FIFA Suspends Bradley For 3 Matches

American midfielder Michael Bradley has been suspended three matches by FIFA for a post-match confrontation of referee Jorge Larrionda after being shown a red card in the 87th minute of the USA's recent 2-0 win over Spain.

Read more about it here.

Bradley's Two Goals Lead Gladbach Past Cologne (Video)

Michael Bradley has found his scoring touch again and all signs are that he is not letting it go anytime soon. Tonight against 1FC Cologne, he opened up a 1-0 lead for Borussia Moenchengladbach with a left footed tap from a Marko Marin pass in the 25th minute (see Morin's brilliant run in the video below). Later, with Gladbach up 3-2 in the final minutes, Bradley scored again on an 87th minute penalty - this time with his right foot.

Check it all out here:




Bradley now has five goals in 18 appearances and tonight's 4-2 win helped Gladbach inch closer to escaping the relegation zone. Currently, they are in 16th, with 22 points and will have a chance to leave the drop zone next week with a win against 15th place VFL Bochum. Realistically, Gladbach could vault as high as 12th place by the end of the season, provided Bradley, Marin, and Alexander Baumjohann keep producing.

Zizzo, Bradley Face Off in Gladbach

Two young Americans faced off in Bundesliga action this weekend as Michael Bradley's Borussia Moenchengladbach hosted Hannover 96 and Sal Zizzo (Steve Cherundolo is still out with a hip injury). Bradley went the full 90 for Gladbach, which collected all three points in a 3-2 win. Zizzo entered the match in the 62nd minute for Hannover, making only his third appearance of the season.

Elsewhere in the Bundesliga, Landon Donovan played the second half with Bayern Munich's down 2-0 to 1FC Koeln. While he was involved in some good chances for Bayern, the Bavarians could only crack the Geissbock's defense once, in the 84th minute, to end up 2-1 for the Koelners.

Bradley On A Roll

US and Borussia Moenchengladbach midfielder Michael Bradley is on a roll; scoring two in the USA's 2-0 win over Mexico, then scoring for Gladbach upon his return. Check it out here.

USA Beats Voodoo Curse and Mexico (Again)

If you're reading this blog, there is a 99% chance you saw the USA beat Mexico 2-0 last night on two goals by Michael Bradley and some stout goalkeeping by Tim Howard. So instead of giving a recap of a game you already saw, here are some highlights you can show to your Mexican friends who are still in denial that they haven't won on US soil in 10 years.





LFV friend Greg Seltzer over at No Short Corners found this fun video of one Mexico fan who is taking the loss way too hard:



If that's not enough, how about Lindsey Vonn's gold medal winning run in the downhill at the World Championships in Val D'Isere?

Bradley Goes Distance In Gladbach Draw With Hoffenheim

American midfielder Michael Bradley continues to solidify his place in the Borussia Moenchengladbach lineup, going the full 90 in today's 1-1 draw with Hoffenheim.

Elsewhere in Germany, Landon Donovan and Bayern Munich will be taking on Borussia Dortmund while Sal Zizzo and Steve Cherundolo may see action in Hannover's Sunday match against Energie Cottbus.

Over in France, Carlos Bocanegra went the distance for Stade Rennais in a 1-0 loss to Le Havre, picking up a 20th minute yellow card in the process.

Meanwhile, its hard to figure exactly what is holding Freddy Adu back at AS Monaco as another week passes without him even suiting up for the team, which drew FC Lorient 1-1.

Mixed Bag For American Players In Europe

It hasn't exactly been a banner weekend for American soccer players in Europe with too many sitting the bench or being on the losing side.

Friday night, Landon Donovan made a late substitute appearance in Bayern Munich's 1-0loss to Hamburg. The result has proven that Bayern has not become an invincible juggernaut over the break, as Kicker magazine had touted it.

Over in England, Clint Dempsey shined in Fulham's 3-1 win over Portsmouth, playing a key role in two of the Cottagers' goals.

Michael Bradley went the distance for Borussia Moenchengladbach in a 2-0 loss to Stuttgart, a team which rebounded well from its 5-1 German Cup drubbing against Bayern.

Neither Steve Cherundolo nor Sal Zizzo played for Hannover in today's 1-0 win over Schalke.

Freddy Adu matched from the bench tonight (again) as AS Monaco topped Grenoble 1-0.

But there is some good news but its no surprise: as usual, Carlos Bocanegra started at left back for Stade Rennais against Toulouse - game which is still underway.

Bradley Named To Kicker's Flop List

German soccer weekly Kicker has just put out its annual mid season list of "Tops and Flops" and Borussia Moenchengladbach's Michael Bradley made the list - the wrong one.

The annual list is complied based on interactive results from the magazine's fantasy soccer managerspiel but the results are usually pretty reliable. This week, Bayern Munich's French international Franck Ribery was named the best midfielder in the Bundesliga (the Tops) followed by Bayern Leverkusen's Renato Augusto and Hoffenheim's Sejad Salihovic.

The list of the three most disappointing midfielders (the Flops) was "led" by Hamburg's Jonathan Pitroipa, followed by Roda Antar of 1. FC Köln, and Gladbach's Bradley in third.

Bradley's ranking is largely due to his Kicker rating average of 4.75 (on a scale of 1-6) in 11 league appearances, including a match against Energie Cottbus in which he was given a seldom awarded 6 - the lowest score possible.

In the grand scheme of things, these ratings are basically meaningless since they are highly subjective and have no bearing on what a player is capable of doing in the next match. That said, consistent low ratings can help apply greater public pressure on a player to step up their game.

Over the years, less than half of the Americans playing in the Bundesliga told me they paid attention to the Kicker ratings while the rest said they ignore them altogether. Either way, let's hope Bradley can kick it up a notch this spring and re-capture the mojo he seems to have left in the Eredivisie.

Happy New Year Vagabonds!

Happy New Year to all of our readers wherever you are; from Dubai to New Jersey and from Korea to Texas - thanks for stopping by this year.

2009 should be an exciting year and here is just a bit of what we can look forward to:

- The USA taking on Sweden on January 24th
- Gooch perhaps finally making the jump to a new club
- Players like Marvell Wynne and Sacha Kljestan possibly moving across the pond
- Vincenzo Bernardo and Jozy Altidore possibly being loaned out
- Young Giuseppe Nazzani getting a chance with Bologna's first team
- The Confederations Cup and U-20 World Championships
- Seeing if Clint Dempsey can keep his hot touch into the spring
- Waiting for Freddy Adu to establish himself as a first team player at Monaco
- Michael Bradley finding his stride and tearing his way through the Bundesliga
- Carlos Bocanegra continuing his strong play at Rennes and earning a CL spot
- Danny Szetela continuing his solid left midfield play at Brescia - with few at home noticing
- Seeing if Landon Donovan can prove that he can hang with the big boys every week
- Whether DaMarcus Beasley heads home to play in MLS or finds a new European club
- Watching Maurice Edu assert himself as a key player in Rangers' title run
- Watching Bruce Arena turn the LA Galaxy into a winner
- Watching juggernaut Barcelona dominate La Liga all the way to the title
- Seeing if TSG Hoffenheim can keep the dream alive and win the Bundesliga championship
- Seeing if anyone can challenge Olympique Lyon's dominance of Ligue 1
- Whether Cristiano Ronaldo can avoid the burnout syndrome that comes with being the world's hottest player
- Wondering when Brad Friedel is finally recognized as one of the best keepers in Europe
- Whether Steven Gerard goes to jail for some recent brawling (doubtful)
- Whether Juventus can catch Inter from running away with another Scuddetto
- Whether Real Madrid qualifies for a UEFA Cup spot, much less a CL one
- Whether Fiorentina sells all of its talent (again) or makes a run for the top three
- Seeing how far Edy Reja can take his bargain-basement priced Napoli team...all the way to the Champion's League?
- Seeing how far AS Roma will continue to slide, especially now that Francesco Totti is injured
- Watching and enjoying how well Seattle (a great soccer town) supports the return of the Sounders
- Wondering when the scary young talent on the Argentina side starts to gel into a world-beater


Here are some fun highlights from 2008 which we hope you'll enjoy:

Best Goals:


Best Keepers:


Best Skills:


Flops and Follies (Multisport):

Canadian Ace Signs For 'Gladbach

Michael Bradley's Borussia Moenchengladbach side is making some shrewd deals this winter to keep themselves afloat in the Bundesliga during the second half of the season. Canadian vet Paul Stalteri, who last played in the Bundesliga for Werder Bremen, has been signed from Tottenam Hotspur. The versatile 31 year-old can play in defense or midfield and his playing style is uniquely suited to the forceful play of the Bundesliga. He has been out on loan to Fulham this season and his deal with Gladbach will keep him at the club until 2011.

Gladbach had also expressed interest in Standard Liege's American defender Oguchi Onyewu but now it appears that they've settled for his central defense partner Dante (from Brazil). This move could make it even more difficult for the club to now sell Onyewu, unless the price is right.

Gladbach also signed Belgian keeper Logan Bailey and Czech midfielder Tomas Galasek. American fans may remember the veteran Galasek as the hard-tackling holding midfielder for the Czech Republic during their 3-0 win over the Stars and Stripes during the 2006 World Cup.

'Gladbach Interested in Onyewu

Add another club to the list of teams interested in Standard Liege's American defender Oguchi Onyewu. Now, Kicker is reporting that Borussia Moenchengladbach (Michael Bradley's team) is interested in acquiring Gooch.

While 'Gladbach could certainly use help on the back line, its hard to see Gooch taking a transfer to a team which appears bound for relegation to the Second Bundesliga (unless he is confident enough to think he can help them stay up).

I expect Onyewu and his agent will hold out for a deal (be it in January or June) which takes him to a team competing in the Champions League. Otherwise, as our Amsterdam buddy Greg Seltzer says, why leave Standard - a team competing for another league championship and a European trophy?

Bradley Own Goal Helps Foals To 3-1 Loss

Just a week after scoring his first Bundesliga goal, American Michael Bradley scored another this week, just not for his team. So, when things were looking up for his new stint at Borussia Moenchengladbach, an own goal against Energie Cottbus didn't help. In the early going, a 3rd minute header by Bradley could have put the Foals ahead early if not for a good save by Cottbus keeper Gerhard Tremmel.

Cottbus put 'Gladbach under lots of pressure early and a 17th minute give-and-go put Ivica Iliev parallel to the goal where he lashed in a flat cross which glanced off Bradley and into the home team's goal for a 1-0 lead which the visitors carried into halftime.

"Gladbach got some good chances early in the second half on combinations from Bradley and Alex Baumjohann but could not equalize. In the 51st minute, Cottbus scored again for a 2-0 lead before 59th minute Baumjohann goal got the Foals back in the game, making it 2-1.

Bradley was substituted in the 70th minute by Tony Jantschke and later an 85th minute Cottbus goal sealed the win at 3-1. The loss put 'Gladbach into the relegation zone in 16th place with 11 points and a minus 14 goal differential. The Foals now have 23 matches left to score at least 38 total points, otherwise its a trip back to the Second Bundesliga.

Eleswhere in Europe, Freddy Adu watched from the bench as AS Monaco picked up a 1-0 win over Auxerre. Carlos Bocanegra and fourth place Stade Rennais take on fifth place Paris Saint-Germain tomorrow. A win for either side could mean taking over second place behind Olympique Lyon, provided Nice and Marseille stumble this weekend.

In Serie B, Danny Szetela went the distance in midfield for Brescia in their 2-0 win over Mantova in the Lombardia derby. The win bumped Brescia up to fifth place in Serie B with 26 points, just two behind leaders Sassuolo.

Bradley, 'Gladbach Get First Road Win Of Season

It took 12 weeks but Borussia Moenchengladbach finally recorded its first road win of the season by downing Arminia Bielefeld 2-0. Michael Bradley went the full 90 and contributed offensively and defensively to the effort - a positive sign after only five previous appearances, mostly as a substitute.

'Gladbach coach Hans Meyer changed five players from last week's 2-1 loss to Eintracht Frankfurt but it was German youth phenom Marko Marin who scored both goals for the Foals, staring with a brilliant 6th minute free kick from 20 meters out which tucked just inside the left post. Marin's second came in the 80th minute when he mis-kicked a one-timer which still found the back of the net.

The three points pulled Gladbach out of the relegation zone with 10 points and left Bielefeld in 17th place with 8 points. The Foals will need to collect at least 28 points in their remaining 26 matches if they hope to stay up in the Bundesliga. It won't be easy, especially with next week's test coming against Bayern Munich.

Up north in Hamburg, Neven Subotic and the other Borussia, Dortmund that is, fought hard but fell 2-1, despite the Bosnian-American defender contributing to several dangerous chances and taking two shots of his own.

Elsewhere in Germany tonight, a nagging back injury will keep Grover Gibson out of Rot Weiss Ahlen's side in their Second Bundesliga match against Duisburg. Tomorrow afternoon, Heath Pearce and Hansa Rostock take on VFL Osnabruck in their own DKB Arena.

Bradley Goes Distance As Gladbach Draws Bochum 2-2

Borussia Moenchengladbach are still searching for their winning ways but at least managed to get a point this week against VFL Bochum in a 2-2 draw. Gladbach's American midfielder Michael Bradley played the full 90 minutes in a 4-4-2 system, providing the pass which led to his team's first goal.

Bradley's 'Gladbach Coach Fired After Slow Start

Newly signed American midfielder Michael Bradley, who is still adjusting to a new team situation will soon need to adjust to a new coach. Borussia Moenchengladbach coach Jos Luhukay was fired today after a lackluster start to the Bundesliga season, topped by a 2-1 loss to 1FC Cologne yesterday, a match which featured numerous brawls beteeen opposing fans. Bradley was on the bench but did not play.

The Dutchman Luhukay was sent packing with the Foals dead last in the Bundesliga with three points and a minus nine goal differential after only seven matches. He was of course the coach that brought them back to the Bundesliga this year but he did not appear of to the task of coaching successfully at the next level.

Many saw it coming as Luhukay tinkered with the system each week, trying 23 different players in the lineup and leaving the team confused and unorganized. You've also got to wonder if leaving the new signing Bradley (who scored 15 in the Eredivisie last year) on the bench made the decision that much easier for the club's management.

Sports director Christian Ziege will take over the reins until a new coach can be found. Luckily for Bradley, Ziege was sold on him from the start so his place should be secure. The big question at 'Gladbach is whether they can turn it around and stay up in the Bundesliga. It seems to me that they would do well to pry loose American Oguchi Onyewu from nearby Liege at mid season to help them solidify a shaky defense. We'll see.

Transfer Season: By Midnight We'll Know

OK folks, now that Michael Bradley has found a new home at Borussia Monchengladbach, we still have 12 hours before we know if Oguchi Onyewu is going to PSG, Espanyol, Lazio, Bologna, or someplace England. The Italian deadline is at 6PM (12 PM EDT) so if its a Serie A move, expect to know earlier in the day. After the rollercoaster ride that Gooch's last transfer turned out to be, we'll need to hear the fat lady signing on this one before we know for sure.

We'll also soon know whether Heath Pearce will leave Hansa Rostock for greener pastures. My spidey sense (which seems to be spreading like an epidemic these days) tells me that Pearce will stay at Hansa since the club has mentioned him as someone they are counting on to help them win promotion back to the Bundesliga.

Also in Germany, Die Welt is reporting that VFL Wolfsburg's American Kamani Hill is on the auction block but its not clear yet who the suitors may be.

Regarding Pablo Mastroeni, while there has been interest from Cagliari and some Serie B clubs, word on the street is that any move would not happen until the January 2009 transfer window. My spidey sense places Catania and Palermo on the list of interested clubs as well.

So, don't wait for the mailman, just stay tuned here...

Monaco: Still Interested in Bradley?

Yet another twist in the Bradley transfer saga as the deadline approaches in just five days. After there seeming to be much interest from Monaco for Heerenveen's American midfielder Michael Bradley a few weeks ago, they then focused on Betis Seville's Marko Babic as a new offensive option. This morning here in Europe, word has come out on Footmercato.fr that ASM has not agreed terms on Babic and is now taking another look at bringing Bradley on board.

Looking over at the state of play on Standard Liege's American defender Oguchi Onyewu, PSG looks less likely as an option as word came out last night that the Paris side wants to acquire defender Jean-Alain Boumsong from Olympique Lyon.

Onyewu: I Deal With Reality

Standard Liege defender Oguchi Onyewu, seeming to be completely disgusted with the transfer process, told US reporters in Guatemala that "I only want to live in reality, and the reality of the situation is that I play for Standard. I enjoy it and what happens, happens."

Meanwhile, the buzz coming from cognoscenti back in the States links Onyewu to Serie A side Catania, which is still looking to replace top defender Juan Manuel Vargas after selling him to Fiorentina. In what appears to be a late house cleaning, they also just sold defender Andrea Sottil to Rimini with three more midfielders and defenders on the auction block. The Sicilian club had a pretty porous defense last season and boss Walter Zenga is looking to shore up the back line.

Another coach looking to anchor the back line is Cologne boss Christoph Daum, who at one time was stalking Gooch like a teenager in puppy love. Its not clear now if Daum is still interested, given the club's transfer focus on bringing in another attacking player.

All that said, I still think Onyewu will either stay at Standard to win another championship or he'll be playing somewhere in France where there has been sustained interest in him since 2007. Plus, its hard to see tiny Catania outbidding PSG or Lyon, two of the bigger teams which still seem to be in the hunt. PSG was also looking at Dynamo Kiev's Senegalese defender Pape Diakhaté, who is also being pursued by Monaco and Rennes (where Carlos Bocanegra is in desperate need of a quality partner in central defense). If Diakhaté ends up at PSG, perhaps Rennes will opt for Gooch, provided there is enough time left to make a deal - the clock is ticking. Two Americans at Rennes? Who knows.

Also when asked in Guatemala, Heerenveen's Michael Bradley seemed mystified by the entire transfer process, telling US reporters: "I have no real idea what is going on but my agent tells me something may happen next week." Greg Seltzer seems to think its Everton, Celtic, or Middelsbrough (a club which always seems to be linked to an American player but never seems to close the deal). Again, my spidey sense seems to indicate he'll head be heading to Germany (Bayer Leverkusen?) but probably not Hamburg which found its replacement for Van Der Vaart in Mladen Petric, just purchased from Borussia Dortmund. In about a week, we'll know the answer for sure.

There have also been whispers here on the boot that a few Serie B teams have taken an interest in Colorado Rapids midfielder Pablo Mastroeni but its not clear if any of them are in a position to acquire him now or wait until mid season, when he would be available on a free transfer. Back in July, Serie A side Cagliari had also taken a discreet interest in Mastroeni but given the club's modest budget, they may also be waiting for midyear.

Elsewhere today, American Jozy Altidore replaced Giuseppe Rossi in the 67th minute of Villarreal's preseason match against Italy's Udinese. Altidore's side lost 1-0.

NOTE: In case you are waiting for the fourth and final installment of The Evolution of American Soccer Players in Europe, I'm waiting for the smoke to clear on this transfer season before finishing it up.

Hamburg: Renewed Interest In Bradley

Now that Rafael van der Vaart has been sold to Real Madrid, Hamburger SV is shopping for an attacking player to fill the gap. Both the Hamburg press and Kicker report that the two main candidates are Spartak Moscow striker Roman Pavlyuchenko and Heerenveen's attacking midfielder Michael Bradley (currently in China playing for the US Olympic team).

Hamburg coach Martin Jol has made it clear that he isn't looking for a project, but rather a player who is ready to contribute now. He told Kicker: "In this market its not easy..."but its clear, I want a player who is ready - otherwise its a joke."

Hamburg president and German soccer legend Uwe Seeler seemed to favor bringing in the Russian when he told Sport1.de: "What we're missing up front is a crusher, a poacher, someone who can bring pressure all on his own."

But Hamburg officials also admitted that Pavlyuchenko may be too difficult to acquire, in particular since the Russian is being courted by Arsenal, Chelsea, and Tottenham; all with deeper pockets than the Bundesliga club. Bradley may be a bit easier to acquire, provided Hamburg is willing to match or exceed Monaco's reported $13 million transfer offer.

(Updated) Connecting The Dots: Ronaldo's Effect on Bradley Transfer Prospects

(MUNICH, July 29th, 2008) Today Real Madrid made it clear that they are no longer interested in signing Dutch ace Rafeal Van Der Vaart from Hamburger SV as an alternative to Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo. According to Real President Ramón Calderón, its Ronaldo or no one - they think their 85 million euro bid may still be workable.

Hamburg had been considering signing Heerenveen's American midfielder Michael Bradley in the event Van Der Vaart was sold to Real Madrid for an estimated 12 million euros. Unless another club swoops in for Van Der Vaart, Bradley's door to Hamburg appears to be closing.

Bradley has voiced a desire to play in England where Middelsbrough and Everton are keen to sign him but little is known of any negotiations taking place with the Premiership clubs. Interest in recent weeks has also been coming from continental clubs such as Bayer Leverkusen and AS Monaco (which reportedly offered 8.5 million euros). Leverkusen appears to be cooling on Bradley as their prime target for attacking midfield is now Fluminense's Thiago Neves (who is also being pursued by Tottenham Hotspur). So, With Bradley's Bundesliga options appearing to narrow, it now looks like his main options are in England or on the Cote d'Azur with AS Monaco.

UPDATE: After several statements from Real Madrid (which appeared in the Spanish Marca and Financial Times Deutschland), that the club had written off Van Der Vaart as an option, it now appears the Dutch midfielder may be on his way to the Bernabeu after all. The "off the table" language used by Real President Ramon Calderon not two days ago (in their game of financial chicken with Hamburg) has been replaced by statements that indicate a deal is near. Now, papers such as Die Welt, and Focus are commenting on the 180 by Calderon asking whether it was all to get the price he wanted or a power play with a club Real does not see as their equal. Either way, you fooled us Mr. Calderon!

What this means is that Hamburger SV remains a viable option for Bradley but now another door appears to be closing. Word out of Monaco this afternoon is that they agreed on terms to acquire Bordeux's midfielder Alejandro Alonso (believed to be their plan B if Bradley was too expensive). So, Bradley's options remain open in England and Germany but Monaco now seems to be off the list. Still, much could change in the next few weeks as the dust starts to clear on another transfer season.