The Red Bulls completed their participation in the Emirates Cup on Sunday and they aren’t returning to the States empty-handed. They will return stateside as the 2011 Emirates Cup champion. Here is a look at their performance in the tournament and what it means for the MLS.

Red Bulls 1-0 PSG

The Red Bulls started the two-day tournament with a victory over now oil money-rich Paris St. Germain. PSG has been busy upgrading their squad, but it wasn’t enough to beat the Red Bulls. New York got off to a quick start in the game and it was punctuated by a 27^th minute goal by Joel Lindpere off a well placed through ball by Juan Agudelo. PSG came back strong in the second half garnering most of the possession, but they failed to take their chances. New York finished the day on top of the leader board after their surprising victory.

Red Bulls 1-1 Arsenal

The second day was a special moment for Arsenal and Thierry Henry as he was given a rousing ovation on his return to the Emirates. In typical Arsenal fashion, the Gunners controlled much of the first half dominating possession. The Red Bulls did have a few chances with Henry shooting wide and forcing a save from Arsenal keeper Szczesny on a free-kick opportunity. Arsenal finished the first half 1-0 to the good on a headed goal from captain of the day Robin van Persie from a cross by Tomas Rosicky. The second half went much like the first as Arsenal again dominated possession, but couldn’t find another goal. Their chance to win the Emirates Cup was squandered on an 84^th minute own goal by young center back Kyle Bartley. With the game finishing level, the Red Bulls were crowned champions.

The MLS certainly took a hit with recent fixtures against top English sides most notably Manchester United’s thrashing of Seattle 7-0 and dismantling of the MLS All-Stars 4-0. With the Red Bulls winning the Emirates Cup,  the MLS regains some credibility. Also it opens the doors for other MLS clubs to participate in the tournament. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Rapids make an appearance now with Kroenke a majority owner of both clubs. The Red Bulls winning and drawing a match against top European sides, although friendly matches will garner attention around the world. It is a great publicity boost for the MLS, who certainly needed it.

The tournament also provided the Red Bulls players with experience against top players, which can only benefit New York and ultimately the MLS. Having the Red Bulls participate in the Emirates Cup, although drawing the ire of fans, was very beneficial to the Red Bulls and MLS. It also provided a nice moment for Henry. I look forward to seeing more MLS teams participate in these types of tournaments to grow the league and ultimately provide a better product, for us, the fans.

Photo by alemaxale

Sir Alex Ferguson has already signaled his intent to the rest of the Premier League and world soccer, snatching up Phil Jones, Ashley Young and David De Gea for around £60 million. Sir Alex Ferguson and United are surely not resting on their laurels. They’re improving their squad that won the record-breaking 19th Premier League title as well as finished runners up in the Champions League. Even with these major additions, are United still missing a final piece?

Looking at the United roster, they seem to have a void at the attacking midfield spot in their line-up. Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher are both serviceable center midfielders, but both don’t really add that attacking flair. Ryan Giggs is another option, but with his now well known off-the-field issues and his somehow to this point age-defying performances, he is bound to slow down and can’t be called upon to play the required games to be a fixture in the starting 11. There is also Anderson patrolling the United midfield, but he seems more of a rugged, defensive minded player to me, even with his Brazilian heritage.

One option that United can continue to explore is keeping Wayne Rooney in the hole behind Chicharito, which worked throughout the title-winning campaign. Although, Rooney can play there I think his best position is slightly higher up the pitch allowing him to focus on banging goals in rather then setting them up.

Another option is using new signee Ashley Young as an attacking midfielder. He has played there in the past, but there is no doubt his best position is on the wings and is most certainly what he was brought to Man United to do. Also lining up on the opposite side of Nani or Valencia will torment Premier League fullbacks due to their pace. Keeping Young on the wings allows him to play an even more vital role in the more direct, quick counter-attacking game that United have become so adept at.

That leaves the option that Man United need to purchase an attacking midfielder and Ferguson seems to agree with this. His reported pursuit of Samir Nasri and previous links with Dutch midfielder Wesley Sneijder show Sir Alex is hot on the trail of another attacking option.

By adding a player in this position it could really take some of the pressure off Wayne Rooney, who has been playing in deeper positions. Also, adding an attacking midfield can relieve some of the goal-scoring burden off the forward triumvirate of Dimitar Berbatov, Wayne Rooney and this past season’s biggest surprise — Javier Hernandez.

An addition of an attacking midfielder may benefit United more in the Champions League than the Premier League. Manchester United could potentially face-off with Barcelona at some point in next year’s competition. It is no secret that United’s midfield was no match for Barca’s, which Barca has done to so many teams before the final. With an attacking mid, United could have another player to help hold on to the ball if they have a rematch at some point. Also it would allow a link with Rooney rather then him having to play so deep.

Although, they are the defending champions and have already improved with recent signings, Manchester United still need the final piece to the puzzle in an attack minded midfielder.

Do you think a signing in this role is required for United’s push to repeat? Could it be the signing that brings them back to Champions League glory? Have your say in the comments.

Photo by Ronnie Macdonald

There have been many transfer rumors regarding Samir Nasri. The three most prominent have been to Manchester United,  Manchester City and now, as a late development on Friday evening, Chelsea. Surely Arsenal cannot sell one of their best players to their Premiership rivals.

Nasri has been in contract talks since the end of the season. He has one year on his deal and is looking for an increase in his wages. Although he claims it is to see the club’s ambition before he signs, I don’t believe it.

Arsene and Arsenal already are having a tough summer ahead with the constant Cesc to Barca rumors as well as Clichy’s prospective departure and possible others out the door such as Bendtner. Clichy is being touted to sign for Man City as well, while Bendtner could end up possibly at Borussia Dortmund, although no concrete offer for the Dane has been made.

If Cesc is to go, the club cannot let Nasri leave. Losing two of your best players would be a nightmare start to the upcoming Premier League campaign as well as Arsenal having to deal with certain backlash from supporters.

Arsene has already spoken out saying he will not sell to Manchester United. I don’t see him acting against that statement and selling him to the defending champions and arguably Arsenal’s biggest title rival. I also don’t see United spending the £20million on a player with one year remaining on his deal with the spending spree they have already been on.

As far as the two Manchester clubs, City seems to be the more likely. They have money constantly burning their pockets as well as they can offer wages that no other club can. There also is a precedent for Arsenal selling players to City. In the summer of 2009, Arsenal sold both Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Adebayor to them. This was before Man City seemed to be a title contender. Also Toure and Adebayor were desperate to leave the Emirates with Toure’s declining relationship with Gallas and Adebayor looking for wages Arsenal wouldn’t offer.

However, Man City has backed off the stance that they are trying to sign the French midfielder. They have been only monitoring him and view him as a back-up plan for later in the summer according to The Guardian.

If Man City’s interest peaks then selling Nasri even for the quoted £20million, which is a good bit of business for a player with a year left, sends a bad message to current players and possible incoming ones. By selling one of their best players to a league rival, surely it would send out the notion that Arsenal isn’t going to compete for the Premier League title and are only looking for Champions League qualification, which had the season ran on a little longer this season, they may have missed out on.

The only way I can see Arsenal selling Nasri is to a club abroad. There are reports that AC Milan and Inter could be interested and it Arsenal are to sell, selling to one of these two clubs seem to be in the best interest of Arsenal FC.

However, Arsenal can’t run the risk of not selling Nasri and allowing him to walk for free at the end of the season, much like Flamini did when he left for Milan. If he refuses to renew his contract, he must either be sold this window or in January.

Arsenal needs to sell on their terms and before they sell Nasri, they need to sort out Cesc’s situation because losing both players is surely a disaster. Also if they are to sell they need to find a replacement and sign him before Nasri exits the Emirates.

Will Nasri re-sign? Will he end up at United? Will Man City pick up interest? Will he be shipped abroad or will his contract expire and be free to sign wherever he pleases next year? Voice your opinion in the comments.

Photo by timsnell

In many sports the old adage is defense wins champions. Although Blackburn has struggled to be in the top half of the table recently, their defense was a key to avoiding relegation. With the departure of Phil Jones to Manchester United, can Blackburn lose another key defensive player?

In my eyes, Christopher Samba was Blackburn’s best player last season. I’ll admit I haven’t watched many Blackburn games over the course of the previous season, but he seemed to shine in the few that I did watch. One game I recall that he was immense in was late in the year against Manchester City. Blackburn did lose that game, but Samba gave a man of the match performance. He put in perfectly timed tackles and blocks as well as being a threat when attacking.

If Samba were to leave, with Arsenal heading the queue for his services, it would be a huge loss especially paired with his defensive partner’s departure to Man United. Blackburn don’t necessarily have to sell and manager Steve Kean made this very clear. “We don’t have to sell him. He signed a five-year contract in the last window,” said Kean. “He’s one of the players we would like to keep.”

However, to me Kean’s comments are a little bit hypocritical. Kean, speaking of Jones said, “It was difficult with Phil because he got the opportunity to go to Manchester United and he wanted to play Champions League football now and we’re not there yet.” Granted, you don’t want to lose two defenders, let alone starting defenders in the same window, but that doesn’t strike me as fair to Samba.

Samba has made clear his ambitions to play on a team competing for titles rather than one staving off relegation. He said, “For four-and-a-half years I have been at Blackburn and fought against relegation.” He also went on to add,  “If a good opportunity presents itself, I want to take it. I hope the club will understand if I want to make the step up and not prevent a deal.”

Samba does have a contract until 2015, but contracts these days don’t hold the weight they used to. The new contract could very well have been for Blackburn to get a higher fee when he is eventually sold.

As much as Kean and Blackburn fans may want to keep him, is it really worth keeping a player who wants to be somewhere else? I think if Samba is really intent on leaving, selling him sooner rather than later is in the club’s best interest.

Selling him now will allow them to find a suitable replacement. So far, Samba hasn’t put in a transfer request, but if he does the situation may get a little ugly although Blackburn still won’t have to sell him. However, they may not want a sulking player in their squad in a team hoping to improve from last year’s poor form.

Photo by Joscarfas

Friday night sees the New York Red Bulls take on the New England Revolution. The Red Bulls went winless for the month of May going 0-2-4 and added another draw to begin June. That leaves them seven games without a win. There’s no better example then last week’s game where they gave up a 90^th+ minute goal to Columbus to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

However, the Red Bulls are not the only slumping team in this fixture. The Revolution have lost their last four games, three of them coming by way of a shutout. Even though the Red Bulls have several key players out, they still have a fantastic chance to take all three points.

Regardless of who’s on the pitch for the Red Bulls, they should be up for this game. This fixture is known as the I-95 rivalry and one that has led to many great battles between both teams. The three keys to the Red Bulls winning this game are simple:

1. The link-up play between Thierry Henry and Luke Rodgers must continue. In MLS, there may not be a hotter pair of strikers in the league. Henry has 6 goals with three assists and Rodgers has added 5 goals as well as three assists.
2. No Penalty Kicks. The Red Bulls have allowed three penalties in the last four games. These goals have been the main reason for the Red Bulls failure to gain all three points lately. If they can avoid these mistakes at the back, they should have a good chance of winning.
3. Play hard until the whistle. This should really be a no-brainer, but the Red Bulls failed to do this last Saturday against the Crew giving up a goal in the 92^nd minute scored by Rich Balchan.

The Red Bulls do not want to fall further off the pace of the Union at the top of the East standings and by following these keys, even with a weakened side, they should be able to gain all three points.

How good was the move by Portsmouth for Defoe? Defoe has a goal per game average with six since the move while Benjani has scored just once since joining City.

Manchester United is a wrecking ball heading for a double.

Right now Christiano Ronaldo is virtually unstoppable and I feel lucky to be watching him in his current form.

Well timed, hard but fair tackles are becoming a lost art. Is tackling even taught any more?

Derby will be seeing a lot more of Fulham next season.

What has happened to Man City and who will score goals for them?

Arsenal had a near death experience and now somehow has a pulse. Barely

What must Beckham be thinking after earning his 100^th cap for England then suffering through 90 minutes of humiliation in LA’s 0 -4 season opener to Colorado?

The MLS is still difficult to watch.

Yes I know that the big boys are matched together this weekend in what has been deemed Grand Slam Sunday but for some teams outside of the top four Saturday’s matches will prove just as important and may provide even more dramatic. While it seems there has been endless analysis of the matchups this Sunday I would like to focus on a few games on Saturday that could decide the season for those teams involved.

Newcastle vs. Fulham

The game between these two in December in which Newcastle won on a late penalty may have been one of the worst played games I have seen all year.   I have seen better quality in the local pub league and neither team deserved to gain points on the day.   This game looks to me like a train wreck waiting to happen. On one hand you have a team in New Castle desperate for their first win under King Keegan while for Fulham a loss may seal their fate to relegation.  Fulham on the road also have been terrible.

I predict an ugly scrappy affair filled with bookings that could easily be decided by an own goal but I think Newcastle will finally prevail at home with a 2 – 0 win.  For Fulham this will end their hopes of staying up.

Reading vs. Birmingham

This is a tough game to call with both teams struggling to stay above the bottom three in the league. The two teams are separated by a mere point with Reading on top with 28 points but the loser of this game could be dealt a severe blow to their hopes of staying up. Recent back to back wins against Boro and Man City have propelled Reading out of immediate danger but they still have problems especially when it comes to scoring.  There is no consistency this year with the strikers which is odd for this team usually confident in the scoring department. Lita was recently sent on loan and Doyle has not been able to recapture his form from last year. Kitson and Long have shown flashes but have mostly been average.

Birmingham has impressed me however in some of the matches I have seen them in and at times play some quality football. They also seem to be a team that is improving and have only lost one of their last six including four draws.  I see this as an all out entertaining game but feel Birmingham will secure an important away point in yet another draw. Final score: 1-1

Everton vs.  West Ham

At the start of this season I really believed someone new would crack the Top Four.  I pegged Arsenal to drop to fifth and Everton was among a few teams I thought could compete to jump into the fourth spot.  Yeah I was completely off base on the Arsenal call but was just as wrong in my Liverpool assessment considering I had them finally taking the league title! Oh well at least there is still a battle for someone to break into for the top four this late in the season. The loss to Fulham last week however could mean that Everton will not be able to keep pace with Liverpool but will still see them having a hugely successful season.

West Ham has nothing but pride to play for after a series of games where opponents were scoring at will on them. The Hammers had a string of three consecutive 4 -0 defeats before they finally stopped the bleeding last week by beating Blackburn. With no fear of relegation and no hopes of Europe West Ham will at least want to close out the season strong.  Everton on the other hand has much more at stake and will take this one 2-0 thus putting pressure on Liverpool to gain something at Old Trafford.  As much as I would like to see someone crack into the Big Four this season I feel even with a win tomorrow Everton will not be able to keep pace but should be very proud by earning the fifth spot in the end.

I can’t wait for Grand Slam Sunday or whatever you want to call it but I think Saturday has some really interesting and exciting games which should be a great primer for a memorable holiday weekend!

You almost had to figure that Jeremie Aliadiere would score the goal that would see Boro to a 1 – 1 draw at the Emirates. This is the guy that could not buy a goal during his long stay at Arsenal yet pops up with one that leads again to points dropped by the Gunners. The result also puts them now second in the league to Man United on goal differential with United having a game in hand. Chelsea has crept into the mix and see themselves only three games back of the new league leaders having played the same amount of games.

Arsenal are now on a stretch of four straight league draws including games against teams dwelling in the lower half of the table Wigan and Birmingham. In these four games they have also only scored a total of four goals. Arsene Wenger sums it all up saying…

“It’s a very disappointing result today for us because we dropped eight points in the last four games. When you’re in the race for the championship, especially when you have the opponents we have, that’s a big disappointment but we have to keep belief, spirit and focus for the next game.”

Ah yes the next game. How about the next four games where Arsenal will be away to Chelsea and Bolton, home against Liverpool, then away against Manchester United? Throw in two Champions League games versus Liverpool and you get four weeks that will test the character and depth of the team. Being an Arsenal fan I hate the fact that the team has leaked points in the last four weeks considering the competition faced but the good news is that now the title race should be a memorable three team affair with huge clashes between them yet to come.

Although I can’t say with certain what team will end up at the top of the table I do know is that I will most likely drink way too many beers , drive my wife crazy watching way too many games, and lose what is left of my hair from stress yet completely enjoying every bit of the end of this season!

I completely enjoyed watching the matches between Arsenal and Milan and was impressed by the skill and sportsmanship displayed by both sides. I knew going in that both sides would be strong defensively but the balance tipped in favor for Arsenal through the play of the midfield. The strength of the Milan team during their CL run last year was made to look old and ordinary by the pace and passing of the Arsenal midfield which at times just took over both matches. Pirlo had no impact in either game and Seedorf in the first leg was totally missing. Gattuso and Ambrosini seemed hard pressed to keep up with the pace and wore down as the games progressed. Kaka was visibly shaken and taken off his game with the constant pressure he absorbed while on the ball. The fact that he could not just use his speed to blow through the midfield had him frustrated both matches.

I realized during these games that watching the duo of Fabregas and Flamini I was possibly seeing a partnership that could be special for years to come. Last year I was not concerned with the future of Flamini as an Arsenal player but now believe signing him to a new contract has to be first priority for the team.

The Champions League game tomorrow versus AC Milan could easily define the season for Arsenal. At times this year no team in Europe has looked better then Arsenal and their free flowing style of football has been a joy to watch. Players such has Fabregas and Gallas have spoken about their desire to win trophies this year and at least early on the team looked unified in proving those who predicted a post Henry collapse wrong.

My outlook on Arsenal’s season changed however after the fifth round FA Cup result versus Man U. In my opinion the total lack of interest and effort shown by Arsenal against a arch rival sent up a red flag concerning the character of the team. This was not a ‘B’ team that was on the pitch and included a core group of team leaders such as Gallas, Toure, Fabregas, and Gilberto. The same players that have spoken so much about winning trophies decided not to show up. Even more concerning was how some players reacted to pressure. Eboue was sent off for a senseless challenge and Gallas could also have easily been sent off with his kicking of Nani.

When the draw was first announced I was elated and felt that Arsenal could easily advance against a injury riddled Milan team that was mired in a disappointing domestic season. I now look at AC Milan as experienced, dangerous foe who will fight to defend their European title. If Arsenal gives a flat, emotionless performance and fails to get a result at home then I feel the season could easily fall apart for them. If Arsenal decides to restore some pride and plays with heart this first leg could be a stepping stone for a special season. I sincerely hope Arsenal responds the right way.