Futbolyanka, je t'aime

Sporting - Porto 1-1 (Highlights)

2010-11-27T20:47:00.001-05:00

An intense match today in Estadio Jose Alvalade ends in a draw.

Jeremiah White signs with GKS Belchatow

2010-08-27T11:41:00.004-04:00

Last season, they finished 5th in the top league in Poland.

Movsisyan Brilliant Once Again

2010-05-10T19:44:00.004-04:00

Highlights are here, and start in earnest at about the 1:00 minute mark. Watch all of them; Yura is very influential on the proceedings. I had never underestimated a player that much before. He better get his U.S. citizenship before one of Azerbaijan (where he was born) or Armenia (where his roots lie), for both of whom he is presumably eligible, caps him.

Yura Movsisyan: Unbelievable First Touch

2010-05-05T20:59:00.003-04:00

Here.

That touch with his heel on the winning goal defies belief. The clip of the goal starts at 1:55. Enjoy!

Chris Rolfe debuts, enters in the 70th minute

2010-03-14T12:36:00.001-04:00

http://ekstrabladet.dk/sport/resultater/livesportoversigt/match/?extraid=1059845

Ricardo Clark's goal against Paraguay in the Copa America

2010-03-07T16:18:00.004-05:00

It was a forgettable tournament for the USA, but this was a nice goal. Nice European Portuguese accent on the commentary, by the way.

Ricardo Clark goal USA - Paraguay 1-1
Uploaded by thecrazyitalian81. - More professional, college and classic sports videos.

Chris Rolfe available for Danish Superliga Debut

2010-03-07T10:52:00.002-05:00

See (in Google Translate) here.

Maurice Edu wins Old Firm Derby at the Death

2010-02-28T09:28:00.002-05:00

1-0!!!

Stu Holden Starts

2010-02-27T10:01:00.003-05:00

Staying on the field for the full match, he played ok in Bolton's 1-0 win. His most telling contributions came on consistently decent set pieces (including serving the corner that eventually resulted in the goal and the free kick which evaded everyone but may have been heading toward the upper 90 before Hahnemann clawed to safety). He missed a couple of promising chances, one in each half. In the first half, he tried to replicate his great goal against Haiti, but the shot went high and wide. In the second half, Lee set him up just outside the area, but a poor first touch forced Holden to take a shot while off balance, going weakly straight at Hahnemann.

Everton Reserves Statistics (ft. Cody Arnoux)

2010-02-15T22:13:00.004-05:00

Here.

Cody Arnoux has two goals in six appearances (one start) for the Toffees, while Anton Peterlin is yet to find the net in seven appearances.

Ricardo Clark's 30-something yard blast from 2008

2010-01-26T21:27:00.003-05:00

I was looking through the goals Ricardo Clark scored over the course of his career and came upon the monster that you can see at the 3:20 mark of the clip below.

CLINTÃO

2010-01-07T22:50:00.002-05:00

Kamani Hill to go on loan?

2010-01-03T17:55:00.012-05:00

Multiple Portuguese sources are reporting that his current club Vitória Guimarães will loan Hill out.

According to this article, Kamani wants to play more after already playing little in Germany. This same article says that Kamani will be loaned out. Where? This source suggests that while Sporting da Covilhã, possibly the most successful club in Portugal not located on the coast (it is located in the mountains in the east-central part of the country) and currently playing in the Portuguese second level, continues to express interest, it is not clear how serious.

Scott Sealy starts, goes 83 minutes

2009-12-05T13:06:00.002-05:00

Scott Sealy is in Bnei Sakhnin's red

His team lost to perennial powerhouse Maccabi Haifa 1:0

Marcus Tracy: AaB - SonderyskE Game Report

2009-12-05T12:00:00.004-05:00

This was my first opportunity to watch Marcus Tracy in action. Tracy's play slightly exceeded my expectations. You do get the occasional awkward touch or unseemly loss of balance. But, although not the case in the early going, Marcus was influential on the day against one of the smaller Danish Superliga clubs, with a few nice touches to his credit. At one point in the first half, he blew by a defender (or two!) and delivered a low cross which resulted in a corner but could have very well produced a goal. However, I was surprised that he had hardly won a header the entire game, often choosing not to even leave his feet. Some of this may have to do with the quality of Aalborg's crossing, which would have been subpar even by MLS standards.

He did have some chances, and made at least one nice run. He had a volley (seemingly) on target fired from inside the box which was blocked by an opponent's midsection. This was followed by a collision in midfield, where the opposing captain(?) looked like he ran into a brick wall, with total damage to Tracy amounting to mild annoyance. Just before halftime, Tracy made a clever run, which I wish I had seen from him more often, resulting in a shot off target from a challenging angle, much to the frustration of his coach. Literally right before the halftime whistle, however, Sonderjyske struck with a brilliant goal from distance.

Tracy earned a foul against, again (I think),the Sonderjyske captain after Tracy posted him up. Early in the second half, blatant simulation by again (I think!) that same player produced a whistle against Tracy: Tracy turned him, which would have had Marcus bearing down on goal in the open field, but the guy cleverly crumpled in a heap to stop play. I temporarily lost my feed at some point early in the second half. Then, Tracy came within inches of reaching the ball on a slide, which would have had him stuff the ball into the gaping net from point blank range. Tracy was substituted in the 80th minute with the score still 0:1.

Que Legal!

2009-11-26T19:10:00.009-05:00

From Soccer Insider:

ESPN isn't allowed to show World Cup matches on ESPN Deportes because Univision has the exclusive Spanish-language rights in the United States. So the sports giant, which has the English rights, will augment its coverage next summer from South Africa by offering matches on Deportes in Portuguese. Clever, very clever.

Marcus Tracy - Golasso No. 2

2009-11-09T22:12:00.002-05:00

I'm a bit late, but here.

Lyle Adams scores his third of the season for the Aztex

2009-09-14T13:25:00.002-04:00

He scored the game-winning goal against the "MLS-bound" Portland Timbers.

Cody Arnoux scores for Everton Reserves (video)

2009-08-26T21:11:00.001-04:00

Michael Lahoud scores first professional goal (Highlights)

2009-06-21T00:06:00.010-04:00

The goal by this former Wake Forest Math major came in the 2-1 loss to Tigres of Monterrey in Chivas USA's opening game in the Superliga. Lahoud came on to start the second half with Chivas USA down 1-0 at the time. He proceeded to equalize 10 minutes later. However, when former Mexico top flight player Eduardo Lillingston was ejected after collecting his second yellow, the Tigres response was swift. They scored shortly after to take a 2-1 lead, which was the result.

Kamani Hill signs with Vitoria Guimaraes for three years

2009-05-09T10:25:00.004-04:00

[www.vitoriasc.pt]

See the official announcement here.

Scott Sealy can't help Maccabi Tel-Aviv find the equalizer

2009-05-02T15:22:00.004-04:00

In what was Lothar Matthaus's first game after he was told this would be his last season in charge of Maccabi Netanya, Scott Sealy came on in the 56th minute in 1-0 loss to Matthaus's men.

Sealy replaces Ilya Yaborian:

[one.co.il]

Kamani Hill scores 2 goals in training for V. Guimarães

2009-04-29T09:35:00.004-04:00

See here. Unbelievable. Was he even dressing for Wolfsburg II? I don't think so.

Kamani Hill training with Vitória de Guimarães of the Portuguese Superliga?

2009-04-28T10:49:00.002-04:00

It appears so, and what an unexpected and interesting career move that would be! Of course, when Hill signed with Wolfsburg of the Bundesliga out of UCLA that was similarly unexpected. Good luck to Kamani.

Mr. Jeremiah White with an assist

2009-04-26T22:09:00.001-04:00

In AGF's 1-0 win over Michael Parkhurst's FCN, Jerry delivers a perfect pass.

Marcus Tracy gets second career start

2009-04-23T12:08:00.002-04:00

Follow the AaB - Esbjerg fB match here (in Danish).

Highlights: Jeremiah White scores in 3-0 romp over last place Sønderjyske

2009-04-22T18:06:00.002-04:00

White came on in the 68th minute and eight minutes later had himself a nice goal for the winning margin. Enjoy the highlights here.

Lyle Adams scores from 30 yards in Aztex USL-1 opener

2009-04-19T21:38:00.006-04:00

In a 1-1 tie against the Minnesota Thunder, Lyle Adams, while apparently playing forward, ~~unleashed~~ carefully placed the equalizing ~~rocket~~ 30-yard soft roller.

~~I will post the goal as soon as I find it~~. Behold the highlights (clicking directs you to the USLLive website; registration required) of, frankly, laughable quality.

A excellent article on Marcus Tracy by Ravi Ubha

2009-04-18T22:31:00.001-04:00

Here.

1974 Goal of the Season by Fulham's Alan Mullery

2009-04-17T09:28:00.002-04:00

The Daily Telegraph chose it as the third greatest long distance goal of all time.

A Tracy article in the Danbury paper

2009-04-12T08:21:00.002-04:00

Here. A preview:

Growing up Marcus Tracy dreamed more about becoming the next Michael Jordan than the next Pele.
But somewhere in high school, the former Newtown High soccer star fell in love with football -- the European version.

Sealy starts, receives red card

2009-04-12T07:53:00.001-04:00

Here's the summary of the game, and the red card incident specifically, courtesy of Haaretz:

Maccabi Tel Aviv yesterday finally stitched together a two-match winning streak by defeating Bnei Sakhnin 3-0 in Sakhnin's Doha Stadium. The drama was not so much in the result, as in an incident at the end of the first half which resulted in the dismissal of Maccabi manager Avi Nimni.

In the 44th minute, it looked like Tel Aviv's Scott Sealy either pushed or brushed by Sakhnin defender Paty Yeye Lenkebe. At first the referee, Eli Hahmon, carded Lenkebe for faking the hit, but after consulting the linesman retracted the card and dismissed Sealy. Nimni exchanged words with the referee at halftime, prompting the latter to send him off the pitch as well.

Lior Jan then received his second yellow card eight minutes into the final half, leaving Tel Aviv with only nine players on the pitch.

Earlier, Moshe Mishaelof had headed in Tel Aviv's first goal in the 33rd minute from a free kick by Maor Buzaglo. Playing shorthanded, however, did not deter Tel Aviv, which broke out on the attack in the 86th minute and went 2-0 ahead on a goal by substitute Dulee Johnson from a pass from Ilya Yavruyan. Mishaelof finished off the scoring in the 90th minute with his second goal of the night.

AGF v. AaB (the Battle of Wake Forest NOT featuring Benny Feilhaber)

2009-04-05T08:03:00.014-04:00

White starts, but Tracy is not on the field. Let's hope he made the bench and that he is healthy.

Here's a link to the broadcast:
http://livetv.ru/eventinfo/21877/.

Here's commentary in Danish.

UPDATE: An AaB fan on Big Soccer reports that Tracy is out with a thigh strain. That's unfortunate.

UPDATE 2: A heartbreaking loss for AGF deep in stoppage time. Both teams have done an excellent job keeping their shape until the very end, when first Jacob Poulsen hit the post for AGF and then AaB (Enevoldsen) snatched victory on the ensuing counterattack. White struggled to find space throughout, with Danish international left back Michael Jacobsen doing well to keep White generally at bay. However, White did get his head on the ball in the box on a couple consecutive attacks in the second half with the first of the chances barely flying over, and was involved in AGF's goal as he played a nice give-and-go with Kasper Povlsen, who then crossed for Peter Graulund to impressively head it in.

Scott Sealy involved in Maccabi Tel-Aviv's victory

2009-04-04T15:10:00.005-04:00

Sealy came on in the 69th minute with the score 2:1 in favor of his team against Hapoel Kiryat-Shmone. One minute later it was 3:1, and it proved the winning margin as the game ended 3:2. UPDATE: Highlights are here (clicking opens Windows Media Player). While my namesake scores a couple of goals for Maccabi prior to Sealy's entrance, the Sealy-related highlights, including a shot of his family in the stands, start at exactly 3:00 of the clip. Maccabi is now easily safe as they're 12 points outside the drop zone with eight games to play.

In other news, Michael Parkhurst played the entire game against FCK, the league leaders, only to be on the wrong side of a 3:0 drubbing. Parkhurst's club FCN is now only four points outside the drop zone.

Marcus Tracy will probably start against AGF

2009-04-03T13:01:00.005-04:00

It appears that Jeppe Curth is out. As such, Tracy will likely partner with Luton Shelton up top on Sunday. When Curth (top scorer in the entire league last season) is healthy again, either Tracy or Shelton will probably have to make way.

[Nordjyske.dk]

The game is on Sunday at 8 am EST. I'll provide a link and will surely be watching. If I tame ScribeFire by then, I'll do a running commentary as well.

2009-03-31T09:52:00.001-04:00

[End post]

Comments from Marcus Tracy on the AaB official site

2009-03-27T09:05:00.005-04:00

Below, as somewhat shoddily translated by Google:

Tracy is hoping for more chances
Jan Schrøder kl. 10.38

AaB's young attacking Marcus Tracy debut in the UEFA Cup match against Manchester City and his first fight in the SAS League against FC Midtjylland, gave the young attacker blood on profession.

For U.S. Marcus Tracy, the last two weeks presented the debut of førsteholdet at Sheff Utd and the first goal of the AAB-shirt. Now hope attacker in several battles, but know that it requires hard work.

- I had not expected that it would go so well for me in my first time at the club. Not after the training camps in Turkey, where I could feel it went far as well as I wanted it to. I think I've moved me very surprising since, but I am humble about it and know I have much I still can and must improve in many areas, says Marcus Tracy to aabsport.dk.

The transition from college football in the U.S. for SAS Ligaen have not been easy, admits the attacker.

- Since I came here I could mark that particular pace and technique was significantly different than what I have been accustomed to, and I could not keep up with just to start with. Much of it is mental at this level, and since I have focused very much on improving it and work on myself. I knew it would take time, and had honestly not expected that it would go so much to accustom myself to the level in Denmark, he says.

He, together with the rest of the troupe to enjoy a few days off from training and match, before starting with Monday is back on exercising the full strength again.

- The next few days should I use to comfort myself with a few teammates, and otherwise just relax. The team has played many games recently, so it is nice with a small break where you can get a little restored. I think I have fallen well for the club and looks forward to many great experiences with the team, joining Marcus Tracy.

Just go to BigSoccer and see the Marcus Tracy at Aalborg [R] thread, posts ## 345, 354 and 355 for real translations (## 345 and 355 are translations of 442.dk interviews with the AaB general manager and # 354 is an infinitely better alternative to the abomination in strike-through above).

Marcus Tracy Goal - One More Time

2009-03-25T22:24:00.005-04:00

I apologize for the overkill but I can't get enough of this header (so it must be embedded in my blog).

Jeremiah White selected for Team of the Week despite loss

2009-03-24T18:01:00.005-04:00

See here.

Extensive highlights of his and AGF's performance are here. The two runs/series of moves in the very beginning impress.

Thanks to BigSoccer poster Ceres for the pointer/translation.

Scott Sealy's late sub in Maccabi Tel-Aviv's draw against Hakoach Ramat-Gan

2009-03-24T12:49:00.005-04:00

I haven't done a Scott Sealy update in a while, but that's partly because he hasn't done much recently. However, if you didn't cheat on your Bar Mitzvah, you can confirm here that this Saturday he came on in the 82nd minute. He's still on one goal and one assist in the league. His team is uncharacteristically struggling this season - they're eighth out of 12.

Also, to confirm for any readers that may be curious, Sealy is not in the squad for Trinidad & Tobago for the WCQ clash with Honduras on Saturday and, presumably, with the United States the following Wednesday.

Marcus Tracy and Aalborg v. Midtjylland - the full highlights

2009-03-23T19:47:00.002-04:00

Here.

An interview with Tracy is here.

Interview with Jeremiah White translated by Google

2009-03-23T17:09:00.001-04:00

White: It is frustrating
23/03-2009 16:12 | Posted by: onside.dk | Photo: Sportsagency.dk

AGF's kantspiller Jeremiah White is frustrated that århusianerne received only a single point in the spring the first four matches.

- It's frustrating, but we have to accept that we are experiencing a transition phase where we must accustom ourselves to something new, a new way to play and that it will take some time, says the American Aarhus Stiftstidende.

Although he played a good game at Blue Water Arena yesterday, where he was creative and challenging on the edge. But AGF'erne did not manage to translate the chances for goals.

- I even feel that I am doing many things right, but I can not spend to much when it does not benefit the team. Fortunately we have a fantastic atmosphere in the troupe, so I am not afraid of what will happen, although the cohesion is now coming to the test. If we just stand together, then the victory too soon. I promise, says the Jeremiah White.

Tracy starts against Midtjylland; commentary in Danish (+ link to match)

2009-03-23T14:25:00.009-04:00

Here's the link to the commentary.

Here's a link to the broadcast, which I cannot test right now.

Califf did not dress for the match, by the way.

MARCUS TRACY SCORES TO MAKE IT 3-2 IN FAVOR OF AAB!!!

That's it. Tracy with the game-winning goal. I will post highlights as soon as I can. The win moves Aalborg within two points of fourth place. To guarantee Europe, I understand they need to get into third, but 10 whole points with 12 games to play separate them from that. I'll try to determine whether a cup win by one of the sides ahead of them would clear the path.

Also check Yanks Abroad Soccer Highlights and No Short Corners for the highlights.

And now the GOAL: Greg Seltzer at No Short Corners found that this interview, at the 1:40 mark, contains Tracy's absolutely spectacular, CURLING (Greg's apt words) headed goal (and another nice play by Tracy at the 2:46 mark).

An article on Tracy in the Aalborg newspaper (with a link to an interview)

2009-03-23T08:50:00.004-04:00

I used GramTrans this time. Here's the article.

He says he's certain to start against Midtjylland (and Danny Califf) tonight. Stay tuned.

UPDATE: Here's an interview Tracy did with Greg Seltzer.

USMNT roster for El Salvador and T & T announced

2009-03-20T13:07:00.003-04:00

Here.

Jeremiah White does not make the team as I hoped he would but it makes sense for Bradley to go with people familiar with the system for World Cup qualifiers. For the Gold Cup, however, it's another matter.

Tracy and Feilhaber interviews on 442.dk

2009-03-20T10:27:00.003-04:00

Tracy's is here.

Feilhaber's is here.

Tracy's is unremarkable, except that the interviewer is trying to get him to use a word to describe the UEFA Cup experience for a headline but Tracy initially does not offer a specific word before finally settling on "indescribable."

TRACY MAKES PROFESSIONAL DEBUT AGAINST MAN CITY!!!

2009-03-19T17:41:00.015-04:00

Tracy enters in the 77th minute with Aalborg down 2:0 to the Citizens on the aggregate.

http://www.flashscore.com/detail/soccer.php?match=159449&gmt_offset=-3600&tab=1

It's tied up at 2 (on the aggregate) and extra time beckons. According to the Sky Sports commentary Tracy had a chance to go through on goal but his first touch let him down allowing Richards to clear.

Penalties. According to the Sky Sports commentary above, deep into extra time, Tracy burst past Onuoha only for the latter to recover with a "last-ditch tackle."

Unfortunately, City win on penalties. But still, that Tracy played in this game at all, let alone what happened within less than fifteen minutes of his coming on the field, is surreal.

Here's some Tracy-focused live commentary from No Short Corners.

The Setanta report, which confirms that Tracy had an assist on AaB's opening goal, is here. Tracy was given a 6.5 in Setanta's player ratings.

Below are the highlights I found on YouTube.

Lyle Adams signs with USL-1 expansion team Austin Aztex

2009-03-19T08:44:00.006-04:00

Reported by Steve Goff at the Soccer Insider. See here for the official announcement. Apparently, Aztex are an affiliate of Stoke City and the Rayados of Monterrey. If you wish to see the photos related to the Adams announcement, visit the official Aztex website's main page.

Jeremiah White and AGF versus Brondby

2009-03-15T12:54:00.010-04:00

The SopCast link works.

White is playing up front, and I have to admit he doesn't look entirely comfortable in that role.

If you can't watch, follow the game here (in Danish).

Benny Feilhaber is on the bench.

A nice cross by White goes to waste in the 79th minute.

Feilhaber is on for White in the 85th.

Brondby scores in the closing stages, 2-0.

Feilhaber nicely sets up a teammate for a long-distance chance that produces a stunning save by the keeper deep in stoppage time.

It's over. Feilhaber looked lively since coming on and will surely get another chance to impress.

Completely unrelatedly, both Hunter Freeman and Clarence Goodson are in the first 11 for Start.

Celtic v. Rangers Broadcast Link

2009-03-15T11:16:00.002-04:00

Here. The SopCast one works so far.

Maurice Edu is on the bench for Rangers. DaMarcus Beasley needs a ticket to Gelsenkirchen.

Marcus Tracy won't feature tomorrow

2009-03-14T19:22:00.004-04:00

It's certain once you see this.

Dempsey's assist against Bolton

2009-03-14T15:25:00.002-04:00

Marcus Tracy makes the bench against Manchester City

2009-03-12T15:23:00.001-04:00

Follow it live here, although it seems unlikely Tracy will make his professional debut in this of all matches.

New FIFA rankings are out

2009-03-11T08:35:00.002-04:00

See here.

USA moves up to 17th.

Revs, Deacs tangle in friendly; Revs prevail 2-1

2009-03-10T09:44:00.002-04:00

Here's a match report from the Wake Forest perspective, and here's one from the Revolution perspective.

AGF and Jeremiah White play-by-play in English

2009-03-09T15:37:00.008-04:00

http://www.sporten.dk/node/764319

UPDATE: It's done. AGF ties last place Vejle at home. Vejle takes the lead on a bicycle kick late in the first half. White plays the entire game, has two shots on goal, and apparently assists on Nando Rafael's equalizer. Hopefully he'll feature in the Gold Cup. AGF is now in sixth place in the 12 team league.

UPDATE 2: Interview with White. "It's my next challenge - to find my way to the goal."

UPDATE 3: Highlights. White did indeed have an assist, a perfect cross.

Aalborg - Nordsjaelland (the link to the Danish telecast)

2009-03-08T10:59:00.008-04:00

Marcus Tracy's debut? Michael Parkhust is sure to start.

http://livetv.ru/eventinfo/20613/

UPDATE: Tracy is on the bench. Here's the play by play in English.

UPDATE 2: It's over, 1-1. Tracy did not get off the bench. Parkhurst did reasonably well. In the early moments, he let the opposing forward nutmeg him to create a dangerous chance which the keeper saved superbly. He also committed a couple of fouls, which if you know Parkhurst's game is uncharacteristic of him. The quality of the Danish league seems ever so slightly better than that of the MLS, however, so perhaps Michael is still adjusting. On Aalborg's goal, I don't know enough about defending to tell whether he should have peeled off the guy he was marking and attempted to go for the ball. His touch, passing, and positional awareness does seem to be what us Revolution fans have come to expect, and what is required in the tactically sophisticated SAS Ligaen.

And now for the actual goal (all three of Cardiff's goals posted)

2009-03-08T10:12:00.002-04:00

Eddie Johnson with a nice touch to ghost past the defender and a clever shot the keeper could not reach.

Eddie Johnson Scores! Eddie Johnson Scores! Eddie Johnson Scores!!!

2009-03-07T11:46:00.003-05:00

His first goal in Europe!

Michael Bradley Live (Link to M'gladbach - Hamburg)

2009-03-07T09:34:00.002-05:00

http://livetv.ru/webplayer/justintv/live24_p4mdut_tr/

Too Late Too Late

2009-03-05T17:19:00.003-05:00

Metallica's cover of Too Late Too Late by Motorhead, performed live in the land of Fulham and preceded by an excerpt from Metallica's own Suicide & Redemption.

Lyon - Rennes Highlights

2009-03-01T21:53:00.001-05:00

Carlos Bocanegra had a goal called off for a foul in the early going.

Parkhurst goes 90 in draw, White 77 in defeat

2009-03-01T15:42:00.003-05:00

A foul on Parkhurst seems to have resulted in a red card early on. White had the assist on the goal in the 1st minute. See highlights here and here, respectively.

Marcus Tracy makes the bench but does not play in AaB's win.

Ronnie Schwartz makes the bench at the expense of Marcus Tracy

2009-02-26T15:01:00.004-05:00

Schwartz seems to be the striker that Tracy is competing against for the fourth striker spot. This time, in the UEFA Cup, Schwartz is preferred.

Scott Sealy's team drops a 2-1 decision at home

2009-02-21T18:24:00.003-05:00

The winning goal was conceded in stoppage time from the spot. Sealy doesn't do anything impressive in the highlights (open in Windows Media Player).

Marcus Tracy in the 18 against Deportivo La Coruna in the UEFA Cup

2009-02-17T15:26:00.004-05:00

Cool.

As in the UEFA Cup each team is permitted seven on the substitute bench, this means he makes the bench.

Wow. Just a few months out of college, Marcus has a chance to make an appearance in the UEFA Cup Round of 32.

Marcus Tracy debuts in a friendly, impresses.

2009-02-11T15:18:00.005-05:00

The AaB official website reports (in a dubious translation by Google Translate):

Thus Marcus Tracy got the chance to impress, and it must be said that the American took the opportunity to through a good location and a superb ability hovedspil.

Beyond that, it's hard to determine what happened, but (1) he came on in the 62nd minute with Aalborg down 1:0 to Ukrainian Premier League side FC Zorya Luhansk, (2) seven minutes later the teams were on level terms, and that's how it ended. What does "hovedspil" mean?

In post-match quotes, Tracy regrets having not put away "at least one of [his] chances."

Lyle Adams continues training with FC Schaffhausen

2009-02-08T17:40:00.004-05:00

Former Wake Forest Demon Deacon Lyle Adams apparently left a good impression after playing an entire friendly for the Swiss Challenge League (second division) side and will continue training with them. The club is located in the town of Schaffhausen, which is in the very north of Switzerland near the border with Germany. Adams has been drafted by D.C. United in the second round of the MLS draft but is apparently exploring other options.

Scott Sealy scores winning goal (highlights)

2009-02-07T16:40:00.004-05:00

Scott Sealy scores his first for Maccabi Tel-Aviv, which ended up being the winning goal in the 2-1 victory over Hapoel Kiryat-Shmone. Sealy started the game and also hit the post early on.

Highlights open in Windows Media Player.

Jeremiah White is almost 100%

2009-02-06T20:44:00.002-05:00

He had an ankle injury, but seems on the verge of coming back.

Scott Sealy at Maccabi (interview and highlights)

2009-02-03T15:36:00.001-05:00

First interview as a Maccabi player: http://one.co.il/Article/131484.html

I had to click "Play" three times before Sealy begins answering questions, so be patient. P.S. When was the last time this Maccabi was in the Champions' League?

UPDATE: he had the game-tying assist against the league leaders in his first game!!!

UPDATE 2: Highlights are here (opens Windows Media Player if you hold Ctrl and click). His team are in yellow/blue. Unless you want to see the opening goal (which was spectacular), fast forward to 2:20, when Scott comes in.

DaMarcus Beasley almost goes to Schalke

2009-02-02T21:03:00.004-05:00

According to this article in the Scottish press. Here's the pertinent part:

Schalke 04 made a late effort to sign DaMarcus Beasley.

The Bundesliga club made an approach yesterday morning to sign the American internationalist but were unable to have the appropriate paperwork completed in time.

That would have been sweet, frankly.

Scott Sealy

2009-02-01T14:11:00.003-05:00

Former Demon Deacon, San Jose Earthquake, Kansas City Wizard, and forever a Trinidadian signs with Maccabi Tel-Aviv until the end of the Israeli Premier League season.

Landon Donovan is thriving, rejecting other offers

2009-01-25T18:41:00.003-05:00

Check out this article on Bayern Munich's official website discussing all FCB strikers (including Podolski, who upon recovery from injury will be vying with Donovan for the third striker role), but offers plenty of positive material specifically on Donovan. According to the article, Landon "turned down several offers from rival clubs." Klinsmann says that Donovan "could have gone somewhere else immediately.”

Along with Klinsmann, Toni and Schweinsteiger are also impressed:

'He’s settled well. I’m certain he’ll help us in the second half of the season,' Toni declared. Bastian Schweinsteiger is equally persuaded by the 26-year-old. 'It’s crucial to have a man on the bench who’s fired up, comes on and scores a goal or two. I hope his good form continues.'

Kamani Hill trains with FC Erzgebirge Aue of 3. Bundesliga

2009-01-22T22:51:00.005-05:00

As per here.

He's the one on the left (really?).

This (the official site of the team) refers to him as a striker.

Sal Zizzo scores against AC Milan?

2009-01-21T19:46:00.008-05:00

According to this, yes! The original in Italian is here.

At the very least, as this video shows (forward to the 50-second mark), he seems to have had himself a brilliant assist:

This seems to confirm that it was an assist and not a goal.

Oriental Festival March by Carl Nielsen

2009-01-19T20:15:00.005-05:00

In honor of all the American players plying their trade in Denmark, here's a short piece by Denmark's best known composer and a personal favorite of mine, Carl Nielsen:

Nice interview with Jeremiah White

2009-01-19T18:57:00.005-05:00

Here.

The clip contains the interview as well video of Jeremiah training.

To summarize, our favorite globe-trotting winger/forward has the following to say (does he speak Danish yet I wonder?):

(1) Still recovering from an ankle injury suffered toward the end of the first half of the season.

(2) Expects big things from certain guys on the team, especially the Liberian forward Dioh Williams.

(3) Likes the new coach, especially because he has been able to keep the players' spirits up despite of the dark and the cold.

(4) The new coach told Jeremiah that he will look to pressure the ball high up the pitch and create turnovers in the opponent's half, benefiting guys like Jeremiah himself, Dioh, Nando Rafael, and..."Benny" (Feilhaber?!).

Donovan scores again!

2009-01-19T16:01:00.006-05:00

Kaiserslautern of 2. Bundesliga is the victim this time in a 2:0 Bayern friendly win. The clip of the goal:

Donovan came on in the 62nd minute. The American Luis Robles was not in the Kaiserslautern goal. The full match report (in English) from the FCB website is here.

West Ham 3 - Fulham 1

2009-01-18T11:48:00.004-05:00

Was it a lack of imagination? Was it a lack of quality? Was it simply a matter of three horrendous errors that lead to three not exactly brilliant goals? Is Bullard necessary?

Perhaps these errors weren't really all that horrendous. Could Paintsil have simply headed that ball out for a corner rather than taking it on his chest or was he caught in a too tough a position to do anything safe? Was Konchesky in a hopeless situation to begin with, and that challenge was, although looking horribly mistimed and deserving of a straight red, the only way to avert a sure goal? Dickson Etuhu's turnover looked inexcusable but there was a long way for the Hammers to go from when they got the ball at center circle.

Etuhu, despite the apparent athleticism, overall looks much more limited than Andreasen, who replaced him when it was too late. Our midfield looked short of ideas throughout, with the starting quartet's, and Gera's passing, leaving much to be desired in terms of both accuracy and creativity. Johnson battled hard, but seldom to good effect. Zamora, and then Nevland, hardly made an impact. Schwartzer, perhaps affected by his backline's shakiness, himself looked unconvincing in controlling the area. I really have no complaints about Hughes and Hangeland.

Anyway, I don't know what to make of this match except that Andreasen needs to move ahead of Etuhu in the pecking order and Zamora, in that we don't have better options, needs to make better decisions and generally be more influential. Oh well, Konchesky's goal was a beauty.

Fulham player of the match: none - nobody stood out.

MLS Combine and Draft: Clips on MLSnet

2009-01-15T16:58:00.005-05:00

The MLS official site has some good content; specifically, clips from the Combine and from the draftees' college careers. The latter are limited unfortunately and here's hoping that next year there is more collegiate video posted.

Marcus Tracy officially an AaB player

2009-01-15T13:50:00.004-05:00

See the official announcement. Google Translate isn't very helpful unfortunately, but makes clear two things: (1) Tracy is already training with Aalborg and (2) he's been assigned number 19.

Check this out

2009-01-13T18:43:00.004-05:00

By that, I mean this interesting statistical tidbit on CCN concerning our main man Clint Dempsey.

Landon Donovan scores his first in Bayern win

2009-01-12T19:27:00.011-05:00

In a friendly against Saudi champions (or so I understand) Al Wahda, Donovan netted in added time to close out the victory.

Here's a clip of the goal:

UPDATE: visit Soccer by Ives for the full highlights (showing not only the goal but the header, at the five minute mark, that hit the crossbar) in a much better quality.

Trond Olsen Highlights

2009-01-12T15:32:00.002-05:00

Fulham are interested in this guy.

Michael Lahoud

2009-01-12T12:27:00.004-05:00

Now that he has been getting some positive reviews at the MLS Combine, see e.g. here and here (and now here with links to yet more sources), it is time to remind people of this goal by the senior Mathematics major.

Sal Zizzo plays the second half, provides assist in Hanover friendly win

2009-01-11T17:22:00.013-05:00

As reported here, and translated by Google Translate here, Sal made "a fine pass into free space" to set up Finnish international Mikael Forssell for a goal in a 3:0 win over 2. Bundesliga's VfL Osnabruck.

Here's Sal in action in that game:

Marcus Tracy wins the Hermann Trophy

2009-01-09T20:26:00.006-05:00

Reported here.

I agree with No Short Corners, the goal below (from the 2007 national semifinals) is nice:

Ives reports that Marcus Tracy is set to sign for AaB

2009-01-09T07:53:00.012-05:00

Good news, as Aalborg is a solid club which did well for a Danish club in this year's Champions League as the defending champions of the Danish Superliga. It recently featured Swedish foward Rade Prica, now at Sunderland, and of course, the American defender Danny Califf, now at FC Midtylland. Aalborg (a.k.a. AaB) has last season's top scorer in the Danish Superliga in Jeppe Curth. (I apologize for the initial misinformation: Curth has a paltry two goals this season.)

I suppose it is conceivable, as Ives points out, that Tracy will see time in the UEFA Cup this year. AaB is in the Round of 32 set to face La Liga side Coruna.

I view this as a good move. First, the Danish league has been doing well in, and moving up in rankings of, European club competition. In fact, they seem to be firmly ahead of the other Scandinavian leagues and almost on the level of the Belgian league. Oguchi Onyewu, who starts for the U.S. National Team, plays for the Belgian champion (although this could change during this transfer window). We now have a kid just out of college who will be playing for the Danish champion. Not too bad from the playing level perspective. Second, culturally Scandinavia seems an easier adjustment than other places in Europe (and beyond). Everybody speaks English and I understand that the Scandinavian languages are gramatically simple for an English speaker. Danish might be the hardest pronunciation wise among them, but Tracy will have plenty of other American players in the country to help him. This list of course includes fellow Wake Forest Demon Deacons Jeremiah White and Michael Parkhurst. Third, a permit or a foreign player limit issue which could happen in, say, Italy, will not hold up the move. Finally, there is recent precedent of a college striker moving directly to Scandinavia and succeeding: Charlie Davies.

Marcus Tracy

2009-01-06T19:23:00.004-05:00

Steve Goff, on his blog Soccer Insider, reports that:

Wake Forest senior forward Marcus Tracy, projected to be one of the top picks in next week's MLS draft, has signed with Proactive Sports Management, which has placed several Americans in Europe over the years. Tracy, I am told, is exploring his options abroad. Fellow seniors Sam Cronin and Michael Lahoud have signed with MLS.

This development will be followed closely on this blog.

Videira signed by the Revs

2008-12-29T16:54:00.002-05:00

See here.

I hope it was not the five year contract they had initially offered him.

Greg Seltzer interviews Jeremiah White

2008-12-26T15:41:00.005-05:00

Here.

'I enjoy playing on the left because when I attack, the ball is on my right foot which makes it easier to shoot,' said White, who has two goals and three assists in 15 games this term. 'When I play on the right, I cross more. On the left, I get a lot of shots off.'

AGF's getting a new coach and targeting a Top 3 finish. Excellent.

Tottenham 0 - Fulham 0 (Match Report)

2008-12-26T09:55:00.006-05:00

This was an excellent point for us, needless to say. No Hangeland, Bullard going off in the first half due to injury, yet we still found a way.

There is no one player who especially impressed on the day. Konchesky, Baird, Etuhu, and Dempsey all could be said to have exceeded expectations.

The Hughes-Baird(!) partnership in the middle did a solid job, with Baird showing a propensity to head it out with conviction. The Murphy-Etuhu(!) partnership also had an impressive a day, with Etuhu showing some serious athleticism in shutting down space in a blink of an eye. Murphy won a lot of balls, as he has been doing lately, but then proceeded to send passes that the intended recipients did not expect. He also needlessly lost possession very late on by apparently waiting for that perfect pass: oh well.

Dempsey and Davies switched wings in the first half, with Dempsey moving to the left. I had been skeptical in the past of his playing there as I perceived him as being extremely right footed, although I suspect that Davies's crossing quality improves when he is on the right. This time around, Dempsey showed how much he improved offensively by not diminishing in influence after the switch. As I am sure will be discussed elsewhere, he almost scored the goal of the year by forcing Gomes into a solid save off a bicycle kick. Earlier, while still on the right, he had a decent volley comfortably saved by the Tottenham keeper. While in possession, he had a few decent flicks, as he does, but also lost possession or misplaced passes on several occasions, as he also does. It is on the defensive end where Dempsey did some of his best work of the day, however. He was involved, it seemed, in winning countless balls and started promising counterattacks. Davies did have some decent work on the right, his low cross that Zamora almost got to being especially memorable, but overall he still seems like a defensive lightweight that doesn't exactly force the issue as an attacker to counterbalance that deficiency. I would like Nevland (like he did in stoppage time today) or Gera (on whose injury status I am looking for an update) come in for him later on when we need an offensive spark, or Andreasen when we need a defensive one (a defensive spark? Yes!). Should Gera start when he gets healthy in place of Davies? My silly spreadsheet from earlier, albeit from a small sample, seems to suggest that Gera is awfully active in the attack when on the right.

Konchesky and Paintsil both did a job Fulham supporters could be proud of. Konchesky, with a notable assist from Dempsey, did not let Lennon run wild, even managing to stay with him on a sprint into the penalty area and proceeding to kick it off Lennon for a goal kick. Same could be said with regards to Paintsil, who had Bentley and, later, Frazier Campbell to contend with, and handled those tasks admirably. These two aren't the best fullbacks in the league, but both are solid defensively with only an occasional lapse, and contribute at least a little bit in the attack.

Upfront, Johnson was active and dangerous as always. After the many attempts of Murphy and Dempsey to send him through, there was a success as someone's (sorry) ball finally allowed Johnson to sprint past his nemesis on the day, Dawson, and while seriously off balance push it against the outstretched arm of the prone Gomes. As a history teacher of mine used to say, "almost" only counts in horseshoes unfortunately. Zamora, aside from the aforementioned cross by Davies, was substantially less influential than he was last week against Middlesbrough - when he was very influential. Perhaps this time around his matchup against the physical Ledley King was unfavorable. He didn't really have a chance to showcase his strengths of holding the ball up and distribute it with his back to goal.

Aside from one questionable moment when he seemed to have come out with no hope of getting the ball and was left stranded, Schwarzer did a solid job controlling the penalty area. He also produced a stupendous save on Lennon early on. Other than that, despite Spurs' pressure, he was never really troubled.

Overall, a deserved draw in which Fulham had some chances. While Spurs probably looked the more threatening, one would probably expect that with the roar of the crowd behind them, their budget, and the fact that our arguably two best players, Hangeland and Bullard, were not involved.

Pinocchioballs

2008-12-25T17:18:00.007-05:00

From around Christmas time last year, 4thegame's funny twist on the phenomenon that is Beckham.

Back to the meaning of... life

2008-12-25T00:00:00.010-05:00

Metallica performing "Of Wolf and Man" in Edmonton earlier this month. One of those songs that sounds better live than in the studio; "Frantic," I think, is another example of such a song.

The various religions celebrating this or that right now may disagree with Hetfield's lyrics.

Andrew Hush of ESPN Soccernet interviews Clint Dempsey (Part I)

2008-12-24T13:51:00.004-05:00

Here.

My favorite part of the interview:

ESPNsoccernet: Since regaining your place, it seems you have been given some freedom to move from your outside midfield position when the moment is right.

CD: We try to make sure that, while we are trying to create things in attack, we know the right time to gamble. A perfect example was the goal against Manchester City, where I played it to Bobby [Zamora] and Jimmy [Bullard] was on the overlap but I was still up there in support of the attack.

The type of player Jimmy is, he likes to get about the field a lot. He finds himself in different positions and so, to try and help keep the shape, I tuck in sometimes when he goes out wide. I think that helps give us a better balance and makes us tougher to break down defensively in case we lose possession. If Jimmy makes a run on the right and I overlap, then there is a big hole in the middle if we lose the ball.

The Year My Parents Went on Vacation

2008-12-23T13:21:00.012-05:00

This Brazilian film can be described in one word: "bittersweet." It does not delve into the political reality in that country surrounding the 1970 World Cup in Mexico, but strongly alludes to the repression that was going on at that time. While watching the movie, I surmised that the government was a dictatorship and that it was cracking down on certain groups, probably Marxists in particular. According to the entry in Wikipedia on 1960s in Brazil:

The first signs of resistance [to the military dictatorship] were seen in 1968 with the appearance of widespread student protests. In response to this upsurge, the government issued Institutional Act Number Five in December 1968, which suspended habeas corpus, increased the power of the executive by shutting down the other branches of government, and declared a nationwide state of siege. Protests were suppressed with violence. The anti-military movement descended into the political underground and eventually armed action.

By the end of the decade there were twenty organizations involved in the urban guerrilla movement. The old-left, particularly in the shape of the Brazilian Communist Party, was seen as irrelevant and outdated, as Marxist-Leninist, Maoist, Trotskyist, Castroist, and all the other shades of left-wing ideology competed for the loyalty of the young militants, especially in places like Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. Recruitment drives were carried out in schools and universities, initially with lectures in Marxist theory. The most determined were drawn deeper into activism, some taking the decision to leave their families and go underground altogether. [Emphasis added.]

In 1969 the Revolutionary Movement 8th October kidnapped Charles Burke Elbrick, the U.S. ambassador to Brazil. The rebels demanded the release of imprisoned dissidents in exchange for Ambassador Elbrick. The government responded by adopting more brutal measures of counter-insurgency, leading to the assassination of Carlos Marighela, a guerrilla leader, two months after Elbrick's kidnapping. This marked the beginning of the decline of armed resistance. In 1970, Nobuo Okuchi, Japanese consul general in Sāo Paulo, was kidnapped and Curtis C. Cutter, U.S. consul in Porto Alegre, was wounded in the shoulder but escaped kidnapping. Also in 1970, Ehren von Holleben, West German Ambassador, was kidnapped in Rio and one of his bodyguards was killed.

According to a government-sponsored truth and reconciliation commission in 2007, by the end of the 21 years of dictatorship there were 339 documented cases of government-sponsored political assassinations or disappearances. More were questioned, tortured, and jailed.

Brazil famously triumphs over Italy in the final. But the feelings of the giant country may be reflected in the story of one little boy, Mauro, who exults in the majestic play of the Seleção , while waiting for his parents to come home from "vacation."

Fulham Winger Analysis

2008-12-22T14:19:00.002-05:00

I compiled a spreadsheet attempting to analyze the relative effectiveness of three Fulham wingers, Simon Davies, Clint Dempsey, and Zoltan Gera, based on whether each plays on the right or the left. My initial hypothesis (or impression if you will) was that both Davies and Dempsey are more effective on the right, while Gera is equally effective on both wings (his public protestations to the contrary notwithstanding). My analysis relies on two stats, both obtained from the Daily Telegraph website: passes attempted and percentage of passes completed. I observed the following conventions: (i) I relied on the Daily Telegraph density charts to determine where each player played in a given match; if the players clearly switched positions (such as against Blackburn) during the match, I disregarded that match (ii) for each player, I only considered matches which he started and (iii) I did not adjust for matches where any of the three players was substituted; unfortunately that means that passes attempted numbers are a bit skewed. Gera's total passes stats against Newcastle and Middlesbrough are disregarded due to early substitution, but passing percentage in the Newcastle match is not. Clint's numbers against Middlesbrough are treated as if all occured while he played RW; in reality, he started at forward. Clint's numbers at Stoke are obviously disregarded as he played up front the entire match. So far, this spreadsheet is only marginally useful, and only as to Simon Davies, who I think basically played 90 minutes in every match and spent substantial minutes on both flanks. If the number of passes and their accuracy reflects a player's involvement, there is not a notable difference as to the wing on which Davies plays.

Omer Golan scores two for Lokeren

2008-12-22T11:28:00.002-05:00

The second goal, a nice chip, is here. (Clicking the link opens the clip in Windows Media Player.)

Golan also scored this nice goal earlier this year against Greg Dalby's former club Charleroi.

Adu needlessly concedes a corner against Bordeaux, which results in the equalizer

2008-12-21T19:50:00.000-05:00

This is according to Goal.com. Monaco had a 3-2 lead when Adu came into the match in the 75th minute. Bordeaux equalized in 87th minute off the aforementioned corner, and proceeded to snatch the win in the 89th. In their player rankings, Goal.com gives Adu a 4, tied for the lowest rating on his team. The result also had the effect of knocking Bocanegra's Rennes out of a Champions League place in the Ligue 1 table.

Maccabi Tel Aviv yesterday finally stitched together a two-match winning streak by defeating Bnei Sakhnin 3-0 in Sakhnin's Doha Stadium. The drama was not so much in the result, as in an incident at the end of the first half which resulted in the dismissal of Maccabi manager Avi Nimni. In the 44th minute, it looked like Tel Aviv's Scott Sealy either pushed or brushed by Sakhnin defender Paty Yeye Lenkebe. At first the referee, Eli Hahmon, carded Lenkebe for faking the hit, but after consulting the linesman retracted the card and dismissed Sealy. Nimni exchanged words with the referee at halftime, prompting the latter to send him off the pitch as well. Lior Jan then received his second yellow card eight minutes into the final half, leaving Tel Aviv with only nine players on the pitch. Earlier, Moshe Mishaelof had headed in Tel Aviv's first goal in the 33rd minute from a free kick by Maor Buzaglo. Playing shorthanded, however, did not deter Tel Aviv, which broke out on the attack in the 86th minute and went 2-0 ahead on a goal by substitute Dulee Johnson from a pass from Ilya Yavruyan. Mishaelof finished off the scoring in the 90th minute with his second goal of the night.