2010 MLS Playoff Predictions -- Columbus vs. Colorado, Real Salt Lake vs. FC Dallas, New York vs. San Jose and LA Galaxy vs. Seattle Sounders

Soccer City FC will defer to the talent and invite you to check out Match Fit USA and the site's solid MLS playoff quarterfinal round breakdown with predictions.

Tonight the madness opens, with Colorado hosting Columbus.

Our predictions:

Colorado, RSL, San Jose and LA Galaxy advance to the semifinals.

2005-06 UEFA Champions League Final: Where are Barcelona and Arsenal players now?

The final, played on May 17th, 2006 at Stade de France, Saint-Denis, ended 2-1 with Barcelona topping EPL side Arsenal.

+ Foes Thierry Henry, captain of Arsenal, and Rafael Márquez, centre back for Barcelona, now compete together with MLS side New York Red Bulls. Chicago Fire midfielder Fredrik Ljungberg was also in Arsenal's first-team lineup and made several crucial runs down the wing that day.

+ Barcelona players Andrés Iniesta and Xavi, two of the game's current elite crop of midfielders, were on the Barca bench. Iniesta entered in the 46'.

+ Arsenal's Mathieu Flamini entered in the 76th minute to help shut down Barcelona's attacking genius (at the time) Ronaldinho who would go on to claim Man of the Match honors. Both now ply their trade at A.C. Milan.

+ Brazilian right-back Juliano Belletti, who notched the eventual game winner in the 81st minute, is back in his native Brazil with Fluminense. Interestingly, Belletti entered the match as a second-half sub to help control the runs down the wing of the above mentioned Fredrik Ljungberg.

Torsten Frings to MLS transfer rumours pop up, perhaps with Red Bulls?

34-year-old German midfielder Torsten Frings is a speculative target of New York Red Bulls as Frings looks ready to explore the American soccer option via an Italian online media report.

[Update]

Tracked down more info and it appears that Frings who is out of contract in June at Werder Bremen spoke with Germany's Welt recently and in the conversation he touched upon the potential of moving to New York.

"The American League definitely appeals to me," said Frings.

"I’m a big fan of the United States, and in particular the City of New York."

Red Bull Arena Up, Giants Stadium Down

With the near completion of Red Bull Arena, work has begun on the demolition of Giants Stadium.

Via NJ.com (The Star-Ledger)

Giants Stadium Demolition: Can they take Xanadu, too?

Current MLS Allocation Order - January 30th 2010

1. San Jose Earthquakes
2. Kansas City Wizards
3. Toronto FC
4. FC Dallas
5. New York Red Bulls
6. Colorado Rapids
7. New England Revolution
8. Chivas USA
9. Seattle Sounders
10. Columbus Crew
11. Chicago Fire
12. Houston Dynamo
13. Los Angeles Galaxy
14. Real Salt Lake
15. D.C. United
16. Philadelphia Union

2010 MLS SuperDraft: Round 1 Pick 14 New York RedBulls Select Austin da Luz

Find his interview here -- 2010 MLS Combine/2010 MLS SuperDraft Player Interviews

2010 MLS SuperDraft: Round 1 Pick 2 New York RedBulls Select Tony Tchani

Find his interview here -- 2010 MLS Combine/2010 MLS SuperDraft Player Interviews

New York Red Bulls To Face W Connection F.C. In 2009-10 CONCACAF Champions League Preliminary Round

As the New York Red Bulls prepare to play W Connection F.C. in the 2009-10 CONCACAF Champions League Preliminary Round, the club must figure out a way to deal with Dominican Republic international forward Jonathon Frias who is W Connection's greatest attacking option.

The Red Bulls travel in roughly two weeks (July 30th) to face Trinidad and Tobago’s W Connection F.C. at Manny Ramjohn Stadium in Marabella as the clubs square off in the first leg of their 2009-10 CONCACAF Champions League Preliminary Round match and if the New York-based outfit cannot find a way to stop Frias [see: W Connection F.C. -- Jonathon Frias On Fire ], it could be a long flight home for the players and backroom staff.

Olympiakos: Transfer Rumours -- Villarreal's Jozy Altidore A Loan Target?

According to reports gathering at Goal.com, USA international hitman Jozy Altidore is on the brink of agreeing a season-long loan deal with Olympiakos in a bid to enliven his starting-eleven prospects, which otherwise remain desolate at Villarreal.

The former New York Red Bulls sensation rose to prominence as an imposing striker during his first taste of professional football in Major League Soccer, where rave reviews and memorable performances rewarded Altidore with a gratifying €7.4 million move to Villarreal.

Donning the Villarreal jersey on six appearances and scoring only the once, Altidore's burning wish to perform regularly was starved of and, despairingly, America's first countryman to compete in La Liga still failed to find solace when he earnt even fewer opportunites to impress when a six-month loan agreement to second-division Xerez transpired into an unproductive exercise.

Last month's heroics in the Confederations Cup reminded the world of Altidore's devastating capabilities, all we wait for now is the emergence of an interested suitor who can propose sufficient playing time to satisfy his yearning necessity.

Dom Duo

3rd Degree with a quick note on the Red Bulls - Dynamo trade. Read On -- Oduro Traded to Houston

Worldwide Results On 23 April

On Wednesday 23rd April, Espanyol asserted their intention of survival in the Spanish Primera Division by overcoming fellow relegation-threatened Sporting Gijon to rise within one point of the safe haven which is 17th position. Across the Atlantic, Toronto FC defeated New York Red Bulls to secure their second victory of the Major League Soccer season.

Algerian First Division
JSM Bejaia 1-0 NA Hussein Dey
USM Alger 3-0 AS Khroub

Columbian Primera Division
Nacional de Medellin 2-1 Boyaca Chico

Danish Superligaen
Esbjerg fB 3-1 Aalborg BK
FC Nordsjaelland 1-2 Brondby IF
Vejle BK 0-5 Odense BK

Egyptian Premier League
ENIPPI 2-4 Haras El Hedood
Zamalek SC 0-0 Al Ahly

Finnish Veikkausliiga
Inter Turku 2-1 MyPa Anjalankoski
IFK Mariehamn 2-2 FC Honka Espoo
FC Lahti 1-0 KuPS Kuopio
Tampere United 0-2 FF Jaro Pietarsaari
HJK Helsinki 2-2 TPS Turku

Paraguayan First Division
Guarani Asuncion 0-0 Olimpia Asuncion

Salvadoran Primera Division
CD Luis Angel Firpo 7-0 CD Juventud Independiente
Club Deportivo FAS 3-0 CD Chalatenango
AD Isidro Metapan 0-1 Alianza FC

South African Premier Soccer League
SuperSport United 1-1 Orlando Pirates
Kaizer Chiefs 1-0 Mamelodi Sundowns
Ajax Cape Town 5-2 Thanda Royal Zulu

Spanish Primera Division
Mallorca 2-0 Real Valladolid
Racing Santander 5-1 Atletico Madrid
Sporting Gijon 0-3 Espanyol
Villarreal 2-1 Recreativo Huelva

Swedish Allsvenskan
Gefle IF 0-0 GAIS Goteborg
Orgryte IS Goteborg 0-1 AIK Solna
Helsingborgs IF 1-3 Halmstads BK
Orebro SK 2-1 Kalmar FF
Hammarby IF 0-1 IFK Goteborg

Swiss Super League
Grasshopper Club Zurich 2-0 FC Vaduz
BSC Young Boys Bern 0-0 Neuchatel Xamax FC

Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1
AS Kasserine 1-0 Jendouba Sport
AS La Marsa 0-2 Esperance de Tunis
CA Bizertin 0-1 EGS Gafsa
Club Africain 3-2 Stade Tunisien
Etoile Sportive du Sahel 7-0 CS Hammam Lif
Olympique Beja 1-0 CS Sfaxien
US Monastirienne 0-0 ES Hammam Sousse

United States Major League Soccer
Toronto FC 1-0 CD Chivas USA

MLS Network: What Would You Watch?

Here is my write up at The Touchline. Is it time to start thinking MLS Network?

• MLS Network

Meet Juan Pablo Angel!

Juan Pablo Angel, star forward for the New York Red Bulls, will be appearing at Premier Soccer Shop in Hoboken, New Jersey this Saturday from 2:00 PM until 4:00 PM. If you are in the Tri-State area, make sure to head on down.

MLS Cup Final Preview

Hey all, this is my first post as a contributor here on Soccer City FC. Let me know what you think.

The MLS Cup final is set to become one of the most exciting matches of the season. There's only one way to really explain what will happen on Sunday: expect the unexpected.

The match will feature the Columbus Crew against the New York Red Bulls. The Crew finished the season at the top of the Eastern Conference table with 57 points while the Red Bulls finished 5th on the table with 39 points.

The Crew come into the match with most of the momentum. They defeated the Chicago Fire in the semifinals and are looking to defeat NYRB. The Red Bulls, on the other hand, have been barely getting by since they made it to the playoffs. Thanks to luck and poor finishing, they were able to defeat Real Salt Lake in the semifinals.

Here's a few things each team needs to do if they want to take home that awesome looking trophy.

Columbus Crew:
1. Make good use of Guillermo Barros Schelotto. The Crew is only as good as Schelotto is good. A candidate for the MVP award, he has almost single handidly carried the Crew through to the final. If Columbus want to score goals, they will have to get the ball to Schelotto and allow him to feed others goals.
2. Keep Juan Pablo Angel at bay. Just as Schelotto is the go-to guy for the Crew, Angel is the go-to guy for the Red Bulls. In fact, he will be the most dangerous player on the pitch. He can score goals and allow others to score goals. If the Crew have any chance of winning, they must shut down Angel. Here's a disheartening fact for Columbus: in 3 games against the Crew, Angel has scored 3 goals.

New York Red Bulls:
1. Create a solid defense. The Red Bulls have steadily improved on their defense. In fact, the defense was a factor in their semifinal win over Real Salt Lake. I don't think they need to worry too much about goalkeeper Danny Cepero. On his debut (against the Columbus Crew) he scored a goal from an 80-yard free kick and has kept a clean sheet in his last two matches. The defensive line needs the most work.
2. Get Dave Van den Bergh involved. While Juan Pablo Angel is the biggest name on New York's roster, Van den Bergh is also a key figure. When he plays well, New York tends to do well also. If he plays as well as people say he can, Columbus will have to step it up on defense and account for mulitple attacking threats.

Prediction:
All signs point to a very physical and fast tempo match. Right now, the momentum looks to be in favor of the Crew. However, the Red Bulls have made their season look like a Hollywood movie. I'm predicting the final score to be New York 2 - Columbus 1.

Thomas also writes about soccer at Bleacher Report.