Sounders GM Speaks German

Sounders General Manager Answers Questions in German Fluently Ich bin ein Seattler! At the recent successful America Scores Seattle fundraising event at Kells, we took the opportunity to catch up with Adrian Hanauer to hear his views on the progress Sounders FC has made thus far. We'll have more of his candid and open views later but for now, we wanted to pass on something a little unique. The Sounders General Manager, or the Sounders Geschäftsführer, as he will henceforth probably not be known, was happy to answer questions in German to our staff. Surprisingly at ease and fluent, he told us that Brian Schmetzer's German was in fact better than his and told us of his father's roots in Stuttgart, although Adrian himself is Seattle born and bred. In the English part of the interview, Hanauer talks of things that didn't quite go as planned, if there are certain players whose great start makes him feel especially proud and why he didn't bother to gloat at the scepticism of the English tabloids when Freddie Ljungberg took the field. Listen to him here In playing our part in helping Sounders FC create a truly international franchise, Prost Amerika is proud to bring coverage of Sounders FC to a global audience on our Sounders International page which contains the match by match player reviews for Kasey Keller in German, and Jhon Hurtado, Fredy Montero and Osvaldo Alonso in Spanish. There are also sound files of Sigi Schmid in German, Osvaldo Alonso in Spanish and Seb Le Toux in French, all talking Sounders.

Champions Humbled by Sounders Victims

Robbie Findley made Salt Lake history by netting the club's first ever hat-tick in a 4-1 drubbing of Columbus Crew. The MLS Champions are now without a win in their first three games. 11,806 turned out at Rio Tinto Stadium, on a cold, wet Thursday night, probably not assisted by live television coverage. Robbie Findley, who had such a mediocre game in Seattle, scored three goals starting as early as the second minute. Although Jason Garey equalised for Columbus in the first half, Findley restored the lead on the half hour. Disappointingly for RSL, start midfielder Kyle Beckerman picked up another yellow card. Just after the hour mark, Findley cut his slice of soccer history when a Movsisyan cross allowed him time and space to shoot past the helpless Will Hesmer. Beckerman netted the fourth in a match RSL dominated, outshooting their opponents 17 to 8. US International Frankie Hejduk was missing for Columbus who provided more players for international sides than any other MLS club over the preceding weekend. For RSL, these three points open their account, but Columbus now have to head to Los Angeles on Sunday to play Chivas USA, boasting a 100% record after two wins.

USA v Grenada in Seattle on July 4th

Canada and Jamaica to Kick off Gold Cup CONCACAF Gold Cup Brings USA to Seattle on July 4th and Canada Kick off Tournament April 2 In a press conference still going on, the draw was announced for the 2009 CONCACAF GOLD Cup. Qwest Field will host USA v Grenada and Haiti v Honduras on July 4th. The competition will kick odd at the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles on 3 July when Canada and Jamaica meet followed by Costa Rica and El Salvador, and end with the final on July 26th at Giants Stadium. Mexico will anchor Group C, which will begin in San Francisco on July 5 with Panama facing Guadeloupe and El Tri playing Nicaragua. CONCACAF General Secretary Chuck Blazer will unveil the three four-team groups for the 2009 Gold Cup, the confederation’s showpiece event for men’s national teams that crowns the regional champion. 12 Teams in 13 Cities in 2009 The 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup™ will be played in a record 13 different US cities, opening at The Home Depot Center in Los Angeles on 3 July and concluding with the championship match 26 July at Giants Stadium in New Jersey. The venues are Gillette Stadium, Boston (Foxborough, Massachusetts); Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia,; Dallas Cowboys New Stadium, Dallas (Arlington, Texas); Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, San Francisco (Oakland); Soldier Field, Chicago; Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium (RFK), Washington; FIU Stadium, Miami; Qwest Field, Seattle; Columbus Crew Soccer News Topics Stadium, Columbus, Ohio; Reliant Stadium, Houston; Giants Stadium, New York (East Rutherford, New Jersey); University of Phoenix Stadium, Phoenix (Glendale, Arizona); and The Home Depot Center, Los Angeles (Carson, California). Full Schedule of Matches

Henry Kissinger Joins USA World Cup Bid Committee

Controversial Former Secretary of State is a Known Football Fan March 31 In a move that may be more controversial than the USSF would hope, USA Soccer President Sunil Gulati announced on Monday that former Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger has accepted an invitation to join the USA Bid Committee and help drive the country’s bid for the 2018 or 2022 FIFA World Cup. Will Dr. Kissinger be an Asset? Kissinger is a German-born American political scientist who has won the Nobel Peace Prize. He served as National Security Advisor and later concurrently as Secretary of State in the Nixon administration, and was a frequent visitor to the Bush White House. However admired he may be inside US political circles, his reputation in other countries is very different. In 2001, he had to flee Paris after being served with a summons to appear in front of Judge Roger Le Loire, who was investigating the death and disappearance of five French citizens during the rule of General Pinochet in Chile. Mr Kissinger was visiting Paris when police delivered a summons to the Ritz, where he was staying, asking him to present himself at the Palais de Justice. Kissinger has Controversial Image Abroad - Full Article

Sounders Hold Another Charity Event

SeattleSCORES Event at Kells March 31st

Help the Sounders FC Raise Money for Seattle SCORES!

March 30

Head Coach Sigi Schmid, General Manager Adrian Hanauer and forward Nate Jaqua will be at Kells Irish Restaurant & Pub as they answer questions on all things Sounders FC @ 6:15 PM.

The last SeattleSCORES event raised over $3000 for their soccer and literacy program. Gary Wright, Senior Vice President of Business Operations. for the Sounders and a Member of the Seattle SCORES Board said, “These events are a great way for the club – our players, coaches and management – to reach out on a regular basis and meet with the fans . At the same time, it raises money and awareness for one of our community partners, Seattle Scores.”

A $5 suggested donation is the admission fee (CASH OR CHECK) to Seattle SCORES at the door. This includes one ticket for the Sounders FC Raffle, where you can win two tickets to a Sounders FC home game or a signed Nate Jaqua mini-soccer ball. There will be a silent auction to win a Sébastien Le Toux autographed jersey!

Soon All America Will Score!

Seattle SCORES is undergoing a rebranding exercise and will soon change its name to America SCORES Seattle.

We asked Jake Witt, Program Manager of SeattleSCORES, what he hoped to get out of this next event. “By holding our successful Happy Hour event with the Sounders FC at Kells, America SCORES Seattle (formerly called Seattle SCORES) will continue to embrace the soccer community. It’s been great seeing so many excited fans coming out to meet the Sounders, learn about our organization and check out the great prize drawings. The Sounders are 2-0 and we hope that the fans’ enthusiasm will continue translating into charitable giving that helps our organization bring the world’s game to underserved youth in the Seattle area. We raised more than our goal at the last event and hope to do so at Kells.”

Sounders Change DC United Kick off Time

Match with D.C. United Will Start at 7.30 pm PT

March 30

Seattle Sounders FC announced today that the team’s kickoff time for the June 17 match against D.C. United has been moved to 7.30 pm PT.

The game at the Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field will be aired live on ESPN2.

When Will the English Media Ever Learn?

Patrick Barclay Demonstrates Why it's Not Just Their Neighbours That Enjoy English Failure

March 25

With just one win in the history of the World Cup, that playing all their matches at home, added to a history of repeated failure in the European version of the tournament, one might forgive the English if they saw themselves as an average football nation, akin to Sweden or USSR. After consecutive dismissals by Portugal in Finals, a nation with a third of the population and a hopelessly uncompetitive league, you might think even the most jingoistic English supporter would have cause for introspection. After finally admitting that they need a foreign manager for their international team to match the monopoly foreigners have at their top clubs, implicitly recognising that all footballing wisdom does not rest on their 'scepter'd isle', you may think that only the least responsible rabble rousing tabloids would resort back to the foolishness and bravado that has scarred their reputation as an international sports media. After finally failing to qualify for a Finals, Euro 2008, despite being handed their traditional easy draw, ...... well you get the point and I've probably already over-laboured it. Well you'd be wrong. In yesterday's (London) Times, no less than Senior Football Correspondent Patrick Barclay has penned an article entitled, "England can win the 2010 World Cup". Yes. Really. He cycles through a few reasons as supporting evidence, including that the weather might be nice in South Africa, thus implicitly suggesting only the heat has been England's enemy in the past. Bizarrely he cites a win over Denmark in a cooler climate as proof. How the Danes must have lost their natural advantage when the tropical heat of Nagita was cooled by a downpour! Without the beating sun of their native Denmark, they must have wilted. Full article with clues of author's bias!

Greece v Israel Double Header Will Decide Group

March 23

Sport's greatest tournament restarts this weekend as more qualification matches for the 2010 World Cup take place. Prost Amerika will be looking at the key matches in our comprehensive preview, starting with the slugfest that is Europe. The European sides are divided into 9 Groups and the winners of each will qualify for South Africa. 8 of the best 9 runners-up will play each other to join them. This week, we'll be looking at the games group by group, starting with Groups 1 and 2. Group 2: In a totally different scenario from Group 1, where several strong sides will probably see nothing resolved this week, am embarrassingly weak Group 2 might reach its crescendo very early. Problems for FIFA if Israel Qualify?

Crunch Time for the Plucky Irish in Close Group Four Sides on Seven Points Chase Slovakia March 24 In a wide open group, four games over the next week could close some doors, or more likely decide nothing. Slovakia are best placed having beaten Northern Ireland and Poland but lost in Slovenia. They will have to improve on that away form, starting in the Sparta Stadium when they visit fierce local rivals Czech Republic. Slovakia and the Czech Republic made up the former Czechoslovakia and while political relations are very good, the sporting rivalry is intense after their famed ‘Velvet Divorce’. First the Czechs visit Slovenia (which used to be part of Yugoslavia) on Saturday. Both, like Poland, have seven points from four games, an average record which won’t see you get even a second place but somebody’s got to improve on it if they all keep playing each other. Can Plucky Irish Pull it Off?

MLS Represented as Wales and Finland Battle for Second Place

Germany Almost There and Russians May Bag Second March 25 Germany could put their qualification beyond doubt with an easy win against minnows Liechtenstein and a victory in Wales the following Wednesday. Even if not, it is surely only a matter of time before Joachim Löw’s side are penned into the list of qualifiers. Even a draw in Cardiff would be less than bothersome, but that could be fatal for Wales. Since this draw was made, it’s always been about second place with Russia (and Chelsea’s) Guus Hiddink, Stuart Baxter’s Finland and John Toshack’s Wales all competing for that play-off spot. Wales, Russia and Finland Slug it Out for Second

Milan, Inter, Chelsea and Club America to Participate

USA to Host International Tournament March 24 Foxborough, MA will become very Italian on July 26 when it hosts a Milan derby between Internazionale and AC Milan. This is part of a four-club tournament that also includes Chelsea and Mexico’s Club America. Five other cities will host games, Stanford Stadium in California, Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Atlanta’s Georgia Dome, M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, and the Dallas Cowboy’s New Arena in Arlington, half way between Dallas and Fort Worth. World Football Challenge Fixtures and More

16 MLS Players on International Duty

12 to Play in Key World Cup Qualifiers March 25 A total of 16 MLS players will be representing their country in international matches this weekend. The biggest contingent of course will travel to the Estadio Cuscatlan in San Salvador to play for Bob Bradley’s USA in the North American qualifying group. Of those, four of that five, Brian Ching, Landon Donovan, Frankie Hejduk and Sacha Kljestan started in the 2-0 win over Mexico. Others starring in the World Cup are Toronto’s Amado Guevara for Honduras, and Carlo Robinson for Wales. Venezuela, Costa Rica and Mali, for whom Chicago Fire’s Bakary Soumare plays, are the other countries receiving MLS help. Full list (sans Beckham)

Nyassi to Make Charity Appearance

Sounders Community Efforts Part of Club Mission March 25 As part of Sounders FC’s continuing mission to expand their community involvment, Sanna Nyassi will make an appearance at Cherry Crest Elementary School in Bellevue to take part in a “Nothing but Nets” workshop on Monday March 30. The “Nets” program helps pay for much needed bed nets for refugees in Africa keeping mosquitos away and helping prevent the spread of malaria. Cherry Crest Elementary was already involved with their own “Nothing but Nets” fund raiser and now Sanna and the Sounders FC have joined in to make the fund raising effort even better. Sanna will be attending that day to be part of a youth workshop put on by NBN and the school will present a check to that organization prior to the game versus Real Salt Lake on Saturday night. Sounders Join anti-malaria campaign

Schmid Teases Ljungberg Appearance

Will Freddie Play? Vote in Our Poll. March 24 Sigi Schmid has talked of the possibility of Freddie Ljungberg obtaining a place as a substitute on Saturday when Real Salt Lake visit Qwest Field. “Today was a good day of training for him. We really tried to push him fitness wise today, letting him play as a neutral player and keep him out there for about six, seven minutes straight. We’ll see now how he feels as he goes into Wednesday, Thursday. For us, this is the weekend that he should be able to be in our 18, and then the minutes depend how the game go,” he said. More quotes and poll results

Sounders Sign Kevin Forrest

Speedy Striker is Also Local Boy March 24 Forrest Battles for Seattle Sounders against Vancouver Last Season Forrest Battles for Seattle Sounders against Vancouver Last Season Another former Seattle Sounder has signed onto the MLS version, Sounders FC. Striker Kevin Forrest is a University of Washington (UW) graduate who was the PAC 10 Player of the Year in 2006. He has been added to the official roster as a Developmental player. More details

Permanent Link to Parke Seems Certain to Join Sounders

Draft Pick Tried Belgium but Would be First Available against Chivas USA March 23 Having rejected Anderlecht and K.V. Mechelen earlier this year, central defender Jeff Parke is set to become a Seattle Sounder. Four months ago, Parke was chosen by Sounders FC in the expansion draft. Contract talks with him were discontinued shortly thereafter when he decided to try and continue his career in Belgium’s Jupiler League. Two months after that, Parke has finally arrived back in Seattle after opting to not pursue those opportunities. He’s the only expansion draftee without a contract with MLS, which signs players on behalf of its teams. As reported here, Parke played in last Friday’s reserve game for Seattle. Along with 32,523 others he then saw his former teammates, the New York Red Bulls, lose 3-0 to the Sounders. “I made the decision to co ...

Vancouver Salutes Victorious Sounders

Whitecaps Take Time out from Partying to Acknowledge Sounders Win March 23 In a statement on their website, the Canadian club offered the following good wishes: Caps Hold The Cascadia Cup Whitecaps Hold The Cascadia Cup “Vancouver Whitecaps FC wish to congratulate Seattle Sounders FC on a successful start to their inaugural season in Major League Soccer. It was an excellent start for the league’s 15th and newest club, with Vancouver excited by the prospect of renewing our rivalry with our Interstate 5 neighbours after being awarded an MLS expansion franchise for the 2011 season. Seattle’s result also adds to a fine week for soccer in the Pacific Northwest, as Portland, Oregon, were formally announced as the 18th team to join MLS on Friday. Full Story

Sounders Comings and Goings

Plus News from the Training Room March 23 Several guests have been training with the Sounders this week. Goalkeeper Jordan Jennings, midfielder Ely Allen and former Kevin Forrest, join Jeff Parke who played for the reserves and Ben Dragavon who sat on the bench on Thursday as the official non-roster invitees. The Full List of Players Training: Goalkeepers (4): Ben Dragavon*, Chris Eylander, Jordan Jennings*, Kasey Keller; Defenders (10): Evan Brown, Taylor Graham, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Patrick Ianni, Tyrone Marshall, Jeff Parke*, Midfielders (8): Ely Allen*, Osvaldo Alonso, Brad Evans, Stephen King, Sebastien Le Toux, Freddie Ljungberg, Sanna Nyassi; Peter Vagenas; Forwards (5): Kevin Forrest*, Nate Jaqua, Roger Levesque, Fredy Montero, Jarrod Smith+, Steve Zakuani. Training Room Report and More

Sounder Called up on International Duty

Smith but Not Montero Selected

Forward Jarrod Smith was called up to the New Zealand squad for a friendly with Thailand in Bangkok this Saturday. Smith is currently on the injured reserve list while recovering from a hip-flexor strain. He had played for the Seattle reserves on March 20, but had not appeared in any preseason matches. Smith has earned 13 caps for New Zealand in the past.

Full Story

Austin Aztex 1 : 3 Real Salt Lake

Sounders Next Opponents Successful in Final Warm-up

March 23

Although Real Salt Lake had no MLS fixture on the opening weekend of the MLS Season, that doesn’t mean they weren’t active. They flew the Austin Aztex, the USL Club who took Seattle’s place in the league, up from Texas for an exhibition. RSL won 3-1 with goals from Jamison Olave, Yura Movsisyan and Javier Morales. The Aztex had already beaten defending MLS Cup champion Columbus Crew 2-0 and drawn 2-2 with Houston Dynamo.

Defender Kieron Bernard scored for the side from the Texas capital. Real Salt Lake play Sounders FC in Seattle this Saturday at 7.30 pm Pacific Time. The latest RSL injury report lists Robbie Russell as questionable and Nat Borchers, Ian Joy and Tino Nuñez as probable.

Full story

Sounders v Bulls - Player by Player Review

KASEY KELLER: Kasey had a quieter night than he could have dreamed of. He clutched one corner confidently out of the air and then made two saves, from Rojas and Kandji, but to his credit he described them later as regulation saves. The smooth performances of Marshall and Hurtado in front of him ensured Angel would not spoil Kasey’s debut for this club with a goal. 7 ZACH SCOTT: Zach did not look out of place at this level. Faced with a five man midfield, Zach stood his ground well and there was no flurry of crosses from his wing to trouble Kasey and the central defenders. The last three weeks must have been like a whirlwind for this player, but yes, Zach is an MLS player, and deserves to be where he is on this performance. 7 JHON KENNEDY HURTADO: “Mr President” would have thoroughly enjoyed giving Colombian legend Juan Angel a torrid night. Given the job of marking the ‘one’ in Osorio’s 4-5-1, Hurtado looked elegant and in control of his task at all times. If tonight is any indication, Hurtado will be a rock at the centre of Sounders defence this season. 8

TYRONE MARSHALL: Marshall took on the role of marshalling (sorry) the defence partly due to Hurtado’s marking of Angel, and partly due to Hurtado’s current lack of English. In bringing two inexperienced full backs through the occasion, Marshall gets great marks. He also took on the role of picking up the midfielder galloping forward to assist Angel. He did both tasks extremely well but New York’s relatively pedestrian offence made it harder to ascertain how well he’ll cope in later games. But so far, so good. 7.5

JAMES RILEY: James coped well with his beat and very little threat came down his wing. He continually harried the Red Bulls midfield and will look back on a job well done. 7

OSVALDO ALONSO: An outstanding MLS debut which earned our Man of the Match Award. Ossie tackled like a tiger, harried the five man Bulls midfield continually and passed the ball creatively to set up attacking options. Alonso was everywhere on the field and thanks to him, many of the players who may have been nervous had very comfortable beginnings. If there was any man who held the bridge between the back four and the front two, it was Alonso. A great MLS debut and a fantastic signing for the Sounders from Charleston. 9

BRAD EVANS: Rest of the Sounders team and rankings

A Woman's Voice - Part Two

In a regular feature on Prost Amerika, we will attempt to redress the gender balance in Seattle’s soccer journalistic community. Prost Amerika will search the Pacific Northwest for the best women writers to bring you their views and articles on all things affecting soccer, both here and internationally. Kara McDermott spent the 2008 season, working in the media relations department of the USL Seattle Sounders. There she obtained a unique insight into how a soccer club runs behind the scenes and will be a regular contributor to “A Woman’s Voice”. In the introductory article, Kara introduced this feature by explaining what “A Woman’s Voice” will be about and why it is important for fans of both genders to read what women have to say. In her second article Kara talks about match day and the conflicting emotions that surrounded her experience on the big day. Kara McDermott Relives Her Big Day: Marching, Men and Montero New Era - New Role It has been two years since I attended a Sounders match as a fan. I spent the last season interning in the front office and am fairly certain that besides the amazing experience I had tailing around the Sounders for their last season in the USL, I also shaved off a few years of my life forcing myself not to cheer in the press box whenever we scored. Thus, March 19th was a personal inauguration for me, as well as a historic first meeting on the pitch for our lads. The day before the opener I graduated from UW, the day after was my birthday. I’ll probably lose the diploma and throw away the birthday cards, but I plan on eccentrically displaying my scarf for the rest of my life. It was presented to me by my fellow season ticket holder, and partner in crime (in this case first degree ogling of male soccer players), Audrey Gervasi. I stroked it between my hands and admired the thickness, the greenness, and the words “Inaugural Season Ticket Holder” woven above the fringe. Whole Article

Sounders FC 3 : 0 New York Red Bulls

Sounders FC 3 (Montero 12, 75; Evans 25) : 0 New York Red Bulls March 19 32,523 people gathered today and saw history, as goals from Fredy Montero (12th and 75th minutes) and Brad Evans who made it 2-0 in the 25th ensured Sounders FC started off their story with a victory and three points. The Red Bulls were MLS runners-up last year but couldn’t cope with the pace of Montero and the sheer emotion of the occasion. Outstanding performances arose from all areas of the park with Osvaldo Alonso at defensive midfield, having an excellent MLS debut against a New York side missing up to five probable regular starters, including new acquisition Albert Celades, Alfredo Pacheco, Carlos Johnson and Khano Smith. Full Match Report

Roger Levesque Makes his MLS Dream Come True

Hard Work Pays off for Seattle Sounders Favourite

Hard working fan legend Roger Levesque has got his MLS contract. Seattle's soccer community is celebrating with him this morning. Roger Levesque is a Sounder again. Although the club has not officially announced it, there is now no doubt that both Roger Levesque and left back Zach Scott will be MLS players this season. Full Story and More on Zach Scott.

Bayern Win 12-1 as English Clubs Dominate

Chelsea and Liverpool Go Through

Having lost the home leg 5-0 in Lisbon, nobody was expecting FC Sporting to go through. What may not have been expected was the complete capitulation in Munich. After losing 7-1 to Bayern, making the aggregate 12-1, Sporting have set all kinds of unwanted records.

English Juggernaut Rolls on

Juventus and Real Madrid are two of the greatest names in European football history. They are both out of the Champions League as Chelsea and Liverpool did more than enough to eliminate them. Liverpool thrashed a tepid Madrid side 4-0 at Anfield having won 1-0 in the Bernabeau. Chelsea secured a comfortable 2-2 draw there with Michael Essien scoring the vital away goal on his first game back after injury. Full Round-up and Preview

Milan and LA Reach Agreement in Beckham Saga

Hard to Say Who's Come out of This Looking Worst The European Voice of Seattle Soccer Speaks out After prolonged negotiations between Milan and LA Galaxy, to whom Beckham was under contract, an agreement has finally been reached between the Major League Soccer club and the Serie A giants. The England international will stay at the San Siro until the end of the Italian league season. Beckham also said he will become an owner of an MLS franchise once his playing career ends. Hopefully MLS and their TV partners will not treat us like idiots by hyping up his arrival. Some have already said he shouldn’t bother appearing at all. Read the full article on Prost Amerika

World Soccer as Seen from Seattle

Please click on the links on the right to read our automatically updated latest football stories, as told from the unique perspective of Seattle. We will now be bringing you all the latest on the big friendly between Sounders FC and Chelsea on July 18th, plus our usual EPL and Sounders coverage. Look out for more big name interviews coming soon. Feel free to comment on any of the stories you've read on Prost Amerika here. For Sounders FC discussion, we recommend the chatboards of both GOALSeattle.com and weareecs.com

GOVERNOR GREGOIRE INTERVIEW

Governor Christine Gregoire was a welcome guest at Columbia Tower in November 2007, when the MLS held the press conference that made the award of an MLS franchise to Seattle official. With two daughters who are devoted to the beautiful game, she proudly described herself as a “soccer mom”. With exactly two weeks to go until the kick off of Seattle’s MLS odyssey, Prost Amerika interviewed the Governor to get her views on soccer, stimulus packages and her staunch belief in Washington State’s tourist industry. Christine Gregoire Interview

Lippi Hits out at Foreigners at English Clubs

Italy coach Marcello Lippi has played down the battle between English and Italian clubs in the Champions League this season by claiming that the Premier League sides aren't actually English. The 2006 World Cup Winning Italy manager told a foreign press meeting that he believes the Italian teams can progress in the Champions League against their 'international' opponents. Three Italian clubs failed to notch a single goal in their matches against EPL opposition. Juventus and AS Roma lost 1-0 away against Chelsea and Arsenal respectively while Inter Milan were held 0-0 at home by Manchester United. The results have brought in a wave of negativity in Italy as many are predicting all three will be eliminated after the second legs. So Lippi decided to have a go at the nationalities of the players and state that the real England v Italy battle takes place at a higher level. “Chelsea, Manchester (United) and Arsenal, like Liverpool, don’t represent English football. But instead, like in other countries, that of globalised football where the owners, coaches and the majority of players are not English. The true clash between the two (English and Italian) is only between the national teams.” Full Story and Run Down of EPL Top Four

Sakuda May Make Montréal Debut in Champions League

Former Sounder to Start at Right Back Kevin Sakuda’s life has been a bit of a whirlwind recently. If you pardon the continuation of the meteorological references, that whirlwind lands tonight in Torreón, in the Mexican state of Coahuila when he will makehis Montréal Impact debut in the CONCACAF Champions League. The young right back finds himself drafted into action immediately for a game that is of immense importance to both the Impact themselves and the perception of the USL. It’s all happened very quickly for him. “It’s been a whirlwind. After being released from Seattle I was in talks with Minnesota, Portland, and Austin. In my head, I thought I would end up at one of those clubs. Then Monday, I got a call from Nick Desantis from Montréal. By Thursday I was signed and on Friday on a plane to meet the team in Houston. It’s all happened so quickly, but I am looking forward to the change and am excited about being a part of such a great organization” L’Impact lead 2-0 from the first leg in Québec and must have taken some inspiration from Puerto Rico Islanders’ great win in Honduras last night. Full story

Hull, Spurs Profit as Doom Increases for Southgate

Manchester Plough on but There’s Drama at the Bottom of the Table There were wins for Stoke, West Ham, Hull City, Tottenham and both Manchester clubs on a busy Wednesday of EPL Football. Manucho scored an injury time winner for Hull at Fulham to create the upset of the night and reverse Hull’s plummet towards the bottom of the table. Carlton Cole scored a 34th minute winner for the Hammers at Wigan, before being sent off three minutes later. Manchester United came back from a goal down to win 2-1 at Newcastle, and Martin O’Neill’s woes continued as Aston Villa were comprehensively outplayed at Manchester City. This and other EPL stories here

Sounders put Jarrod Smith Put on Disabled List

Forward Will Miss First Six Games Sounders FC have announced today that forward Jarrod Smith has been placed on the injured list due to a hip flexor injury. As a result, Smith is required to miss the first six games of the season. He is eligible to return to league play for the May 2 game at Chicago, although he can train with the team and play in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup play-in scheduled for April 28. This and other Sounders stories here

River Plate 1 : 0 Seattle Sounders

Sounders Fail to Hit the Net for the First Time Sounders FC were held scoreless for the first time in ten preseason games, and lost 1-0 to a Damien Lizio goal in the 84th minute on Thursday in Buenos Aires. Sigi Schmid again changed the entire line-up at half time and inserted a second string for the final 45 minutes. The loss ended a five-game unbeaten run (4-0-1) and the team went 2-1-1 in Argentina. Full Story Scoring Summary RIV-Lizio (Lossano) 84’ Seattle Sounders FC Line-ups (4-4-2): First Half: Kasey Keller; Zach Scott, Tyrone Marshall, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, James Riley; Sebastien Le Toux, Brad Evans, Osvaldo Alonso, Sanna Nyassi; Nate Jaqua, Fredy Montero Second Half: Chris Eylander; Sebastian Brunet, Tyson Wahl, Patrick Ianni, Evan Brown; Ely Allen, Ryan Caugherty, Stephen King, Jeff Clark; Michael Fucito, Roger Levesque

Dynamo Out- But Hope for Islanders and Montreal Impact

Atlante Ends US Interest in Champions League Atlante (Mexico) 3 : 0 Houston Dynamo - Full Time Round up Houston Dynamo exited the CONCACAF Champions League tamely after going down 3-0 in Cancun, to exit the cup 1-4 on aggregate. Goals from Fernando Navarro and

Spurs, Boro, Newcastle and Man U in Big games Today

7 EPL Games Today Could Simplify or Confuse Picture There are seven EPL fixtures today with the results perhaps having an impact on the relegation zone, more than at the top. The most intriguing match is the clash at the White Hart Lane where Gareth Southgate's Middlesbrough visit Tottenham Hotspur. Boro are 18th on 26 points, just inside the relegation zone, whereas Spurs who were forced to play extra time in the League Cup final on Sunday, are just two points ahead. Boro had been on a terrible streak of results but beat Liverpool last week, and may be confident of dragging a tired Spurs side back into the relegation quagmire. A Spurs victory would beat some daylight between them and the drop-zone, so the result is crucial for both sides. Tottenham captain Ledley King will miss the game against Middlesbrough at White Hart Lane in order to rest his knee but Middlesbrough have an unchanged squad following their Liverpool win. Three games involve a relegation threatened side playing a team in mid table. At Ewood Park, Blackburn Rovers face Davie Moyes' Everton. Blackburn are just outside the relegation zone on goal difference and Everton are pursuing Arsenal for fifth place. Reserve keeper Jason Brown is poised to play for Rovers if Paul Robinson's shoulder keeps him out. For Everton (known as th Toffees), Victor Anichebe, Mikel Arteta, Tony Hibbert, Nuno Valente, James Vaughan and Yakubu. Fulham entertain Hull City who are slipping down the table fast. Hull are the only club without a Premier League so far this year and have not won in 11 league games. The Cottagers are undefeated in their last nine home league games. Hull haven't won away for the same length of time. Fulham will be without Chris Baird but have full-back John Pantsil back from suspension. Midfielder Dean Marney, who was sent off against Blackburn, and defender Andy Dawson are both suspended. Stoke City play Bolton Wanderers in the third of the games affecting the bottom of the table. Stoke are second bottom on 26 points but will be buoyed by the two late goals that rescued a point at Aston Villa. They will surely see Bolton at home as a likely target for three points. But Bolton's recent form has been fantastic, having won three of their last four games. Stoke have long-throw specialist Rory Delap back after a ban, and goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen is expected to play after recovering from a head injury. At St James Park, Manchester United can extend their lead at the top to seven points over Chelsea by beating Newcastle United. Newcastle are 15th on 28 points and a defeat will thrown them right back into the relegation dogfight especially with some teams around them having winnable games today. Manchester's reds seem unbeatable at the moment and are fresh off their League Cup final triumph. For Newcastle (the Magpies), Nicky Butt will miss the game against his former colleagues, Kevin Nolan is banned, while Damien Duff, Michael Owen, Habib Beye, Danny Guthrie, Joey Barton and Xisco are still injured. Wayne Rooney may start for Manchester. In the remaining games, 8th plays 7th when Wigan Athletic take on West Ham, and Manchester City in 11th, entertain faltering Aston Villa who are still pressing for a Champions League place. After yesterday's win for Arsenal, Villa are just three points ahead of the North London side. The club who finishes fourth will play in a qualifying round to enter the Champions League next year. EPL Games March 4th All Times Pacific Blackburn v Everton (12pm) Tape delayed 2pm on FSC Fulham v Hull City (12pm) Newcastle v Man Utd (11.45 am) FSC Live at 11.45am Man City v Aston Villa (11.45 am) Stoke v Bolton (11.45 am) Tottenham v Middlesbrough (12pm) Wigan v West Ham (11.45 am)

Beckham to Return to MLS

Milan Fail to Agree Terms with Major League Soccer David Beckham is to return to LA Galaxy after AC Milan and the California club failed to agree a deal before the MLS deadline. Milan had bid $7.5m for the 33-year-old Englishman but this was rejected last week and MLS ordered the clubs to agree a permanent move by Friday. LA Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena said in a club statement that no acceptable offer had been received. The club says offer made after the deadline would be considered. His current deal in Italy ends on March 8th. The England international equaled Bobby Moore’s England record of 108 caps for an outfield player on Wednesday in a 2-0 humiliation Full Story

Schmetzer Pays Tribute to Danny and Leighton

Tough Decisions and Sheer Plethora of Talent was a Factor A day after Seattle Sounders legends, Danny Jackson and Leighton O’Brien were released from pre-season training camp, Brian Schmetzer talked openly to Prost Amerika about the thought processes that led to the decisions. Schmetzer is currently Sigi Schmid’s assistant coach at Sounders FC, but was the head coach at the Seattle Sounders in past years and goes back a long way with both Jackson and O’Brien. Read the full story including hope of a last gasp reprieve

Danny Jackson and Leighton O'Brien Leave Seattle Sounders

End of an Era? Sounders coach Sigi Schmid today made what may be among the hardest decision he will take in his tenure as Sounders chief. Earlier today, he released Danny Jackson, Leighton O’Brien and Adam West from pre-season training, signifying the end of their hopes of securing a place on the MLS roster. Danny Jackson, a native of Leeds, joined the Seattle Sounders in 2003 and was the club captain in the USL. A staunch and reliable centre-half, he formed half of a successful centre back pairing with Taylor Graham Full Story and Special Comment

Kinnear Will Need Eight Weeks Off

Newcastle United Manager’s Heart Condition will Require Recuperation Newcastle United manager Joe Kinnear will need to rest for at least two months after undergoing triple heart bypass surgery last Friday. Kinnear fell ill before Newcastle’s match at West Brom last Saturday and was taken to hospital. Ten years ago when Wimbledon manager, he suffered a heart attack and was out of the game for several years. Full Story

Chicago, Salt Lake City And Washington, D.C. to Host Final Qualifiers

Chicago, Salt Lake City And Washington, D.C. To Host U.S. Men’s National Team’s Remaining Home FIFA World Cup Qualifiers The USSF has announced its venues for the remainder of their home qualifiers in the World Cup CONCACAF Group. They will play Honduras at Soldier Field, Chicago on June 6, El Salvador at Rio Tinto Stadium, Salt Lake, on Sept. 5 and Costa Rica at RFK Stadium in the nation’s capital on Oct. 14. Soldier Field and Rio Tinto Stadium will be hosting World Cup Qualifier for the first time. (more…) Full story

Ventura County Fusion 1 : 6 Sounders FC

Third Successive Win for Sounders as Four Get on Scoresheet Goalkeeper Chris Eylander was the only player to play the full game as Sigi Schmid once more rung the changes at half time in a training game. Two goals each from Steve Zakuani and Nate Jaqua and one from Fredy Montero gave the Sounders a 5-1 half time lead with Arthur Aghasyan scoring for the Fusion. A second half goal from Roger Levesque competed the scoring. Full details and line ups

USA Off to Winning Start as Bradley Nets Two

Sam’s Army off to Great Start against Ten Man Mexico The USA got off to an impressive winning start in their CONCACAF Qualification match in Columbus against a disappointing Mexico side. Goals from Michael Bradley separated the sides in front of a 23,776 crowd at a wet and windy Crew Stadium in Ohio. Bradley struck first just before half time when a right wing DeMarcus Beasley corner found Landon Donovan unmarked at the far end of the six yard box. He cleverly headed the ball horizontally across the face of goal, where a second unmarked forward, Oguchi Onyewu, headed goalwards. His effort was stopped by a diving Oswaldo Sánchez in the Mexican goal but the rebound went right into the path of a third unmarked American, Michael Bradley, who scored from 6 yards out. It was a defensive nightmare for El Tri and Sánchez ... Full Report

Taylor Graham Interview

Taylor Graham was the centre half for the USL Sounders last season and previously had stints in MLS for Kansas City and New York. The 28 year-old native of Fairbanks, California, was named on the All-USL-1 team last year and made the finalists for defender of the year. He has played four times for Puerto Rico’s international side. He was awarded an MLS contract recently and spoke to Prost Amerika from training camp in California. Taylor Graham Interview

Hiddink Appointed Chelsea Coach

Dutchman Will Combine Role with Russian National Side Chelsea FC have announced that Guus Hiddink will take over as temporary coach until the end of the season. Hiddink, will combine the role with his tenure at the helm of Russia. Chelsea have confirmed that he will meet the players later this week after many of them return ironically from international duty. “The club would like to take this opportunity to thank the Russian Football Union for their understanding and cooperation,” said a statement released from Stamford Bridge. Read the full article

Tyrone Marshall Signs for Sounders

Sounders Acquire Jamaican International Sounders FC have procured the two-Time All-Star Defender, Tyrone Marshall from Toronto FC. Seattle Sounders FC acquired defender Tyrone Marshall from Toronto FC in a trade for an undisclosed amount of allocation money, it was announced Tuesday. Marshall, 34, started 39 games at central defender for Toronto since being obtained from the L.A. Galaxy midway through the 2007 Major League Soccer season. He is currently playing with the Jamaican National Team in England. Jamaica plays Nigeria in a friendly on Wednesday night (February 11) in London. Full Story

Sounders Beat Galaxy in First Ever Game

LA Galaxy 1 v 3 Sounders FC (Result) Sounders FC beat LA Galaxy in their first ever competitive game, a closed door friendly at the Home Depot Center in California. A penalty from Fredy Montero in the first half enabled the Sounders to go in level at half time. Roger Boosts His Chances with a Goal Full story

Scolari Fired at Chelsea

Draw with Hull City was Last Straw for Abramovich The world of football has now been rocked by the news leaking out of West London that World Cup winner, Phil Scolari has been fired from his job at Chelsea FC. Chelsea drew 0-0 at home to Hull City on Saturday and having lost 2-0 tamely at Liverpool the week before, their league title challenge is more or less over. It seems that with only the FA Cup and European Champions League to play for, Roman Abramovich and Chief Executive Peter Kenyon have decided that enough is enough and sacked the Brazilian. Read the story as it develops

Tony Adams Fired from Portsmouth

A Step up too Large too Early for the Centre-Half? Portsmouth manager Tony Adams has been fired after winning only two of the 16 Premier League matches since he took over on 28 October. First-team coach John Metgod has also left the club. The 42-year-old Adams took over when Harry Redknapp departed for Tottenham late last year. Portsmouth lost 2-3 at home to Liverpool on Saturday despite leading with just five minutes to go. It seems that those five minutes cost Adams his job. Read the full story

Sounders Kick off Week of Friendlies in California

Galaxy Training Game Today First Test for Sounders Sounders FC have completed their first week of their California training camp and start a busy week today with a training game against the LA Galaxy BigSoccer Topics at Home Depot BigSoccer Topics Field. Tomorrow they play Chinese side Shandong Luneng BigSoccer Topics at Oxnard and Ventura County Fusion BigSoccer Topics and the San Jose Earthquakes BigSoccer Topics make up further opposition later this week. “It’s just training, but you picture in your head what the combinations will be like and they look good on paper, but it’s all about finding that chemistry,” Technical Director Chris Henderson BigSoccer Topics told the Sounders FC website. “Give credit to the coaching staff because they are creating an atmosphere where that can happen. It was fun to watch some of those goals a .... Full story

Liverpool Return to Top

But Chelsea Falter Again In an incredible finish to the game, late goals from Dirk Kuyt and Fernando Torres propelled Liverpool back to the top of the table after a 3-2 win at Fratton Park against Portsmouth. Luckily for the home side, all four teams below them also lost on a day which saw more league games than normal reflecting the league table. One exception was at Stamford Bridge where Chelsea drew 0-0 with Hull. Chelsea have now won just three of their last nine league matches and their championship talent lies in tatters with Aston Villa read full story

Weekend EPL Preview - Spurs Keane on Derby Win!

A full program of EPL matches takes place this weekend with Sunday’s North London derby between old foes Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal probably the highlight. They played out an absorbing 4-4 draw at the Emirates earlier this season and Spurs have been bolstered by the return of talisman and new skipper Robbie Keane. League leaders Manchester United visit West ham against whom they have occasionally struggled. United however are so in form that they are breaking EPL records every time they take the pitch. In addition, their chasing pack are falling apart. Chelsea lost 2-0 last Sunday at Liverpool and played as poorly as the result sounds. They entertain a Hull City side that’s dropping down the table after a wonderful start. Liverpool lost 1-0 to Merseyside rivals Everton in the FA Cup this week, had Lucas sent off and lost Steve Gerrard for three weeks. They make the longest journey of their season to the south coast where troubled Portsmouth await them. Chelsea and Liverpool may be very lucky that their weekend opponents are two of the most out of form sides in the EPL. Fox matches include Blackburn v Aston Villa, Portsmouth v Liverpool and West Ham v Manchester United, and ..........

European Lake Union?

Show de Cologne - Sounders to Have Strong European Influence With the official appointment of Tübingen born Sigi Schmid as Sounders head coach, the Sounders FC management team is beginning to take shape, and there is a strong German influence already at the helm of the new franchise. Although Schmid moved to Torrance California when he was nine, he proved his German language skills are as strong as ever at his press conference as he answered questions in perfect German with a strong Swabian accent. He stated that he still has good contacts in the Bundesliga, a quality that may yet prove valuable as he seeks to complete his playing squad. But Schmid is just the start of the German influence. Many of the USL Sounders hardcore were delighted to receive the announcement that he had taken on USL Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer as his assistant. Schmetzer is Seattle born but a first generation immigrant from Germany. His father Walter played lower league football in Germany’s third tier. Brian is a little more reluctant to “sprechen Sie deutsch” than Sigi but it is clear that they have a useful tool to communicate with when prying opposition ears attempt to overhear tactics. Brian’s brother runs a sports shop Germanically called called ‘Sporthaus Schmetzer’ which is a very loyal supporter of soccer in the Puget Sound area. There’ll Always Be an England But the German influence is not new. Last year’s Sounders captain Danny Jackson is a native of Leeds. Less well known is that he has a German mother and can speak the language fairly well when pressed. His extended family still live there and he travels to Germany twice a year, spending much of his summer and holiday time there. He says he has no problem conversing when over there, but gets little chance to speak now. Well, if he gets a MLS call up, he might find he has plenty of opportunity in the future. Of course the European influence doesn’t end at the Rhine. Sweden’s Freddie Ljungberg is ...... (read more)

Beckham to Quit MLS?

Statements in Glasgow from the Player Increase Speculation

Everyone knew he would be asked but nobody thought he would answer. Appearing in Glasgow for a friendly for AC Milan, the press asked David Beckham about his future intentions especially with respect to remaining in Italy for the rest of the season. Beckham has already contributed to Milan's title challenge with a couple of goals and he is receiving rave reviews for his performances at the San Siro.

"I Have Expressed my Desire now to Stay in Milan"

To the astonishment of the press pack, Beckham was quite forthright about his wishes. Read Full Story

The Wee CS

The Supersearch game at Tukwila may have been about a future star but it isn’t just on the playing side of things, that Sounders are looking to the future. The Emerald City Supporters welcomed their newest and by far smallest new recruit to their ranks on Saturday. In an attempt to broaden their outreach beyond those of drinking age, the ECS are to hold TWO USA v Mexico match viewing parties on February 11th. One will be at Fuel and the second at McCoys. The event at McCoys is family friendly and the ECS are looking forward to welcoming new and (very) young recruits to the Rave Green Army. Now, does the ECS have the wisdom to form a youth section called the “Wee CS”? Over to you Guys! Read on

Schmid has to Prune Roughly Half the Camp

23 into 12 Has to Go February 4 There are 32 players in California currently training with the Sounders FC. Of them 8-9 seem certain of making the squad or have already had their places confirmed. Former USL players Sebastien Le Toux, Taylor Graham, Sanna Nyassi and Chris Eylander have already been offered contracts. Freddie Ljungberg and Kasey Keller have been drafted in as big name signings. Fredy Montero has signed but the deal is awaiting immigration papers. Of those acquired in the November draft, ten in all, we can probably assume a minimum of 2-3 and probably more will remain. MLS - The Case for England's Danny Jackson On a side note, USL Club Captain Danny Jackson underwent some immigration difficulties last year and the Seattle Sounders stuck with him and went to great lengths to get him back to Seattle. Full article

All the February Transfers on Prost Amerika EPL Page

A complete list of all the transfers that were completed in the last few days of the transfer window has been posted on Prost Amerika's dedicated Seattle based EPL page:

3 February 2009

Andrei Arshavin [Zenit St Petersburg - Arsenal] Undisclosed Shane Killock [Huddersfield - Oxford] Free

2 February 2009

Charlie Adam [Rangers - Blackpool] Loan Charles Ademeno [Southend United - Salisbury City] Loan Leon Andreasen [Fulham - Hannover 96] Loan Semih Aydilek [Birmingham - Motherwell] Loan Angelos Basinas [AEK Athens - Portsmouth] Undisclosed Christophe Berra [Hearts - Wolves] Undisclosed Chris Todd [Torquay - Salisbury] Loan Paul Caddis [Celtic -Dundee Utd] Loan Henri Camara [Wigan - Stoke] Loan Click here for the full list

Burnley Claim Another EPL Scalp

Burnley 3 : 1 West Bromwich Albion Burnley, who famously eliminated EPL sides Fulham, Arsenal and Chelsea in the Carling Cup, have claimed another EPL victim - this time in the FA Cup. They defeated West Bromwich Albion 3-1 at Turf Moor to progress into the 5th round of the cup. They will meet the winner of the replay between Arsenal and Cardiff City. Goals from Wade Elliott and Steven Thompson put the Clarets 2-0 up before West Brom pulled one back through Gianni Zuiverloon. Thompson scored his second in the 88th minute to put Burnley’s progress beyond doubt. Tomorrow’s FA Cup Ties: Aston Villa v Doncaster, R4, 19:45 Blackburn v Sunderland, R4, 20:00 Everton v Liverpool, R4, 20:10 Nottm Forest v Derby, R4, 19:45

Arshavin Finally Signs for Arsenal and Lampard News

Arshavin Finally Signs for Arsenal - Lampard's Red Card Overturned

Although the EPL deadline passed yesterday, the fate of Russian striker Andrei Arshavin wasn't decided until today after a day of high drama and changing stories.
Despite an initial report claiming the deal was done, followed by a denial from his club, Zenit St Petersburg, it seems that the deal is still on. This morning the deal for $22m plus compensation was officially announced.

Yesterday saw nine inches of snow in London and consequently only one of the EPL's transfer registration panel made it into work. As a result, the EPL extended the transfer deadline.

Arshavin posted the following on his website, "Negotiations over my move from Zenit St Petersburg "came to a close. Now I can say only one thing - that if I play for Arsenal, it will be at number 23," the 27-year-old said.

Arshavin's agent Dennis Lachter claimed he was "very confident" the forward's move from Zenit St Petersburg will be ratified by the Premier League.

"It was completed in extra time but we must wait for confirmation," he stated. That confirmation came moments ago and the Russian prodigy is now an Arsenal player.

Read the full article

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Lampard Wins Red Card Appeal

The red card Frank Lampard picked up against Liverpool has attracted much controversy. Angry fans have started Facebook pages vilifying referee Mike Riley, most press commentators opined that Xabi Alonso should have got the red if anyone in that challenge and Chelsea boss, Phil Scolari has had his obligatory moan about refereeing bias against the West London Blues.

Read the full article

Liverpool v Chelsea Preview

Sunday on Fox Soccer at 8am Liverpool entertain Chelsea this Sunday morning with a 8am kick off on the Pacific West Coast. Live coverage is available on the Fox Soccer Channel. Chelsea will miss Ricardo Carvalho who has a hamstring strain but Liverpool expect to welcome back Xabi Alonso, Dirk Kuyt and Albert Riera all of whom were substitutes in the midweek game against Wigan. Both sides have faltered of late and watched as Manchester United have climbed above them in the EPL table. In their last six league matches, Liverpool have won just ten points, one less than Chelsea while United have picked up all 18, winning six in a row. Liverpool are now third on 48 points behind Chelsea on goal difference while United are two points ahead with a game less played. Full Liverpool v Chelsea Preview

United's Hargreaves Will Be Back Next Season

United Star's Operation a Success Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves has had a successful operation for a long-standing tendinitis problem, but this week had knee surgery to correct it. More details here

Alex Ferguson Turns Down Team Great Britain Job

United Manager Snubs British Prime Minister Sir Alex Ferguson has dealt a fatal blow to the chances of a Great Britain Football side competing at the 2012 London Olympics. In a move which could significantly hamper the credibility of the team, Sir Alex told a 200th anniversary edition of the United's club's magazine Inside United. "No. I won't turn to international management. When I've finished here, I think I deserve a rest. After here, I'm finished." Read the full story and why this is an Olympic Games bombshell in Britain

Arsenal Still Hopeful of Signing Andrei Arshavin

Wenger Says Deal for Top Russian Still a Reality

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is "confident" that Arsenal will sign Andrei Arshavin from Russian club Zenit St Petersburg before the end of the current transfer window. However, the Arsenal boss denied a deal has been completed for the 27 year old, or that a work permit had been applied for and granted. Arshavin was a stand out in EURO 2008 where he helped Russia to a semi final place including a great win over a fancied Netherlands side. World's wealthiest club, Manchester City, and Italian champions Jose Mourinhno's Inter Milan are also reported to be interested in the midfielder.

EPL News Page Launched

English Soccer from a Seattle Point of View Prost Amerika is proud to announce the launch of a the first ever English soccer news page written by and for the people of Seattle. Edited by the Soccer Editor of the European Weekly, we aim to bring you all the latest EPL news with comment and background. The EPL is the world's best leagues and boasts such famous names as Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal. Keep up to date with all the latest news from Seattle's finest soccer writers on the new Prost Amerika English Soccer page.