It's a new year, which means another year to watch Barcelona work its magic.
The Spanish champions are back in action today against Levante in the club's first step toward trying to maintain their hold on first place ahead of Real Madrid.
While La Liga is back in action, the English Premier League has a few important matches as well, with Chelsea looking to stay in range of Manchester United, Arsenal and Manchester City by beating a woeful Aston Villa side flirting with the relegation zone.
If you will be watching today's action, please feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below.
Enjoy the action (Today's TV schedule is after the jump):
TODAY'S SOCCER ON TV
8:30am- Fox Soccer Channel- Chelsea vs. Aston Villa
11am- Fox Soccer Channel- Wigan vs. Newcastle United
NOON- ESPN3.com- Barcelona vs Levante
2PM- ESPN3.com- Sevilla vs. Osasuna
4PM- ESPN.com- Valencia vs. Espanyol
While agree Houllier is not the best manager and he has acted like a dbag( I assume you are referring to his tearing Lichaj a new one in the press), that does not necessarily have anything to do with whether or not you can manage a team or whether Lichaj is a good player. I didn’t see the game so for all I know maybe the criticism was accurate and justified.
Lichaj has 3-4 starts in the EPl;how about giving this thing time to play out before we start jumping all over his manager. All players get criticised American or not, fair or not. The kid will need to have a thick skin ( if he doesn’t already have one), and a very professional attitude if he is to succeed in his profession.
If he lets that one rant by Houllier get him down then I don’t want him on the USMNT.
The short answer is many of them either are established internationals or they somehow manage to get appropriate EU passports,like Howard,Demerit, Holden,Rossi, etc…
see below
“Work Permit Rules in English Football
By Wilson Davis, July 30, 2010
Foreign association football players in England may need a work permit.
Nearly half a million people immigrate to the United Kingdom every year and some of these immigrants are professional association football players. Those athletes coming from other countries outside the United Kingdom to play in England must follow work permit rules established by the Football Association and by the immigration laws of the United Kingdom, which can vary depending on several factors.
The United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies
Workers from the United Kingdom or any of the British overseas territories or British crown dependencies do not require any work permit or other documentation to work in England under British law. This includes the countries of England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Anguilla, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, the Pitcairn Islands, Saint Helena Island, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, the Turks and Caicos Islands, the Isle of Man or the Isle of Jersey. As with all other workers, this applies to association football players.
European Economic Area
Players who are citizens in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Spain and Sweden can play in England without a work permit due to the United Kingdom’s membership in the European Economic Area, a single market agreement treaty tied to the European Union’s economic policies.
Players from the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia or Slovenia need to register for residence permits if they play for more than 12 months in a row for an English club, and players from Malta and Cyprus need to register for a residence permit immediately, but like the other European Economic Area countries, a work permit is not needed from these countries.
Tier 2 Immigration Schemes
Anyone outside of the aforementioned countries can play in the Premier League or the Football League if they obtain a Governing Body Endorsement under Tier 2 of the United Kingdom’s five tier immigration scheme.
In order to get this endorsement, they need to have played in at least 75 percent of their country’s “A” or primary national team matches, which includes any World Cup or World Cup qualifying game, or any Continental tournament game. They also need to play for a country that has averaged at least 70th place or higher in the FIFA rankings over the past two years.
Governing Body Endorsements can last for three years or the length of the contract, whichever is shorter. Extensions can be granted for two years or the length of a contact extension, whichever is shorter.
Tier 5 Immigration Schemes
Youth players from Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand or Morocco can also play for a contract of 12 months or the length of their contract, whichever is shorter, under a Tier 5 work permit from the United Kingdom’s five tier immigration scheme.”
then how do you account for the high number of african players in the leagues?
A fair point. But I’m not willing to let Houllier off the hook for being a dbag.
my bet is that he won’t. He signed that four year extension last year so he could go on a two month loan to Everton, and now’s he’s locked into staying in MLS unless they let him go. Being the most popular US player in the league, my guess is he’s playing out the rest of that ill conceived contract in LA
Wonder when Donovan will move to EPL for good. He showed promise during his short stint at Everton last season.
While I think Houllier is a bad hire, you should remember Lichaj’s recent run of starts was due to an injured starter and he’s a very young and inexperienced player. The only way he was going to keep this starting role was if he was world class and whle I think he did well, he could have been better.
If’s he’s as good as everyone seems to think he’ll be back eventually.
If Houllier isn’t sacked and if he lets Freidel go he’ll regret it. Friedel should be good for at least another year or two.
Probably the biggest reason you don’t see more US goal keepers in England is the same reason you don’t see more US payers period, the permit situation.
And goalkeepers have it hardest of all in terms of getting enough USMNT game time in. Hartmann had 4 caps back in 1999 and Joe Cannon had 2 caps back around 2003-5. That won’t cut it.
Most the US guys you hear about in Europe have some kind of passport situation
(Howard had a Hungarian passport, Demerit had some kind of Danish ancestry, Cervi has an Italian passport,Holden was born in Scotland etc.). I don’t see this changing any time soon.
“cervi is also playing in the UK currently”
Cervi has not played in one senior match for Celtic and has yet to play for Dundee to whom he has been loaned.
“playing in the UK currently” is a little generous.
I think Guzan will be a great EPL keeper, and we always produce tons of guys, not sure why someone like Hartman or Canon never got more looks in England?
There’s 2 keepers that are highly rated in the draft this year, I like Perk still the old U-20 US keeper, he’s Galaxy’s 3rd guy. I need to find out if Josh Saunders is a US elgible player, I know he played for Puerto Rico but not sure if for the national team, he has learned a lot from Ricketts could be great. I’m hoping Cervi and Robles come thru
101 great goals . com … is very good for highlights of all european games.
It does seem odd. The defensive breakdowns that lead to goals against Spurs were not on his side, and in the first half he was making Bale look pretty normal. However, he’s young, and Houllier doesn’t look like a keeper.
missed that villa game this morning- link for highlights?
agreed. howard is still there tho and who knows if johnson and hamid can move over in the next 5-7 yrs to revive our dominance. cervi is also playing in the UK currently
either way maybe the US dominance over goalkeeping in the PL looks to come to an end. 1990-2011 was a great time for US GK’s in england
Good point you brought up
guzan’s loan is only for a month long. could he possibly be sending guzan out to get a months worth of experience and to shake the rust off, so he can step in come february and take the #1 shirt as friedel departs at the tail end of the month for mls? who knows what can happen in these transfer window periods….
He wasn’t gonna let Friedel leave NOW anyway. I think it was the end of the season decision he was talking about.
He was arguing the PK given against Collins (I think that’s the defender) about 20 minutes in.
He won’t let Friedel leave because he s already sending Guzan out on loan.
what did he get yellow-carded for?
Friedel was fantastic in this one.
Game over, Villa comes away with the point.
And Villa levels it 3-3. Weirdest game ever.
Holy crap what a a crazy last 10 minutes of Villa-Chelsea… now 3-3
And Terry puts them ahead 3-2. Way to blow a lead, Villa.
Drogba levels it. 2-2.
Oh, don’t worry, Houllier is a huge idiot.
Can you tell I don’t have much faith that Houlier will rate an American with potential? If he lets Friedel leave, that is twice he has let one of the EPL’s best shot stoppers go.
Friedel with great saves on Lampard and Malouda
Disappointed that Lichaj isn’t playing but I guess not too surprised. Houllier didn’t seem too happy with him last game. Hopefully Houllier isn’t too much of an idiot and realizes the huge potential he has.
no ljunberg getting his face kicked in :/
A few time zones to the east of England. (It’s early afternoon in England now)
In England I’m Guessing?
how disapppointing no Edu and no Lichaj
Early evening, if that counts.
really no early risers for Rangers Celtic?