Blanco Blanco Blanco

Hey

I will be the first to say I was dead wrong about what Blanco would do to the Fire when he arrived. I thought he would be a huge disruption and a disappointment. He has made this team into a fighting machine with a purpose. Some of his antics are still there but his leadership on and off the field have brought the team up a notch. Check out articles and videos of Blanco at http://www.chicago-fire.com/

Speaking of the word Blanco, local boy Brad Guzan was named MLS Goalkeeper of the Year in just his third campaign. Check out the article at http://www.mlsnet.com/.

The state playoffs continue on with the Class AA quarters tomorrow. Congratulations go out to Francis Parker High School as they took 4th place in the Class A tournament. You can find full coverage of the tournament and blog about soccer topics at http://www.suntimes.com/.

Last but not least, Soccer Post is having a 50% shoe sale going on right now. Pass on to those you think need new boots!

If you have any news or stories, please post or let me know and I will post them up on the blog.

Mike

Over last Weekend

Hey everyone

It was a very positive weekend soccer wise in Chicago

The men's national team beat China 4-1. The Chicago connection of Michael Bradley (Chicago Soccers) and DaMarcus Beasley produced a goal. The recap of the match can be seen below or by going to www.ussoccer.com. Thanks to ESPN for the story

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=436030&cc=5901

The Chicago Fire broke a 5 game winless streak by defeating the Columbus Crew 3-2. The story is below. Thanks to ESPN for the story

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=215261&cc=5901

Congratulations to Waubonsia Valley as they captured the state title. Great job ladies! The story is below. Thanks to Preps Plus for the story

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/highschool/cs-070602statesoccer,0,2237783.story?coll=cs-highschool-headlines

A nice uplifting story by Esther Cepeda shows the hard work of people making sure kids in the Chicago area understand the importance of education and culture through the game of soccer. Her report is below.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/education/406129,CST-NWS-SOCCER30.article

Don't forget Chicago Soccer has tickets for the Gold Cup available now. www.chicagosoccer.net

Please pass on to others and let me know how to improve the blog by posting or emailing at keanemd@gmail.com