Oguchi Onyewu Signs with Sporting Clube de Portugal

Getty Images.

Oguchi Onyewu in action against Lionel Messi during a
March 2011 friendly in New Jersey.

Oguchi "Gooch" Onyewu continued his European journey and signed yesterday with Sporting Clube de Portugal. The Silver Spring, Maryland native completed a free transfer from AC Milan after a loan last season with FC Twente.

Comments by Onyewu at his presentation news conference:

“Em todas as equipas que representei dei 200 por cento e no Sporting farei o mesmo.”

"I have given 200 percent for all of the teams that I've represented and I will do the same for Sporting."

“Estou num grande Clube e qualquer jogador que tenha a possibilidade de representar o Sporting é um privilegiado. Quero ajudar a equipa a vencer o campeonato.” Oguchi Onyewu mostrou conhecer o futebol português, salientando: “É um futebol conhecido em todo o Mundo. Joguei com Jorge Costa e Sérgio Conceição no Standard Liége e eram grandes jogadores.”

"I'm in a great side and any player that has the possibility to represent Sporting is a privilege. I want to help the team win the championship." Oguchi Onyewu demonstrated that he was acquainted with Portuguese football, adding: "It's a football known all over the world. I played with Jorge Costa and Sergio Conceicao at Standard Liege and they were great players."

Carlos Freitas, director do futebol, fez a apresentação do jogador, realçando: “Estivemos para trabalhar duas vezes juntos e à terceira consumou-se. Oguchi vai encaixar-se no espírito e está habituado ao sucesso e à pressão de representar um grande Clube.” O director esclareceu dizendo que o contrato tem a duração de três anos e que não houve contrapartidas para o Milão: “Existem muito boas relações entre o Milão e o Sporting e por isso não foi difícil chegar a um entendimento.”

Carlos Freitas, director of football, made an appearance with the player, emphasizing, "We were working two times together and it was completed on the third try. Oguchi will fit into our spirit and is accustomed to success and the pressure to represent a great club."

The director clarified saying that Onyewu's contract will be for three years and there was no quid pro quo with Milan. "Very good relations exist between Milan and Sporting and for this reason it wasn't difficult to arrive at an understanding."

Source: Sporting Clube de Portugal.

World Football Challenge

Oguchi will return to North America on 23 July 2011 with Sporting to face Juventus FC at BMO Field in Toronto, Canada as part of the 2011 World Football Challenge.

Best wishes to Oguchi with his new endeavor in Portugal.

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Three Things to Expect from the CONCACAF Gold Cup by Chris Behrens

by Chris Behrens for World Football Commentaries

1) Chicharito will be Magical:

Getty Images.

Javier Hernandez and Victor Valdes last Saturday at Wembley.

The ‘Little Pea’ just ended a magnificent debut campaign with Manchester United, netting 20 goals in 45 appearances for the Red Devils. Despite a thoroughly disappointing end to the season, the clinical henchman will spearhead the Mexico jersey clad attack along with a not-as prolific finisher in Giovani Dos Santos, Pablo Barrera, Aldo de Nigris, or Elías Hernández. Chicharito will have to grow up quickly and El Tri may rely heavily on his pace and clever movement throughout matches. He may be a bit worn out from a grueling first season abroad, but against lesser competition, expect him to net 3+ goals even while looking a bit fatigued.

2) Carlos Bocanegra will Show his Age:

Getty Images.

Carlos Bocanegra of St. Etienne and Loic Remy of
Olympique Marseille last month in Ligue 1 action.

The aging USMNT backline is captained by 32-year-old former Fulham man Carlos Bocanegra, love it or hate it. His best days are sadly prominently in his rear view mirror along with a few other defensive veterans on the squad (cough cough Oguchi Onyewu and Steve Cherundolo) and those shiny new gold Maestris can't hide it.

While Bob Bradley stuck in a couple of minimally experienced defensemen, Erich Lichaj and Tim Ream, he amazingly passed on Omar Gonzalez, who many are seeing as the future of the backline. Bocanegra is beginning to show his liability to an already somewhat shaky defense, especially when Bradley slots him in as a left back. Take your USMNT victory lap now. You’ve had a great career Carlos, but it’s time for everyone to start thinking ahead before the team really suffers.

3) Costa Rica will Frighten Mexico and the USA:

Reuters Pictures.

Bryan Ruiz of FC Twente.

I would be lying if I could put any other team but Mexico and USA into the 2011 Gold Cup Final. The two sides are (on paper and in reality) superior to every opposition each will encounter until the final in Pasadena. But if any team were to knock off the two powerhouses, it’d be a country of just over 4,000,000. The firepower of the squad will likely be supplied by the irreplaceable Bryan Ruiz, who plays his club ball at newly crowned runner ups in the Eredivisie, FC Twente. A 6 foot 2 inch monster on the ball, he’s got pace and the ability to win the ball in the air. Plus he’s a solid distributor and a versatile option for the Ticos.

Costa Rica is deep in attack so expect shaky defenses to be scared. The squad will be hungry after failing to qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup; Mexico will encounter the Costa Ricans in group stage; likely, the US wouldn’t have to encounter the Ticos until the final. Bob Bradley should be breathing a sigh of relief.

The Bottom Line:

The Gold Cup will bring a bit of excitement for CONCACAF as it does every two years. The US has learned its lesson and Bradley has brought on a loaded veteran squad with an interesting mix of up-and-coming talent, while Mexico still appear to be the other noteworthy team in the tournament.

The Cup will once again come down to a Mexico-USA final, with the US squeaking out a narrow victory on penalties to avenge the embarrassing 5-0 loss in the 2009 Gold Cup.

About the Author

Chris Behrens, Champions League and US Soccer correspondent and soccer seer at soccerpro.com.

Chris gets his all of his licensed soccer equipment at soccerpro.com.

Please check out SoccerProse: A soccer blog for soccer players, fans, parents and coaches.

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Beyond The Pitch: Andre Villas-Boas: "I Am Not The Clone of Anyone."

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On May 18, 2011, two Portuguese teams, FC Porto and Braga, met in the UEFA Europa League Cup final in Dublin, Ireland. FC Porto was managed by an interesting young man who has set the Portuguese Primeira Liga and Europa Cup leagues on fire this season. The Braga manager was a former FC Porto player who vicariously played an integral role in the development of his younger adversary.



Let's take a look at a rare career trajectory in world football: Luís André de Pina Cabral de Villas-Boas.

To read more of my commentary, please visit Beyond The Pitch.


Image courtesy of
Beyond The Pitch.

Steve Amoia is a freelance writer, editor and translator from Washington, D.C. He is the founder of World Football Commentaries. He has written and translated for AC Cugini Scuola Calcio (Italian soccer school), Beyond The Pitch, Football Media, Italian Soccer Serie A, Keeper Skool and Soccerlens.

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Beyond The Pitch: Not Your Ordinary Joe: The Rise of Giuseppe Rossi

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Giuseppe Rossi at a news conference in Modena, Italy, in June 2011.

Trailblazers often find it difficult to navigate the world of American
sports. The vast landscape has seemed more minefield than launching
pad for the athletes who have broken the mold or challenged publicly
held perceptions and belief systems in terms of what we expect from
the professionals who are, by their very nature, thrust upon us for a
very short time.


Getty Images.

Giuseppe Rossi in action with the Azzurri versus
Estonia during a Euro 2012 qualification match
in June 2011 in Modena.

The record breakers, the pop culture icons, many of
the athletes who have challenged widely reinforced stereotypes and
even those who have been the result of unintended consequences -
something radically new or fresh, if you like - have been torn down
routinely or have been a source of outrage for the one virtue we
demand in every sporting narrative: Success.

To read more of my commentary with Anto at Beyond The Pitch, please click the image below:


Image courtesy of
Beyond The Pitch.


Getty Images.

Giuseppe Rossi after scoring for Villarreal versus
Getafe in May 2010.

Steve Amoia is a freelance writer, editor and translator from Washington, D.C. He is the founder of World Football Commentaries. He has written and translated for AC Cugini Scuola Calcio (Italian soccer school), Beyond The Pitch, Football Media, Italian Soccer Serie A, Keeper Skool and Soccerlens. You can also follow Steve @worldfootballcm on Twitter.

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Interview with Dan Colasimone of Argentina Football World at Beyond The Pitch

Image courtesy of CONMEBOL.

As part of my Copa America coverage for Beyond The Pitch, I had the pleasure to interview Australian journalist, Dan Colasimone, the founder of Argentina Football World and the Hand of Pod.

Dan will be covering the upcoming Copa America tournament from various venues in Argentina and provided some great insights.






Images courtesy of Dan Colasimone.

To read my interview with Dan, please visit:


Image courtesy of
Beyond The Pitch.

• Interview with Dan Colasimone from Argentina Football World: From La Máquina to Religión Maradoniana to An Age Of Messi

The Official Ball of the Copa America: Nike Total 90 Tracer Doma

I took these photos at a local Dick's Sporting Goods store.

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New York City Schools World Cup Tournament by Robert Kennerney

by Robert Kennerney for World Football Commentaries



In June 2010 Metro Soccer, through the use of its non-for-profit company Play, Study, Win, Inc., launched its inaugural New York City Schools World Cup Tournament. Play, Study, Win works throughout the year to put soccer into after-school programs in many underprivileged schools across New York City and to date has worked with over 250 schools across the five boroughs.

Successful World Cup Tournament Last Summer

Last summer, with help from the South African consulate of New York, Metro Soccer selected 32 schools to partner with 32 adult teams and staged a World Cup Tournament. Each school and adult team partnership would represent a team in the 2010 World Cup and would work to support and mentor each other as they took to the field. For the kids, the program starts six weeks prior to the tournament with weekly soccer lessons combined with educational lessons on the country they are representing and the history of soccer.

Learning about New Countries and Cultures

This year, the tournament has returned but, without a major tournament to identify with, the teams and schools have been allowed to select their own countries with whom they would like to learn about and represent. The coaching and educational components are already well under way for the children as teams are still being selected for the adult portion consisting of 16 Men's and 16 Co-Ed teams. The children's tournament will take place the weekend of June 11-12 in Brooklyn and the Adult Tournament will take place June 18-19 on Randall's Island.

This program is one which really exposes soccer to children whom might never have experienced the game otherwise.

More importantly however, beyond learning the basic skills of soccer and the essence of teamwork, the children gain a cultural understanding of the beautiful game and are exposed to international understanding on many levels. At a time when soccer is at a moral and ethical crisis in the global professional game, these are the people and programs which enable us to remember what established soccer as such a cultural and social equalizer to begin with.

We certainly hope you follow the progress of this tournament at http://facebook.com/metrosoccerny and for more information about the program itself please go to http://playstudywin.org.

About the Author

Robert Kennerney is the Social Media Manager at Metro Soccer NY.

• www.facebook.com/metrosoccerny

• www.twitter.com/metrosoccerny

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