Ngwenya on trial with Bayern Munich, was Klinsmann rumor true?

Former Houston Dynamo and Zimbabwe international striker Joseph Ngwenya is on a three week trial with Bayern Munich, which seems to prove a rumor that circulated back in January when Ngwenya moved to Austrian side Kärnten. The rumor had Jurgen Klinsmann 'hiding' Ngwenya in Austria until he took over as manager of Bayern.

If this all pans out, this could prove to be a brilliant move by Klinsmann. Then again, if Ngwenya fails to perform, it might all be for not.

By the way, Klinsmann noticed Ngwenya while watching him train with the LA Galaxy back in 2005.

Former FIFA president says World Cups were fixed

Joao Havelange, president of FIFA from 1974-1998 claims the 1966 and 1974 World Cups were fixed and produced the exact results his predecessor to the job, England's Sir Stanley Rous, wanted.

Havelange, who is Brazilian, claims that during both finals, the referees made decisions that allowed European nations to advance and help the host country win the cup (1966 England, 1974 West Germany).

In the 1966 semifinal between England and Argentina, a ref gave Argentina's captain Antonio Rattin a direct red for arguing. England won the match 1-0. In 1974 he points to missed calls that resulted in Pele getting injured and Brazil losing their chance to play Germany in the final.

There are been theories for years that some sort of fixing happened but there has never been an official as high ranking as Havelange to back them. So is this true or is this just the talk of a proud South American?

As far as I can see, he doesn't offer any sort of proof other then the 'isn't it strange this happened' kind. The fact that calls seemed to go to the home country more often then not is no surprise. The additional fact that it was European refs that made a number of the calls against South American nations just adds fuel to the speculation, but without any proof, there really is nothing to this story.

US men to face top 5 team in June; World Cup Qualifying host city shortlist released

President of US Soccer Sunil Gulati announced that the US men will face a top 5 FIFA ranked team June 8th in the Northeast (edit note, the linked article says Northwest, but it is indeed the Northeast). Although he did not hint at the team, I think I have a good guess.

The current top 5 are Argentina, Brazil, Italy, Spain and Germany. Since all three European teams qualified for Euro 2008, which starts on 7 June, it is pretty safe to rule them out, which leaves the two South American powerhouses. The US men just played Brazil in the fall, and although I'm sure a lot of money was made out of it, I have a difficult time seeing the men in yellow back on US soil so soon. Which leaves me to guess the team for early June is Argentina.

As far as where? New York is the obvious choice provided they put down grass, but US Soccer loves Foxborough, which has no national games on the 2008 schedule. DC can also make a case, but US Soccer might be saving RFK for a qualifier. I would think Giants Stadium would land this one (combined with a Red Bulls game), but the Kraft family has a strong gravitational pull on the soccer federation.

Gulati also mentioned the possibility of adding another game in Europe ahead of their 4 June match against Spain (could this mean the training camp will be held in Europe?). After 2006, the federation promised harder tests for the men's team and it looks like they are delivering again on that promise.

The other bit of joy Gulati shared with us is the list of possible Wold Cup Qualifying sites for the semi-final round. RFK Stadium (DC), Pizza Hut Park (Dallas), Home Depot Center (LA), Dick's Sporting Goods Park (Denver), Qwest Field (Seattle), Toyota Park (Chicago) and Crew Stadium (Columbus) are the locations in the running for the three home games the US men will play if they advance to the semifinal round. Likely opposition is Trinidad and Tobago, Guatemala and Cuba.

US Men's 2008 schedule:
19 Jan - US 2-0 Sweden
06 Feb - US 2-2 Mexico
26 Mar - US at Poland
04 Jun - US at Spain
08 Jun - vs. someone
15 Jun - vs. Barbados-Dominica winner at LA (8pm ET/5pm PT)
21/22 Jun - at Barbados-Dominica winner

If they beat Barbados-Dominica winner
20 Aug - Away
06 Sep - Away
10 Sep - Home
11 Oct - Home
15 Oct - Home
19 Nov - Away

Looks like a very busy year.

Brazil and Germany to host World Cups

The country that inspired the colors used on the World Cup trophy will indeed host the finals in 2014. Fifa made official what people have known for years when they voted today to award the South American giants the honor of having the games.

Brazil has a little less than seven years to renovate/build stadiums and improve transportation issues, hopefully not at the cost of social programs for their people.

But Brazil was not the only country to earn a World Cup, as 2006 World Cup hosts Germany will again take on the role for the 2011 Women's World Cup. The decision came down to Canada (host of the 2007 U-20 World Cup) and Germany, but really, it was Germany's all along. This should give the German women an even greater chance of a three-pete.

Congratulations to Brazil and Germany.

2007 Women's World Cup Final Thoughts

So another World Cup has come and gone and what do you know, the Germans won it all. Hard to believe the three weeks went by as fast as it did.

So what did I learn? Getting up early is fun however it really hurts the blogging. Also, to relate this to the '06 men's World Cup, the US played the role of Brazil, Germany played the role of Italy and Brazil played the role of Germany. Think about it, the US came in expected to make it to the final, but never really looked amazing (until the third place match). Germany was a strong team whose defense did much of the heavy lifting. Brazil was a good team heading in but many didn't think they had what it would take to go deep. Also, the US lost in their second playoff game (like Brazil) and Brazil lost in their third playoff game (like Germany). Not perfect, but there are similarities.

But enough of that, here are my final thoughts are certain parts of the fifth Women's World Cup.

US WNT - Maybe calling yourself the greatest team no one has ever heard of was a bit too much. The style and skill that we have come to expect wasn't there till the third place match.

Coach Greg Ryan - So why exactly wasn't the team playing up to their skill till they weren't playing for anything? And who changes keepers going into the semifinals when the new keeper has only played seven games in the last 51? Coaches are paid to make the difficult decisions but they get fired for making the wrong ones.

Hope Solo - She said the right thing just in the wrong way. Okay, she probably shouldn't have said anything but come on, she was playing great leading up to the semifinal then her coach benches her for some crazy reason. I don't think she meant to attack Briana Scurry, just point out that Scurry wasn't the team's number one heading into the cup, so why make the change?

Briana Scurry - Someone who was placed into a bad situation by someone who should have known better. Still Scurry, when she has a game or two to get ready, is strong between the posts.

Kristine Lilly - Pure class and wonderful skill. She is the type of players that all children, male or female, should watch. She gave everything and was humble while doing it.

Abby Wambach - A joy to watch. The way she pushes through and opens up options is something that you seldom see.

ESPN - Their announcers were actually talking about the action on the pitch for the majority of the game. What a crazy concept. Maybe try to import that into the MLS broadcasts and you'll see better ratings.

US Soccer - Didn't send the team's psychiatrist or chef over to China. Odd choice to make.

German WNT - Wow, no goals allowed and people thought the Italian men had something amazing in the '06 World Cup. If it had to be someone other then the US, Germany was the best.

Birgit Prinz - Stands as a wonderful example of what a striker should be. Smart with the ball, quick and a danger in the air.

Nadine Angerer - Nice to know that Germany can produce fantastic keepers no matter what gender they might be.

Brazil WNT - If their country doesn't finally accept the amazing team they have before them, they are idiots. The US, Sweden and China wrote the first chapter of international soccer but Brazil is writing the second. Their physical style is new to the game and brings it to an even higher level. Best moment of the whole cup was when the team held up a banner reading 'Brazil - We need your support' while getting their picture taken after receiving the silver medal.

Marta - The best player of the whole tournament without a doubt. She danced and the world was stunned.

China - Way to pull off a good show and great job fixing the grass in Shanghai in only 7 days.

US Women's Soccer League - Who knows how much of a role the lack of a top women's league in the US played in this World Cup. As the quality of play improves across the globe, if the US wants to stay at the top, they need a good league producing quality players.

Klinsmann to coach LA?

Reports from England suggest that former German coach Jürgen Klinsmann is close to taking over the LA Galaxy sidelines from Frank Yallop.

Jürgen Klinsmann could be about to take over as the head coach of the Los Angeles Galaxy after Frank Yallop, the incumbent, admitted to feeling the strain of managing a losing team under an increased media glare since the signing of David Beckham.

The hiring of Yallop was GM Alexi Lalas's first big decision in LA, however, the past year in charge has seen little improvement in the team. Now one is never sure how much of that is the problem of Yallop and how much of it has to do with Lalas, but in the end, the coach is the most likely to go. But would Klinsmann really take the job?

The article suggests that this might be a long term plan by the team involving a move of Landon Donovan to the new San Jose franchise and the importation of a player from the German 2006 squad (odds are it won't be Khan). Then again, this could all just be talk designed to take your attention away from the fact that the Galaxy are playing some of the worse soccer in league history or the idea that Lalas might be the one on the chopping block.

World Cup 2014 - FIFA inspecting Brazil, Germany will wear Adidas

The FIFA 2014 World Cup inspection tour of Brazil is underway. Representatives will visit five candidate cities during their nine-day trip while 13 other cities will make their presentations in Rio de Janeiro.

Although Brazil is the only country up for consideration to host the finals, they are not guaranteed to win them. FIFA will want to know how the country plans to update their stadiums and transportation options before they award them the 2014 cup.

If Brazil is not granted the finals, the bidding could open up to anyone.

FIFA will make their final decision on October 30, however if the finals are not heading to the land of the samba, changes are we will know about it before then.

In other World Cup news, no matter where 2014 is played, Germany will be wearing Adidas gear. The German FA has voted to reject a $680 million, 8-year deal with Nike and will stay with German based Adidas instead.

The Bundesliga was in favor of a move to Nike, which would have seen them received $68 million more over the eight years. Adidas will pay the FA $27 million per year for the first 4 years and then $34 million per year for the final four years.

Iraqi insurgents break ranks over Asian Cup title and other soccer news

It looks like the newest battle in Iraq's civil war has to do with their country's spectacular win in the Asian Cup as an insurgent group called Hamas al-Iraq has congratulated the team on their success.

"Hamas al-Iraq congratulates the Iraqi people on the occasion of our national team's winning the Asian Cup for 2007," the Sunni Muslim militant group said in a statement posted on a Web site used by al Qaeda and other insurgents.

The response to this web posting was swift as a supporter of the Islamic State in Iraq insurgent group wrote, "We urge the administrators to remove this shameful statement which infringes on the status of the Web site... May God punish those who let down our mujahideen brothers of the Islamic State in Iraq."

Sports stars in Iraq are regular targets for insurgents, as seen in June when 'the decomposed remains of at least 13 Iraqi martial arts stars were found in a ditch in Anbar province. The taekwondo squad had been kidnapped on their way to Jordan.'


In other soccer news, Anthony Lyons is trying to solve the homeless problem in Gainesville, FL, by using soccer. His plan is to get team up and running in time to participate in a national homeless soccer tournament in Washington, D.C., in the spring. He hopes this team will see the same sort of results other homeless teams have seen across the globe. After the 2005 Homeless World Cup, 77% of players went on to make improvements in their lives. Also, a team in Charlotte, NC, saw 14 of their 23 players from homes, five have found jobs, three have addressed mental disabilities and two have completed drug treatment programs, according to the team's Web site.


If you are looking to shade some pounds, soccer is a great way to do it. "An Italian study found that soccer players in a 30-minute pickup game exercised above 70 percent of their maximum heart rate 91 percent of the time. Their heart rates stayed elevated even when they weren't running as hard because they were constantly changing direction."


Finally, the Germans out do themselves again. After a beer tap failed to work on a train carrying a team's fans to a match, Germany's national railway halted the train for 25-minutes so a replacement tap could be delivered and installed. The train and the fans then continued on.