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)