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Parlez Vous Francais?Andrew Jacobson has blown off MLS for France

Posted On 02/01/2008 14:11:22

After absorbing the news that Andrew Jacobson has blown off MLS for France, let's take a deep breath and look at the big picture.

If he had signed with DCU, he was looking at either an upper-developmental contract ($17,700) or a minimum senior deal ($33,000). Bottom line: He's going to earn more in France. Which does not reflect well on MLS -- that a young, promising player is shunning his domestic league for an opportunity. Not a fat contract and a starting job, just an opportunity in a second-tier European league.

Will DCU miss him? In the short term, no. In the long term, probably. With nothing but college experience, Jacobson was not going to see much, if any, first-team action this year. No surprise there. However, he certainly holds some promise of becoming a good professional and, with time, developing into a solid MLS player (think, perhaps, Jeff Larentowicz?). Not that he's completely out of the DCU picture; the club will retain his MLS rights through 2009, so if things do not work out in France and he wants to return, United has first crack at him.

washington post.

Tags: Andrew Jacobson Has Blown Off MLS For France

Past super draft MLS 2008

Posted On 02/01/2008 12:56:37

2007 > Edu, TFC
2006 > Wynne, NY
2005 > Besagno, RSL
2004 > Adu, DC
2003 > Eskandarian, DC
2002 > Gbandi, DAL
2001 > Carrieri, SJ
2000 > Shak, MET
1999 > Moore, DC
1998 > Cullen , MIA
1997 > Jakins, COL
1996 > McBride, CLB

Tags: MLS 2008 Draft

Kaka Lifts FIFA World Player of the Year Title

Posted On 12/17/2007 15:21:04

Sporting Life
Ballon d'Or winner Kaka also took home FIFA's top individual prize, heralding the arrival of a new generation of stars. The 25-year-old Brazilian was competing with Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo, 22, and Barcelona's Lionel Messi, 20, for the prestigious award. "All three of us are young," Kaka told reporters before Monday's event. "This means that football has started a new cycle."

Despite AC Milan's domestic problems in Serie A, Kaka led the Rossoneri to the UEFA Champions League title last season, scoring 10 goals during the eight-month long knockout competition. On Sunday, Milan added the Club World Cup title to its trophy cabinet, thrashing Boca Juniors, the South American champion, 4-2, in the final in Yokohama. Kaka was once again instrumental in the victory, scoring once and assisting on two other goals.

Despite another fine individual performance, the Brazilian insisted that Milan could not be successful without the entire team. "A great player doesn't exist without a great squad," he added. "In [Yokohama], it was Milan's victory, not Kaka's. And we are all extremely happy for this success that has taken us to the top of the world … Individual prizes in soccer don't exist."

www.worldsoccerconnection.net

Tags: Kaka FIFAWorld Player Of The Year Title

Veron Snubs D.C. United

Posted On 12/17/2007 15:19:24

SI.com
Juan Sebastian Veron's deal with Major League Soccer collapsed over the weekend after the Argentine revealed that he couldn't leave behind his teammates and the club he supported as a boy. The Estudiantes playmaker had agreed to a multiyear contract that would have paid him nearly $4 million per year. D.C. United was so confident the deal would go through that the club scheduled a Wednesday afternoon press conference where he would meet the team and be presented with his jersey.

"I'm staying because of the fans and my teammates. The truth is that I couldn't say goodbye," Veron told Ole.com. "My teammates' request for me to stay was very important. And I couldn't ignore the fans' affection. It is impossible not to be touched when you are an Estudiantes fan."

Veron started his professional career with Estudiantes in 1994 and it looks like it will end that way, too. His decision to re-sign with the La Plata club -- his contract expired on Saturday -- ends D.C. United's a six-month chase by D.C. United during which the Argentine seemed to change his mind several times. "My teammates told me: 'We fought for a year to play in the Copa Libertadores and we have to stay together'," the 32-year-old Veron said. "It was a lot of money; maybe I would advise a kid to go. But in a situation like mine it is better to live for the things that give you happiness."

www.worldsoccerconnection.net

Tags: VeronD.C United

Patrick Nyarko, the accidental collegian

Posted On 12/07/2007 11:06:27

by Paul Kennedy, Friday, Dec 7, 2007 8:15 AM ET

TWO YEARS AGO, COLLEGE SOCCER fans were only starting to get a glimpse of Virginia Tech's Patrick Nyarko.

The Ghanaian freshman terrorized opponents but few outside the ACC heard of him.

"He's the reason we're in every game," said Hokie coach Oliver Weiss after a 2-1 Tech win at Virginia in which Nyarko scored both goals. "He's a special kid and a special player."

Last year, Nyarko doubled his output from eight to 16 goals, but still remained a secret.

This year, with an influx of experienced players from England and Germany, Nyarko hasn't had to carry the Hokies, but his influence has grown.

Nyarko's winning goal against Old Dominion last weekend was only his sixth of the season but it moved the Hokies into the quarterfinals for the first time.

Finally, everyone is learning what Hokie fans have known for three seasons. Nyarko just might be the most talented player in college soccer.

But he ended up at Virginia Tech by accident.

Nyarko grew up speaking Twi in Kumasi, the capital of the Ashanti region, and learned English by watching ESPN and CNN on television.

Weiss had some soccer contacts in Ghana, and he stumbled upon Nyarko, whose father wanted him to concentrate on his studies and refused to let him play soccer in school.

Soccer and education were a hard sell when Weiss came calling, but Nyarko's father, a banker, relented after hearing of Tech's academics.

"If education wasn't involved, that conversation would have lasted maybe a minute," Patrick Nyarko told the Richmond Times-Dispatch. "My father would just say 'No.'"

Nyarko, a psychology major, and Joshua Boateng, another Ghanaian who has since transferred to Liberty, marveled at the academic facilities available to students when they arrived in Blacksburg in 2005.

Nyarko's father was put at ease.

NYARKO STATS
Year GP-GS G-A-P
2005 15-12 8-6-22
2006 20-17 16-8-40
2007 20-17 6-10-22

Soccer America

Tags: College Soccer International Players

Europe- Champions League last result

Posted On 11/07/2007 15:28:50

FC Barcelona 2-0 Glasgow Rangers (2-0)
Fenerbahce 2-0 PSV Eindhoven (2-0)
Inter Milan 4-2 CSKA Moscow (2-2)
Manchester United 4-0 Dynamo Kiev (2-0)
Olympique Lyonnais 3-2 VfB Stuttgart (3-1)
Slavia Prague 0-0 Arsenal FC (0-0)
Sporting Clube 2-1 AS Roma (1-1)
Steaua Bucharest 0-2 FC Sevilla (0-1)

Tags: Europe Champions League Last Results

All the Major League Soccer Salaries by teams in 2007

Posted On 10/25/2007 15:24:46

The MLS player's association has just released the salaries and compensations per year for of all the MLS players in the Union.
Source:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sports/mls/longterm/2007/salaries_07.html

www.worldsoccerconnection.net

Tags: Major Leagues Soccer Salaries Players Beckham

World cup 2010 move, NIKE, Reaches Agreement to Acquire Umbro

Posted On 10/23/2007 12:53:30

Move significantly expands Nike's global leadership in football

BEAVERTON, Ore. PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- NIKE, Inc. today announced that it has reached agreement on an all-cash offer to acquire Umbro plc, a leading United Kingdom-based global football (soccer) brand with more than 70 years of experience in the world's No. 1 sport and the world's biggest football market.

The Board of Directors of Umbro plc, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange, has unanimously recommended that shareholders accept the offer of 193.06 pence, which together with the declared dividend values the company at approximately $582 million (285 million pounds sterling), or approximately $4.00 (195 pence) per share.

"Umbro is a brand with a powerful heritage and deep experience in the world's most popular sport and the world's biggest football market," said Nike, Inc. President and CEO Mark Parker. "With its close links to The Football Association and the England team, Umbro's future is even stronger than its past. This dynamic alignment of Umbro and Nike, with our complementary strengths and numerous ways to segment and grow the market, will lead the game at every level throughout the world. We are fully committed to helping Umbro reach its full potential, and we are delighted that Umbro's board is unanimous in its support of our offer."

The acquisition will significantly expand Nike's global leadership in football, a key growth category for the company. Since the early 1990s, Nike has grown its football revenues from about $40 million to approximately $1.5 billion and established brand leadership in the sport. Umbro sells products directly or through licensees in more than 90 countries and has sports marketing relationships with many top football players, teams and leagues, including the England national team. Umbro's 2006 annual revenues were approximately $276 million (149.5 million pounds). Umbro reports that if licensed sales were translated to direct sales based on wholesale cost, total wholesale equivalent sales were approximately $755 million (409.4 million pounds).

Commenting on the agreement, Umbro CEO Steve Makin said, "This is an excellent deal for all our stakeholders: it provides great value for shareholders and exciting prospects for our colleagues, partners and customers around the world. We will be a stronger and better business as part of Nike and this deal will allow us to accelerate our existing growth strategy by leveraging Nike's global resources and expertise. We look forward to taking Umbro to new levels with Nike's support."

Brian Barwick, CEO of The Football Association, said: "The FA has enjoyed an excellent partnership with Umbro for more than 20 years. We are delighted that the proposed acquisition will allow us to continue our strong historical relationship with Umbro while benefiting from the marketing expertise and financial strength of Nike. Nike has provided firm assurances that The FA relationship with Umbro will be protected and enhanced, and we look forward to working closely with both companies moving forward."

Nike intends to operate Umbro as a stand-alone affiliate brand, with a focus on accelerating the brand's existing growth strategy. Similar to other brands in Nike's portfolio, Umbro will benefit from Nike's product research, design and development expertise, and supply chain and distribution resources.

Umbro will join a strong and growing Nike portfolio of affiliate brands, including Converse, which was acquired by Nike in 2003, Cole Haan and Hurley International. Converse exemplifies Nike's track record of acquiring and growing complementary brands. Since acquiring Converse in 2003, revenue has grown at a compound rate of 22 percent, and in fiscal 2007 Converse revenues grew over 20 percent to surpass $550 million. The brand has benefited from Nike product design and brand management expertise. Nike's portfolio of other businesses is contributing more than $2 billion in revenue today, and is targeted to contribute 25 percent of the company's revenue growth by fiscal 2011. To discuss these developments with analysts and investors, the company will hold a conference call Tuesday, October 23, at 3 pm ET.

www.worldsoccerconnection.net

Tags: Nikeumbrofootballsoccer $582 Millions