Tuesday 3 January 2012

I took two weeks off to enjoy the Holiday Season, but now it's back to the Soccer News!

Let's start off with some Sounders news & updates. Seattle signed a replacement for James Riley over the break, he is an international and looks to be an upgrade!

Another international with a family pedigree is supposedly on the Sounders Radar.

Two local boys have been called into the U20 USMNT training camp, Former academy stars DeAndre Yedlin (a defender at Akron) and Sean Okoli (a forward at Wake Forest) were among the 36 called into first U.S. U-20 men's national team camp of the year. A current member of the academy, Jalen Markey, also got a call up. The 6-foot-2 defender plays for the Sounders U-16s and was called into a U.S. U-18 camp.

Seattle may also have 2 other players once training camp starts in about 3 weeks.

Seattle has experienced quite a bit of change since the end of the season, here is one pundits look at the changes.


Fulham 2 – Arsenal 1 (Premier League, January 2, 2011)




Earlier this week, with plenty in Ireland enjoying some time off over Christmas, RTE showed their documentary detailing how Giovanni Trapattoni’s side had qualified for Euro 2012.

The title of the programme plays on Trapattoni’s famous phrase, uttered after the first leg win over Estonia in the play-off: ”The cat is in the sack, but the sack is not closed. The cat is in it, but it’s open – and it’s a wild cat.”

Going game by game, and with input from the likes of Richard Dunne, Ray Houghton and a host of journalists and pundits (including the RTE stars like Liam Brady and Eamon Dunphy), Republic of Ireland fans are sure to enjoy this documentary which sums up a very successful qualification campaign.(Editors Note: this is the difference from America and every other country, we show christmas shows during the holiday, Ireland makes a documentary on their team qualifing for Euro2012!)

You can watch the video here.


Skill Show!



Looks like he is staying put, After weeks of negotiations with PSG, the 36-year-old midfielder and former England captain decided he doesn't want to move his family from the United States.



Wolves 1 – Chelsea 2 (Premier League, January 2, 2012)



Jurgen Klinsmann starts his first full year in charge with the annual January Training camp in Carson, California. Here is a look at the Top 10 storylines for the year.


Goals of the Week (3 Bikes you have to See!)



It's not often a local product gets to participate in the World Cup Qualifing process, but that is what happened to one local kid!!


Blackburn 1 – Stoke 2 (Premier League, January 2, 2012)



You may not have noticed it, but UEFA's landmark Financial Fair Play scheme kicked off just as the 2011-12 European season did. The rules, intended to curb rampant spending and defaulted debt in European club soccer, mandate fiscal responsibility at the peril of missing out on continental competitions. What this means is that in the future it will become much harder for billionaires to buy middling midtable clubs -- think Malaga, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City -- and turn them into giants and start beating up on everybody else.

Sounds simple, but UEFA president Michel Platini's initiative is byzantine. So we've taken the liberty of breaking down the FFP rules for you.


Showboat time!



He is the "Highest paid player in the WORLD" yet he wants to come play in the MLS?


QPR 1 – Norwich 2 (Premier League, January 2, 2012)




We all know professional soccer players need to remain fit in the off season, well one player will be looking for a new team becasue he didn't stay fit!! (Sounders project?)


Bike of the Week



During this time of year teams from Europe like to travel to exotic places for a few weeks of training, the Italians love to pick hot sandy places as is evident in the photo attached to this article!!


Aston Villa 0 – Swansea 2 (Premier League, January 2, 2012)




It is not only a new year but also a "Leap Year" and with that the USA will play Italy on Feb 29th!


2011 Soccer bloopers, trips, dips, and comedy.