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Mid-Day Ticker: Morales set to start, Egypt internationals retire and more

Alfredo Morales (AP)

By FRANCO PANIZO

U.S. national team prospect Alfredo Morales has not seen the field for Hertha Berlin since October, but that will not stop him from making his first-ever start in the Bundesliga this coming weekend.

Morales is slated to start at right back in place of the suspended Christian Lell when Hertha faces Hannover 96, according to head coach Michael Skibbe. The start will be his first in the Bundesliga and will mark his third league appearance this season. He last played for Hertha on Oct. 15 in a loss to Bayern Munich.

Eligible to play for Peru, Germany or the United States, the 21-year-old Morales was called into the U.S. men's national team camp in Europe in November and trained with the team. He did not feature in the games against France or Slovenia.

Here are more stories from Monday:

THREE EGYPTIAN INTERNTIONALS CALL IT QUITS

Egypt head coach Bob Bradley will have three less players to choose from after a trio of Egypt internationals retired from soccer following the violent incident which took place on Wednesday. Mohamed Aboutrika, Mohamed Barakat and Emad Moteab all said they would quit soccer following the deadly riot, which occured after Al-Ahly's match with Al-Masry. All three players played in the game (Aboutrika and Barakat started, Moteab was a substitute), and all were among the Al-Ahly players forced to run into the locker room after fans invaded the field.

TEVEZ QUESTIONS MAN CITY'S HANDLING OF NEGOTIATIONS

It is no secret that Carlos Tevez's relationship with Manchester City is strained, but the Argentine striker has hit out at the club for the manner in which it handled negotiations with other clubs. Tevez claims Manchester City rejected offers from Inter Milan, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain despite the Blues being keen on getting rid of him. Tevez does not believe that Manchester City will loan him out, as he claims the club wants a transfer fee for him.

SIDWELL SIDELINED UP TO SIX WEEKS

Fulham will be without midfielder Steve Sidwell for up to six weeks as he recovers from a hernia injury. Sidwell sustained the knock, which could require an operation, in Fulham's 1-1 draw with West Bromwich Albion on Wednesday. He underwent surgery for a similar injury and missed time because of it at the beginning of the season.

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What do you think of Morales being given his first start? Expecting more Egypt players to retire? Where do you ultimately see Tevez at?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. I think Randy was referring to Sheanon Williams of the Philly Union, not Danny Williams of Bundesliga side Hoffenheim 1899 TSG

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  2. true…. however, if you never have had a mob chase you and try to kill you, it is hard to comprehend what they experienced and still are experiencing!

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  3. Ugh, just realized its on ESPN 3. I could have been watching it! Sounds like I haven’t missed out on much though, haha. Oh, tuned in just as they scored the second.

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  4. He is solid today but frankly, they are playing the weakest team in the league. He is covering his area though as Novara tries to come back from the 1-0 deficit.

    His corners and free kicks have been very good though.

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  5. That sounds good to me. Even though they aren’t the most spectacular team, if he is experiencing the italian defensive structure it can only be good for his defensive awareness.

    Any updates to his play for the rest of the match?

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  6. Lived in Egypt for a long time and there are some quality players in that league. Have always wondered why MLS doesn’t go raiding their talent. Good players, unstable economy and political situation, some crazy environments (have been to Ahli-Zamalek Derby a couple of times–crazy), and an American national coach. Seems like there are players to be had in MLS’ price range. Would love to see Abutrika and a couple of others in MLS.

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  7. And here we go with another mind-numbing Chievo game. Wow, I know it’s good that MB is starting and going the whole game most of the time but watching this is so tough.

    A very odd side-effect of the structured Italian game: MB is not really taking cards very often and he is playing more positional D instead of tackling D. Probably a good thing.

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  8. I am not a Man City fan, but I really don’t understand the way they have handled the Tevez issue. They have said that they did not receive a transfer bid that they felt was enough. Then loan him out and put him the shop window. His value is going to continue to diminish the longer he doesn’t play. They will never get any return on that investment. Thought that they would have been smarter about it.

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  9. Yes, Morales is age eligible for the Olympics. At the moment Williams is better. However Morales is probably a better defender as that’s his natural position, whereas Williams was just filling in back there and his future is probably as a defensive midfielder. In any case, there is plenty of room for both guys on our Olympic roster. And if Morales makes our Olympic team that probably cements the US winning out over Peru.

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  10. I dont think this means anything the day after that terrible incident. They are shocked and emotional. They could easily change their minds.

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