Sorry it's taken me so long to get to this, I meant to do it while you were all sleeping in the States. You'll be happy to know, however, that I have been busy on the horn collecting lots of little goodies for you - which you will start enjoying once the stupid S365 publisher decides to resume working...#1 - I've posted both the new MLS Club Ladder (only two draws! lots of movement!) and an update on the transfer situation of U.S. defender Oguchi Onyewu (who, by the way, will be filing suit against Anderlecht defender Jelle Van Damme).
Until then, here's a sneak preview: I have learned that free agent Gooch now has four offers to weigh, with more expected before he makes a decision in a couple of weeks or so. The players at the table are Fenerbahçe, a Prem club we all believe is Birmingham, a Bundesliga club (that is definitely not the very fussy 'Gladbach) and a La Liga club.
I have some hunches/leads on the unknowns and possible late bidders, but I think I will drop all that in the seasonal transfer situation room column some of you have been asking about lately. I'm starting it tonight, so it's coming soon.
UPDATE: I'm being told that holding so much back is mean. Fine. I'll give a little more.
As you may know, Sal Zizzo has been told by Hannover 96 that he is free to leave. This should not be construed as a failure on his part, though it could be a setback. The turning point clearly came with the change of technical director, and this sort of thing happens.
The good news is Zizzo has been receiving calls from clubs in the top flights of Belgium, the Netherlands and Scandinavia, as well as from Serie B. Man, I sure would love to see him get a shot in the Eredivisie, which is obviously the league where a natural winger is most likely to fit in quickly.
Okay, that's all you get for now.
#2 - Meanwhile, the first monster move of the summer has been completed, with Gareth Barry heading from Aston Villa to Manchester City.
Does this mean Steven Defour will now go from Standard to Villa? And could his pal Gooch be far behind? Hmmm.
#3 - Conor Casey is PotW again. With him and free kick lasher Kenny Cooper left out of USMNT camp, can we really say we don't have capable forward depth anymore? I still insist our attack woes are based in the tactical contruction of midfield.
#4 - Goal polled some fans about the impending return of David Beckham, and most don't seem the least bit interested in seeing his stupid metrosexual face (or something) around the HDC.
Thing is, folks, he's back. You have a team to support, he's part of it and he can help. My advice? Get over it, already.
Besides, is it just me or did Carlo Ancelotti's departure from AC Milan give anyone the idea that the Spice Boy may not actually end up leaving this winter?
#5 - The Terminator has joined USSF efforts to bring a World Cup to America.
#6 - A couple more MLS teams have found fun ways to be civic leaders: San Jose recently tried to give a couple of local homeless families a little boost, while the Seattle Sounders are taking their helping hands to serve at a nice restaurant benefit next week.
#7 - I forgot to mention this in the last edition: Adam Spangler gives the 411 on a soccer film festival in NYC. Deluxe. What fun it would be to put one together, too.
#8 - Before non-roster invitee Luis Robles left to get married, he had a chat with the USMNT blog.
#9 - From yesterday: Danish-American handyman Jamil Fearrington is auditioning with Real Salt Lake. I know he'd love to catch the eye of U.S. boss Bob Bradley, but I find myself wondering where RSL would propose to use him - as competition at right back and right midfield?
#10 - With one day to go before a very scary WCQ at Costa Rica, Ricardo Clark has been called to replace Mo Edu and Frankie Hejduk has also been ruled out.
UPDATE: Edu has gotten the second opinion on his knee and is now slated for a Wednesday operation in London.
Studio 90 reports once again...
- Greg Seltzer
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11 comments:
I am pretty sure the first monster move of the summer was either Diego to Juve or it was Diego Milito and Thiago Motta to Inter. I think Diego's move has been confirmed but I can't remember if Milito and Motta's transfer has been confirmed by Geona or Inter.
Diego's deal was done before the seasons ended, so I didn't count that as "summer". The Milito/Motta deal was completed even before that.
Unless you have different information I think you can take the La Liga suitor off of Onyewu's status as well. That team was rumoured to be Betis and they got relegated.
It's new info. Talked with his agent for an update, he has four official bids so far from those four countries. So he does have one bid from La Liga, which excludes Betis.
I do not know who the Spanish team is - if absolutely forced to make an educated guess, which is what it would predominantly need to be... maybe Valencia or promoted Zaragoza. Espanyol was also once or twice linked to Gooch in Spain.
I am not nearly as "birdie-strong" in España as in some other countries. It's a bit of a blind spot for me in these matters.
Greg -- is there anything to the Sal Zizzo to Leeds United rumor? Huge Leeds fan and I'd love to see him end up there but from the sounds what you wrote that doesnt seem as likely as I thought yesterday :(
Word in the Yorkshire Evening post was that he and Mike Grella were friends from youth nat team days.
Please, please, please say Leeds have a chance! :)
I don't know if Leeds have interest in Sal, but if they do they aren't making it known to the player at this time.
Greg,
Surgery for Edu? Was it the MCL? Just a little bit, just a little bit more information (dredg reference) would be nice!
That is precisely the type of info I waited all day to get from Rangers. Sadly, it did not come before close of office in Glasgow.
I don't believe it is something really super-serious, but now I must wait til the morning to find out.
Understood, thanks Greg
Well, Spencer... I waited literally two whole days for Rangers not to be able to tell me this tiny bit:
http://www.rangers.premiumtv.co.uk/page/News/NewsDetail/0,,5~1686356,00.html
I saw that Robles is on the roster for the Confed Cup. Does that mean he's spending his honeymoon with a bunch of guys in South Africa? Sucks for his fiance/wife.
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