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22 August 2:33 de la tarde

Rumor Central: Is US national team after Tijuana GK?

By Tom Marshall

GUADALAJARA, Mexico – An already murky situation surrounding the future replacement of US goalkeeper Tim Howard has a new wrinkle thanks to news that broke this week in, of all places, Mexico.

Cirilo Saucedo, the 30-year old goalkeeper for Club Tijuana whose mother is a United States citizen, says he has been contacted by US Soccer about a possible call up to join the ever-changing pool of goalkeepers chasing Howard as the top choice for the US national team.

“There is the possibility of being called up for Mexico or the United States,” Saucedo (above) told the sports newspaper Récord. “My mother is American but first I want to focus on Xolos and afterwards we'll see what happens.”

He added: “I'm not closing or opening any door. I want to be in the playoffs with Xolos.”

Born in Mexico City, Saucedo was part of Mexico’s Under-23 setup but has never been called into the full national team, despite suggestions from parts of the local media that it would be deserved.

Earlier this week, Saucedo was named one of four candidates for the Balón de Oro Best Goalkeeper of the Clausura 2012, and he’s been a key part of Tijuana's success since the team was promoted from the second division in May 2011.

The Tijuana 'keeper first became a regular in the 2008-09 season with Indios de Ciudad Juárez before moving to Tigres UANL for a two-year stint, where he was the regular starter. He signed for Tijuana in the summer of 2011.

While Howard is the undisputed No. 1  goalkeeper for the US national team, Saucedo would likely be in the pool of goalkeepers on his tail that has changed dramatically since the 2010 World Cup. Expected incumbent Brad Guzan has lost his grip as the de facto No. 2, and MLS youngsters Bill Hamid and Sean Johnson and veteran Nick Rimando have all battled for the same spot in the past year.

For Mexico's national team, coach José Manuel de la Torre has alternated between Jesús Corona, Guillermo Ochoa and Alfredo Talavera, without giving others much of a look, something that Saucedo mentioned had frustrated him.

There are five other players on Tijuana's first-team squad with US ties, including two who were part of the squad that stunned Mexico at Estadio Azteca last week in Edgar Castillo and Corona. Greg Garza, Alejandro Guido and Stevie Rodriguez are all also on the roster for Tijuana.

US National Team
CONCACAF Liga MX
22 August 12:04 de la tarde

Le bol d'air du milieu de semaine

By Matthias Van Halst
Coup Franc

Rien de tel que la Ligue des champions pour se changer les idées. Encore plus quand ça va mal en championnat. Au ralenti sur la scène nationale et avec une défense de bric et de broc, Salt Lake n’en a pas moins battu le Tauro FC 2-0 ce mardi soir (résumé video).

Houston aura le même objectif aujourd’hui (22h00 HE) au Deportivo FAS (Salvador), histoire de bien commencer une série de 6 rencontres en 18 jours. Le LA Galaxy sera chez lui ce jeudi à la même heure pour affronter d’autres Salvadoriens, Isidro Metapan, un adversaire qui connaît l’importance de briller sur la scène internationale.

On jouera également deux matchs de championnat ce soir à 19h30. En piètre forme et privé de plusieurs éléments blessés et suspendus, mais invaincu lors de ses 11 derniers duels à domicile, DC United recevra Chicago, qui depuis quelques semaines ressent pleinement l’apport d’Arne Friedrich. En cas de défaite, DC United sentira le souffle de son prochain adversaire, Montréal, rêveur malgré ses nombreux matchs d’avance.

Dans la situation inverse des Québécois, Columbus compte profiter de ses matchs de retard pour remonter au classement, à commencer par celui de ce soir face à Toronto, lors duquel Higuain devrait être titularisé pour la première fois.

CCL MLS Regular Season
21 August 7:35 de la tarde

Écoutez Coup Franc

By Matthias Van Halst
Coup Franc

Dans l’émission Coup Franc de cette semaine (à écouter ici), l’équipe renforcée par Nicolas Gaillard se penche sur une grande variété de sujets :
- Gros plan sur les meilleurs jeunes de moins de 24 ans qui évoluent en MLS. Les animateurs de l’émission dressent leur top 5 pour la saison actuelle et expliquent les qualités qui leur plaisent chez ces joueurs. Vous pouvez élire celui que vous trouvez le meilleur : dites-nous qui sont vos choix.
- Discussion sur l’arbitrage lors des rencontres de la dernière journée, notamment à DC United - Philadelphie. Lisez le plan de la MLS pour le professionnaliser.
- Retour sur la forme actuelle de Montréal et sa victoire contre San José avec Olivier Brett (consultant pour TVA Sports). Comment l’allure du match a changé suite à la double exclusion. Quel visage présentera la défense montréalaise contre DC United ?
- Débat : connaît-on déjà les 10 qualifiés pour la phase finale de la saison ? Qui, à ce stade, est le plus à même de jouer la finale de la Coupe MLS ?
- Les beaux buts du match Houston - Columbus, dont celui de Moffat contre son ami Gruenebaum.
- Avant-goût des rencontres de Ligue des champions de la semaine impliquant des clubs de MLS.

L'émission Coup Franc est aussi disponible sur Stitcher et iTunes. Vous pouvez nous joindre par courriel (coup.franc@MLSsoccer.com) ou sur Twitter (@CoupFrancMLS).

Player Team Youth Discipline Podcast
Chicago Fire Columbus Crew D.C. United Houston Dynamo LA Galaxy Montreal Impact Real Salt Lake San Jose Earthquakes
CCL MLS Cup MLS Playoffs MLS Regular Season
21 August 3:39 de la tarde

Rumor Central: Edu to join Cameron at Stoke City?

By Andrew Wiebe
Rumor Central

It turns out the duo that helped the US earn their first-ever victory at Estadio Azteca may yet be reunited at club level.

Maurice Edu has been looking for a destination away from fourth-division Rangers for much of the summer, and manager Ally McCoist revealed on Tuesday that a suitable club may have gotten the process started by contacting the American's representatives.

"We hear from his agent that there is a potential deal to be done with Stoke," McCoist told BBC Scotland.

Of course, that's no indication of a done deal -- or even the beginning of earnest negotiations -- but it does seem to be a good sign for a player desperately in need of a new home.

Would Stoke City be a good move for Edu? Let us know in the comments sections below.

US National Team Rumor Transfer
20 August 8:43 de la tarde

Armchair Analyst: With Perez back for FCD, the West's about to get wild

By Matthew Doyle
Armchair Analyst

A few weeks ago, I was pretty convinced that the Western Conference playoff race was over. Sure, Chivas USA were lurking around, and Colorado had some pieces in place, but neither really seemed threatening.

LA, meanwhile, were heating up, and Vancouver seemed rock-solid despite overhauling their roster.

Fast forward to this week. The 'Caps have lost two in a row, and are just 3-6-3 in their last 12. They're right there with the Galaxy on 37 points, and should be safe, but ... here come FC Dallas.

They've been a new team since David Ferreira has returned to fitness, and the reigning MLS Player of the Week just so happened to eviscerate the Whitecaps last Wednesday in a 2-0 win at BC Place. Brek Shea has come to life for club and country, while Fabián Castillo has started to look the part of a Designated Player thanks largely to the space Ferreira has created for him in attack.

They've just been missing one piece: center forward Blas Pérez. The big Panamanian was one of the stars of the early-going this year, but has missed much of the last several months with both injuries and personal tragedy when his father passed away.

It's been a long road back. Which probably made this tweet that much more satisfying:

FC Dallas
MLS Regular Season
20 August 3:49 de la tarde

Kick TV: Watch all the goals from Week 24

By Andrew Wiebe

Everyone likes goals. That's indisputable truth as far as I'm concerned.

With that in mind, you have no excuse not to check out all 31 goals scored during Major League Soccer's Week 24.

Oh, and vote for AT&T Goal of the Week while you're at it.

League Goal
MLS Regular Season
20 August 12:15 de la tarde

Des yeux au beurre noir

By Matthias Van Halst
Coup Franc

Le seul duel de la journée opposant des équipes de haut de tableau a été facilement remporté par Seattle, où presque tout le monde dit que Montero et Johnson forment le meilleur duo offensif de la compétition, contre Vancouver privé de Robson la veille du match.

Dans les autres rencontres, les favoris se sont cassé les dents plus souvent qu’autrement. Le leader San José n’a jamais pu se remettre de la sortie de Lenhart, suite à une double exclusion mieux digérée par Montréal, l’équipe en forme du moment. Lors d’une fin de match complètement folle, DC United a perdu deux points précieux contre Philadelphie.

Contre Dallas, Salt Lake a très mal géré sa combativité et a préparé de la pire des manières son match de Ligue des champions contre le Tauro FC. Higuain a réussi ses débuts pour Columbus, qui a failli infliger sa première défaite à domicile à Houston : les Texans sauvent un point grâce au tir à distance de Moffat et à une erreur de Gruenebaum.

Les surprises ont été majoritaires, mais quelques favoris se sont quand même imposés. Non sans peine pour New York, auteur d’une remontée spectaculaire contre Portland. La défense de Kansas City a retrouvé toutes ses sensations à Toronto. Et l’attaque de Chicago a montré qu’elle avait, enfin, des solutions de rechange.

LES RÉSULTATS
Seattle - Vancouver
Toronto - Kansas City
Montréal - San José
Chicago - New England
Colorado - Chivas USA
Salt Lake - Dallas
DC United - Philadelphie
New York - Portland
Houston - Columbus
2-0
0-1
3-1
2-1
1-1
1-2
1-1
3-2
2-2
Classement général
Cliquez sur un résultat pour voir le résumé vidéo

 

League
MLS Regular Season
19 August 9:40 de la tarde

A very DeRo day at RFK

By Josh Whisenhunt
MLS Insider

Always kind of worry about the Sunday afternoon game. A Saturday's worth of matches usually supplies its fair share of drama on any given weekend, so depending on who's facing who on Sunday, the MLS weekend can sometimes fizzle out. It's happened before, you know it.

Not today, not for D.C. United and Philadelphia Union.

We made it out to RFK Stadium to find the I-95 Rivalry alive and well in the nation's capital. Below you'll find some of the best images from a crazy, crazy day at RFK.

Shortly after arrival we were waiting in the parking lot when a few D.C. United and RFK staffers came hustling out from under the stadium. Dwayne De Rosario had arrived, along with the NBC Sports Network camera crew filming his edition of MLS 36. Little did anyone know the kind of footage they were about to capture. Oh, and how about this license plate?

The storyline heading into this match was focused on young Danny Cruz. Lovable, bursting with honesty and energy, Cruz had endeared himself to the DCU faithful before being moved to Philadelphia in the week for Lionard Pajoy. After getting off the bus, Cruz walked the pitch at RFK all on his own, taking in the vibe from a place that was no longer home. The emergence of United defender Daniel Woolard caught Cruz's eye, as the two shared a few laughs together before Cruz disappeared into the visitor's tunnel before warmups.

It wouldn't be an I-95 clash without a big group of travelling support, and the Sons of Ben made themselves heard. We caught some video of the chant below, but sadly the footage isn't exactly...umm...deliverable. This should suffice:

The last time we saw Carlos Valdés in the flesh he was representing MLS against Chelsea. Today he did his club proud, turning in another boss performance at the back once he got his captain's armband sorted before walking out for the anthems.

Back to DeRo. Not only is he on 98 career goals, not only was he being filmed for MLS 36, it was also his bobblehead game. We managed to find one near midfield during the second half, after we caught a pretty cool moment between DDR and Olsen before the second half began.

The Sons of Ben were doing their thing in section 317 all game, but one of the iconic images you'll find from attending any United match are the bouncing stands along the sideline. This photo came from when D.C. found themselves trailing. Can't you tell?

Of course we all know what happened at the end of the match, and I'll leave the analysis about what should or should have went down to all of you. But as the seconds melted off the clock, we caught a glimpse of a substituted De Rosario, leaning on the field boards watching the madness unfold just like everyone else at RFK, and the nationwide audience at home. Needless to say, don't miss his MLS 36 episode, because you know it'll be crazy.

John Hackworth said postgame in his press conference that it was a good point for the Union. Olsen's tone was decidedly different. A young coach quite rightly upset, but you feel that Olsen's demeanor rubs off easily on his charges. If I were Frank Klopas, I'd be a lot more worried about going in there on Wednesday.

18 August 3:08 de la tarde

Rumor Central: Italians interested in Seattle's Montero?

By Andrew Wiebe
Rumor Central

Fresh off selling Michael Bradley to Roma, it seems Chievo Verona are eyeing another talent who made a name for himself in MLS.

That would be Seattle Sounders forward Fredy Montero, who has scored 41 goals and dished out 30 assists during league play in three-plus seasons in the Pacific Northwest.

One of the brightest young talents in the league, Montero has never shied away from expressing a desire to test himself in Europe. In 22 games this season, Montero has scored seven goals to go along with four assists.

Would a move to Chievo make sense for the Colombian? Make your voice heard in the comment section below.

Designated Player Player
Seattle Sounders FC