and by extension, Queiroz's job. No one anticipated this situation 11 months ago when Queiroz succeeded Luiz Felipe Scolari as Portugal head coach. Mentor to Luis Figo and Rui Costa's so-called "Golden Generation" youth teams of the late 1980s and early 1990s, and more recently to Cristiano Ronaldo during his meteoric rise at Manchester United, Queiroz seemed the perfect man to build on Scolari's stellar tenure that saw Portugal gain the runner-up spot at Euro 2004 and finish fourth at the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
But the World Cup has not been kind to Queiroz. His first stint at the helm of the Portugal national team began in 1991 and ended with the team's failure to qualify for the 1994 FIFA World Cup -- narrowly missing a trip to USA '94 when losing 1-0 to Italy on the last day of qualifying. The Mozambique born coach did lead South Africa to a qualifying berth for the 2002 FIFA World Cup but didn't make the trip to Korea/Japan after a dispute with the South Africa federation led to his resignation prior to the tournament.
Between those two World Cup disappointments, Queiroz spent some time on U.S. shores. Seven games into the MetroStars 1996 inaugural season; Queiroz was hired to replace Eddie Firmani as the team's head coach. Although he didn't witness "the Curse of Caricola" in person, (Nicola Caricola's inexplicable own goal in the MetroStars first MLS home game on April 20, 1996 that handed the New England Revolution a 1-0 win that is now entrenched in club lore as an omen of the team's notorious struggles), he was on hand for Caricola's second own goal against the Colorado Rapids at Mile High Stadium on the Fourth of July.
Despite such setbacks, Queiroz made a big impression in MLS, reviving the MetroStars after their slow start and leading them to the playoffs. A big money offer from Japan's Nagoya Grampus Eight cut short his tenure at Giants Stadium, but a little over a year later he was back stateside working for the U.S. Soccer Federation. His mission was to produce a blueprint for the development of U.S. soccer players known as the "Q-Report" published in 1998.
Since his work with the USSF, Queiroz has been rumored to be a U.S. national team head coach candidate whenever the post has been available. But at the moment, he has his hands full with Portugal. His successes with Manchester United (in two spells as Sir Alex Ferguson's assistant manager) and with the "Golden Generation" in winning the 1989 and 1991 FIFA U-20 World Cups will count for nothing if he comes home empty-handed from Albania on Saturday. Already seven points adrift of first place in Group 1 (held by Denmark and Hungary), an upset loss in Tirana combined with a Denmark victory in Sweden would see that margin extend to 10 points with just four games remaining. That math would add up to only one thing for Queiroz: the much-admired Portuguese would see his head roll once again.
Other World Cup news
Iran's
Ashin Ghotbi
is another national team head coach with MLS connections facing a must-win World Cup qualifying game on Saturday. The former LA Galaxy assistant coach and Iran need to beat North Korea in Pyongyang on Saturday to avoid elimination. On Monday, Iran lost 1-0 to China in a warmup game. Afterwards, Ghotbi complained about the standard of the Chinese officials, claiming they were biased against his team. FIFA has already appointed an all-Chinese officiating crew for the North Korea game and Ghotbi told Reuters: "I hope the referees from China will treat us better in our next match in North Korea, not like today." On Tuesday, June 2,
The New York Times
reported that Ghotbi had confirmed reports that the U.S. and Iran were in discussions to play each other in either October or November this year, though the U.S. Soccer Federation has not yet confirmed Ghotbi's claim.
Cup Final disappointment
The last day of the domestic seasons in England and Scotland saw different types of disappointment for two MLS alumni expected to shine in the respective curtain-closers north and south of Hadrian's Wall. At Wembley Stadium in London,
Tim Howard's
Everton lost 2-1 to Chelsea in the FA Cup Final, despite scoring the fastest goal in the history of the venerable match, a Louis Saha strike at the 25 second mark. On an unseasonably hot, sunny day in London, Chelsea regained their composure, tying the game on a Didier Drogba header in the 21st minute and won the trophy on a Frank Lampard 20-yard left-foot blast 18 minutes from time. It wasn't all bad news for Howard though. He celebrates his 30th birthday on June 3 and, according to reports in the British media, the record-breaking goalkeeper has been offered a contract extension by Everton manager David Moyes, a deal that would keep him on Merseyside until 2014.
At Hampden Park, Glasgow, Maurice Edu suffered the major disappointment of missing Scotland's showpiece occasion, the Scottish FA Cup Final, due to a knee injury picked up in the SPL championship-clinching victory at Dundee United the previous Sunday. Edu had hoped that the injury would heal in time for the final, but after failing a fitness test prior to the game he was scratched from the starting lineup and had to watch his Rangers teammates complete the Scottish double with a 1-0 victory over Falkirk. Edu was also forced to withdraw from the U.S. national team squad for upcoming World Cup qualifying games and the Confederations Cup. Rangers' official website reported this week that Edu would be seeing a specialist in London to determine the extent of the damage to the knee and the appropriate course of treatment.
Elsewhere in Europe
On the last day of the season in France,
Carlos Bocanegra's
Rennes plunged to a 4-0 defeat at title-chasing Olympique Marseille. Rennes needed a victory to have any hope of qualifying for the new Europa League next season. That berth went to Toulouse who held onto fourth spot with a home 0-0 tie with Lyon. Rennes finished in seventh place, just three points shy of the EL placing. Despite their victory, Marseille finished second in the Ligue 1 standings as Laurent Blanc's Bordeaux won the title for the first time since 1999 with a 1-0 win at Caen.
In Italy, Los Angeles Galaxy midfield maestro David Beckham ended his on-loan assignment with AC Milan as the Rossoneri won 2-0 at Fiorentina on goals by Brazilian superstars Kaka and Alexandre Pato. The game marked the last game for Azzurri all-time great Paolo Maldini. The victory not only served as a fitting send off for the San Siro side's legendary defender but also clinched third place in Serie A and an automatic berth in the group stages of the UEFA Champions League for Milan next season.
Former New England Revolution goalkeeper and head coach Walter Zenga saw his Catania side lose 3-1 at Bologna on the last Sunday of the Serie A season. Earlier in the week, Zenga had announced that he would be leaving the club in the summer, satisfied that he had steered the team to Serie A safety following last weeks 3-1 win over Napoli. The win on Sunday assured Serie A soccer for Bologna, who finished two places below Catania in 17th place.
Three goals in the first 18 minutes were all Roberto Donadoni's Napoli needed to beat Chievo Verona at home on the last day. With that 3-0 result, ever-inconsistent Napoli finished 12th in Serie A, a performance that clearly displeased their hard-to-please fans, who hurled smoke bombs and other missiles onto the field towards the end of the game.
On Saturday in Serie B, former Columbus Crew midfielder Danny Szetela stayed on the bench for Brescia as they won 1-0 on the road at Pisa. With that result, Brescia finished fourth in the standings, just missing one of the three promotion slots.
In Spain, Hugo Sanchez's Almeria ended the La Liga season on a poor note, being shut out for the third consecutive game, this time 3-0 at Atletico Madrid on Saturday. That result secured fourth place in La Liga for Madrid and a place in the UEFA Champions League qualification round next season. Almeria finished 11th in the standings.
In Denmark, Danny Califf's FC Midtylland won 4-2 at FC Brondby on the last day of the season, with Califf scoring the fourth goal. It was the former Galaxy defender's first league goal of the season. Midtylland finished the season in fourth place. Four places further down the table, Michael Parkhurst was back in the starting lineup for FC Nordsjaelland as they closed out the season with a 2-2 home tie with AaB.
In Norway, several ex-MLS players were in action during Week 12 of the Tippeligaen on Monday. Former D.C. United goalkeeper Troy Perkins posted his second consecutive shutout as Valerenga won 3-0 on the road at Viking Stavanger. That result boosted the Oslo-based team into fourth place in the standings, just one place and one point behind Hunter Freeman and Clarence Goodson's IK Start. Monday's game at Fredrikstad proved to be a bad start to the workweek for Start; Amir Askar's goal securing a 1-0 home win for Fredrikstad. That loss snapped Start's eight-game unbeaten streak. Brazilian midfielder Thiago Martins, who played for four MLS teams in three seasons, only lasted 12 minutes in FC Bodo Glimt's 4-0 home drubbing by league leaders Rosenborg BK. Former Chivas USA and Real Salt Lake defender Douglas Sequeira picked up a yellow card after entering the game in the 55th minute as his Tromso IL side lost 2-0 on the road at Stabaek. Jamaican international and ex-Chicago Fire and Kansas City Wizards midfielder Khari Stephenson played the full 90 for Aalesunds FK in their 2-1 road win at Sandfjord. The previous Monday, May 25, Stephenson scored the winning goal as Aalesunds downed Stabaek 1-0 at home. Jamaica head coach John Barnes has called up Stephenson for the Reggae Boyz friendly against Panama on June 7.
Mexico
The 2009 Clausura final ended in dramatic fashion with
Paco Palencia's
Pumas UNAM winning the title in overtime of the second-leg game at Pachuca on Sunday night. The first leg of the home-and-home series was won 1-0 by Pumas on May 28. Former Chivas USA forward Palencia started the game in place of Martin Bravo and helped set up the winning goal scored by Dante Lopez. In the return leg, Palencia was again in the starting XI for Pumas. In a match that kicked off in a driving rainstorm, Pachuca took the lead on a Christian Gimenez penalty in the 32nd minute. But in the second half, Palencia was instrumental for Pumas again, turning a defender in the penalty box and sending in the cross from which Lopez would tie the game at 1-1. Just as Pumas were daring to believe in an unexpected championship, Gimenez struck again for Pachuca, scoring from long distance to send the game into overtime. After leaving the game in the 84th minute, Palencia could only watch from the sidelines as his teammates took the initiative in the overtime period and won the title on Pablo Barrera's 107th-minute goal. It was Pumas' sixth Mexican title and first since 2004.
Other Central America Action
In Costa Rica, Municipal Liberia won the Costa Rica championship on May 27 with a 3-0 second leg win in the title game at Herediano.
Michael Umana
, who played 15 games for the LA Galaxy in 2005, scored the opening goal.
South America
In Argentina, the only MLS alumnus seeing action in week 16 of the Torneo Clausura was former Los Angeles Galaxy defender
Eduardo Dominguez
. He played the full 90 minutes as Huracan scored a come-from-behind 2-1 home win over Banfield on goals from Mario Ariel Bolatti and Patricio Daniel Toranzo. That result extended Huracan's unbeaten streak to seven games as they stayed in third place in the standings.
In Brazil, it was Week 4 of the Campeonato Brasileirao. Former MetroStars defender Danilo Silva picked up a yellow card as Internacional kept its winning start to the Brazilian Championship going with a 2-1 home win over Avai. Internacional heads the table with 12 points from four wins. Another Brazilian with MetroStars connections, former head coach Carlos Alberto Parreira saw his Fluminense team tie 1-1 at Nautico on a goal by former Lyon and Brazil national team striker Fred. Off to a slow start, the Rio de Janeiro giants are only 12th in the standings and Parreira is facing huge pressure from the local media and the fans to turn things around quickly. In an ugly incident on May 26, a set of so-called fans invaded the team's training facility and attacked midfielder Diguinho, who was punched in the face while escaping from the rampaging mob.
In Bolivia, it was a good week for former Dallas Burn and MetroStars midfielder Joselito Vaca. He was called up to the Bolivia national team for the upcoming World Cup qualifying games against Venezuela and Chile. In addition his Oriente Petrolero side extended its unbeaten streak to six games with home victories over San Jose (3-1 on Thursday, May 28) and Universitario de Sucre (2-0 on Sunday, May 31.) That double dip of wins moved Oriente Petrolero up into fourth place in the standings after Week 17 of the Torneo Apertura.
In Ecuador, former MetroStars and LA Galaxy midfielder Wellington Sanchez played the full 90 as El Nacional beat Tec. Universitario 4-1 at home in Primera A Week 17. Sanchez has three goals in 17 starts for El Nacional, who is currently third in the standings, two points shy of table toppers Emelec.
In Paraguay, Carlos Ruiz was one of 10 players to be issued a yellow card as Olimpia Asuncion tied Nacional 1-1 at home on Sunday, May 31. Ruiz's Olimpia teammate Cristian Ledesma had an interesting afternoon to say the least: picking up a yellow card in the 28th minute, scoring the tying goal in the 29th minute, and being shown a red card in the 77th minute.
In Peru, former D.C. United goalkeeper Jose Carvallo posted his third consecutive shutout as Sporting Cristal beat Colegio Nacional de Iquitos 2-0 at home on goals by Amilton Prado and Miguel Villalta. After Week 16 of the Primera Profesional de Peru, Sporting Cristal has moved up to 8th place in the standings.
In Venezuela, it was a very big week for former New York Red Bulls defender Gabriel Cichero. On May 31, in the first leg of Caracas FC's Copa Libertadores quarterfinal clash with Brazil's Gremio, Cichero scored Caracas' goal in the 1-1 tie. On Sunday, May 31, he played the full 90 minutes as Caracas crushed Deportivo Italia 5-0 in the second leg of the Venezuelan Grand Final. Caracas won the championship 6-1 on aggregate, its record 10th Venezuelan title.
Trade winds
Trade rumors concerning Glasgow Rangers midfielder
DaMarcus Beasley
continue to come out of Scotland, with
The Sun
tabloid claiming this week that the former Fire forward may be heading to the Bundesliga and Schalke 04.
Former New England Revolution midfielder Andy Dorman is being linked with a move to Rangers or Celtic after his outstanding season with St. Mirren in the SPL. With one year left on his contract, the Saints are said to be in no hurry to trade their midfield anchor.
Former Brazilian World Cup winner and infamous FC Dallas bust Denilson reportedly signed a contract with Vietnam's Hai Phong Cement on June 2. Once the world's most expensive player, Denilson will join the team for the second half of the ongoing V-League season.
Another World Cup winner with ties to MLS, former MetroStars and German legend Lothar Matthaus is reported to be close to a return to his homeland and the sporting director position with Fortuna Dusseldorf. The much-traveled Matthaus was head coach of Israel's Maccabi Netanya this season.
Also in Germany, former Kansas City Wizards and Chivas USA forward Matt Taylor has signed a two-year deal with Bundesliga 2 team SV Frankfurt. Taylor played last season in Bundesliga 2 for TuS Koblenz.
Former New England Revolution head coach Walter Zenga, who resigned as coach of Serie A side Catania last week, is said to be a contender to take over at Lazio.
Performance of the week
Gabriel Cichero
, who played eight games for the Red Bulls last year, helped Caracas FC win its 10th Venezuelan championship on Sunday. In addition, the defender scored Caracas' goal in its 1-1 Copa Libertadores first-leg quarterfinal clash with Brazil's Gremio.
Mark C. Young is an Emmy Award-winning freelance writer/TV producer who has covered several FIFA World Cups and Olympic Games. He is a contributor to Goal.com and also writes for the blog "No Mas."
