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| European champion Spain remained No. 1 in FIFA's rankings Wednesday, followed by Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. The United States dropped to No. 24, tops in its regional group. England advanced to No. 10 among the world's soccer elite, moving up four places. Coach Fabio Capello's team fell from the top 10 in July after failing to qualify for the European Championship. |
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| As the New York Red Bulls charter flight landed at Long Beach Airport on late Thursday afternoon, Gordon Kljestan looked out the window and thought, "I'm home. Indeed, Kljestan, who grew up in nearby Huntington Beach, is the local product on this Red Bulls team and, as such, has the most ticket requests for Sunday's MLS Cup Final at The Home Depot Center. |
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| Gino Padula doesn't see Sunday's MLS Cup against New York as a chance for payback on the one blemish to his season. The Argentinean defender, signed by the Crew on March 24, struggled through early injuries to appear in 17 regular and postseason matches. |
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| The happiest person running around the sun-splashed practice fields at The Home Depot Center was Columbus Crew equipment manager Rusty Wummel. No longer would he have to spend a few more hours each day washing the cold-weather gear that Crew had donned for the better part of a week. |
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| Statistics such as 19 assists -- tied for the second-most in league history -- and contributing to 10 consecutive goals are impressive, but what made Guillermo Barros Schelotto the 2008 MLS Volkswagen Most Valuable Player was his role off the field. |
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| One can only imagine what sort of season Juan Pablo Angel would have enjoyed had he been healthy. The first part of the MLS was a living hell and a major pain in the back in more ways than one for the 33-year-old Colombian, the second half pure heaven. |
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| Delays are inevitable, but so is progress -- at least perhaps in the minds of the Kansas City Wizards. After months of delays, the final piece of financing for the Three Trails' development in southeast Kansas City that will include a soccer-specific stadium for the Wizards has been approved. |
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| Almost everything you need to know about the makeup of Major League Soccer talent is right there along the Columbus Crew back line. |
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| Emiliano Papa enjoyed a double
celebration on Wednesday, making his Argentina debut on the
same night that Diego Maradona took charge of the national team
for the first time in a 1-0 win over Scotland.
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| Estudiantes beat
Argentinos Juniors 1-0 in an all-Argentine clash to reach the
Copa Sudamericana final on Thursday.
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