1/19 Soccer News and Notes: 100th U.S. Open Cup Schedule Leaked, Xolos Vs USMNT
By Doug Smith
We have been awaiting word on formatting and schedule for the 100th edition of the U.S. Open Cup and the fine folks at thecup.us have uncovered some details. They are reporting that 16 Premier Development League teams will be included in the cup competition for 2013. The first round matches are set for May 14th with the final taking place on the first or second of October. Semifinal match ups will be played on either August 7th or 21st. The leaked schedule has not yet been ratified. Remember you can help with the coverage of the U.S. Open Cup by donating to their good cause.
Defending Mexican League champion Tijuana will play a friendlyagainst the U.S. National Team on the 22nd of this month. It will be played at the Home Depot Center at 4 p.m. Pacific but will be closed to the public. None of the players that feature for Xolos in their week three match against against Pumas will be used.
OCT 28, 2012; Frisco, TX, USA; FC Dallas midfielder Brek Shea (20) waits to place a scarf on the Lamar Hunt statue before the match against Chivas USA at FC Dallas Stadium. The match ends in a draw 2-2. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Rumors swirled all around Brek Shea all day yesterday. There is interest in the rehabbing winger from Stoke City, Geoff Cameron’s squad in the Barclays Premier League. It was reported that a physical was the only thing standing in the way of the transfer that could see Shea move to leftback. The reports were quickly squashed as FC Dallas turned down an offer of $3 million although the teams are still bargaining. It is possible that by the time this posts the transfer may have gone through for the blond haired Adidas spokesperson. Could the two sides really be arguing over $500,000 at this point? That won’t the first time that is all that separated Stoke and Major League Soccer. Remember that Shea was shown being very animated with coach Schellas Hyndman before his injury and even found himself as an on-looker for a few games.
It also looks like Freddy Adu is out, but not for a good reason. Philadelphia is weighing their options and hoping to find a new home for Adu who will probably not even be with the team when training begins. The Union has skirted questions about the future of Adu. He was not playing much at the end of the 2012 season as Doop were out of the playoff race.
In good news for the U.S. youth teams, Brazil and Argentina were bounced from the U-20 World Cup.
To quench your soccer thirst even further, ESPN has acquired the rights to the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations with every game broadcast on ESPN3 beginning tomorrow.
Finally, in a state riddled with controversy over immigration laws, activists have called for a boycott of a Mexican soccer match. Many pro-immigration activists are asking fans not to attend the match against Denmark at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Denmark and Mexico both have sizable followers in Arizona, but that is a huge stadium. If the boycott works it could make for a very quiet night.