Any imaginative fan of the American game has probably wondered what would happen if our best players were to face off against one of the European giants. Well, the time has come.
Bruce Arena will lead a squad of MLS notables against Manchester United on July 28th.
The All-Stars were selected in part by online voters, combined with picks by Bruce Arena and a few additions by league commissioner Don Garber. Here they are!
Goalkeepers:
Donovan Ricketts (LA Galaxy)
Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)
Defenders:
Kevin Alston (New England Revolution)
Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA)
Wilman Conde (Chicago Fire)
Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy)
Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew)
Jamison Olave (Real Salt Lake)
Heath Pearce (FC Dallas)
Midfielders:
Guillermo Barros Schelotto (Columbus Crew)
Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo)
David Ferreira (FC Dallas)
Shalrie Joseph (New England Revolution)
Jeff Larentowicz (Colorado Rapids)
Sebastien Le Toux (Philadelphia Union)
Javier Morales (Real Salt Lake)
Marco Pappa (Chicago Fire)
Dwayne De Rosario (Toronto FC)
Forwards:
Edson Buddle (LA Galaxy)
Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo)
Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy)
Jaime Moreno (D.C. United)
Juan Pablo Angel (New York Red Bulls)
UUUUUUUUHHH! Looks like both Machester Utd and Manchester City are looking to bid on the forward. I wouldn’t be surprised to see other teams jump all over this opportunity and bid for his services. Can anyone say bidding war?! OH YEAH!
Too bad, though. Real has a tendency to treat quality players poorly. Examples: Cambiasso and Robben. Look at these guys now! And the list goes on! I mean come on!
For them to let Higuaín go is a huge mistake especially since fellow Argentina international Angel Di Maria is set to join Real after the World Cup. These two work very well together. Just purely a huge mistake and a reason why it is very difficult to build a base and a collective Real when you have club members purchasing and transferring players rather than letting the coach (in this case Manuel Pellegrini) do what they are supposed to do.
But I don’t blame Gonzalo Higuaín. Real is Real for its history and quality players. Quality players on paper, that is. In truth, it’s been a while since they have been able to prove anything in Europe and even La Liga to any extent since Barcelona’s current dominace in La Liga.
It’s funny that Real is willing to pay bench players more than Gonzalo who is the team’s leading goal scorer, provides tons of good play, and trails only Lionel Messi for the Pichichi*.
About the Author:
Rick Minars is a ONELOVE Ambassador and a coach at Beverly Hills High in Los Angeles, CA. He is an Argentine-American who joined the ONELOVE movement during our early pickup sessions in 2007.
*The Pichichi is awarded annually by the Spanish newspaper ‘Marca’ to the highest goal scorer in La Liga.
Chelsea has made an emphatic return to form and you have to wonder, with Rooney’s injuries and the countless issues plaguing Arsenal, if anyone is actually capable challenging their title hopes.
Drogba had the game winner on Saturday as Rooney watched painfully from the crowd. Here are highlights…
The influence of Hip Hop in the EPL seems to be spreading like wildfire. 50 Cent played to a sell-out crowd in Manchester tonight, attracting footballers and fans from every corner of the UK to drop rivalries and enjoy some music. Might as well kick off a rumor while we’re at it… What if 50 bought into an EPL franchise?
Emile Heskey and Emanuel Adebayor at 50’s show – photo credit: Matrix Photos
Now it get’s interesting. Here are the Quarter-final matchups:
- Arsenal vs Barcelona – These teams met in the UCL final back in 2006. It’ll be the first time that Frabregas, a former Barça youth star, will make a visiting appearance at the Nou Camp. This is the battle that I’ve been waiting for; two very self-aware squads with brilliant leadership. It’ll be like a game of chess.
- Manchester United vs Bayern Munich. This should go United’s way, but it’s impossible to tell. Both are in tip-top form.
- Inter Milan vs CSKA Moskva. Smart money is on Inter.
- Lyon vs Bordeaux. A tough call. Lyon are in 5th behind 1st place Bordeaux in the Ligue 1, but they only trail by 2 points. Bordeaux may have a slight edge, but either side could make it to the final.
Everton managed a convincing 3-1 victory over Manchester United on Saturday, thanks to some brilliant work from second-half subs. All favoritism aside, Donovan has stepped up in Fellaini’s (and Cahill’s) absence. You have to wonder if they can fight back into the top 5. It’s possible. And if UEFA comes calling, be it Europa or Champions, the Merseysiders will surely seek an extension on Donovan’s contract.
David Beckham’s first match against former club Manchester United was a bit anticlimactic thanks in large part to the stellar play of striker Wayne Rooney.
Playing at the San Siro in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 Tuesday, Rooney was nothing short of magnificent while netting two late goals in just eight minutes to give United a 3-2 victory over Beckham and AC Milan. The first goal came in the 66th minute when Rooney headed home a cross from substitute Antonio Valencia; he used his head again for his second score, knocking in a pass from Darren Fletcher. The scores were Rooney’s first European goals of a year, which give him a total of 25 for the season.
Milan got on the board first when Ronaldinho scored in the third minute off a Beckham free kick. Paul Scholes made it a 1-1 match with a goal in the 36th minute. After the break it was all Rooney until Milan’s Clarence Seedorf drew the Rossoneri to within one, hitting the back of the net at the 85-minute mark.
In other Champions League action, Lyon stunned red-hot Real Madrid 1-0 in the first leg of their showdown. Jean Makoun netted the match’s lone goal when he scored on a rocket shot from 25-yards out. Madrid dominated every facet of the match except the scoreboard. The squad had six shots on goal compared to four for Lyon; it also attempted three more corners and held the ball for 66 percent of the match.
The closest Madrid got to lighting up the scoreboard came in the first half when Gonzalo Higuaín received a quality pass from Cristiano Ronaldo but couldn’t manage to get past defender Jean-Alain Boumsong. In the second half, Ronaldo tried his best from 25-yards away but was rejected by goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
Heading into the match, the return of former Lyon star Karim Benzema dominated headlines. Benzema entered the match in the 64th minute as a substitute for Higuaín and had little to show leading up to the final whistle.
Despite allowing an away goal, Madrid’s statistical dominance Tuesday will give it an advantage when Lyon travels to the Bernabeu March 10. United will take its distinct goal advantage home to Old Trafford when it faces Milan again the same day.
Playing with just 10 men after Nani was sent off for a poor challenge on Stiliyan Petrov at the 29 minute mark, Sir Alex Ferguson’s squad used all its resources to keep it a 1-1 contest. An own goal from Villa’s James Collins in the 23rd minute gave United all it needed to pull within one point of league leader Chelsea. Manchester avenged its early season loss to Villa, when Martin O’Neill’s side broke a nearly 30-year-old losing streak at Old Trafford, downing the Red Devils 1-0.
Nani sees red/photo credit: Getty Images
The victor’s biggest concern after the draw will surely be the health of star midfielder Ryan Giggs. Giggs left the pitch after a clash with Villa’s Steven Sidwell and was seen exiting the stadium with his arm in a sling. The severity of the injury is unknown, but with a Champions League showdown at AC Milan set for Tuesday, United will certainly be keeping close tabs on his progress.
EPL standings as of Feb 11th
Meanwhile, the Blues found themselves on the receiving end of a 2-1 loss to red-hot Everton. Louis Saha provided both scores for the Toffees, first hitting home a header to make the score 1-1 then netting the winning goal in the 75th minute. Everton has been on a role as of late, going 5-1-1 in its last seven matches; the squad is in the middle of a string of four straight contests against teams in the top half of the table; Everton opened the run with a 1-0 loss at Liverpool and it’ll finish things up with matches against Manchester United and Tottenham.
Arsenal kept pace with the league’s top two, recording a 1-0 win over Liverpool. Abou Diaby scored the match’s lone goal when he headed in a cross from Tomas Rosicky in the 72nd minute. The Gunners – currently in third in the league – put themselves in prime position to make a late-season run, pulling to within six points of Chelsea and narrowing the gap with United to just five points. Upcoming matches against Stoke City, Sunderland, Burnley and Hull City should keep Arsene Wenger’s side on the winning path as it heads down the stretch.
Great goalkeepers are like fine wines in that they only improve with age. No goalkeeper fits that bill better than the U.S.’s own Tim Howard. The 30-year-old keeper from New Jersey got his start in the game when former U-17 assistant coach Tim Mulqueen began to mentor him in his early teens. After successful highs school campaigns, Howard transitioned into the now defunct United Soccer Leagues playing for the New Jersey Imperials. Howard’s relationship with Mulqueen then came into play and his mentor brought the young keeper to the MLS MetroStars in 1998.
By 2001, Howard had won the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year award and attracted the attention of the Senior U.S. International Team. After playing for the youth team in 1999, Howard earned his first official cap in 2002 in a friendly against Ecuador. However, it was a transfer in 2003 that made Howard a household name around the world.
English football giants Manchester United signed Howard and promptly placed him in the starting position. He had an impressive first season, but later struggled to meet the demands of the highly competitive English Premiership. After 45 appearances with Manchester United, Howard transferred to Everton in 2006. Since his debut he become Everton’s starting keeper and has even captained for the English club.
Howard has had a successful career abroad, but his recent performances with the U.S. National Team have made him the respected athlete he is today. In 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup, Howard helped lift hits team to a 2-1 victory over region rivals, Mexico. Under the leadership of coach Bob Bradley, Howard and the U.S. squad toppled number one-ranked Spain at the 2009 Confederations Cup. Eight saves led to a shutout against Spanish favorites, marking the first time Spain has been shutout since 2007. Howard’s talents were recognized by FIFA, who awarded him the Golden Glove Award for best goalkeeper.
The U.S. will have a tough first match in South Africa this year as the team gears up to face England. After a disappointing campaign in 2006, the U.S. is sure to want to leave a strong impression upon the international scene more in line with last year’s Confederations Cup. Will the U.S. make it into the knockout stages? Can they perhaps reach the final? Whatever the outcome, Howard is sure to play an integral part in it.
