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Michigan and Laredo to meet again in PDL final

The Michigan Bucks and Laredo Heat will meet next Saturday in Laredo, Texas, in a rematch of last year’s Premier Development League championship game. The defending champion Bucks clinched a berth in the final with a 5-4 win over the Brooklyn Knights on penalty kicks after their game ended in a 1-1 tie. Laredo returned to the PDL championship courtesy of a 1-0 victory over the Fresno Fuego before a crowd of 2,713 at the Student Activity Center.

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What They’re Saying

“I personally have never agreed with any injections and anything that could be unnatural. I like to feel naturally fit going into games. But I think because we were going for the league title, and we needed to win the last two games, I would have done anything to play in that game. It wasn’t healthy, it wasn’t, maybe, the right thing to do long term, but I did it and at the end of the day I’m glad I did it. I played in a game for 65 minutes and we ended up winning the league.”

— David Beckham, who admitted he needed three injections in his left ankle to play for Real Madrid in its 3-1 victory over Real Mallorca that clinched the Spanish league title. Beckham damaged ankle ligaments playing for Real Madrid four days after spraining the same left ankle in England’s match against Estonia on June 6, and then aggravated the injury further in the Real Mallorca game. He has missed four straight games for the Los Angeles Galaxy after making a brief appearance in his debut game against Chelsea. (AFP)

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New Jersey clubs claim Super-20 titles

Mike Konicoff of Boston College scored two goals and Bryan Martinez added a third goal to lead PDA to a 3-1 victory over the Chicago Fire Premier in the championship game of the the men’s Super-20 League North American Finals. Merrilyn Esteve scored the only goal to lead Parsippany SC to a 1-0 win over Quickstrike FC in the Super-20 women’s final in Epping, N.H.

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Red Bull National League Results

Defending champion Nomads and the Irvine Strikers are the only unbeaten and untied teams after the first three days of under-17 boys play in the 2007-08 Red Bull National League in Orange, Calif. Four players are tied for most goals in 2007-08 RBNL play with three: Steven Haltom of the Dallas Texans, CASL Elite’s Mike Smith, Colorado Rush’s Zach Foxhoven and FC Delco’s Kyle Soroka. Pateadores fielded the youngest player to ever take part in the RBNL, 13-year-old midfielder Luis Gil. Results and goalscorers of Days 1-3 …

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Argentina Preview: 10 Players to Watch

Argentina’s 2007-08 season begins Friday with the opening game of the Torneo Apertura. San Lorenzo won last spring’s Torneo Clausura. Boca Juniors, winner of the 2007 Libertadores Cup, is the favorite, though it begins the season without star Juan Roman Riquelme, who returned to Spanish club Villarreal, which owns his contract. Promoted Tigre has signed former U.S. U-17 and U-20 goalie D.J. Countess, who is believed to be the first American-born and -raised player to sign with an Argentine First Division team.

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Scotland Preview: 10 Major Transfers

Celtic and Rangers — no surprise — are the runaway favorites in the Scottish Premier League, which kicks off Saturday. Celtic won a league and cup double last season but faces a fight from Rangers under veteran manager Walter Smith, who took over in mid-season. Celtic paid a Scottish record for Hibernian and Scotland midfielder Scott Brown: 4.4 million pounds ($8.9 million). Rangers made a number of summer signings, including that of American winger DaMarcus Beasley.

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Revs just good enough to shade Wizards, 2-0

A narrow-angle goal by the birthday boy and a stoppage-time clincher by his substitute separated the top two Eastern Conference teams at Gillette Stadium Thursday. Pat Noonan celebrated his 27th birthday by tucking away a Taylor Twellman header, and Adam Cristman ran onto a sweet Steve Ralston cross to notch his fourth goal of the season as the Revs (9-3-6) beat Kansas City (8-6-5) for the first time at Gillette Stadium, 2-0.

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BMO believers beckon to Becks

[MLS Weekend Previews] Two more crucial Eastern Conference showdowns are on tap; Houston, Los Angeles, and D.C. United get back to MLS business after advancing to the SuperLiga semifinals; FC Dallas hopes to get well against Colorado after being smacked for six goals by the Galaxy; and the barmy BMO believers beckon to Becks.

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W-League Championship Preview

The 2007 W-League final four begins Friday in Rochester, N.Y., with the semifinals at PAETEC Park. The Seattle Sounders (8-4-1) and Atlanta Silverbacks (11-2-1) will kick things off at 5:30 pm ET, and the Rochester Rhinos (5-7-0) and top-seeded Washington Freedom (14-1-1) will follow at approximately 8:00 pm. Both games will be available on www.USLlive.com. The winners will advance to the W-League final, which will be broadcast live on Fox Soccer Channel on Sunday at 5:30 pm ET. Here’s the final four teams at a glance.

Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying

What They’re Saying

“The chances are probably slim. It’d be tough to put him into the lineup with what he’s been doing. He may have some part in the game, but we’ll see.”

— Los Angeles Galaxy coach Frank Yallop on David Beckham, who hasn’t trained with the Galaxy since he arrived July 13 and missed all three games in the SuperLiga. Los Angeles will be on the road for 10 consecutive days, beginning with a game at Toronto FC and playing at D.C. United on Aug. 9 and at New England three days later. The games at Toronto FC and D.C. United are sellouts in anticipation of Beckham’s first MLS appearances.

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Mexico Preview: Offseason moves and American connections

Mexico kicks off the Torneo Apertura — the opening of its two-stage season — this weekend. Both its 2006-07 champions — Guadalajara and Pachuca — are coming off play in the SuperLiga against MLS clubs, where they showed off their American talent — Jesus Padilla for Chivas and Jose Francisco Torres for Pachuca. MLS veteran Daniel Hernandez is back for a second stint in Mexico, this time with Puebla. A third American — Noel Castillo — debuted in the Santos first team in preseason. Here’s a look at each club’s offseason moves and its American connections.

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