In another sign that the World Cup left its mark on US Soccer: the Daily Mail in England is reporting that Bob Bradley is among the final candidates for the job of manager at Fulham FC of the English Premier League.
If Bradley lands the job, he could be making American soccer history without the likes of Clint Dempsey, who is on AC Milan’s radar for a possible transfer.
You know soccer has hit the big time when Cristiano Ronaldo’s Fourth of July trip to New York City leads Page Six of the New York Post over Alex Rodriguez gossip.
Setting rumors and gossip aside, two of the four US Open Cup quarterfinals will be held on Tuesday with the featured match-up being the attempt by Third Division side Charleston Battery to knock off another MLS club on the road in Columbus.
The Battery believe that the Crew will go all out to win this quarterfinal and the Columbus starting lineup will reflect it.
There’s $100,000 on the line for the Open Cup’s Elite Eight. That’s the prize for the tournament champion.
Brad Davis will likely miss a second consecutive match for the Dynamo when they host Chivas USAin Tuesday’s other USOC quarterfinal.
After a 3-1 loss at The Home Depot Center on Sunday, the Seattle Sounders will face the powerhouse LA Galaxy once again in Wednesday’s US Open Cup quarterfinal. Seattle’s Sigi Schmid and Kasey Keller were both critical of the squad’s performance.
Swiss forward Blaise Nkufo finally has a date for his heralded arrival to join the Sounders.
Another forward, a 21-year-old who was most recently with Manchester United, could be on his way to Toronto FC.
It is also being reported that the move of English striker Luke Rodgers to the New York Red Bulls may take place in the upcoming transfer window.
A report out of Honduras is linking DC United with the acquisition of Honduran defender Quiarol Arzú.
A Mexican midfielder who plays in Peru is also said to be eyed by an unnamed MLS side.
One player who may not be on the market is Ronaldinho. AC Milan has come out and said they want him to return no matter what he looks like at the beach. Aside from rumors linking him to LA, there have been reports of interest from Flamengo in Brazil and Olympiakos in Greece.
Back here in the States, the CEO of baseball’s Boston Red Sox is going to be talking soccer later Tuesday, specifically Sporting Lisbon vs. Celtic. Should make for an interesting read.
Another high ranking sports executive, Kansas City Wizards owner Robb Heineman, made himself available for a revealing Q&A with his hometown newspaper.
Meanwhile, Heineman’s head coach, Peter Vermes is attempting to resolve the issue of his team giving up soft goals. The clock is ticking before Manchester United come to town.
Real Salt Lake manager Jason Kreis is instead focused on his squad getting results on the road to keep pace with the LA Galaxy. The first test comes Thursday at Toyota Park in the ESPN Game of the Week.
The World Cup has reached the semifinal round beginning with Tuesday’s first match as Uruguay continues their cinderella run against favorites Holland, which has won every match to this point (2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN & Univision).
There was controversy in the Uruguay camp and for the first time in this World Cup, their coach did not release the starting lineup in advance of a match.
If you were still undecided who to root for between Uruguay and Holland, this article may help you make up your mind.
Lastly, World Cup fever taken to new heights: a replica of the trophy was seized by Colombian police at the Bogota airport. It was made from 11 kilos of cocaine.
Atletico suffer Asenjo blowBradley: We had a really good chance to win
