The US based teams in the league went 4-0 in the CONCACAF Champions League (CCL) this week. The Sounders did their part with a come-from-behind 4-1 victory over CSD Comunicaciones of Guatemala. Church was in session for the second half as Mike Fucito showed why he deserves more playing time. Meaningful, south of the border, FC Dallas secured the honor of winning the first competitive game for a U.S. side in Mexico. The two sides meet this Saturday in what should be the most exciting game of the weekend slate.
For those of you whom haven't been converted to the Church of Fucito you can see highlights of the Comunicaciones game here. Photos are available here, here and here.
Keane Able to Play: The LA Galaxy's newest DP has been cleared to play this weekend against the San Jose Earthquakes. Soccer writer Steve Davis is on the fence on whether the Irish striker has the right attitude to succeed in MLS. The Earthquakes have brought in some additional help themselves. Ecuadorian striker Edmundo Zura is awaiting a visa so he can suit up for a game the Earthquakes need to win.
More links are available after the jump:
Johnson Pulls Out: Former MLS striker pulled out of a proposed deal with MLS this weekend. The three-year deal would have started off with a pro-rated year of $175,000 and gone up to $275,000 by 2013. Only one MLS team was interested at those prices making a future deal unlikely.
John Rumored to Blackburn: Dallas center-back, and Husky alumnus, George John has been linked with a potential move to EPL side Blackburn. Selling the center-back would seriously impact the playoff chances for Dallas, but they may not be able to pass up a large transfer fee.
NSCAA Watch List: The NSCAA just released their Herman trophy watch-list. No locals on the list although you can take the list with a grain of salt. They included the New York Red Bull's Sacir Hot who is ineligible. You can also read spotlights on former Sounders Academy players DeAndre Yedlin and Ryan Herman here and here.
Academy Notes: Also, these are a couple weeks old, but we have some notes by Joe Mauceri on Seattle Sounders academy players from the US Development Academy playoffs. The best note is on standout right back DeAndre Yedlin. Notes on Troy Peterson, Ryan Herman and Drew White are here, here and here.
Sounders Invest in Tanzania: The Sounders are continuing to invest in developing young talent in Tanzania with a planned soccer academy. The Sounders plan to take three players per year to the US for trails with the team (one senior player and two U-17 players).
Bocanegra to Rangers: US captain Carlos Bocanegra is leaving Saint-Etienne to sign a three year contract with Scotland's Rangers. He'll join fellow USMNT teammates Alejandro Bedoya and Maurice Edu. It looks like we have a new winner for the 'team America' tag in Europe.
Conrad to Retire: Yesterday Jimmy Conrad retired from the sport. The 34 year old defender suffered a concussion in March while playing for Chivas USA and never fully recovered. The central defender was a fixture on the field and an article voice for the league while off of it. Very likely we'll see Conrad again as an announcer (hint, hint NBC Sports!).