UEFA Clubs with 100% Domestic Players

This is the relatively short list of Top Division UEFA clubs that have zero foreign players in their full senior squads in 09/10. In Europe, Athletic Bilbao is perhaps the most famous example of this, with all Spanish (Basque) players. (Although, up until 1989, neighboring Real Sociedad had the same Basque only policy)


ARMENIA
Kilikia
Shirak

ESTONIA
JK Viljandi Tulevik

GEORGIA
Lokomotivi Tbilisi
WIT Georgia

HUNGARY
Rákospalotai EAC
Paksi Sportegyesület

ICELAND
Selfoss

LATVIA
RFS/Olimps

LITHUANIA
Kruoja Pakruojis
LKKA ir Teledema
FK Šiauliai

MACEDONIA
FK Sloga Jugomagnat

MOLDOVA
FC Dinamo Bender
FC Viitorul

SPAIN
Athletic Bilbao


Source: Soccerway

Apologies for the Temporary TB11 Outage

Someone (me) forgot to pay the rent around here and I lost my TB11 domain name for a few hours. Oops! I won't be doing that again. Everything should be back in order now, I'll have a new post on Monday morning. Sorry about that....

Active MLS Alumni (Feb 2010)

This is a list of former Major League Soccer players who are still playing elsewhere around the world.

ARGENTINA
Eduardo Dominguez - Huracan (LA)
Marcelo Gallardo - River Plate (DC)
Matias Donnet - Union de Santa Fe (2nd Division) DC
Matias Mantilla - Independiente Rivadavia (2nd Division) RSL
Carlos Marinelli - Aldosivi (2nd Division) KC
Gonzalo Peralta - Tristan Suarez (3rd Division) DC
Eloy Colombano - Atlanta (3rd Division) KC
Ariel Graziani - Atletico Empalme (Amateur Division) DAL, SJ

AUSTRALIA
Terry Cooke - North Queensland Fury (COL)
Victor Sikora - Perth Glory (DAL)
Cassio - Adelaide United (NE)
Diego Walsh - Wellington Phoenix (CLB, KC, RSL)
Tony Lochhead - Wellington Phoenix (NE)
Andrea Lombardo - Whittlesea Zebras (2nd Division) TOR

AUSTRIA
Pablo Chinchilla - LASK Linz (LA)

BOLIVIA
José Carlos Fernández - Bolivar (NE)
Joselito Vaca - Oriente Petrolero (DAL, NY)

BRAZIL
Danilo Silva - Internacional (NY)
Alvaro Pires - Fortaleza Esporte Clube (3rd Division) LA
Luciano Emilio - Rio Branco (Paulista 2nd Division) DC

CHILE
José Galvan - Cobresal (NY)
Marcos González - Universidad Catolica (CLB)
Raul Palacios - San Marcos de Arica (2nd Division) COL

CHINA
Samuel Caballero - Changchun Yatai (CHI)

COLOMBIA
Sergio Galvan Rey - America de Cali (NY)
Antony de Avila - America de Cali (NY)
Gonzalo Martínez - Atletico Huila (DC)
Ivan Trujillo - Deportes Quindio (KC)

COSTA RICA
Jonathan Bolaños - CS Herediano (CHI)
Andy Herron - AD Ramonense (CHI, CLB)
Alejandro Sequeira - Deportivo Saprissa (TB, SJ)
Douglas Sequeira - Deportivo Saprissa (CHV, RSL)
Mauricio Solis - CS Herediano (SJ)

CROATIA
Johann Smith - Rijeka (TOR)

CYPRUS
Junior Agogo - Apollon Limassol (CHI, COL, SJ)
Gonzalo Segares - Apollon Limassol (CHI)

DENMARK
Yura Movsisyan - Randers (KC, RSL)
Michael Parkhurst - FC Nordsjaelland (NE)
Chris Rolfe - Aalborg (CHI)

ECUADOR
Franco Niell - Deportivo Quito (DC)
Roberto Mina - Macara (DAL)
Wellington Sanchez - El Nacional (NY, LA)

EGYPT
Francis Doe - Al-Ahly (NY, DC)

ENGLAND
Jozy Altidore - Hull City (NY)
Brad Friedel - Aston Villa (CLB)
Tim Howard - Everton (NY)
Clint Dempsey - Fulham (NE)
Landon Donovan - Everton (LA)
Brad Guzan - Aston VIlla (CHV)
Marcus Hahnemann - Wolverhampton Wanderers (COL)
Stuart Holden - Bolton Wanderers (HOU)
Ryan Nelsen - Blackburn Rovers (DC)
Kenny Cooper - Plymouth Argyle (Championship) DAL
Stern John - Ipswich Town (Championship) CLB
Davide Somma - Leeds United (League One) SJ
Andy Welsh - Yeovil Town (League One) TOR
Khano Smith - Lincoln City (League Two) NE, NY
Ade Akinbiyi - Notts County (League Two) HOU
Tony Caig - Workington (Conference North) HOU


FINLAND
Simo Valakari - TPS Turku (DAL)
David Monsalve - FC Inter Turku (TOR)

FRANCE
Carlos Bocanegra - Rennes (CHI)
Bakary Soumaré - US Boulogne (CHI)
Laurent Merlin - SO Cassis Carnoux (3rd Division) CHV
Jean-Martial Kipre - SC Toulon (4th Division) RSL

GERMANY
Michael Bradley - Borussia Moenchengladbach (NY)
Ricardo Clark - Eintracht Frankfurt (NY, SJ, HOU)
Matt Taylor - FSV Frankfurt (2nd Division) KC, CHV
Ian Joy - FC Ingolstadt 04 (3rd Division) RSL
Maycoll Cañizalez - Bonner SC (4th Division) TOR

GHANA
Nana Kuffour - Accra Hearts of Oak (DC)

GREECE
Lucio Filomeno - PAOK (DC)
Denilson - AO Kavala (DAL)
Freddy Adu - Aris Thessaloniki (DC, RSL)
Eddie Johnson - Aris Thessaloniki (DAL, KC)

GUATEMALA
Gustavo Cabrera - Xelaju (RSL)
Freddy Garcia - CSD Municipal (CLB)
Guillermo "PANDO" Ramírez - CD Marathon (LA)
Mario Rodríguez - CSD Municipal (CLB)

HONDURAS
Iván Guerrero - Motagua (CHI, SJ, DC, COL)
Amado Guevara - Motagua (NY, CHV, TOR)
Saul Martinez - Marathon (MIA)
Carlos Pavon - Real España (LA)

HONG KONG
Albert Celades - Kitchee Sports Club (NY)

IRELAND
Chris Konopka - Waterford United (2nd Division) KC

ISRAEL
Dedi Ben Dayan - Hapoel Tel Aviv (COL)
Leonard Krupnik - Maccabi Netanya (NY)
Scott Sealy - Bnei Sakhnin (KC, SJ)

ITALY
Franco Coraccio - Foggia (3rd Division) HOU

JAMAICA
Jermaine Hue - Harbour View (KC)

JAPAN
Ricardinho - FC Tokyo (DAL)

MALI
Mamadou Diallo - Djoliba AC (TB, NE, NY)

MEXICO
Alain N'Kong - Indios de Ciudad Juárez (COL)
Carlos Ruiz - Puebla (LA, DAL, TOR)
Herculez Gomez - Puebla (LA, COL, KC)
Duilio Davino - Monterrey (DAL)
Juan Pablo Garcia - CD Tigres UANL (CHV)
Diego Jiménez - Estudiantes (NY)
Jesus Morales - Atlante (CHV)
Daniel Osorno - Atlas (COL)
Francisco Palencia - UNAM Pumas (CHV)
Nicholas Addlery - Cruz Azul Hidalgo (2nd Division) DC
Roberto Nurse - Cruz Azul Hidalgo (2nd Division) CHV
Isaac Romo - Queretaro FC (2nd Division) CHV
Eliseo Quintanilla - Correcaminos (2nd Division) DC
Cuauhtemoc Blanco - Veracruz (2nd Division) CHI
Eduardo Lillingston - Tijuana (2nd Division) CHV
Francisco Martínez - Tijuana (2nd Division) CHV

NORWAY
Hunter Freeman - IK Start (COL, NY, TOR)
Clarence Goodson - IK Start (DAL)
Chris Gbandi - FK Haugesund (DAL)
Willis Forko - FK Bodø/Glimt (RSL)
Chris Pozniak - Haugesund (TOR)
Kyriakos Stamatopoulos - Tromsø (TOR)
Khari Stephenson - Aalesunds FK (CHI, KC)
Thiago Martins - FK Bodø/Glimt (DC, CHV, NY, COL)
Fabian Taylor - Notodden FK (2nd Division) NY


PERU
Luis Tejada - Juan Aurich (RSL)
Jose Carallo - Sporting Cristal (DC)

POLAND
Tomasz Frankowski - Jagiellonia Białystok (CHI)

PORTUGAL
Juan Pietravallo - Olhanense (NY)

ROMANIA
Kasali Yinka Casal - CFR Cluj (DC)
Abbe Ibrahim - FC Ceahlăul (TOR)
Míchael Umaña - FC Brasov (LA)
Ramon Nunez - Unirea Alba Iulia (DAL, CHV)
Juan Toja - Steaua Bucureşti (DAL)

SCOTLAND
DaMarcus Beasley - Rangers (CHI)
Maurice Edu - Rangers (TOR)
Andy Dorman - St Mirren (NE)
Dan Stratford - Inverness Caledonian Thistle (DC)
Kenny Deuchar - St. Johnstone (RSL)
Collin Samuel - St. Johnstone (TOR)
Tam McManus - Ayr United (2nd Division) COL

SLOVENIA
Bojan Stepanović - NK Drava Ptuj (CHV)

SOUTH AFRICA
Dipsy Selolwane - Ajax Cape Town (CHI, RSL)
Tico-Tico - Jomo Cosmos (TB)
Nkosinathi Nhleko - Kaizer Chiefs (DAL)

SWEDEN
Ryan MIller - Halmstads BK (CLB, DC)
Nick Noble - Ljungskile SK (CHI)

THAILAND
Roland Vargas-Aguilera - TTM Phichit (CLB, NE)

TRINIDAD and TOBAGO
Gary Glasgow - United Petrotrin (KC)
Travis Mulraine - Joe Public (SJ, DC)
Keyeno Thomas - Joe Public (COL)

TURKEY
Joseph Ngwenya - Antalyaspor (LA, CLB, HOU)

VENEZUELA
Gabriel Cichero - Caracas FC (NY)


With the recent transfer window, I'm not 100% sure that all of the current clubs are up to date as I had to rely on Wikipedia for a lot of the South/Central American, African, and Asian clubs. I double checked as much as I could, but this took me forever as it is. Let me know of any corrections in the comments or send me an email and I'll get it taken care of.

Africa All-Time FIFA Rankings (Feb 2010)

This is a list of African nations ranked by their all-time highest FIFA rankings.


5 - Nigeria (Apr 94)
10 - Egypt (Feb 10)
10 - Morocco (Apr 98)
11 - Cameroon (Jan-Dec 07; Nov-Dec 09)
14 - Ghana (Feb 08)
15 - Zambia (Feb 96)
16 - Côte d'Ivoire (Nov 09)
16 - South Africa (Aug 96)
19 - Tunisia (Feb 98)
22 - Guinea (Aug 06; Jan 07)
26 - Algeria (Dec 09)
26 - Senegal (June 04)
30 - Gabon (Jul 09)
35 - Mali (Feb 07)
40 - Zimbabwe (Apr 95)
45 - Angola (July 00)
46 - Togo (Aug 06)
49 - Burkina Faso (Nov 09)
51 - Congo DR (Sep 03)
51 - Sierra Leone (Jan 96)
53 - Malawi (Dec 92)
57 - Congo (Oct 08)
59 - Benin (Nov 09)
61 - Libya (Nov 04)
64 - Equatorial Guinea (Mar 08)
65 - Gambia (June 09)
65 - Tanzania (Feb 95)
65 - Uganda (Apr 95)
66 - Liberia (July 01)
66 - Mozambique (Nov 97)
68 - Cape Verde Islands (July 07)
68 - Kenya (Dec 08)
68 - Namibia (Nov 98)
68 - Niger (Nov 94)
74 - Madagascar (Dec 92)
74 - Sudan (Dec 96)
78 - Rwanda (Dec 08)
85 - Ethiopia (Dec 92)
85 - Mauritania (Dec 95)
92 - Swaziland (Oct 93)
95 - Botswana (Dep 07)
96 - Burundi (Aug 93)
112 - Mauritius (Dec 92)
115 - Guinea-Bissau (July 94)
118 - Chad (Jan 09)
120 - Lesotho (Aug 03)
121 - Eritrea (Aug 07)
129 - Seychelles (Oct 06)
148 - Central African Republic (Dec 92)
158 - Somalia (Apr 95)
169 - Djibouti (Dec 94)
176 - Comoros (Dec 09; Feb 10)


NOTES:
Egypt moved up to the second highest ranked African nation ever this month.
10 different nations had their best ever ranking in 2009.
42 of the 52 African nations have been in the top 100 at some point.

Turkey and England Player Connection

This is a list of the many players that have been with clubs in both Turkey and England at some point in their careers.

Julius Aghahowa - Wigan Ahtletic -- Kayserispor

Bülent Akın - Bolton Wanderers -- Denizlispor, Galatasaray, Gençlerbirliği, Malatyaspor, İstanbulspor

Daniel Amokachi - Everton -- Besiktas

Nicolas Anelka - Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City, Bolton Wanderers, Chelsea -- Fenerbahçe

Radomir Antić - Luton Town -- Fenerbahçe

Dalian Atkinson - Ipswich Town, Sheffield Wednesday, Aston Villa -- Fenerbahçe

Milan Baroš - Liverpool, Aston Villa -- Galatasaray

Emre Belözoğlu - Newcastle United -- Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe

Kevin Campbell - Arsenal, Leyton Orient, Leicester City, Nottingham Forest, Everton, West Bromwich Albion, Cardiff City -- Trabzonspor

John Carew - Aston Villa -- Beşiktaş JK

Nick Carle - Bristol City, Crystal Palace -- Gençlerbirliği SK

Edouard Cisse - West Ham United -- Beşiktaş JK

Kaba Diawara - Arsenal, Blackburn Rovers -- Gaziantepspor, Ankaragücü

Lamine Diatta - Newcastle United -- Beşiktaş J.K.

Giovani Dos Santos - Tottenham, Ipswich Town -- Galatasaray

Les Ferdinand - Hayes, QPR, Brentford, Newcastle United, Tottenham, West Ham United, Leicester City, Bolton Wanderers, Reading, Watford -- Beşiktaş

Matteo Ferrari - Everton - Beşiktaş JK

Geremi - Chelsea, Newcastle United, Middlesbrough -- Gençlerbirliği, Ankaragücü

Jes Høgh - Chelsea -- Fenerbahçe

Dom Iorfa - QPR, Peterborough United, Southend -- Galatasaray

Jô - Manchester City, Everton -- Galatasaray

Ronny Johnsen - Manchester United, Aston Villa, Newcastle United -- Beşiktaş JK

Colin Kazim-Richards - Bury, Brighton & Hove Albion, Sheffield United -- Fenerbahçe

Tugay Kerimoğlu - Blackburn Rovers -- Galatasaray

Harry Kewell - Leeds United, Liverpool -- Galatasaray

Mateja Kežman - Chelsea -- Fenerbahçe

Richard Kingson - Wigan Athletic, Birmingham City -- Sakaryaspor, Göztepe A.Ş., Antalyaspor, Elazığspor, Ankaraspor, Galatasaray S.K.

Kléberson - Manchester United -- Beşiktaş

Rune Lange - Hartlepool United -- Trabzonspor

Tobias Linderoth - Everton -- Galatasaray

Mike Marsh - Liverpool, West Ham United, Coventry City, Southend United, Southport, Barrow, Kidderminster, Boston United, Accrington Stanley -- Galatasaray

Collins Mbesuma - Portsmouth -- Bursaspor

Viorel Moldovan - Coventry City -- Fenerbahçe

Thomas Myhre - Birmingham City, Tranmere Rovers, Sunderland, Crystal Palace, Charlton Athletic -- Beşiktaş JK

Lucas Neill - Millwall, Blackburn Rovers, West Ham United, Everton -- Galatasaray

Shabani Nonda - Blackburn Rovers -- Galatasaray

Jay-Jay Okocha - Bolton Wanderers, Hull City -- Fenerbahçe

Souleymane Oulare - Stoke City -- Fenerbahçe SK

Alpay Özalan - Aston Villa -- Beşiktaş, Fenerbahçe

Sébastien Pérez - Blackburn Rovers -- Galatasaray

Frank Pingel - Newcastle United -- Fenerbahçe, Bursaspor

Gica Popescu - Tottenham -- Galatasaray

Serhiy Rebrov - Tottenham, West Ham United -- Fenerbahçe

Tuncay Şanlı - Middlesbrough, Stoke City -- Sakaryaspor, Fenerbahçe

Dean Saunders - Swansea City, Cardiff City, Brighton & Hove Albion, Oxford United, Derby County, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest, Sheffield United, Bradford City -- Galatasaray

Didier Six - Aston Villa -- Galatasaray

Josip Skoko - Wigan Athletic, Stoke City -- Gençlerbirliği

Rigobert Song - Liverpool, West Ham United -- Galatasaray, Trabzonspor

Hakan Şükür - Blackburn Rovers -- Sakaryaspor, Bursaspor, Galatasaray

Gabriel Tamaş - West Bromwich Albion -- Galatasaray

James Troisi - Newcastle United -- Gençlerbirliği, Kayserispor

Hakan Ünsal - Blackburn Rovers -- Karabükspor, Galatasaray, Çaykur Rizespor

Ulrich van Gobbel - Southampton -- Galatasaray

Pierre van Hooijdonk - Nottingham Forest -- Fenerbahçe

Darius Vassell - Aston Villa, Manchester City -- Ankaragücü

*Check out Darius Vassell's blog about his life in Ankara. It's an interesting inside look at the club, the league, and the country.*

Barry Venison - Sunderland, Liverpool, Newcastle United, Southampton -- Galatasaray

Alan Walsh - Middlesbrough, Darlington, Bristol City, Walsall, Huddersfield Town, Shrewsbury Town, Cardiff City, Backwell United, Hartlepool United, Bath City -- Beşiktaş

Ian Wilson - Leicester City, Everton, Derby County, Bury, Wigan -- Beşiktaş JK

Abel Xavier - Everton, Liverpool, Middlesbrough -- Galatasaray

Ugur Yildirim - Blackburn Rovers -- Gaziantepspor, Kasımpaşa S.K.

Players in Top Leagues from Low-Ranked UEFA Nations

This is a list of players from the lowest ranked European nations (ranked from 80 to 203) that are playing in one of the Top 20 UEFA Coefficient Leagues. I've also included the second divisions from England and Germany.

I'm guessing the list is not 100% complete because I based it mostly on players who've appeared with their national team in the last year or so. I'm pretty sure I got all the bigger names (Hleb, Gudjohnsen, Kaladze, etc.). If I missed someone, let me know and I'll add them in.


BELARUS (80)
Dmitry Lentsevich - Bohemians Prague (Czech Republic)
Aliaksandr Hleb - Stuttgart (Germany)
Vasily Khomutovsky - Augsburg (2.Germany)
Vitali Kutuzov - Bari (Italy)
Yuri Zhevnov - FC Moscow (Russia)
Anton Amelchenko - FC Moscow (Russia)
Aliaksandr Kulchiy - Rostov (Russia)
Sergei Omelyanchuk - FC Terek Grozny (Russia)
Timofei Kalachev - Krylia Sovetov (Russia)
Mikhail Afanasyev - Amkar Perm (Russia)
Leonid Kovel - Saturn Moscow Oblast (Russia)
Gennadi Bliznyuk - FC Sibir Novosibirsk (Russia)
Dmitry Molosh - FC Sibir Novosibirsk (Russia)
Egor Filipenko - Tom Tomsk (Russia)
Sergei Kornilenko - Zenit St. Petersburg (Russia)
Mykola Kashevsky - Illichivets (Ukraine)
Aleksandr Shagoyko - Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih (Ukraine)
Vladimir Korytko - Matalurh Donetsk (Ukraine)

ICELAND (94)
Bjarni Viðarsson - Roeselare (Belgium)
Stefán Gíslason - Brøndby (Denmark)
Grétar Steinsson - Bolton Wanderers (England)
Hermann Hreiðarsson - Portsmouth (England)
Eiður Guðjohnsen - Tottenham (England)
Emil Hallfreðsson - Barnsley (2.England)
Brynjar Gunnarsson - Reading (2.England)
Gunnar Heiðar Þorvaldsson - Reading (2.England)
Heiðar Helguson - Watford (2.England)
Garðar Jóhannsson - Hansa Rostock (2.Germany)
Arnar Smárason - Heerenveen (Netherlands)
Árni Gautur Arason - Odd Grenland (Norway)
Veigar Páll Gunnarsson - Stabæk (Norway)
Indriði Sigurðsson - Viking (Norway)

MOLDOVA (96)
Valeriu Andronic - Bohemians Prague (Czech Republic)
Eugeniu Cebotaru - Ceahlăul (Romania)
Denis Zmeu - Vaslui (Romania)
Alexandru Epureanu - FC Moscow (Russia)
Alexandru Gaţcan - Rostov (Russia)
Victor Golovatenco - Khimki (Russia)
Artur Ioniţă - FC Aarau (Switzerland)
Serghei Alexeev - FC Aarau (Switzerland)

ALBANIA (97)
Hamdi Salihi - Rapid Wien (Austria)
Lorik Cana - Sunderland (England)
Altin Lala - Hannover 96 (Germany)
Jahmir Hyka - FSV Mainz (Germany)
Ervin Skela - TuS Koblenz (2.Germany)
Edmond Kapllani - TuS Koblenz (2.Germany)
Besart Berisha - Arminia Bielefeld (2.Germany)
Kristi Vangjeli - Aris Thessaloniki (Greece)
Erjon Bogdani - Chievo (Italy)
Isli Hidi - Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih (Ukraine)
Ervin Bulku - Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih (Ukraine)
Ansi Agolli - Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih (Ukraine)
Dorian Bylykbashi - Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih (Ukraine)
Armend Dallku - Vorskla Poltava (Ukraine)
Debatik Curri - Vorskla Poltava (Ukraine)

ARMENIA (102)
Robert Arzumanyan - Randers FC (Denmark)
Yura Movsisyan - Randers FC (Denmark)
Artak Dashyan - Artak Dashyan (Ukraine)
Henrikh Mkhitaryan - Artak Dashyan (Ukraine)
Roman Berezovsky - FC Khimki (Russia)
Arman Karamyan - Steaua Bucureşti (Romania)
Artavazd Karamyan - Steaua Bucureşti (Romania)
Hiraç Yagan - A.F.C. Tubize (Belgium)

ESTONIA (104)
Alo Bärengrub - Bodø/Glimt (Norway)
Pavel Londak - Bodø/Glimt (Norway)
Aleksandr Dmitrijev - Hønefoss (Norway)
Artur Kotenko - Viking (Norway)
Andrei Sidorenkov - SønderjyskE (Denmark)
Kaimar Saag - Silkeborg IF (Denmark)
Sander Puri - Larissa (Greece)
Andres Oper - ADO Den Haag (Netherlands)
Ragnar Klavan - AZ Alkmaar (Netherlands)
Sergei Pareiko - Tom Tomsk (Russia)
Sergei Zenjov - FC Karpaty Lviv (Ukraine)

AZERBAIJAN (114)
Vagif Javadov - FC Twente (Netherlands)
Mahir Shukurov - FC Anzhi Makhachkala (Russia)

FAROE ISLANDS (118)
Christian Holst - Silkeborg IF (Denmark)

GEORGIA (122)
Ilia Kandelaki - Sturm Graz (Austria)
Davit Devdariani - AGF Aarhus (Denmark)
Zurab Khizanishvili - Newcastle United (2.England)
Amiran Sanaia - Le Mans (France)
Levan Kobiashvili - Hertha BSC (Germany)
Levan Kenia - Schalke 04 (Germany)
Mate Bvinianidze - 1860 Munich (2.Germany)
Alexander Iashvili - Karlsruhe (2.Germany)
Giorgi Shashiashvili - Ergotelis (Greece)
Kakha Kaladze - AC Milan (Italy)
Levan Mchedlidze - Palermo (Italy)
Zhano Ananidze - Spartak Moscow (Russia)
Otar Martsvaladze - Anzhi Makhachkala (Russia)
Malkhaz Asatiani - Lokomotiv Moscow (Russia)
Dato Kvikvelia - Rubin Kazan (Russia)
Lasha Salukvadze - Rubin Kazan (Russia)
David Siradze - Spartak Nalchik (Russia)
Beka Gotsiridze - Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk (Ukraine)

KAZAKHSTAN (123)
NONE

LUXEMBOURG (124)
Jeff Strasser - Grasshopper Club (Switzerland)

MALTA (144)
André Schembri - Austria Kärnten (Austria)

LIECHTENSTEIN (153)
Martin Stocklasa - SV Ried (Austria)
Michele Polverino - FC Aarau (Switzerland)
David Hasler - FC Basel (Switzerland)
Martin Büchel - FC Zürich (Switzerland)
Yves Oehri - St. Gallen (Switzerland)
Mario Frick - St. Gallen (Switzerland)

ANDORRA (202)
Fernando Silva - Maritimo (Portugal)
Ildefons Lima - Bellinzona (Switzerland)

SAN MARINO (203)
NONE



MLS Side Note: The New York Red Bulls have a player from Estonia (Joel Lindpere) and Georgia (Giorgi Chirgadze) on their roster for the upcoming season.


MLS Alumni:
Armenia: Harut Karapetyan and Yura Movsisyan
Belarus: Sasha Gotsmanov

WC2010: Club Teammates on Opposing Group Stage Teams (E-H)

This is a potential* list of club teammates who will face off against each other in the group stages at the 2010 World Cup. (Groups E-H).

Groups A-D (Link)


GROUP E

AJAX
Timothée Atouba (Cameroon)
Eyong Enoh (Cameroon)
Maarten Stekelenburg (Netherlands)
Dennis Rommedahl (Denmark)

ARSENAL
Robin van Persie (Netherlands)
Alex Song (Cameroon)
Nicklas Bendtner (Denmark)

CELTIC
Landry N'Guémo (Cameroon)
Edson Braafheid (Netherlands)
Morten Rasmussen (Denmark)

ESPANYOL
Carlos Kameni (Cameroon)
Shunusuke Nakamura (Japan)

FEYENOORD
Jon Dahl Tomasson (Denmark)
Giovanni van Bronckhorst (Netherlands)

INTER MILAN
Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon)
Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands)

LIVERPOOL
Daniel Agger (Denmark)
Dirk Kuyt (Netherlands)
Ryan Babel (Netherlands)

ODENSE BK
Eric Djemba-Djemba (Cameroon)
Anders Møller Christensen (Denmark)
Chris Sørensen (Denmark)

RED BULL SALZBURG
Thomas Augustinussen (Denmark)
Somen Tchoyi (Cameroon)

VfL WOLFSBURG
Makoto Hasebe (Japan)
Thomas Kahlenberg (Denmark)


GROUP F

LIVERPOOL
Alberto Aquilani (Italy)
Martin Škrtel (Slovakia)

NAPOLI
Fabio Quagliarella (Italy)
Marek Hamšík (Slovakia)

VfL WOLFSBURG
Jonathan Santana (Paraguay)
Peter Pekarík (Slovakia)

WEST BROMWICH ALBION
Chris Wood (New Zealand)
Marek Cech (Slovakia)

GROUP G

BARCELONA
Dani Alves (Brazil)
Yaya Touré (Ivory Coast)

BENFICA
Luisão (Brazil)
Ramires (Brazil)
Nuno Gomes (Portugal)

CHELSEA
Deco (Portugal)
Ricardo Carvalho (Portugal)
Paulo Ferreira (Portugal)
José Bosingwa (Portugal)
Alex (Brazil)

GALATASARAY
Abdul-Kader Keïta (Ivory Coast)
Elano (Brazil)

LILLE
Gervinho (Ivory Coast)
Ricardo Costa (Portugal)

MANCHESTER UNITED
Nani (Portugal)
Anderson (Brazil)

PORTO
Bruno Alves (Portugal)
Raul Meireles (Portugal)
Hulk (Brazil)

REAL MADRID
Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
Pepe (Portugal)
Marcelo (Real Madrid)
Kaká (Brazil)

SEVILLA
Romaric (Ivory Coast)
Luís Fabiano (Brazil)

GROUP H

ARSENAL
Johan Djourou (Switzerland)
Cesc Fàbregas (Spain)

UDINESE
Mauricio Isla (Chile)
Alexis Sánchez (Chile)
Gökhan Inler (Switzerland)




*As mentioned in the Groups A-D post, it's difficult to predict who will make the final WC squad lists, especially for teams like Argentina, Brazil, Italy, etc... When the final lists come out, I plan to revisit the topic.

Asia All-Time Highest Fifa Rankings (Feb 2010)

This is a list of Asian nations ranked in order by their highest ever FIFA rankings.

Not a lot has changed since the last time I did this list over a year ago. Australia, who joined the Asian confederation in 2006, have moved up to the second highest Asian ranking ever, with their world rank of 14th in September of 2009.

Nations in Red have made a previous World Cup appearance

9 - Japan (Feb 98)
14 - Australia (Sep 09)
15 - Iran (July 05)
17 - South Korea (Dec 98)
21 - Saudi Arabia (July 04)
24 - Kuwait (Dec 98)
37 - China (Dec 98)
37 - Jordan (Aug 04)
39 - Iraq (Oct 04)
42 - UAE (Nov 98)
43 - Thailand (Sep 98)
44 - Bahrain (Sep 04)
45 - Uzbekistan (Nov 06; Jan 07)
50 - Oman (Aug 04)
51 - Qatar (Aug 93)
57 - Korea DPR (Nov 93)
73 - Singapore (Aug 93)
75 - Malaysia (Aug 93)
76 - Indonesia (Sep 98)
78 - Syria (Aug 93)
84 - Vietnam (Sep 98)
85 - Lebanon (Dec 98)
86 - Turkmenistan (Apr 04)
90 - Hong Kong (Feb 96)
90 - Yemen (Aug 93)
94 - India (Feb 96)
97 - Myanmar (Apr 96)
110 - Bangladesh (Apr 96)
114 - Tajikistan (July 97)
115 - Palestine (Apr 06)
119 - Kyrgyzstan (Aug 06)
122 - Sri Lanka (Aug 98)
124 - Nepal (Dec 93; Feb 94)
126 - Maldives (July 06)
134 - Laos (Sep 98)
140 - Brunei (Dec 92)
141 - Pakistan (Feb 94)
144 - Chinese Taipei (Aug 06)
155 - Philippines (Oct 09)
156 - Cambodia (July 98)
156 - Macau (Sep 97)
170 - Mongolia (Nov 09; Feb 10)
173 - Afghanistan (July 06)
182 - Guam (Aug 96)
187 - Bhutan (Dec 03; Jan-Dec 04; Sep-Dec 08)
197 - Timor-Leste (Dec 08)

WC2010: Club Teammates on Opposing Group Stage Teams (A-D)

This is a potential* list of club teammates who will face off against each other in the group stages at WC2010. (Groups A-D)

GROUP A

ARSENAL
Carlos Vela (Mexico)
Bacary Sagna (France)
William Gallas (France)
Abou Diaby (France)
Gael Clichy (France)
Mikael Silvestre (France)
Samir Nasri (France)

BARCELONA
Rafa Marquez (Mexico)
Jonathan Dos Santos (Mexico)
Eric Abidal (France)
Thierry Henry (France)

WEST HAM UNITED
Guillermo Franco (Mexico)
Benny McCarthy (South Africa)

GROUP B

BOLTON
Lee Chung-Yong (South Korea)
Danny Shittu (Nigeria)

LIVERPOOL
Emiliano Insua (Argentina)
Javier Mascherano (Argentina)
Maxi Rodriguez (Argentina)
Sotirios Kyrgiakos (Greece)

MARSEILLE
Taye Taiwo (Nigeria)
Lucho Gonzalez (Argentina)
Gabriel Heinze (Argentina)

MONACO
Park Chu-Young (South Korea)
Lukman Haruna (Nigeria)

PORTSMOUTH
Angelos Basinas (Greece)
Nwankwo Kanu (Nigeria)

GROUP C

RANGERS
Madjid Bougherra (Algeria)
DaMarcus Beasley (USA)

BORUSSIA MOENCHENGLADBACH
Karim Matmour (Algeria)
Michael Bradley (USA)

HULL CITY
Kamel Ghilas (Algeria)
Jozy Altidore (USA)

PORTSMOUTH
Nadir Belhadj (Algeria)
Hassan Yebda (Algeria)
David James (England)

VfL BOCHUM
Antar Yahia (Algeria)
Zlatko Dedic (Slovenia)

PAS GIANNINA (Greece)
Salim Arrache (Algeria)
Mirnes Sisic (Slovenia)


GROUP D

1899 HOFFENHEIM
Andreas Beck (Germany)
Prince Tagoe (Ghana)
Isaac Vorsah (Ghana)

1. FC Köln
Lukas Podolski (Germany)
Zoran Tošić (Serbia)

FC BASEL
Scott Chipperfield (Australia)
Samuel Inkoom (Ghana)

BAYER LEVERKUSEN
Rene Adler (Germany)
Simon Rolfes (Germany)
Toni Kroos (Germany)
Hans Sarpei (Ghana)

FULHAM FC
Mark Schwarzer (Australia)
John Pantsil (Ghana)

HERTHA BSC
Arne Friedrich (Germany)
Gojko Kačar (Serbia)

INTER MILAN
Dejan Stanković (Serbia)
Sulley Muntari (Ghana)

LAZIO
Thomas Hitzlsperger (Germany)
Aleksandar Kolarov (Serbia)

UDINESE
Aleksandar Luković (Serbia)
Kwadwo Asamoah (Ghana)

VFB STUTTGART
Serdar Tasci (Germany)
Zdravko Kuzmanović (Serbia)

WIGAN ATHLETIC
Vladimir Stojković (Serbia)
Richard Kingson (Ghana)









*In hindsight, I probably should have waited for the World Cup 2010 squad lists to come out before doing a post like this, but I was already more than halfway done by the time I thought of it so I decided to finish it. When the final squad lists are released I plan to revisit the topic (and see how close I came).

FIFA Ranking Analysis of Euro 2012 Qualifying Groups

Here's a brief FIFA ranking analysis of the EURO 2012 qualification draw.

When averaging the current FIFA rankings of the groups from top to bottom, England and Portugal's groups are definitely the toughest. This is due to the tough 'minnows' in those groups with the likes of Wales, Montenegro, Iceland, and Cyprus. These groups also have the closest rank difference between the top and bottom teams.

The toughest groups when averaging only the top three teams are Croatia and Italy's Groups. Croatia will have it tough with Greece and Israel to contend with, while Italy has been grouped with fellow world cup qualifiers, Serbia and Slovenia. The Italian group also has highest ranked 'fourth' team with a quality Northern Ireland team who could definitely cause problems for the top 3.



GROUP A
(6) Germany
(42) Turkey
(61) Austria
(66) Belgium
(114) Azerbaijan
(123) Kazakhstan

GROUP B
(13) Russia
(36) Slovakia
(37) Republic of Ireland
(64) Macedonia
(102) Armenia
(202) Andorra

GROUP C
(3) Italy
(19) Serbia
(33) Slovenia
(40) Northern Ireland
(104) Estonia
(118) Faroe Islands

GROUP D
(7) France
(38) Romania
(48) Bosnia-Herzegovina
(80) Belarus
(97) Albania
(124) Luxembourg

GROUP E
(2) Netherlands
(43) Sweden
(52) Hungary
(54) Finland
(96) Moldova
(203) San Marino

GROUP F
(11) Croatia
(12) Greece
(27) Israel
(49) Latvia
(122) Georgia
(144) Malta

GROUP G
(9) England
(18) Switzerland
(30) Bulgaria
(72) Montenegro
(76) Wales

GROUP H
(5) Portugal
(26) Denmark
(32) Norway
(68) Cyprus
(94) Iceland

GROUP I
(1) Spain
(25) Czech Republic
(46) Scotland
(62) Lithuania
(153) Liechtenstein

AUTOMATIC QUALIFIER
(24) Ukraine
(57) Poland


GROUP RANK AVERAGE
41.00 - GROUP G (England)
45.00 - GROUP H (Portugal)
52.83 - GROUP C (Italy)
57.40 - GROUP I (Spain)
60.83 - GROUP F (Croatia)
65.67 - GROUP D (France)
68.67 - GROUP A (Germany)
75.00 - GROUP E (Netherlands)
75.67 - GROUP B (Russia)

GROUP TOP 3 TEAMS - RANK AVERAGE
16.67 - GROUP F (Croatia, Greece, Israel)
18.33 - GROUP C (Italy, Serbia, Slovenia)
19.00 - GROUP G (England, Switzerland, Bulgaria)
21.00 - GROUP H (Portugal, Denmark, Norway)
24.00 - GROUP I (Spain, Czech Republic, Scotland)
28.67 - GROUP B (Russia, Slovakia, Republic of Ireland)
31.00 - GROUP D (France, Romania, Bosnia-Herzegovina)
32.33 - GROUP E (Netherlands, Sweden, Hungary)
36.33 - GROUP A (Germany, Turkey, Austria)

RANK DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TOP AND BOTTOM SEEDS IN EACH GROUP
67 - GROUP G (ENGLAND-WALES)
89 - GROUP H (PORTUGAL-ICELAND)
115 - GROUP C (ITALY-FAROE ISLANDS)
117 - GROUP A (GERMANY-KAZAKHSTAN)
117 - GROUP D (FRANCE-LUXEMBOURG)
133 - GROUP F (CROATIA-MALTA)
152 - GROUP I (SPAIN-LIECHTENSTEIN)
189 - GROUP B (RUSSIA-ANDORRA)
201 - GROUP E (NETHERLANDS-SAN MARINO)

GROUP WITH THE HIGHEST RANKED 'MINNOWS' (AVG. OF 2 LOWEST RANKED TEAMS)
74.00 - GROUP G (MONTENEGRO, WALES)
81.00 - GROUP H (CYPRUS, ICELAND)
107.50 - GROUP I (LITHUANIA, LIECHTENSTEIN)
110.50 - GROUP D (ALBANIA, LUXEMBOURG)
111.00 - GROUP C (ESTONIA, FAROE ISLANDS)
118.50 - GROUP A (AZERBAIJAN, KAZAKHSTAN)
133.00 - GROUP F (GEORGIA, MALTA)
149.50 - GROUP E (MOLDOVA, SAN MARINO)
152.00 - GROUP B (ARMENIA, ANDORRA)

Videos: Freddy Adu vs. Famous World Teams

Has anybody ever noticed that when Freddy Adu plays against world class opponents, he turns up the style-o-meter? It's probably because these matchups are either youth tournaments or exhibition matches, but he sure is a fun player to watch when he's on. Hopefully Freddy gets his chance to show what he can do regularly in Greece and can get his name in the mix for US National Team consideration.

Here are a few video examples of the skills of Freddy against Boca Juniors, Juventus, Celtic, Spain, Argentina, Netherlands, and Brazil.

MLS Western Conference: 'New' Foreign-Born Players

Here are the MLS Western Conference's 'new-to-the-league' foreign-born players for the upcoming 2010 season. If you missed it, the Eastern Conference list is here (link).

CHIVAS USA

Osael Romero - El Salvador
Salvadoran player on loan from Vista Hermosa in El Salvador. Osael has scored 8 goals for the El Salvador National Team including 2 against Trinidad and Tobago in World Cup 2010 Qualifying

Isaac Kissi - Ghana
42nd overall pick in the SuperDraft. Kissi was a standout player at the University of Dayton.

COLORADO RAPIDS

NONE

FC DALLAS

Aziz Ansah - Ghana
Aziz has played much of his career in the Ghana Premier League, but also had stints in Belgium, Italy, Bahrain, Israel and most recently Nigeria, with Nigerian Premier League club Heartland FC. He was also in the Ghana squad at the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations.

HOUSTON DYNAMO

Samuel Appiah - Ghana
The 46th overall pick in the SuperDraft from Boston University. Samuel was selected to the America East All-Conference Team in 2009, with 4 goals and 5 assists as a midfielder.

LOS ANGELES GALAXY

Alex - Brazil
21 year old left back on loan from Brazilian club, São Paulo.

Juninho - Brazil
21 year old, creative central midfielder on loan from Brazilian club, São Paulo.

Leonardo - Brazil
21 year old 6-foot-2 central defender on loan from Brazilian club, São Paulo.

Note from MLSnet.com
All three Brazilian players have come through the youth ranks at São Paulo, having played on the team that won the Super Group of the 2007 Dallas Cup, defeating Real Madrid and Chelsea en route to the title.

REAL SALT LAKE

NONE

SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES

NONE

SEATTLE SOUNDERS

NONE


Feel free to leave a comment if I missed anybody or if these lists need to be updated with new signings.

Slovenia National Team: Interactive Club Map

This interactive google map shows where the potential World Cup 2010 players from Slovenia play their club soccer. Click the green icons for club names, player names, caps, and goals scored. Zoom all the way in to see their home stadiums. Click the link below the map for easier navigation options.


View Slovenia National Team - Club Map in a larger map

MLS Eastern Conference: 'New' Foreign-Born Players

This is a list of new foreign-born players that have joined MLS Eastern Conference teams for the upcoming 2010 season. I'm sure the list will grow by the time the season starts and I'll try to stay on top of it. I plan on doing the Western Conference version in the coming days, stay tuned for that.

CHICAGO FIRE

Krzysztof Król - Poland
On Loan from Jagiellonia Białystok in Poland. Was once a member of Real Madrid's C team.

Julio Enrique Martínez - El Salvador
On loan from León in Mexico. Julio scored a goal in both of El Salvador's fixtures with Mexico in World Cup 2010 Qualifying.

COLOMBUS CREW

Kwaku Nyamekye - Switzerland
Drafted 60th overall in the 2010 SuperDraft. Kwaku was named All-Ivy League First Team at Harvard in both 2008 and 2009.

Shaun Francis - Jamaica
Drafted 63rd overall in the 2010 SuperDraft. Shaun captained Lindsey Wilson College (Kentucky) to the 2009 NAIA National Championship.

DC UNITED

Floribert N'Galula - Belgium
Most recently played with Rotterdam in the Netherlands. N'Galula also spent five years at Manchester United with the youth and reserve sides and earned two first team appearances.

Danny Allsop - Australia
Danny is currently ranked as the Australian A-League's 3rd all-time leading goalscorer, scoring 36 goals in his four years with the Melbourne Victory. He also spent time in England with Manchester City, Notts County, and Hull City from 98 to 05. He came to DC United from Qatari side Al-Rayyan Sports Club.

Cristian Castillo - El Salvador
On Loan from León in Mexico. Cristian scored one of the goals against the USA in the World Cup Qualifying game in El Salvador.


KANSAS CITY WIZARDS

Olukorede Aiyegbusi - England
Drafted 20th overall in the 2010 SuperDraft. Defender moved from England to the US in '06 to play at Essex Community College in Maryland. in '08 transferred to NC State and made 41 appearances.

Stéphane Auvray - France
Auvray is a Guadeloupe international who moved to KC wizards from Ligue 2 club Nimes in France.

Pablo Escobar - Colombia
Central Defender on loan from Deportivo Cali in Colombia


NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION

Jason Griffiths - England
Bracknell, England native, Jason was drafted 48th overall in the 2010 SuperDraft from the University of Kentucky.

NEW YORK RED BULLS

Tony Tchani - Cameroon
Drafted 2nd overall in the 2010 SuperDraft. Was a standout midfielder at the University of Virginia.

Joel Lindpere - Estonia
Estonian International who has played in Estonia, Bulgaria, and Norway in the past few seasons.

Roy Miller - Costa Rica
Costa Rican international who has spent the last 5 seasons in Norway with Bodo/Glimt and Rosenborg.

Giorgi Chirgadze - Georgia
Giorgi is the first Academy player to be signed from the Red Bull Academy, which he has been a part of since 2005 with the U-15 squad.


PHILADELPHIA UNION

Toni Ståhl - Finland
Drafted 17th overall in the 2010 SuperDraft. Toni was in the youth system at Finnish club HJK Helsinki. He came to the US and played for UCONN, eventually gaining a semifinal nomination for the Hermann Trophy.

Danny Mwanga - DR Congo
Drafted 1st overall in the 2010 SuperDraft. In 2006, Danny moved to Portland, Oregon, eventually attending Oregon State University, where he was a Pac-10 standout.

TORONTO FC

Nane Joseph - Cameroon
Drafted 53rd overall in the 2010 SuperDraft. Attended University in Cameroon before coming to the US. Played College ball at Old Dominion University and PDL with Hampton Roads Piranhas.

HD Video: Adu to EJ, Goal in Greece

I'm a little short on time today, so in the meantime, enjoy Eddie Johnson's first goal in Greece assisted by Freddy Adu. Hopefully it's the first of many to come.