Here's a nice little snow day (for us in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast anyway) news roundup from guest writer Matt of US Soccer Daily.
If you are stuck in your house because of the massive snowstorm currently sweeping across the Northeast and looking for something to do to pass the time, then grab some hot chocolate and read through some of today’s top bits of US soccer news.
-First off, great news coming out of the Real Salt Lake camp. Andy Williams announced on his Twitter account (@bommadog) yesterday that his wife is now cancer free. This is immeasurably uplifting news for the Williams family, who have had quite an eventful year juggling Andy’s professional duties with their persistent pursuit of treatment options. MLS, RSL, and the fans rallied around Marcia Williams and her bout with a rare form of leukemia, and the conclusion of that battle is a heartwarming finish fit for the holiday season. Andy Williams has always been one of the good guys of MLS, and he handled himself with grace both on and off the field throughout this incredibly trying time.
-If you didn’t tune in this morning, you missed another fantastic showing by DaMarcus Beasley, who continues to fill up the stat sheet for Rangers. Beasley scored a goal and assisted on another in Rangers’ 6-1 rout over Motherwell. It was the fourth consecutive start for Beasley, who is looking much more confident and explosive on the ball with each passing week. Barring any unforeseen setbacks, I would expect Beasley to be in Bob Bradley’s camp early next year.
-During Fulham’s 3-0 rout of Manchester United and following the match, commentators gave Clint Dempsey a lot of praise for his play. This isn’t particularly odd, given Dempsey has been a Fulham stand out for some time now, but it seems as if English announcers are paying even more attention to Yanks in the EPL since the World Cup draw. In addition to discussing Dempsey, they also mentioned Landon Donovan’s loan move and predicted success for the Galaxy captain. Now, while this doesn’t sound overly important, it must be noted that the English media is notorious for piling pressure on the Three Lions. The more commentators praise American players and build up the USMNT, the more pressure the media will begin to put on Fabio Capello’s side. While it might not be much, every little bit helps, particularly in a country with the pundits jump on every opportunity to label the national team as underachievers.
-Carlos Bocanegra was an unused substitute in Stade Rennes’ 1-0 home victory over Paris Saint Germain. After a long spell of consecutive starts, Bocanegra has now gone three straight matches without a start (one of which he was suspended for). While American fans should not hit the panic button just yet, it is worth keeping an eye on, as Bocanegra will certainly be in South Africa if healthy. The US captain has not had a poor run of form in Ligue 1, but rather just seems to be in the midst of a competitive battle for playing time. With a USMNT back line still filled with question marks, let’s hope Bocanegra can reassert himself in the starting XI as soon as possible.
-Last, but not least, the Kansas City Wizards look like they are on the brink of starting construction on their new soccer-specific stadium in Kansas City, Kansas. One of the biggest remaining hurdles for the ownership group has been selling STAR bonds in a fairly difficult market, but President Robb Heineman sounded very upbeat in an update on the Wizards website Thursday night, saying:
“Based on the information that we've received from the bond financing community, we are now confident that bonds can be sold. In fact, although the formal agreements have yet to be inked, we're confident enough in the pace and direction that, starting next week, you'll begin to see yellow machines on site at Village West in Kansas moving dirt, at our expense.”
Assuming all goes according to plan, the stadium is projected to be finished by the middle of the 2011 season. KC’s ownership group has really done a great job since coming on board in 2006, and they deserve a lot of praise for the work they have done to make this new stadium a reality.
Well, that’s it for now. Enjoy the snow everybody.
