Soccer birthdays:
Portland Timbers boss Gavin Wilkinson (pictured) turns 39 today. (He’s still the boss, but a different boss today than a couple of weeks ago. Then, he was the coaching boss. Now he’s back to being the technical director boss. Or, he will be when Caleb Porter officially comes on board. It’s a bit confusing really. Except for the part about him turning 39. We double checked.)
Italian up-and-comer Marco Verratti, who signed a five-year deal with Paris Saint-Germain last summer, turns 20.
German international Cristoph Metzelder turns 33.
Longtime Swiss international center back Alain Geiger turns 52. He now manages in the Saudi Professional League.
And finally, perhaps you don’t know much of Oleg Blokhin, but he was immense back in the day in the old Soviet football. Ukrainian born, he played in two FIFA World Cups ( Spain ‘82 and Mexico ‘86) and in two Olympics (1972 and 1976). Blokhin turns 60 today.
Big Important Stories of the Day:
Major League Soccer conference semifinal series are halfway decided. San Jose has a big leg up on Los Angeles (pardon the pun). Houston holds an edge over Sporting Kansas City.
New York and D.C. are all level in their series, but the Red Bulls get the second leg at their place. Same with Real Salt Lake and Seattle, as the return leg heads to Utah.
As Houston manager Dominic Kinnear said, “It’s ‘halftime,’ and a lot can still happen.”
RASNoD (Random American Soccer Name of the Day: Tony Chursky
*Ahead on the blog today:
We’ll have plenty on all four MLS playoff series and begin peaking ahead to UEFA Champions League. Matches in the world’s premier club competition are Tuesday and Wednesday.
Twitter daps:
What you should watch on TV today:
West Brom meets South Hampton as the English Premier League round comes to a close. That’s on ESPN2 starting at 2:55 p.m.
Background noise while blogging today: Watching the first half of yesterday’s Galaxy-Earthquakes contest, which I missed while traveling. (It doesn’t sound like I “missed” anything, judging from the Tweets and the reports. But, it’s the professional thing to do!)
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Manchester City rally downs Chelsea at the death in exciting US tour opener
May 23, 2013, 11:24 PM EDT
AP
Manchester City overcame a 3-goal deficit at Busch Stadium in St. Louis as Edin Dzeko bagged a brace to beat Chelsea 4-3.
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Yahoo! reports: Mourinho to sign 4-year deal with Chelsea, will be unveiled June 2
May 23, 2013, 11:03 PM EDT
Getty Images
Just days after Jose Mourinho mutually parted ways with Real Madrid, he will be completing a deal to become Chelsea’s next manager, says Martin Rogers of Yahoo! Sports via Twitter.
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Reuters
Roberto Martinez has given himself more time to decide on his future at Wigan, and also gave them a wish list.
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Getty Images
Asmir Begovic is apparently intending on showing up at the door of another club to start training.
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Reports: Porto to bank on Moutinho and Rodriguez in shock double move
May 23, 2013, 7:16 PM EDT
Reuters
AS Monaco, rich with the injection of money from a Russian tycoon, are set to make a huge splash, possibly as much as €70 million.
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The United States U-18 squad drew with the hosts in the middle of three group-stage matches during the 19th Annual Lisbon International Juniors Tournament.
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20-year-old Jonathan Osorio picked up his debut call-up to the Canadian national team along with three other Toronto FC teammates ahead of their friendly against Costa Rica on Tuesday.
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Leighton Baines says Everton will be fine without Moyes, but will they?
May 23, 2013, 5:11 PM EDT
Getty Images
“Football clubs live on and we’ll live on, we’ll move on.” They’ll move on, they have to. But will they effectively?
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Reuters
With the upcoming Champions League final this weekend featuring an all-German cast, Germany secured another massive Champions League achievement today.
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Anyone else bothered by the way Bayern Munich have conducted themselves ahead of this Saturday’s Champions League final?
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Getty Images
Sunderland’s central defender will say goodbye to the English Premier League in exchange for a switch stateside.
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Manchester City president shoots down high-profile transfer links
May 23, 2013, 2:00 PM EDT
Reuters
Chelsea fans will be delighted, while those supporting Manchester City are sure to question who’s on their team’s mind.
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Should Europa League winners be awarded a spot in the Champions League?
May 23, 2013, 1:37 PM EDT
Should the champions of the Europa League be awarded a spot in the following season’s Champions League?
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Espanyol fans upset with Barca shirt on the statute of Christopher Columbus
May 23, 2013, 12:07 PM EDT
The city’s decision to permit Columbus to wear angers Espanyol fans, who believe Barca receives too much support from local institutions.
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Gonzalo Higuain close to Juventus move while others continue the chase
May 23, 2013, 11:22 AM EDT
Despite notching an impressive 104 goals in 185 matches since moving to the Bernabeu in 2007, Higuain has struggled this season.
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With Arsenal rumored to be courting Swansea center-back Ashley Williams, Thomas Vermaelen has some decisions to make.
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Poor Strama, Allegri: Inter, AC Milan leave coaches in limbo
May 22, 2013, 11:51 PM EDT
Getty Images
Serie A’s two Milanese clubs have yet to move for new head coaches.
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Full circle: Misantrope’s revival could land Benítez in Paris, Madrid, or Naples
May 22, 2013, 11:06 PM EDT
Over the last three months, Rafa Benítez has reignited a floundering career.
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It’s piling on for Reign FC, who may permanently lose Megan Rapinoe to Lyon
May 22, 2013, 10:14 PM EDT
The hits just keep on coming for the NWSL’s hard-luck team.
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U.S. Open Cup Fourth Round draw: What it means for your MLS team
May 22, 2013, 9:20 PM EDT
The U.S. Open Cup draws sometimes need a decoder ring to decipher. Here’s a quick-and-dirty look at the MLS teams’ futures.
