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In Stoppage Time (May 12, 2010)

James Hope — Wed, 12 May 2010 14:18:31 +0000

In Stoppage-time is a weekly compilation of soccer happenings around the world, the USA, the Great State of Texas, and San Antonio.

Chelsea wins EPL race, United takes second. Chelsea only needed a tie to win its fourth English League title and as it turned out a sixth minute goal by Nicholas Anelka was all Chelsea needed as they cruised to an 8-0 win over Wigan. United, 4-0 winners over Stoke, could only watch their hopes dim as Chelsea scored goal after goal on the season’s final week. Chelsea will try to win another trophy this week as it takes on recently relegated Portsmouth in the FA Cup final this Saturday. The game will be on Fox Soccer Channel at 9 am.

Manchester United Selected to play MLS ALL-STARS. Major League Soccer announced last week that English giants Manchester United will be playing this year’s MLS All-Star team in the annual MLS All-Star game on July 28th at the 70,000 capacity Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas. This will be the Manchester-based club’s first MLS All-Star game appearance and the fifth English side to face off against the league All-Star’s. Tickets for the game will go on sale to the public on May 30th. Stay tuned for more information on how you can join the Crocketteers at this game.

Dynamo continue their dominance over Chivas USA. The Houston Dynamo came away with their 11th straight victory over Chivas USA last Saturday with a 2-0 win at the Home Depot Center. Brad Davis scored a goal and set up Adrian Serioux for the second in the first 8 minutes as the Dynamo won their first game on the road. The Dynamo currently sit in second place of the Western Conference behind the LA Galaxy. The Dynamo played without forward Brian Ching, who is still nursing an injury.

FC Dallas wins second game in row. Jeff Cunningham scores in the 68th minute to give Dallas its second win of the season at the expense of hapless DC United. United (1-6-0) was shut out for the fifth time this season. Cunningham’s goal was his fourth in just six games. For the second straight game Kevin Hartman started at goal over Dario Sala. Has Hartman taken over the starting goalkeeper job?

Seattle Sounders to pay back fans after loss to the LA Galaxy. Upon losing 4-0 last weekend, GM Adrian Hanauer made the following statement, “ I’ve been on the phone with Joe Roth and Tod Leiweke this morning, and Gary Wright, and some of the people that I run the business with. And that performance last night wasn’t good enough. The effort wasn’t good enough. The execution wasn’t good enough. The heart wasn’t good enough. The passion wasn’t good enough. The only thing that was good enough was our fans. So we decided that we’re going to give our fans their money back for that game. Our season ticket holders. The people who were with us from the beginning, and will be with us in the future. We’re in this for the long haul. We need them to be in it for the long haul. That wasn’t Sounders soccer. And it was quite frankly embarrassing, humiliating, and they don’t deserve that. It’ll come in the form of credit against next year’s season tickets because we want people in for the long haul. It just wasn’t good enough. It’s not a precedent. We don’t plan on giving people money back every time we have a bad game. But as the owners of the club, we reserve the right to do whatever we think we need to do to treat our fans the way they’ve treated us.” Anyone ever hear any other American team do something like this?

Austin Aztex tie on the Road in Tampa. In the first ever USSF D-2 Pro League game at George M. Steinbrenner Field over 8,000 fans packed the converted baseball complex in Tampa Bay last Saturday. Austin was able to come away with a 2-2 draw in a game that saw 3 penalty kicks. The tie sent the Aztex to 10 points and tied for second in the USL conference. The Aztex are off to a fantastic start this season.
The next home game for the Aztex is this Sunday, May 16th. Game time is 6:00 pm. Tickets for the Crystal Palace Baltimore match on May 16, as well as season tickets are available now. All season tickets are flex tickets and can be used in any combination for any regular season game. To purchase your tickets, please visit www.austinaztex.com or call 512-335-8881.

Houston Dynamo to play in Corpus Christi. The Houston Dynamo will play an exhibition match vs the Laredo Heat on Thursday, June 10, 2010 in Corpus Christi, Texas at Whataburger field, home of the Corpus Christi Hooks baseball team. If you would like to purchase tickets to sit with the Crocketteers please go to our website and purchase your ticket no later than this Friday, May 14, 2010 by 12 noon.
http://www.crocketteers.com/2010/03/30/dynamo-to-play-in-ryan-sanders-shootout-corpus-christi/

US Soccer Names its preliminary 30 man roster for the World Cup. U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Bob Bradley has submitted to FIFA the 30-man preliminary roster for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. From this list, a squad of 23 players must be chosen by June 1 for the final roster that will travel to South Africa. The 30 players will begin reporting to Princeton, N.J., on May 15 for the start of training camp, with field sessions beginning two days later. Story and roster courtesy of US Soccer.
PRE-WORLD CUP TRAINING CAMP ROSTER

U.S. TRAINING CAMP ROSTER BY POSITION
GOALKEEPERS (3): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton), Marcus Hahnemann (Wolverhampton)
DEFENDERS (9): Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover), Jay DeMerit (Watford), Clarence Goodson (IK Start), Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew), Oguchi Onyewu (AC Milan), Heath Pearce (FC Dallas), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United)
MIDFIELDERS (12): DaMarcus Beasley (Rangers), Alejandro Bedoya (Örebro), Michael Bradley (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Ricardo Clark (Eintracht Frankfurt), Clint Dempsey (Fulham), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Maurice Edu (Rangers), Benny Feilhaber (Aarhus), Stuart Holden (Bolton), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew), José Torres (Pachuca)
FORWARDS (6): Jozy Altidore (Villarreal), Edson Buddle (Los Angeles Galaxy), Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo), Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake), Herculez Gomez (Puebla), Eddie Johnson (Aris Thessaloniki)

Soccer on TV. Courtesy of Soccer America. Http://www.socceramerica.com
TUESDAY, May 11

FOX SPORTS EN ESPANOL
Copa Libertadores CHIVAS GUADALAJARA-LIBERTAD (live) 8 pm.

FOX SOCCER PLUS
England League Championship Promotion Playoff NOTTINGHAM FOREST-BLACKPOOL (live) 1:30 pm.

WEDNESDAY, May 12

DIRECTV (461)
Europa League Final, ATLETICO MADRID-FULHAM (live) 1:45 pm

FOX SPORTS EN ESPANOL
Copa Libertadores FLAMENGO-U DE CHILE (live) 5:30 pm.
Copa Libertadores CRUZEIRO-SAO PAULO (live) 7:30 pm.

GOL TV
Uruguay PENAROL-NACIONAL (live) 6:30 pm.

THURSDAY, May 13

ESPN2
MLS REAL SALT LAKE-HOUSTON DYNAMO (live) 8 pm.

ESPN DEPORTES
MLS REAL SALT LAKE-HOUSTON DYNAMO (live) 8 pm.

FOX SPORTS EN ESPANOL
Copa Libertadores INTERNACIONAL-ESTUDIANTES (live) 7 pm.

GOL TV
Europa League ATL. MADIRD-FULHAM (delay) 7 pm.

TELEMUNDO
Friendly MEXICO-ANGOLA (live) 8 pm.

FRIDAY, May 14
no live games

SATURDAY, May 15

FOX SOCCER CHANNEL
FA Cup Final CHELSEA-PORTSMOUTH (live) 9 am.
MLS KANSAS CITY-CHICAGO (live) 7:30 pm.

FOX SPORTS EN ESPANOL
FA Cup Final CHELSEA-PORTSMOUTH (live) 9 am.
MLS KANSAS CITY-CHICAGO (delay) 11:30 pm.

FOX SOCCER PLUS
England League One Promotion Playoff tba (live) 6 am.
England League Two Promotion Playoff tba (live) 12 pm.
FA Cup Final CHELSEA-PORTSMOUTH (delay) 2 pm.

TELEFUTURA
MLS PHILADELPHIA-DALLAS (live) 3 pm.

MLS DIRECT KICK
MLS NEW ENGLAND-SAN JOSE (live) 5 pm.
MLS NEW YORK-SEATTLE (live) 6:30 pm.
MLS LOS ANGELES-TORONTO (live) 9:30 pm.

SUNDAY, May 16

FOX SOCCER CHANNEL
Italy TBA (live) 8 am.
Italy TBA (delay) 10 am.
Italy TBA (delay) 1 pm.
WPS ATLANTA BEAT-WASHINGTON FREEDOM (live) 5 pm.
Argentina TBA (delay) 10 pm.

FOX SPORTS EN ESPANOL
Italy SIENA-INTER MILAN (live) 8 am.
Italy CHIEVO-ROMA (delay) 1:30 pm.
Argentina TBA (delay) 4 pm.
Italy AC MILAN-JUVENTUS (delay) 7 pm.

FOX SOCCER PLUS
Italy TBA (live) 8 am.
Italy TBA (delay) 1 pm.
Argentina TBA (delay) 6 pm.

In Stoppage Time (April 28, 2010)

James Hope — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 14:55:10 +0000

In Stoppage Time is a weekly compilation of soccer happenings around the world, the USA, the Great State of Texas, and San Antonio.

Beckham leads Forbes list of highest earners. Once again LA Galaxy star David Beckham leads the list of the world’s highest paying soccer stars. The 35-year-old midfielder earns $40 million annually, with much of that coming from sponsors such as Adidas, Giorgio Armani and Motorola. Beckham, who tore his achilles tendon while on loan to AC Milan, will lose major sponsorship money due to the injury. Portuguese midfielder Cristiano Ronaldo is second on the Forbes list, earning $30 million a year. Ronaldo’s major sponsors include Nike, Coca-Cola and, like Beckham, Giorgio Armani. Ronaldo, the 2008 FIFA Player of the Year, became the highest paid soccer player in the world in June. He signed a six-year contract that pays an estimated $15.5 million in the first year, then increases 25 percent each season. Brazilian playmaker Kaka, Ronaldo’s teammate at Madrid, is third on the list, earning $25 million annually. Ronaldinho is fourth on Forbes’ list, also earning $25 million a year. Rounding out the top five is French forward Thierry Henry, who makes $24 million a year. The 32-year-old plays for Barcelona and has sponsorships with Reebok, Gillette and Pepsi. There has been talk he could transfer this summer to Major League Soccer’s New York Red Bulls. Lionel Messi, the reigning FIFA Player of the Year, is sixth on the list with earnings of $20 million annually. Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard is seventh, earning $17 million, with teammate John Terry in eighth at $16 million. Swedish forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic is ninth, also at $16 million, followed by Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard at $15 million. By MATT SCHIFFMAN (AP)

EPL Race remains tight. Chelsea climbed back to the top of the Premier League as Salomon Kalou’s hat-trick lead a 7-0 win over Stoke on Sunday which sent the Blues one point clear of Manchester United. The big test comes this Sunday at Liverpool. A win against 7th place Liverpool will only leave a home game next week against 16th place Wigan. Manchester United, one point behind league leader Chelsea, plays at Sunderland and finishes at home the following week against Stoke.

Dynamo fall on road to Fire. Lose Geoff Cameron for the season. Baggio Husidic scored in first half stoppage time, and Peter Lowry added one in the second half as the Chicago Fire defeated the Houston Dynamo 2-0 at Toyota Park on Saturday night. Already beset by injuries, the Houston Dynamo got an extra dose of bad news on Monday when midfielder Geoff Cameron was diagnosed with a ruptured right PCL suffered in Saturday’s game against Chicago. Cameron will undergo surgery later this week and will miss the remainder of the season. The Dynamo will host Kanas City Wizards at home this Saturday.

FC Dallas earns 2-2 draw with the Seattle Sounders on questionable penalty. FC Dallas forward Jeff Cunningham scores two penalty kicks, one the 27th minute and one in stoppage-time, The second spotkick came in the 94th minute, after rookie sub Jason Yeisley tried splitting two Seattle’s center backs in the box. The two defenders collapsed on the young striker and he tumbled over causing referee Terry Vaughn to point to the spot. The Sounders got goals Steve Zakuani and Fredy Montero, who blasted in a stunning 41-yard freekick. FC Dallas plays DC United in the US Open Cup on Wednesday and travels to New England to take on the Revolution on Saturday.

Rhinos Derail Aztex. A furious first half of action left the Austin Aztex and Rochester Rhinos knotted at one goal a piece on Sunday at House Park, but a goal in the 65th minute by the Rhinos Anthony Hamilton gave Rochester a 2-1 win.

Austin stays home for one more exhibition match on Wednesday before heading on a two-game road trip to NSC Minnesota and Tampa Bay. Wednesday’s match is against the Haitian National Team and is free to all fans. All proceeds from the match will go to benefit the earthquake relief effort.

Tickets for the Crystal Palace Baltimore match on May 16, as well as season tickets are available now. All season tickets are flex tickets and can be used in any combination for any regular season game. To purchase your tickets, please visit www.austinaztex.com, call 512-335-8881.

Soccer on TV. Courtesy of Soccer America. Http://www.socceramerica.com
WEDNESDAY, April 28

FOX SOCCER CHANNEL
UEFA Champions League BARCELONA-INTER MILAN (live) 1:30 pm.
Concacaf Champions League PACHUCA-CRUZ AZUL (live) 7 pm.

FOX SPORTS EN ESPANOL
UEFA Champions League BARCELONA-INTER MILAN (live) 1:30 pm.
Copa Libertadores UNIVERSITARIO-SAO PAULO (live) 5:30 pm.
Copa Libertadores FLAMENGO-CORINTHIANS (live) 7:30 pm.

FOX SOCCER PLUS
UEFA Champions League BARCELONA-INTER MILAN (delay) 4 pm.

TELEFUTURA
Concacaf Champions League PACHUCA-CRUZ AZUL (live) 7 pm.

THURSDAY, April 29

FOX SPORTS EN ESPANOL
Copa Libertadores BANFIELD-INTERNACIONAL (delay) 1:30 am.
Copa Libertadores CRUZEIRO-NACIONAL (live) 5 pm.
Copa Libertadores ALIANZA LIMA-U DE CHILE (live) 7 pm.
Copa Libertadores ONCE CALDAS-LIBERTAD (live) 9:30 pm.

GOL TV
Europa League LIVERPOOL-ATL. MADRID (live) 2 pm.
Europa League FULHAM-HAMBURG (delay) 7 pm.

FRIDAY, April 30
tba

SATURDAY, May 1

FOX SOCCER CHANNEL
England MANCHESTER CITY-ASTON VILLA (live) 9 am.
England PORTSMOUTH-WOLVERHAMPTON (delay) 11 am.
Italy AC MILAN-FIORENTINA (live) 1:30 pm.
WPS SKY BLUE-GOLD PRIDE (live) 5 pm.
MLS HOUSTON-KANSAS CITY (live) 7:30 pm.

FOX SPORTS EN ESPANOL
England MANCHESTER CITY-ASTON VILLA (live) 9 am.
England PORTSMOUTH-WOLVERHAMPTON (delay) 11 am.
Italy AC MILAN-FIORENTINA (delay) 6 pm.
MLS HOUSTON-KANSAS CITY (live) 7:30 pm.

FOX SOCCER PLUS
England TOTTENHAM-BOLTON (live) 9 am.
Italy PARMA-ROMA (live) 11 am.
England STOKE CITY-EVERTON (delay) 3 pm.

TELEFUTURA
MLS D.C. UNITED-NEW YORK (live) 3 pm.

MLS DIRECT KICK
MLS NEW ENGLAND-DALLAS(live) 6:30 pm.
MLS CHICAGO-CHIVAS USA (live) 7:30 pm.
MLS REAL SALT LAKE-TORONTO (live) 8 pm.
MLS SAN JOSE-COLORADO (live) 9 pm.
MLS LOS ANGELES-PHILADELPHIA (live) 9:30 pm.
MLS SEATTLE-COLUMBUS (live) 9:30 pm.

SUNDAY, May 2

FOX SOCCER CHANNEL
Italy CATANIA-JUVENTUS (live) 8 am.
England SUNDERLAND-MANCHESTER UNITED (live) 10 am.
Italy LAZIO-INTER MILAN (live) 1:30 pm.
FOX SPORTS EN ESPANOL
MLS HOUSTON-KANSAS CITY (delay) 11:30 am.
Italy CATANIA-JUVENTUS (live) 8 am.
England SUNDERLAND-MANCHESTER UNITED (live) 10 am.
Italy LAZIO-INTER MILAN (live) 1:30 pm.
Argentina INDEPENDIENTE-BOCA JUNIORS (live) 4 pm.

FOX SOCCER PLUS
England LIVERPOOL-CHELSEA (live) 7:30 am.
England FULHAM-WEST HAM UNITED (delay) 9:30 am.
Italy LAZIO-INTER MILAN (delay) 4 pm.

A bit of the overseas action!

Daniel Vasquez — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 11:30:58 +0000

It’s been some time since my last post (work :/) so I figured I would chime in with a brief update from the EPL.

First, allow me to ratify my stance on supporting an overseas league. I personally feel that if we, as fans of the game, can show support (thirst) for a league or leagues that are only available to most of us via a cable/satellite feed; why wouldn’t we show up for local matches?

Anyway! The English Premier League season got underway this weekend with a few interesting twists. Arsenal thrashed Everton 6-1 at Goodison park. Liverpool lost to Spurs who are top of the league after dominating home team Hull City 5-1. Manchester United suffered a shock defeat away to Burnley. While Chelsea are off to their winning ways sitting behind Tottenham only by goal differential.

This season should definitely shape up to be an interesting one with new faces coming and going, and with Manchester City making headlines with their spending. With the transfer window coming to a close and Jozy Altidore on loan at Hull City, are we to expect any more of our homegrown talent to sign with any major overseas clubs?

Only time (or money?) will tell.

Bottoms up!

——————————————————————————

(Edit by Michael Macias)

I apologize for hacking this post but this is a must see for Chelsea FC fans (Courtesy of Sports Grind Entertainment): http://www.sportsgrindent.com/blog/2009/08/19/chelsea-fc-kevin-garnett-team-up-to-release-limited-edition-sneaker/ (Nice Pics Inside)

Chelsea Football Club has teamed up with Kevin Garnett and Adidas to release a limited edition basketball shoe featuring the colors of CFC.
The Adidas TS Commander LT goes on sale August 29, 2009. If you decide to buy the whole package, you will also get a Chelsea FC scarf and jersey with Garnett’s name and number on the back.
Garnett, who plays for the Boston Celtics, is a known Chelsea FC supporter and friend of striker Didier Drogba.
That package is off the chain but I would settle just for the kicks they are a must have.