As I hinted at before, the news that Landon Donovan is set to stay on loan with Bayern Munich isn’t a shocker. After training with the German powerhouse the last couple weeks, this Soccernet article says he could be there till the end of the season. Obviously this doesn’t mean great things for the L.A. Galaxy, who at best will be getting him in the middle of March.

The worst-case scenario for the MLS is that he stays there even after the Bayern season is over. And given that Bayern manager Juergen Klinsmann’s says in the article that the goal is to keep him there long–term (“at least until the end of the season”), that possibility doesn’t seem too far out of reach.

But while it won’t make the MLS happy to lose one of its certified stars....read the rest at:

http://www.examiner.com/x-642-Soccer-Examiner~y2008m11d20-Donovan-going-on-loan-to-Bayern-Munich

By now, most people have heard that Seattle Sounders FC has signed Swedish star Freddie Ljungberg for their first season in the MLS next year. By nabbing the former Arsenal star as their designated player ($2.5 million a year), Seattle is now set to enter next season with two certified stars: Ljungberg and local boy Kasey Keller.

This can only mean good things for a club that looks like it will have MASSIVE local support from the moment it steps on the field. In Ljungberg, they now have an international face for the club who is just 31 years old and still has some solid years left.

On top of that, Seattle has sold more than 17,000 season tickets and has a supporters group looking to grow quickly. As the team’s owners have said, this club looks like it will hit the ground running and figures not to be an ordinary expansion team struggling its way through the first couple of seasons. As a Seattle native, I can tell you that the excitement has been....read the rest at:

http://www.examiner.com/x-642-Soccer-Examiner~y2008m10d30-Anticipation-in-Seattle-heats-up-with-Ljungberg-signing 

Football’s a funny game, and one that often brings the most unexpected, freakish incidents to the forefront. The best team doesn’t necessarily win, as we find out all too often. Such aggravating occurrences often bring heartache to one team, and on Saturday it was the Colorado Rapids who were forced to come to grips with a horrific lapse in the 90th minute that allowed Real Salt Lake to claim a draw that put them in the playoffs and kept Colorado out.

One minute away from reaching the Promised Land, Colorado managed two shoddy clearances that led to a scramble of headers near the box, and suddenly RSL had a shot on goal from point-blank range that led to Yura Movsisyan’s rebound goal of salvation.

While it’s rough to be a Rapids fan right now, such an outcome isn’t that much of a surprise. In a Western Conference that gave us a lecture in Logjam 101 all season, it figures that a spot would come down to the last minute......read the rest at:

 

http://www.examiner.com/x-642-Soccer-Examiner~y2008m10d26-90th-minute-disaster-ends-Colorados-season 

Could anything excite Sky Sports more than a David Beckham fiasco?

Just plant his face square on TV, get 80 million different clips and opinions on his situation….you can tell they’ve run through this routine before. Maybe twice.

And yes, there is good reason for the theatrics today, as Beckham has once again found himself as the top headline with a possible January loan to AC Milan in order to stay fit (please check out that link and Soccernet’s photoshop with Beckham in a Milan uniform. Hysterical.).

The positives: Beckham stays fit now that his MLS season is over, keeps himself in the England mix during the MLS offseason (Fabio Capello has said he needs to do this is he is to be considered for the national squad) and gets some undeniably better competition than in the MLS. And imagine a Kaka, Ronaldinho, Beckham combination in the middle when he plays – pretty entertaining to think about.

Who knows how much he will play at Milan, but there’s no doubt that his right foot still has plenty of juice left in it, and it’s hard to imagine him......read the rest at: http://www.examiner.com/x-642-Soccer-Examiner~y2008m10d22-Beckham-to-AC-Milan

While the mid-week days over here in the UK have been full of some entertaining Carling Cup action that lets us see some of the young talent starting to emerge with some of these clubs, back home in the U.S. it brought another tough go for MLS clubs in the CONCACAF Champions League.

D.C. United traveled to Honduras and went down 2-0 to CD Marathon for their second loss in as many games in the group stage of the competition. Meanwhile, the Houston Dynamo managed a scoreless tie in Panama City against San Francisco FC in their first group stage game (their first scheduled Champions League game was postponed due to Hurricane Ike). While the Dynamo managed a point, United is off to a very poor start and in danger of wrecking their campaign if things don’t turn around quickly.

As this competition continues, it’s worth looking at the past history of U.S. teams in the Champions League. Only D.C. and the L.A. Galaxy have reached the finals (L.A. twice), and both have a title to their name. But 2000 was the last time that a U.S. team made it (L.A.’s title year), as Mexican and Costa Rican clubs have dominated in recent years......Read the rest at:

http://www.examiner.com/x-642-Soccer-Examiner~y2008m9d25-More-MLS-Champions-League-struggles 

The L.A. Galaxy have danced and shimmied their way through almost an entire season without needing a real result. They’ve evaded wins like a bad plague, gone through multiple changes at all levels and still have managed to enter their final six games with a chance.

But the free ride stops right here today, as the time for squandering opportunities has come and gone, and David Beckham’s squad sits in grave danger of missing the playoffs once again.

I’ll just throw it out there (not that it’s going out on a limb) that should L.A. lose tonight at home against D.C.  United.....Check out the rest at:

http://www.examiner.com/x-642-Soccer-Examiner~y2008m9d20-Galaxy-livin-on-the-edge 

Robinho is king of the faded out look as of late. Check out these hilarious pictures in recent weeks. How bout a smile?

 Check it out here: http://www.examiner.com/x-642-Soccer-Examiner~y2008m9d9-Robinho-aka-Mr-Photogenic

The San Jose Earthquakes are storming up the West table right now thanks to their mid-season pickups. Soccer Examiner breaks down the weekend.

 

http://www.examiner.com/x-642-Soccer-Examiner~y2008m9d1-Recapping-the-MLS-weekend

 

Forgot to mention that Arsenal cruised as well in the Champions League qualifying today with a much more convincing result at home – 4-0, 6-0 on aggregate – against FC Twente. Nasri, Gallas, Walcott and Bendtner gave the Gunners easy passage into the group stages – ensuring that the EPL now has four teams with Man United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal.

That can only be bad news for the other European squads, as the English clubs are making it an annual ritual to advance deep into the tournament. Some fans, no doubt, would prefer for the final to not be an all-EPL affair this season.

We’ll have some fun discussion tomorrow, as the draw for the Champions League draw takes place at 12 p.m. ET. I’ll put a poll out then after we get a chance to check out some of the group placements.

WANNA READ THE REST? CHECK IT OUT ON THIS LINK:

http://www.examiner.com/x-642-Soccer-Examiner~y2008m8d28-Fabregas--Champions-League-updates