Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Scandinavia Based Players on 2009 Gold Cup Squads


DENMARK
Esbjerg fB
DF - Adrian Cann (Canada)

Nordsjælland
MF - Issey Nakajima-Farran (Canada)
MF - Patrice Bernier (Canada)
DF - Michael Parkhurst (USA)

Copenhagen
MF - Atiba Hutchinson (Canada)

NORWAY
Lyn Oslo
GK - Kenny Stamatopoulos (Canada)

Frederikstad
MF - Celso Borges (Costa Rica)

IK Start
MF - Christian Bolaños (Costa Rica)
DF - Clarence Goodson (USA)

Vålerenga
FW - Luton Shelton (Jamaica)
GK - Troy Perkins (USA)

SK Brann
MF - Rodolph Austin (Jamaica)

Notodden
MF - Oneil Thompson (Jamaica)

Aalesunds
MF - Demar Phillips (Jamaica)


SWEDEN
Hammarby
FW - Charlie Davies (USA)

Monday, June 29, 2009

MLS and USL Players on Gold Cup 2009 Squads

CHICAGO FIRE
DF - Gonzalo Segares (Costa Rica)
MF - Logan Pause (USA)
GK - Jon Busch (USA)

CHIVAS USA
MF - Kevin Harmse (Canada)
DF - Shavar Thomas (Jamaica)

COLORADO RAPIDS
FW - Omar Cummings (Jamaica)
GK - Steward Ceus (Haiti) [on loan at USL2 Charlotte Eagles]
MF - Colin Clark (USA)

COLUMBUS CREW
DF - Chad Marshall (USA)
MF - Robbie Rogers (USA)

DC UNITED
DF - Dejan Jakovic (Canada)
FW - Santino Quaranta (USA)

FC DALLAS
FW - Kenny Cooper (USA)

HOUSTON DYNAMO
DF - Andre Hainault (Canada)
MF - Stuart Holden (USA)
FW - Brian Ching (USA)

KANSAS CITY WIZARDS
MF - Roger Espinoza (Honduras)
DF - Jimmy Conrad (USA)
MF - Davy Arnaud (USA)

LOS ANGELES GALAXY
GK - Donovan Ricketts (Jamaica)

MINNESOTA THUNDER
FW - Leonel Saint-Preux (Haiti)

NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION
MF - Shalrie Joseph (Grenada)
DF - Jay Heaps (USA)

NEW YORK RED BULLS
DF - Alfredo Pacheco (El Salvador)
FW - Dane Richards (Jamaica)

PUERTO RICO ISLANDERS
FW - Nicholas Addlery (Jamaica)
MF - James Marcelin (Haiti)
FW - Fabrice Noel (Haiti)

REAL SALT LAKE
FW - Will Johnson (Canada)
MF - Jean Alexandre (Haiti)
MF - Kyle Beckerman (USA)

SEATTLE SOUNDERS
DF - Tyrone Marshall (Jamaica)
MF - Brad Evans (USA)

TORONTO FC
MF - Sam Cronin (USA)

VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
FW - Charles Gbeke (Canada)
MF - Kenold Versailles (Haiti)

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Brief Hiatus

I've been in the hospital for the last 14 hours or so with my wife, who gave birth to our second child early this morning. I'll likely be taking this coming week or two off, although, I'll try to find time for some small posts here and there (It's more likely that I'll be posting links and other info on The Best Eleven Twitter Profile during this time). Thank you to all the readers and supporters of TB11. I appreciate you stopping in and reading my posts and I hope you'll stick around until The Best Eleven is back to full speed ahead.

Thank You,
Steve
The Best Eleven

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

US Soccer: Last 10 Brazil Results

Last Ten Meetings
1 Win, 9 Losses, 0 Draws

Sep 09, 2007 - Chicago, IL (Friendly)
L - 2-4
US Goals: Bocanegra, Dempsey

July 23, 2003 - Foxboro, MA (Gold Cup 2003)
L - 1-2
US Goals: Bocanegra

June 21, 2003 - Lyon, France (Confederations Cup '03)
L - 0-1

March 03, 2001 - Pasadena, CA (Friendly)
L - 1-2
US Goals: Mathis

July 28, 1999 - Guadalajara, Mexico (Confederations Cup '99)
L - 0-1

February 10, 1998 - Los Angeles, CA (Gold Cup '98)
W - 1-0
US Goals: Preki

January 18, 1996 - Los Angeles, CA (Gold Cup '96)
L - 0-1

July 20, 1995 - Maldonado, Uruguay (Copa America '95)
L - 0-1

July 04, 1994 - Palo Alto, CA (World Cup 1994)
L - 0-1

July 06, 1993 - New Haven, CT (World Series of Soccer)
L - 0-2


Some Inspiration: Preki's Game Winning goal in the Semifinals of the 1998 Gold Cup


Highlights of the Last USA-Brazil Matchup in a Chicago Friendly, 2007

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

World Football Challenge Fan Contest

Just thought I'd pass along this info that was in my inbox this morning.


· Fans of Chelsea Football Club, AC Milan, Inter Milan and Club America must create a personal video showing their club pride and passion and submit it at the contest Website, World Football Challenge.


· Four winners, one for each team, will be awarded two tickets to their club’s July 26 World Football Challenge match, two club jerseys, round trip airfare for the winner and a guest, and two nights of accommodations


· All videos must be submitted by June 23, so only one week left



· Finalists will be announced June 25 and fans will begin voting for their favorite video



· The four winners will be announced July 15

Videos: Solo Goals from England

Here are five excellent solo goals from McManaman, Ginola, Wegerle, Wallace, and Ruud.









Monday, June 15, 2009

Average FIFA Rank: All-Time Top 30

This list was compiled using the average FIFA ranking of these countries since the rankings began in 1993.

TOP 10
1 - Brazil
5 - Spain
6 - Argentina
6 - France
6 - Germany
7 - Italy
8 - Netherlands
10 - Czech Republic
10 - England
11 - Mexico
------------------------------------------

14 - Portugal
16 - Denmark
16 - Romania
17 - Sweden
18 - USA
20 - Russia
22 - Colombia
23 - Norway
26 - Croatia
27 - Turkey
28 - Cameroon
28 - Republic of Ireland
30 - Serbia
30 - Uruguay
31 - Egypt
31 - Greece
31 - Japan
31 - Morocco
31 - Paraguay
32 - Poland
32 - Tunisia

Friday, June 12, 2009

Confederations Cup Rosters: In-Depth Overview


FOREIGN BORN PLAYERS

NEW ZEALAND
Tim Brown - Ascot, England
Shane Smeltz - Göppingen, Germany
Dave Mulligan - Liverpool, England

SOUTH AFRICA
Bongani Khumalo - Manzini, Swaziland

ITALY
Mauro Camoranesi - Tandil, Argentina
Giuseppe Rossi - Teaneck, New Jersey, United States

USA
Freddy Adu - Tema, Ghana
Benny Feilhaber - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil


20+ INTERNATIONAL GOALS
39 - Landon Donovan (USA)
28 - David Villa (Spain)
28 - Younis Mahmoud (Iraq)
26 - Ahmed Hassan (Egypt)
24 - Kaka (Brazil)
23 - Emad Mohammed (Iraq)
20 - Mohamed Aboutrika

75+ INTERNATIONAL APPEARANCES
153 - Ahmed Hassan (Egypt)
124 - Fabio Cannavaro (Italy)
110 - Landon Donovan (USA)
92 - Gianluigi Buffon (Italy)
92 - Iker Casillas (Spain)
88 - Essam El-Hadary (Egypt)
87 - DaMarcus Beasley (USA)
85 - Aaron Mokoena (South Africa)
84 - Gianluca Zambrotta (Italy)
79 - Lucio (Brazil)

AVERAGE HEIGHT (cm):
184.65 - New Zealand
183.22 - Italy
182.22 - Brazil
182.00 - Spain
180.91 - USA
179.00 - Egypt
178.22 - South Africa
177.26 - Iraq

Tallest Player:
6ft6in - Matthew Booth (South Africa)
Shortest Player:
5ft5in - Basem Abbas (Iraq)

Full Height Breakdown (LINK)

AVERAGE AGE
28.04 - Italy
27.30 - Egypt
26.87 - Brazil
26.52 - New Zealand
26.00 - South Africa
25.52 - Spain
24.96 - USA
24.13 - Iraq

Oldest Player:
36 - Essam El-Hadary (Egypt)
Youngest Player:
17 - Chris Wood (New Zealand)

Full Age and Experience Breakdown (LINK)

CLUBS WITH AT LEAST 4 PLAYERS INVOLVED
7 - Wellington Phoenix (A-League, Australia/NZ)
6 - Juventus (Italy)
6 - Liverpool (England)
6 - Valencia (Spain)
5 - AC Milan (Italy)
5 - Al-Ahly (Egypt)
5 - FC Barcelona (Spain)
4 - Ismaily (Egypt)
4 - Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa)
4 - Orlando Pirates (South Africa)
4 - Villarreal (Spain)

PLAYERS FROM LEAGUES IN....
25 - Italy
21 - England
20 - Spain
18 - Egypt
14 - South Africa
10 - A-League, Iraq, MLS
8 - Germany
6 - Brazil, Qatar
4 - New Zealand
3 - France, Greece, Portugal, Scotland
2 - Iran, Israel, Turkey, UAE
1 - Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, Lebanon, Libya, Mexico, Netherlands, Russia, Serbia, Sweden, Switzerland

MLS PLAYERS
Duncan Oughton (CLB, NZ)
Simon Elliott (SJ, NZ)
Andrew Boyens (NY, NZ)
Jarrod Smith (SEA, NZ)
Jonathan Bornstein (CHV, USA)
Conor Casey (COL, USA)
Landon Donovan (LA, USA)
Ricardo Clark (HOU, USA)
Sacha Kljestan (CHV, USA)

Full Club and League Breakdown (LINK)

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Confederations Cup Rosters: Height Breakdown



172cm~5'8"
188cm~6'2"

South Africa
Tallest: 198cm - Matthew Booth (DF)
Shortest: 168cm - Eirio Van Heerden (MF)

172cm or shorter: 4 - (Davids, Tshabalala, Van Heerden, Modise)
188cm or taller: 1 - (Booth)

Average Team Height: 178.22cm

New Zealand
Tallest: 195cm - Mark Paston (GK) and James Bannatyne (GK)
Shortest: 173cm - Dave Mulligan (DF)

172cm or shorter: 0
188cm or taller: 9 - (Paston, Vicelich, Killen, Moss, Boyens, Old, Wood, Bright, Bannatyne)

Average Team Height: 184.65cm

Iraq
Tallest: 186cm - Oday Talib (GK)
Shortest: 165cm - Basem Abbas (DF)

172cm or shorter: 6 - (Ali Kareem, Abbas, Sadir, Mohammed, Saeed, Mulla Mohammed)
188cm or taller: 0

Average Team Height: 177.26cm

Spain
Tallest: 196cm - Diego Lopez (GK)
Shortest: 169cm - Santi Cazorla (MF)

172cm or shorter: 2 - (Xavi, Cazorla)
188cm or taller: 5 - (Pique, Busquets, Lopez, Llorente, Riera)

Average Team Height: 182.00cm

Italy
Tallest: 194cm - Luca Toni (FW)
Shortest: 174cm - Mauro Camoranesi (MF)

172cm or shorter: 0
188cm or taller: 6 - (Buffon, Grosso, Chiellini, Toni, De Sanctis, Amelia)

Average Team Height: 183.22cm

Egypt
Tallest: 188cm - Essam El Hadary (GK)
Shortest: 169cm - Sayed Moawad (MF)

172cm or shorter: 3 - (Abd Rabbou, Tawfik, Moawad)
188cm or taller: 1 - (El Hadary)

Average Team Height: 179.00cm

USA
Tallest: 193cm - Brad Guzan (GK)
Shortest: 168cm - Francisco Torres (MF)

172cm or shorter: 3 - (Beasley, Adu, Torres)
188cm or taller: 2 - (Guzan, Onyewu)

Average Team Height: 180.91cm

Brazil
Tallest: 194cm - Victor (GK)
Shortest: 169cm - Josue (MF)

172cm or shorter: 2 - (Alves, Josue)
188cm or taller: 5 - (Lucio, Silva, Victor, Luisao, Gomes)

Average Team Height: 182.22cm

Average Height:
184.65 - New Zealand
183.22 - Italy
182.22 - Brazil
182.00 - Spain
180.91 - USA
179.00 - Egypt
178.22 - South Africa
177.26 - Iraq

Tallest Player:
6ft6in - Matthew Booth (South Africa)
Shortest Player
5ft5in - Basem Abbas (Iraq)


Conversion Table
5 feet 6 inches
167.64
5 feet 7 inches
170.18
5 feet 8 inches
172.72
5 feet 9 inches
175.26
5 feet 10 inches
177.80
5 feet 11 inches
180.34
6 feet 0 inches
182.88
6 feet 1 inches
185.42
6 feet 2 inches
187.96
6 feet 3 inches
190.50
6 feet 4 inches
193.04
6 feet 5 inches
195.58
6 feet 6 inches
198.12

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Confederations Cup Rosters: Age and Experience Breakdown


Iraq
Youngest: 21 - Halgurd Mulla Mohammed (MF, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq)
Oldest: 32 - Abdul-Wahab Abu Al-Hail (MF, Sepahan, Iran)

Most Caps: 75- Nashat Akram (MF, Al-Gharafa, Qatar)
6 Players with 5 or less caps
4 Players with 70 or more caps

Age:
1 - 30 and older
11 - 23 and younger
Average Age: 24.13

New Zealand
Youngest: 17 - Chris Wood (FW, West Bromwich Albion, England)
Oldest: 35 - Simon Elliott (MF, San Jose Earthquakes, USA)

Most Caps: 64 - Ivan Vicelich (DF, Auckland City, New Zealand)
4 Players with 5 or less caps
0 Players with 70 or more caps

Age:
5 - 30 and older
6 - 23 and younger
Average Age: 26.52

South Africa
Youngest: 21 - Itumeleng Khune (GK, Kaizer Chiefs, South Africa)
Oldest: 35 - Brian Baloyi (GK, Mamelodi Sundowns, South Africa)

Most Caps: 85 - Aaron Mokoena (DF, Blackburn Rovers, England)
3 Players with 5 or less caps
1 Player with 70 or more caps

Age:
4 - 30 and older
5 - 23 and younger
Average Age: 26.00

Spain
Youngest: 20 - Sergi Busquets (MF, FC Barcelona, Spain)
Oldest: 31 - Carlos Puyol (DF, FC Barcelona, Spain)

Most Caps: 91 - Iker Casillas (GK, Real Madrid, Spain)
6 Players with 5 or less caps
3 Players with 70 or more caps

Age:
2 - 30 and older
7 - 23 and younger
Average Age: 25.52

Brazil
Youngest: 19 - Alexandre Pato (FW, AC Milan, Italy)
Oldest: 32 - Gilberto Silva (MF, Panathinaikos, Greece)

Most Caps: 77 - Lucio (DF, Bayern Munich, Germany)
5 Players with 5 or less caps
2 Players with 70 or more caps

Age:
3 - 30 and older
2 - 23 and younger
Average Age: 26.87

Egypt
Youngest: 21 - Ahmed Al-Muhammadi (DF, ENPPI, Egypt)
Oldest: 36 - Essam El-Hadary (GK, FC Sion, Switzerland)

Most Caps: 153 - Ahmed Hassan (MF, Al-Ahly, Egypt)
6 Players with 5 or less caps
3 Players with 70 or more caps

Age:
7 - 30 and older
4 - 23 and younger
Average Age: 27.30

Italy
Youngest: 18 - Davide Santon (DF, Inter Milan, Italy)
Oldest: 35 - Fabio Cannavaro (DF, Juventus, Italy)

Most Caps: 124 - Fabio Cannavaro (DF, Juventus, Italy)
5 Players with 5 or less caps
3 Players with 70 or more caps

Age:
10 - 30 and over
2 - 23 and under
Average Age: 28.04

United States
Youngest: 19 - Jozy Altidore (FW, Villarreal, Spain)
Oldest: 30 - Tim Howard (GK, Everton, England)

Most Caps: 110 - Landon Donovan (MF/FW, LA Galaxy, USA)
3 Players with 5 or less caps
2 Players with 70 or more caps

Age:
2 - 30 and over
8 - 23 and younger
Average Age: 24.96

AVERAGE AGE
28.04 - Italy
27.30 - Egypt
26.87 - Brazil
26.52 - New Zealand
26.00 - South Africa
25.52 - Spain
24.96 - USA
24.13 - Iraq

Oldest Player: 36 - Essam El-Hadary (Egypt)
Youngest Player: 17 - Chris Wood (New Zealand)

FIRST CALLUPS (No Caps Previously)
Diego López (Spain, Villarreal)
Pablo Hernández (Spain, Valencia)
Victor (Brazil, Gremio)
André Santos (Brazil, Corinthians)
Mohamed Sobhy (Egypt, Ismaily)
Luis Robles (USA, Kaiserslautern)

100 Caps
153 - Ahmed Hassan (Egypt)
124 - Fabio Cannavaro (Italy)
110 - Landon Donovan (USA)

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Confederations Cup Rosters: League and Club Breakdown


This is a breakdown of the nations where the upcoming Confederations Cup players play their club soccer. The numbers show how many players play in each nation's league. The percentage shows the number of players from that nation's domestic league.





GROUP A

IRAQ - (44%)
10 - Iraq
6 - Qatar
2 - Iran
1 - Cyprus
1 - Lebanon
1 - Libya
1 - Netherlands
1 - UAE

NEW ZEALAND - (17% or 61% with A-League)
10 - A-League
4 - New Zealand
4 - MLS
2 - Scotland
1 - England
1 - Finland
1 - Greece

SOUTH AFRICA - (61%)
14 - South Africa
3 - England
2 - Israel
1 - Germany
1 - Greece
1 - Russia
1 - Serbia

SPAIN - (70%)
16 - Spain
6 - England
1 - Turkey

GROUP B

BRAZIL - (26%)
7 - Italy
6 - Brazil
3 - England
2 - Germany
2 - Portugal
2 - Spain
1 - Greece

EGYPT - (78%)
18 - Egypt
2 - England
1 - Germany
1 - Switzerland
1 - UAE

ITALY - (78%)
18 - Italy
1 - England
1 - France
1 - Germany
1 - Spain
1 - Turkey

USA - (26%)
6 - MLS
5 - England
3 - Germany
2 - France
1 - Belgium
1 - Denmark
1 - Mexico
1 - Portugal
1 - Scotland
1 - Spain
1 - Sweden

Clubs with at least 4 Players Involved:
7 - Wellington Phoenix (A-League, Australia/NZ)
6 - Juventus (Italy)
6 - Liverpool (England)
6 - Valencia (Spain)
5 - AC Milan (Italy)
5 - Al-Ahly (Egypt)
5 - FC Barcelona (Spain)
4 - Ismaily (Egypt)
4 - Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa)
4 - Orlando Pirates (South Africa)
4 - Villarreal (Spain)

Players from Leagues in....
25 - Italy
21 - England
20 - Spain
18 - Egypt
14 - South Africa
10 - A-League, Iraq, MLS
8 - Germany
6 - Brazil, Qatar
4 - New Zealand
3 - France, Greece, Portugal, Scotland
2 - Iran, Israel, Turkey, UAE
1 - Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, Lebanon, Libya, Mexico, Netherlands, Russia, Serbia, Sweden, Switzerland

MLS Players
Duncan Oughton (CLB, NZ)
Simon Elliott (SJ, NZ)
Andrew Boyens (NY, NZ)
Jarrod Smith (SEA, NZ)
Jonathan Bornstein (CHV, USA)
Conor Casey (COL, USA)
Landon Donovan (LA, USA)
Ricardo Clark (HOU, USA)
Sacha Kljestan (CHV, USA)

English Premier League Players
Aaron Mokoena (Portsmouth, SA)
Steven Pienaar (Everton, SA)
Elrio van Heerden (Blackburn Rovers, SA)
Fernando Torres (Liverpool, ESP)
Xabi Alonso (Liverpool, ESP)
Albert Riera (Liverpool, ESP)
Alvaro Arbeloa (Liverpool, ESP)
Pepe Reina (Liverpool, ESP)
Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal, ESP)
Elano (Manchester City, BRA)
Robinho (Manchester City, BRA)
Heurelho Gomes (Tottenham Hotspur, BRA)
Andrea Dossena (Liverpool, ITA)
Tim Howard (Everton, USA)
Clint Dempsey (Fulham, USA)
Brad Guzan (Aston Villa, USA)
Jonathan Spector (West Ham United, USA)

Thursday, June 4, 2009

2009 MLS International Players - Personal Life Tidbits

For this post, I've gone through the Major League Soccer international players bios from the MLSnet site and picked out some of the most interesting non-soccer related tidbits from the "Personal" section at the bottom of most of the players pages.


Wilman Conde (CHI, Colombia)
Learned a good portion of his English by playing video games.

Cuauhtemoc Blanco (CHI, Mexico)
Has appeared as a contestant on Mexican television's "Bailando Por Un Bueno," a reality dance competition show and if he couldn't be a soccer player, would want to be a professional boxer

Guillermo Barros Schelotto (CLB, Argentina)
His father is a doctor.

Alejandro Moreno (CLB, Venezuela)
Lists The Iliad and The Odyssey as his favorite books

Andy Iro (CLB, England)
When he is not playing soccer, he is hunting wild animals.

Gregory Richardson (COL, Guyana)
Nicknamed "Jackie Chan"

Pablo Ricchetti (DAL, Argentina)
The Argentinian's grandfather on his father's side was born in Italy, and Pablo became an Italian citizen at age 17.

Marcelo Saragosa (DAL, Brazil)
Was also a competitive ping-pong player - one of the youngest members of the Santa Catarina state-team, earning 100 Reals for being part of the team

Alvaro Sanchez (DAL, Costa Rica)
Goes by the nickname "Tom" after a character in the Japanese cartoon, Captain Tsubasa. The Fresh Prince of Bel Air is his favorite TV show.

Dave van den Bergh (DAL, Netherlands)
Cooks Mediterranean food and is fluent in English, Spanish, Dutch and German.

Dominic Oduro (HOU, Ghana)
Besides English, also speaks the Ghana dialects of Twi, Ga, Nzema, and Fante.

Kevin Souter (KC, Scotland)
Souter has never seen the Loch Ness Monster, he does not play the bagpipes, but he does own a kilt and he enjoys one of Scotland's fine delicacies: Haggis

Donovan Ricketts (LA, Jamaica)
As a member of the 1998 Jamaican World Cup team, Ricketts was given a piece of land in his native country, on which he is currently building a home.

Macoumba Kandji (NY, Senegal)
Enjoys going to the driving range and playing miniature golf.

Juan Pablo Angel (NY, Colombia)
Was named one of People En Espanol's 10 Hottest Men in late Sept. 2007.

Dane Richards (NY, Jamaica)
Favorite restaurant is Applebees. (really!?)

Freddie Ljungberg (SEA, Sweden)
A talented handball player, was called to the national handball squad at the age of 13

Jarrod Smith (SEA, New Zealand)
Father, Ian Smith, was a famous New Zealand cricketer and now a broadcast commentator and analyst.

Simon Elliot (SJ, New Zealand)
Enjoys playing cricket, rugby and Australian Rules Football and his favorite food is New Zealand lamb

Dwayne De Rosario (TOR, Canada)
Eats Ital cuisine (only natural foods, vegetarian) and speaks Guyanese Creole while with his family

Danny Dichio (TOR, England)
Speaks Italian, likes the Sopranos, and cooks a mean Spaghetti del mare. If he wasn't playing soccer he'd be a debt collector. He also used to DJ on the club circuit in the UK.

Amado Guevara (TOR, Honduras)
The best meal Amado cooks is anything with meat and if he wasn't a soccer player, he'd be a baseball player.

Rohann Ricketts (TOR, England)
Favorite musical group is Boyz 2 Men

Carl Robinson (TOR, Wales)
Speaks Welsh and the best meal Carl cooks is Bangers and Mash. He also swam for Wales when he was 13 in the 200M Butterfly.

Kevin Harmse (TOR, South Africa/Canada)
If he wasn't a soccer player, says he'd like to be a limo driver



Here is the 2008 version (link).

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

All-Time North African Premier League Players

This is a list of all the North African players who've made at least one Premier League appearance.



Algeria

  • Nadir Belhadj – Portsmouth – 2008-09
  • Hameur Bouazza – Watford, Fulham – 2006-08
  • Madjid Bougherra – Charlton Athletic – 2006-07
  • Djamel Belmadi – Manchester City – 2002-03
  • Ali Benarbia – Manchester City – 2002-03
  • Moussa Saïb – Tottenham Hotspur – 1997-99

Egypt

  • Mido – Tottenham Hotspur, Middlesbrough – 2004-09
  • Mohamed Shawky – Middlesbrough – 2007-09
  • Amr Zaki – Wigan Athletic – 2008-09
  • Hossam Ghaly – Tottenham Hotspur, Derby County – 2006-08
  • Ahmed Fathi – Sheffield United – 2006-07

Morocco

  • Nabil El Zhar – Liverpool – 2006-07, 2008-09
  • Talal El Karkouri – Sunderland, Charlton Athletic – 2002-03, 2004-07
  • Noureddine Naybet – Tottenham Hotspur F.C. – 2004-06
  • Youssef Safri – Norwich City – 2004-05
  • Mustapha Hadji – Coventry City, Aston Villa – 1999-04
  • Hassan Kachloul – Southampton, Aston Villa, Wolves – 1998-02, 2003-04
  • Tahar El Khalej – Southampton, Charlton Athletic – 1999-03
  • Abdeslam Ouaddou – Fulham – 2001-03
  • Youssef Chippo – Coventry City – 1999-01

Tunisia

  • Radhi Jaidi – Bolton Wanderers, Birmingham City – 2004-06, 2007-08
  • Mehdi Nafti – Birmingham City – 2004-06, 2007-08
  • Hatem Trabelsi – Manchester City – 2006-07




Image from AFDB.org

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

USA v Costa Rica World Cup Qualifying Notes

Here are a few game notes and short Costa Rican player bios to check out before the upcoming World Cup Qualifier between Costa Rica and USA on June 3. US Soccer has also put together an excellent rundown with additional info about the US team (link).

Costa Rica and USA are both 9-1-1 so far in 2010 WC Qualifying

USA World Cup Qualifying Record in San Jose, Costa Rica
0-5-1

Oct 8, 2005
L - 0-3 (WCQ '06)

Sep 5, 2001
L - 0-2 (WCQ '02)

July 23, 2000
L - 1-2 (WCQ '02)
Goal: Earnie Stewart (65)

Mar 23, 1997
L - 2-3 (WCQ '98)
Goals: Eric Wynalda (24) and Roy Lassiter (68)

Feb 12, 1992
D - 0-0 (WCQ '94)

April 16, 1989
L - 0-1 (WCQ '90)

Costa Rica Home Record since 2000
18-1-2

Notes:
Costa Rica has yet to allow a 2010 WCQ goal in Saprissa
Only 2 players who started the first game in the '06 WC featured in CR's last qualifying game
No player on the current US roster has ever scored on Costa Rican soil

Projected Starting Lineups: (Link)

Costa Rica Player Bios

GK
Keylor Navas
A young, talented goalkeeper who plays for Deportivo Saprissa (CR). He has been previously linked with a move to Chivas USA. (link)


DF
Gonzalo Segares
"Sega" has been a strong defender for the Chicago Fire in MLS since he was drafted in 2005. He hasn't been called up much for Costa Rica, but since Rodrigo Kenton took over as head coach, Sega's been a more important national team player and is a projected starter for the US game.

DF
Míchael Umaña
Back in 2005, Umaña spent a season with the LA Galaxy. He has since bounced around the Costa Rican league and has earned 16 caps. Umaña started at RB against Germany in the 2006 World Cup

DF
Freddy Fernandez
The 35 year old veteran Central Defender plays with Pérez Zeledón in the Costa Rican League. Freddy hasn't always been in the Costa Rican national team picture, but has forced his way in late in his career with excellent performances for his club side.

DF
Júnior Díaz
Diaz has been in Poland with Wisła Kraków since 2008. He scored the Game Winning goal in a 2010 qualification game against Haiti, in October 2008.

MF
Celso Borges
Borges transferred to Norway to play with Fredrikstad FK in 2009. According to Wikipedia, Blackburn Rovers, Anderlecht, Palermo, Manchester City, Werder Bremen, and Spartak Moscow have all been previously linked to Borges. He scored a goal in each WCQ meeting with Suriname in 2008. He is a play-making midfielder who just turned 21.

MF
Walter Centeno
If you've followed Costa Rican football at all in the past, you know Centeno. He is the captain, figurehead, and veteran leadership of the current team at 34 years of age. He featured in all 6 games of Costa Rica's previous two World Cup Final appearances. Centeno scored the game winner in CR's Hex Game against El Salvador in April.

MF
Carlos Hernandez
Hernandez plays in Australia with the Melbourne Victory and the 27 year old has represented the Ticos 20 times, scoring 6 goals.

MF
Armando Alonso
Armando plays midfield at Deportivo Saprissa and has scored 3 goals in 2010 Qualifying so far, 2 against Suriname and 1 against Grenada.

FW
Brian Ruiz
Brian is considered a rising star in Costa Rican football at 23 years of age. He plays in Belgium with Gent and has been rumored to be heading to a major league in Europe (Newcastle United, Celtic FC, Wigan Athletic, Heerenveen, Napoli) . He scored 3 goals in the 2010 CONCACAF Fourth WCQ Qualifying Round.

FW
Andy Furtado
29 year old Furtado plays in Costa Rica with CS Herediano. Outside of Walter Centeno, Furtado has the most International Goals on the current roster, with 13 in 42 international appearances. He has been in good form in 2009, scoring some important goals in the recent Central American Nations Cup.

Monday, June 1, 2009

2009 MLS Stats of Shame

Here are the Major League Soccer "Stats of Shame" from the first third of the 2009 MLS Season (all teams have played between 10-12 games)

Own Goals
Gino Padula (CLB)
Jay Heaps (NE)
James Riley (SEA)
CJ Brown (CHI)

Penalty Misses
3/21
Shooter: Dwayne De Rosario (TOR)
Keeper: Kevin Hartman (KC)

4/19
Shooter: Conor Casey (COL)
Keeper: Pat Onstad (HOU)

5/30
Shooter: Freddie Ljungberg (SEA)
Keeper: Andy Gruenebaum (CLB)

2.00 Goals Against Average - Goalkeeping
Brad Knighton (NE) - 10 goals allowed in 5 Games Played
Joe Cannon (SJ) - 22 goal allowed in 11 Games Played

Attendance
FC Dallas - Home Game Average of 9,417

Fouls Committed
Atiba Harris (CHV) - 30 Fouls Committed in 10 Games Played

Cautions
5 - Kyle Beckerman (RSL, 11GP)
5 - Ramiro Corrales (SJ, 11GP)
5 - Sacha Kljestan (CHV, 10GP)
5 - Javier Morales (RSL, 10GP)

Red Cards
2 - Gregg Berhalter (LA, 8GP)
2 - Carlos Johnson (NY, 6GP)

Goalkeepers with a 50% Lost Game Rate
71% - Jon Conway (NY) - 5 Lost, 7 Games Played
64% - Joe Cannon (SJ) - 7 Lost, 11 Games Played
50% - Ray Burse (DAL) - 5 Lost, 10 Games Played
50% - Nick Rimando (RSL) - 4 Lost, 8 Games Played

Winless on the Road
0-5-0 - San Jose Earthquakes (.000)
0-5-1 - Real Salt Lake (.083)
0-4-1 - NY Red Bulls (.100)
0-2-4 - Columbus Crew (.333)
0-0-5 - LA Galaxy (.500)

Zero Goals on the Road
The New York Red Bulls have score 0 goals in their first 5 games on the road this season.

Late Goals Allowed
The Columbus Crew and Toronto FC have both allowed 6 goals in minutes 76-90.

Team: 300 Consecutive minutes without a Goal
350 - Real Sealt Lake (May 9 to May 30)
310 - San Jose Earthquakes (April 18 to May 8)

Second Half Goals
FC Dallas has only scored 3 second half goals in 11 games, but have allowed 12 in the second half

Team Shot Statistics
New England is last in the league in Total Shots (80) and also Total Shots Against (164), both by margins of over 20 to the next nearest team

.000% Record when Allowing the First Goal
0-6-0 - San Jose Earthquakes
0-2-0 - Houston Dynamo

Sub-.500% Record When Scoring the First Goal
2-3-0 - FC Dallas

.000% Record in One-Goal Games
0-6-0 - NY Red Bulls
0-1-0 - Seattle Sounders

Longest Team Losing Streak
5 - San Jose Earthqakes (April 25 to May 27)