New York Red Bulls and Henry creating exciting play

The New York Red Bulls have had several quality players for the past few seasons in the MLS, but seemed to lack missing piece to carry the load with Juan Pablo Angel. Enter Thierry Henry. Two friendly against EPL sides Tottenham and Manchester City and the Red Bulls look like a very dangerous MLS side. Going 1-1 in the match-ups, scoring 3 goals (1 for Henry) the team was linking up well and kept the attack on throughout both games. Angel sat out with an injury, but expects to be in the line-up with Henry next Saturday as they take on the Houston Dynamo. This duo along with Dane Richards and Kandji could make a strong run against Columbus and try to break their two year reign atop the east.

Thoughts on Henry's debut so far?

2010 SuperLiga Update

Group A

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Houston Dynamo	3	2	1	0	4	2	+2	7
Puebla	3	2	0	1	5	3	+2	6
Chivas USA	3	1	1	1	3	3	0	4
Pachuca	3	0	0	3	2	6	−4	0

Group B

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
New England Revolution	3	3	0	0	3	0	+3	9
Morelia	3	1	1	1	7	4	+3	4
Chicago Fire	3	1	0	2	2	6	−4	3
UNAM	3	0	1	2	2	4	−2	1

Semi-Finals:

• New England Revolution (USA) vs. Puebla (MEX) - August 4th
• Houston Dynamo (USA) vs. Morelia (MEX) - August 5th

With both New England and Houston topping their groups the MLS has a good chance on taking the title back after UANL's win last year for the Mexican top flight. The Revolution are the only MLS team to ever win the SuperLiga trophy. 

Arsenal bolsters roster with new signing Laurent Koscielny

The Gunners have added another defender to their line-up for the upcoming EPL season. Wenger isn't rushing into the market to sign every big star or latest new hit from the World Cup like other EPL clubs - ManCity. After adding Chamakh Arsenal's defensive could be a very solid and young unit over the next few years. If they are able to keep Fabregas and bring in a top rated goal keeper they will definitely keep their 'Big 4' status and possibly bring home a new trophy. Thoughts on Wenger's latest move?

Newcomers Laurent Koscielny, Marouane Chamakh bolster Arsenal - Ben Lyttleton - SI.com

Drogba to miss the start of the EPL season

Excerpts from the article at ESPN.com:

"Didier Drogba is likely to miss the start of the Premier League season after Chelsea confirmed the striker had undergone surgery on a groin problem.


Drogba was troubled with the complaint last season, despite scoring a personal best 29 league goals, and will be sidelined for around three weeks as he recovers from the operation.


The Ivory Coast international will certainly miss the remainder of Chelsea's pre-season fixtures and the Community Shield against Manchester United on August 8."

For the full article click here - Drogba to miss start of season after operation

China indicates it may bid to host World Cup in 2026

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates(AP) -- China's Football Association has signaled it may bid for the World Cup in 2026, raising speculation that such a move could undermine the hopes of Japan, South Korea, Qatar and even Australia, which are in the running to host the 2022 tournament.

The winning bids for 2018 and 2022 will be announced Dec. 2, with a European country expected to be chosen for the earlier year. The emergence of China as a contender for 2026 could work in favor of the U.S. bid for 2022. Click below for the full story.

China indicates it may bid to host World Cup in 2026 - Soccer - SI.com

Soccer TV Schedule for the week of 7/24

Saturday (24th):
 - U-20 Women's World Cup: Sweden vs. Columbia - 1pm - ESPNU
 - U-20 Women's World Cup: Germany vs. North Korea - 3pm - ESPNU
 - US U-19 National Championship - 8:30pm - FSC

Sunday (25th):

 - U-20 Women's World Cup: USA vs. Nigeria - 10:30am - ESPNU

 - U-20 Women's World Cup: Mexico vs. South Korea - 12:30pm - ESPNU

 - International Friendly: Tottenham (ENG) vs. Sporting Club (POR) - 1pm - FSC
 - International Friendly: Manchester City (ENG) vs. New York Red Bulls (USA) - 3:30pm - FSC
 - International Friendly: Manchester United (ENG) vs. Kansas City Wizards (USA) - 5:30pm - FSC
 - MLS: Seattle Sounders vs. Colorado Rapids - 10:30pm - FSC

Tuesday (27th):
 - CONCACAF CL: Toronto (CAN) vs. Motagua (HON) - 8pm - FSC
 - CONCACAF CL: LA Galaxy (USA) vs. PR Islanders (PUR) - 10pm - FSC

Wednesday (28th):

 - MLS All-Star Game: MLS vs. Manchester United - 8:30pm - ESPN2

 - CONCACAF CL: Seattle Sounders (USA) vs. Metapan (SLV) - 10pm - FSC

Thursday (29th):

 - U-20 Women's World Cup: Semi-Final (Teams TBD) - 9:30am - ESPNU

 - U-20 Women's World Cup: Semi-Final (Teams TBD) - 12:30pm - ESPNU

MLS Table Update

Here are the results for the past week:

• Columbus 0-1 Kansas City: Surprising win for the Wizards on the road, which might bring them back into playoff contention. 
• DC United 0-1 Seattle: The Sounders are back on the winning path....against the league's worst team.
• Philadelphia 2-1 Toronto: Outside of LA's strong early run I've been the most impressed by the Union's performance in their first season, including a great game against Manchester United last night. 
• Columbus 2-0 New York Red Bulls: The Crew won the battle for the top of the East as the Red Bulls prepare to add Henry to the mix.
• Dallas 2-0 Real Salt Lake: Becoming a strong contender in the West and overall playoff picture giving the champs their first loss in 11 matches.
• Colorado 1-1 Kansas City: A good week for the Wizards picking up 4 points on the road. 
• DC United 1-2 Los Angeles: US national teammates Edson Buddle and Landon Donovan both scored to put away three points for the Galaxy in their 12th win of the season.

Here is a look at the Eastern Conference Standings:

Eastern Conference
Pos	Club	Pts	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD
1	Columbus Crew	31	16	9	3	4	22	13	+9
2	New York Red Bulls	26	16	8	6	2	18	19	−1
3	Toronto FC	22	15	6	5	4	18	17	+1
4	Chicago Fire	17	14	4	5	5	18	19	−1
5	Kansas City Wizards	16	16	4	8	4	13	20	−7
6	Philadelphia Union	14	14	4	8	2	18	26	−8
7	New England Revolution	14	15	4	9	2	15	26	−11
8	D.C. United	12	17	3	11	3	12	28	−1

....and the Western Conference Standings:

Western Conference
Pos	Club	Pts	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD
1	Los Angeles Galaxy	39	17	12	2	3	27	8	+19
2	Real Salt Lake	30	16	9	4	3	28	13	+15
3	FC Dallas	25	15	6	2	7	17	13	+4
4	Colorado Rapids	23	15	6	4	5	16	13	+3
5	San Jose Earthquakes	22	14	6	4	4	18	16	+2
6	Houston Dynamo	19	16	5	7	4	21	22	−1
7	Seattle Sounders FC	19	17	5	8	4	18	24	−6
8	Chivas USA	14	15	4	9	2	17	21	−4

Source: Wikipedia