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Friday Kickoff: Van Persie out until January; Leon takes two-goal advantage vs. America; and more

Manchester United manager David Moyes looks dejected next to Robin van Persie

Photo by Matt West/ISIPhotos.com

By DAN KARELL

Manchester United’s hopes to make up some ground during the busy holiday schedule in the English Premier League have been dealt a major blow.

In a press conference today, manager David Moyes revealed that forward Robin Van Persie is set to miss the next month with a thigh strain, likely keeping him out for the next six league matches. The Netherlands international played two consecutive full seasons in the Premier League but has already missed time this season due to other injuries.

With United struggling to score, Moyes will have to count on Mexican international Javier Hernandez and Danny Welbeck to help make up for the lost productivity. Despite the injuries this season, Van Persie has scored seven goals in 11 EPL games and 10 in all competitions.

Here are some more stories to start your Friday:

LEON OPENS UP 2-0 AGGREGATE LEAD ON AMERICA

Club Leon is just 90 minutes away from what would be a historic title.

Behind goals from Carlos “Gullit” Peña and Mauro Boselli, Club Leon took Club America to task, defeating the defending Clausura champions, 2-0 on Thursday evening at Estadio Leon. The series now shifts to what will be a sold-out Estadio Azteca for Sunday’s second leg of the Liga MX Apertura playoffs final.

Los Panzas Verdes put the first goal past America goalkeeper Moises Muñoz in the 11th minute as America defender Aquivaldo Mosquera failed to clear a cross into the box, allowing Peña to fire home from just outside the box. Leon doubled its advantage deep in the second half as Mauro Boselli beautifully chipped Muñoz from a tight angle into the side netting, setting up what should be a thrilling match on Sunday.

QUICK KICKS

Everton is planning on offering Ross Barkley a new contract. (REPORT)

Chelsea is currently linked with Southampton left back Luke Shaw, but would need to cough up more than $32 million in order to acquire Shaw. (REPORT)

Germany is building its own training facility to use in Brazil, at a location just north of Rio de Janeiro. (REPORT)

French lawmakers have voted in favor of including AS Monaco along with the rest of the Ligue 1 clubs that must pay a 75 percent tax on all salaries above 1 million euros ($1.38 million) per season. (REPORT)

American hi-tech corporation Intel has inked a reported $25 million sponsorship deal with Barcelona to have their name on the inside of their jerseys. (REPORT)

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What do you think of these reports? Think United can overcome the injury to Van Persie in the next month? See Leon holding out to win the Apertura title?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Chelsea are currently linked with Southampton left back Luke Shaw, but they’d need to cough up at least £20 million in order to acquire Shaw……………it amazes me how inflated the prices are for english players in the PL…20mil £s…at least?!!…..for a left back? haha, stuuuupid money!

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    • I wonder if that means they are looking to find a replacement for Cole who is rumored to be on his way to MLS and by I wonder I really mean…he’s going to the Galaxy who are now without a left back since DCU aquired Franklin in the Re-Entry Draft…

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      • Cole is only going to the Galaxy if 1 of 3 things happen:
        1) Cole signs on as something other than a DP (Unlikely)
        2) Galaxy trade one of their current DPs (Donovan, Kean, Gonzalez)
        3) MLS changes the rules and adds a 4th DP spot to each team.
        don’t see any of these things happening.

  2. I am having a good laugh at United fans who are shocked and panicking with RVP out. Before the last two years the guy was always injured, he is a massive injury risk. That is part of why it is so tough to count on him to carry your team.

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  3. “French lawmakers have voted in favor of including AS Monaco” this is hilarious. Its totally meaningless that this law is passed. Its a tax law about a company that isn’t within their borders. There is no way its enforceable.

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  4. since i wasn’t around yesterday for the klinsmann love/hate-fest, i’ll leave my comment here:

    first, i’m glad we’re finally making him our technical director. it’s the kind of big-picture political job he should’ve had in the first place.

    second, it’s surprising to me how many commenters are saying that, at least concerning klinsmann’s management, it doesn’t really matter how we perform at the 2014 world cup. can’t we take a step back here, and agree that the world cup is pretty much the *only* thing that matters to us in international soccer? (with the gold cups a distant second, i guess.)

    can we not apply klinsmann’s words to dempsey, and say that, as usmnt manager, klinsmann hasn’t done shlt yet?

    i understand that gulati is gambling on klinsmann being in high demand after the cup. and i know that many are saying that if we’re an unqualified failure at the cup, then there’s obviously a reasonable termination clause in place (that doesn’t make the ussf more broke than it already is). but i think they’re putting way too much faith in gulati, who’s been enamoured with klinsmann for years, while klinsmann has performed for us pretty much the same as bradley and arena, but without the world cup success (yet).

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    • There’s nothing I want more than to succeed (and win) at the World Cup. Klinsmann will take much of the credit/blame for our performances, as he should to some degree. But realistically, he can only use the available player pool, and losing to Germany doesn’t necessarily mean he did something wrong. Not to be a preemptive Klinsmann “apologist,” but if three games don’t go according to our plans, that shouldn’t mean we automatically pull the trigger and hire someone else.

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      • well, any manager we hire “can only use the available player pool”, so that’s not much of an excuse.

        my point is that the purpose of his job as usmnt manager (*not* technical director, to be specific) is to succeed on the international stage, which, for us, is the world cup.

        nobody’s saying he needs to beat germany; but to say that it doesn’t matter how we do in the 2014 world cup is to miss the point of paying a shltload of money for a manager.

    • The one thing I wanna say about Klinsmann is that in many ways people act like he is a foreign manager. He is German but he is just as much Californian. Somehow him being German and him being foreign are two separate things in my mind.

      I don’t think he is the best manager in the world. Think about this though. How much better would England be with someone like him. England never tries anything new. That is their greatest weakness and perhaps his best advantage.

      Example: Ashley Cole or Leighton Baines as LB doesn’t matter because Klinsmann would out Baines as left mid. England would never do this. Instead they use people like Ashley Young.

      Reply
      • i’m not sure where you were going with the german/californian lines, but i think your following paragraphs kind of sum up the whole thing:

        there are people who seem to assume that england would be better with klinsmann, because he tries new things (like playing baines out of position, i guess?). then there are people like me who would wait to see if that move actually helped england succeed before pronouncing england “better”.

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