Cristiano Ronaldo 102,000 Talksoccer viewers 2g+3assits for the season

[goalmirivan]

Sporting won today against Guimaraes 2-1, and Hugo could only help Sporting run in the second half of the season

Sporting 2 points behind Porto, Porto with a game in hand

[MUFC]

Viana can only play behind shearer i feel, currently dyer is playing there but when they had ameobi and dyer out they should have tried viana there.

[goalmirivan]

Viana needs to play on his position, bad judgement by Mr Robson, if he needed a wing he should go after Ronaldo, Simao or Quaresma

[Frank Cunha]

1. CARLOS BOCANEGRA: 'Maybe I can start kind of a second wave'

By Ridge Mahoney

Carlos Bocanegra, 24, won an appeal to be granted a work permit to play in the English Premier League, which freed him to sign a 3 1/2-year contract with London club Fulham. His MLS contract expired Dec. 31.

Bocanegra signed a four-year contract with MLS after leaving UCLA a year early to begin his pro career in the 2000 season. He didn't meet a requirement that a player appeared in 75 percent of his national team's competitive internationals during the previous two years to be granted a work permit and so his initial application was denied.

In the appeal process, one criteria is the salary the club will pay its prospective player. Americans Brad Friedel (Blackburn), Kasey Keller (Tottenham), Tim Howard (Manchester United) and Claudio Reyna (Manchester City) all reportedly earn far more than $1 million per year.

Bocanegra's salary was undisclosed but believed to be one reason he won his appeal, since appeals panels in the past have rejected relatively low-salaried players. Also, Bocanegra played nearly every game in the 2002 and 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cups as well as the Confederations Cup last summer; as a comparison, U.S. midfielder Bobby Convey, whose appeal to sign a contract with Tottenham was denied last August, didn't play in the 2002 Gold Cup.

Soccer America talked to Bocanegra on Friday as he was packing his bags in preparation for his trip to England on Saturday:

SOCCER AMERICA: Do you think MLS made serious effort to re-sign you?
CARLOS BOCANEGRA: I sort of told the league I didn't want to stay so I didn't feel like they wanted to keep me. But I didn't feel like they were anxious to get rid of me.
MLS has helped me out so much. It gave me a chance to play and got me onto the national team and helped me get overseas, so it's turned out great for me."

SA: Besides personal satisfaction, what would earning a starting spot in the Premiership accomplish?
CB: It's important that I get some playing time and pave the way for a few more of our field players to go over there, because our goalkeepers have done so well. That's like the next step.
Claudio [Reyna], Eddie Lewis and Jovan [Kirovski] have done well to get their feet in the door for the field players. Maybe I can start kind of a second wave, a younger generation, that will go over there and I definitely think we have the athletes in MLS to do well.

SA: How much contact have you had with the club or the manager?
CB: I've talked to [Fulham manager] Chris Coleman. He sounds like a good guy. He wants me in the middle, they call it a center-half over there.

SA: What's your time table?
CB: I leave tomorrow. Once I get over there they'll sort out everything about a place to live and a car. I have a medical Monday morning but I don't know if I'll train that day or not.
As long as they let me in the country I'll be fine.

[Frank Cunha]

3. MLS: Eight join Adu in 2004 Project-40 class

Eight players, including five members of the U.S. U-20 team that reached the quarterfinals at the 2003 World Youth Championship, have signed Nike Project-40 contracts, joining Freddy Adu, who signed in November. All will be available in the 2004 MLS SuperDraft January 16.

Nike Project-40 players receive an educational stipend in addition to their salary and a developmental spot on the roster of their MLS club.

The U-20 players are: Steve Cronin (Santa Clara University, junior), Ryan Cochrane (Santa Clara University, junior), Chad Marshall (Stanford University, sophomore), Ned Grabavoy (Indiana University, junior) and (Clint Dempsey, Furman University, junior).

Among the signees is Michael Bradley, the son of MetroStars coach Bob Bradley.

2004 NIKE PROJECT-40 SIGNEES

MICHAEL BRADLEY
Forward
Hometown: Palatine, Ill.
Born: July 31, 1987
Enrolled in the U.S. U-17 residency program in Bradenton, Fla.

RYAN COCHRANE
Defender
Santa Clara University
Hometown: Portland, Ore.
Born: Aug. 8, 1983
Started all five matches at central defender at the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship

STEVE CRONIN
Goalkeeper
Santa Clara University
Hometown: Sacramento, Calif.
Born: May 28, 1983
Named to the all-Tournament Team at the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship

CLINT DEMPSEY
Forward
Furman University
Born: March 9, 1983
Hometown: Nacogdoches, Texas
One of the leading scorers on the Furman University team with seven goals and five assists in 17 games.


JOSH GARDNER
Midfielder
University of Cincinnati
Hometown: Houston, Texas
Born: Sept. 14, 1982
Led Cincinnati with six assists and tied for the team lead with six goals this season

CLARENCE GOODSON
Defender
University of Maryland
Hometown: Springfield, Va.
Born: May 17, 1982
Named to 2003 ACC All-Tournament Team

NED GRABAVOY
Midfielder
Indiana University
Hometown: New Lenox, Ill.
Born: July 1, 1983
Scored the first goal in Indiana's 2-1 NCAA Championship game victory over St. John's in 2003

CHAD MARSHALL
Defender
Stanford University
Hometown: Riverside, Calif.
Born: Aug. 22, 1984
Helped the U.S. Under-20 team notch two shutouts at the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship

[Frank Cunha]

Can Manchester United lose Tim Howard over signing irregularites? more on the USA forum

[Frank Cunha]

another shutout for Tim Howard, when his Ronaldo schedule to play? what about Hugo Viana?

[MUFC]

Ronaldo is back from portugal this week and i think will start against wolves next saturday. Howard is good as ever but worried about the payment for his work permit issue

[verde-rubro]

ban the fvcker manure scum :mrgreen:





































:hey:

[Frank Cunha]

send him back to the Metrostars, and then selling him for 10million

[Frank Cunha]

Mathis Saga Takes A Twist 12/01/04

U.S. attacker Clint Mathis has not joined Hannover 96 at their winter camp in Turkey as expected, but jetted west instead to participate in a three-day trial with Sunderland.

"He will be there until Wednesday and it gives Mick (McCarthy) a chance to have a look at him,” said Mathis’ agent David Baldwin to Sky Sports. "Clint went over to Germany and has really impressed Hannover and they really want him.”

"However, Mick contacted us and said he would really like to see Clint after hearing very good things about him – (He) wants a top class striker to help them get back into the Premiership."

Hannover, who seem anxious to hammer out a deal, still believe they can get Mathis into a red shirt later this week.

"Clint had a good time here," reported coach Ralf Rangnick.

"I’m sure that he’ll be back with us in Turkey on Thursday at the latest, assuming Sunderland don't make him an offer he can't refuse."

Hannover are intent on augmenting the squad in January and Mathis, originally viewed as a #10 type to spell Jan Simak, may now have greater meaning to the northern German side what with top gun Thomas Christiansen ailing.

[Frank Cunha]

Sources within MLS have confirmed that the league and Blackburn Rovers have finalised the sale of Columbus striker Brian McBride to the Premiership club for an immediate transfer.
A reported three-year contract worth around $1,400,000 annually (750,000 pounds) is to be paid to McBride, with MLS garnering a transfer fee of under $1,000,000 for the 31 year-old U.S. international striker.



copyright © MLS
Although a work permit has not been granted as of this time, his past time in England and the amount of caps McBride has earned on the international level should leave the UK's Department of Employment happy.

Now the Columbus Crew must do without what simply can be said is the face of the young club, as McBride had been with the team since the first season. The team is expected to announce the trade in a press conference on Wednesday.

The Crew has been busy over the last 24 hours divvying up some of the salary cap space opened up with the transfer of McBride, bringing in veteran defender Robin Fraser and midfielder Manny Lagos in separate trades. The Crew also are expected to be given a "major" allocation by MLS with the transfer of McBride, which has happened in high-profile sales in the past.

As for McBride's new Lancashire home, he faces a quantity (perhaps not quality) of rivals for playing time under Graeme Souness. Veterans Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke have been inconsistent at best this season, as has Matt Jansen. The youthful Paul Gallagher is also in the mix, but McBride fills a large hole in Blackburn's squad in the role of a power "target" forward.

[Frank Cunha]

these week the best young american players will be pick by the MLS teams, expect some of this guys to be on the Premier soon

http://www.talksoccer.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=43150#43150

[Frank Cunha]

Rick Parry last night revealed that Liverpool Football Club is planning to embark on a summer tour to the United States of America.

Although nothing has yet been finalised, the Reds Chief Executive told shareholders at the club's annual general meeting that a visit to the east coast of America has been pencilled in as part of the team's preparations for the 2004/05 season.

More details are expected to be revealed later this month.

The club have toured America on four previous occasions, the last being during the summer of 1964.