Major League Soccer held its 2009 Expansion Draft Wednesday for the League’s 16th team, Philadelphia Union, which selected 10 players to begin constructing its roster for the 2010 season. Philadelphia selected one player each from 10 of the 15 MLS teams, including forward Alejandro Moreno from the MLS Supporters Shield-winning Crew. Read more…
For those of you who aren’t regular readers of the noted soccer mag SoccerAmerica, be sure to check out the April issue on newstands now, as it is chock full of Black & Gold goodness. As you can see to the left, Crew attacker and 2008 MLS MVP Guillermo Barros Schelotto adorns the cover, along with countryman Javier Morales of RSL. Forward Alejandro Moreno is also featured in an interesting write-up about his recent activity with the Venezuelan national team, so be sure to grab a copy of SoccerAmerica when you get a chance.
As most of you know, Crew captain Frankie Hejduk starred in the United States 2-2 draw at El Salvador last Saturday (March 28). Hejduk started and went the full 90 minutes, assisted on the U.S.’s first goal and then equalized the match with a late header as the Red, White and Blue came back from a 2-0 deficit to earn a point on the road in FIFA World Cup Qualifying.
Greg Lalas offers up his take on Frankie’s outstanding play in article today featured on SI.com. Be sure to check to give it a read when you’ve got a moment.
Alejandro Moreno (VEN) and Duncan Oughton (NZL) also saw action for their respective national teams last weekend, as Moreno came on as a substitute in the 50th minute of Venezuela’s 4-0 World Cup Qualifying loss to Argentina, while Oughton started in New Zealand’s 3-1 loss to Thailand in an international friendly. All three players are expected to remain with their respective squads for training this week, as all three teams have one match remaining in the current FIFA international window. Venezuela will take on Colombia on March 31 in Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela, then on April 1, the Unites States faces Trinidad & Tobago in Nashville, Tenn., while New Zealand plays a second international friendly against Thailand ‘A’ in Bangkok.
In the final match of its England preseason trip, the Crew defeated the Liverpool FC reserve squad, 2-0, Thursday (March 5) at the Reds’ academy site in Knowsley. Alejandro Moreno and Guillermo Barros Schelotto each tallied for the Black & Gold in the second half, ensuring that the Crew went undefeated during its UK excursion. The folks at Liverpool have a quality write-up of the action that you can check out here. Complete line-ups and scoring summary are after the jump.
Several Crew players have been busy with their respective national teams over the last week as Brian Carroll, Frankie Hejduk, Alejandro Moreno and Ricardo Pierre-Louis all contributed in their squad’s efforts to reach the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. More after the jump.
