The Seattle Sounders are at home this weekend after a week's worth of well needed rest. They play an improving Chivas USA team at the CLink on Saturday. Hopefully, they can build on last weekend's win at Sporting KC. Also, for those of you who are interested, Pat Noonan talks about the foul and the flop from Omar Bravo. Surprisingly, it wasn't the foul, but the following finger in the face that really pissed Noonan off. Also, our famous right back, John Legend, does some cool juggling and stuff over footage of the march to the match.
USMNT Ties Mexico: The Jurgen Klinsmann era is off to a decent enough start with a 1-1 tie in a friendly against rivals Mexico. As expected the US team looked a little rusty in the first half as they played in a new 4-5-1 system which relied heavily on the hold-up play of Edson Buddle at the top. The second half was much better as the US midfield moved forward and did a much better job linking up with the forwards. However, it was the young subs that made most impact in the 2nd half. Juan Agudelo and Brek Shea added some pace and creativity to the attack. Robbie Rodgers took advantage of a Shea cross and an open net to tie the game up in the 73rd minute. Also, here are some nuggets of wisdom from our new coach Klinsy on improving the US attack and the size of Texans.
More soccer news, including the latest coaching changes, after the jump:
Soccer Coverage In the US: ESPN took some flak this week for not showing the first 20 minutes of the USMNT game to continue coverage of Little League Baseball. It's hard to imagine national team soccer coverage playing second fiddle to a kids game (of anything) in the rest of the world. Luckily I was able to watch the game on Univision where the announcers where twice as eloquent in a language I don't speak than John Harkes will ever be. ESPN will have to be more careful in the future as NBC Sports takes a major stake in the sports ESPN once held dominance.
The Prodigal Son: Freddy Adu looks like he's ready to end his roller-coaster ride through the benches of Europe. Adu is in the final year of his contract with Benefica and the Portuguese club looks ready to unload his contract. Chivas USA The Philadelphia Union look like the front-runner for Adu's services although it's not clear whether they will need to use a DP slot on the young attacking midfielder. Chivas The Union need more creativity in midfield and that's Adu's specialty. Not a great idea for Chivas to pass on him right before the closing of the transfer window. At the young age of 22, Freddy still has plenty of time to develop and secure a place on the USMNT.
Rennie to the Whitecaps: The Vancouver Whitecaps have signed young, ambitious coach Martin Rennie as their head coach for 2012. Rennie is the force behind the success of the Carolina Railhawks in the 2nd division. Tommy Soehn, interim head coach and director of soccer operations, will remain the head coach of the Whitecaps through the end of the 2011 season. Rennie has been successful a every team he has coached despite front-office problems, bankruptcies and shallow player pools. He sounds like the perfect candidate to turn the motley crew that are the Whitecaps into a MLS contender. Also, as a bonus, is an article on the odd looks Mustapha Toubabo Jarju is receiving form his colleagues in Europe after signing as the Whitecaps second DP.
Marsh to the Impact: More news from the coaching carousel. The Montreal Impact, whom were rumored to be close to signing Rennie, have decided to hire Jesse Marsch as their head coach for the 2012 season and beyond. Marsh has most recently served as an assistant coach to former USMNT coach Bob Bradley. Marsh played 14 seasons in MLS for the Chicago Fire, Chivas USA and DC United. Many pundits thought Chicago might be the future destination for Marsch considering his playing history with the Fire. Perhaps Chicago is waiting to see if Bob Bradley's potential move to the Egyptian national team falls through.
College Soccer Top 25: A preseason poll of the nation's college soccer programs are out and the top two programs are Louisville and Akron respectively. Seattle Sounders Academy player DeAndre Yedlin will be joining the Akron Zips this fall. Also receiving votes in the poll were Duke (Nick Palodichuk) and Wake Forest (Sean Okoli).
Cosmos Close Western Academy: The New York Cosmos have closed their LA based youth academy in preparation for joining MLS. Chivas USA will be taking over many of the coaches and players from the Cosmos academy. Not surprisingly, the Cosmos are putting all their eggs in the MLS basket.
Rush U-17 Girls Win Championship: Another week and another national soccer trophy for the northwest. This time the Washington Rush U-17 girls team (based in Everett) won the US Club National Cup in Boise, ID. The cup is one of only two national tournaments for players age 12-17. Its also the seventh straight tournament win this year for the Rush.
Bellingham United Sign First Player: Local club Bellingham United took the first steps toward their inaugural season in the Pacific Coast Soccer League by signing local player Mason Webb. The Pacific Coast Soccer League is mainly a Canadian organization although teams still qualify for the Open Cup through USASA. We might have a new team to route for in next year's Open Cup bracket challenge.
NW PDL Attendance Numbers: Also, for those who are interested, here are the final attendance numbers for the NW PDL. The Portland Timbers U-23 are far and away the most supported team with an average of 1,531 fans per game. The Pumas are third with an average of 568 fans.