Red Bulls: Goodbye de Grandpre, Angel to sit Saturday?

Michael Lewis over at Big Apple Soccer reports that Juan Pablo Angel is questionable for this Saturday’s match-up vs. FC Dallas.

Ives Galarcep finally got Juan Carlos Osorio to admit his interest in Jorge Alberto Rojas, the second most-capped player in Venezualan history. He also mentions that Chris Innes should be signed. He organizes well, holds the line, and is dominant in the air.

Marc de Grandpre has officially resigned as Red Bull New York’s Managing Director. He is one of few that survived the Red Bull takeover and spent 9 years with the team. Why now? Apparently, a offer to good to refuse was tabled for some other position in the business community.

26-year old defender Alex Yi – who has been a staple in the back four for Dallas over the past couple of seasons – has retired due to continuous hamstring injuries. Moor, Davino, Wagenfuhr, Wagner, Rhine are all healthy so it’s not like Dallas will be really hurting on Saturday.

Kevin Goldthwaite is honored with The Offside Rules’ first-ever “Goal of the Weak”. It showcases the week’s goal lacking the most aesthetically. I can’t argue. A goal’s a goal though…right?

 

EPL Daily 12.18: Man City gets good news, not so for many other EPL teams today

Is Nery Castillo the missing piece for Sven Goran-Eriksson and Manchester City? The pacy and tenacious winger has joined the Blues on a one year loan from Shakhtar Donetsk in Ukraine. With Castillo and Elano – both Copa America 2007 standouts – I can’t imagine that Eriksson’s Citeh will be falling much lower than 4th place in the standings. Unless, of course, Castillo steals a PK from Elano, prompting an all-out inter-squad brawl. That didn’t exactly happen, but it was close enough…Castillo’s last spat was on field, in-match with Claudio Lucarelli over a PK. I’m expecting nothing but good to come of this though….

Two Carling Cup Quarterfinals today: Manchester City vs. Tottenham; Arsenal vs. Blackburn (Tottenham is already up 1-0, in the 20th minute as of 3:00pm est).

Bunch of Negative Headlines:

Liverpool downgrades stadium plan.

Manchester United party to be investigated after rape claims.

John Terry injured. Leon Osman injured.

EPL Daily 9.17: Heskey and Silvestre back to square one; three of the Big Four suffers; Jol vs. Defoe

A fractured metarsal will keep Emile Heskey from his international resurgence (whether it’s a postponement or eventual involuntary retirement, who knows). It will also keep Wigan guessing as to whether or not they can stay up this year. Heskey will be out up to 6 weeks and will most likely miss the England’s qualifiers next month against Russia and Estonia in October. The former Liverpool striker also joins an odd list of those stricken with metatarsal injuries over the recent  years – Stevie Gerrard, Michael Owen, Wayne Rooney (a billion times), David Beckham, etc. Even youngster Giles Barnes –  a huge prospect from Derby County – has missed the start of the EPL season due to a metatarsal injury. Heskey will bounce back, he always does but the same might not be true for French international and Man Utd defender Mickael Silvestre. The bald Frenchman suffered cruciate ligament damage against Everton on Saturday and now Fergie has to rely on young defenders Jonny Evans and Gerard Pique to plug the holes on the left as John O’Shea is out and, as we all know, Gabriel Heinze left in a huff. That’s the end of the season for Silvestre, therefore expect a move for a left back come January. But who?

A host of other EPL stars will be missing their mid-week group stage Champions League clashes. Manchester United – which takes on Sporting Lisbon on Wednesday – will miss Owen Hargreaves, Mickael Silvestre, Park-Ji Sung, John O’Shea, and Darren Fletcher. Chelsea is missing its’ best (as Jose Mourinho has already spouted about) on Tuesday against Rosenborg (Norwegian Champions) – Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba, Michael Ballack, Claudio Pizarro, Wayne Bridge, and Ricardo Carvalho. Liverpool will be ailing as well against Porto on Tuesday as Xabi Alonso will most likely miss alongside Momo Sissoko and Jon Arne Riise. That’s a lot of talent on the sideline (maybe now Gerrard will keep his starting spot instead of being foolishly rotated). Who lost out the most in this one?

Maybe I only digest what the media reports, but it really looks as if Martin Jol has to go. The team – pegged to be a top-four contender this year – are back to their underperforming selves again and Jol is still firmly at the helm. This pushed me overboard as apparently it was overheard that Jol told out-of-favor Jermain Defoe that ‘he would never be sold to a top-four club’ and ‘would rot in the reserves’. Someone fill me in – is Defoe a diva or is Jol a psycho?

Rapids Win, Horse of Apocalypse Hindquarters Glimpsed

Without having watched this game beyond the highlights, I can’t say much about it (though I can direct your eyes to the thoughts of some people who did: Boston Globe, Rocky Mountain News, FC Rocky, the Denver Post, MLSnet.com…that should do).  From what I saw in the highlights, though (available here), reports that the Rapids dominated this one, unlikely as they may be, seem pretty accurate.

My thoughts?  No.  No, no, no, no, no… That goes double when you read things like this:

“The win brought Colorado within two points of Columbus for the eighth playoff spot and made for an impressive first two games in their critical three-game homestand.”

Based on my understanding of Kroenke Sports Enterprise personnel policies, this second consecutive win (a streak!  well, all right) should secure Fernando Clavijo’s place on the Rapids’ bench till shortly before the Apocalypse, which, apparently, is coming soon (I think three consecutive Rapids wins is the sign immediately before or after the return of the Jewish Diaspora to the Holy Land).

A couple noteworthy injuries, though duration of which aren’t yet clear, occurred in the game: Colorado’s Dan Gargan suffered a knee injury, while New England fans may have witnessed the unwelcome return of Pat Noonan’s dodgy groin.  (Personal note: Dammit!  Dammit, dammit, dammit!)

Anyway, weird friggin’ result.  Why won’t this league sit up and make sense?

These boots are made for scoring…not breaking feet

I’m sure with all of the Manchester United fans crying a river based on the Wayne Rooney injury, someone had to come out and comfort the masses.

Well one of those comforting, feel good talks was given by Nike today, who insisted today that the boot Rooney was wearing had nothing to do with his injury

‘He himself is personally absolutely confident, as we are, that the boot had nothing to do with his injury.

I love the fact that they had to come out and say that. I mean sure, Rooney has had his share of foot injuries in the past, once in 2004 and again in 2006, but was this really necessary.

I think the real crime is having to drop 200 quid on a pair of Nike boots anyway.