Getty Images Soccer birthdays:
Fabrizio Ravanelli turns 44 on Tuesday. The Italian striker, capped 22 times by his country, spent the best part of his career at Juventus from 1992 to 1996, but in the English-language world, he is known for the year-plus he spent at Middlesbrough after leaving Turin.
Lured to northeast England by a £7 million transfer fee from Bobby Robson, Ravenelli went on to score 16 goals in 33 league games including a debut hat trick against Liverpool. Despite leading the team to two cup finals (losing both), Ravenelli couldn’t help keep the team in the Premier League, moving on to Marseille after Boro was relegated.
Big Important Stories of the Day:
Though we have mid-week action in England and France, Tuesday looks like slow news day. Keep your ears open for anything regarding a Rafa Marquez move. Andy Najar’s situation could be clarified, or we could be more re-signings ahead of Friday’s Stage 2 of the Re-Entry Draft (like LA Galaxy’s new deal with goalkeeper Brian Perk, confirmed Monday).
RASNoD (Random American Soccer Name of the Day):
Steve Shak
Twitter daps:
What you should watch on TV today:
Now trailing by five points in Ligue 1, Paris Saint-Germain has already dug themselves a small hole in France. Today, they visit upstart Valenciennes (fifth place) hoping to make it three wins in four. With Lyon hosting Nancy on Wednesday, PSG can expect to lose ground if they can’t take full points. Check your local listings for the 1:00 p.m. Eastern kickoff.
Background noise while blogging:
It’s been too long since we’ve had a new episode of Community. Thankfully, the first three seasons are archived on Hulu, allowing me to go back and figure out how Jeff ended up kissing Annie at the end of Season 1 after Britta and Slater professed their love for him. Two years later, it still doesn’t make sense.
We’ll leave you with this:
We’ve been keeping tabs on it on the blog, but it doesn’t look like the Club World Cup has gotten any more traction this time around.
People always spitball ideas on how to make this tournament relevant, but it’s difficult to get many people excited about a tournament that has so few teams and games. It would have been interesting to see how 2001′s FIFA World Club Championship would have worked with 12 teams, but that competition never took place.
I can’t help but wonder if a similar structure, with more countries represented, would help grow the popularity (and significance) of the tournament.
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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
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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.
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With PSG willing to match Wayne Rooney’s wages, Manchester United has somebody to bail them out
May 22, 2013, 8:17 PM EDT
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If PSG’s willing to take Rooney’s wages of their hands, Manchester United can justify moving on.
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Crimes and misdemeanors: Congratulations, Bobby Boswell – you’re this week’s winner
May 22, 2013, 7:32 PM EDT
Houston’s defensive leader sees his banned doubled by the Disciplinary Committee.
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Sauerbrunn, Quon, and why its still too early to see NWSL’s influence on Sermanni’s choices
May 22, 2013, 6:47 PM EDT
Tom Sermanni has brought new talent into the national team, but it’s too early to know the extent to which the U.S.’s roster will see new faces.
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José Mourinho, Cristiano Ronaldo pick up meaningless two-match bans
May 22, 2013, 6:02 PM EDT
Cristiano Ronaldo will serve a two-match ban. José Mourinho will skirt it.
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Michele Beadle and friends take a look at what NYCFC means to the New York sports scene.
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We tend to beat up the Chivas organization for its off-the-wall strategic approaches and front-office instability, but what exactly is wrong with the team on the field?
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Looking at the United States’ roster ahead of their Canada rematch
May 22, 2013, 4:03 PM EDT
Yesterday’s announcement included few surprises ahead of the U.S.’s June 2 match at BMO Field.
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Well, what took them so long to get into the party?
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How Tony Pulis removal at Stoke City may affect U.S. internationals Cameron, Shea and Edu
May 22, 2013, 2:40 PM EDT
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Looks like a mixed bag for the American trio:
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As the towering English forward weighs up his options, should he return to Liverpool, sign for West Ham or go elsewhere?
