Welcome to the Kick Off, MLSsoccer's daily tour of the soccer world, from New York to Newcastle, Seattle to San Siro, and everything in between.
If yesterday’s cup drama from around the world wasn’t enough, today should provide some more unnerving moments.
American Clint Dempsey and Fulham will look to make history and advance to the Europa League final by defeating Hamburg at Craven Cottage. The 0-0 first leg draw in Germany makes today’s match unpredictable (3 p.m. ET live on DirecTV and 8 p.m. ET tape-delayed broadcast on GolTV).
The Europa League final will be staged in Hamburg’s stadium on May 12 and will also feature the winner of the Liverpool vs. Atlético Madrid semifinal. The Spaniards have a 1-0 first leg lead as they head to Anfield Road (live at 3 p.m. ET on GolTV).
Barcelona could not break down Inter’s wall of defense for the goal they needed to take them through to the UEFA Champions League final. Here are the post-game comments from the always entertaining José Mourinho.
The goal of the night, however, belongs to Paraguayan forward Edgar Benítez, who scored the decisive strike in second-half stoppage time to give Pachuca their third CONCACAF Champions League title in four years and a trip to the FIFA Club World Cup.
Inter showed that winning is all that counts, no matter how it’s done. Toronto FC can also subscribe to that mantra after a 2-0 win over Montreal in the Nutrilite Canadian Championship opener that featured a knockout punch to the face, a two-footed tackle that led to 22 stitches, seven cards and nine minutes of added time in the first half.
D.C. United got their first victory of the year in the U.S. Open Cup battle against FC Dallas on Wednesday. Adam Cristman and 17-year-old Andy Najar sent a message to Luciano Emilio, who makes his return to United. D.C. Head Coach Curt Onalfo was sent off in the match at RFK. United next face defending MLS Cup champs Real Salt Lake.
RSL were already working on a trip to DC, specifically to the White House and President Obama during the first week of June.
The champs also have received some good news on the injury front with Robbie Findley and Javier Morales approaching full fitness.
The Philadelphia Union can breathe a sigh of relief regarding Sébastien Le Toux, who has since communicated with the defender who injured him on a tackle.
Le Toux’s former teammate, Steve Zakuani, is featured in the Seattle Times.
Speaking of the Northwest, both Nash brothers are in Portland tonight playing in separate sporting events.
The names of Raúl and Ronaldinho have always been linked to New York. Now the Galaxy are getting in on the fun.
However, it’s not always just about importing the stars. Here’s a fascinating discussion of how world superpowers are attempting at creating the next Lionel Messi.
Speaking of talents … who ever thought that former U.S. U-17 defender Neven Subotic would be worth two oil fields?
After his suspension in Italy for failing a doping test, Romanian Adrian Mutu is being linked to Major League Soccer.
They’re not Tottenham, Manchester City or Juventus, but El Salvador’s Águila travel to face the Dynamo for a good cause.
Lastly, the USL’s president gives an update on future plans while U.S. Soccer Federation’s CEO provides his perspective on the state of the game going into the World Cup.
