MLS 2010 Season Predictions & Overview

The 15th season of the MLS kicks off tonight in Seattle, WA as the Seattle Sounders host the new expansion club - the Philadelphia Union. The season begins after a very tense off-season with negotiations around the collective bargaining agreement and player transfers/injuries. Here is a quick look at some new changes for the 2010 season:

• The Philadelphia Union joins the MLS as the 16th club as a member of the Eastern Conference. 
• The New York Red Bulls will open their new 25,000 seat, soccer-specific stadium. 
• There are six new coaches: Philadelphia (Nowak), New York (Backe), Toronto (Preki), D.C. (Onalfo), Chivas (Vasquez), and Chicago (Cobos).
• Each team will play all other 15 clubs home and away during the 2010 season.
• The MLS will take a two week break starting June 10th for the 2010 World Cup.

 Here are my predicted finishes for the Eastern & Western Conferences:

East:

1. Chicago Fire*
2. Columbus Crew*
3. D.C. United*
4. New England Revolution*
5. Toronto FC
6. New York Red Bulls
7. Kansas City Wizards
8. Philadelphia Union

West:

1. Seattle Sounders*
2. Real Salt Lake*
3. LA Galaxy*
4. Colorado*
5. Chivas USA
6. Houston Dynamo
7. San Jose Earthquakes
8. Dallas FC

*Team makes playoffs.

For even more MLS 2010 kick-off news, check out Sports Illustrated's top 10 storylines to watch this season.

What are your thoughts on the regular season finishing order for 2010?

Website Review: Soccer24.com

In my free time (the limited amount of it) I like to check out the web for interesting or new soccer and technology websites. Luckily for me I came across Soccer24.com, a great site that I think all of you would like and wanted to bring it to your attention. Soccer24 features the following items:

• Live soccer scores from every major league around the world. Top European leagues like the EPL and Serie A all the way down to small divisions in from Africa, Asia and South America. 
• A look at upcoming matches or past results based on sorted by league and date. 
• Odds comparison data and soccer statistics for betting information and data analysis of your favorite league and/or club.
• A list of games streaming live video at the current time which are free to watch on various websites across the web. 

So when you get some time check out the site and if its what you've been looking for add it to your bookmarks. I've also added the link to Soccer24.com to the upper right hand corner of the blog for future reference. 

Soccer News & Features - 3/23

Finally, getting to the blog late tonight due to some travel, but here are a few quick news stories and features you might want to check out:

• Sports Illustrated has a full breakdown on the MLS Western Conference for the 2010 season - including the major changes for each club, the main players and the outlook for the upcoming year. The writer also predicts the final standings at the end of the season for the West. 
• Similarly, Stevie Davis chronicles the MLS Eastern Conference with a full preview. 
• Liverpool has accepted a $9 million offer to send winer Albert Riera to CSKA Moscow. While the Spanish international had recently been out of favor at Liverpool, he is still a quality player to lose for a team struggling to qualify for the Europa League next season. 
• The MLS and player's association signed a new collective bargaining agreement this past weekend to avoid a pending strike. Here is a quick look at the changes to players salaries and contract statuses - the minimum salary for a senior player is now $40,000 and the annual team budget has been raised from $2.3 million to $2.55 million.  

Soccer Table Update as of 3/22

Here is a look at this past weekend's results in England and Italy, as well as the current table standings. Starting next week I will be adding the MLS action and table standings, as the season kicks off this Thursday night with Seattle taking on Philadelphia on ESPN2 at 9:30pm (ET).

EPL:
 - Past week's results - The mid-week match-up saw Aston Villa win 2-1 over Wigan, the difference being an own goal by Wigan. On Saturday Arsenal's 2-0 victory against West Ham pushed the Gunners to first place in the EPL. Relegation bound Portsmouth secured their second victory in four games against Hull City. The big match-up of the weekend pitted Manchester United against Liverpool. Both Rooney and Torres showed up for the headline game with early goals, but as the season's results would have predicted the Red Devils won 2-1. Chelsea drew with Blackburn 1-1 and is continuing to let their early title lead slip away.
 - Current EPL Table - Man United stays atop the table with 69 points and Arsenal (67) jumped Chelsea (65) for the second position. However, the Blues still have one game in hand over their title rivals. The fourth spot remains Tottenham's at 55 points after their 2-1 win against Stoke over the weekend. Everton jumped to eighth with 45 points and is now only six points outside of a Europa League spot. The relegation zone stayed the same - Portsmouth / Hull City / Burnley - however, Wolverhampton (28) and West Ham (27) are still at risk.

Serie A:
 - Past week's results - While they may have dominated Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League, Inter Milan have won only one game in the past seven domestic ties, after a 1-1 draw against Palermo. After three draws AS Roma returned to their winning streak with a 4-2 result over Udinese. On Sunday, AC Milan failed to capitalize on Inter's slide and could only earn 1 point against Napoli. The Europa League position battle intensified as Sampdoria defeated Juventus 1-0.
 - Current Serie A Table - After the 29th round of the 09/10 Serie A season the title remains between three clubs - Inter (60), AC Milan (59), and AS Roma (56). Roma gained on the top two and AC Milan missed a golden opportunity to jump their city rivals. Sampdoria's (47) victory against Juventus (45) pushed the Old Lady down into the 7th spot.  The struggling Juventus is apparently trying aggressively to bring in Liverpool manager Rafa Benetiz for next season. Relegation clubs Siena (25) and Atalanta (25) both won over the weekend and jumped Livorno (24). However, all three clubs are still four points back of 17th place Lazio.

FA Cup Update:
 - Tottenham will take on Fulham on Wednesday at White Hart Lane to decide the fourth and final position in the FA Cup Semi-Finals. The winner of the match will go on face Portsmouth, while the other semi-final sees Chelsea face Aston Villa. The semi-final matches are scheduled to take place on April 10th and 11th.

UEFA Champions League Quarterfinal Draw

The 2009/2010 UEFA Champions League is down to the final eight clubs after the second leg of the Round 16 was held this past week. The advancing teams were placed into the quaterfinal draw and produced the following match-ups:

Draw 1:
Lyon (FRA) vs. Bordeaux (FRA)
Thoughts: The first draw guarantees France a team in the semi-finals for the first time since 2003-2004 when Monaco lost in the final to Porto. Lyon will be the favorites going into the first leg following their two-leg victory over Real Madrid, while Bordeaux advanced by playing Olypmiacos.  

Draw 2:
Manchester United (ENG) vs. Bayern Munich (GER)
Thoughts: While not an easy opponent, Manchester United must be please to be going up against Bayern Munich instead of some of the other top European clubs remaining. The draw also guarantees that the Red Devils will not have to play Barcelona, Inter Milan or Arsenal until the final.

Draw 3:
Barcelona (SPA) vs. Arsenal (ENG)
Thoughts: The hightlight of the quarterfinal round. Arsene Wenger can not be pleased with this draw, espcially after Barcelona dismantled Stuttgart 4-0 in the second leg of the last round. The winner of this match will most likely have to face off against Inter Milan making their road to the final in Madrid even harder.

Draw 4:
Inter Milan (ITA) vs. CSKA Moscow (RUS)
Thoughts: Following the knock-out of Chelsea by Inter, Jose Mourinho's side will be the clear favorites to dominate CSKA Moscow. However, just like in the Round of 16 the Russian club will have nothing to lose and having already advanced farther than ever before

The winners of Draw 1 & Draw 2 will face each other in the semi-finals, pitting the winners of Draw 3 & 4 against one another. 

The first leg matches will take place over March 30th and 31st and the second leg will be held on April 6th and 7th.

What are your thoughts on the quarter-final draws? Predictions?

Soccer TV Schedule for the week of 3/20

A full slate of action this weekend with Arsenal, Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Chelsea, and Juventus all on the schedule. On Thursday the 2010 MLS season kicks off (pending a player strike) as the new expansion franchise Philadelphia Union travel to the MLS' best supported team - the Seattle Sounders.

Note: All times are in Eastern Standard Time (ET).

Saturday (20th):
 - EPL: Aston Villa vs. Wolverhampton - 8:30am - ESPN2HD
 - EPL: Everton vs. Bolton - 11am - FSC
 - EPL: Arsenal vs. West Ham - 1:30pm - FSC
 - La Liga: Real Madrid vs. Sporting Gijon - 2:55pm - ESPNHD
 - Serie A: Palermo vs. Inter Milan - 3:30pm - FSC
 - Friendly: New York Red Bulls (USA) vs. Santos (BRA) - 6:30pm - FSC
 - EPL: Hull City vs. Portsmouth - 8:30pm - FSC

Sunday (21st):
 - Serie A: AC Milan vs. Napoli - 10am - FSC
 - EPL: Chelsea vs. Blackburn - 12pm - FSC
 - Serie A: Sampdoria vs. Juventus - 3:30pm - FSC

Monday (22nd):
 - CONCACAF Women's U-17 Final - 3pm - FSC

Wednesday (24th):
 - EPL: Chelsea vs. Portsmouth - 3:30pm - FSC

Thursday (25th): 
 - Serie A: Napoli vs. Juventus - 3:30pm - FSC
 - MLS: Seattle vs. Philadelphia - 9:30pm - ESPN2HD

UEFA Champions League Update - 3/17

Here is a look at the second leg of the first knockout round of the UEFA Champions League, including the teams advancing to the final eight.

Inter Milan (ITA) vs. Chelsea (ENG)
 - Result: 1-0 (Inter) - 3-1 Aggregate (Inter)
 - Thoughts: The headline match-up of the week. I think most people thought that Chelsea would take control of this game at home and make it three for three for English teams. However, Inter came out strong and fast from the start and dictated the tone for the match. Eto'o's strike helped prove his summer move was worth while for Inter and Jose Mourinho continues to look like a Champions League master. 


CSKA Moscow (RUS) vs. Sevilla (SPA)
 - Result: 2-1 (CSKA) - 3-2 Aggregate (CSKA)
 - Thoughts: Overshadowed on Tuesday's scoreboard, but CSKA went in with nothing to lose having never advanced this far before in the tournament. With two away goals in the second leg the Russian looked like the more quality side and will probably be the biggest underdog in the final eight. 

Barcelona (SPA) vs. Stuttgart (GER)
 - Result: 3-0 (Barcelona) - 4-1 Aggregate (Barcelona)
 - Thoughts: The champions came into the game even with Stuttgart after a 1-1 result from the first leg, but no one expected any trouble for Barcelona. Two outstanding goals by Messi symbolized the performance by the Spanish side. Messi and company looked at their best on Wednesday evening and will be hard to eliminate on their quest for back-to-back titles.


Bordeaux (FRA) vs. Olympiacos (GRE)
 - Result: 2-1 (Bordeaux) - 3-1 Aggregate (Bordeaux)
 - Thoughts: Strong in the first leg, Bordeaux opened the second leg with another goal from a set piece. Never behind in the tie the French team should prove to be an excellent upset candidate for one of the bigger clubs. Bordeaux advances to the final eight for the first time since 1988. 


So now we are down to the final eight in the 2009/2010 UEFA Champions League: Manchester United (ENG), Arsenal (ENG), Lyon (FRA), CSKA Moscow (RUS), Bayern Munich (GER), Inter Milan (ITA), Barcelona (SPA) and Bordeaux (FRA).


The first legs of the quarterfinals will be played on March 30th and 31st, while the second legs will be played on April 6th and 7th. 


What are your thoughts on the final out? How about Chelsea getting knocked out during the quarterfinals?

David Beckham Highlights

As many of you are probably aware by now, David Beckham injured his achilles in a match for AC Milan during the weekend. The injury has removed Beckham from the England World Cup squad and will force him to miss the rest of the Serie A season. If Beckham is able to return at any point this season it would be in the fall for the end of the MLS season with the LA Galaxy. In the meantime I'd like to highlight some of the better moments of his career or some good Beckham resources:

 - Check out David Beckham's full profile and history at his wikipedia page.

 - The official David Beckham website, including his personal blog, the latest news and information on his charities and academies.

 - For all things Beckham, check out on the longest running fan sites dedicated to the English superstar - Beckham Magazine Online.

 - Two great video complilations of his best goals ever - 'All the Free Kicks' & 'Career Goals'

 - Finally, check out this great autobiography released in 2004 - Amazon.com's page - for only $13. Also see my previous post about the book here at David Beckham - Both Feet on the Ground: An Autobiography

Get well Beckham, the World Cup will not be the same without you.

Soccer Table Update as of 3/15

Both the EPL and Serie A saw the title races stay tight with AC Milan's win, and ManU jumping Chelsea for the English lead. In Italy the biggest story of the week is the loss of David Beckham for the season - from a football and entertainment factor. In England it was announced today that relegation side Hull City had released their manager Phil Brown. But for now lets get on to the past week's results and current table standings.

EPL:
 - Past week's results - In the mid-week Sunderland and Birmingham secured victories (however both clubs could only draw in the weekend), while Stoke City and Burnley drew 1-1. Saturday Tottenham pressed for 4th place with a 3-1 win over Blackburn. Arsenal scored a second in stoppage time to win 2-1 against Hull City (and cost Phil Brown his job), while Chelsea throttled West Ham 4-1. On Sunday Manchester United and Wayne Rooney continue their hot streak coming off the impressive Champions League match to drop Fulham 3-0. Finally, Liverpool made their second straight appearance on Monday night and defeated Portsmouth 4-0.

 - Current EPL Table - The top three sides all won - ManU (66), Chelsea (64) and Arsenal (64) - but Chelsea still have a game in hand over the other two. Tottenham finally takes over 4th place by themselves at (52) , but ManCity sit close behind with 50 points and a one game advantage over Tottenham. Liverpool's victory moved them into 5th place with 51 points, but has already played two more games than ManCity. Wolverhampton's win over Burnley was a massive result in the relegation battle moving the Wolves 3 points above the drop zone.

Serie A:
 - Past week's result - The weekend was kicked off with a 3-1 shock win by Catania over Inter Milan. Saturday's lone game was Fiorentina with a 3-1 win against Napoli. The biggest result of the weekend was AC Milan's 1-0 win against Chievo, which saw the team capitalize on Inter's loss, but also suffered a season ending injury to midfielder David Beckham. In other action Roma and Juventus both ended with 3-3 draws in their respective matches.

 - Current Serie A Table - Yet again Inter has given away a massive Serie A lead and now is in the thick of a championship battle. Inter's loss held them at 59 points, while AC Milan's victory moved them to within one point (58). Roma (53) looks comfortable in third spot - five behind second and seven ahead of fourth. After AC Milan, Genoa was the next biggest mover (and winner) jumping into 7th place with 42 points and only two outside of a Europa League position.

World Cup Preview (ESPN) & MLS News

Here is a look at ESPN's World Cup 101 Preview features from this past week:
 - March 7th - OTL reports from South Africa - Last weekend ESPN's Outside the Lines TV show reported on the the United States 2010 project that was launched in 1998. A look into the US program to strengthen their youth development
 - March 8th - Best World Cup jerseys of all time - The top 10 best national team jerseys from World Cups of the past, including USA 1994 and Zaire 1974.
 - March 9th - The worst World Cup jerseys of all time - The top 10 worst national team jerseys, including Bolivia's 1930 jersey's which collectively was a greeting to the tournament hosts Uruguay, 2002 Cameroon's sleeveless venture, and the upcoming 2010 Germany kit.
 - March 10th - The Beckham factor - A look into the positives and negatives of including David Beckham in the English squad heading to South Africa. In my personal opinion I'd had him on the team for leadership, experience, and deadly set pieces.
 - March 11th - World Cup storylines to watch - Will the hosts be ready in time? How will the long European season effect World Cup players? When will the England squad turmoil be over with?
 - March 12th - Diagramming the Dutch - Can Holland finally win the World Cup? ESPN looks at several issues holding the Dutch back - a striker who can hold up play, Van Persie and Sneijder's feud, and replacing Edwin Van der Sar in goal.
 - March 13th - Which player is most overrated? - ESPN writers comment on their picks for the most overrated World Cup player - Cannavaro (Italy), Robinho (Brazail), German strikers, Henry (France), and Terry (England).
 - March 14th - Top five surprise early exits - England's stunning defeat in 1950 to USA and back-to-back champions (at the time) Brazil falling in 1966.