BY DAVE MARTINEZ It has been a long and winding road back to the National team for Eddie Johnson. Once considered the next great American forward, the 28-year-old striker has since seen his career come to a near halt as four nomadic years in Europe and an unsuccessful jaunt with Puebla FC of Liga MX derailed his progress. Confidence became a clear issue, and the lack of playing time only compounded his woes. Nearly a year since his confounding stay South of the Border, Johnson finds himself amongst Major League Soccer’s top goal scorers with 14 tallies over 26 games.... Continue reading

If anyone still had questions about Marquette's legitimacy as a national power this year, those questions were answered over the weekend, when the Golden Panthers toppled unbeaten UConn, the No. 1 team in the SBI College Soccer Top 25 at the time. Marquette handed the Huskies their first loss of the season to not only maintain one of only two perfect records in the nation (Cornell holding the other), it also cemented Marquette's status as a serious contender for the Big East title and a potential NCAA run later this year. Out West, we saw UCSB, UCLA and New Mexico... Continue reading

Photo by isiphotos.com By JOSE M. ROMERO Colorado Rapids goalkeeper Matt Pickens will see his 75-match appearance streak end due to a groin injury that will force him out of the club's final two matches. Pickens had the longest active streak in MLS before getting injured in Saturday's game against San Jose. He was replaced in the 69th minute by Stew Ceus. Rapids coach Oscar Pareja said he doesn't expect Pickens to play any more this season and will go with Ceus or Ian Joyce in goal the rest of the way for the Rapids, who are out of playoff... Continue reading

It was a good week in MLS for playoff-bound forwards. Fabian Espindola, Sherjill MacDonald and Chris Wondolowski are all key figures on teams heading into the MLS playoffs, and all three showed they are ready for post-season glory as they each turned in outstanding performances over the weekend. Espindola, MacDonald and Wondolowski all scored multiple goals to lead their teams to important victories, and all three earned SBI MLS Best XI honors in the process. FC Dallas is still trying to make the playoffs, and while their chances are slim at this point, the only reason they have any chance... Continue reading

Photo by ISIphotos.com By FRANCO PANIZO After repeated attempts to call him into the U.S. Men's National team this year, only to be turned down on more than one occasion, It appears U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann has grown tired of Timmy Chandler's unwillingness to commit to the U.S. national team. Chandler's absence from this month's U.S. roster is not because the fullback denied a call-up, but rather because Klinsmann did not offer him an invitation, sources at Chandler's club team, Nuremberg, told SBI on Wednesday. Chandler told SBI last month that he was open to receiving a call-up and... Continue reading

The Big East Conference is widely-regarded as the strongest men's soccer conference in the nation this year, but Northwestern scored a big one for the Big Ten on Tuesday night by knocking off Notre Dame in the evening's only battle of teams ranked in the SBI Top 25. First-half goals by Joey Calistri and Lepe Setane helped the No. 19 Wildcats knock off the No. 9 Fighting Irish, 2-0, in Evanston, Illinois. The victory, which should help Northwestern move up in the new SBI Top 25, which will be released later today, improves the Wildcats' record to 8-2-2 while the... Continue reading

The man suspected of killing New York Red Bulls youth coach Mike Jones in New York City over the weekend has fled to Mexico, according to a report from the Associated Press. Orlando Orea, also known as Orlando Gutierrez or Orlando Estevas, bought a one-way ticket on an Aero Mexico flight with cash minutes before its departure from Kennedy International Airport on Tuesday morning, according to an anonymous official in the report. Orea is suspected of having murdered the 25-year-old Jones with a knife on Sunday morning. Detectives on the case discovered Orea's name at about 4:45pm on Tuesday and... Continue reading

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Photo by ISIPhotos.com The Chicago Fire surged up the Eastern Conference standings in September, rattling off a four-match winning streak that helped them grab second place and eventually clinch the team's first playoff berth since 2009. Austin Berry played a key role in that September success, and his play during that stretch earned him SBI MLS Rookie of the Month honors. The University of Louisville product continued his outstanding rookie season with steady play at centerback for the Fire throughout the month. During the month, Berry broke the Fire team record for consecutive starts by a rookie, previously held by... Continue reading

Photo by ISIPhotos.com By IVES GALARCEP Jurgen Klinsmann made sure to offer up as thorough an explanation as possible on Monday for his decision to leave Jozy Altidore off the U.S. national team roster for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.He pointed to national team form, and cited tactical reasons for wanting to look at new players. The explanations still rang a bit hollow though because while you can't argue with the notion that Altidore's U.S. national team form has been largely disappointing, it is extremely tough to deny that, based on recent club form, Altidore is one of the best... Continue reading

Photo by ISIphotos.com By FRANCO PANIZO When Jozy Altidore was left off the U.S. Men's National Team roster for a pair of crucial upcoming World Cup qualifiers, the decision looked to be a serious head scratcher considering Altidore has been one of the best forwards in Europe in the early months of the new club season. It was no mistake though. It was a decision Jurgen Klinsmann made based, not on Altidore's club form, but rather on his national team form, which has been disappointing during Klinsmann's tenure as head coach. "I communicated with Jozy that I was not happy... Continue reading

The Philadelphia Union may not be going to the playoffs this year, but they are finishing the season on a strong note that bodes well for 2013. The Union posted a pair of victories last week, including an impressive road victory against the Chicago Fire, to earn SBI MLS Team of the Week honors. Philadelphia stunned the Fire last Wednesday, handing the second-place team in the East their first home loss against an Eastern Conference opponent since 2010, then the defense stepped up and posted the club's first shutout in five matches in beating New England. The Union beat out... Continue reading

Any fear of suffering from the bye week blues were put to rest by the Tampa Bay Rowdies this past weekend, as they continued their red-hot form in the NASL semifinals this past weekend. The Rowdies moved one step closer to reaching the NASL Championship Series and extended their current unbeaten streak to seven games by going into WakeMed Soccer Park and defeating the Carolina RailHawks, 2-1, in the first leg of their semifinals clash on Saturday. Carolina negated Mike Ambersley's opener through a Brian Shriver penalty kick, but Tampa Bay reclaimed a permanent lead when Daniel Antoniuk scored with... Continue reading

Jozy Altidore set off a rash of speculation this morning when he tweeted about attending an event with AZ teammates on Tuesday, a tweet that would suggest he is not joining the U.S. Men's national team for its training camp ahead of two crucial World Cup qualifiers. Why would Altidore, currently enjoying the best run of form on the club level of his career, be left out for two all-important qualifiers? It is tough to find a legitimate explanation or reason for it. There are plenty of potential theories, but none that ring true as passable. Could Klinsmann really be... Continue reading

Chris Wondolowski just can't stop scoring. The MLS leader in goals pushed his season total to 25 on Saturday thanks to a hat trick in the Earthquakes' 4-1 win against Colorado on Saturday. Wondolowski's latest masterpiece made him an easy pick for SBI MLS Player of the Week. Wondolowski's three goals not only brings him within two goals of Roy Lassiter's MLS record for goals in a season, it also helped the Earthquakes move a step closer to the Supporters Shield. Wondolowski beat out a list of contenders that included Philadelphia's Jack McInerney, Real Salt Lake's Fabian Espindola, Chicago's Sherjill... Continue reading

By NICK IUELE In a clash that showed why Barcelona and Real Madrid are often considered the two best teams in the world, and why Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are considered the two best players in the world, Barcelona and Real Madrid played to an excitin 2-2 draw in front of a crowd of 95,000 at Barca’s Camp Nou on Sunday. Messi and Ronaldo put on a show, scoring two goals each in an intense battle. Ronaldo opened the scoring for Real Madrid in the 23rd minute, but Messi quickly answered with an equalizer in the 31st. Messi gave... Continue reading

By JASON MITCHELL SEATTLE, Wash. - The Seattle Sounders capitalized on an electric atmosphere and a Portland Timbers' own goal Sunday night at CenturyLink Field, topping their fierce Interstate 5 rivals 3-0 to assume third place in the Western Conference. In a nationally-televised match before a franchise-record 66,452 fans, Seattle (14-7-10) controlled play from the start, earning three corner kicks in the first 10 minutes and creating chances through both build-up play and quick counter-attacks. It was enough to make Sounders' coach Sigi Schmid emotional after the match. "I said to (assistant coach Brian Schmetzer), 'This is what heaven must... Continue reading

The Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers renew what is arguably the best rivalry in Major League Soccer tonight when the Sounders play host to the Timbers at CenturyLink Field (9pm, ESPN). The Sounders are in the thick of the race for a top three spot in the Western Conference playoffs, while the Timbers are still playing for the Cascadia Cup, and a win tonight could give the Timbers the trophy. Portland's record isn't a good one, but the Timbers have enjoyed an improved run of form and should give the Sounders a stiff test. Tonight should offer a good showcase... Continue reading

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By IVES GALARCEP CARSON, Calif.--The LA Galaxy came out firing early on in Saturday night's Western Conference showdown vs. Real Salt Lake, and when Robbie Keane unleashed a beautiful left-footed volley in the 17th minute to give the Galaxy a 1-0 lead, RSL looked like they would be in danger of being routed. Then Fabian Espindola stepped up and punished the Galaxy yet again. The Argentine striker finished off chances in the 25th and 28th minutes to give RSL the lead, and Real Salt Lake's defense made the goals stand up as the visitors recorded a 2-1 victory at Home... Continue reading

Photo by Matt Ersted/ISIPhotos.com By IVES GALARCEP CARSON, Calif.--Landon Donovan winced in pain as he tried putting pressure on his left knee, and as he walked gingerly toward the LA Galaxy locker room after Saturday's 2-1 loss to Real Salt Lake, it appeared less and less likely that he would make his return to the U.S. national team for next week's crucial World Cup qualifiers. After the match, Donovan said his knee would be evaluated as soon as possible, and said it was "TBD (To Be Determined)" whether he would join the national team for the upcoming training camp ahead... Continue reading

Photo by ISIPhotos.com By IVES GALARCEP CARSON, Calif.-- While Eddie Johnson revealed at least one surprise in the upcoming U.S. Men's National Team roster for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers, there will at least be one more. Sources have confirmed to SBI that FC Dallas midfielder Brek Shea will not be called up by Jurgen Klinsmann for the upcoming qualifiers against Antigua & Barbuda and Guatemala. There are no details yet as to why Shea won't take part in the qualifiers on Friday and October 16th, but it should be noted he left FC Dallas' last match, a 3-3 draw... Continue reading

The New York Red Bulls have worried about slow starts all season, so when they managed to keep the Chicago Fire off the scoreboard in the first half on Saturday, there was hope for a team that had consistently struggled to take control of matches. The Red Bulls didn't lose control of the match early on Saturday. They lost control in the second half as the Fire capitalized on their chances, with Sherjill MacDonald punishing the Red Bulls for a pair of goals to lead the Fire to a 2-0 victory at Red Bull Arena. The victory helped the Fire... Continue reading

Guess who's back? Seattle Sounders forward Eddie Johnson revealed on Twitter on Friday night that he has been called up by the U.S. national team for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Antigua & Barbuda and Guatemala. Johnson sent out the following tweet on Friday night: Thank you to the Seattle Sounders and my teammates family and friends for believing in me when everyone else didn't. #igotthecallupguys If Johnson did indeed secure a national team call-up, it would mark his first time with the U.S. national team since he made a substitute's appearance in a scoreless draw against Colombia on... Continue reading

Barcelona and Real Madrid have already done battle this season in the late summer's Spanish Super Cup (won by Real Madrid), but their battle for the La Liga title begins at the Camp Nou on Sunday in the latest installment of 'El Clasico'. It may just be October but the match is already a must-win for Real Madrid. The defending champions endured a slow start to the season that has them eight points back of Barcelona. A loss would extend that gap to 11, a deficit that could prove impossible to overcome against a Barcelona team that looks to be... Continue reading