Photo by Tony Quinn/ISIphotos.com By FRANCO PANIZO U.S. Men's National Team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann must be feeling a bit of deja vu right now. As was the case in the United States' first World Cup qualifier against Antigua & Barbuda back in June, Klinsmann will be without both first-choice left backs, Fabian Johnson and Edgar Castillo, for the Americans visit to Antigua this coming Friday. Castillo has been sidelined by a foot injury and will miss both upcoming World Cup qualifiers while Johnson, who is suffering from a flu, is expected to join the team prior to their match... Continue reading

Photo by ISIphotos.com Add Fabian Johnson to the list of players who could be sidelined for the U.S. Men's National Team's upcoming World Cup qualifiers. Johnson is currently suffering from a flu infection and is expected to miss out on Friday's trip to Antigua & Barbuda, according to German outlet Kicker. Johnson's status for next Tuesday's home game at Livestrong Sporting Park against Guatemala is also in question because of the flu. The report makes it seem as if Johnson is not currently training with the U.S. in Miami, stating that he could join them this weekend if he recovers... Continue reading

By FRANCO PANIZO Radamel Falcao is one of the strikers who is most in demand right now, and Atletico Madrid has set the amount that it will take for someone to pry him away from them. Atletico Madrid GM Miguel Angel GIl Marin put a price on Falcao on Tuesday, saying the team will not be able to afford the Colombian striker if they do not qualify for the UEFA Champions League this season. Gil Marin put the price tag at €60 million ($77.2 million), but insisted that Falcao and all the players that the coach wants will stay if... Continue reading

Photo by ISIphotos.com By FRANCO PANIZO U.S. men's national team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann said Monday he called up target strikers with good heading ability because it was likely that the Americans were going to be forced to settle for whipped in crosses in their two upcoming World Cup qualifiers. Well, Klinsmann will not be getting any of those crosses from Landon Donovan or Brek Shea. Donovan and Shea have been ruled out for the Americans' upcoming qualifiers against Antigua & Barbuda on Friday and Guatemala next Tuesday. Both entered the camp with knocks and underwent medical evaluations by the... Continue reading

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Photo by ISIphotos.com Landon Donovan's knee might be feeling better than it did on Saturday, but that still does not mean he will play for the U.S. men's national team on Friday. Donovan missed the United States' first training session in Miami on Tuesday morning as he was being evaluated by the team's medical staff, U.S. Soccer announced on its Twitter. Donovan arrived to South Florida on Monday with an injured left knee that he hurt in the LA Galaxy's 2-1 loss to Real Salt Lake on Saturday and despite skipping an MRI with his club because his knee had... Continue reading

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The San Antonio Scorpions and Tampa Bay Rowdies were the best two teams in the regular season this year, so it should come as no surprise that their players make up more than half of NASL's 2012 Best XI. NASL announced the best players of the campaign on Tuesday morning and both the Scorpions and Rowdies had three players, the highest total from any of the eight teams in the league. The three Scorpions were forward Pablo Campos, midfielder Walter Ramirez and former Houston Dynamo defender Ryan Cochrane. The Rowdies' three players were goalkeeper Jeff Attinella, defender Takuya Yamada and... Continue reading

Photo by ISIphotos.com The Philadelphia Union are coming off arguably their best week of the season, and Ray Gaddis played a big part in helping make that happen. Gaddis started and went the distance in both of the Union's wins last week, first helping stymie the Chicago Fire offense in Philadelphia's upset victory at Toyota Park before helping the club get a cleansheet win over the New England Revolution on Saturday. For that, Gaddis has been named SBI's MLS Rookie of the Week. Gaddis edged out another pair of defenders to take the award, as the Fire's Austin Berry and... Continue reading

By FRANCO PANIZO The English Championship has not even reached the two-month mark yet, but already we have the first coaching casualty of the season. Bolton Wanderers fired manager Owen Coyle on Tuesday morning after a nightmare start to their season in the Championship. Bolton, who were relegated from the Premiership last season, are currently in 18th place in the 24-team league with a 3-5-2 record that has seen them concede 16 goals. Coyle had been in charge of Bolton since January 2010, but the painful start to the campaign that has hindered the club's chances of gaining promotion has... Continue reading

Photo by ISIphotos.com By FRANCO PANIZO Fears that Landon Donovan will miss yet another U.S. men's national team training camp have been put to rest by head coach Jurgen Klinsmann. Klinsmann revealed during a conference call on Monday afternoon that Donovan's injured left knee had shown substantial signs of progress and the veteran midfielder was on a plane to Miami to join the rest of the U.S. for their preparations ahead of their important World Cup qualifier against Antigua and Barbuda on Friday. Donovan injured his knee late in the Los Angeles Galaxy's 2-1 defeat to Real Salt Lake on... Continue reading

Photo by ISIphotos.com By FRANCO PANIZO U.S. men's national team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann has released the 24-man roster that will aim to attempt to reach the final round of World Cup qualifying, and there are surprises aplenty. Sacha Kljestan, Eddie Johnson and Alan Gordon were among the players selected by Klinsmann for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Antigua & Barbuda and Guatemala, while Jozy Altidore, Terrence Boyd, Jose Torres and Chris Wondolowski were all surprisingly left off. Landon Donovan, who suffered a knee injury on Saturday while playing for the Los Angeles Galaxy, was also included on the... Continue reading

Ashley Cole's now infamous tweet grabbed its share of headlines last week, and this week will be no different it appears. Cole has been charged with misconduct by the English FA for his tweet that came in response to the John Terry racism case. The 31-year-old fullback, who has since apologized for the tweet, has until October 11 to responde to the charge Cole is is due to join the England national team camp on Monday to prepare for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers against San Marino and Poland. Cole has 98 career caps for the Three Lions and he... Continue reading

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Photo by ISIphotos.com That sound you hear is Sporting Kansas City fans breathing a collective sigh of relief. Roger Espinoza had an MRI and X-rays taken on Monday morning and has been ruled out two to four weeks with a right anterior medial ankle sprain. Espinoza sustainted the knock in the second half of Sporting KC's 1-1 draw with the Columbus Crew on Sunday. He is expected to return to Kansas City immediately for additional evaluation and treatment. The timeframe of recovery for Espinoza means he could be back in time for Sporting KC's playoff run, but likely will miss... Continue reading

Photo by John Todd/ISIphotos.com By FRANCO PANIZO It may have taken a little longer than he would have liked, but Maurice Edu finally made his Stoke City debut. Edu made his first appearance for Stoke in the club's scoreless draw with Liverpool on Sunday. Edu came off the bench and played the final nine minutes of the match, helping Stoke stymie the Reds' attack to earn a big point at Anfield in his first game at the club level since last May. Three players found the back of the net this weekend, but no one's goal was bigger than Terrence... Continue reading

Photo by ISIphotos.com If MLS has its way, a deal for the much-discussed soccer-specific stadium in New York City will be finalized within the next month. According to New York Daily News, MLS is hoping to iron out the finals details of a deal that would allow the league to move forward with their plans for a stadium in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens within the next 30 days. If that turns out to be the case, MLS commissioner Don Garber said construction of the stadium could begin in 2014, with 2016 or 2017 being the target timeframe to open... Continue reading

Photo by ISIphotos.com Taking politicians at face value during this time of the year can be seen as a bit of a gamble, but the latest out of Washington D.C. should have D.C. United fans buzzing. D.C. Council member Jack Evans, Ward 2 Democrat, was on "The Kojo Nnamdi Show" on Friday and he said the city is in the final stages of negotiations with United to complete a deal for a soccer-specific stadium. Evans said the team would foot the bill in terms of construction cost, but that the city would provide the infrastructure. "They have a new ownership,... Continue reading

Photo by Howard C. Smith/ISIphotos.com By FRANCO PANIZO The 2012 season will be NASL Commissioner David Downs' last. Downs is set to leave his post with NASL at the end of the current campaign, the league announced Thursday. Downs has served as the league's commissioner for its first two seasons, but he intends to retire and move from Miami back to the New York area once the NASL Championship Series concludes. Downs will reportedly assist the league in its transition to a new commissioner. During his two years in charge, Downs has helped the league grow after trying times threatened... Continue reading

photo by Nick Turchiaro/ISIphotos.com By FRANCO PANIZO The majority of the Americans Abroad contingent that were in action during the middle of the week are surely looking forward to this weekend's action after mostly poor outings, but Steve Cherundolo is not one of those players. Cherundo had arguably the most success from an individual and team standpoint during the midweek action, going the distance in Hannover 96's 2-1 comeback win over Levante in the Europa League on Thursday. The victory pushed Hannover into first place of Group L after two games, and should give the club some momentum heading into... Continue reading

By FRANCO PANIZO As far as Americans Abroad match-ups go, this weekend could provide one of the best of the season. As many as four Americans could be on the field at the same time on Sunday, as Tottenham takes on Aston Villa. Spurs goalkeeper Brad Friedel and Villans netminder Brad Guzan are likely to square off in a battle of former mentor and apprentice, while Clint Dempsey might have to beat the likes of Eric Lichaj in order to score in a second consecutive league game for fifth-place Tottenham. Geoff Cameron and Maurice Edu may also be involved in... Continue reading

Thiago's injury may not be as bad as some initially feared, but the Barcelona midfielder will still miss a good chunk of the season because of it. Thiago is expected to be out for at least the next eight weeks after suffering a knee injury in Barcelona's 3-2 comeback win over Sevilla this past Saturday. Tests on Monday confirmed the 22-year-old had sustained a medial ligament tear in his right knee after entering the game as substitute and he will be out of action until at least December. This is not the first time Thiago has been forced out of... Continue reading

By FRANCO PANIZO It did not take very long for Jozy Altdiore to fulfill U.S. men's national team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann's wishes. Days after Klinsmann said he wanted to see Altidore create and finish his own chances, Altidore did just that and more in AZ Alkmaar's 3-3 draw with RKC Waalwijk on Sunday. Altidore continued to tear up the Eredivisie by netting his eighth goal in league play (and ninth in all competitions) on a great individual effort that saw him dribble by a pair of defenders before hitting a shot off the near post and in. Altidore followed... Continue reading

Another big game, another goal for Clint Dempsey. Tottenham Hotspur ended their long winless streak at Old Trafford that dates back to 1989 on Saturday, and it was Dempsey who provided the decisive finish in Spurs' 3-2 victory over Manchester United. Dempsey opened his Tottenham scoring account early in the second half by knocking home a rebound seconds after a Nani goal had trimmed Spurs' lead. United scored shortly after to make things interesting again, but they never found a response to Dempsey's tally. The goal was Dempsey's biggest contribution in a 70-minute outing in which he put in a... Continue reading

photo by ISIphotos.com Rosenborg BK jumped into the top spot of Eliteserien on Friday with a big victory over Haugesund, and Mix Diskerud contributed to the fun by netting his first league goal for the club. Diskerud capped the scoring in Rosenborg's 5-2 win over Haugesund on Friday, sliding in from close range to redirect a low cross in the 88th minute of the match. The goal was Diskerud's second across all competitions since joining the club this past summer, as he also tallied an all-important goal in the Europa League play-off round last month. Rosenborg's win now gives them... Continue reading