils’ opening three Champions League group matches.

OK, back to American soccer. In case you missed the news, the ever-hilarious Jimmy Conrad is getting his own show for KICKTV, American Soccer Spectacular, in an effort to prove why Americans should be as good at soccer as we are at stuffing our faces with hot dogs. Bring it on, Jimmy.

I do believe I need a drink. Something to drown my sorrows in after the match between the U.S. Men’s National Team and Jamaica in the first of two World Cup qualifying matches between the countries. The U.S. had a commanding start, with Clint Dempsey scoring a goal only 36 seconds in. But the downfall would be Jamaica’s pace, which would help them get two goals in and defeat the U.S. 2-1.

But perhaps I should explain a bit more about the “needing a drink” part. Any good USMNT fan worth their salt will know that playing any team in CONCACAF is hard – especially those teams residing in Central America. Are the U.S. looked at as one of the strongest in the region? Yes. But I dare any European country to go down there and not feel like their heads are spinning.

Playing in Central America always brings about a hint of sick anticipation. Are we favored to come out on top? Yes. Given our history in these types of games, however, I’m not sure why. These teams are intimidating and some times, the guys in the red, white and blue let that get to them.

Jamaica had not beaten the USMNT in the 18 times that our countries have met before tonight — wait, I’ll just stop myself there as I’m having a bit of deja vu. I typed similar words when discussing the recent USMNT v. Mexico game. Only that time, roles were reversed. Tonight, we were the ones that were whopped on the head.

I know, I know. Pessimism is a USMNT fan’s cup of tea. And you can’t really blame us. The past year as been crazy for us and while I back Klinsmann in his quest for his perfect court of players to form some kind of great Camelot USMNT – even I can admit, it’s been kinda weird. Lack luster, how about that? Yeah, that sounds better.

If you look at the stats for 2012, they actually don’t look too concerning; including tonight’s match, the USMNT are 6-2-2. Seriously, on paper, 2012 doesn’t look so bad, right? But that’s on paper. And remember, pessimism is our favorite tea here in the good ol’ US of A.

We may have only played 10 games this year, and we may only be in the infancy of the Jurgen Klinsmann era — but it’s not been pretty. There are been moments; take the game against Scotland perhaps. Dominating, fierce, ruthless. The type of USMNT squad fans dream about in their sleep. A team so fluid and strong, one would ask, “Who can stop them?”

But the reality of the situation is, we’re not always like that. We’re not consistent. And yeah, we’ll admit our players aren’t the next Messi or Ronaldo, but we have some strong, solid talent. We have the players Klinsmann can mold into his grand scheme of things. He’s just gotta find that right combination.

What works for the Klinsmann Round Table?
Brek Shea
Clint Dempsey
Hercules Gomez (seriously, don’t leave that man off the roster, EVER.)
Geoff Cameron
Maurice Edu
Michael Bradley
Fabian Johnson
*Also, I’m pretty sure Sacha Kljestan would be a great fit in this as well.

Are the others talentless? Good lord no. So please get off Kyle Beckerman’s back, thank you very much. )He’s made some mistakes, I get it. But he’s a talented player. Just … not in a USMNT kit.)

They just don’t fit. If it doesn’t work, don’t use it. It’s as simple as that. It sucks for those players who are talented, but really in the end, it’s something they will understand. They are big boys after all – they lace up their own cleats and everything. They can handle it if they just don’t fit in right.

With this loss in Jamaica, the USMNT are in a precarious place in our group. Second, with four points. We need a win to tie things up and feel sorta okay about going into the next round. Playing how we did tonight will not work. As it was so gloriously pointed out on Twitter, “Playing a narrow field will not work if you can’t keep possession.”

Our defense wasn’t horrid – until a scary bit in the second half – it was our possession that made me want to reach for a strong drink. We had no midfield and no service. We couldn’t keep the ball worth anything. How can Dempsey or Gomez – or hell, even Altidore if Klinsmann wants to keep using that flag ship – score if the team can’t keep the ball in the mid and allowing opposing teams to practically pick their pockets so to speak?

Leave Cameron in the back, bring back Steve Cherundolo or Carlos Bocanegra, push Maurice Edu in the mid and pair him with someone strong like Sacha Kljestan or Michael Bradley and let the magic happen. It’s there, I know it.

The USMNT have the pieces, they just have to put them together in with the plan and get to work on dominating. Lack luster is not good enough. Gritty scrappy wins aren’t good enough. It’s time to step up and live up to the name of being a dominant team in CONCACAF.

But until that happens, please pass me my strong drink.

I’m gearing up for the U.S. Women’s National Team’s “Olympic Victory Tour,” which kicks off against Costa Rica from Rochester at 2:30pm ET on NBC (yes, actual, real national television!), so today’s headlines will focus mostly on the women’s game.

U.S. Women’s National Team

Today’s USWNT-Costa Rica match could be head coach Pia Sundhage’s swan song on the sidelines. U.S. Soccer announced today that Sundhage will return to her native Sweden “to pursue opportunities” there.

“After the Olympics we had discussions and early in the process it became clear that Pia was very interested in returning home to Sweden,” said U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati. “It certainly wasn’t an easy decision for U.S. Soccer or Pia. She deserves a tremendous amount of credit for the amazing success the U.S. Women’s National Team had during the past five years. On behalf of U.S. Soccer, we sincerely appreciate Pia’s hard work, dedication and commitment to the organization. We wish her all the best in the future.”

Sundhage finishes her tenure with the U.S.A with 88-6-10 record and 11 tournament titles, including 2 Olympic gold medals over five years.

Grant Wahl tweeted that an early candidate to replace Sundhage is U.S. National Teams’ Development Director Jill Ellis.

In other WNT news announced this week, two more friendly dates have been announced for the U.S. this fall. The team will face 2nd-ranked Germany in back-to-back matches on Oct 20 in Chicago and Oct 23 in Hartford, Conn. Germany failed to qualify for the Olympics after falling to Japan in the quarterfinals of the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

After the “Victory Tour” what’s next for the U.S. Women’s National Team?  A responsibility to help grow the women’s professional game, starting with sustainability of next year’s new pro league, writes Equalizer Soccer’s Jeff Kassouf.

English Premier League

Things aren’t off to a great start for Andre Villas-Boas and Tottenham this season. After conceding a lead for the second week in a row, settling for a 1-1 draw with Norwich City, the Spurs are still looking for their first win of the season. The deadline-day acquisition of Clint Dempsey should help up front, but AVB has some serious work to do if this club has hope of being a Champions League contender.

The London club lacked penetration up front and were almost totally devoid of ideas in midfield and on the flanks until the introduction of Dembele and Emmanuel Adebayor and the home support made their feelings known at the final whistle by booing their team off.

Worryingly for Villas-Boas, Tom Huddlestone was also sent off for a very poor tackle on Bradley Johnson with one minute left.

Had it not been for an excellent performance from Brad Friedel, Spurs could have been 3-0 down by the time Dembele struck.

Follow @AerysSoccer on Twitter for commentary during the USWNT game and check back for a full recap soon after!

Man, it seems like all we talk about anymore is transfers, am I right? Yeah, I know. “What do you expect, it’s the transfer window!” This is true, but still. All the headlines! If you missed any of the transfers today – and trust me, there were quite a few – we’ve got the headlines, PLUS the Champion’s League group draws. It’s your Daily Kick Around!

Transfers, Transfers and more Transfers

I could separate these out by league, but goodness, why don’t I just get to it. First up, the sudden and quick move of Marco Pappa. Major League Soccer club Chicago Fire announced today the Guatemalan midfielder was headed to SC Heerenveen – effective immediately! It was originally reported he wouldn’t make the move until the end of the Fire’s season.

And yes, my Liverpool friends, what you feared was going to happen has indeed happened. LFC announced this afternoon Andy Carroll will be making a season-long loan move to West Ham. The club aren’t saying if West Ham can buy the striker after the season, but the general feel is if they wanted him, Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers would be willing to part with him.

Welp, Dimitar Berbatov is finally done jetting around Europe. After a rather whirl-wind week, Fulham have made a bid and United accepted. The Bulgarian striker will head to Fulham on a 5 million pound deal. With this transfer sealed, one has to wonder if Clint Dempsey is FINALLY close to being able to pack his bags up and head out to a new club.

The transfer that I was the most shocked about today came from Real Madrid. I admit, I haven’t been following the transfer news out of the league too closely, but the one that I was waiting on was Kaka. Not Esteban Granero! Imagine my surprise when I read the Spanish midfielder had signed for Queens Park Rangers! Interesting, indeed!

Major League Soccer

Another little jaw-dropping tid bit of information today was from MLS’ Chivas USA. Early this afternoon, the club released a statement confirming general manager Jose Domene. This announcement comes about 24 hours after Jorge Vergara and Angélica Fuentes acquired complete ownership of Chivas USA.

Also raising some eyebrows in the American league this week was former D.C. United player Bryan Namoff, who is suing the club, former coach Thomas Soehn and others for not properly treating him after he suffered a concussion that would go on to end his career.

Champion’s League

Well I can’t believe I’m typing this, but it’s already time to start talking about the Champion’s League!! The group draw was today and offered up some surprises. Check out the group lists and more here! 

Photo courtesy of sportinglife.com.

With the return of EPL, that means more of our “honorary American”, everyone’s favorite British play-by-play man for ESPN.

It’s a monster Saturday for soccer, with the English Premier League back in action. There are a few noticeable changes both on the pitch and the sidelines from last year. Andre Villa-Boas now leads the Hotspurs as they’ll try to pay back Chelsea for knocking them out of the Champions League. Both Fulham and Arsenal are missing their leading scorers from last season, with Clint Dempsey still refusing to play for Fulham and Robin van Persie completing the transfer from Arsenal to Manchester United. Aside from personell changes, what are the key questions facing each club this season? Ian Darke, of course, has the answers. This and more in today’s Daily Kick Around.

English Premier League

Before we get to Saturday results, let’s look at the key questions for each club this season, courtesy of America’s favorite English soccer announcer, Ian Darke, for the newly branded “ESPN FC”. Darke’s first question was how Arsenal would fare without leading striker Robin van Persie, and after their season-opening match vs Sunderland, the question still remains, as the home team “enjoyed plenty of possession but lacked a killer instinct in the final third.” Fulham, on the other hand, had no trouble scoring without Clint Dempsey, drilling Norwich City 5-0 in their home opener. Manchester United fans can breathe a little easier, after the club rejected a transfer of Chicharito to Chelsea. Andre Villa-Boas was sacked at Chelsea last season before the club made a miraculous comeback to claim the Champions League title, bouncing the fourth-place Tottenham Hotspurs out of Champions League contention for this season. Now Villa-Boas, head coach at Tottenham, aims for payback as he will try to get the club back into the top four. He’ll have to do better than today’s result, however. The Spurs fell to Newcastle United, 2-1. Swansea City shocked QPR 5-0 at Loftus Road. QPR had hoped that many of their new additions would make an impact to help dig them out of last season’s basement, but it was Swansea’s new face, Miguel Perez Cuesta, aka “Michu,” who made the biggest impact with two goals to lead the Swans to the win. Liverpool hoped to make a statement in their opener as they attempt to return to the top of the tables, but it didn’t go as planned, as they fell 3-0 to West Brom, losing defender Daniel Agger to a red card in the 58th minute.

Major League Soccer

The Cascadia Clash is back, as Seattle takes on Vancouver this afternoon, but the Whitecaps will be without Barry Robson, suspended for “aggravated dissent” in Wednesday’s loss to FC Dallas.

Columbus Crew’s new DP, Argentina’s Federico Higuain, could be on the pitch for tomorrow’s match against the Houston Dynamo:

Warzycha said Higuain’s role will be fluid, but emphasized that the Argentine would be deployed in familiar positions where he can find space and time on the ball. One of the players likely to be feeding Higuain, midfielder Milovan Mirosevic, said he is anxious to get their partnership off the group and suspects it won’t take long for the pair to click, just as he and [Jairo] Arrieta have done.

Follow us on @AerysSoccer for more EPL and MLS commentary and reactions this weekend!

Welcome to Friday footy fans! We have tons of EPL news for you as the season draws ever closer. From Rio Ferdinand to RVP’s move (finally!) We’ve got all the headlines you need in today’s Daily Kick Around!

English Premier League

John Terry might have gotten off the hook, but it looks like Manchester United defender, Rio Ferdinand, will not. The FA has fined the English international for comments he made on his twitter account during the Terry trial. 

It looks like it’s the end for Clint Dempsey. Reports say that he wants to leave Fulham and apparently move to Liverpool.

In more Dempsey news, the USMNT favorite was also fined  by his current club for missing a Fulham training and refusing to play in Fulham’s game against Norwich City. Maybe he was trying to make a statement? #FreeClint

The biggest news to come out of the EPL this past week would definitely have to be the move of Robin Van Persie to Manchester United. But he won’t be alone in leaving Arsenal. It seems Alex Song is also on the way out to Spanish giants Bacelona.

With Van Persie moving to Manchester United, it seems like Chicharito will be on the bench, as United’s 4th choice striker. As a result, rumor has it that Chelsea has approached United to sign the young Mexican striker. 

La Liga

EPL and La Liga will finally start this weekened. However, many people might not get to watch La Liga kick off. In the past it was shown on Gol tv or ESPN Deportes, it has now moved to BeinSport, a channel that not many people have, only people with Dish or Direct tv will be able to watch.  Of course, there’s always streams, though most people will agree, that’s not always the best option.

Do you love Saturdays as much as I do? Sleeping in, getting some brunch, and then a full slate of MLS and international friendlies to kick back and watch. Right now I’m watching Red Bulls-Union, with the big headline being Sebastian Le Toux’s first match against his old club. MLSSoccer.com has the story on how Union players feel about their old teammate playing for their biggest Eastern Conference rival.

It may be taking the influx of international clubs and national teams on U.S. soil for summer friendlies, but the media’s ears are finally starting to perk up and realize that soccer is actually pretty popular on this side of the pond and bringing in profits. More news on that from NBC’s ProSoccer Talk below.

Plus, more on Brek Shea’s troubles, and why keeping Shea off the field right now might be the best thing for his future.

International Friendlies

From the World Football Challenge to international friendlies on U.S. soil between top clubs abroad and even national teams “the high season of highly profitable friendlies is upon us,” writes NBC’s Pro Soccer Talk, and the media is – finally – all over it.

As a case-study in the increasing media interest in these games, tonight’s passing and trapping from Toyota Park will be live-blogged, and how about that?

A few years ago, a team like Aston Villa could have come over to the United States, and the only media mention would be the maddeningly cliché “Fans like them some soccer” story in the local paper.

Washington Post’s Soccer Insider has a list of all of this summer’s friendlies on North American soil.

Major League Soccer

Sebastian Le Toux takes the field for the Red Bulls this afternoon for the first time against his former club, Philadelphia Union. And his old teammates say that Le Toux’s presence on their Eastern Conference rival’s squad will add even greater motivation to win.

“I think it will be a little more intense,” center back Amobi Okugo said. “I know some fans are still upset with the way he left and everything. But we forgot about that. And now that he’s a New York Red Bull, we’re not going to play him lightly or anything just because he’s our old friend.”

The Red Bulls aren’t done wheeling and dealing since the Le Toux trade. Today they traded forward Quincy Amarikwa to Toronto for a conditional draft pick.

Le Toux’s not the only Frenchman switching clubs:

Toronto FC have acquired French forward Eric Hassli from the Vancouver Whitecaps in exchange for a first-round pick in the 2014 MLS SuperDraft and an international roster slot, the clubs announced Friday.

“Adding a player of Eric’s ability gives an immediate improvement to our club,” said Toronto FC head coach and director of soccer operations Paul Mariner in conference call. “He has had a lot of success in this league and we are pleased to bring him to Toronto.”

With the addition of Scottish DP forward Kenny Miller and the emergence of rookie Darren Mattocks, Hassli found himself increasingly relegated to the bench in Vancouver, though Whitecaps head coach Martin Rennie admitted the decision to trade the player was not an easy one.

Yesterday we reported on Brek Shea’s recent struggles, and it looks even more like Shea may need some more time away from the field before he can control his emotional outbursts. ProSoccerTalk reported this morning that Shea was dismissed from practice on Friday and could be held out of Dallas’s match with Portland this evening. Manager Schellas Hyndman is no stranger to this type of situation, having dealt with a similar issue with now New York Red Bull Dax McCarty a few years back:

McCarty was benched for his attitude and for general grousing about. Hyndman was still new as FC Dallas’ manager, and he was giving minutes to players who were clearly lesser talented.

The coach was taking a lot of public criticism for it, too. People wondered if the longtime college coach simply didn’t recognize the kind of talent it took to perform professionally.

But Hyndman told me privately at the time that McCarty’s attitude was awful. The coach told me that he could “deal with the problem right now, or that he’d be dealing with it later.”

Long story short, McCarty shaped up, and look at that guy now; he’s having a sensational season for the Red Bulls. McCarty has told me since that he was young and being a brat and needed to be benched.

English Premier League

The rumors about Clint Dempsey to Liverpool continue to heat up, as the Daily Mail today reported that Liverpool could be looking to sweeten the pot for Fulham with midfielder Charlie Adam in exchange for Dempsey’s services. Think we’ll see Dempsey in a Liverpool kit back in the States this summer?

Follow @AerysSoccer on Twitter for more commentary on this weekend’s MLS matchups, international friendlies, and of course, transfer rumors!