SSN Exclusive: US Open Cup Semifinal : Bobbie's Hospitality Report

Last night the Chicago Fire beat the Richmond Kickers 2-1 at Toyota Park to advance to the US Open Cup final in Seattle on 9/10. It was a well played game which the ref allowed to get pretty physical without getting out of hand. You can read all about it here. On our way to the seats my cohort Rodger and I were accosted by a member of the Fire's corporate hospitality staff and asked if we'd like a complimentary seating upgrade courtesy of American Airlines. I'm not afraid to look a gift horse in its mouth, and this one seemed to have all of its teeth intact so we graciously accepted her offer.









The plebe's view of our seats.



We were escorted to a nice little table set up at the edge of the field and were introduced to the hospitality staff who informed us that we'd be enjoying a four course meal and free drinks. We informed them that we are both vegetarian and they said they'd have to consult with the chef to see what they could do for us. The cheese plate arrived in short order.











Rodger and Bobbie enjoying the cheese plate











A better view of the cheese plate





Frankly the cheese was a bit disappointing, though solid- cafeteria grade cheddar, some mild blue cheese and a standard wedge of brie. Garnish options included nuts, honey and some sort of plum jelly which was quite nice. There was a huge amount of melon on the plate as well as a nice helping of pineapple. While we snacked a slight drizzle started and our server brought us complimentary ponchos. We also enjoyed the sight of the excellent Sebastian Grazzini scoring from the penalty spot.











Grazzini Takes a Penalty





The entrees were fresh mozzarella sandwiches with tomato on baguette. Sadly the chef was overly generous with whatever weird aioli he was using that night and the whole experience was somewhat soggy. Still, we were well into the free Heineken at that point so it hit the spot.











Entree





We were served dessert in the 83rd minute while the Fire easily kept the ball out of reach of the Kickers. It was a delightful red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting- easily the best of the food we were served.











Dessert





We were polishing off the last of the crumbs as the final whistle sounded. Rodger and I downed our last beers and headed for the exit, though not before paying a visit to the excellent new fan shop to pick up a pair of Fire Zubaz for the wife.





Bobbie and Sparky

When a goalkeeper’s mistake is forgiven by an empty-net miss

Yanagisawa decided to shoot from outside the box instead of going in a bit closer and ended up putting his shot wide of the far post.

The Economics of Paying for Disaster Relief

1. Paul Krugman discusses.


2. Steve Landsburg responds.

The Mill + ++ +++

Wednesday's Rumours



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Swindon Manager Paolo Di Canio in Bust Up with Striker Leon Clarke

Leaving for LA - Robbie's Revenge?

From Tallaght to Hollywood, Robbie Keane still divides opinion. Dion Fanning travels to LA to talk exclusively to the Galaxy's newest star.

Dominic Fifield: Wenger makes leap of faith by bringing Mertesacker to Arsenal

With the humiliation endured in Sunday's 8-2 defeat at Manchester United still raw, Wenger has performed something of a U-turn by returning to Werder Bremen to sign Per Mertesacker for around €9m (£7.6m) despite having apparently previously been unconvinced that the 26-year-old, albeit an experienced and rugged performer, would thrive given the furious pace of the Premier League. Interest had been expressed last summer only to come to nothing while those doubts persisted and, even this time around, the Germany international had initially featured relatively low on Arsenal's list of potential recruits.

Yet the centre-half is available at a relatively small fee for a player who boasts 75 caps, for his country given the financial problems being experienced by Werder, and should complete his move having broken away from international duty to fly to London and undergo a medical. Mertesacker will be followed to the Emirates by the South Korea striker Park Chu-young, a £1.8m signing from relegated Monaco, and the Brazil defender André Santos, a 28-year-old attack-minded full-back who is to join on a four-year deal for £6.2m from Fenerbahce.

Americans Abroad: Michael Bradley to Chievo Verona

United States midfielder Michael Bradley has moved from Borussia Moenchengladbach to Chievo Verona, becoming the only American player in Italy’s Serie A.

The only other American-born players to have joined Serie A clubs in recent years were Alexi Lalas, Giuseppe Rossi and Oguchi Onyewu.

Five Reasons Why This Move is Great

Liverpool have acquired a player of huge talent in Sebastian Coates

Liverpool fans in the UK could be forgiven for not having seen Coates in action; the Copa America was hardly played at the most Europe-friendly of times for the most part. So let me assure you that you're getting a genuinely fine defender, regardless of his youth.

Of all the talents in an exciting generation of players coming through for Uruguay, Coates is perhaps the most complete.

Glaeser on Mortgage Modification

Ed concludes,

A massive refinancing effort is likely to have little impact on the economy or foreclosures or housing prices. What it would do, however, is hurt our government’s already precarious balance sheet by reducing the payments on its vast mortgage portfolio.

Sid Lowe in Spain

The new season has finally started in La Liga but there was no sign of a revolution at the Sánchez Pizjuán.



Alvaro Negredo makes Málaga's brave new world feel remarkably familiar.

Ambitious Park Races Towards Emirates

Out of all of their heroes, many Korean football fans felt that it was Lee Chung-Yong who would one day play for Arsenal. Park Chu-Young, not so much. It was different back in 2005 when he was the hottest property in Asia and linked with Chelsea just weeks after making his professional debut. Then, it was assumed he would end up at the elite. Six years later, he is set to sign for the Gunners though not in time to face Park Ji-Sung, his predecessor as South Korean captain, in the English Premier League. Such a meeting would have organizers at the World Athletic Championships in the striker's hometown of Daegu which started the same day as his arrival in London for a medical, wondering where all the Korean journalists had gone.

Americans Abroad: Altidore nets another brace; Howard earns first clean sheet

Jozy Altidore refuses to let his name be forgotten as he continues his wonderful run of form in the AZ Alkmaar shirt. In Europa league play, the 21-year-old striker netted a brace for the second match running before helping his side to a 3-0 victory against Groningen on the road in Eredivisie play. Altidore played 90 minutes against Aalesund, scoring in the 23rd and 59th minutes, as Alkmaar demolished the Danish side 6-0 in the second leg of its Europa League qualification playoff to advance on aggregate, 7-2. Upon the club's return to Eredivisie play, Altidore played 76 minutes against Groningen away as his side continued its strong goalscoring form, defeating the home team 3-0.



The Rest

Manchester City taken to a whole new level with Sheikh Mansour's £1 billion investment

Three years after the regime of previous owner Thaksin Shinawatra almost plunged City into financial meltdown, with the club desperately attempting to fund the £6.45 million signing of Argentine full-back Pablo Zabaleta before the 2008 summer transfer window closed, the transformation of Manchester City is now almost complete – at the cost of £915,000 a day.



Having spent £210 million to acquire Thaksin’s stake, plus a transfer outlay taken to £433 million with Nasri’s arrival last week and an aggregate wage bill of £360 million, Sheikh Mansour’s bank account has now had £1.003 billion of its funds directed towards his football team since Sept 1, 2008.

The Perfect 10

Who have been the best, the most exciting and the most creative football players in the world over the past 25 years?



Diego Maradona, Lionel Messi and Zinedine Zidane perhaps? How about Ruud Gullit, Marco Van Basten and Michel Platini?



Do they have anything in common? Well, they could all be loosely described as number 10s.



They are players who control games from a forward area using their vision, skill, intelligence and, above all, creativity.



Going back through history, the truly great teams have almost always had one of them. Right now, Barcelona have four - Messi, Xavi, Andres Iniesta and now Cesc Fabregas. That is proof of just how highly Barca - the best in the business - rate this type of player.

The Mill +

Tuesday's Rumours







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Steve Davis on MLS

Know your Major League Soccer --



Five things we learned from Week 24:

Hope Solo among cast members for fall's 'Dancing With the Stars'

The new cast of "Dancing With the Stars" has been revealed.

The Big Interview: Lothar Matthäus

Bulgaria coach hopes Euro 2012 qualifier against an old adversary may open up the prospect of a passage home.



Lothar Matthäus seeks win over England to help end his German exile.

Are Barca and Real killing Spanish football?

La Liga had a familiar look to it on Tuesday morning.

Wealthy behemoths Real Madrid and Barcelona top the standings on goal difference after each recorded emphatic wins against opponents who were utterly outclassed.

Villarreal, through to the Champions League group stages after finishing fourth last term, were thrashed 5-0 by Barca at the Nou Camp on Monday night, a day after Real Madrid romped to a 6-0 victory at Real Zaragoza.

Barca’s financial clout was underlined by the fact that coach Pep Guardiola was able to start without Spanish World Cup-winners Xavi and David Villa as new signings Cesc Fabregas and Alexis Sanchez scored on their home debuts in the league.

Raphael Honigstein in Germany

Two Champions League teams prepared for their meetings with Arsenal and Chelsea with a convincing display of English cliches.



Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund draw on English influence.

Phil Ball in Spain

It's been a strange summer in Spain, waiting and waiting for some bread and butter stuff, and when it finally comes it's difficult to arrive at any conclusions because next week the league 'rests' for internationals. No wonder the players' union (AFE) finally decided to get on with the show and drop the second week of the strike, with the prospect of no league games at all until September 10th. It was almost as if the league authorities knew this - that it would give them some silent leverage to at least get the curtain finally raised.

The Trawler: Beautiful South

Welcome to The Trawler, your weekly submersion through the teeming waters of life in the Championship, League One and League Two. You might be surprised what you find down there.

The Mill +

Monday's Rumours







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Spain: La Liga Weekend Review + Monday Preview

Cristiano Ronaldo struck a hat-trick as Real Madrid started their La Liga campaign in ominous fashion with a thumping 6-0 away victory over Real Zaragoza. Alvaro Negredo was the star at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan as he scored both of Sevilla's goals in an impressive 2-1 home win over big-spending Malaga. New-look Atletico Madrid began their campaign with a disappointing goalless draw at home to Osasuna.



Review



Barcelona vs. Villarreal: Preview

Monday MLS Breakdown

In the second half of Columbus' 6-2 defeat at Seattle on Saturday, Crew substitute Jeff Cunningham stepped up to the penalty spot and stroked home a penalty kick to reduce the deficit in a hopelessly one-sided affair.

This particular strike – clinically placed to the opposite side of the diving Kasey Keller – wouldn't merit much in the way of scrutiny under normal circumstances. It lacked any aesthetic or tangible significance. It didn't inspire a revival or halt the unfolding horror show for any length of time. It just added another goal to the total of a team on the wrong side of a heavy defeat. It did, however, possess one characteristic that will rescue it from the scrap-heap of forgotten goals: it allowed Cunningham to displace Jaime Moreno from atop the league's career goalscoring chart.

Breakdown

England: Premier League Weekend Review, Reports and Analyses

The north sent out a message of intent at the weekend as Manchester United and City crushed Arsenal and Tottenham respectively as the North Londoners were humiliated. Arsenal's arch-rivals Spurs were also put to the sword at White Hart Lane as Harry Redknapp's troops were taken apart 5-1 by Roberto Mancini's expensively-assembled Man City. Liverpool and Chelsea continued their fine starts to the campaign with wins over Bolton and Norwich respectively while Newcastle and Wolves are also turning heads as they both have seven points to their name from three league outings. Blackburn remain pointless so far following a late 1-0 home defeat to Everton while West Brom are also in the drop zone following a late home defeat to Stoke City at The Hawthorns.



Review



Liverpool 3 - 1 Bolton: Tim Rich at Anfield



Chelsea 3 - 1 Norwich City: Paul Doyle at Stamford Bridge



Tottenham 1 - 5 Manchester City: Dominic Fifield at White Hart Lane



Team of the Week



Five Things We Learned

England: Premier League Focus on Manchester United vs. Arsenal

Manchester United

8 - 2

Arsenal













Kevin McCarra: Wayne Rooney hits hat-trick as Manchester United crush Arsenal



Phil McNulty: Wenger's greatest humiliation



Martin Samuel: United shot Bambi and even Fergie felt the pain



Richard Williams: Shell-shocked Arsenal troops led by a general stripped of his virtue



Henry Winter: Arsenal's most humiliating result since the days when the Queen Vic was a monarch and not a pub



Paul Parker: Who would want to join Arsenal now?



Player Ratings

The Fifth Official

Few of us like Monday but The Fifth Official does, for it brings with it a chance for him to point the finger and laugh. Here he pulls out the pretty, the puzzling and the downright pig-ugly from a week brimming with potential victims.

Alan Krueger to chair CEA

Congratulations, Alan.  An excellent choice by President Obama.

Update: Some comments of mine on CNBC:

Finally, some good economic news

Manufacturers of Downward Arrows Post Record Profits

Auctioning Public Parking Spaces

A student alerts me to this article about a new app that connects suppliers and demanders of public parking spaces. 

How to interpret this story?  The student points out that it is a "fun example of technology making markets more efficient."  True enough.  But it also suggests that cities are underpricing public parking.  With many cities facing financial difficulties, a good way to raise revenue would be to increase the price of parking closer to the market-clearing level.

An Animated 4-Minute History of Econ

The Joy of Six: Surprise Early-Season Leaders

From Dave Bassett's Wimbledon to Carlisle's glory run in the mid 70s, here are half-a-dozen surprise early-season leaders.

Spain: La Liga Weekend Preview & Eduardo Alvarez's Quiniela

With a second round of strike action averted, the La Liga season begins with the fixture between Barcelona and Villarreal the pick of the lot. Elsewhere, there is an intriguing clash at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan where Sevilla host big-spending Andalusian rivals Malaga. Malaga, whose week-one fixture would have pitted them against Barca, have brought in the likes of Santi Cazorla, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Joaquin and Jeremy Toulalan this summer. Atletico Madrid have also splashed the cash following the summer departures of key players Sergio Aguero, David de Gea and Tomas Ujfalusi, including spending an initial 40million euros - rising to a possible 47million euros - on prolific Colombian Falcao. Atletico being their campaign at home to Osasuna.



Preview



Eduardo Alvarez's Quiniela

England: Premier League Weekend Previews & Predictions

Arsenal go to Manchester United with a squad that does not appear to carry the same threat without Cesc and Nasri, while Tottenham host Manchester City having signed Emmanuel Adebayor on loan from the Blues. Juan Mata is the latest player to arrive at Chelsea and the Spanish winger's new side take on Norwich following his midweek move. ston Villa and Wolves contest a Midlands derby in the first game of the weekend at Villa Park.



Preview



Saturday:

Aston Villa v Wolves: Preview

Wigan v QPR

Blackburn v Everton

Chelsea v Norwich

Swansea v Sunderland

Liverpool v Bolton



Sunday:

Newcastle v Fulham

Tottenham v Man City: Preview

West Brom v Stoke

Man Utd v Arsenal: Preview



Premier League Spotlight



Paul Merson's Predictions

Lawro's Predictions

UEFA Champions League: Essential Guide to Group Stages

Telegraph Sport runs the rule over the English teams' Champions League opponents.

The Mill +

Friday's Rumours







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Italy: Paolo Bandini's Serie A 2011-12 Season Preview

Strike action will disrupt the opening weekend, but this could be a very open season in Italy.

Johnson latest German to join U.S. men's squad

Jurgen Klinsmann isn't the only German switching to the U.S. men's team.

Fabian Johnson, who started for Germany in the final of the Under-21 European Championship just two years ago, switched allegiance to the United States and was among 24 players chosen by Klinsmann on Thursday for exhibitions against Costa Rica and Belgium next month. The midfielder joins right back Timmy Chandler, a German-born defender who made his U.S. debut earlier this year.

Goalkeepers: Tim Howard (Everton, England), Bill Hamid (DC United).

Defenders: Carlos Bocanegra (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland), Edgar Castillo (Club America, Mexico), Timmy Chandler (Nuremberg, Germany), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover, Germany), Clarence Goodson (Brondby, Denmark), Zach Loyd (Dallas), Michael Orozco Fiscal (San Luis, Mexico), Heath Pearce (Chivas USA), Tim Ream (New York)

Midfielders: Kyle Beckerman (Salt Lake), Clint Dempsey (Fulham, England), Maurice Edu (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland), Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim, Germany), Sacha Kljestan (Anderlecht, Belgium), Jeff Larentowicz (Colorado), Robbie Rogers (Columbus), Brek Shea (Dallas), Jose Torres (Pachuca, Mexico)

Forwards: Juan Agudelo (New York), Jozy Altidore (AZ Alkmaar, Netherlands), Teal Bunbury (Kansas City), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles).

Friday MLS Forecast

The Forecast battens down the hatches for Irene and evaluates this weekend's matches.

UEFA Europa League: Roma crash out, Scots sent packing + Draw

Slovan Bratislava produced a spirited display at the Stadio Olimpico to cause the biggest upset of Thursday's Europa League play-off round by eliminating Italian giants Roma with a 2-1 aggregate victory. Sevilla were also high-profile casualties of the play-off round after drawing 1-1 at home to Hannover. Hearts' progress always looked unlikely after their 5-0 first-leg defeat to Tottenham and a 0-0 draw at White Hart Lane against a second-string Spurs side confirmed their exit. Celtic crashed out after losing 3-1 to FC Sion on the night and on aggregate. Rangers were the closest of the SPL clubs to advancing but despite dominating NK Maribor for most of the game, it was the Slovenian side who held on for a 1-1 draw, which secured a 3-2 aggregate victory. Dalibor Volas gave NK the lead and though Carlos Bocanegra equalised with 15 minutes to go, the Gers could not find the crucial second.



Group Stage Draw

Italy: Strike delays start of Serie A season

The Italian Players' Union (AIC) had hoped to reach a resolution with the Lega Serie A over a new collective bargaining agreement but talks in Milan broke down again on Friday morning.

UEFA Champions League: The Draw

Group A: Bayern Munich, Villarreal, Manchester City, Napoli.



Group B: Inter Milan, CSKA Moscow, Lille, Trabzonspor.



Group C: Manchester United, Benfica, FC Basel, Otelul Galati.



Group D: Real Madrid, Lyon, Ajax, Dinamo Zagreb.



Group E: Chelsea, Valencia, Bayer Leverkusen, Genk.



Group F: Arsenal, Marseille, Olympiakos, Borussia Dortmund.



Group G: FC Porto, Shakhtar Donetsk, Zenit St. Petersburg, FC Apoel.



Group H: Barcelona, Milan, FC BATE Borisov, Viktoria Plzen.

Nasri delivers broadside at Arsene Wenger after signing for Manchester City

"The fans here are passionate. They remind me a little of Marseille. Arsenal have good fans but they are not as passionate since they moved from Highbury to the Emirates. I remember when we played against Manchester City [last season] and lost 3-0 and the crowd were amazing. That is what I want.



"When you play football you want a good atmosphere and the stadium is unbelievable. When I saw the fans, they had tattoos and were passionate and that's what I want. I'm here to play football, enjoy it and win the title, not for the sun or something like that."

Why Juan Mata has the poise and maturity to suit Chelsea

Looking back at photographs of him signing for Valencia in July 2007, shaking the hand of a smiling Juan Soler - the president who brought the club to near-financial ruin - it is a reminder of just how much Mata has experienced in a mere four years in eastern Spain, and how his maturity has shone throughout.

The Mill +

Thursday's Rumours









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England: Carling Cup Round-up

League Two Aldershot caused a big shock in their first round clash at West Ham as they claimed a 2-1 win. Liverpool eased into the third round of the Carling Cup with a 3-1 win over League One Exeter City at St James' Park.



Round-Up

Jonathan Wilson: Samuel Eto'o takes step into the unknown with Anzhi Makhachkala

"Samuel Eto'o completed his £20m move to Anzhi Makhachkala on Wednesday." It's a sentence that feels odd, even in the inflated, globalised world of modern football. Eto'o, still one of the best forwards in the world, going to Dagestan, somewhere most western Europeans have heard of, if they've heard of it at all, only for what a Moscow official euphemistically termed "low-level Islamic insurgency".



Previously, Russia has provided a home for up-and-coming players from South America and Africa, the fabled stepping-stone into the big leagues of western Europe, and for those on the way down. Occasionally, as when Maniche and Costinha joined the Portuguese influx at Dynamo Moscow, it seems Russian football is about to join the mainstream. The Portuguese experiment at Dynamo didn't work, though, and the recognised players in their late 20s left and life went on much as before.

Sid Lowe in Spain

Every time they say goodbye, La Liga dies a little. Now Juan Mata has signed for Chelsea from Valencia, just as Sergio Aguero signed for Manchester City from Atlético Madrid. For fans of City and Chelsea, the transfers are fantastically exciting, two great additions to two teams aspiring to win the Premier League. For the Spanish league, they are frightening. Despite the injection of around 75 million euros, the transfers are confirmation of a worrisome trend.

UEFA Champions League Playoffs: Wednesday's Review, Reports & Analyses

Arsenal overcame a tough test against Udinese to secure their place in the Champions League group stage after recording a 3-1 aggregate win. Lyon also booked their path to the next phase after a 4-2 aggregate victory over Rubin Kazan. Benfica put in an impressive performance at home to FC Twente, recording a 3-1 triumph that saw them progress. Belarusian side FC BATE Borisov are also through following a 2-0 victory over Sturm Graz. FC Viktoria Plzen added their name to the hat with a 2-1 (5-2 on aggregate) scalp of Copenhagen.



Review



Udinese 1 - 2 Arsenal (3-1 agg.)

Kevin McCarra at Stadio Friuli

David Hytner at Stadio Friuli

Richard Williams: Arsenal forwards secure qualification

Nigel Winterburn's Take

Jon Carter: Rewind to 1963

Ever since they became global icons, footballers have been the target of criminals and terrorists. In 1963, one of the finest players ever to lace up his boots, Real Madrid's Alfredo Di Stefano, was kidnapped in order to attract publicity for the Armed Forces of National Liberation (FALN) campaign against government corruption in Venezuela. After 56 hours, on August 26, he was released unharmed.