Frank Lampard Out of Euro 2012

Frank Lampard has been ruled out of Euro 2012

Unfortunate rumors became confirmed bad news for England and Chelsea fans today as midfielder Frank Lampard was officially ruled out of the upcoming European Championships with a thigh injury.  The 34 year old Chelsea man sustained the injury in practice on Wednesday, and went in for a scan on Thursday.  The scan revealed the extent of the injury and ruled him out of the England squad.

This is the second huge injury loss for Roy Hodgson's side in the midfield before the tournament even starts.  Manchester City's Gareth Berry suffered a stomach injury in England's friendly win over Norway last week.  Hodgson has called in Liverpool's Jordan Henderson to replace Lampard, pending UEFA approval.

Lampard suffered the injury on only his second day of training after joining the national side late after Chelsea's Champions League win over Bayern Munich.

Hodgson is quoted as saying:

"The fact that the doctor cannot guarantee Frank could take part in any of the group matches means we have to replace him in the central midfield area. Apart from it being a huge blow to me and the team, I'm especially disappointed for Frank himself. He has been in very good form and was looking forward to the tournament."

Sloppy Defending Dooms USA to 1-4 Loss Against Brazil

Landon Donovan heads over Brazil's Thiago Silva (AP Photo)

If this international friendly against Brazil was going to be the true test of the USA Men's National Team after their drubbing of Scotland, it was one they failed fairly miserably.  It turns out that kicking the tails of a Scotland team that's hardly played together is a lot easier than going up against Brazil.  Honestly, there were a few bright spots the USA can take out of this, but there were also some pretty big failings exposed too.

After an initial period of trading possession by both sides, Brazil got down to business and got on the board first.  In the 10th minute Leandro sent in a shot that was blocked by USA defender Oguchi Onyewu.  Unfortunately, his arm was slightly out from his side, and the ball struck it, so the referee awarded a penalty kick.  Neymar easily tucked the kick past Tim Howard to make it 0-1 to Brazil.

After the goal, the USA found it tough to get any traction with the ball as the Brazilians started to play their possession game.  More bad news for the USA came in the 26th minute when Neymar sent in a gorgeous corner kick.  It was so gorgeous in fact, that the USA defenders stood around and watched it.  Thiago Silva sprang fee and headed the ball into the net to make it 0-2.

At that point, it looked pretty bleak for the bewildered USA side.  However, they did manage to create some hope right before halftime.  In the 45th minute Michael Bradley slipped a nice entry ball to Fabian Johnson, who drifted an easy cross over to Herculez Gomez.  The Santos Laguna striker headed in the goal to make it 1-2 going into the break.

It didn't take long for the Brazilians to reestablish their 2 goal advantage in the second half though.  In the 52nd minute Neymar torched the USA defense as Onyewu looked on cluelessly.  He easily passed to Real Madrid's Marcelo, who who promptly slotted the ball into the bottom corner of the goal to make it 1-3.  It was like shooting the proverbial fish in the barrel.

The USA did create multiple chances in the second half, despite the deficit.  In the 63rd minute Gomez headed a ball toward goal.  Clint Dempsey tried to touch it in but barely missed it.  Then in the 77th minute both Gomez and Terrance Boyd forced two great saves out of the Brazilain 'keeper.  Finally in the 85th Onyewu almost atoned for his earlier mistakes, getting his head on a corner, but his shot deflected off the crossbar and away from danger.

Brazil would get one more goal and rub it into the US a little bit.  In the 87th minute Onyewu kept a streaking Marcelo run onside, and he promptly dished to AC Milan's Pato, who slotted home the final tally of the match to make it 1-4 at full time.

So about those bright spots?  Herculez Gomez was certainly one.  He scored a goal and certainly could have had at least one more.  He'll need to string a couple of games like this to be really convincing, but I think he can do it.  Michael Bradley had another great game for the USA as well, and it was nice to see Clint Dempsey get some minutes after his groin injury.

The central defense was atrocious though, particularly Onyewu.  It was a total nightmare for him.  To be fair, both he and Bocanegra seemed way too slow on the night and the Brazilians picked them apart rather easily.  The backline used to be a strength of the USA, but the abysmal play tonight showed a lot of cracks.  At this rate, we're obviously going to have trouble against any team with an average ability to create and finish.  Obviously Brazil is above average in both departments.  It was all too easy for them.

Real Salt Lake Lays Massive Egg in US Open Cup Play

Well what to say about that stinker of a match last night?  If you follow my Twitter stream (@BrandonLBC) you've already seen most of what I have to say.  Some of it was useful, factual criticism and some of it was just the ramblings of a stark, raving mad supporter.

Call me a nay-sayer, but I tweeted after RSL bought this match that it would sure be embarrassing if they lost.  Not only did they lose, but they got outplayed by a lower division side that was every bit the better club last night.  In the end, it was rather like paying somebody to come to your house and beat the crap out of you.

Minnesota Stars FC took the lead in the 4th minute after an impressive set piece goal.  Kyle Reynish did a decent job of punching the ball away, but the defense engaged in a fair bit of ball watching instead of clearing.  Luis Gil managed to equalize in the 29th minute after a quickly taken RSL set piece, but Minnestoa took the lead again right before halftime, scoring a PK after a Jamison Olave handball in the box.  Stars FC iced the match in the 58th minute to make full time score 3-1.

Now for some thoughts.  I don't believe this match was Kyle Reynish's fault. He was really shaky in places to be sure, but the first two Minnesota goals happened right in front of me, and neither were his fault.  He punched away the free kick that lead to the first goal, and it's incumbent upon his defense to clear the lines.  I don't think he could have caught the ball the cleanly.  The penalty kick was obviously on Olave, not Reynish.  The third goal happened at the other end of the ground, so I'm not sure, but at that point RSL was already in the tank as far as I was concerned.

I would argue that most of the RSL players took the night off, and I'm talking about the guys on the pitch, not the ones on the bench or away with national team duty.  I'd say that Luis Gil, Ned Grabavoy, and Kyle Reynish put forth the required effort, though Reynish was obviously low on confidence.  I'd venture a guess that most of the rest of the guys either horribly underestimated Minnesota (the reigning NASL champs) or just totally mailed it in.  Both Borchers and Olave had multiple headed chances on goal in the second half, none of them near the target.  Paulo Jr had a couple really good looks, again not on frame.  Meanwhile Minnesota was allowed to easily take advantage of almost every opportunity they had.

Here's my thing: I can handle it when my club loses.  What makes me very angry as a supporter is when they don't bother to show up and turn in an ugly performance like that.   The RSL front office put out money for this and issued a call for the fans to show up.  17,000 plus fans did exactly that on a Tuesday night, on only six days notice.  It was a record for the tournament at this stage.  My guess is a lot of those folks won't be coming back.  They may have been casual fans, but their dollars are worth the same to the club as the supporters money, especially when they're out trying to buy matches.

Let me say this in closing though, I still believe in my team and in Jason Kreis.  Kreis was quoted after the match last night as saying that it wasn't going to be a good time to be a player under him, and I'm sure he is not understating that.  My guess is that practice and training over the next couple of weeks is going to be pretty miserable for those guys that played last night.    I have every confidence that he's already addressing the myriad of issues that RSL were faced with last night and moving to fix them.

In the end, props to Minnesota Stars FC, who were the better team last night.  They turned in a class performance and I'll be pulling for them to win the Cup!

Opinion: The US Open Cup is Still Broken

Earlier in the year, US Soccer introduced some very nice changes to the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.  Among those changes was the addition of a regular draw procedure in some rounds instead of the past format where teams basically submitted bids to US Soccer for the rights to host these matches.  This seemed like a positive change, and the people rejoiced!

Then last week after the second round results were complete, some things got stirred up again.  Three time defending Champions Seattle Sounders announced that instead of playing the Atlanta Silverbacks in Atlanta as the draw had specified, they had purchased the rights to host the match in Washington, though not at Century Link.  Many of us, including myself, took some not so polite jabs at our Sounders friends on twitter as it appeared they were once again trying to buy the US Open Cup and the accompanying birth in the CONCACAF Champions League.

Then some other information emerged.  Turns out Portland Timbers had made an effort to buy their 3rd round game as well, however after Eric Wynalda's Cal FC emerged victorious, the match ended up being scheduled in Portland anyway.  Ah, the shenanigans of those Cascadia teams!

Then something very interesting crossed the Real Salt Lake official Twitter feed.  RSL was scheduled to play Minnesota Stars FC in Minnesota in the 3rd round.  However, they also announced that they had purchased the rights to hold the match, and it is now scheduled to go down tonight at Rio Tinto Stadium.  Turns out I had to eat my words to my Sounders friends.

It also turns out to be totally within the rules of the new format.  Teams don't pay US Soccer for these matches anymore, but they can basically make an offer to the team drawn to host, and if the team accepts the offer, they can sell that right to the other team.

I call BS on that.

First off, let me say that I do understand why Seattle and RSL went this route.  They want to win, and they want to do everything possible within the rules to make it happen.  Both of these sides take the CONCACAF Champions League seriously and want to punch their tickets to next years tournament early.  Plus, hey, it's hardware, and the awesome thing about soccer is that there is this chance to win multiple trophies.  So, I've toned down my stance against the teams actually buying these matches.  Suffice it to say, I'm still a bit cynical though.

You see, I'm a Eurosnob when it comes to footy.  I admit that in the interest of full disclosure.  I love the FA Cup, next to the UEFA Champions League, it's my favorite sporting event of the year.  Part of the wonder of the FA Cup is the fact that later in the tournament, when the Championship and Premiership sides enter the fray, they may end up playing at some non-league ground somewhere.  Some of the greatest upsets in the tournament's long and storied history have happened in these settings.

It's a treat to see these non league or lower league stadiums packed to the gills with their own fans, but also the traveling fans from the big clubs, who come into town spending money on food and perhaps lodging.  I would love to see the US Open Cup go this direction: A total blind draw complete with the ping bong balls and the whole set up.  Since we don't have a national stadium, I would advocate a 2-legged final much like they do with the Canadian Championship.

Let's be honest though. If RSL had played in Minnesota tonight, it's highly doubtful that RSL supporters would pack the Stars' ground like Manchester United supporters might pack a League 2 ground in England.  It wouldn't be quite the same feel.  However I believe that it would definitely be within the spirit of tournaments like this and promoting the lower leagues in the US Soccer Pyramid to have a draw and require the sides to stick to it.  If a big MLS side has a problem with that, feel free not to enter.

I don't think that this will happen anytime soon.  I really hope it does, because it's my personal opinion that allowing teams to buy matches cheapens a tournament of any kind.  Sides like Real Salt Lake and Seattle usually hold a pretty tough home field advantage.  I realize that in this case it was Atlanta and Minnesota's choice to go to these places and play, but again, I think it would be in the competitive interests of all the leagues to stick with the draw.  It would also give the fans in other cities a chance to see MLS clubs play live which for the most part, can only be good for the sport.

Alas, soccer in the US doesn't appear to be at that point yet, though I hope it gets there someday soon.  For tonight, I'll be at the RioT supporting my Real Salt Lake, even though I said I wouldn't in last week's twitter tantrum.  I'm not happy with the rules, but I will still show up to support my team and hope that it changes in the future.

Campbell's Comments Cast Shadow Over Euro 2012

Former England International Sol Campbell has warned fans off of Euro 2012 (sun.co.uk)

More controversy about the worlds of racism and football as the two collide before the upcoming Euro 2012 tournament in Poland and the Ukraine.  Former England International and Arsenal player Sol Campbell has warned England supporters to stay away from the matches.  Campbell told the BBC, ''Stay at home, watch it on TV. Don't even risk it ... because you could end up coming back in a coffin.''

Campbell's comments come with a BBC program called "Panorama" on which he viewed fans from Poland and the Ukraine giving Nazi salutes and taunting black players by making monkey noises.  More footage was shown of Asian students being penned in and attacked at one of the stadiums that will be used a venue for the tournament.  Campbell also made the comment that he did not think that Poland and the Ukraine should have been awarded the tournament since they appear to have these issues.

''What they should say is, `If you want this tournament, you sort your problems out. Until we see a massive improvement ... you do not deserve these prestigious tournaments in your country.'"

These comments come on the heels of the families of England's Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain indicating that they will probably not travel to the tournament for fear of racist abuse.  English FA chairman David Bernstein has also expressed his concerns to UEFA President Michael Platini.  According to these concerns, an anti-racism group investigated allegations in Poland and the Ukraine and found 195 different racist incidents at matches in the host countries in an 18 month period ending in March 2011.

UEFA has had this to say about the allegations:

"The tournament clearly creates an opportunity to address and confront such societal issues. UEFA's `zero tolerance' approach to racism is still valid both on and off the pitch and ultimately the referee has the power to stop or abandon a match should racist incidents occur.''

All of England's group stage matches will be in the Ukraine, and the FA has reiterated the fact the referees will have the power to stop matches if racism ends up being an issue.  The British Police will also have a presence at the tournament.

These allegations have been getting a lot of play in England.  It'll be interesting to see how different representatives from England, UEFA, and the host countries address these comments and the underlying issues in the coming days.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this entry.

Match Thoughts: DC United vs New England Revolution

DC keeper Bill Hamid celebrates after the conclusion of the match (Getty Images)

First place in the Eastern Conference was up for grabs Saturday afternoon as DC United took on the New England Revolution.  A win for United would move them ahead of New York and Sporting KC for top spot.  The Revs needed 3 points to try to close the gap opening up between them and the middle of the Eastern table; Houston, Columbus, and Chicago.

The match was slow to get started as these oldest of MLS rivals felt each other out.  Still it was obvious that DC United had the better energy in the first half, and for the most part they were side pushing the advantage.  The first chance of the match fell to Hamdi Salihi in the 13th minute, but he watched his header go wide of the target.  United would take the lead two minutes later though.  Branko Boskovic sent a free kick into the area from distance and defender Brandon McDonald headed the ball into goal to make it 1-0 to DC United.

New England head man Jay Heaps was clearly exasperated, not only because the Revs conceded the early goal, but because the passion just didn't seem to be there in response.  It got worse for New England before halftime as well.  In the first minute of stoppage time United sent a corner kick into the six.  A scrum ensued, and DC defender Dejan Jakovic emerged and smacked the ball into the back of the net to give United the 2-0 lead going into halftime.

As the teams headed into the locker rooms, Jay Heaps got all fired up and went and screamed in the referee's face.  Apparently he gave his team the same treatment, because they came out looking like a totally different side in the 2nd half.

In the 48th minute Benny Feilhaber sent a scorching shot in at DC 'keeper Bill Hamid.  Hamid managed to parry the shot away, but the ball fell right to Saer Sene, who easily poked home the rebound to make it 2-1.  Just two minutes later, the Revs earned a corner kick, and AJ Soares headed it in for the equalizer. The teams proceeded through the next ten minutes on even ground at 2-2.

DC had one more trick up their sleeves though, and his name was Dwayne De Rosario.  In the 61st minute he penetrated the penalty area, then passed back to the top of the box where Maicon Santos was waiting.  Santos proceeded to smash the ball past Matt Reis to give DC United the 3-2 lead.

New England didn't just roll over though.  In the 90th minute Kelyn Rowe put a header on frame that looked to be the equalizer, but Hamid was able to save the shot and preserve the 3-2 win at full time.

NOTES: DC United did in fact take over first place in the east on 27 points from 15 matches. They trail only Real Salt Lake in the overall table, as RSL has 29 points from 14 matches.  Their next MLS match will be at Philadelphia on June 16.  The loss mires the Revs in 7th place, just one point ahead of the expansion Impact.  However, The Revs get a chance to make up ground as they play Chicago next weekend while the rest of the league is idle.

Match Thoughts: Real Salt Lake vs FC Dallas

Nat Borchers and Will Johnson celebrate RSL's match winner.  (Getty Images)

I apologize in advance if this entry comes across as a little homerific.  It's hard to have been there and not get caught up in the moment all over again when reflecting on it for a match review.  Both RSL and Dallas were missing some key players.  Dallas was missing Brek Shea, who was serving the last game of his suspension.  RSL were missing Javier Morales and Chris Wingert through injury, and Kyle Beckerman was away with the national team along with 'keeper Nick Rimando.

The first half was largely boring from both sides.  Keep in mind that Dallas played midweek in Chicago as well.  RSL certainly had the better of chances and possession, but it wasn't stellar at all.  The best chance came in the 12th minute when Will Johnson sent a ball into Ned Grabavoy in the 18.  Grabavoy smashed the ball at goal but Kevin Hartman was equal to it, diving to the side for a great save.

The best chance for Dallas came in the 36th minute when Jackson took a cross from Bryan Leyva and swatted it at Reynish's net, but it in the end it sailed harmlessly off target.  The half ended with both sides still scoreless.

RSL came out with better energy right away in the second half and managed to carve out some chances.  In the 47th minute Johnson sent a long range effort in, but again Kevin Hartman made the save.  In the next minute Luis Gil took his crack at goal, but watched his shot sail high.

The Claret and Cobalt finally broke the deadlock in the 59th minute.  Japanese defender Terukazu Tanaka, who started for the injured Wingert, sent a gorgeous cross into the 6 that found Alvaro Saborio making a run on goal.  Sabo got his head to it and deftly flicked the ball inside the far post to give RSL the 1-0 lead.

FC Dallas, tired and gassed from the altitude, could have packed it in but they didn't.  They managed to get some decent spells of possession all night long and caused RSL a few problems in front of goal.  They equalized in the 75th minute with a goal from Matt Hedges.  He put a right footed shot on frame after some close play in the box.  Reynish jumped and knocked the ball away, but the officials ruled that the whole of the ball crossed the line and gave FC Dallas the goal to make it 1-1.  I sit at the opposite and of the stadium, so I couldn't tell.  Plus, the only replay angle I saw afterward wasn't real conclusive either.  In the end, the goal was given, and that's what matters.

Dallas's joy didn't last long though.  Their defense seemed to switch off in the wake of the equalizer, and RSL made them pay.  In the 76th minute. Grabavoy slid a ball over to Saborio, who put in a shot on target that somehow managed to sneak by Hartman and into the near post this time to make it 2-1 RSL. 

Again Dallas kept fighting though, and they deserve a lot of credit for the spirit they showed late in the match.  In the 85th minute Jonathan Top dished to Blas Perez, who drove a shot right at Kyle Reynish in goal.  The RSL 'keeper seemed to have a bead on it but it managed to slip through his hands and into the bottom corner to equalize the match again at 2-2.

At that point some fans started to exit Rio Tinto Stadium, and I truly feel bad for them.  As the 90 expired the 4th official held up the board that indicated 4 minutes of stoppage time.  It was plenty of time for some RSL magic, and they delivered.  In the 3rd minute of stoppage the ball fell kindly to Nat Borchers in the box following a Jonny Steele free kick.  Borchers, with the finish of a skilled forward, stroked the ball into the upper 90 of the net to give RSL the 3-2 win.  I don't know about anyone else in the stadium, but our section went insane.  What a finish!

Notes:  Dallas will be happy to get Brek Shea back after the international break, since last night finished his suspension.  They are now winless in their last 9 matches and sit only ahead of the last place Galaxy in the Western Conference table.  RSL takes over first place, at least temporarily, ahead of Sunday's match between Sporting KC and San Jose.  They are unbeaten in their last six.