Union

Union academy phenom Zach Pfeffer impressed during his recent training stint with Hoffenheim. “He did extremely well,” said John Hackworth, “to the point where they liked him so much they’d like to keep him. Fortunately for us, he’s with us and we’re happy that he is.”

Jack McInerney will be invited to the upcoming USMNT U20 training camp, being held December 12–19.

This isn’t exactly news but it is good for discussion around the water cooler. Here’s a link to a list of the Union’s 2010 player’s salaries. The list is incomplete but Fred is at top and Le Toux comes in at tenth, making $12k more than twelfth-placed Toni Stahl.

Independence

Paul Riley was at the NCAA Women’s Soccer Championship over the weekend to scout new talent ahead of January’s WPS College Draft. Notre Dame ended Stanford’s unbeaten streak to win the championship on Sunday.

Local

Central Bucks East tops the Inquirer’s end-of-the-season Top Ten list of local high school boy’s soccer teams.

MLS

Well, his been gone little more than two weeks and already he’s making an impact at his new club. Here’s footage of Shea Salinas assisting on a Vancouver Whitecaps goal in a scrimmage against Ventura County Fusion. The clip is followed by an interview. If you’re the type who likes to pick your scabs, here’s footage of him in training with the club. Shea Salinas, we hardly knew thee.

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp is ready to sell Robbie Keane. Reports have linked him to Vancouver Whitecaps but Aston Villa and Fulham are also interested. Where will Keane go? “Whoever offers the biggest fee,” Redknapp said, “will, I suppose, be the answer in January.” Redknapp has denied that any talks have taken place with Vancouver.

Brad Friedel, with an offer from Columbus Crew apparently on the table, has reportedly told Aston Villa that he is willing to leave the club if they sign a new keeper in January

Turkish club Besiktas are reportedly interested in acquiring David Beckham on loan. In other Beckham-related news, Thierry Henry has replaced him as the top MLS shirt seller.

World Cup fallout

Chick Blazer: FIFA executive committee member, garden gnome.

The head of the England 2018 bid wonders what’s the point of bidding when the system is corrupt.

A report in the Guardian says that the CONCACAF delegation lied when they said they would vote for the England bid and suggests that the confederation’s three delegates—which includes as its US representative Chuck Blazer—may not have even voted for the US bid. Blazer, speaking for himself, denied the report, saying that “I consider it an insult that anyone could presume anything else after 30 years of dedicated service to our sport in America.”

A member of the Australia 2022 bid delegation says, “The most fundamental mistake we made…is that we played it clean.”

That didn’t take long: On Saturday FIFA executive committee member Franz Beckenbauer suggested that the 2022 World Cup be held in January or February when temperatures are cooler in Qatar.

Time wonders why America is so huffy about Qatar and Bill Archer at Big Soccer says “For Chirssake: Enough already.” Meanwhile, the right wing website American Thinker argues that the failure of many conservatives to share in the disappointment over not hosting the World Cup is a mistake: “Derision of the game by high-profile conservatives notwithstanding, soccer is a ready-made vehicle for transporting conservative values throughout the world. There is no sport where the conservative principles of self-reliance, independence, and less government are more at play than in the game of soccer.”

The Business of Soccer has ten things FIFA’s decision to name Qatar as host of the 2022 World Cup says about the US.

Some disappointed US soccer fans are looking forward to the possibility of hosting the 2026 World Cup. MLS Talk looks at why this possibility isn’t a slam dunk.

Elsewhere

Three Barcelona players—Lionel Messi, Xavi and Andrés Iniesta—have been named as the finalists for this year’s FIFA Ballon d’Or.

Because of an air traffic controllers strike over the weekend, on Saturday morning Barcelona thought their evening away match to Osasuna would be postponed until Sunday. They learned Saturday afternoon that both the league and Osasuna refused to reschedule the match. This meant a scramble for the players that involved public transportation in order to get to the match. Kickoff was delayed 50 minutes so that the Barca players could get changed and warmup. They promptly defeated Osasuna 3–0 thanks to two goals and an assist from Messi.