'Nats ease past Grenada like a breeze

Led by Crew winger Robbie Rogers' goal and two helpers, the USMNT opened Gold Cup play with a smooth 4-0 win over Grenada. Due to the mite-y opposition, I was not planning a Player Ratings for this particular game and thus (gasp!) opted to get to bed at a decent hour instead of staying up to nearly sunrise to watch. Naturally, I will go to the video later just to see it.

In case you also missed it with all the July 4th festivities, here are the highlights...



- Greg Seltzer

Could It Be You-ch?

I'm not yet sure what level of excitement you may be in for, but here's the deal: I have been told by two unconnected local birdies that Ajax are hoping to unveil a new player on Monday. There are three possibilities for this signing - a third keeper, hot topic Partizan Belgrade left back Ivan Obradović or U.S. defender Oguchi Onyewu.

The third keeper has been promised this week, but no names have been floated in the local press as of yet. Obradović, who is also being chased to varying degrees by the likes of Barcelona, Tottenham and Werder Bremen, has now stated that he is 'only interested in Ajax'.

Which bring us to our man Gooch, who also has offers on the table from Genoa, either Parma or Palermo, and either Espanyol or Valencia. I am now about 80% sure that the suitor breakdown falls just like that.

In another matter that somewhat pertains to the question of how wise a move to Ajax would be for Onyewu, Amsterdam star man Luis Suárez (who USMNT fans may remember from the U-20 World Cup knockout against Uruguay in 2007) has declared he will definitely be staying in town this season, despite a whopping offer from AC Milan.

And so we wait...

UPDATE: On a related note, both French and Swedish reports are claiming that Hammarby forward Charlie Davies is all but set for Sochaux. Should the Saturday night scorer (I'm sorry, Grenada or not, the entire goal was pure class by all three players) join Les Lionceaux, I think he stands a great chance of slotting in behind active front man Václav Svěrkoš for the recently PSG-departed speedster Mevlüt Erdinç.

UPDATE UPDATE: Back to Gooch... despite reports now surfacing in the Netherlands that Onyewu is the player Ajax hope to present Monday, I have been informed that the deal has not yet been sealed.

There was also a television report in Spain today that said former suitor Real Madrid may have interest in the U.S. defender, but I haven't come across anything to support it.

We shall see what the morning brings.


- Greg Seltzer

How could we possibly allow this?

I know we are all ready to kick off Gold Cup, but after reading Sam Alipour's infuriating ESPN Magazine story on the "case" against former UC-Santa Barbara ace Eric Frimpong, I was immediately compelled to share it.

I'd meant to read it yesterday, but forgot and now am ruing the lost exposure for his story due to the routine occurrence of lower weekend traffic. I may just create a bump post for Monday. This story had gone far too quiet before Mr. Alipour weighed in with his very comprehensive piece of reporting.

Now that I have read it (and several other news articles on the case and its aftermath), I promise to do some additional digging and monitoring on this story. I'm incredibly far away in distance and I'm not sure how much I can do to help, but I will try. This is too important to ignore, and the minor platform I'm lucky enough to have carries responsibilities. At the least, I want everyone to read this story and then I want you to pass it along.

Let me be fully clear: this is not about downplaying rape, among the very cruelest acts that can be perpetrated against a human being. The girl was obviously sexually assaulted and the offender should be punished, harshly. I do not like to be political here, but to be forthright this time, I find rape sentencing to be far too lenient. I am also fully aware that so many men just plain get away with it for a variety of reasons. If Eric Frimpong is guilty, I'll scream for a larger sentence... I just don't see how he possibly could be, much less beyond a reasonable doubt.

There are a pile of curious rulings, evidence shell games and what appear to be odd testimony massages, but I was mostly compelled to rant by a pair of seemingly inescapable facts: the boyfriend was never even considered a suspect despite the evidence and there was not one cell of Frimpong's DNA found on the victim or her clothes.

Setting aside the stunningly clear gaps in the boyfriend's role in the story, I would absolutely love to hear someone explain to me how a man can forcibly remove jeans (practically a DNA grater), violently attack and rape without leaving behind a single bit of physical evidence. I went to look through a few rape evidence and litigator's DNA evidence guides, which only made me more confused about this significant note.

Obviously, I was not there for the trial and cannot speak as a case expert, but the known facts and subsequent court hi-jinx smell fishier than the Pacific. I can't even imagine how anyone would feel otherwise. This all seems a blatantly obvious farce, and it makes me extremely angry. Making "someone" pay is not justice, and the traumatic rape of a young girl deserves as much justice as any circumstance I can think of.

Forget that he is "one of ours" as a soccer player. Forget that he is quite obviously adored and trusted completely by the large crowd of family, adopted family, friends and support he has. Forget that he's an immigrant, young and not well off.

This appears to be an upstanding young man having his life stolen from him, right out in the open of our criminal justice system - or at least the public shell of what it purports to be. In fact, at least one juror has publicly stated that proceedings were slanted and wishes she could withdraw her guilty vote.

Folks, this just cannot happen this way. We can't allow it. This is supposed to be America, dammit.

Frankly, I don't know how this kid finds the strength. I am sincerely humbled, and all but certain that I'd crumble easily under such rabid injustice. I say we all join the team and find a way to give Eric a fair shot to win back his life. As I said, I'm not sure how much or what I can do, but you have my word that I'm going to find out that how much and what.





- Greg Seltzer

[Top photo: Paul Wellman/The Independent]

Newbie-speak & Jozy-talk

And for more news on Altidore's club situation, head over to a little salon I'm hosting over at Soccer365. Only 25 grand a plate.


- Greg Seltzer

A few things...

#1 - Landon Donovan has slated David Beckham for his flexi-time at the Galaxy - I wish more players would speak their mind like this; they are in the entertainment business after all.

Comments are extracts from Grant Wahl's 'The Beckham Experiment' -Excerpts here on SI. Read the full story to understand where Cakes was coming from... I know Greg is getting stuck into the book and will be reviewing it soon.

#2 - Arsenal's ex-MLS honcho Ivan Gazidis is the latest to call for an EPL salary cap.

#3 - With Karim Benzema Bernabeu-bound, compatriot Franck Ribery, the hottest remaining transfer target of the summer, has told Bayern Munich "It will be Real or nothing," to which Bayern have answered, "Our clear reply is nothing!"

#4 - Michael Owen is set for a shock move to Man United!?!

#5 - A different take on the Confederations Cup and other news by Brian Glanville, 77 year-old doyen of English soccer writers.

#6 - The Three Lions' disaster in the UEFA U21 Final ; but this guy is their future talisman.

#7 - 'Los, Donovan and T-Ho talk about the Brazil heartbreaker, plus we have the first Gold Cup Studio 90 report -





-Sean O'Conor

Okay okay, you've been patient...

It's time to get you all caught up on a few Americans Abroad transfer items. Sorry it took me a while longer than usual, but these things do all simmer at their own pace.

• The first article I have up covers the fact that a Ligue 1 club (one of Rennes, Saint-Étienne or Sochaux) looks set to beat a Bundesliga club (thought to be Hamburg, but I can't confirm) in the race for Hammarby strike ace Charlie Davies. The move could be completed by this time next week. I do not know which of the three French teams is close, but they are negotiating a fee with Hammarby.
  
  UPDATE: Swedish daily Expressen has outed Bochum, who I had mentioned as a winter suitor many months ago, are the Bundesliga club still in the Davies chase.
  

• Though swamped by bids recently, free agent defender Oguchi Onyewu is currently down to weighing four offers: one from an extremely eager Ajax (trust me on this bit), two from Serie A and one from La Liga. Obviously, this means all interested Prem clubs, all interested Ligue 1 clubs and Fenerbahçe are out of the running - at least for the time being.
  
  Best I can surmise, the Italian teams come out of a group comprised of Bologna, Catania, Genoa, Livorno, Parma and Palermo. I have nothing but educated guesses on the mystery Spaniards.
  

• As I mentioned in a comment earlier, I know that at least one Prem club is prowling around 'Gladbach midfielder Michael Bradley - but nobody on the inside is talkin'. The prime suspects, from what I have gleaned, are longtime admirers Everton, Aston Villa and Fulham. Again, none of my birdie leads jump out among the others, but I'm fairly certain no official transfer offer has dropped as of yet.

• There are no serious talks as of yet for Fulham attacker Clint Dempsey... but he does have at least one Prem club (with Everton the hot UK buzz) sizing him up, as well as teams from France, Germany and Spain. A Turkish paper reported yesterday that Fenerbahçe had taken a provisional interest in MC Deuce, but his agent told me there had been no contact with the Istanbul giants.

• As you may have heard, Hannover 96 winger Sal Zizzo is set to secure a season loan with ambitious 2.Bundesliga risers Fortuna Düsseldorf. This deal should be made official tomorrow.

• While free agent left back Heath Pearce has patiently waited on a trigger-slow Eredivisie side to table an offer, several rival suitors have popped up. The Gold Cup participant now has one of the Austrian Bundesliga entrants to Europe, a Danish club (I have reason to believe it's Randers FC, but don't write that in ink), an Allsvenskan outfit (educated guesses only) and at least one 2.Bundesliga team (no clue) chatting him up in addition to the Dutch slowpokes.

• Recent German reports linking Colorado striker Conor Casey with former loan side Karlsruhe were overzealous. He's had no enquiries of late.

• We will all probably find out how big a crush Rennes have on Houston star Ricardo Clark once their current defensive midfielder, Stephane M'Bia, picks his destination out of Brittany. That team seems to have several things going on, and he looks the lead domino.
  

I'll have another little something for you at S365 tomorrow morning, plus there are a few things that are nearly done brewing.


- Greg Seltzer