Pitchfork: Album Reviews: Jawbox: For Your Own Special Sweetheart
At its best, For Your Own Special Sweetheart compresses the energy of hardcore into something more nuanced and deliberate.
USA Legend Alexi Lalas trained in London … with Arsenal
“I trained with the Reserves. It was a very eye-opening experience to be over there, and to be running the steps at Highbury with Tony Adams, and Paul Merson,” Lalas said. “Ian Wright picked me up for breakfast and took me out to dinner. It was an interesting experience.”
I had no idea. Did you?
Initial Details for 2010 World Cup Tickets
Priority status for applying for tickets to the U.S. Men’s National Team matches in South Africa will be extended to members of the U.S. Soccer Supporters Club. Registration for U.S. Soccer SC is open now at ussoccer.com, and fans seeking priority status must join by Dec. 3, 2009, at 12 p.m. ET.
The Sweeper: MLS is a Suburb of Detroit
“A family-owned Toronto real estate company has submitted a winning bid of $583,000 for the Pontiac Silverdome, former home of the Detroit Lions until they moved to Ford Field in 2002, and nearly 130 adjacent acres. The winning bidder, one of four and whose identity has not yet been released, plans to use the facility for a men’s Major League Soccer team and women’s professional soccer teams, Fred Leeb, Pontiac’s emergency financial manager, told the Free Press in an exclusive interview.”
Arsenal hit by Van Persie injury
This sucks! Arsenal’s Robin van Persie is set for a long spell out after seriously injuring an ankle while on international duty. These things happen to us every season.
Robin was stretchered off during Holland’s international friendly with Italy in Pescara on Saturday, November 14 with ankle ligament damage. Initial reports suggested he would be out for around six weeks.
Report: United States vs Costa Rica – World Cup Qualifying
Jonathan Bornstein headed in a corner kick in the dying seconds of this last qualifying match to tie the score at 2’s. For the whole game, it looked as if Costa Rica would win and book their place in the World Cup next summer. With this come-from-behind draw, the US Nationals secure first place in the Hexagonal, CONCACAF’s final qualifying round. Mexico is second, Honduras third, and Costa Rica must now do a two-match playoff against Uruguay.
USA 3, Honduras 2: The U.S. is in the 2010 World Cup
Somehow, the USA came back from 1-0 down at half-time to get three goals. Some shaky defending and a missed penalty by Honduras was enough to make the rest of the game the most exciting sporting event since the Confederations Cup. Here is Grant Wahl’s take on the game, published minutes after it was over.
The Timbers, The Gambia, and Futty Danso: Stories from Africa
As always, Pitch Invasion offers up an extremely interesting piece on The Gambia.
Galaxy clinch MLS Cup Playoff berth
Chivas USA’s 2-0 victory against D.C. United on Saturday clinched the Galaxy’s first playoff berth since 2005 and ended three years of postseason frustration for a once-proud club that made reaching the playoffs almost a given.
