New Home!

It brings me great sorrow to announce the end of Out for a Throw.  Don't fret though, there is a new website you can go to.  YanksSoccer.com is the my new site about American Soccer and I hope you will visit it and enjoy it.  Feel free to bookmark it so you don't forget it or join up with one of our RSS feeds. 

USA Demolishes Barbados

As many of you know, USA began their World Cup Qualifying campaign with a 8-0 win over Barbados.  The result puts nothing in doubt when the US go to Barbados next weekend.  If you missed the game, here are the highlights:

Leave your comments about the games below

World Cup Qualifying Results

Yesterday was an action packed day of World Cup Qualifying.  Both CONMEBOL and CONCACAF held qualifying matches yesterday.  SBI put up a good report of the action and I'll send you out to him for the details, but there were some major shocks to say the least.  Enjoy the football today and leave your comments below.

Awesome Turkey Come Back from Dead to Advance to the Quarterfinals

Turkey rallied from a two goal deficit in the final fifteen minutes to oust the Czech Republic from Euro 2008.  Turkey looked dead and buried after goals from Jan Koller and Jaroslav Plasil but the Turks refused to lay down and concede the game.  

The young Turkish winger Arda Turan forced a tenuous final fifteen minutes when he finished Hamit Altintop's centering ball to the lower corner.  Peter Cech got finger tips on it but could only deflect it onto the post and the ball rolled in to the net.  

Turkey continued to press and received a fortuitous tally in the 87th minute.  Peter Cech went up to collect an ordinary cross but fumbled the ball into Nihat's run and the Villareal man finished to send the Turkish fans into rapture.  

The first ever group stage penalty shootout seemed imminent but Nihat was not finished.  The Czech Republic gave the ball away to Tuncay who sent the ball into Nihat's run.  Nihat sent a bending ball from eighteen yards to the top corner over an onrushing Peter Cech.  The ball bent down into the crossbar and bounced into the goal.  

Turkish fans went crazy and some of them could not believe their side had come back in such dramatic fashion.  This game will surely go down as one of the most fantastic games in Euro history.

Turkey is set to play Croatia who clinched the top spot in group B in the quarterfinals.  

What did you think of today's exciting match?  Did Turkey deserve the win?  Were the Czech's unfortunate and unlucky?  Leave your thoughts in the comment section. 

Scolari Moved to Chelsea because of the Cash

Luiz Felipe Scolari, esteemed coach of Portugal, and soon to be manager of Chelsea admits that the cash brought him to Stamford Bridge.  Scolari said "money mattered" in his decision to join Chelsea, and if we know Chelsea, we know that Scolari isn't going to leave a poor man.  He also said he hopes to retire in four or five years.  Scolari also revealed that Portugal's football federation wanted to keep him on, but they were not able to match the money that Chelsea was offering.  He also spoke about the concerns that he wouldn't adequately be able to communicate with some of his players.  "I speak English with my players, I speak German, I speak Italian... don't worry, the language of football is only one."  It sounds like Scolari has a firm grasp on his new job, and I cannot wait to see where he can take Chelsea FC.

Aaron Ramsey Chooses Arsenal over Man-u and Everton

As unhappy as Arsene Wenger was about losing the title to Manchester United, it must be a little consilation that he has pipped Aaron Ramsey from under their noses.  The 17 year old Cardiff City midfielder impressed in Cardiff's FA cup run, and sparked the interest of Everton, Manchester United, and Arsenal.  All three teams met Cardiff's valuation, rumored to be about 5 million pounds, and it was up to Ramsey to choose his destination.  Ramsey sites Arsene Wenger as a "Big factor" in his decision to move to the Emirates.  Ramsey apreciates the fact that Wenger is always using his young players, and they get a chance to compete at the highest level.  

What do you think about Arsene Wenger pipping Aaron Ramsey away from Old Trafford?  Are you surprised Ramsey chose Arsenal over Man-u?  Your Comments are welcome below.

Italy held to 1-1 draw, The Nedtherlands dominate France

Death must be an exciting thing, because the "Group of Death" is so exciting that I'm constantly on the edge of my seat.  The two World Cup finalists could be ousted by the proverbial underdog, Romania, and Holland is undeniably the most entertaining team I have seen in a while.  

Romania and Italy played to an eventful, controversial, and entertaining draw.  Italy thought they exorcised their demons when Luca Toni scored a fantastic header to the top corner.  However, the linesman ruled him offside.  The replay clearly showed that he was onside, but the goal didn't stand and the score remained level.  Adrian Mutu made the Italian faithful cringe when he latched onto a through ball and buried it in the back of the net.  Italians didn't have to wait more than a minute for the equalizer though, as Christian Panucci put Giorgio Chiellini's flick in to the Romanian net just a minute after Mutu gave Romania the lead.  The referee was again the culprit when he called a penalty against Italy in the 81st minute.  Mutu stepped up but Buffon was up to the task.  He dived by the ball, but his trailing hand hit the ball, and the danger was over.  Italy must be disappointed with their 1-1 tie, and Romania ecstatic with their destiny in their own hands.

As back and forth as the Italy Romania match was, it was nothing compared to the Dutch and The French.  The Dutch won 4-1 over the French, and the French were to put it lightly, ripped to shreds.  The Dutch truly achieved "Total Football" in their past two games.  With their victory they clinched first place in the group, and a match with the second place team from group D.  Dirk Kuyt, Robin Van Persie, Arjen Robben, and Wesley Sneijder all scored in dramatic fashion propelling the Dutch to the quarterfinals.  

France and Italy will play next tuesday, and so will Romania and The Nedtherlands.  If France and Italy tie, then all Romania needs is a point to advance.  If Romania wins, they are through.  If Romania lose, then the winner of France and Italy will go through.  If France and Italy are tied after regular time, they will go to penalties to determine a winner.   

I hope you enjoy this fantastic day of soccer. It doesn't get better than this.  As always, leave your thoughts below in the comments section.

Beenhakker Rips English Ref

Leo Beenhakker was understandably mad, after Austria were awarded a late penalty which effectively ousted the Polish from the tournament.  The English found their way to Euro 2008 in the form of Howard Webb, and he duly sparked the ire of Mr. Beenhakker with his questionable penalty.  Here's what Beenhakker had to say about the game and Mr. Webb.

"Maybe he wants to show he is a big boy and has the guts to do it, I don't know,"

"I've never had a problem in 43 years of being in football but this is something I cannot understand.

"It's impossible to accept but I am working on it," 

"I'm very satisfied with the boys, I have no complaints about the boys.

"We don't have it in our own hands any more and the conclusion is we are out of the tournament."

"If you lose a game because they score two and you don't it's different and tough but you accept it," he said.

"Sometimes you don't get what you deserve. This hurts much more than the first match.

"It was the only situation to survive in the tournament. Austria is excited about the result."

Who Will Scolari Bring to Chelsea?

Since Chelsea made the announcement that they are going to hire Luiz Felipe Scolari after Euro 2008, I was wondering what this would mean for the future of my beloved club.  Will Scolari bring in some of his Portuguese and Brazilian players he's previously managed?  It is reported that he will go after Kaka, and he will attempt to convince Ricardo Carvalho to stay.  Ronaldinho is also a genuine possibility. 

Who should Luiz Felipe Scolari bring to Chelsea?  Let's hear what you think in the comments section.

Scolari is New Chelsea Manager

Luiz Felipe Scolari will be the next manager of Chelsea. There were numerous managers asociated with the Chelsea job, but Scolari rose above them. His long pedigree of making winners should serve him well at Stamford Bridge. Scolari will begin on July 1, after the Euro's end.

What do you think of the hire? Is Scolari the right man for the job? Your thoughts below.

Jozy Altidore Agrees to Terms with Villareal

Jozy Altidore has oficially agreed to terms with Villareal, and will be unveiled today at a press conference.  The deal can't officially happen until July 1 when the European transfer window opens.  We don't know his salary, but it will be considerably more than his 108,000 dollars a year salary for the Red Bulls.  It is also posible he could be loaned out to Recreativo Huelva, so he can have more playing time.

What do you guys think of the move?  Sad to see him leave?  Happy that he might play Champions League football next year?  Happy he can try to convince Giuseppe Rossi to play for the US, oh wait, that ship has sailed.

Your thoughts below.

US Roster vs. Barbados released

The USA should have no trouble getting by Barbados, but there are some interesting omissions from the squad.  Most notably, Jozy Altidore was not included in the team.  There were some injury concerns last week, but it could just be that Bradley didn't want to call him in because he didn't play in one of the friendlies.  The only player who was included in the roster who didn't play in the 3 friendlies against England, Spain, and Argentina is Brian Ching.  His inclusion highlights a major lack of depth at forward, and the US need to look deeper into the pool for some talent.  Kenny Cooper and Robbie Findley might warrent a call up to the full national team.  Here is the roster:

Name	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	Birthdate	Caps/G	Hometown	Club
Adu, Freddy	M	5’8”	140	6/2/1989	7/0	Potomac, Md.	SL Benfica (Portugal)
Beasley, DaMarcus	M	5'8	145	5/24/1982	75/15	Ft. Wayne, Ind.	Glasgow Rangers (Scotland)
Bocanegra, Carlos	D	6'0	170	5/25/1979	57/9	Alta Loma, Calif.	Out of Contract
Bradley, Michael	M	6’2”	175	7/31/1987	19/1	Cedar Grove, N.J.	SC Heerenveen (Holland)
Califf, Dan	D	6'1	175	3/17/1980	19/1	Orange, Calif	FC Midtjylland (Denmark)
Cervi, Dominic	GK	6’6”	205	7/9/1986	0/0	Norman, Okla.	Out of Contract
Cherundolo, Steve	D	5'6	145	2/19/1979	47/2	San Diego, Calif.	Hannover 96 (Germany)
Ching, Brian	F	6’1”	195	5/24/1978	26/5	Haleiwa, Hawaii	Houston Dynamo (MLS)
DeMerit, Jay	D	6’0”	185	12/4/1979	8/0	Green Bay, Wis.	Watford FC (England)
Dempsey, Clint	F	6’1”	170	3/9/1983	41/9	Nacogdoches, Texas	Fulham FC (England)
Donovan, Landon	F	5'8	148	3/4/1982	100/35	Redlands, Calif.	Los Angeles Galaxy (MLS)
Edu, Maurice	M	6’0”	170	4/18/1986	7/0	Fontana, Calif.	Toronto FC (MLS)
Guzan, Brad	GK	6’4”	210	9/9/1984	7/0	Homer Glen, Ill.	Chivas USA (MLS)
Hejduk, Frankie	D	5'8	155	8/5/1974	78/6	Cardiff, Calif.	Columbus Crew (MLS)
Howard, Tim	GK	6’3”	210	3/6/1979	31/0	North Brunswick, N.J.	Everton FC (England)
Johnson, Eddie	F	6’0”	180	3/31/1984	35/11	Palm Coast, Fla.	Fulham FC (England)
Kljestan, Sacha	M	6’1”	150	9/9/1985	6/0	Huntington Beach, Calif.	Chivas USA (MLS)
Lewis, Eddie	M	5'10	155	5/17/1974	78/9	Cerritos, Calif.	Derby County (England)
Mastroeni, Pablo	M	5'10	170	8/26/1976	59/0	Phoenix, Ariz.	Colorado Rapids (MLS)
Onyewu, Oguchi	D	6’4”	210	5/13/1982	33/4	Olney, Md.	Standard de Liege (Belgium)
Pearce, Heath	D	5’10”	175	8/13/1984	14/0	Modesto, Calif.	Hansa Rostock (Germany)

What do you think of the roster?  Is it what you expeceted?  you thoughts below.

Aragones Gets Everything Right, and Villa Scores 3!

The Spanish fans were rightfully worried after their narrow one goal wins against USA and Peru.  

The expectations were low coming in, and Spain had only won one major trophy.  However, a 3-0 victory over a strong Russian team will do a lot good for moral and expectations.  David Villa was not going to be in Aragones' plans, but the two poor results against Peru and USA forced him to start Villa and Torres.  Villa and Torres were a winning combination it turned out, and Aragones looks like a genius.  Villa recorded the first hat-trick of the tournament against Russia.  His sublime finishing skills were extraordinary, and he almost single handedly torched the Russian defense.

Spain's first goal was courtesy or some great Torres work.  Torres took a long ball and beat his man.  He pushed the ball by the keeper to the streaking Villa alongside him, and Villa didn't miss the open net.

Villa again made a great run and finished, virtually eliminating the Russia's chances of gaining some points.  Iniesta received the ball on a counter attack, and made space with some smart dribbles.  He played a ball behind the Russians to Villa, who made no mistakes.  He calmly put the ball under an onrushing Igor Akinfeev.  

The Russians were affectively buried at half-time, but Villa would not give up.  In the 75th minute, Villa took a long ball, fooled his defender on a great cutback, and finished perfectly to the near post.  Villa went to the bench and hugged his strike partner Fernando Torres, who had just been subbed. 

Russia still didn't give up, and scored a conselation goal in the 86th minute.  Zyryanov crossed it in off a corner.  It was flicked on to a wide open Pavluchenko on the back post.  Pavluchenko didn't miss from 4 yards and sent a screaming header into the night.  

Spain got the final word though, as Villa turned to provider.  He stole a long ball and played it over the top of the defense to a streaking Cazorla who vollied hard.  It was parried right into an onrushing Cesc Fabregas, and his diving header capped the night off on a fantastic note.  

Spanish fans should be absolutely giddy about this result, and for once, Aragones got it right.  Spain played a more complete game than even The Dutch did against Italy.  If Spain can play like this for the rest of the tournament, they will be the champions, without a doubt. 

UEFA Backs Ref in Van Nistelrooy's goal

Uefa has decided that it was the correct call that Ruud Van Nistelrooy was onside, due to the player down behind the goal.  This doesn't come as much of a surprise, because UEFA usually backs their referee's decisions.  Here's the goal, you decide for yourself what the ruling should have been.

Top Ten Purchased Jerseys of Euro 2008

I recently had a conversation with the President of Eurosport, and I asked him this.  What are the top selling Euro 2008 Jerseys?  He gave me the answer, but it wasn't what I had predicted.  Neither of the Hosts were represented among the top ten, and Greece, not a favorite to win was among the top 5.  I was surprised not to see the Czech Republic in the top ten either.  Here is the list:

1)Portugal

2)Italy

3)Germany

4)Greece

5)Holland

6)Spain

7)France

8)Croatia

9)Romania

10)Poland

What do you guys thing of the best selling jersey's?  Is it what you expected?  Leave comments below.

The Tale of Two games

With Group C or the "Group of Death" kicking off today, it was going to be a great day of football.  The two games were worlds apart.  Romania and France was a boring game, and The Nedtherlands vs. Italy was an exciting match.

France were the favored side, but didn't play like it.  Romania had strong defense, and limited the good chances of the potent French lineup.  Romania had few good chances, but limited all strong chances for France.  The French will be dissapointed not to take maximum points from their game against the weakest team in the Group.  Romania will be pleased with the point, and will look forward to playing Italy who were thrashed by The Nedtherlands.

The Dutch had a tough road to qualify for the nock-out stages.  They had to beat the two finalists of the 2006 World Cup, and a underrated Romania.  The Nedtherlands got the perfect start.

Ruud Van Nistelrooy scored in the 26th minute when he was clearly offside.  Buffon cleared a free kick, that was shot back in.  Van Nistelrooy deflected it in, and the replay showed that a blind man would have seen he was offside.  However, Christian Panucci had crashed into Gigi Buffon on the initial clearance, and was lying behind the goal.  He played Van Nistelrooy onside, and Van Nistelrooy punished the Italians with a collected touch in.

The Dutch didn't put their foot off the gas, and they scored a brilliant goal courtesy of Wesley Sneijder.  The Dutch went on a counter attack, and swept the ball into space on the left.  The ball was played to the right, and back into a sprinting Sneijder who put the ball by an onrushing Gigi Buffon.  

The Italians began to play better, and the game started to level out.  However, in true Dutch fashion, Les Oranjes didn't stop trying to score.  Another counter attack saw the Dutch charge up the field, and Dirk Kuyt struck a ball that was saved by Buffon.  He collected the rebound and sent the ball into the box.  Giovanni Van Brockhorst was wide open and he didn't waste his golden opportunity.

The Dutch fans were delirious, and they should be.  The Nedtherlands beat the World Champions Italy 3-0.  Italy were thoroughly dominated, and Roberto Donadoni needs to do some serious thinking about his lineup for his next game against Romania.

USA VS. Argentina Review

When you think of USA vs. Argentina, the first thing that might come to your mind is "CRUSH."  As an avid US Soccer fan, those were the words I was hoping wouldn't have to be thought about, talked about, whispered, anything at all.  To my surprise, I turned on the Tivo to watch the game, and the US never once made me thing that word (shock of my life).  

The first 20 minutes were shaky, and needed Tim Howard to step up a few times, but we kept holding on.  As time progressed, we started to combine, attack, possess.  The US played the game I always knew they were capable of.  The defense was solid, midfield was comfortable, forward was (well it was Eddie Johnson, what do you expect) well, poor.  This unprecedented performance by the USA is a complete 180 from the game against England.  

The Yanks committed countless turnovers, never had much going forward, and left some glaring holes in the defense at Wembley.  Against Spain, they had some bright spots, but fell back and let Xavi beat them on a goal that was the result of some horrendous flat-footed defense.  Against Argentina, there were attacking ideas, strong stringent defense, and timely goal keeping.  Eddie Johnson forced Abondanzieri to slide out and save, Heath Pearce forced him into a diving save, Clint Dempsey's deflected shot almost went in, and Oguchi Onyewu hit the crossbar.  Although there were no goals, we came close, and in the second half, the US was getting an equal share of play.  

I was not optimistic about the US's chances against Argentina, the #1 team in the World.  Out of all of the friendlies the US played, Argentina would have to be the most difficult.  The USA had been demolished by England, and handled by Spain, two teams that aren't as good as Argentina, but The Yanks came out and showed what they are capable of.  

 Heath Pearce was a machine on the field.  Nobody got by him at the left-back position, and he never turned the ball over.  He also got up the wing and put in some extremely dangerous balls.  He also tested Abondanzieri with a gorgeous strike; unfortunately, Abondanzieri was up to the test.  Pearce cemented his spot at left back with a fantastic performance. 

Damarcus Beasley and Clint Dempsey are back.  Both of them were poor against Spain and England, but were revitalized against Argentina.  Beasley's speed saw him run up the left wing, leaving defenders in his wake.  His ability to spread the game out, and push up high, alleviated the pressure on the central midfielder's, and allowed the team to have more time on the ball.  Dempsey was back to his normal self again.  He was dangerous when he got the ball, and was constantly getting dragged down.  His excellent ability to carry the ball and shield defenders was on display, and he almost won the US the game when his shot was deflected and missed the goal by a foot.  Beasley and Dempsey left me bewildered in England and Spain, but gave strong performances against Argentina.

Landon Donovan returned from injury, and showed what the US lacked against England.  Donovan is the poster boy of US Soccer, and he receives a lot of flack for it.  He never has been successful in Europe, but his success for the Yanks in undeniable.  He received his 100th cap last night, at the young age of 26.  He was also the leading scorer in US history at the age of 25.  He showed why he's had so much success on the international stage against Argentina.  At Wembley, we lacked the willingness to run at the defense, and take chances.  Donovan, with his great speed took on Argentina with no hesitation.  His pace troubled Argentina, and his ability to see the field and quickly combine was awesome.  He is never afraid to take on a defender, no matter who it is.  Having Donovan back helped the US put on a strong showing.

When the USA walked out onto the field, the capacity crowd cheered their lungs out.  The supporters were clad in mostly red and white, something that doesn't always happen in the US.  Whether it was the fans, the excitement of playing the world's best team, or Bob Bradley putting out the right lineup; The USA can be happy that they matched the play of Argentina.  I can confidently say The Yanks are ready to begin World Cup qualifying against Barbados.    

Frei out of Euro's, Drogba talks to Milan, Jo ready for Manchester City

Alexander Frei

Alexander Frei, the Swiss striker, has been ruled out of Euro 2008.  He took a knock in the first half of the opening game of Euro 2008 against the Czech Republic, and had to be helped off the pitch.  Cuno Wetzel, the team doctor had this to say about the injury.  "Frei has partially ruptured a ligament in his left knee and will be out for around six weeks,"  The host's road got a lot steeper after their 1-0 loss to the Czech Republic, and without Frei, it seems their hopes and aspirations of advancing to the quarter finals are just about gone.  

Didier Drogba

Didier Drogba has been given permission to speak to Milan about possibly signing for them, but Milan's other Chelsea target has not been granted permission.  Andriy Schevchenko has not gained permission to speak to the Rossoneri.  Drogba has been rumored to be interested in re-uniting with Jose Mourniho, but Mourinho is not interested in buying a striker at this time.

Jo to Manchester City

Garry Cook, the Executive Chairman of City says they will sign the Brazilian Jo, in the next week.  Garry Cook talked in detail about how they are moving up, because they can attract players of Jo's calibe to City.  Cook also revealed that City were in talks with Ronaldinho about a possible move to The Eastlands.

Portugal win 2-0

Everybody knows Portugal have the talent to win Euro 2008, but they need to come through.  Portugal showed that they had the talent against Turkey, but their first goal came in the 60th minute after a tortuous period of narrow misses.  In all, Portugal hit the wood work 3 times.  

Pepe thought he had the lead for the Portuguese when his header from a cross went in.  However, the replay showed that he was offside, and the goal did not stand.  

Portugal came close time after time, but the Turks didn't break.  Ronaldo blew by a Turkish defender, but Volkan Demeril, the Turkish keeper saved his shot to the back post.  Ronaldo continued to deliver quality service, and the Portuguese almost had the lead when Ronaldo supplied Nuno Gomes with a cross.  Gomes headed on to the bar, and the Turkish faithful breathed a sigh of relief.

Portugal were not to be denied however.  Pepe received a pass in the center of the pitch, and played a sublime one-two.  He got the ball back and Emre Asik slid to knock it away.  It was well intentioned by Asik, but the replay showed he lifted the ball over a sliding Volkan Demeril.  The Portuguese fans went crazy, and Pepe was their hero.  

Turkey was not going to give up however.  Tuncay almost leveled the score when Ricardo came out to collect across.  Tuncay slipped in front of Ricardo, but he didn't get solid contact and Ricardo was able to parry it, and the ball was subsequently cleared.  Emre Asik had the golden opportunity of the game, when he received a open header in the box, but sent it wide.  Tuncay had the last opportunity of the game, but he missed an open volley from the top of the box.     

Turkey threw everyone forward in stoppage time, and Portugal capitalized.  Ronaldo made a great turn, and took the ball down the left side.  He pushed the ball to an open Moutinho, who turned and found a wide open Raul Meireles who didn't miss the wide open net.

Portugal will have to be pleased with their 2-0 win over the Turks.  Portugal overtakes the Czech Republic on goal difference, and are the leaders of their group with 3 points.  Portugal takes on The Czech Republic next Wedensday.  

The Portuguese were the winners, and they thoroughly deserved it.

Czech Republic Beats Switzerland 1-0

Vaclav Sverkos left the Swiss fans in tears after his 70th minute strike was the difference in the opening game of Euro 2008.  The game went back and forth, but some lax defending was what cost the Swiss points.  The Swiss cleared a corner, but didn't push up the field fast enough.  Sverkos received a header over the Swiss defense, and put it into the net.  The hosts pushed on to find an equalizer, but were unsuccessful.  The Czech Republic will play Portugal and Switzerland will combat Turkey, next wednesday.