The big man can dunk, 'Los denied cup winner

There are still a few minutes left at Sclessin, so obviously I have no video yet... but Standard backline Godzilla Oguchi Onyewu has scored to put his side up 2-0 on visiting Club Brugge (for whom Jared Jeffrey was an unused sub).

The U.S. defender crashed home a Steven Defour free kick in the 72nd minute for his third league goal in less than a month. Onyewu detractors stuck on his former card-lust may also note that he has now rung up as many goals in 2008/09 than he has bookings (all three were yellow).




First place Anderlecht were also victorious today, so the defending champs remain level on both points and wins with Les Mauves. If the two clubs are still even on those categories after next week's season finale, they will wage a home-and-home tie to decide the championship.

Next Saturday night, Standard travels to third place Gent, while Anderlecht faces Genk away.

UPDATE: The Gooch clip is still to come, but we now turn our attentions to France, where Carlos Bocanegra scored the Rennes goal in a shock 2-1 Coupe de France loss to second flight strugglers Guingamp.

The USMNT skipper nodded home in the 69th minute and was set to play the hero in bagging a Europa League invite, but Eduardo struck twice in the late going to flip the result.

And just look how the people back in Rennes went nuts when 'Los scored, he was set to be famous there forever... wow, this loss really sucks.




UPDATE UPDATE: Saturday also saw Nybergsund attacker Joe Lapira bag the game's only goal in a first round NM Cup win at Redalen. I do not foresee a video, but we can hope.


- Greg Seltzer

Lions lead in play-offs

Zak Whitbread's Millwall will take a slender lead into their League One play-off semi-final second leg after beating Leeds 1-0 at the Den today.

Lions veteran Neil Harris rifled home the only goal in the 72nd minute with the Leeds defense in shreds following a lightning raid by Millwall's Nadjim Abdou and Gary Alexander. Whitbread worked a sterling 90 at the back to keep Leeds' front pair of Jermaine Beckford and Luciano Becchio at bay, while the Whites' New York-born striker Mike Grella remained on the bench for the duration.

In last night's other semi-final, Jemal Johnson was not named to MK Dons' sixteen for their 1-1 tie away to Scunthorpe United.

THU 14th May - Leeds v Millwall (0-1)
FRI 15th May - MK Dons v Scunthorpe (1-1)

Reading will have to overturn a 1-0 deficit in their Championship play-off semi-final second leg after going down to a late penalty to Burnley at Turf Moor.

The Royals had looked dangerous on the counter and successfully frustrated the Clarets for 83 minutes before defender Andre Bikey pulled the raiding Steven Thompson's shirt in the box. Granam Alexander smashed the spot-kick past Marcus Hahnemann and Bikey added to Reading's disappointment by getting sent off for a stamp shortly before the end.

Preston tied 1-1 at home to Sheffield United in the other semi-final.

TUE May 12th: Reading v Burnley (0-1)

In the Premier League, Tim Howard set a new Everton record with his 16th clean sheet of the season as the Toffees fought Tottenham to a scoreless draw at Goodison Park. Everton will finish 6th and will play in next season's Europa League.

Fulham are up to 7th and in line for the last Europa League qualification spot after downing Aston Villa 3-1 at Craven Cottage. Clint Dempsey went 85 minutes for the Cottagers and Brad Friedel 90 for Villa, with Brad Guzan on the bench.

Jonathan Spector was an unused sub as West Ham lost 3-0 at home to Liverpool. West Ham slip to 9th as Liverpool moved above Man United on goal difference at the top.

SAT May 16th: Everton v West Ham, Middlesbrough v Aston Villa, Newcastle v Fulham

-Sean O'Conor

A few things...

Time to get you ready for the weekend...

#1 - Philly MLS fans seem happy with Philadelphia Union as their club name.

#2 - I posted a column examining just how bad the ref was in the controversial Champions League semifinal decider between Barcelona and Chelsea and why it's not something to simply dismiss over at S365 yesterday.

Frankly, I find it extremely cynical to wave off what happened on Wednesday night as a "football is harsh" type anecdote that drops the loss entirely on Chelsea failure. One or two missed penalties can be chalked up to sport as cruel mistress... once we hit four to six, it becomes something else entirely.

I also find it silly to fault the Blues for complaining throughout the second half. They had every right to be furious, but never stopped playing. If anyone could withstand all of those blown calls without griping, then you're a better person than I am. I definitely would have seen a dissent yellow at some point.

And that's all I have to say about that.

UPDATE: S365 cohort Jarrad Peters, however, takes an excellent look at the ref at the center of it all. It seems Norwegian fans are both habitually unimpressed with his officiating and fiendishly clever.

#3 - Speaking of Barcelona, they are now set to visit Los Angeles and Seattle this summer, with one more match TBA.

#4 - Also at S365, Andrew Rogers interviews promising FC Dallas rookie forward Peri Marosevic and Sean Heffernan chats up "will he or won't he" USMNT prospect Mikkel Diskerud, who has enjoyed some early season success with Stabæk.

#5 - With an Old Firm derby carrying title implications coming up this weekend, Rangers midfielder Maurice Edu talks with U.S. Soccer (podcast link).

#6 - Meanwhile, in France, Carlos Bocanegra and Rennes are preparing for a Coupe de France final against second flight Guingamp - and he loves the pressure.

#7 - Buzz explains that Kenny Cooper is shooting for an MLS record, as only he could.

On the other side of this weekend's Texas showdown, Houston Chronicale ace Bernardo Fallas reports that the Dynamo backline is healing - just not in time for this game.

#8 - Five MLS players will be with New Zealand at Confederations Cup... not that the USMNT should expect to face them, even if they survive Group B.

#9 - This week's Mail Top 50 List was for the best U.K. signings of the season, and they dropped their best 10 today.

I'm sorry, but James Beattie is not #1. I also feel that #10 James Milner and especially #17 Jose Boswinga are far too low. Aston Villa keeper Brad Friedel rates at #5.

#10 - On a personal note, I was extremely sad to see Scrubs end season eight on Wednesday. The show still could be back next fall, but it will be without Zach Braff.

Gonna miss ya, J.D. - me and Turk both. And Turk's mom's brain in Heidi Klum's body also.





- Greg Seltzer

The chief hails us

President Barack Obama talks up another stateside World Cup on Mexican television.




Meanwhile, Abby Wambach and the Washington Freedom have invited Michelle Obama and the girls to take in a WPS match (scroll down), and I'm guessing it won't be long before they accept. Both the Obama daughters play, if I'm not mistaken.

- Greg Seltzer

On Tap: Football League play-offs

Tonight (Fri): SCUNTHORPE v MK DONS, League One play-off Semi-Final 1st Leg

Jemal Johnson is hoping his MK Dons side can maintain their end-of-season vigor as they travel to Scunthorpe for the first leg of the League One play-off semifinals.

Roberto Di Matteo's MK team should make light work of The Iron over the two legs, having won six of their last seven games and fallen just one win short of automatic promotion to the Championship. But for a barren start to 2009, MK should already have been promoted. The Dons won 1-0 at Scunthorpe only last month, although lost 0-2 to them at Stadium:MK back in December.

The danger for the Dons is the Iron's red-hot front pairing of Gary Hayes and Paul Hooper - authors of 50 goals in all competitions in 2008/09. New Jersey-born Johnson, who netted 5 in 33 regular season outings, is expected to start on the bench.

Sat: MILLWALL v LEEDS League One play-off Semi-Final 1st Leg

Zak Whitbread flies the US flag in the other League One semi-final, which on recent form favors Leeds. The two sides finished only two points apart at the end of the regular season, and their aggregate clashes ended 3-3.

Millwall will take heart from their 3-1 win over Leeds at The Den in October, but have lost four of their last seven games, while the Whites bagged eight of their last ten. 11 straight home wins in 2009 and 27 season strikes from Jermaine Beckford put Leeds in pole position and the onus is on Whitbread's team to grab a first leg advantage. A worry for the South Londoners is that their strike rate is nearer relegation than promotion standard. The Dons scored 19 fewer goals at home this season than Leeds scored at Elland Road.

Leeds forward Mike Grella had regular cameos off the bench during the season, but may find his minutes squeezed in the playoffs.

Given the fiery reputation of both sets of fans, this is sure to be a tense two-part dogfight. Texas-born former US U-21 Whitbread has made 38 league appearances for the Lions this season.

Sat: BURNLEY v READING Championship play-off Semi-Final 1st Leg

Veteran US goalie Marcus Hahnemann will hope the Clarets are off-color as the Royals push for an immediate return to the Premier League they dropped out of only last year.

Reading missed out on automatic promotion with a disappointing final day home loss to Birmingham while Burnley celebrated nipping Eddie Johnson's Cardiff City to the play-offs by tanking Bristol City 4-0.

The Berkshire club finished the campaign one point but 20 goals ahead of their Lancashire adversaries on Saturday. But Burnley defeated Steve Coppell's men 1-0 at Turf Moor this season and come the second leg will take succor from their opponents' stuttering home form - only one win in their last eight games at the Madejski. The Royals' Irish strikeforce (Kevin Doyle, Noel Hunt, Stephen Hunt and Shane Long) however has scored 44 goals between them this season, 18 of them from Eire marksman Doyle.

Preston host Sheffield United in the other Championship semi-final first leg.

-Sean O'Conor

UEFA Cup Thursday

After a cracking pair of semifinal deciders, the UEFA Cup Final card is complete with Shakhtar Donetsk and Werder Bremen set to duke it out on May 20th in Istanbul. Each will be a first time finalist in the last edition of the tourney, though Bremen did win a Cup Winners Cup back in 1992.

Shakhtar Donetsk 2 Dinamo Kyiv 1 (Shakhtar advances 3-2)



Hamburg 2 Werder Bremen 3 (3-3 aggregate, Bremen advances on away goals)




Now that I've posted the clips, Sean has a pair of verbal thumbs up for the all-Bundesliga clash:

No question for me that Werder Bremen's 3-2 win at Hamburg tonight was the most exciting game of the week, with literally a piece of paper separating the teams.

The second leg of the UEFA Cup semi-final swung to and fro after Ivica Olić chipped Hamburg into a 2-0 aggregate lead in the 13th minute. Martin Jol's men looked all set to power to victory in front of their home fans before Werder leveled through their livewire Brazilian, the Juventus-bound Diego, just short of the half hour.

Being the Nord Derby, the clash was full of needle, tension which exploded when the on-fire Diego squared up to countryman Alex shortly before the break and the referee flashed yellow, ruling him out of the final .

Hamburg sought to turn the screw in the second half but Claudio Pizarro fired Werder ahead on away goals with a 66th minute Exocet.

With seven minutes left, Hamburg right-back Michael Gravgaard succumbed to outrageous fortune when the ball spun off a scrunched-up piece of paper lying on the grass as he attempted a back-pass, forcing him to mis-kick and gift Werder a corner instead.

The Green-and-Whites' captain Frank Baumann stooped at the far post to send Werder 3-1 up on the night. Olić's second of the night in the 87th minute was not enough to stop their Hanseatic rivals advancing on away goals to the final.



- Greg Seltzer & Sean O'Conor

Norwegian wood fuels inferno

London's Metropolian Police ushered Norwegian referee Tom Henning Øvrebø from his hotel to Heathrow Airport last night, fearing for his safety after he turned down four penalty appeals for Chelsea against Barcelona.

The English FA staff who have been pushing their 'Respect' for referees campaign all season must have buried their heads in their hands. The spectres of Anders Frisk, Karl-Josef Assenmacher, Urs Meier and other referees intimidated by cowardly English 'fans' are in the air: Expect press reports of death threats to Øvrebø to arrive today.

The Norwegian's silent whistle remains puzzling, especially when its owner is a veteran of 22 Champions League games, Euro 2008 and is in line to ref at the World Cup next summer. The assistants' lack of flagging, especially for Gerard Pique's cast-iron penalty handball, and the fourth official's failure to stop the technical areas overflowing into chaos are also confounding.

Of course there was a gaggle of explanations in cyberspace last night for the egregious Scandinavian match officials, but the organisers have closed ranks - check out UEFA's official match review for the sort of propaganda last issued by Pravda in the days of the Soviet Union.

That UEFA would engineer to stop another all-English final however is absurd. Roman Abramovich, while not exactly a gangster, has a questionable past involving a train heist and dating Boris Yeltsin's daughter while her drunken dad was dishing out Russia's riches to his closest pals. But that has not stopped Chelsea being welcomed at UEFA's high table and Moscow hosting last season's Champions League final.

Did Barça pay him? I'd hope not. This is the club that has UNICEF on its shirts instead of a sponsor and counted Pope John Paul II among its members.

Match-fixing, whether nobbling referees or players, is a fungus which is uncovered periodically, such as in Italy's Calciopoli scandal of 2006, or in the confirmation in 1997 that Anderlecht had bought the referee in their UEFA Cup semi-final of 1984.

But no, unless we learn otherwise, we have to treat this as just appalling, dreadful, inept officiating. That is not to say Barça have no place in the final. Watch their demolition of Real Madrid on Saturday if you have not already. But suggestions their attacking approach merited advancement beyond Chelsea's more defensive style misses the point that games are won by goals, not possession, shots on target or artistic impression.

Should Chelsea be looking in the mirror? Of course, they should have scored more and stopped Andres Iniesta's late-late equalizer. Penalties can be missed of course and change the narrative of a game to render what-if discussions moot. But still the ref erred badly and the result was unsatisfactory.

One thing we should be glad of however - the post-game grace of that fantastic coach, Guus Hiddink. Imagine if Jose Mourinho had still been in charge at Stamford Bridge last night...

-Sean O'Conor

Seriously... what the hell was he thinking?

"You picked a fine time to leave us, Magath."

If there truly is a God, the away fans will break out in a divine, unexpectedly twangy chorus of this altered lyric should Wolfsburg fall at red-hot Stuttgart this weekend.

The Volkswagen boys, three points up on second place Bayern Munich and with another three teams within five as they chase their first ever Bundesliga crown, have just watched manager Felix Magath conclude a deal to take over at league rivals Schalke four games from the finish line.

As if the timing wasn't awful enough as is, the players also have heard their coach explicitly say he wasn't buying into such things as club loyalty. Ordinarily, I'd applaud Magath for forthrightness, but yeeeeee-ikes... right now?!? That speech couldn't have waited four rounds?

This title stretch was already going to be hard enough. Now, from a mentality standpoint, it almost looks downright implausible. Apart from fourth place chaser Stuttgart, Wolfsburg still has an away derby with Hannover 96, as well as visits from the dangerous duo of Borussia Dortmund and final day opponent Werder Bremen.

And now, the precious belief that got Wolfsburg to the edge of glory as of yet unseen at the club has taken some harsh body blows. If they can catch their breath in time to claim the prize, I will be utterly dazzled.

Seriously... what the hell was Felix Magath thinking?


- Greg Seltzer

Blues smashed-and-grabbed from

Chelsea 1 Barcelona 1 (Barcelona advance on away goals)

I am stunned. Gobsmacked. In disbelief. Not only that Chelsea massaged their slim lead earned through Michael Essien's wonder-strike for over 80 minutes, but mostly that referee Tom Henning Øvrebø somehow ignored three (if not four) clear second half penalty fouls, at least one of which was also a clear red card.

The least stunning part is that Barcelona pulled it out, even at 10 men thanks to Eric Abidal's (incorrect) late ejection. The smash-and-grab came courtesy of stoppage time hero Andres Iniesta - who buried the visitors' lone shot on goal from the evening after hero-turned-goat Essien had a blonde moment trying to clear with space to operate.

By that point, there was only time for one more obvious penalty to be ignored.

UPDATE: I've posted a column on this topic over at S365 and added a media reaction clip at the bottom of this post.






Didier Drogba's take on the officiating? Not for delicate ears...


Drogba Yes - Watch the top videos of the week here


Chelsea boss Guus Hiddink speaks post-match...




As does winning boss Pep Guardiola (who, by the way, looked so damn cool out there)




Finally, various media outlets and commentators have their say on it all.




- Greg Seltzer

Cpt. Davies nets HIF consolation

Hammarby continues to struggle, even as Charlie Davies continues to score. The U.S. international bagged a late parting gift goal in their 4-1 home loss to defending champs Kalmar this evening.

UPDATE: The full, largely sad highlights (WMP link). Charlie's goal comes last.

UPDATE UPDATE: This somehow escaped my eyeballs before... Davies wore the captain's armband after Mikkel Jensen came off in the 64th minute. Therefore, you must all salute when he scores in the clip.


- Greg Seltzer

On tap: Chelsea v Barcelona

In tonight's Champions League semifinal part deux at Stamford Bridge, underdogs Chelsea will probably want to stick to the game plan that got them a 1-0 lead in the first leg...

Just kidding.

The sun spots seem to have cleared from my brain, and I fully realize this tie is actually scoreless as I type this - but the point I had started will be continued. Expect the Blues to play physical, pick their spots to get numbers forward, slow down the Catalans through the middle and get as much help defense to Lionel Messi as possible.

Some might expect Guus Hiddink to open the throttle a bit at home, but it's more his style to pick a time segment to go on the offensive. I've had plenty of occasion to study the Chelsea caretaker. He's most likely to try to control tempo through possession to shorten the first half and briefly hit the gas pedal either just before or just out of intermission.

A few times, he has opened up to surprise a big foe, but I doubt this is the night for that stratagem. Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola doesn't need to push his men forward; he starts the music and lets them dance.

However, the away boss may have some adjustments to make if Hiddink repeats the 4-4-2 Anelka/Drogba tandem set that worked so well on the weekend. Rafa Marquez and Carlos Puyol are unavailable, so Martín Cáceres and Gerard Pique are on the spot.

I wouldn't be too worried about the latter, but the former will soon get the Johan Djourou treatment - the 22-year old Uruguay international has just 14 appearances on the season and none against a Champions League-caliber opponent since his cameo in a March 1st loss to Atlético Madrid.

So what's my call? As would have been the case with Arsenal last night, getting the game to halftime scoreless tilts the edge to Chelsea. However, I'm not counting on such a thing happening.

The Blues can only withstand Barça advances for so long and Guardiola will be out to score first. I think they will and I think the home side will need to open up at some point in the second half.

Chelsea's fighting mentality (combined with Barcelona's weakened backline) could get them back to level or even to a lead, but the lack of an away goal will end up hurting. I say the Spaniards set up the dream final with a 2-2 draw.

Some prep reading:

- UEFA's match notes
- Beauty v. Beast?
- Guus Hiddink, Master Thief
- Messi takes reader questions
- Mourinho says tonight's winner will beat ManU

To wrap it up, we let the golden Guus tap his watch to remind Chelsea veterans to seize the day...




- Greg Seltzer

A few things...

[Photo: Allen Clark/OffWing]

I'll get to the Chelsea-Barcelona preview shortly, too much good stuff to ignore today...

#1 - My MLS Club Ladder for the week is up, and now it's the turn of D.C. United fans to hate me. I hope to eventually annoy every team's supporters at some point in the season to keep it all fair.

I also caught up with U.S. ace Jozy Altidore, who has returned to training at loan club Xerez and is looking forward to a busy summer of international duty.

Also at S365, Lars Lifrak has a chat with Fire ace Brian McBride and new contributor Clark Whitney takes his weekly walk through Bundesliga-World, where five teams are battling to the wire for the crown.

#2 - Getting back to Chelsea for a moment, their Seattle supporters group has successfully lobbied for an "away" section when the Blues visit Qwest Field. I gotta tell ya, I just like the way this franchise does things.

#3 - CenterLine ace Jeff Carlisle reports that San Jose's injury woes are increasing. Meanwhile, the Mercury News gives the details on a re-arranged Quakes stadium deal.

#4 - It was a huge dose of perspective reading about what D.C. United playmaker Fred has been going through recently, with his infant daughter coming through what had to be a very unnerving surgery procedure. I can neither imagine how hard that must of been for the midfielder and his wife nor can I properly express how happy I am that everything turned out okay.

#5 - Speaking of stories that make you remember what's important in this life, K.C. coach Curt Onalfo talks about the narrow escape he somehow managed to engineer on his way to the Wizards' win over New York. With his family in the car and an out-of-control big rig headed their way... well, just read it. I'm in awe of the coolness under pressure. Way to go, boss.

#6 - More good news from MLS (though not quite as emotion-stirring as the last two bits): the Columbus Crew are quickly getting healthy.

#7 - Luis Arroyave's Red Card covers a lot of Fire ground: Wilman Conde absent (oi vey), Mr. White hurting and Toyota Park goes green.

#8 - FC Dallas coach Shellas Hyndman is shaking things up. It looks like he might even take my suggestion to put Davide Ferreira back in the #10 spot.

Sh'up. You know it came from me.

#9 - It seems America may not have seen the New York Cosmos' last kick. NSC pal Adam Spangler gets the skinny from the man trying to bring 'em back.

#10 - I kinda wish he hadn't, but Marco van Basten stepped down as Ajax manager today. Right-hand man Johnny van't Schip will pilot the regular season closer and Europa League playoff.

Despite a rancid league second half and supporter howls, the board was ready to give him another shot -as was I. But the notorious Ajacied pressure became too much and San Marco opted out.

What now? Well, the article mentions Co Adriaanse (I doubt it, bad blood) and Frank Rijkaard (unlikely at this time and he's not really a squad-builder, but they'll try). Of course, they may also ring Louis van Gaal, but he probably won't make the move from AZ Alkmaar directly to Amsterdam - perhaps Bayern Munich in between.

I think FC Groningen's Ron Jans or good ol' Foppe de Haan (who I often see at the ArenA) are more reasonable candidates. Sorry to go off on a tangent for the uninterested, I figured it would be expected of me by those wondering what's up.


- Greg Seltzer

United set to defend CL title

Arsenal 1 Manchester United 3 (ManU 4-1 aggregate)

Many figured an early United goal would essentially kill the tie, and they got two inside the first 12 minutes. Ciao, Roma!






- Greg Seltzer

On tap: Arsenal v ManU

It's a bit strange when the key figure in a Champions League semifinal decider isn't allowed to suit up, but we may just have that situation tonight. After a scoreless draw in the Old Trafford leg (Greg dumb #1), Arsenal would surely look and feel a better bet if Andrey Arshavin hadn't been cup-tied by his earlier participation with Zenit St. Petersburg.

As is, the Gunners will have Robin van Persie back and Manchester United have won only once on their last 10 trips to North London. Then again, they don't necessarily need a victory when a scoring draw will work just as well (Greg dumb #2).

There are so many trends and forces butting heads with variables tonight at The Emirates, it's an extremely difficult game to call. On one hand, Arsenal haven't lost a CL match at home in about 4-5 years and topped ManU at home earlier this season (or B.A. - Before Arshavin). Then again, United have far fewer absences to worry about and, well... don't lose so often.

The late fitness test list includes questionable V.I.P. Patrice Evra for United and doubtful former Red Devil Mikael Sylvestre for the home side. If the latter can't go, we may see Johan Djourou get the assignment of his life.

However, if Evra can't go, it lessens the impact of missing Arshavin and may give Arsenal a breach point. Possible replacement John O'Shea has plenty of savvy, but it only takes one or two times of the much smaller, slippery Samir Nasri getting loose to change the outcome.

For United, job #1 is score. Even grabbing just one in the early going can change the game entirely. If they go into halftime still carrying a goose egg, Arsenal chances increase measurably.

Normally, this would go into my "too tough to call" folder, but this is for the final and I'm not in the business of shying from a challenge. I'm gonna call this one... 2-2, United go through after a tense finish.

UPDATE: Urgh. I'm the Nimrod of the Day. ManU lead 1-0 from the first leg. Forget much of what I just said. Nevertheless, I'll stick with United advancing on a 2-2. And Greg still needs a vacation.

UPDATE UPDATE: And now I've referred to myself in the third person. That's worse than the other mix-up. I really need a vacation.

To kill a bit more work productivity:

- UEFA's match notes, just like the ones handed out in the press box
- 10 more match facts from The Telegraph
- Rio will play, despite a knock
- Cesc urges Gunners to do the business
- Sir Alex wants goals

For the last word, we go to Arsene Wenger...




- Greg Seltzer

A few things...

I have a Hawaiian pizza in the oven right now and I'm extremely excited about it...

#1 - Paging Dr. Seitz! Fresh from a weekend Portland loan that saw him notch twin shutouts, the aforementioned Chris may be proper medicine for Real Salt Lake. Starting netminder Nick Rimando is out for a few weeks after suffering a deep cut on his finger during their weekend loss.

And so you say RSL are a totally different team at home than on the road? Well, next week they have one of each - host Los Angeles Wednesday, visit Chivas USA on Saturday. You'd best scrub up, doctor.

#2 - For those, who refuse to admit women's soccer can be exciting, I offer the highlight reel from St. Louis at Washington from Sunday. That game had everything.

#3 - NSC pal Andrea Canales wonders if Bruce Arena's rep hasn't been coasting for nearly seven years.

#4 - It seems the choice of non-Canadian Chris Cummins to take the reins at Toronto FC rankled a few feathers in the great white north.

#5 - The Bleacher Report's Travis Clarks picks out the Top 5 MLS Rookies to date. I like lists in general, and this one's hard to argue with... though I might have nudged Pontius and Zakuani up into a first place tie myself.

#6 - Over the weekend, Everton revealed they had signed teen American midfielder Anton Peterlin to a pre-deal for summer. This may one day look curious to Chicago and San Jose, who passed on him, but he wowed Davey Moyes on trial.

How can he sign with the Toffees? Yes, he has an EU passport from a Danish parent. And yes, that means he still could go either way internationally.

#7 - In case you missed it, stand-up guy Andrei Arshavin of Arsenal tried to insist to the ref that no penalty should be called on Pompey's Sean Davis after going down in the area at an angle that could have confused.

Naturally, whistleblower Lee Mason ignored and gave the spot kick, which Nicolas Bendtner promptly bagged.

Match of the Day viewers got to see a clip with the same exact circumstances centering around Robbie Fowler from years back. I tried to find that clip also, but we must settle for Arshavin's gesture...




- Greg Seltzer

The Castle Dweller RAWKS

(rockin' bullhorns finger sign)

Sounders keeper Kasey Keller will be a guest DJ at 107.7 The End in Seattle on Monday and Tuesday morning. He will also start a new blog at the radio station's site today. Anyone anywhere can listen live over the interwebs.

And by the way, it's B.Y.O.M. (Bring your own mullet).


- Greg Seltzer

Orozco scores in losing cause

U.S. defender Michael Orozco scored San Luis' lone goal with an aggressive header in a 3-1 loss at Santos Laguna on Sunday.

The visitors are in yellow...




- Greg Seltzer

Who likes goals?

After reading a few articles, I've realized that it is entirely possible the Arrested Development movie could hit theatres during World Cup 2010. Talk about sensory overload...

Let's just get this out of the way, I don't want to talk about it. A certain Kenneth Perez boots FC Twente back to the third qualifying round of the Champions League in a rout of the new champs.



Fener's Dani Güiza makes it look so easy for an away derby.



Hertha's Gojko Kačar smashes a big equalizer at Hamburg.



Siena's Houssine Kharja plays Broken Arrow to pierce the heart of NSC pal Chris Courtney.



We wrap things up with this week's MLS Goal of the Week nominees (though they fall a bit short of last week's bounty).





- Greg Seltzer