Guten Morgen SBI readers. You might think Thursday is a day to take it easy in terms of soccer news, but there is action today that will keep it from being all that quiet. You have UEFA Cup semifinals, the ESPN MLS game (New England at FC Dallas) and the build-up to this weekend’s EPL title clash between Chelsea and Manchester United.
Before we get to any of that, here are some news tidbits to tide you over this morning (I will be at Red Bulls practice this morning so stay tuned for Red Bulls news as well).
Manchester City wants Jo
Manchester City is expected to be a big player on the transfer market this summer and the first big buy for City may be Brazilian striker Jo (pictured above). You might remember him as the lanky striker on the Brazilian U-20 team that Jozy Altidore and Freddy Adu beat last summer, but Jo is also the goal scorer who has been tearing up the Russian League for CSKA Moscow (along with strike partner Vagner Love). Jo’s combination of size and skill would flourish in the EPL so keep an eye on this one.
Pachuca ties Saprissa in CCC final first leg
Mexican club Pachuca salvaged a 1-1 tie with Costa Rican club Deportivo Saprissa in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup Final in Costa Rica. The return leg is set for April 30.
England stepping up 2018 bid
In the biggest piece of non-news in the soccer world, England is stepping up its World Cup bid by….well…um…announcing how it will structure its campaign. Unless you’re English and very bored, this isn’t that big a story (so why did I post it? Well, I wanted to save you the trouble of overreacting to the headline somewhere else.)
Vidic doubtful for Chelsea clash
Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic is doubtful for Man U’s EPL title decider against Chelsea on Saturday with the same stomach flu that kept him out of Wednesday’s Champions League semifinal against Barcelona.
FIFA tell Pizarro to stop suing
Soccer’s governing body FIFA has told Chelsea and Peruvian national team forward Claudio Pizarro to drop his lawsuit against the Peruvian Football Federation for his 18-month suspension from the national team. Pizarro was suspended along with four Peru teammates for allegedly taking part in a raunchy party the night of Peru’s World Cup qualifier vs. Brazil, and just days before another World Cup qualifier.