U.S. v A Sweden-esque-ish side

Stuart Holden was left out with a knock so here is the match roster...

G: Jon Busch (Chicago Fire), Troy Perkins (Vålerenga)

D: Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Danny Califf (FC Midtjylland), Ugo Ihemelu (Colorado Rapids), Michael Parkhurst (FC Nordsjælland), Chris Wingert (Real Salt Lake), Marvell Wynne (Toronto FC)

M: Brian Carroll (Columbus Crew), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo), Eddie Gaven (Columbus Crew), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew), John Thorrington (Chicago Fire)

F: Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo), Kenny Cooper (FC Dallas), Charlie Davies (Hammarby IF), Chris Rolfe (Chicago Fire)


Who would I like to see start? Well, factoring in that I was not at camp and going by the typical USMNT formation...

Perkins; Wynne, Califf, Parkhurst, Bornstein, Carroll, Clark, Kljestan, Rogers, Davies, Cooper

Back in about 30 with the line-ups...

UPDATE: I nailed the line-up, except for Thorrington is in instead of Carroll and Ching for Cooper. Does this mean we will see a diamond midfield? I'm getting excited at the mere thought of it!!

Here is the pre-game Studio 90 clip:



- Greg Seltzer

A quick restart

I'm tired and off to bed, but thought I'd drop a few tidbits...

• There is a report going around that FC Dallas forward Kenny Cooper is set to join Rosenborg on Sunday. This report is false, no clue where it came from.

• It looks like Heath Pearce will stay with Hansa Rostock until summer. One Eredivisie team shuffled its feet on a bid and one SAS Liga battler made a big effort to bring him over on a short deal... only to have Hansa decide they really wanted to keep him... with six months left on his contract. Hmmm.
  
  UPDATE: Hold the phone! This suddenly may change.
  

• Speaking of Hansa, neither they nor any other loan suitors will be getting a six-month deal for Hannover 96 winger Sal Zizzo. After a nice performance against friendly foe AC Milan this week, the Reds have decided the young American is ready to break through and they want him to stay.

• Chivas USA fans can breathe a little easier. No... you probably won't hang onto Sacha Kljestan (watch this space tomorrow). BUT I've learned that Ante Razov has sealed a new deal with MLS, so all Mexico move talk is officially dead.
  
  UPDATE: Gordo Strachan admitted today that they were unable to meet to make the decision on Kljestan until today. To me, it seems like the manager is trying to maximize the transfer kitty he has, doing the math. Sacha would likely be their biggest expense of this window. And so we wait...
  

• Oops! Forgot to add that Tally Hall moved from Esbjerg to the Dynamo on Friday.

- Greg Seltzer

Lan-don Donovan! Clapclap clapclapclap!

Two more friendly goals in a 5-0 romp at Mainz last night... (yawn/ho-hum/etc.). The first was a fantastic header, the second a bit of a cheapie.

Please enjoy a humorously framed reel of all five Bayern goals...




- Greg Seltzer

A few things...

I gotta move quickly. All of this work is cutting into my leisure time...

#1 - Please do note the Cut of the Day. It has a nice ring to it today.

Not to get too political, but let's give this guy an honest shot - even if he is a West Ham supporter. My scouting report on him isn't devoid of red marks, but I think he is just the puzzle piece we need.

He studies the game and opponents, keeps his head about him and makes a real effort for the colors. He passes well, is always looking to get forward and makes those around him better.

Of course, like most Americans, he needs to work on his cross from the wings.

#2 - I think this Sacha Kljestan-to-Celtic deal may be about to go down. That's all I will say for now.

#3 - Vålerenga keeper Troy Perkins is back in U.S. camp after a club bonding retreat with the esteemed Norwegian Special Forces. He is kind enough to talk about the experience at the official USMNT blog. (UPDATE: Here's part two.

The superb page also has Sweden's updated roster for Saturday (no Henrik Larsson) and an informative podcast (mp3 link) with keeper Matt Pickens.

#4 - The official Bundesliga site talks with some Bayern Munich forward named Landon Donovan.

#5 - Voting is open to pick Philadelphia's MLS club name here.

#6 - The Touchline's Luis Bueno reports Chivas USA could soon land San Jose-born Mexico hopeful Jesús Padilla from sister club CD Guadalajara.

The forward (facetiously nicknamed "El Gringo") isn't going to switch allegiances, but he has been drawing raves from Chivas preseason camp and could soften the blow of some potential attack departures with his arrival.

#7 - I'm sure many of you know that Marcia Williams, wife of Real Salt Lake playmaker Andy, is battling a very rare type of leukemia - which is certainly nasty enough in generic form.

Problem is, they haven't found a bone marrow donor match, and the only alternative is not terribly enticing. RSL are having two drives to find a match, which James Edwards of the Deseret News advertises before delivering Andy's full status report.

Let's all send this couple our best wishes. Stay strong, you two.


- Greg Seltzer

Rumblings

Just a quick peek at some January window happenings...

• Former Duke striker Mike Grella netted a dazzling hat trick in his Leeds United trial friendly debut. The League One's B+ team took out Burnley Reserves 4-0, with the young American setting Whites fans abuzz.
  
  I can hope for video to surface on this (and from what I've heard of his performance, it would be worth the trouble) - but don't hold your breath.
  
  UPDATE: Said second team boss Neil Thompson of Grella's showing, "He was tidy around the ball and his finishing was good.He's still a young lad. He's showed a good attitude in training, but strikers are there to score goals and he did that."

• Real Salt Lake striker Robbie Findley is on trial with Danish power Brøndby - even though they don't appear to need anyone up front.

• I failed to mention a couple days back that Lee Nguyen has officially been presented by Vietnamese side HAGL. He has signed a three-year deal, with the promise of a training stint with partnership giants Arsenal at the end of the season.

• Despite being more heavily linked with an MLS move by the day, 1860 Munich defender Gregg Berhalter told me he's not yet sure what he'll be doing after his contract expires at season's end.
  
  Also posted at Soccer365 today: Aston Villa right back apprentice Eric Lichaj says he's up for a loan spell.
  

• And finally, an oops correction: it appears Toronto FC forward Johann Smith is not on trial with Croatian outfit NK Rijeka after all. They invited him, he turned it down.

- Greg Seltzer

This just in...

Effective immediately, Landon Donovan is a target man.



- Greg Seltzer

Oops!

My American holiday memory skills are sliding. I completely blipped on the fact that it was MLK Day and everyone will be off. Therefore, I'll save my next LIVE for a time when you're all stranded at the office.

Speaking of Americans Abroad in action, do note that Bayern Munich has a friendly with Kaiserslautern today. You know what that means: Landon Donovan v. Red Devils keeper Luis Robles.

Anyway, to make up for my flub, I'll send you a few retro shivers...



- Greg Seltzer

Who likes goals?

Grab your popcorn and your Twizzlers, this one's an epic. Lights. Camera. Action...

Roma's Julio Baptista peforms a one-man Torino circus.



Want to know how a West Londonder pronounces "absolute cracker"? Ask Fulham's Paul Konchesky.



Chelsea loan item Ben Sahar screams "I am a SuperFarmer!" to give De Graafschap a sorely needed win.



Monaco's Juan Pablo Pino does a little dance, and then makes a lot of love with a sweet strike from distance.



Genoa's Boško Janković scores one of the finest backheel goals you'll see this season.



Said Sporting Lisbon's Maret Izmailov later: "I was feelin' it."



And finally, Gabri caps a mega-give-and-go to seal the win for 10-man Ajax - the dagger's kiss.




- Greg Seltzer

You Belong to God, and he is a Milanista

Barnet, of England's League Two, have a playing field which is notoriously not level. Games at Underhill, where Arsenal's reserves also play, can make for entertaining goal-fests but the slope means it sometimes 'just isn't cricket', let alone soccer.

There is also something clearly surreal about the Kaka saga, whose intricacies have dominated soccer news this week like a high-profile trial. Because money talks, the deal is more likely to happen than not as long as Sheikh Mansour plonks his loose change on the table, drunk on the dream.

Kaka himself may have been in tears this weekend, but his paymasters, AC Milan chief Adriano Galliani and de facto boss Silvio Berlusconi, appear to be ushering him out the door with dollar signs in their eyes. David Beckham, the world's highest-paid player, is more likely to wave farewell to MLS if Kaka leaves the rossoneri, but Becks has been so far out of the limelight this week he hardly seems to matter.

There is nothing illegal about Milan selling their ace, but it does break unwritten laws. Fans and football's natural order are upset.

Unlike Chelsea, who were Champions League qualifiers and one of England's top teams when Roman Abramovich’s yacht dropped anchor in 2003, Manchester City remain real underachievers.

This is the straw which should break the back of any camel attempting to negotiate the eye of a needle: Kaka's move makes no sense for him in football terms. The boy from Brasilia is 26 and at the height of his powers. One of the world's best players at one of the world's best teams, he should not be leaving the game's premier club competition (the UEFA Champions League) and lowering his sights to join a team doddering four points above their drop zone, whatever his super-remuneration will be.

Man City need reinforcement in all areas to challenge for the CL, a target which seems surely out of range for 2009/10. And there is absolutely no guarantee the Arab arrival will bear sudden fruit. A quick transformation from PL strugglers to CL contenders? I doubt it.

Kaka at City does not bode well. The Blues from the Eastlands already have three Brazilians who have sulked off out at various times this season, and the rainy North-West of England is still no cultural breeze for South Americans, however open-minded and adventurous the well-bred Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite is. The expectation level will be enormous on one man and unless there five or six other big-money buys, it could all end in more tears.

For the guy at the epicenter of this whole shebang, the risk of failure is too high. If the money is right, Milan will take the bait, but what about the player?

Saying your favorite book is the Bible and wearing Christian t-shirts for the cameras leaves one inevitably open to scrutiny. So it is fair to ask if Kaka has read Jesus' words in Matthew 19:23-24 (or indeed in Mark 10:24-25 or Luke 18:24-25) –

"I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven…it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

Don't be a hypocrite now, Kaka. You don't have to move. Don't be bullied by Berlusconi. Respect the wishes of the fans who made all those banners in your honor at the San Siro this weekend and who have marched in protest out of love for you.

Stay where you are happy, where your family is settled, where you will have the best chance of trophies and where the sun does not shine only on TV. Think of the respect you will earn in Milan instead of the money you could earn in Manchester. Read Jesus' words again and don't fix what ain't broke. Consider it God's will and he will look after you. You may regret risking it all at Eastlands but you won't regret staying in Lombardy.

Forza Kaka, prove to us there is more to soccer, and life in 2009, than just money.

-Sean O'Conor

Marcus speaks

Danish outlet 442 has a brief video interview with fresh Aalborg recruit Marcus Tracy, longingly entitled "The American Henry?". Unfortunately, I have no idea what AaB chairman Lynge Jakobsen (one of the nicest and funniest execs in Europe to my experience) is saying.

On this note, I had an excellent interview with Marcus today, and you will find that up at Soccer365 in the morning.

UPDATE: The Tracy feature is now up.

More programming notes: I also kicked it around this weekend with Aston Villa backline apprentice Eric Lichaj, so that too will go up at S365 tomorrow.

As for NSC, I am planning to do a Liverpool v. Everton LIVE tomorrow at 2:00 pm ET for all you unlucky folks working a stateside 9-to-5 that can't watch.


- Greg Seltzer