Soccer Insider: October 12, 2008 - October 18, 2008
A Goalkeeper's Goal
Greatest absurd goal ever. Quotes from Danny Cepero, courtesy of the Red Bulls..... On whether he knew he scored: "I didn't at all. I had no idea. I just put it in the general area with no intention of scoring and kind of hit it somewhere where my teammates could...
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Steve Goff
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October 18, 2008; 11:30 PM ET |
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MLS
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Weekend Kickaround
D.C. United is off this weekend, which means I am off this weekend. (Mostly.) So let's wrap up a few things and look ahead to others..... *Considering Brazil's scoring problems at home in World Cup qualifying, everyone figured Dunga would be the next South American coach to depart. Instead, it's...
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Steve Goff
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October 17, 2008; 10:15 AM ET |
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2010 World Cup
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College Soccer
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Women
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United-Revs, the Aftermath
Nice comeback. No, not the extraordinary one by that other New England team tonight. I'm talking about DCU against the Revs. For some perspective, read my match report. The video is here. Tom Soehn, commenting on the young players' impact after filling in for injured starters all year: "It has...
By
Steve Goff
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October 17, 2008; 12:59 AM ET |
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D.C. United
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Conway, Parke Suspended, Fined for Substance Abuse
Here is the stunning release from the league..... Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber announced today that he has suspended and fined New York Red Bulls players Jon Conway and Jeff Parke for violating the MLS Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health (SABH) Policy by testing positive for androstatriendione (ATD) and...
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Steve Goff
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October 16, 2008; 4:55 PM ET |
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MLS
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Matchnight: United-Revolution
Greetings from RFK. A light rain is falling, the appropriate setting for what could, for all intents and purposes, mark the end of a dark regular season campaign for D.C. United. A loss would be deadly, a tie of little help. DCU will have to accomplish something it has failed...
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Steve Goff
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October 16, 2008; 4:22 PM ET |
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D.C. United
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Joe the Keeper
Never mind this guy. (Are his 15 minutes up yet?) Let's talk about San Jose's Joe Cannon, perhaps the best keeper in MLS history. The reason I bring up his name is because, with the final list of players' salaries now available, Cannon is, deservedly, the top-paid goalie in MLS....
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Steve Goff
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October 16, 2008; 12:45 PM ET |
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MLS
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Morning Kickaround
*Houston moves closer to clinching the top seed in the Western Conference, thanks to Stuart Holden's two goals, including the winner in added time, to down San Jose, 2-1. The Dynamo was shorthanded for almost the entire game after a red card to Kei Kamara. Read the juicy details here....
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Steve Goff
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October 16, 2008; 9:25 AM ET |
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2010 World Cup
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CONCACAF
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D.C. United
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MLS
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CONCACAF Clarity (Sort Of)
Okay, where are we after five games apiece? USA, Costa Rica and El Salvador are through to the final round. Congrats to all. Unless I have miscalcuated..... Mexico (10 points, +4) is also headed to the next stage unless it loses at Honduras next month by, say, three goals and...
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Steve Goff
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October 16, 2008; 6:00 AM ET |
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2010 World Cup
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Matchnight: USA-T&T
Your running commentary on the U.S. World Cup qualifier in Port of Spain (8 p.m. ET, ESPN) is welcome here. Unfortunately, with the Americans having secured a final-round berth, I am not on site tonight. (I miss this place.) I also encourage discussion on the other CONCACAF matches and the...
By
Steve Goff
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October 15, 2008; 7:30 PM ET |
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CONCACAF
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MLS
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U.S. men's national team
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MLS Expansion List
The following cities have filed formal applications to bid for the two MLS expansion teams that will begin play in 2011: *Atlanta (Arthur Blank) *Miami (FC Barcelona, Marcelo Claure) *Montreal (Saputo and Gillett families) *Ottawa (Eugene Melnyk) *Portland (Paulson family) *St. Louis (Jeff Cooper group) *Vancouver (Greg Kerfoot, Steve Nash,...
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Steve Goff
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October 15, 2008; 5:06 PM ET |
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MLS
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Crayton's Mail
DCU goalkeeper Louis Crayton, the target of racially insensitive remarks made by a Houston supporter on Sunday, said he has been overwhelmed with apologies and kind comments from the Dynamo and its fans. The number of e-mails has surpassed 150, including one from Dynamo Coach Dominic Kinnear, and he also...
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Steve Goff
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October 15, 2008; 1:40 PM ET |
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D.C. United
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Memories of Danilo
DCU captain Jaime Moreno, on the death of Spanish radio announcer Danilo Noel Diron: "It's pretty sad. I had a good friendship with him. He taught me a lot since I had my back surgery [five years ago] and he had cancer. I was really upset with my injury, pretty...
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Steve Goff
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October 15, 2008; 12:56 PM ET |
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D.C. United
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The Latest From RFK
*The big question: Will Luciano Emilio (hamstring) and Jaime Moreno (knee) return to the starting lineup tomorrow night against the Revs? Moreno says he will not start but is available if needed. Doctors have told him that, by playing, he can't do any more damage to the knee. He will,...
By
Steve Goff
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October 15, 2008; 12:10 PM ET |
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D.C. United
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Qualifying Day
The full list of World Cup qualifiers is available here. Already today, Australia and South Korea were winners and Japan was held to a tie at home. Other key matches include: Chile-Argentina Germany-Wales Colombia-Brazil Netherlands-Norway Belarus-England Jamaica-Honduras Canada-Mexico Belgium-Spain The USA match at T&T will begin at 8 p.m. ET...
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Steve Goff
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October 15, 2008; 10:30 AM ET |
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2010 World Cup
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Morning Kickaround
*It's deadline day for MLS expansion applications, with FC Barcelona joining forces with a Bolivian businessman to run a club in Miami. Ottawa, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Vancouver, St. Louis, Portland and perhaps others are also expected to submit bids for what is likely to be two expansion teams in 2011....
By
Steve Goff
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October 15, 2008; 8:43 AM ET |
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2010 World Cup
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CONCACAF
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College Soccer
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D.C. United
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MLS
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Pick Your USA Starters
As a reminder, here is the USA roster for Wednesday night's qualifier at T&T (8 p.m. ET, ESPN, Galavision): GOALKEEPERS: Brad Guzan, Troy Perkins. DEFENDERS: Jonathan Bornstein, Danny Califf, Frankie Hejduk, Michael Orozco, Heath Pearce, Marvell Wynne. MIDFIELDERS: Freddy Adu, DaMarcus Beasley, Brian Carroll, Maurice Edu, Sacha Kljestan, Danny Szetela,...
By
Steve Goff
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October 14, 2008; 5:00 PM ET |
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U.S. men's national team
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Show Us the Money!
Salary figures (based on an annual contract) for several of the players who signed with MLS in the past couple months: Brian McBride, Chicago: $164,000 base/$189,000 guaranteed Dejair, Chivas USA: 96,000/185,000 Pat Noonan, Columbus: 175,000/175,000 Cory Gibbs, Colorado: 96,000/103,000 Louis Crayton, D.C. United: 168,000/176,000 Tristan Bowen, Los Angeles: 45,000/76,000 Eddie...
By
Steve Goff
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October 14, 2008; 1:35 PM ET |
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MLS
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Midday Kickaround
*A 25-year-old from the D.C. area runs a nonprofit organization that helps build low-maintenance soccer fields in Guatemalan communities where children often have no place to play except garbage-strewn lots or hard-to-reach fields. Read the story here. Watch and listen to the photo essay here. *Maryland (9-3), ranked No. 6...
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Steve Goff
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October 14, 2008; 1:10 PM ET |
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2010 World Cup
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College Soccer
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World
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The Good, the Bad, the Coyote Ugly
Before we get started with the MLS review, a look a the playoff situation: EAST (1) Columbus vs. (4) Kansas City* (2) Chicago vs. (3) New England WEST (1) Houston vs. (4) New York* (2) Chivas USA vs. (3) RSL *wild card THE WILD-CARD CHASE (Games remaining in parentheses) Kansas...
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Steve Goff
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October 14, 2008; 9:55 AM ET |
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MLS
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USA Roster Changes
Injuries have prompted USA Coach Bob Bradley to make two changes to his roster for Wednesday's World Cup qualifier at T&T: Pablo Mastroeni is out, Brian Carroll is in. Robbie Rogers is out, Chris Rolfe is in. The details are here....
By
Steve Goff
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October 13, 2008; 9:59 PM ET |
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U.S. men's national team
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A True Loss for DCU
Longtime DCU Spanish radio announcer Danilo Noel Diron, 63, has passed away after a long battle with cancer. Click here for more details and for some thoughts from the club's TV announcer, Dave Johnson. To read Mike Wise's 2004 column on the friendship between Danilo and team captain Jaime Moreno,...
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Steve Goff
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October 13, 2008; 4:49 PM ET |
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D.C. United
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Golazo!
Let's lighten the mood for a moment with this spectacular goal by Club America's Alfredo Moreno during a 1-1 tie with Puebla. Moreno, an Argentine, was later red-carded. The goal is even more impressive in replay. Watch and learn, kids:...
By
Steve Goff
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October 13, 2008; 11:30 AM ET |
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Mexico
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Cuban Player Talks
In an exclusive interview with the Insider, one of the two Cuban players who left the team's Virginia hotel with the intent of defecting tells his harrowing tale. Read the story. Share your thoughts in the comments section....
By
Steve Goff
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October 13, 2008; 6:00 AM ET |
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CONCACAF
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United-Dynamo, the Aftermath
This will not be the usual postgame wrap-up. Here's why: A few minutes after the match ended, DCU goalkeeper Louis Crayton was chatting with well-wishers outside the locker room when a Houston fan directed slurs at the Liberian. Crayton leapt over a retaining barrier and attempted to confront the individual,...
By
Steve Goff
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October 12, 2008; 10:31 PM ET |
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D.C. United
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Matchnight: United-Dynamo
Greetings from Robertson Stadium. Sorry for the delay, but I am working on a big story (non-DCU) and will be a bit distracted throughout the match. The lineup: Crayton; Namoff, Peralta, Janicki, Burch; McTavish, Simms, Vide, Guerrero; Quaranta, Khumalo. Subs: Wells, Martinez, Doe, Thompson, Dyachenko, Emilio, Carroll. The floor is...
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Steve Goff
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October 12, 2008; 6:13 PM ET |
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D.C. United
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U.S. Roster Set for T&T
With Goff on a plane to Houston for tonight's game, here's a glimpse at Coach Bob Bradley's 18-man roster for Wednesday's qualifier at Trinidad & Tobago. Goalkeepers: Troy Perkins, Brad Guzan. Defenders: Jonathan Bornstein, Danny Califf, Frankie Hejduk, Michael Orozco, Heath Pearce, Marvell Wynne. Midfielders: Freddy Adu, DaMarcus Beasley, Maurice...
By
Greg Manifold
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October 12, 2008; 3:09 PM ET |
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U.S. men's national team
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Sunday Kickaround
*Steve Ralston suffered a broken bone in his leg early in New England's loss at Kansas City and will probably miss the rest of the season. *Brazil at Venezuela and Chile at Ecuador in World Cup qualifying today. *A college soccer story you need to read. *Has that Tampa-Boston baseball...
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Steve Goff
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October 12, 2008; 9:05 AM ET |
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2010 World Cup
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College Soccer
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Final Thoughts From RFK
Four USA matches, four USA victories, nine goals in two home games, one conceded overall. The final two group matches are important only to the opponents -- at T&T on Wednesday and Guatemala next month in Denver. Those nations are tied for second place with five points apiece after playing...
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Steve Goff
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October 12, 2008; 12:33 AM ET |
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U.S. men's national team
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