He might not like being called a super sub, but Edin Dzeko helped Manchester City complete yet another comeback. This time against Tottenham Spurs. The visitors scored first in the 21st minute and the fact that City had more possession than Spurs didn’t really matter. Spurs had the lead until the 65th min when Kun Aguero equalized for City! Bot teams had chances to score, but it wasn’t until the 88th minute, when who else but Edin Dzeko, scored for Manchester City, completing their comeback. With this 2-1 win over Spurs, City is still undefeated in EPL. 

Some other matches this weekend included Chelsea v. Liverpool and Manchester United v. Aston Villa. Just like City, United also had to come back in order to win all 3 points. However, they came back from a two-goal deficit. Villa shocked the visitors (and everyone that was watching) by scoring seconds before half time. They doubled their lead just minutes into the second half. It looked like United was headed for a defeat, but they brought on Mexican forward Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez at the beginning of the second half and he helped United’s comeback. At first it looked like he had earned a hat trick, but the second goal was later ruled an own goal. Either way, United was able to come back yet again from an early goal deficit.

Chelsea players and fans will be disappointed that they weren’t able to get all 3 points  Sunday, especially when they had more chances and played better overall than Liverpool. Chelsea captain John Terry scored first for the home team in the 20th minute. His goal came off a corner kick, when he was left unmarked. He later collided with Luis Suarez of Liverpool and had to be stretchered off. Suarez equalized in the second half and with this draw, Chelsea and United’s gap at the top of the table widened a little bit more.

Here are the rest of the scores from EPL (Saturday and Sunday)

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.

Good Monday to you all! I hope you had great weekends! Today’s headlines are packed with US Soccer news, and big news from the English Premier League, including John Terry’s ban. It’s your Monday Daily Kick Around!

U.S. Men’s National Team

The USMNT are in Mexico for the first time since 1984. The game, set to kick off at 7 p.m. ET Wednesday, will definitely be entertaining. It is US v. Mexico after all! Yesterday, head coach Jurgen Klinsmann named a 23-man roster to take to the match. The biggest snub I think would be D.C. United’s Chris Pontius. Chris has been on fire for D.C. this season and definitely deserves the call up.

Major League Soccer

The SuperClasico kicked off last night in LA between the Galaxy and Chivas USA. And make no mistake, it definitely was a show from the Galaxy. They stomped Chivas 4-0.

Other scores:
Philadelphia 1 – Chicago 3 
New England 0 – Montreal 1 

La Liga

Saturday marked a big day for Barcelona forward David Villa as the club took on Dinamo Bucharest. He played in his first game since his broken leg last season. And he told media after the match, which Barca won 2-0, he felt “very pleased” and good on the pitch; he intends to come back better than ever this eason.

English Premier League

Well John Terry has the luck of someone on his side, that’s for sure. After being found not guilty of racial abuse to Antoin Ferdinand this summer, it seems the UEFA is reducing his three-match ban from the red card he received during the Champion’s League second-leg semi-final match. ESPN is reporting Terry’s ”final match of his suspension was deferred for a probationary period of three years.” If that isn’t lucky, I don’t know what is considering Terry’s track record.

Manchester United’s ploy to go public with its shares is sort of blowing up in their face. Some headlines are even comparing it’s demise to that of Facebook’s recent stock fall.

PrivCo, an independent financial analyst, said United’s stock price could plummet further – and gave the shares a value that would mean the club is worth less now than when the Glazers bought it in 2005. 

World Soccer

Some times things happen during matches when players’ tempers get out of control. One ref is hitting back at a player who he claims purposely attacked him on the field. During a friendly match yesterday between Portuguese side Benfica and German side Fortuna Dusseldorf, Benfica’s Luisao allegedly knocked over ref Christian Fischer on purpose. And Fischer plans to sue Luisao because of it.

Fischer, who refused to restart the Esprit Arena game after the 38th-minute incident, told the Express he would be taking legal action, adding: “As proof, I got hold of the TV recordings. Thus he [Luisao] can say whatever he wants. It just makes his statements even more ridiculous: everyone saw what happened.”

Summer is winding down and there were more transfers today! Plus three players face the consequences of their actions. It’s all in today’s Daily Kick Around!

MLS

Congrats to LA Galaxy’s Jose Villarreal. Not only did he score his first career goal last week, it was such a great goal that it won MLS Goal of the Week. He was up against some great goals, including one from Thierry Henry, of the New York Red Bulls. Yesterday, Henry was winning, by a little over 5% or so, but overnight it seems, people voted for Villarreal and he won 40% to 37%.

A few signings took place today in MLS. Seattle Sounders signed a DP (Designated PLayer) Christian Tiffert from DC Kaiserslautern.

Columbus Crew signed Argentine Federico Higuain as their 3rd DP. If the last name sounds familiar, that’s because he’s the older brother of Gonzalo Higuain, player of Real Madrid.

Sounders also made another shocking move. They traded Alvaro Fernandez to Chicago Fire for allocation money.  

International Friendly

Earlier today, Manchester City and Arsenal played in a friendly in Beijing.  City won 2-0 thanks to goals from Pablo Zabaleta and Yaya Toure. City scored both of these goals in the first half. Arsenal was playing without Robin van Persie, who as you all know by now, refused to sign a contract and is most likely on his way out of Arsenal. Arsenal did come close to scoring in the second half when Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain struck the ball and somehow ended up hitting both posts and stayed out of the net.

EPL

The FA will fine John Terry for racially abusing an opponent, even though Terry was cleared by the court for the same thing.

World Football

As a result of what happened with France during the Euro, Samir Nasri and Jeremy Menez have been temporarily suspended from the French NT. 

What a wild and crazy Friday! Surprise trades in MLS and a verdict on the John Terry trail! We’ve got those headlines and more in your Friday Daily Kick Around.

EPL

Not Guilty! These are the two words that John Terry and spectators at his trial heard earlier today. Terry, Chelsea defender,  had been accused of  racially abusing Anton Ferdinand, a QPR player. Terry and his family waited five days to hear those words. There were a lot of poeple who were very upset with this decision. They believed he was guilty and should be punished. The FA will review his case and decide if he will be punished by them.

LA Liga

Hamit Altintop is no longer a Real Madrid player. He signed with Galatasaray. He joined Real Madrid last seaosn on a free transfer. However, with his injuries, he wasn’t able to get much playing time.

MLS

LA Galaxy has traded Bill Gaudette to New York Red Bulls for a 2014 second round supplemental draft pick.  Gaudette was the 3rd choice keeper for LA, although he did start in a few games while Brian Perk was injured and Josh Saunders was in rehab.

Another trade involving LA, they added a 3rd choice goalkeeper, Brian Rowe. He’s a former UCLA player and was part of MLS’ League Pool Goalkeeper.

One of the biggest trades probably of the season so far? That belongs to New York Red Bulls and Vancouver Whitecaps.  They traded Dane Richards and allocation money for Sebastien Le Toux.

Wow… this Monday has been insane, guys! I couldn’t keep track of all the stories that broke today. From Hope Solo’s brush with USADA, John Terry’s trial starting, transfer rumors, managers fired and everything in between, my head is spinning a bit. But I love it, as I’m sure all of you do. As you wind down your Monday, check out all the headlines in today’s Daily Kick Around!

U.S. Women’s National Team

Probably topping all headlines today was the startling news that the U.S. Anti-Doping Association issued a public warning to USWNT keeper Hope Solo after a non-competition drug test revealed she had the banned substance Canrenone in her system. Of course, news and media jumped on the story immediately – Kick TV even had this rude meme on their tumblr with the words “Dope Solo.”

However, Solo was not “doping” up – on the contrary, the Canrenone unfortunately was a part of some pre-menstrual medicine Solo’s personal doctor prescribed her.

“I took a medication prescribed by my personal doctor for pre-menstrual purposes that I did not know contained a diuretic,” Solo said in a statement. “Once informed of this fact, I immediately cooperated with USADA and shared with them everything they needed to properly conclude that I made an honest mistake, and that the medication did not enhance my performance in any way.”

Solo is still cleared to play with the team in this year’s Olympic games.

Major League Soccer

D.C. United will have some new ownership at the helm this week, but you won’t be able to find out who until after a media-only press conference tomorrow afternoon. However, fans and supporters can submit questions to the owners through the club’s official Web site.

Huge news came from Portland today as the club announced long-time manager John Spencer was released from his duties as head coach of the MLS team.

“Obviously, this is a tough announcement,” Paulson said. “I want to thank John Spencer for his significant contributions to the Timbers. Our focus now is on improving the team and finding the right long-term head coach.”

Spencer has been with the club since it’s first season in the United Soccer League back in 2001. Tough, tough call.

Do you like wine? How about the San Jose Earthquakes? Then you are in great luck my friends! I’ve seen and heard of some really cool things MLS players and teams have done to stir up interest in the league, but San Jose has a pretty classy one here. In September, fans can attend a wine tasting and dinner with eight Earthquake players. Pretty cool!

English Premier League

I don’t know about other Manchester United fans, but I was a little sad today when I heard the news that Ji-Sung Park was released by the Red Devils and signed a two-year contract with Queens Park Rangers. Ji-Sung has been with United for seven years, and I, for one, am very sorry to see him leave Old Trafford. Good luck, Ji-Sung!

The big John Terry trial started today folks, and it’s already looking pretty interesting. ESPN Soccernet tweeted out today that an expert lip reader was brought in to review match footage to see if she could read what John Terry said that fateful day. Hmmm… The trial resumes tomorrow morning.

Welp, Manchester City bit the bullet today and signed a new five-year contract with manager Robert Mancini. After he lead the Blues to a EPL title, I’m sure City fans are thrilled by this. I think it will be interesting to see if Mancini will keep the steam at City going.

Okay, so I think it’s save to say the biggest news coming out of the EPL this afternoon was the wild-fire rumor that Liverpool zoned in on Fulham and USMNT forward Clint Dempsey — and signed him. Nothing official has been released yet, but Twitter and several UK papers are buzzing with the rumor. 

Scottish Premier League

MLS fans are probably teaming as USMNT captain and Glasgow Rangers Carlos Bocanegra admitted he’s “100 percent” considering a move back to the States after the disastrous events at Rangers. It’s been no secret that Jay Heaps and the New England Revolution – who are a top of the MLS allocation list – are very interested in the defender.

U.S. Men’s National Team

Do you know your U.S. Soccer history? Even if you are a new fan or a life-time die hard, you’ve got to check out Andrew Lewellen’s article on a very pivotal moment in U.S. Soccer history and how a nation started to wake up to the beautiful game.

All this week, I’ve been preview the groups and national teams of this year’s Euros. We’re now down to the final group!

Group D: Ukraine, Sweden, France, England

The stakes are higher than ever for these teams. There are so many unanswered questions and uncertainty swarming them. Will the Ukraine disappoint on their home turf? Can France move on from the absurd episode that took place in South Africa just two years ago? Will England pack their bags early once again? And will Sweden quietly exit the way they entered?

Unlike their co-host, Poland, the Ukraine did not draw the easiest group, but they did draw two countries they played and lost to last year in friendlies, Sweden (1-0) and France (4-0). With those games fresh in Coach Oleh Blokhin’s mind, he will know areas of weaknesses to work on. The health of the team is questionable with a reported 10 players suffering from food poisoning just days before their first game. Ukraine’s key player is Captain Andriy Shevchenko. He is a legend and fantastic leader for the team. Sheva is past his prime and his physical condition is not 100 percent, but he is fearless and will take on any defender. Youngster Andriy Yarmolenko is talented, young and expected to have a good campaign. They are a long-shot to get out of the group and will need A LOT of luck on their side.

Sweden is overall well-organized and well-formed. This team will keep their fingers crossed that England slips with all of the distractions surrounding them. Key players for Sweden are Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Sebastian Larsson and Kim Kallstrom. Ibrahimovic is a world-class player, but his style of play is much different than his teammates and may ruin the chemistry or enhance it. Sweden could definitely get out of this group; it all depends on which English and French team shows up this year.

Are the images of the 2010 World Cup just distant memories for France? It looks as though the French have moved on past their embarrassing display and relinquished the title to England. Les Bleus have been unbeaten in their last 21 matches and even upset a very good German squad in Germany. France should win the group with the likes of Karim Benzema up top and a dynamic midfield backing him. Yann M’Vila, Franck Ribéry and Samir Nasri are technical and skillful. M’Vila is nursing an ankle injury and may miss the England game, but other than that, France is at the top of their game and should go far.

Two words, train wreck. All eyes are on England this year with the array of problems they are bringing in: suspensions, snubs, law suits, injuries, egos and questionable call-ups to name a few. Brand new coach Roy Hodgson came in to reign merely weeks before the tournament, so the question of how prepared this team is, is uncertain. The Three Lions will be without Cahill, Lampard and Barry. Waza (Rooney) will miss the first two matches to suspensions. With all the bad press, the English still have a talented roster. Goalkeeper Joe Hart was fantastic for Manchester City this past season and is one of the best keepers in the world. Familiar faces, Terry, Gerrard and Cole will provide leadership and newer faces Wellbeck and Oxlade-Chamberlin will be wild cards and perhaps provide a fresh spark. England will either arise to the occasion or be the laughing stock of the tournament.

Predictions: 1. France 2. England 3. Sweden 4. Ukraine

It’s Wednesday! That means only a couple more days until the weekend.  Get a boost to your day and get your soccer news highlights here to help you over the mid-week hump and on the downhill slide towards Friday.  Besides John Terry’s nutmegs – PLURAL -  check out why Chelsea may not play in Champions League next season, which super hot players (in ability and looks) want to make a move to the EPL and another big gambling scandal for the Italians. Just enjoy the sport piasanos!

English Premier League

Just over a week ago, Chelsea beat Liverpool to win the FA Cup. Yesterday the Reds and Blues met again and this time Liverpool prevailed.  The loss means that Chelsea can only qualify for next year’s Champions League if they win this year’s tournament when they play Bayern Munich next week.  Fat chance of that happening if Chelsea continue to play as they did yesterday.  Their disgraceful defending was led by their captain, John Terry, who was nutmegged three times in the first half, twice by Suarez.  I can’t’ tell you how happy it makes me to write things like “John Terry nutmegged”! Within nine minutes, Liverpool netted three times thanks to Jordan Henderson, Daniel Egger and an own goal by Michael Essien. The  half ended at 4 – 0, with a final score of 4 – 1.  The Blues stay in sixth place and Liverpool move to eighth, a single point behind their Merseyside rivals, Everton in seventh.

A bidding war may be taking place over the 21-year old Lille midfielder Eden Hazard.  Hazard says he likes both Red and Blue, Manchester United and City, that is.  Hazard has been a coveted purchase since last summer, and a move to the EPL for next season looks promising.

Ajax defender Jan Vertonghen fancies a move to the EPL as well.  He seems to have his sights on Tottenham, although rumors were abound that his top choice was Arsenal.  The Belgium international hopes that with one year left on his contract, Ajax do not price him out of range so he can make the move.

La Liga

Barcelona defender Carles Puyol is set to miss the Euro 2012 due to knee surgery that will keep him out for six weeks.

Serie A

The Italian football federation, known as FIGC, will place 22 clubs and 61 people under investigation in the latest match-fixing and betting scandal to mar the national sport.

Championship League

Hey Leeds United fans, want a little more at your stadium? You might just get it! Sources are reporting Elland Road could feature a casino in the future, which adds to Leeds United’s ambitions of a hotel as well. Man, clubs are getting creative to bring in the dough, aren’t they?

It’s Hump Day once again at Aerys Soccer and we have plenty of football news to get you over the mid-week hump and on to the weekend.  It isn’t surprising that last night’s Champions League victory by a ten-man Chelsea over Barcelona is still the most talked about football headline. There’s also some fun stuff from John Terry, David Beckham and Jose Mourinho, which should get your pulse racing, but at the very least, will get you through to tomorrow.

Champions League

Even though it’s yesterday’s news, Chelsea’s elimination of reigning champions Barcelona still dominates the headlines today.  The Blues overcame great odds to beat the Catalans with a 2-2 draw (3-2 on aggregate).  The English side went down 2-0, lost Gary Cahill in the 17th minute due to a hamstring injury, and lost captain John Terry, who was sent off by red card due to a needless foul, all in the first half.  Everyone would have thought the match decided at that moment, especially playing at Camp Nou, but somehow Chelsea managed to hold on to pull out a victory. It didn’t hurt that Lionel Messi missed the penalty kick, making Barca suddenly seem human. Surprisingly, Spaniard Fernando Torres took credit for the winning goal, which in my opinion, doesn’t make up for his poor form most of the season, but it will go far to boost his credibility with his Chelsea teammates and fans.  The Blues move on to their third CL final appearance in four seasons.  Should they beat the winner between tonight’s match-up between Bayern and Madrid, Chelsea will not only be the Champions League Champions, but they will also automatically get the number four position in the English Premier League should they not qualify on their own merit in the league table.

Today, another semi-final Champions League match up between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich can be seen at 2:45pm ET on Fox FX.  Stay tuned and see who will meet (and hopefully beat) Chelsea in the Champions League final.

John Terry’s post-match comments made me chuckle.  With eight minutes left in the first half, the Chelsea captain was shown an immediate red card for kneeing Alex Sanchez.  Although Terry admits the replays look bad, he also said “I’m not that type of player to intentionally hurt anyone”.  Terry is no stranger to negative publicity, being charged with making racially motivated comments earlier in the season, but the center-back seems to make a habit of outwardly aggressive behavior on the pitch.  However, to be fair, Terry also went on to say

“I’ve raised my knee, which I maybe shouldn’t have done in hindsight. But hopefully people who know me as a person, as a player…I’m not that type of player.

“I’m disappointed but delighted for the lads. To come here and play the way they did and get the result they did with 10 men…I feel I’ve let them down. I’ve apologised to them and I want to apologise to the fans as well.

“At the time, I was bewildered because I was trying to protect myself a little bit, but looking at it on the replay, I’ve no complaints. I’ve let the lads down. They’ve performed brilliantly, so hopefully this doesn’t take it away from the players.

“This is what this football club deserves. We deserve to be in the Champions League final. The boys were excellent and I hope the incident doesn’t take away from how hard they worked.”

2012 London Summer Olympics

The US Women’s Olympic Team have drawn the same group of teams they played in the 2011 World Cup campaign.  As part of Group G, the US will face Columbia, North Korea, France and two-time defending champions Japan at Wembley Stadium for the London Olympics.  The US team won the two previous tournaments, Athens in 2004 and Beijing in 2008, and they plan to continue their winning streak again in London.

The Great Britain Men’s Olympic Team manager Stuart Pearce will fly to Los Angeles next week to watch David Beckham in action.  Pearce has to make some final decisions soon and is considering adding the 36-year old MLS Galaxy player to his team’s roster.

La Liga

It could be interpreted that Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho will likely stay another year at the Spanish club due to his recent ”there’s no reason for me to leave” comments.  I hope what he says is true, but you never know what the colorful Mourinho has up his sleeve next.

Atalanta squeaked out a 1 – 0 win over Chievo yesterday, putting them in 9th place with an eight point cushion above the drop.

We are nearing the end of the week, but there is plenty to talk about today! Lots of news — both good and bad — out of Bolton, John Terry could be sidelined for a while and Mario Balotelli involved in a car accident. Plus a crazy cool LEGO model in Kansas City! All that and more, here’s your Daily Kick Around.

English Premier League

Let’s get the bad news out of the way first, shall we? Bolton Wanderers manager Owen Coyle said today that U.S. midfielder Stu Holden won’t be seeing any game play for the rest of the EPL season. While it is not a huge surprise, considering the severity of Holden’s injury and the setbacks he has encountered, it is still a blow for any Bolton fans hoping to have the dynamic player back. Bolton is on the verge of relegation and could use all the help they can get to stay in the EPL.

On to the good news: Fabrice Muamba has taken his first steps, just three weeks after suffering cardiac arrest on the pitch. Coyle said that Muamba has done some short periods of walking down the hospital corridor, and has a big smile on his face. Considering Muamba was technically dead for 78 minutes, any progress is amazing; the fact that he’s doing it all with a giant smile makes it that much better.

And of course, we can’t forget about the other American import at Bolton, Tim Ream. While Ream may have fallen out of favor with many USMNT fans, he has made a lasting impression on Coyle. Since arriving at Bolton, Ream quickly worked his way into the starting lineup, and has done well as a center back and occasionally as a midfielder for the Wanderers. Grant Wahl caught up with him, and gives great insight into his time with Bolton so far here.

 Chelsea captain John Terry could be sidelined with two cracked ribs, which is bad news for the Blues. They have a stretch of eight games in 26 days, including EPL, FA Cup and Champions League matches.

Manchester City’s Mario Balotelli was involved in a minor car accident today, but escaped unhurt. How is this man always in the headlines? It’s somewhat impressive.

Major League Soccer

In case you missed the drama in Torreon last night, Santos Laguna knocked Toronto FC out of the CCL tournament, ending the MLS squad’s surprising and impressive run. For you USMNT fans, Herculez Gomez scored. Twice. A call-up is inevitable if he maintains this form.

Ever wondered what MLS stadium would be the first to have an official LEGO model of it? Here’s your answer!