Puddle's Deadline Day Roundup: January 2012

THE BRITISH TRANSFER WINDOW CLOSED AT 11 pm (gmt)


This time last year the football blogs and shows were buzzing with the likes of transfers from Luis Suarez, Fernando Torres, and Andy Carroll. We really didn't see a lot of movement from superstar names today, but some good snatches of guys who are probably right under that top tier. Here's my take on just a few of the moves, and non-moves.

QPR sign Cisse and Zamora--
Nobody would question the fact that QPR intended to load up once they hired the ambitious Mark Hughes as manager. That turns out to be exactly what they did. In total they brought in 6 players during the window, making them the most active EPL team. On deadline day they brought in Djibril Cisse from Lazio, where he had just landed over the summer. They completed their new strike force by signing Bobby Zamora away from Fulham about 20 minutes before the deadline expired. I like the Zamora move, Cisse is a bit of a gamble I think. He was not having a good year at Lazio. Of course, it's a lot harder to score goals in Italy. Will these moves keep QPR up? Signs point to yes.

Everton sign Jelavic, get Pienaar on loan--
Toffees fans were heartened at the end of the transfer window as Everton put the finishing touches on two deadline day deals. First they signed away striker Nikica Jelavic from Glasgow Rangers, who was leading the SPL in scoring. Right at the death of the deadline, they also got Steven Pienaar back from Spurs on a loan deal to the end of the year. Put these with the arrival of Gibson earlier in the window, and you've got some real solid moves. Too bad they have to send Landon Donovan back.

Spurs acquire Saha, dump Pavlyuchenko--
Probably the surprise move of the day was Tottenham acquiring Louis Saha from Everton. This is rumored to be part of the deal that sent Pienaar back to Everton on loan. They also got rid of want-away Roman Pavlyuchenko, who made his way to Lokomotiv Moscow. Saha's body and confidence are about as fragile as a Fabrege egg, as Everton supportes will attest to, so we'll see what happens on this. Could be a shrewd pick up.

Chelsea sign Belgian international De Bruyne--
In the earliest of the deadline day deals, Chelsea announced that they had finally succeeded in signing Belgian International winger Kevin De Bruyne from Genk. This appears to be a deal more for the future, as Chelsea immediately loaned him right back to Genk for the rest of the season.

No big EPL names to MLS--
I had to throw this in here because the MLS rumor mill has bugged the living crap out of me all month, probably because I'm a Chelsea fan. The biggest rumors concerned folks like Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard coming to play for the Galaxy. Now of course that got a lot less likely once Beckham re-signed, but still. Our league seems to delight in connecting every aging Euro star to MLS, and it annoys me. We need to be less of a retirement home and develop more of our own talent. that being said, Portland did acquire former Rangers man Kris Boyd, but as I pointed out on the twitter feed yesterday, Boyd had only 12 goals since leaving Glasgow, where he had better people around him than he will in Portland, so I'm not keen on handing any trophies the Timbers' way just yet.

Carlos Tevez stays put, still playing golf--
The biggest name actually up for grabs this month was City malcontent Carlos Tevez, who hasn't played hardly at all for the Citizens. A deal was almost reached with AC Milan earlier this month, then Inter Milan joined the fray as well. However, the window closed in Italy at 7 PM Italian time and no move had been made. Later on there was a twitter hoax as someone tweeting as Aston Villa's official twitter confirmed that Villa had signed him and Florent Malouda from Chelsea. Malouda is still with Chelsea, Tevez is still playing golf, and Villa fans are bent out of shape.

Of course many more moves were made on deadline day, and there were about 89 million dollars spent (USA) in England. However, the window has now slammed shut, and teams will have to play their hands for the rest of the season.

Mondragon Leaves Philadelphia Union

Big news out of MLS's Eastern Conference this afternoon. The Philadelphia Union have announced that GK and team captain Faryd Mondragon will depart the club. Mondragon, who started for MLS in the all star game last year, will be returning to Colombia and his original club, Deportivo Cali. He cites family reasons for his departure.

Mondragon was the number one 'keeper in Philly last season before breaking his finger against Real Salt Lake. He did return before the end of the season and started for the Union in the MLS playoffs. He finished 2nd in 'keeper of the year voting and posted seven clean sheets.

The Union will look to up and coming 'keeper Zac MacMath. He's a very highly rated prospect and should still do well in goal. However, the loss of Mondragon will surely be felt.

MONDRAGON IN THE 2011 ALL STAR GAME (MLSSoccer.com)

FA Cup 4th Round: Liverpool vs. Manchester United

Liverpool has been somewhat underwhelming in the league this year, nobody could really deny that. Their cup form has been impressive though, especially at the expense of the Manchester sides. Earlier this week they eliminated City from the Carling Cup and looked to take United out of the FA Cup on Saturday.

The match was pretty heated, as it usually is when they two sides get together. Though United had the better of the possession throughout the match, Liverpool were more than able to get the touches they needed to get the job done. Maxi Rodriguez woke David De Gea early in goal, with a stinging shot in the 4th minute. Ryan Giggs responded a few minutes later for United though, hitting a shot right at Pepe Reina.

The teams continued to exchange chances throughout the first half. Andy Carroll sent yet another disappointing header high in the 11th minute, and Antonio Valencia hit the post for United in the 17th. The first goal of the match would go to Liverpool though, as Daniel Agger headed home a goal in the 21st to make it 1-0 to Liverpool. United's marking on the set piece left a lot to be desired, but De Gea's positioning was horrid on the play as well.

United would strike back before half time however. Ji-Sung Park, who always seems to come up with the big moments in the big games, volleyed in a goal from a fantastic cross by Rafael to equalize the match at 1-1.

Again United came out controlling the ball for much of the second half, but Liverpool had the best chances. United looked somewhat lost in the final third without the injured Wayne Rooney. Steven Gerrard forced a save out of De Gea off of a free kick in the 67th minute, but United immediately countered that resulted in a shot by Michael Carrick going just wide of the Liverpool goal.

Dirk Kuyt came in as a second half sub for Liverpool and again put the hurt on United, as he is known to do. In the 88th minute Reina booted the ball down field to the head of Andy Carroll, the big center forward flicked on to Kuyt who, absolutely torched Patrice Evra and slammed the ball past a struggling De Gea to give Liverpool the 2-1 win.

The loss puts United out of both domestic cups and the Champions League. It's tough to see them really caring much about the Europa League, so I suspect their focus will continue to be on retaining the Premiership. Liverpool of course, are still in the running for both domestic cups.

DANIEL AGGER SCORES FOR LIVERPOOL. (Alex Livesey--Getty Images)

Mexico Match Blurb: Morelia vs. Monterrey

Another blurb will have to suffice for this match, as their just wasn't that much to report. Monterrey continues to disappoint a year on from winning the CONCACAF Champions League. I can't say as I feel for them, but that's just me as an RSL fan.

The first chances of the match actually went to Los Rayados, with Jesus De Nigris hitting a shot high in the 4th minute. Honestly, it was closer to row ZZZ than it was to the target though. In the 9th minute Angel Reyna had one of the better chances of the match, beating the 'keeper but knocking his shot off of the far post.

The best first chance for Morelia came in the 12th minute, but saw Joao Rojas' header go high of the mark. In the 42nd minute Jamie Lozano picked up a yellow that would come into play in the second half. The first half ended with the sides still level at 0-0.

Arguably the best chance of the match came not long after halftime for Morelia. Miguel Sabah had been a real bright spot for them, and in the 52nd minute he forced a nice save out of Jonathan Orozco to keep the match level. Unfortunately for Morelia, Jamie Lozano picked up his second yellow card in the 58th minute, earning him the red card and an early shower.

Still Monterrey, who is having a tough time scoring and dealing with some large off field issues, could not take advantage of the extra man. De Nigris came closest in the 66th minute, but again watched his shot sail just high of the crossbar. Humberto Suazo did not play, as he has expressed his desire to leave, and his absence really showed in Los Rayados rather tepid offensive showing. However, Morelia could not muster a goal either and the match finished 0-0.

More Trouble: WPS Cancels 2012 Season

Women's Professional Soccer announced today that it will be suspending play for the 2012 season. They hope to resume for the 2013 campaign. The league voted this morning to suspend operations as it works through a lawsuit filed by the owner of the former MagicJack franchise. MagicJack was kicked out of the league last October, but a judge has ruled for MagicJack, saying that the league failed to follow it's own grievance procedures. More hearings in the legal matter are scheduled for this week.

A few weeks ago US Soccer granted the league conditional Division 1 status, despite the league only having five teams instead of the required eight. According to those terms, the league must field 6 teams in 2013 and eight by 2014 to retain it's top flight professional status.

The league has played three seasons, trying to ride the wave of popularity of women's soccer in the wake of the Women's World Cup. However it's been plagued by financial trouble and saw one of it's previous champions, FC Gold Pride, fold before the 2011 season.

FA Cup 5th Round Draw

The draw for the 5th round of the FA Cup was held Sunday as an exciting weekend of matches wound down. There are still a few replays to sort out, but here is the draw:


FA Cup Fifth Round

Chelsea vs. Birmingham
Crawley vs. Stoke
Everton vs. Blackpool or Sheffield Wednesday
Liverpool vs. Brighton
Millwall or Southhampton vs. Bolton
Norwich vs. Leicester
Stevenage vs. Tottenham
Sunderland or Middlesbrough vs. Arsenal


Interestingly enough, the big clubs all managed to avoid each other in the draw. Only Arsenal could potentially go up against another EPL side. As a Chelsea fan, I'm very nervy about playing last year's League Cup Champs Birmingham. Also, former Colorado Rapids manager Gary Smith will be leading the Stevenage side against Spurs. That will be a HUGE deal for them.

Puddle's Goal of the Weekend; Dirk Kuyt Sinks United

Okay my fine readers, I present to you my choice for goal of the weekend in this 4th round FA Cup weekend. In the 88th minute at Anfield, Dirk Kuyt took a flick on from Andy Carroll and blasted it into the net to give Liverpool the 2-1 win. To ad to the enjoyment of the Liverpool faithful, Kuyt just torched Patrice Evra on the play. I'm sure after this, Evra would rather walk alone.

FA Cup 4th Round: Everton vs. Fulham

If there was ever an FA Cup match that was going to garner interest in the USA, it was this one. Of course I mean interest by people who aren't like me and don't obsess over world football. This match featured what are probably the three biggest names in US Soccer right now. For Everton Tim Howard was in goal as per usual, and Landon Donovan started in the midfield. Fulham featured Clint Dempsey, scorer of two hat tricks in the last month, in the midfield.

Of course beyond the interest in the Americans abroad, those of us who do follow English football knew that this was the FA Cup, and really the only chance either of these clubs had at winning a trophy this year. The loser would be done.

Everton has had the Cottagers' number at home over the years, but Fulham had been the dominant side in the FA Cup. Everton came out of the gates looking to put an end to the latter trend. Outside of a wild shot by Dempsey in the 2nd minute, the Toffees controlled possession in the early going. Fulham seemed largely lethargic, not chasing the ball much and turning it over when they did get it.

All that changed in the 12th minute as Fulham had the chance to take the lead. Damien Duff drove into the box, and John Heitinga got in front of his shot, handling the ball as he went. Referee Howard Webb quickly and correctly pointed to the spot. Heitinga was given a yellow for the handball. Fulham captain Danny Murphy converted the PK and Fulham took the 0-1 lead, totally against the run of play.

Everton didn't waste any time in responding though and to their credit went right back into their game plan. It's hard to panic a David Moyes side, even with an early goal. Around the 20th minute the Toffees brought a ton of pressure to bare on the Fulham goal that culminated in a great shot from Magaye Gueye being blocked to end the threat.

However Everton got their much deserved equalizer in the 28th minute, and one of the Americans on the pitch featured prominently. Landon Donovan sent a beautiful and spot on cross into Denis Stracqualursi, who got up and headed it past the helpless Fulham 'keeper and into the net to tie the match at 1-1. Great goal.

After halftime, Clint Dempsey really tried to make a difference for Fulham. Unfortunately for the Cottagers, only Dempsey, Duff, and Ruiz really showed, and they couldn't not get the ball to Deuce to get him involved. Still, in the 52nd minute he put a header over the bar and had a decent effort blocked in the 58th, but that would be about the extent of his involvement.

Everton were still firmly control and looking for the go ahead goal. Landon Donovan was constantly getting himself in position to be helpful for his club. In the 70th minute he rolled a shot just wide of the post, but made a significant contribution again just 3 minutes later as he sent another finally crafted cross into the area. This one found the head of Marouane Fellaini, who tucked it into the net to give Everton the 2-1 lead. Just aim for the hair, Landon.

Everton continued to dominate for the rest of the match, but Fulham did get one good look in stoppage time that almost forced a replay. In the 1st extra minute, Bryan Ruiz, who was the biggest bright spot on the day for Fulham, got a hold of a good strike but sent it just agonizingly wide of Tim Howard's goal. The Toffees held on for the 2-1 win.

They advance to the 5th round of the FA Cup. They will play at home against the winner of Blackpool/Sheffield Wednesday.

Italian Match Thoughts: Atalanta vs. Juventus

Juventus has looked pretty much unstoppable this year, and Atalanta did nothing to dispell that in this match. Not that you'd really expect them to. They were hit with a 6 point deduction at the beginning of the season in regards to match fixing scandal, and they've been behind the eight-ball ever since. Odds that they would take anything off Juventus were pretty slim.

Right off the bat Juve had chances. In the 3rd minute Alessandro Matri had a good chance at goal courtesy of a cross from Simone Pepe. However he was disappointed to watch his volley go over the bar. It was the first of what would prove to be several disappointing misses for Matri on the night.

Atalanta just didn't see much of the ball throughout the match, particularly in the first half. They did get one little run of possession about the 19th minute that resulted in a shot for Giacomo Bonaventura. His shot was easily saved and it proved to be the best look they'd get in the half.

Juventus finally took the well deserved lead after halftime. In the 55th minute Andrea Pirlo sent in a cross to Lichsteiner who dove a header into the bottom corner to make it 0-1. That was all Juve would need but they did add one more as Giaccherini slotted home after a pass from Marrone that cemented our full time result at 0-2.

The end of the weekend saw Juventus back on top of the Serie A table. They're sitting 1 point ahead of Milan, 3 ahead of Udinese, and 6 ahead of surging Inter Milan. Atalanta sits 15th, 5 clear of the drop zone. If they had the six they were docked, they'd be in 8th. That might come into play at the end of the season.

Carling Cup Semifinal: Liverpool vs. Manchester City

Despite being t0p of the Premier League for a good portion of the season, City have not experienced a lot of success in cup runs this year. They failed to make the Champions League knock out stage, though they did have a tough group including Napoli and Bayern Munich. A couple weeks back city rivals Manchester United ended their hopes of defending their FA Cup title. Coming into this second leg of the League Cup semifinal at Anfield, they trailed Liverpool 1-0 on the aggregate after falling in the first leg 0-1 to a Steven Gerrard penalty kick.

This was an awesome match to watch. King Kenny called his guys out publicly after an embarrassing defeat at Bolton on the weekend and his players responded, taking it to City early and often. Joe Hart was a BEAST in this match. In the 4th minute he turned aside a point blank shot from Jose Enrique and followed it up with three more good saves against the likes of Johnson, Bellamy and Adam over the next 20 minutes. No doubt he was keeping City in the tie.

City had no sight of goal until the 28th minute, when Edin Dzeko had a shot blocked. In truth, it was only a half chance. Nigel De Jong did a lot better on 31 minutes when he smashed a ball into the postage stamp corner to make 0-1 and equalize the aggregate. To say it was against the run of play would be an understatement.

Liverpool went right back on the attack however and took the aggregate lead again just 10 minutes later. In the 40th minute Micah Richards threw himself in front of a shot in the penalty area. The ball ricocheted off of his foot and hit his outstretched hand. Referee Phil Dowd awarded a PK, which Gerrard promptly converted.

City felt pretty slighted and I can see why. It was obviously a case of ball to hand. However, the hand was outstretched, nowhere near the body. To my way of thinking, if you throw yourself into a shot like that in the area with your hands up like that, you're just asking for a penalty. Phil Dowd illustrated this several times by doing what appeared to be the Thriller dance. It was highly entertaining.

Liverpool continued to dominate in the second half and nearly put the tie away. In the 53rd minute Skrtel forced a glorious save out of Hart on a Gerrard free kick. Then in the very next minute the big City 'keeper barely closed his near post in time to Stewart Downing.

City hung in there though, and it looked like the Reds might rue those missed chances. In the 67th minute they struck again against the run of play. Kolarov sent in a cross that Dzeko banged in off of his right foot to make it 1-2 and again equalize the aggregate.

Liverpool was not to be denied this day though. They finally put the tie away in the 74th minute off of the foot of Craig Bellamy, who else? Dirk Kuyt sent in a cross that Bellamy took then passed to Glenn Johnson at close range. Johnson then sent the ball right back to Bellamy who slotted the ball past a helpless Joe Hart to equalize the match at 2-2 and hand Liverpool the 3-2 win on aggregate. They'll face Cardiff in the League Cup final.


THRILLER! (Getty Images)

EPL: Bolton vs. Liverpool

For most Barclay's Premier League sides this season, a trip to Bolton has been just what the doctor ordered. Bolton has been mired in the bottom 3 for a good portion of the season and has been especially dismal at the Reebok. On top of that, they had just completed the sale of one of their best players in Gary Cahill. Unfortunately for Liverpool, they couldn't take advantage of these circumstances, as Wanderers pretty much outplayed them from the opening whistle.

The biggest problem the Reds had that day was a Swiss cheese defense. The Bolton attack just had their way with the Liverpool back line and Pepe Reina pretty much had no chance. In just the 4th minute of the match, Mark Davies made the sleeping Liverpool defenders look like traffic cones as he weaved his way in and hammered home the first goal of the match to make it 1-0.

Liverpool didn't respond either as Bolton continued to dictate the terms of the match. The Reds pretty much looked dazed. Jordan Henderson finally succeeded in working the Bolton 'keeper on 18 minutes, but they couldn't snatch any momentum at all. Finally in the 29th minute Nigel Reo-Coker found even more holes in the Liverpool defense and scored again for Bolton making it 2-0 to Wanderers.

After that Liverpool finally woke up a little bit, at least on offense. Craig Bellamy, who has been Liverpool's brightest spot in recent matches, forced another save out of Adam Bogdan in the 35th minute, In the very next minute long absent Andy Carroll sent in a nice ball to Bellamy which he just managed to squeeze by Bogdan into the net to make it 2-1 going into half time.

That's about all the Reds fans had to cheer about though as Bolton continued to hold proceedings in the second half. In minute 50 Gretar Steinsson scored a third for Bolton off of a corner to make it 3-1.

It didn't quite kill the game off. but it came close. Liverpool had a smattering of chances in the second half. Daniel Agger came closest in the 71st minute by cracking a shot off of the cross bar. Andy Carroll continued his dismal offensive output by missing at least two chances, and Bolton held on for the 3-1 win on what was arguably one of their finest hours of the season.

For Liverpool, it was obviously one of their worst.

GRETAR STEINSSON & CHRIS EAGLES CELEBRATE (PremierLeague.com)

Tim Ream Officially Joins Bolton

United States defender Tim Ream has finally completed his long anticipated move to Bolton Wanderers after securing his UK work permit last week. The fee was not disclosed on the 3.5 year deal.

Maybe Ream will be as good at gifting Bolton opponents goals as he was giving them to the Red Bulls opponents. Sorry, I kid, a little. All I ever hear about Ream is how wonderful his ability to distribute from the center back position is. That's fine I guess, but he sure seemed to give the ball up a lot, get torched by strikers on a semi regular basis, and have a tendency to make stupid tackles and concede PKs after he gets burned.

Obviously Tim is still young, and hopefully playing at the top level in the Barclay's Premier League will help him. I've been highly critical of him on this blog and in my Puddle tweets, but he's talented for sure and a great guy. Best of luck to him as he represents the USA overseas.

Unfortunately for Bolton, he's no Gary Cahill.

Puddle's Goal of the Midweek: Dani Alves vs. Real Madrid

My Goal of the midweek comes from El Clasico. Dani Alves nailed this GOLAZO helping Barca knock Real Madrid out of the Copa Del Rey.



Spectacular!

Man City Accept Balotelli Ban

The FA have confirmed that City will not appeal the recent four match ban handed down to Mario Balotelli. Balotelli was in hot water after appearing to do his best Pepe impression by stomping on Tottenham's Scott Parker during last weekend's EPL encounter.

Balotelli missed today's Carlign Cup semi-final 2nd leg against Liverpool. He will also miss EPL clashes with Everton, Fulham, and Villa.

City questioned Referee Howard Webb's statement that he did not see the offense. Balotelli's loud mouth agent said Webb, who refereed the 2010 World Cup Final as well the Champion's League Final, should be banned for life and accused the English of "not protecting Mario."

My take on all of this is that Balotelli is his own worst enemy. For all of the flare and excitement he brings to a match, he just can't seem to settle down and play within the rules. It's a pity, he's such a bright talent.

Oh, and yes, I think the ban is perfectly justified.

Puddle's Goal of the Weekend: Ricardo Clark vs Venezuela

For my goal of the weekend I take you to University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale Arizona. The United States' Ricardo Clark headed home a corner in stoppage time to give the USA a much needed win over Venezuela to start 2012 off right. No World Cup, no Gold Cup this year, but the USA will go into qualifying for Brazil 2014, and the results need to start coming. This was a great GOAL!

EPL: Arsenal vs. Manchester United

The promos that FOX had been running all week to build this game up talked about the 8-2 thrashing the Gunners took at Old Trafford earlier this season. Since those those early season woes, an obvious low point for the squad under Wenger, Arsenal has somewhat gotten back on their horse, qualifying for the knock out stage of the Champions League and propelling themselves into 5th spot in the Premier League.

What everybody watching knew today was that Arsenal had to start getting it done against teams like United to really convince people they were back in it as far as the race for the Champions League spots goes. Could they prove that today, or would they hit another low? After all, they had lost back to back matches coming into this one, including a crushing defeat at Swansea last week when the newly promoted side totally outplayed them.

The Gunners tried to start the game brightly, and although they had the possession in the opening minutes, they got very little that resembled an actual chance. Aaron Ramsey rolled a shot in on goal in the 8th minute, and Theo Walcott put forth a a meager effort in the 11th, both easily saved by Anders Lindegaard.

After the opening 10 minute control by the Gunners, Manchester United slowly started to take over. In truth, it was a rather lackluster first half effort from both sides. Both Ryan Giggs and Wayne Rooney managed to test the 'keeper in the 23rd and 35th minutes, respectively, but it wasn't until the stroke of halftime that they converted. Ryan Giggs came up the wing totally unmarked and sent in a gorgeous cross that was headed into the goal by Antonio Valencia to make it 0-1 in first half stoppage time.

Wenger must have actually raised his voice at halftime, because the Gunners came out much more lively, trying to push their way back into the match. They almost managed it in the 51st minute as Robin Van Persie found himself staring at the net at almost point blank range after a United defensive blunder, but somehow the Dutch striker managed to put his shot wide.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain made his first EPL start today for Arsenal, and the 18 year old was one of the few, if not the only bright spot for the Gunners. In the 61st minute he had a great chance to equalize but just sent his shot wide. Then in the 71st minute he put a great ball into Van Persie on a counter attack that RVP just managed to knock past Lindegaard to tie the match at 1-1.

Then Arsene Wenger did something incredibly stupid. He subbed out the wonderfully performing Chamberlain for the utterly useless Andrei Arshavin. The crowd at the Emirates actually booed the sub. Arshavin didn't waste much time making his presence felt in all the wrong ways. In the 81st minute he let Valencia slip right by him in the area. Valencia then centered to Danny Welbeck who slotted home the goal to make it 1-2 to United. It proved to be the game winning goal, as the rest of the match descended into bad tackles and yellow cards, and the crowd virtually booing Arshavin and Wenger off the pitch. What a dumb move.

ROBIN VAN PERSIE SCORES IN THE SECOND HALF. (Mike Hewitt--Getty Images)

Beckham Re-signs With LA/MLS

The speculation is now over. Tonight MLS and the LA Galaxy have confirmed that David Beckham will return to the club. He signed a new 2 year deal. MLS does not discuss terms of the deals, but obviously Beckham will remain a DP.

The 36 year old had been tempted by several European clubs including free spending Paris St. Germain, the relegation threatened QPR, and Tottenham Hotspur. He cited the fact that his family is comfortable in California and the growth of the game in the US as reasons why he wanted to stay in MLS.

I'm not a Galaxy fan in the slightest, but I enjoy watching world class talent. Welcome back, David.

Robbie Rogers Gets His UK Work Permit

The last of the red tape has finally been cleared for US International Robbie Rogers. He will now join Championship side Leeds United on a 2 and a half year deal. Leeds is headed down a stretch run to try to secure promotion to the Barclay's Premier League.

Rogers goes back to Europe on a free transfer after his contract with MLS/Columbus Crew ended at the conclusion of last season. He's played in Europe before with Dutch side Heerenveen.

Rogers scored 15 goals and 16 assists in 115 games for the Crew. He also helped them win the MLS Cup in 2008. He's definitely a quality player, as I personally watched him torch RSL last season at the RioT. Best of luck to him and we'll see if this gets him more into the US National Team picture.

PHOTO: MLSSoccer.com

EPL: Swansea City vs. Arsenal

I heard a lot of great stuff about this match over the last couple days, so as I decided what matches I really wanted to focus on watching and blogging this week, this was the at the top of the list. Both of these sides are known for playing beautiful passing and flowing football, and they really didn't disappoint. The match could have used a few less defensive blunders though.

Kemy Agustien had the first shot for the Swans within the first minute, but it went wide and the Gunners went on the attack. Swansea gave them everything they had though, constantly pressuring and harassing the Arsenal players the minute they touched the ball. The first shot may have gone to Swansea, but the first goal went to Arsenal. In the 4th minute Andrei Arshavin put a nice through ball toward the area for Robin Van Persie. Both Michel Vorm and his defenders closed RVP down, but somehow he snuck the ball in near post to make it 0-1 to the Gunners.

After that most of the credit goes to Swansea. They weren't phased at all by the Arsenal goal and stuck to their possession game plan. At one point they had 65% of it to just 35% to Arsenal. This is ARSENAL we're talking about. They usually do that to other teams. The pressure paid off for Swansea in the 16th minute as Arsenal conceded a PK. Depending on what commentary you read or listen to on this, opinions differ. Aaron Ramsey clearly made contact with Nathan Dyer in the box. Could Dyer have stayed on his feet? Perhaps. However, was it a foul? I say yes. Dyer probably went down easily, but Ramsey gave the referee the chance to make the call. Both of the announcers calling the game thought it was the right call too. At any rate, Scott Sinclair nailed the spot kick to equalize at 1-1.

Both sides had decent chances again before halftime. In the 29st minute, RVP nearly put Arsenal back on top, only to be saved by Vorm. Swansea defender Steven Caulker got a header on a goal from a set piece situation in the 32nd, only to see Arsenal's scrambling defense clear it off the line. The half ended at 1-1.

There were even more chances and in the 2nd half as the match opened up even more. Theo Walcott had a nice chance for the Gunners right off in minute 46, but put his shot high. Just two minutes later Arshavin got a really good look at goal but somehow managed to put his shot into the cheap seats. It really wasn't a good day for him.

In the 53rd minute Swansea forward Joe Allen put a shot tantalizingly close to goal, but had it just go wide. However he redeemed himself just four minutes later as he worked a ball to Dyer, who smacked the ball in far post to make it 2-1 to the Swans on 57 minutes.

Now it was Arsenal's turn to react to falling behind. They changed up their squad, including inserting Thierry Henry. It wasn't Henry however, but the man wearing his old number 14, Theo Walcott, that got the equalizer. He took a through ball from Djorou on 69 minutes and slotted it past Vorm to make it 2-2.

The Arsenal elation didn't last long though. Forty-five seconds to be exact. Gylfi Sigurdsson caught the Gunners asleep at the back and threaded a ball through to Danny Graham who whizzed the ball past Szczesny before the Arsenal keeper even saw it coming. The goal gave Swans the 3-2 lead, which they held until full time.

The three points put Swansea into the top half and closer to safety. Meanwhile, Arsene Wenger was left to complain. He didn't complain much about how his team got outplayed for large stretches of the match, he complained about the ref and the PK. Yeah, we know Mr. Wenger, you'd win every trophy if only the refs weren't out to get you. The loss leaves the Gunners 4 points behind Chelsea for the final Champions League spot.


A frustrated Henry had little to no effect. (Micheal Steele--Getty Images/FoxSoccer.com)

Cahill Officially Signs With Chelsea

So today a long rumored deal was finally put to rest. Former Bolton defender Gary Cahill has finally completed his move to Stamford Bridge.

It's been a long process for the Blues to land the center back. They agreed to the fee with Bolton a couple of weeks back, but the deal almost snagged over personal terms with the 26 year old England international. Supposedly Cahill was demanding 100,000 pounds per week, but the two sides settled on 80,000.

Hopefully he can team up with John Terry and help us out on the back line.

Puddle's Goal of the Weekend: Jan 14-15

Puddle's Goal of weekend goes to Chelsea's Frank Lampard, well mostly to Fernando Torres. Absolutely SICK bicycle off the bar and rebounded in by Lamps!

Mexico Match Thoughts: Atlas vs. Cruz Azul

My first look at Cruz Azul post-Omar Bravo acquisition was an interesting one, but a match against Atlas really isn't that big of a test. Though it's a little more difficult on the road. Atlas are getting to the point where they're playing for their top flight lives, so one might be excused for thinking they'd play with a little more fire. It just wasn't there.

They got themselves into some trouble right off the bat as Jorge Zamogilny was hit with a yellow card in the very first minute of play. However, they did go on to create a couple of half chances in the opening minutes. By they I mean Giancarlos Maldonando. He forced a save out of Jesus Corona in the 5th minute, and sent a shot wide in the 11th. It was pretty much downhill from there for Atlas.

After about 15 minutes, Cruz Azul started to get more active and slowly but surely took control of the match. Vela-Garrido put a nice shot on target to test the 'keeper in the 24th, and Omar Bravo made his presence felt in the next minute by sending in a shot that just drifted off target. Finally Azul broke the ice in the 40th as Fausto Pinto sent a gorgeous ball in that ended up going to Emanuel Villa, who easily slotted it home to put Cruz up 0-1 going into the interval.

Azul pretty much controlled the second half with the exception of one major mistake that almost cost them points. In the 77th minute Nestor Araujo blatantly brought down Atlas's Mauricio Romero in the box to concede a PK. Corona was given a yellow for arguing about it, but it really was obvious. Maldonado, who was about the only player to show up all match long for Atlas, stepped up but had his spot kick nicely saved by Corona to preserve the lead.

The tables were turned just a couple of minutes later as Luis Alatorre brought down Bravo in the Atlas area in the 80th to concede a PK to Azul, Christian Gimenez did not make Maldonado's mistake, and put the ball past the 'keeper to make it 0-2 to Azul, which was the full time result.

Certainly it wasn't the best performance from Cruz Azul, but aside from some anxious moments early and the Atlas penalty, it was pretty comfortable. Atlas is going to have to do a lot better to get on track.

West Ham Signs George John On Loan

It looks like FC Dallas Defender George John has finally gotten his long awaited move to England, at least temporarily. The agreement is for a two month loan to West Ham United. Supposedly the deal also includes an option to make the arrangement permanent.

John has Greek heritage and was disappointed to see a high profile deal to Premiership side Blackburn fall through last summer. Sam Allardyce is pushing for West Ham's promotion after being relegated from the EPL last season.

Everton Signs United's Gibson

Today Everton took a good step toward improving their team by signing Manchester United midfielder Darron Gibson. While terms were not disclosed, rumor has it that the fee was 1 million pounds and the contract will run for four and a half years.

Gibson was keen to move on from Old Trafford after Paul Scholes came back to the club from retirement. He's been frustrated at his lack of playing time, and didn't see an opportunity arising with the United legend back in the fold.

Gibson has said that he hopes he can help the Toffees improve and praised manager David Moyes and his hard working side. He also revealed that none other than former Everton boy Wayne Rooney helped him along in his choice. Tim Cahill and Phil Neville were also cited as being influential in the move.

Darron is a product of the United youth system and has scored 10 goals in 60 games for the Red Devils. Gibson is also and Irish international, though he was born in Northern Ireland, and has scored once in 17 caps.

Puddle's Goal of the Midweek: Assou-Ekotto Blast vs Everton

Great live fan vid from the ground of Assou Ekotto's GOLAZO against Everton. The deflection it took off of Cahill did make matters easier for Howard either.

EPL: Tottenham vs. Everton

Tottenham hasn't had the best of luck in recent times against Everton, with only one victory in their last nine coming in. However, I think everybody would agree that this is a different Spurs side. They've been on fire, and they didn't let up against the Toffees.

Ironically, Everton's best chance of the match came in the very first minute to Louis Saha. The Frenchman jumped on a slight miscue from the Spurs defense and looked poised to challenge Brad Friedel in net. Unfortuantely for Everton, Saha flubbed the shot and watched it trickle harmlessly wide of the post.

After that Tottenham took control of what was to end up being a possession oriented match. Neither side really created a ton of chances in the first half, but for the most part Spurs controlled the ball and the tempo.

Everton finally picked up steam again a little bit around the half hour mark. In the 32nd minute Louis Saha took a rather indulgent shot toward goal that missed yet again. Had he looked up, he would have found teammates in better positions. In the 34th Landon Donovan tried his luck, but watched his shot float harmlessly well over the bar. All in all it was a lackluster day for the American.

Those misses came back to plague Everton just a minute later. A major defensive mistake by Leighton Baines let the speedy Aaron Lennon in at goal. With a clever move the Spurs' midfielder wrong footed Tim Howard and dropped the ball into the net to make it 1-0. That was also our halftime result.

Everton came out fighting again in the second half. Say what you want about David Moyes' men, but they never quit. Saha had a shot blocked in the 54th minute, and Fellaini watched a header fly over the bar in the 58th. He really should have done better with it.

In the 63rd minute Spurs iced the points. From about the 55th minute on you could feel them steadily turning up the heat on Everton. The 2nd goal came from an unexpected source though. Benoit Assou-Ekotto blasted a strike at goal that lasered past Tim Howard to make it 2-0. Howard never had much of a chance on it in the first place, but it did take a deflection off of Tim Cahill that made it all the more difficult. Great goal though.

With a little under ten minutes to ago, Everton appealed to the referee to try and get them back in it via a penalty kick. Younes Kaboul brought Royston Drenthe down in the box with a touch of contact as he sped toward goal, but referee Martin Atkinson was not interested and the match ended with the 2-0 score.

This one was a really tough loss for Everton, who played their guts out, like usual. It's unfortunate for them because they have zero offense. I'm sorry, but Louis Saha couldn't hit a house wall from two yards out. It's just not working for him. Donovan didn't do much either. It's too bad Moyes doesn't have some money to spend.

The win puts Tottenham in a great position though. The 3 points put them right there with United and just behind City. The only problem I might see for Spurs is depth. They play a lot of the same guys week in and week out, and one wonders if that might come back to haunt them in the later stages of the title race.

QPR Hires Hughes, Gives Him Resources.

Queens Park Rangers didn't wait long to fill their manager vacancy after firing Neil Warnock over the weekend. Former Wales, Man City, and Fulham manager Mark Hughes has been hired as his replacement. Hughes took over training on Tuesday and will manage at Newcastle on Sunday.

More than just a new hire, Hughes confirmed at his presser that he had been given funds to strengthen the club. However, he would elaborate on how much he had been given or who his targets are. He did say the club's ambitions matched his.

That's odd. He left Fulham because he wanted to be involved with Champion's League. Even under the best case scenario, QPR is a long way from that position. The most imporant thing this year will be staying up.

Puddle's Goal of the Day: Danny Welbeck

My goal of the day for Sunday was an easy choice. This superb volley by Danny Welbeck in the Manc derby made it 0-2 to United at the time. The Red Devils would go on to knock the holders from the FA Cup by a 2-3 margin of victory at Etihad Stadium.

Mexico Match Blurb: Queretaro vs. America

The 2012 Clausura continued it's kickoff weekend on Saturday with Queretaro vs. America at La Corregidora. The first half was mostly a fizzle, but America gave their supporters something to cheer about in the second after a disappointing Apertura campaign.

Both clubs traded half chances through the first half, but it was America who got the best chance. In the 25th Queretaro conceded a PK. Looked pretty much like yet another dive in a Primera Division match to me, but what can you do? Cristian Benitez stepped up and scored the PK, but the referee whistled for a retry. On the second kick, 'keeper Liborio Sanchez made the stop and the 0-0 score held through the half.

America asserted themselves in the second half with goals. In the 69th minute Benitez made up for the penalty miss and tallied his first of the Clausura to make it 0-1. Then late in the match they iced it with a second from substitute Juan Medina to make the full time result 0-2 to America.

The three points sent the visitors joint top with Toluca at the end of the first Clausura weekend.

FA Cup 3rd Round: Manchester City vs. Manchester United

Yesterday's Manchester derby was undoubtedly the marquee match of the FA Cup's 3rd round. For some of my readers that don't always follow the English game, the 3rd round is where all the big teams from the top 2 flights come in and play all the minnows. However, this match was a clash of the titans, and it had pretty much everything.

After trouncing United 1-6 at Old Trafford earlier this season, City were coming out to finally assert their dominance over their more experienced rivals. They controlled the match in the opening minutes. United had pretty much everybody back behind the ball as they tried to weather the opening storm. However the storm ended up being nothing more than a rumble of thunder. The best chance City got in the first 10 minutes was a free kick from Aleksandar Kolarov, which he disappointingly hit into the wall.

After that United took their first real attack of the match and made it count. In the 10 minute Antonio Valencia provided a great cross into the box. Wayne Rooney was there to meet it and head it in under the bar to make it 0-1 to United. Rooney ran over to the City fans clutching the crest on his shirt, showing them who he thought ruled Manchester.

It got worse for City just a couple of minutes later. Captain Vincent Kompany went sliding in with two feet on Nani just outside the penalty area. Kompany got all ball, and Nani didn't even go to ground, but the referee went straight red on him and reduced City to 10 men.

City didn't shy away though and over the next ten minutes they put together a pretty good response, despite being down a man. In the 14th minute Sergio Aguero came the closest for City drilling in a shot from distance, but Anders Lindegaard grabbed it and held on to keep United in the lead.

However, the loss of a man finally started to tell on City later in the half. If I'm honest with you, they had trouble all day with United bringing the ball in from wide. In the 30th minute Patrice Evra sent in yet another quality cross that Danny Welbeck brilliantly volleyed into the net to make it 0-2.

Then just before half time it looked like United was going to put the game on ice. City conceded a PK and Wayne Rooney stepped up to take the spot kick. However, Rooney hit it rather lamely and Costel Pantilimon made the save for City. Unfortunately for him, the rebound went straight back to Rooney who nodded it easily into the empty net to make it 0-3 United at the half.

All eyes focused on Roberto Mancini's side in the second half. Would City park the bus just to prevent a United route, or would they go for it and try to get back in the match? Thankfully for us neutrals that were watching they fought, and they fought hard.

It took them less than 4 minutes to nick their first goal. Patrice Evra made a dumb foul for United right outside his own area, He was shown the yellow card, but more importantly gave up the free kick. Kolarov again stepped up and this time he made amends for the poor kick in the first half by slotting it over the wall and past Lindegaard to make it 1-3.

At that point you could feel the energy start to surge back into the City players and fans. United tried to check the momentum by changing personnel, including bringing in formerly retired Paul Scholes, who had recently just resigned with the club to help them fill in down the stretch.

However, the United legend spoiled his own return in the 64th minute by giving the ball up on a throw in deep in his own half. City took it and managed to get it to Aguero in the box. His first shot was blocked, but this time it was Lindegaard who gave up the rebound, and the Argentine promptly mopped up and calmly finished to make it 2-3.

Unfortunately for City, the tired legs caught up with them and they failed to really mount a serious charge to equalize. United did give them once good chance though. Rio Ferdinand committed a foul right outside his own area in stoppage time to give City one more free kick chance to score and force a replay. However, Lindegaard parried Kolarov's kick and United cleared it, ending the match at 2-3.

So the holders are out. Next up for United is a 4th round clash against Liverpool at Anfield later this month.

QPR Sacks Neil Warnock

A bit of managerial news during this busy football weekend. Tonight Queens Park Rangers have announced that they have sacked Neil Warnock. They have yet to name a replacement.

While acknowledging the accomplishments Warnock made in returning the club to England's top flight, the club said in a statement that preserving their Premier League status was first in their mind at this time. A recent poor run of form has seen them slip to 17th in the table, 1 point above the drop zone and just 3 above last place Blackburn.

Current heavy speculation is that former Fulham boss Mark Hughes might be in line for the job. Then again, Hughes has supposedly been in line for every Premier League opening this season. With the transfer window open though, one would think they'll have to move fast.

Mexico Match Thoughts: Morelia vs. Tijuana

The 2012 Mexican Clausura got underway last night in Morelia. Monarcas hosted Tijuana, hoping to get their campaign off to a 3 point start. However, the Xolos had other ideas and fought them to a nasty 1-1 draw at full time.

The match really did look like the first match of a new season. Neither side looked to be particularly fit or sharp on the ball. There was a lot of pushing and shoving, and a ton of diving and simulation, which in the end became part of the theme of the evening.

Morelia controlled the ball for most of the first half, except for a few flashes of possession and half chances for the Xolos. Still, it didn't look like they were really pushing it. Honestly, the match was so out of control at times that I was surprised there was only one yellow at half time. That particular card was issued to Morelia's Jorge Ocampo for a 7th minute challenge on Xolo's 'keeper Cirilo Saucedo.

Morelia also got the first goal of the game on 23 minutes, making the pressure they were generating on offense finally count. Coming up the pitch, they got three players in behind the Xolos' defense and Saucedo had no chance. Rafa Marquez Lugo slotted the goal home to make it 1-0.

It looked like that was gonna be all she wrote for the first half and for the Xolos' night. However, all hell broke loose on a Tijuana counter in first half stoppage time. Xolos striker Duvier Riascos tangled with Morelia's Adrian Alderete just to the left of the Morelia goal. The two players basically went down on top of each other and slid over the end line. Originally, the referee ruled a goal kick and gave Riascos a yellow card for diving. However, upon talking to the near side linesman he overruled himself, waiving off the yellow card and awarding Xolos a penalty. Replays showed there was little, if any contact on the play. My high school Spanish is pretty rusty, but the announcers just kept saying "No, no, no." At any rate, Jose Sand nailed the spot kick on the last kick of the half and it was 1-1 at the interval.

The second half was just as scrappy as the first, but featured a ton of diving, especially as Xolos tried to waste time. Riascos spent more time on his back than he did on his feet. In the 57th minute Morelia's Joao Rojas tried his own dive in the penalty area move, but this time the ref gave the yellow card and trusted his instinct. It was pretty brazen.

Morelia did have a chance to win it late. In the 84th minute striker Miguel Sabah managed to get his head to the ball, only to find his shot go just wide of the target. The match finished 1-1 as Xolos' time wasting tactics took their toll, and I'm sure they'll more than take the point on the road.

MLS 2012 Schedule Finally Here

Yesterday MLS finally released the schedule for the 2012 regular season, the longest in league history. Unfortunately, it deprives us twitter maniacs of weeks of fun with hash tags like #MLSscheduleislatebecause.

Of course, everybody looks for the rivalry games right off the bat. For Real Salt Lake, that means Rocky Mountain Cup. Those dates are:

RSL vs. Colorado--April 7
RSL vs. Colorado--July 21
Colorado vs. RSL--August 4

Real Salt Lake opens at the defending champion LA Galaxy on March 10 in LA. Their home opener will be against New York Red Bull on March 17.

Head over to MLS's website to check out the full list of fixtures.

Colorado Rapids Hire Oscar Pareja As Manager

So my Colorado Rapids fans finally have some decent news as we approach the new MLS season in March. Yesterday the Rapids announced that former FC Dallas assistant coach Oscar Pareja would be their new manager, replacing Gary Smith.

Pareja has an impressive pedigree as a player, playing 18 seasons for Independiente Medellin, Deportivo Cali, and FC Dallas. He was named to the MLS Best XI squad in 2002. he retired in 2005, and has spent the last three years in the FC Dallas organization. He was also capped 11 times for his native Colombia.

All in all, I think it's a pretty solid move for the Rapids, even if it was a little late. Still, I'm on record as saying I don't think the problem in Commerce City was Gary Smith. The guy did win an MLS Cup after all.

Melbourne Victory Fire Durakovic, Muscat Named Caretaker

Well, I think after the festive period results for the Victory, most supporters probably saw the writing on the wall for Durakovic. In fairness, I'm sure Durakovic did too. You just can't take over a club like the Victory, with all the expectations and all the talent, and put out these results.

What results? On the year the Victory are 3-5-6. That puts them just above the bottom of the A League table. If they wanted to try and get something out of this campaign, now was the time for change.

Now as a general rule I'm not a big fan of blaming it all on the manager, especially when he's only half way through the first year. I really thought they'd give him the season. I guess not.

Kevin Muscat was appointed caretaker coach until a new head man is found. However, multiple sources are saying that the new head man has been found already. Well, I try not to engage in a lot of speculation on this blog, but if that's true, Durakovic was probably out long before it was official.

Even as a Victory supporter, I hate to see someone have to go through a sacking like that. Best of luck to Durakovic in wherever he goes next.

FC Dallas Sign Panamanian Striker

In one of the bigger MLS related moves this off season, FC Dallas has acquired a player that they hope will be an answer for their forward dilemma. Today they announced the signing of Panama international Blase Perez.

FC Dallas coach Schellas Hyndman said that the club has actually been interested in the 30 year old striker for a few years, but this year they were finally able to get the deal done. Perez's contract was formerly owned by UANL Tigres, the recent Mexican club champions, and included a large buyout and transfer fee.

The Hoops hope Perez can combine with Brek Shea and David Ferreira to bolster their attack in 2012 after much of their offense went exclusively through Shea in 2011.

EPL: Manchester City vs. Liverpool

This is one of those matches where the full time score line is a little misleading. Sure, City took care of business today, and fairly comfortably in the end, but Liverpool played their guts out. It really was just a couple of miscues in the end that cost the Reds at least a point.

Both teams started somewhat hesitantly, seemingly content to feel each other out in the opening minutes. It was Liverpool who created the first big chance on 8 minutes. Jordan Henderson played a beautiful ball toward Stewart Downing, who met it just at the top of the area. He worked in against Joe Hart but the final shot was very uninventive and easily saved by the City 'keeper.

It didn't take long for City to make Liverpool pay for the missed chance either. In the 10th minute, Liverpool gave up the ball in their own half and it fell to Sergio Aguero. The Argentinian striker sent a shot in on goal that looked to be an easy save for Pepe Reina. However, Reina dove over top of the ball and it squirted into the net to make 1-0 to City.

After the Aguero goal the Reds responded and took control of the match. However, they really failed to create a lot of quality chances. Charlie Adam had a free kick saved on 24 minutes, and in the 29th Jordan Henderson wasted a great free kick chance by putting a timid strike right into the wall. Liverpool was just junk on set pieces all night.

In the 33rd minute, City got their second goal to really put the pressure on Liverpool. Vincent Kompany managed a header on goal on a corner, and Reina parried it over the bar for another corner. On the ensuing set piece, Yaya Toure rose totally unmarked and headed the ball into the net to make it 2-0 City at the half.

The weather was horrendous in Manchester all night and really started to take it's toll in the second half as the match got extremely sloppy. The rain was coming down in cold, windy, sheets. Gareth Barry was sent off in the 73rd minute for his second yeelow, but any optimism Liverpool may have had was short lived. In the 74th minute Martin Skrtel brought down Toure in the box, barely, and City was awarded a PK. James Milner put the ball into the postage stamp corner of the goal giving Pepe Reina no chance and handing City the three points by virtue of a 3-0 win.


ANDY CARROLL IS NOT HAPPY--Getty Images

Liverpool Will Not Appeal Suarez Ban

The eight games is underway. Liverpool have decided against appealing Luis Suarez's 8 match ban for racially abusing United's Patrice Evra. The announcement came after the FA released their scathing report on the incident, which made the club look bad enough.

Suarez released a statement on Liverpool's website which included:

In my country, ‘negro’ is a word we use commonly, a word which doesn’t show any lack of respect and is even less so a form of racist abuse. Based on this, everything which has been said so far is totally false.

I will carry out the suspension with the resignation of someone who hasn’t done anything wrong and who feels extremely upset by the events. I do feel sorry for the fans and for my team mates whom I will not be able to help during the next month. It will be a very difficult time for me.

The only thing I wish for at the moment is being able to run out again at Anfield and to do what I like most which is playing football.

Suarez's suspension began on Tuesday against City. He'll miss a mix of both league and cup matches.

Red Card Against Glory's Mehmet Rescinded

Some A League news for all of us to digest this evening/morning. The FFA announced that the red card issued to Perth Glory's Billy Mehmet has been rescinded and he will be able to play in the midweek round against Brisbane.

Mehmet had previously scored to put the Glory in front of Newcastle Jets, but the referee saw his two-footed challenge on Newcastle's Tiago Calvano as a red card offense, despite the fact that Mehmet clearly got all ball and Calvano embellished.

The FFA released the following statement: "The MRP unanimously found that it should be upheld and that the decision of the referee was one that “no referee in the possession of the facts, including all Broadcast Footage, could reasonably have made.

"Accordingly, the Player will have the red card expunged from his record and will be available to play in the midweek round of the Hyundai A-League."

While the Glory fought bravely throughout the rest of the match to retain their lead, Newcastle finally made their extra man count and equalized in the 62nd minute. The full time result held at 1-1.

See the article on the A-League Official Website here.

EPL: QPR vs. Norwich

So today in this battle of promoted squads we got to see both the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde personalities of QPR Captain Joey Barton. The Dr. Jekyll side put them on the front foot after Norwich had controlled the first ten minutes. Unfortunately, Mr. Hyde showed up before half time and helped send QPR to their 8th loss in 11 matches.

Neil Warnock's side was hoping things were looking up coming into their first match of the 2012 calendar year. The transfer window was officially open and they had already added Manchester United striker Federico Macheda on loan. Macheda was in uniform and on the bench to start.

However the Canaries had other ideas right from the opening whistle. Of the three promoted teams, Swansea has gotten the most praise for playing possession football, or if you're one of their opponents, you might call it ball hogging. Norwich did their best to emulate that in the opening stages of today's match. Midfielder Simon Lappin made his EPL debut was quite active early on as was Anthony Pilkington.

However it was QPR that managed to strike first, against the run of play. On 11 minutes Clint Hill put a seeing eye centering pass down that somehow found it's way through the Norwich defenders. Barton came dashing into the area and blazed the ball into the back of the net from 12 yards out to make it 1-0 to the West Londoners.

Unfortunately the day didn't end up being all roses for Barton and QPR. In the 36th minute of play, Barton appeared to get into one of his trademark "situations" away from the ball with Norwich's Bradley Johnson. It was hard to see on replay, but Barton appeared to headbutt the Canary midfielder. Referee Neil Swarbrick consulted with his assistants and then proceeded to show the QPR Captain a red card, putting them down to ten men less than ten minutes before the half.

Rangers were hoping to ride the storm out until half time, but it didn't turn out that way. In the 43rd minute Pilkington found himself with space in the area and drilled the shot into the bottom of the goal to make it 1-1 at the half.

HERE COMES THE RED CARD (GETTY IMAGES)

You have to give credit to QPR though. They came out with both barrels blazing in the second half, determined not to just sit back and defend against the Canaries. Shaun Wright-Phillips checked in and got into the action right away, forcing a save out of John Ruddy.

However, eventually the extra man took it's toll and Norwich put the match away. Their coach had made a rare triple substitution in the 65th minute, and it paid off in the 82nd. Wes Hoolahan headed down a cross from Pilkingtion into the path of Steve Morison. Morison calmly stroked the ball into the back of the net to give the Canaries the 1-2 win.

All in all it was a match in which QPR's temper undid them, and Norwich showed a lot of heart to secure a vital 3 points on the road. At the end of the match QPR was sitting just above the drop zone on 17 points. Norwich is currently sitting in 9th at this writing, on 25 points. One would think that puts the Canaries more than half way to safety.

Macheda Joins QPR On Loan.

So here we have it, the January transfer window is now officially open, and we get to see which of these rumors had any truth and which ones were just wishful thinking supporter's fodder.

It's only January 2nd and some of the wheels, albeit not the big ones, are already turning. Queens Park Rangers announced today the Manchester United striker Federico Macheda will be joining them at Loftus Road for the remainder of the campaign. He even saw action as a substitute in today's 1-2 loss to Norwich.

QPR manager Neil Warnock admitted that Macheda is obviously still a part of future plans at Old Trafford, however he feels that giving him the opportunity to place first team football with QPR will benefit both clubs.

Macheda is a former Lazio player who has four goals with Manchester United. He went on a similar loan spell last year to Sampdoria.

EPL: Liverpool vs. Newcastle

Both of these sides have been bothered by some different issues coming into the New Year's weekend fixtures. Newcastle has seen their once bright start to the season fade away due to injuries and a tough run of games on the schedule. Liverpool has had a tough run of results at Anfield, with match after match ending in a draw. They were looking for all three against Newcastle.

Honestly, if you were to take the way Newcastle played on their own merits, they wouldn't really have had a shot in this one. All the hype coming into the match was about how Liverpool vs. Newcastle always produces goals. Liverpool ended up producing all the goals.

They even managed to score on their own net, which meant that the best Newcastle offense was provided by Liverpool. In the 25th minute, Newcastle sent a ball into the box that ended up deflecting off of Daniel Agger and into the net to make it 0-1 to the Toon.

However, the Reds wouldn't struggle like that again in this one. It took theme less than 5 minutes to equalize. In the 29th minute, Craig Bellamy, starting for the suspended Luis Suarez, belted a ball past Krul into the Newcastle goal to tie it up at 1-1. That would be the half time score.

Liverpool continued to control proceedings in the second half, and Newcastle really didn't have much for them. In the 68th minute Bellamy again proved to be a thorn in Newcastle's side as he knocked in a gorgeous free kick to make it 2-1. Finally in the 78th minute, Steven Gerrard, who had checked in as a sub, finished the game off with a nifty tight angle goal to the Newcastle far post which made the full time score 3-1.

All in all a great result for the Reds, who will be looking to guys like Bellamy and Gerrard with the upcoming probable suspension of Luis Suarez. Combine that with so many other teams dropping points this weekend, and might end up being a big day as they try to push for at least a Champions League spot.

EPL: Sunderland vs. Manchester City

This really was a remarkable New Year's weekend in the Barcaly's Premier League. Nobody in the top 4 won. Manchester United was beaten at home by Blackburn Rovers, Chelsea was humiliated at the Bridge by Aston Villa, and Tottenham dropped points away to Swansea. This gave City a real chance to put a little distance between themselves and their title challengers.

However, it's also in the middle of the congested festive period, where managers are forced to try to juggle their lineups to keep people fresh. Roberto Mancini did just that, resting Silva, Aguero, and Richards. Sunderland knew they weren't facing the classic City side, and looked to take advantage.

Sunderland got one of the best chances of the match almost right off the bat. Nicklas Bendtner charged down the pitch on a counter on the 3rd minute, earning himself a one on one with Joe Hart. However, the England 'keeper made a great play, forcing the Sunderland striker to angle wide then taking to the ground to stop his shot. The Sunderland counter attack would be the pattern for the day.

Man City's best chances of the half mostly came in a period from about the 30th-35th minute, and were pretty much all fashioned by Edin Dzeko. He forced the Sunderland 'keeper into a great save on 33 minutes, and hit the bar in the 35th. Adam Johnson also beat the 'keeper in the 33rd, only to see his shot cleared off the line. The teams went to the locker rooms still scoreless.

After the lackluster first half, Roberto Mancini decided to make some changes, knowing what was on the line. Sergio Aguero came in to start the second half and both Silva and Richards would enter before the final whistle. While it did seem like they helped City grab even more control of the game, they still couldn't find the back of the Sunderland net.

They did have have their chances though. In the 79th minute Edin Dzeko again found his way into a golden chance but saw his header just float wide of the corner of the goal. Then in the 87th minute, City looked sure to score as David Silva forced a save from the 'keeper that rebounded right to Micah Richards. However, despite the open net, Richards saw his header clang off the bar.

Sunderland took advantage of City's failures in stoppage time. In the third of three minutes, they found themselves coming up the pitch one last time. Seemingly blocked off in the 18, Sessegnon found a way to dish the ball out to Dong-Won-Ji, who rounded Joe Hart and dropped the ball into the the net to give Sunderland the 1-0 win on the last kick of the game.

The only problem was, Ji was a mile offside and it was missed by everybody, including the linesman that was coming up behind the play. City didn't argue the goal at the time, but I'm sure they were fuming when they saw the replay. However, in the end the blame has to fall on them for not taking their chances on not mopping up Sunderland's counters. A huge miss for City that might end up being a big deal in the title race.


Ji's final kick...(AP Images/Fox Soccer)