USSoccerPlayers

Tuesday's TV

Fox Soccer Channel has Fulham - Burnley at 2:45pm. Same time for Manchester City - Bolton on Setanta. Copa Libertadores on Fox Sports en Espanol: Cerro - Deportivo Quito at 3pm, Catolica - Colon at 5pm, Lanus - Libertard at 7:30pm, and Nacional - Once Caldas at 12:30am (Wednesday).  All Times Eastern

Monday's Daily: In All Fairness To South Africa

With J Hutcherson -- A couple of weeks ago, a FIFA official chastised the rest of the World's media for "not giving South Africa a chance" when it came to getting things right in time for the World Cup. Specifically, FIFA secretary/general Jerome Valcke said "Don't kill the World Cup before the World Cup is taking place. I mean, give us a chance. Give South Africa a chance to organize a great World Cup. Give a chance to people to fly to South Africa, and don't tell them every day that they should not fly to South Africa."

With a few months remaining, I would argue South Africa has been given too much of a chance for FIFA to expect anything else from the journalists following the story.

American Abroad: Altidore Scores

First Star: Score your first Premier League goal and take the top spot in our weekend roundup. Jozy Altidore did that for Hull, and even better they won 2-1 over Manchester City. Altidore scored the opener in the 31st-minute. George Boateng made it 2-0 in the 54th. Manchester City pulled one back in the 59th, but it was Hull's day. "We got at them, like we did against Chelsea, and set a high tempo from the start with the two up front causing problems," Hull assistant Brian Horton said. "The first half was as well as we've played for a long, long time."

Second Star: After leaving MLS for the Mexican Liga, Herculez Gomes made the most of his debut for Puebla, scoring in the 46th-minute in their 1-1 draw with Atlante. Gomez was subbed out in the 61st-minute.

Third Star: Carlos Bocanegra is back, anchoring his side of the Stade Rennes defense in their 4-2 win over Bordeaux at the Stade de la Route-de-Lorient. Rennes were up 3-0 by the 48th-minute and fought off an attempted comeback by Ligue 1 leaders Bordeaux to take all three points.

Gulati Re-Elected

Sunil Gulati will have another four years in charge of the United States Soccer Federation. Gulati was elected unanimously to his second term as US Soccer Federation president on Sunday at the Annual General Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana. 

Monday's TV

No games today.

Sunday's TV

EPL on Setanta: Birmingham City - Wolverhampton at 8:30am. On FSC: Chelsea - Arsenal at 11am.

Serie A on FSC: Bologna - Milan at 9am and Fiorentina - Roma at 2:15pm. Ligue 1 on Setanta: Toulouse - Lyon at 11am and Marseille - Valenciennes at 3pm. La Liga on ESPN Deportes: Deportivo - Malaga at 11am. On GolTV: Real Zaragoza - Sevilla at 1pm and Racing Santander - Atletico Madrid at 3pm.

Saturday's TV

EPL on ESPN2: Liverpool - Everton at 7:30am. On Setanta: Manchester United - Portsmouth at 9:30am, Burnley, West Ham United at 5pm, and Bolton - Fulham at 8:30pm. On Fox Soccer Channel: Hull City - Manchester City at 10am, Spurs - Aston Villa at 12:15pm, and Sunderland - Wigan at 7pm. Championship on Setanta: Doncaster - Reading at 12:15pm.

Marsch Joins US Staff

Major League Soccer veteran midfielder Jesse Marsch announced his retirement from Chivas USA on Friday, and that he will become one of US National Team coach Bob Bradley's assistants.  Bradley coached Marsh in college and with DC United, the Chicago Fire, and Chivas USA. 

“I would like to sincerely thank my family, friends, teammates, coaches and supporters for the past 14 excellent years,” Marsch said. “Many people have touched my life in a very positive way, and these relationships have shaped and will continue to shape me and my family. I am excited to get started with US Soccer, and I hope for continued success and support within the sport of soccer.”

US Referees Not Selected For World Cup Duty

No United States referees will be involved in the 2010 World Cup either as match official or assistant referee.  FIFA released the list of 30 referees for the tournament with two assistants per official, representing 28 countries.  US official Jair Marrufo was the only American submitted on the provisional list of 38 referees, but he didn't make the final list.  CONCACAF had four referees selected alongside seven assistant referees.  El Salvador, Mexico (2), and Guatemala are represented with referees.  Canada, Costa Rica, and Honduras join those countries with officials on the assistant referee list.  A PDF of the officials list is available from FIFA.com

Friday's Daily

Europe

Chelsea win Kakuta case to overturn transfer ban -- from The Independent's Sam Wallace: Sources at the club said that they had been confident of the verdict for some time.

Rangers take vow of silence over treble prospects, but close look at their squad shows they have plenty to shout about -- from The Herald's Michael Grant: That’s a side Smith could believe in to get a domestic result anywhere, including Parkhead.

Friday's TV

Bundesliga on GolTV: Werder Bremen - Hertha Berlin at 2:30pm. Mexican Liga on Galavision: Queretaro - Chivas at 9:30pm. All Times Eastern

Bradley Calls Camp For El Salvador

On Thursday, Bob Bradley named his 23-player camp roster for the February 24th friendly against El Salvador. Since this isn't an official FIFA date, all players are from Major League Soccer.

10 Questions With... Phil Salvagio

By Clemente Lisi - NEW YORK, NY (Feb 4, 2010) USSoccerPlayers -- The San Diego Sockers are one of this country’s most storied soccer franchises. The team, winners of 10 MISL titles, disappeared in 2004 as a member of the Major Indoor Soccer League.

Last fall, a fourth incarnation of the Sockers (the club previously played in the original NASL, MISL and WISL) returned to the field. The brainchild of Phil Salvagio, a former Sockers goalkeeper who made the team in 1993 after showing up for an open tryout, San Diego once again has a pro indoor team to call its own.

The team currently plays in the Professional Arena Soccer League’s Pro Division at the 4,000-seat Del Mar Arena. The complex, used largely for horse shows, was upgraded last year. That included putting a roof over it so that it could function as an indoor facility.

Salvagio wears two hats – both as the Sockers’ head coach and general manager – and has had his hands full this season as the Sockers try to regain their former glory and win another championship. USSoccerPlayers spoke with Salvagio about his plans for the Sockers, the city’s ongoing love affair with the team, and why the indoor game continues to survive in this country.

Donovan Eligible For Europa League

On-loan to Everton until March, LA Galaxy forward Landon Donovan will be able to play in the Europa League.  Everton manager David Moyes adjusted his eligible players list to include Donovan, making him available for the home and away series against Sporting Lisbon and potentially the first-leg of the Round of 16. 

FIFA Commits To Rebuilding Haitian Football

On Thursday, FIFA announced that they would be adding $3 million dollars to the initial $250,000 they donated in support of relief efforts in Haiti. The new money will be used for "association’s headquarters, technical centres and regional youth facilities and to supporting the association’s leagues and youth competitions by providing basic football equipment."

“Just like everyone else, I was deeply moved by the reports coming from Haiti," FIFA president Sepp Blatter said in a press statement. "We will continue to evaluate the situation very closely with the Haitian Football Association and will do everything in our power to assist them in their hour of need.“