Friday, July 30, 2010

U-20 USMNT Wins the Milk Cup

The US U-20s capped off their 2010 Milk Cup with a third win in a row, saving their most convincing victory for last.  The Yanks dropped hosts Northern Ireland by a score of 3-0, a much more comfortable scoreline than their previous 3-2 nail-biter against Denmark.  The win gives the US their second Milk Cup title, with the first coming back in 2005.

Gale Agbossoumonde opened the scoring with a long free kick that found its way through the wall and inside the post.  Juan Agudelo then doubled the first half lead, finishing off a slaloming run through the defense with a sharply dipping shot just under the bar.  In the second half, Adrian Reulas sealed the win with a cool one-touch finish from the penalty spot in the 68th minute.

Here are the highlights, provided by 723 Football Films, who should follow on Twitter for quality US soccer videos (@723FballFilms):


This was certainly a nice change of pace after the U-17s and U-20s crashed out of last year's youth World Cup tournaments with a whimper.  Let's hope that this group can carry this success up to the Olympic and senior national teams in the coming years. 

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VIDEO: Movsisyan Europa League Brace


Yura Movsisyan continued his goalscoring run yesterday, bagging both of Randers' goals in a 3-2 Europa League loss to FC Lausanne. The goals (which can be seen above; Randers are in the light blue kits) were both the product of good runs and one-touch finishes; just more examples of the instincts and finishing that have opened plenty of eyes in 2010.

The more that Movsisyan finds the back of the net, the more that the "when will he become a citizen?" talk will intensify. For now, though, the more relevant question is about how long he will stay at Randers. His agent has insinuated that there is interest elsewhere in Europe, so another strong couple of months could very well lead to another step up come winter.

In the meantime, we can just enjoy a run of form that is showing no signs of slowing down.

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Thursday, July 29, 2010

Waiting for the Dominoes to Fall in Place

The silly season is simultaneously exciting, interesting, entertaining, and, of course, frustrating.  For all the hype and intrigue, there's plenty of falsehoods, posturing, and waiting.  There's always a domino effect, with the big moves of the window ultimately playing in a big roll in how the rest of the market shakes out.  This year's no different, but the whole spectacle is hitting closer and closer to home with the increased American presence that each passing year brings.  Add in the new Premier League roster rules, and the intrigue is ratcheted up even further.

Of all the Yanks being linked to clubs across the old continent, Jozy Altidore's situation is one of the more interesting (and it doesn't appear to be ending any time soon).  Between Ajax, Fenerbache, Bursaspor and Besiktas, there's no shortage of quality clubs reportedly interested in bringing the former Red Bull in via loan or transfer.  But which situation is the best?  Which coach would help Jozy develop the most?  Which team provides the best supporting cast?  The questions go on and on with so many horses reportedly in the race.

But wait, there's more!

Through an AP report, here's this new gem:

Yorks said he had had discussions with two Premier League clubs he wouldn't identify. Fulham also has held discussions about Altidore, pending a decision on hiring a manager to replace Roy Hodgson, who left the Cottagers to become Liverpool's manager.


Jozy at Craven Cottage or some other English ground?  Hmm....perhaps Fulhamerica won't die off after all.

But wait, there's even more!

Out of Spain, the following exchange involving Villareal's manager, Juan Carlos Garrido:

--¿Al final contará con Altidore para la próxima temporada?

--Depende del club y del mercado. Es un futbolista al que le veo cosas importantes. Si al final se queda, tendrá minutos. Es joven y posee grandes cualidades, pero primarán los temas económicos.

Now, for you non hispanohablantes out there, I'll do my best to translate.  It's been awhile since my days in first period AP Spanish, but the gist of that little back-and-forth goes a little something like this:

Interviewer: What's going to happen with Altidore next season?

Garrido: Depends on the club and the market.  He's a player that I see important things in.  If, in the end, he stays, he will get minutes.  He's young and possesses great qualities, but economic issues are the first priority.

Hmm again...the plot thickens...


Okay, so my interest is for the most part feigned.  The above is just some more posturing from nearly every angle (parent club, suitors, and agent), contributing to the chaos of the summer window. As much as I'd like some big news to break with regards to Jozy or any other US players in the coming days, I'm expecting that we'll have to wait for some of the bigger fish on the market to be reeled in before the smaller pieces fall into place.  Until then, it's just an agonizing tease that will surely have a few more rumors and quotes like the ones above before all is said and done. 

In the meantime, all people like me can do is just sit back and wonder about which rumors are legitimate and, once that's taken care of, speculate on which situation would be the best.  Too bad that too requires some of the dominoes to fall into place first.

The wait continues...

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Wednesday, July 28, 2010

VIDEO: Kljestan Scores in Champions League Debut


It didn't take long for Sacha Kljestan to open his scoring account with Anderlecht, smashing home a loose ball in the 7th minute to open the scoring in the road leg of a third round Champions League tie against Welsh champions The New Saints. The Belgian giants would open up a 2-0 lead in the first half en route to a 3-1 victory, though it was not without a couple of stumbles along the way. Kljestan played 87 minutes and, apart from the goal, didn't make a whole lot of noise one way or the other during his time on the field. With that being said, there's no mistaking that this was a bright start to the midfielder's stint overseas.

After a breakout year in 2008 and a bright start to 2009 (namely the hat-trick against Sweden that led to all sorts of excitement), Kljestan dropped off significantly last year, eventually falling out of favor with the national team by summer's end and looking a far cry from the player that lit up the Home Depot Center with the Yanks just months before. Perhaps it was because an offseason transfer to Europe never materialized, or perhaps it was just a down year for a young player still trying to grow and develop in the professional game. Either way, there's no denying that 2009 was a pretty disappointing follow up to what was an attention-grabbing 2008.

But 2010 has been a lot kinder to the former Seton Hall Pirate, whose solid play with Chivas USA earned him his recent move abroad to the reigning Belgian champs; not a bad consolation prize after missing out on the final World Cup roster.  Could this change of scenery revive the 2008 Sacha that had us talking? Or will it just be more of the same: some flashes of skill and brilliance mixed in with some forgettable appearances. I'm inclined to think it's the former. 

If Oguchi Onyewu's time in Belgium is any indication of what's to come, the land of fruit-topped waffles should be the perfect place for Kljestan to fine-tune his abilities.  He'll face decent competition week in and week out in the league with European play in one form or another a likely possibility as well, providing a good environment to round out and refine his game.  And, perhaps most importantly, he'll get pushed for playing time by others on the roster, making consistent play a necessity for survival, let alone success. 

Instead of returning to Chivas USA as a known, established entity after failing to earn a move abroad (a situation that was ripe for a subsequent letdown/lack of motivation/foot-off-the-pedal situation in retrospect), Kljestan is now in a new league with a new team, where he has to prove himself all over again.  Hopefully this change of scenery and new challenge brings back some of that fire and flair that we've seen in years past. 

Scoring a goal in one's Champions League debut certainly is a good first step.

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Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Yanks in Europe: Goodbye, Goodson?

Here's a look at how Yanks in Europe fared over the weekend:


Clarence Goodson went the distance for IK Start in their 2-1 win over Molde.  The victory extends Start's win streak to three matches, which has pushed them up to sixth in the Tippeligaen standings, just five points away from a spot in Europe.  During the match, Goodson picked up a yellow card, which will keep him out of the next match due to accumulation.  With a number of teams interested in bringing him aboard during the summer window, it's being speculated that he may have played his final match with Start.


Elsewhere in Norway, Mikkel Diskerud got the start for Stabaek against perennial powers Rosenborg, but he was subbed off just 39 minutes into the match due to an injury.  I haven't been able to find out how severe the injury is, but I'll be sure to keep an eye out ahead of the next Yanks in Europe post.

In Denmark, Michael Parkhurst played the full 90 for FC Nordsjaelland in their 2-1 home loss to Sonderjyske.  FCN conceded two goals within seven minutes of opening the scoring themselves, which proved to be the difference in the match. 

Yura Movsisyan (who I have decided to include in these posts going forward though he is not yet USMNT eligible) started and played 85 minutes for Randers.  Though his team had the upper hand throughout the match, they fell behind 1-0 late in the second half and were only able to take a point after an 89th minute goal by Ricky Olsen, the player who replaced Movsisyan minutes earlier.  Randers have lost just once in their last 17 league matches, a run that stretches back to last November.

In Sweden, Alejandro Bedoya played the full match for Orebro in their 3-0 home win over Elfsborg.  To my knowledge, he did not feature in any of his team's goals.  Orebro currently sit third in the Allsvenskan table, four points clear of fourth but nine points adrift of first place Helsingborg.

Last, it's worth mentioning that USMNT defender Steve Cherundolo has officially been named captain of Hannover 96. The Illinois native is headed into his 13th season with the club and recently signed an extension to remain at AWD-Arena. It's not a very common occurrence for a Yank to be named captain of a European side, so congratulations to Steve on the appointment.

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Injured/Did Not Play

Chris Rolfe (injured)
Marcus Tracy (injured)

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Looking ahead to this afternoon, Anderlecht will be taking on The New Saints in Wales in a second round Champions League match.  Sacha Kljestan will be hoping to make another appearance after getting the start in Anderlecht's Super Cup triumph last week.  The match is at 2:45 PM ET, for those interested in tuning in.

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