Saw This....

and thought I'd post it. ;o)

Siesta Time!

Well I think this may be the end. My heart has gone out of the blogs and I'm not sure if I'm gonna continue with them or not. Why? Well Freddie is at Seattle Sounders who I just can't get into - just don't like the colour of their kit for a start. Smudge is always on the bench at Newcastle and there's just no news. Only Beckham is peaking my interest at the moment with him being at Milan so I may keep that one updated.

It's also a time thing and these days I feel like I am doing it just for the sake of it. The blogs are just getting stale without constant updating and as a result the number of visitors is falling and the comments and feedback have almost dried up.

So I'm taking a break. I'll just follow the guys myself. The blogs will stay up for a while if people still want to look around them until I decide what I'm gonna do.

Take care

Paul

Match Report: Seattle Sounders 0 - 1 Kansas City

Seattle Sounders FC 0 - 1 Kansas City Wizards
MLS


Seattle: Keller, Marshall, Hurtado, Scott (Nyassi 86), Riley, Alonso, Evans , Ljungberg, Le Toux (Dragavon 29), Zakuani, Jaqua
Subs not used: Ianni, Wahl, Sturgis, Levesque, Montero

Sent Off: Keller 29 (Handled ball outside Goal area)
Booked: Evans

Kansas City: Hartman , Besler, Hohlbein, Conrad, Watson, Jewsbury , Hirsig (Kraus 64), Arnaud, Wolff, Gomez (Harrington 77), Lopez (Espinoza 82)
Subs not used: Pardo, McKenzie, Souter, Thompson

Booked: Jewsbury, Kraus, Hartman
Goals: Arnaud 80

Attendance: 28,746

Referee: Abbey Okulaja

Match Stats
	Seattle	Kansas City
Shots (on Goal)	6 (3)	6 (3)
Fouls	7	10
Corner Kicks	3	5
Offsides	0	2
Time of Possession	50%	50%
Yellow Cards	1	3
Red Cards	1	0
Saves	2	3

Match Report: Toronto 0 - 2 Seattle Sounders

Toronto FC 0 - 2 Seattle Sounders FC
MLS

Toronto FC: Sutton, Harmse, Serioux, Wynne, Robsinson, Guevara, De Rosario, Brennan , Ricketts (Cronin 46), Vitti (Smith 85), Barrett (Dichio 56)
Subs not used: Edwards, Velez, Gomez, Ibrahim

Booked: Brennan, Cronin

Seattle: keller, Riley , Marshall, Scott , Hurtado , Evans, Alonso, Ljungberg (Nyassi 78), Le Toux, Zakuani (Sturgis 79), Jaqua
Subs not used: Dragavin, Ianni, Wahl, King, Levesque

Booked: Hurtado, Riley, Scott
Goals: Ljungberg 15, Zakuani 45

Attendance: 11,806

Referee: Mark Geiger

Match Stats
	Toronto	Seattle
Shots (on Goal)	9 (3)	10 (4)
Fouls	7	7
Corner Kicks	4	2
Offsides	3	2
Time of Possession	50%	50%
Yellow Cards	2	3
Red Cards	0	0
Saves	1	5

Big Picture: Freddie's Back

Photos by Rod Mar at www.rodmarphoto.com
and Seattle Sounders FC

Match Report: Seattle Sounders 2 - 0 Real Salt Lake

Seattle Sounders FC 2 - 0 Real Salt Lake
Major League Soccer


Seattle: Keller, Riley, Hurtado, Marshall, Scott, Alonso , Evans, Le Toux (Levesque 90), Zakuani (Ljungberg 61), Jaqua (Sturgis 71), Montero
Subs not used: Dragavon, Ianni, Wahl, King

Booked: Alonso
Goals: Jaqua 17, Montero 77

Real Salt Lake: Rimandro, Beltran (Cox 84), Borchers, Olave , Wingert, Beckerman , Johnson, Morales , Mathis (Alexander 89), Movsisyan, Findley (Williams 74)
Subs not used: Seitz, Horst, Grabavoy, Nunez

Booked: Beckerman, Morales, Olave

Attendance: 28,548

Referee: Baldomero Toledo

Match Stats
	Seattle	Real Salt Lake
Shots (on Goal)	7(3)	7(3)
Fouls	10	12
Corner Kicks	8	12
Offsides	0	0
Time of Possession	47%	53%
Yellow Cards	1	3
Red Cards	0	0
Saves	4	2

Photos by Rod Mar at www.rodmarphoto.com
and Seattle Sounders FC

Ljungberg ready for Seattle debut

Swedish star Freddie Ljungberg says he will play this weekend for the first time since last summer.

The midfielder for the new Seattle Sounders said after practice on Thursday that he expects to play about 30 minutes as a reserve against Real Salt Lake in Major League Soccer on Saturday.

He hasn't played since June, for Sweden at the European Championship. The 31-year-old had surgery on a torn labrum in his left hip in December.

"Now it feels great," Ljungberg said. "I haven't felt like this in years. It's 100 percent."

He said he was about a month ahead of doctors' original estimates for his return, thanks to rigorous rehabilitation.

"I've been feeling good, so it shouldn't be a problem," he said. "I'll probably play part of the game at least, so I don't overdo it. It's a long season, and I don't want to push it."

Sounders coach Sigi Schmid confirmed that Ljungberg was part of his game plan, even if it's only as a reserve.

"It makes more sense for him to come off the bench in this game," Schmid said. "The one thing we don't want to do is push too early and push too hard and suffer a setback. We're in game two. We want to make sure he's around for the other 28."

Seattle was paying Ljungberg $1.3 million per season. He was one of the top offensive midfielders in the English Premier League a few years ago with Arsenal.

"He has trained hard and had a good week," Schmid said. "He has come through each training session feeling better than the last day, which is real good for us."

Source: Sports Illustrated

Ljungberg: Wenger may leave Arsenal

Former Arsenal midfielder Freddie Ljungberg fears Arsene Wenger may leave the club if he is offered a bigger budget to work with elsewhere.

Wenger has nurtured talent rather than spending big money - but the Gunners have not won a trophy since 2005 and are virtually out of the Premier League title race this season.


Ljungberg, who won the title twice under Wenger, told ESPN: "If he gets a great opportunity somewhere where they spend more money and win things, maybe that's a possibility. At the same time he likes to bring up new players and he has been at Arsenal a long time.

"I know he is a winner; he always wants to win - just as much as the players. He gets as angry as the players when we lose.

"When they are not winning, or they are fourth or fifth, I know he is not happy about not winning."

Ljungberg, now at Major League Soccer side Seattle Sounders in America, feels money is an important factor in Arsenal's trophy drought.

The 31-year-old said: "Maybe it's harder. If you look at the money they are spending, they are not spending as much as before.

"Maybe it puts more pressure on him [Wenger]; maybe he can't get exactly what he wants all the time; maybe he could a bit more in the past."

While the current team have had splits in the dressing room this season, Ljungberg has fond memories of the side he played in.

"They were the best years of my life - we were like a family," he said.

"We had great players and a great team and won everything we could win.

"All the guys were great. It was like we had 11 captains on the pitch - everyone knew what they were supposed to do. We socialised off the pitch as well; for me, it was a great time.

"When he [Wenger] buys a player he looks at how they fit in the dressing room as well as how good they are. He doesn't want any problems, and that is important.

"In my opinion he is a great, great manager. Of course I'm upset at the moment that they are not doing that great, and it's a sad thing.

"For my career, he helped me so much. When I was young he showed me certain things that you learn when you are older in the game. For me, he is one of the best managers in the world."

Source: Sporting Life

Ljungberg in the Stadium

Fredrik Ljungberg has still not completely recovered after his hip operation but was in the public gallery when the Seattle Sounders team played against New York in MLS last night.

"It was everything you could have dreamed of!" said Sigi Schmid to the club's website after winning the prize infront of a packed crowd.

Fredy Montero, international for Colombia scored to take it to 1-0 in the eleventh minute. Brad Evans made it 2-0 just ten minutes later. Montero scored again to make it 3-0 in the second half and set the final result.

Fredrik Ljungberg is expected to be back in the game by 28 March, in time for Seattle the next match.

Source: Sportal (Translated)

Ljungberg won't play in Sounders FC opener

Freddie Ljungberg's recovery from hip surgery remains ahead of schedule, but Sounders FC's designated player and most internationally recognizable face doesn't expect to be able to play in the team's inaugural game Thursday night at Qwest Field.

"Physically, I'm quite ready," Ljungberg said after practice at Starfire Soccer Complex Monday, "but I think we're going to give it a little bit of time so we don't have any hiccups, or I will play two games and I'll get sore or something like that. So they want to give me more time."

Ljungberg said it's more realistic that he'll play in Sounders FC's second regular-season game, March 28 at Qwest Field against Real Salt Lake. But that couldn't keep the smile of satisfaction off his face when talking about his recovery.

"I've known for quite a long time that the opener probably won't be a possibility," said Ljungberg, who had his first full workout after hip surgery less than three months ago and remains ahead of schedule. "That I'm this close, for me, is just amazing. If I miss one game, I think that's amazing for me."

Sounders FC opens against the New York Red Bulls on Thursday at 6 p.m.

Source: Seattle Times