NASL Update - 1/13

Its been about a month since my last blog on the status of the NASL/USL dispute finally appears over, for this year at least. Lets catch up on all of the news since mid-December.


- December 30 - After a quite few weeks following a USSF gag order, the US Soccer Board of Directors voted unanimously not to sanction either the NASL or the USL as the division two soccer league in America for 2010. Following that meeting U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati stated “In the best interest of soccer in the United States, we decided to not sanction either league at this point. However, we did encourage both leagues to come together in the next week and attempt to develop another plan which would allow a single league to be approved on a provisional basis. We are committed to finding ways to improve the long-term viability of all leagues and teams and continue the growth of soccer in the United States.”


 - December 31 - The next day the NASL responded to the USSF's actions with the following press release: "The North American Soccer League or “NASL” has been advised that its application to the United States Soccer Federation for membership as a Division II professional league was not granted. While disappointed with this outcome, NASL continues to believe that it and its member teams would, if sanctioned, make a significant positive contribution to soccer in the United States and Canada. NASL respects the Federation’s decision and its suggested course of action for obtaining sanctioning in 2010. NASL will continue during the next seven days to work in good faith towards an interim solution with United Soccer Leagues. NASL will have no further comment on this matter until a resolution has been reached or the negotiation period has expired. NASL and its eleven member teams are committed to building on their long tradition of providing quality soccer to fans across the United States and in Canada in 2010 and beyond."


- January 3 - The USL dropped their lawsuits against Rochester Rhinos, Tampa Bay Rowdies and Crystal Palace FC USA. 


- January 7 - The USSF announced and agreement between the NASL and USL to combines for a division two soccer league in 2010. The new league would be ran by the USSF and would only be a temporary one year solution. The league will consist of two six-team conferences – the USL Conference and the NASL Conference. The USL Conference will include teams from Austin, Minnesota, Portland, Puerto Rico, Rochester and Tampa Bay. The NASL Conference will consist of teams from Baltimore, Carolina, Miami, Montreal, St. Louis and Vancouver.


- January 7 - Later in the day the USSF announced additional details around the future of division two soccer is America. Some of the key points revealed are (1) teams will be a 28-32 game schedule between the March/April to October/November time frame, (2) a future potential rule related to have four Under-23 players on the roster for each team, (3) the USSF would look into a 'farm' system behind the MLS and division two soccer, similar to MLB and the minor league baseball system. 


 - January 11 - The NASL unveiled their new logo. Block letter similar to the old NASL style lettering from the 70s. See above for the new logo.


So there you have it, a resolution that all US soccer fans can be satisfied with, even if its not the perfect solution. An entire year without division two soccer would have dramatically hurt the future of the NASL/USL. With the NASL having already lined up a potential 11 teams for the 2011 season it looks like the new league will take full control over division two soccer, while USL runs the third tier. Thoughts on the new league? 

Soccer Table Update as on 1/11

Even a massive snow storm in Britain could not fully stop the second half of the season starting. In southern Europe Serie A returned with a bang featuring two big AC Milan match-ups and a battle of first vs. last. Here is a recap of the past week's results and currentl table standings in the EPL and Serie A.

EPL:
- Past week's results - With the big winter freeze across England this past week, 7 of the 10 ten matches were postponed. That left all the attention on three key games. On Saturday, Landon Donovan debuted with Everton as they held high-flying Arsenal 2-2. Birmingham City continued their strong home run as they held the title holders, Manchester United, 1-1. On Monday the Mancini era stayed perfect with a 4-1 victory over Blackburn behind a Carlos Tevez hat trick.
- Current EPL Table - Even sitting out this weekend Chelsea retained the top of the table at 45 points with ManUnited sitting 1 point back, but a game behind. Arsenal sits in 3rd at 42 points with a game in hand over ManU. With their victory today ManCity (38) jumped Tottenham (37) for the 4th UEFA Champions League spot. The bottom of the table remains tight with 13th through 19th only three points apart.

Serie A:
- Past week's results - Serie A returned on Wednesday with victories by Inter, Napoli and Juventus. David Beckham returned to AC Milan to assist in a 5-2 rout of Genoa. On Saturday table leaders Inter Milan edged out relegation zone side Siena 4-3. Fiorentina defeated Bari 2-1. In the big match of the weekend, AC Milan proved the only true competition for Inter Milan with a 3-0 win over 3rd place Juventus. Sampdoria continued their slide with a 1-0 loss to Napoli.
- Current Serie A Table - Inter continue to cruise at the top of the table with 45 points. After AC Milan's victory they secured 2nd place with 37 points and a game in hand over Inter. Napoli's strong run has brought them even with Juventus for 3rd place at 33 points. Sampdoria, one time table leaders, have fallen all the way to 12th place. The bottom of the table sees Catania and Atalanta, ahead of last place Siena who put up a strong fight against Inter and did not look like the worst team in Serie A.

News & Rumors Update 1/10

Here are some of the big news stories and rumors across the globe this weekend:

• Landon Donovan debuted for Everton on Sunday in a match against Arsenal. Donovan helped setup a goal before being subbed in the second half. Overall, Donovan had a productive match and looks to get more opportunities to impress while in London. With snowy conditions, Landon quickly adjusted to the style of play in England.
  
• After back and forth reports over the weekend, the Togo national soccer team decided to return home and leave the Africa Cup of Nations. The Togo's Prime Minister called the team on Sunday and urged them to leave Angola before another incident took place. This entire story is sad for the Togo players, the African tournament, and soccer world wide. 
• In a major story for US soccer fans the AP is reporting that Fox is in talks to acquire Setanta Sports and the associated soccer rights. The deal would give Fox the rights to additional EPL games and the English League Championship. The report rumors that Fox would obtain the channel and name it 'Fox Soccer Plus'. Fox Soccer Channel is schedule to switch over to HD broadcast in Q1 of 2010.
• Adidas revealed the 2010 MLS home and away jerseys this past week. For most clubs the changes were minor for next year, with Houston and New England getting updates. The FanHouse also provides a look at the kits for the new franchise club, Philadelphia Union.
• In a story which could dominate the summer transfer market, Rafa Benitez has admitted that if the team does not make the UEFA Champions league the team could be forced to sell striker Fernando Torres. The team is in financial trouble and if a large bid from ManCity or Real Madrid came in Liverpool would most likely let the Spaniard go. The loss of Torres after letting Alonso go this off-season would be devastating for the Reds. 

Togo national team bus attacked on route to African Cup of Nations

Yesterday, as the Togo national soccer team headed into Angola the bus was attacked by gunmen. ESPN reports that at least three were killed and several more injured. Check out the full report here. Following that news several Premiere League clubs, and I'm sure others around the world, have called for the African Cup of Nations to be cancelled following this horrible incident. ESPN caught up with several EPL executives to get their thoughts on the shooting, the African Cup, and next year's World Cup. With the growing concern of safety for next year's World Cup in South Africa this will more definitely inflame the debate over whether or not players and fans will be safe to travel there in the summer.

Manchester City striker, and Togo captain, Emmanuel Adebayor comments on the team's thoughts and discussions concerning the attack and leaving the tournament. Talks will take place today to determine whether or not the tournament should move forward this year. But rest assured if this year's tournament takes place, next time European clubs will be very resistant to release their players for the cup. You can find all the coverage of the African Cup of Nations here at ESPN's tournament page.

Soccer TV Schedule for the Week of 1/9

Full league action returns this week with 6 games from the EPL and Serie A on Saturday, including an interesting Birmingham City vs. Manchester United match-up. Sunday features two marque games between top 4 contenders Liverpool and Tottenham, then 2nd place AC Milan takes on 3rd place Juventus. ESPN's La Liga coverage returns as well with a Barcelona match Sunday afternoon. ManCity takes on Bolton Monday afternoon on ESPN2, then the action wraps up with a FA Cup 3rd round reply between Portsmouth and Coventry City. 

Saturday (9th):
- EPL: Chelsea vs. Hull City - 7:30am - ESPN2HD
- EPL: Wigan vs. Aston Villa - 10am - FSC
- EPL: Birmingham City vs. Manchester United - 12:30pm - FSC
- Serie A: Inter Milan vs. Siena - 2:30pm - FSC
- Serie A: Roma vs. Chievo - 5pm - FSC
- EPL: Sunderland vs. Bolton - 7pm - FSC

Sunday (10th):
- Serie A: Fiorentina vs. Bari - 9am - FSC
- EPL: Liverpool vs. Tottenham - 11am - FSC
- Serie A: Juventus vs. AC Milan - 2:30pm - FSC
- La Liga: Barcelona vs. Tenerife - 2:55pm - ESPNHD

Monday (11th):
- EPL: Manchester City vs. Blackburn - 2:55pm - ESPN2HD

Tuesday (12th):
- FA Cup: 3rd Round Replay - Coventry vs. Portsmouth - 2:30pm - FSC

World Soccer Magazine - January Issue

The first World Soccer issue of 2010 hit news stands, mailboxes and bookstores this week. This year is sure to be a big one for the top soccer magazine in the world, which will have plenty of coverage of the 2010 World Cup, African Nations Cup, UEFA Champions League, etc. Here is a preview of what this month's issue features:

• Cover Story: 2009 Awards Special - Player of the Year, Manager of the Year, Young Player of the Year, Team of the Year, and Player of the Decade
• World Cup Countdown: A look at the final qualifying position playoffs, team profiles for New Zealand, Nigeria, Cameroon, Algeria, Greece, Slovenia, Portugal, France, Uruguay, and in-depth looks at Nicolas Anelka (France) and Rafik Saifi (Algeria).
• Opinion Pieces: Paul Gardner writes about respect and referees and Jim Holden explores cheating in the world's game.
• 2010 World Cup Draw: World Soccer takes a full in-depth look at the draw, including the full match schedule.
• African Nations Cup: Preview of each group, national team, and key players for each squad.
• Inside Football: Nick Bidwell investigates the German match-fixing scandal and corruption in soccer.
• Numbers: A look at the top 63 best supports national teams - 1:Mexico (81,599), 2:England (79,754), 49:USA (22,799).
• Dispatch Updates from Egypt, Sudan, Spain, Switzerland, Africa, Italy, Germany, and more.
• Talent Scout: Profiles of up and coming stars from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Holland, Spain, Uruguay, and stars of the U-17 World Cup.
• Interviews with Inter Milan's striker Samuel Eto'o, Emirati business man Sulaiman Al Fahim, and Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor
• Travel spotlight city - Amsterdam, Holland

FA Cup Update

In lieu of the Premiere League and Serie A on a break this past weekend I thought I would give the Monday (or one day late - Tuesday) table update in regards to the 2009-2010 FA Cup. As a little background for the FA Cup, it is the world oldest knockout football competition, this year is the tournament's 129th edition. The 2009-2010 tournament this year featured 762 clubs from all levels of English soccer. In the 3rd round, 20 remaining teams are joined by the teams from the Premiere League and the Football League Championship for a total of 64 teams.

FA Cup 3rd Round Review Notable Match-ups:
 - Manchester City 1-0 Middlesbrough
 - Chelsea 5-0 Watford
 - Arsenal 2-1 West Ham
 - Aston Villa 3-1 Blackburn
 - Wigan 4-1 Hull City
 - Manchester United 0-1 Leeds United 


Six match-ups ended in draws and will go to a replay at the other teams stadium over the next two weeks, including:
 - Queens Park Rangers vs. Sheffield United
 - Birmingham City vs. Nottingham Forest
 - Portsmouth vs. Coventry City
 - Liverpool vs. Reading
 - Millwall vs. Derby County
 - Newcastle United vs. Plymouth Argyle

The fourth round games will be played over January 23rd and 24th and the draw was conducted on 1/3/09. Here are some of the marque match-ups:
 - Reading/Liverpool vs. Burnley
 - Stoke City vs. Arsenal
 - Tottenham vs. Leeds United
 - Wolverhampton vs. Crystal Palace

The fourth round of the FA Cup will air on Fox Soccer Channel and I will make sure to post the game times when they are available.

10 Bold Predictions for 2010 - Part 2

Yesterday in Part 1 of my 10 bold predictions for 2010 I touched on the UEFA Champions League, the NASL/USL dispute, MLS champion and the EPL top 4. Today I will hit many of the same competitions including the 2010 World Cup. Here is part 2:

6) The MLS will announce the next round of expansion for the league, brining in the Montreal Impact as the 19th team to join the league in 2010. This will make the 3rd Canadian team in the MLS.

7) The MLS designated player position will continue to be a major source of media attention and league awareness with two big stars from Europe joined American teams. The most likely candidates would be Thierry Henry (NY), Seedorf (Philadelphia), Figo or Vierim.

8) A surprising team will make it in the final four of the World Cup in 2010. The team to knock off a major player and increase its status in the world game will be one of the following - Ivory Coast, Denmark or Serbia.

9) In the Champions League finale Chelsea will get revenge against Barcelona for last year's semi-final defeat in London. The Blues will travel to the Bernabeu in Spain and win the European crown against the defending champions.

10) The World Cup final will feature the five-time champions Brazil against the 1966 champions, England.

So there you go, the full list of my 10 predictions for 2010. Thoughts? Any you would like to add to the list?

10 Bold Predictions for 2010 - Part 1

The new year of soccer has kicked off with the 3rd round of the FA Cup. 2010 holds several exciting things to look forward to - World Cup in South Africa, Champions League final in Madrid, and the MLS expansion in Philadelphia. I'd like to take this opportunity to make my 10 bold predictions for 2010. Here is Part 1 of the list (in no particular order or importance):

1) In the 1st knockout round of the UEFA Champions League, AC Milan will upset Manchester United. The home-and-away series will feature David Beckham's first return to Old Trafford where he built his career. Pato and Ronaldinho will both score to help the Italian side advance.

2) By the end of 2010 a 10-team NASL will be fully formed, sanctioned by the USSF and operating as the 2nd tier division in US soccer. The USL-1 and USL-2 will combine and sit as the 3rd tier in American soccer. NASL currently has more teams under its operation, a better marketing program, and the public support.

3) Bordeaux will become the first French team to advanced in the UEFA Champions League final 4 since the 2003/2004 season.

4) The MLS will have another 1st time champion at the end of 2010 season - the Seattle Sounders. Seattle add to their strong inaugural season line-up, continue to have 30K plus crowds and will claim the MLS title in only their second year in the league.

5) The English Premiere League top 4 will be broken into for the first time since the 2004/2005 season. Liverpool will be removed from the English hierarchy of soccer, behind 5th place Tottenham and 4th place Manchester City. The ManCity team behind new manager, Mancini, will edge out Tottenham, Liverpool, and Aston Villa to grab the 4th spot in the UEFA Champions League for the 2010/2011 season.

Check back in tomorrow for the second half of my 10 bold predictions for 2010. What are your thoughts about these predictions? Any predictions you would like to add?

Soccer TV Schedule for week of 1/2

Another decade of great soccer has come to a close and the start of 2010 is here. The year starts off with the 3rd round of the FA Cup, as the EPL takes a one week break. Fox Soccer Channel has four 3rd round match-ups this weekend including defending Premiere League champ, Manchester United, versus the current table leaders in League One, Leeds United. Then on Wednesday Serie A returns from the winter break with three match-ups, including David Beckham's return to AC Milan as they take on Genoa.

Saturday (2nd):
- FA Cup: 3rd Round Preview Show - 9:30am - FSC
- FA Cup: 3rd Round - Middlesbrough vs. Manchester City - 10am - FSC
- FA Cup: 3rd Round - Milton Keynes vs. Burnley

Sunday (3rd):
- FA Cup: 3rd Round - Manchester United vs. Leeds United - 8am - FSC
- FA Cup: 3rd Round - Tranmere Rovers - Wolverhampton - 1pm - FSC

Wednesday (6th):
- Serie A: Parma vs. Juventus - 9am - FSC
- Serie A: Inter Milan vs. Chievo Verona - 11am - FSC
- Serie A: AC Milan vs. Genoa - 2:30pm - FSC