Leeds United came to Cardiff for a cup tie as top team in the Premier League but, in a white hot atmosphere at the old Ninian Park, came unstuck against a Cardiff City team playing in the third tier at the time. Local hero Scott Young grabbed the winner that day.
Another exciting clash is anticipated this weekend. Leeds will be backed by around 6,000 fans at the Cardiff City Stadium. Cardiff boss Mark Hudson faces a tough afternoon.
Both clubs have suffered injuries and we may some fresh faces given an outing.
Cardiff striker Kion Etete continues to recover from a slight hamstring strain and is unlikely to be seen against Leeds.
Callum Robinson is also ill and probably will not feature either. Illness has also cast a doubt over Gavin Whyte and Cédric Kipré.
But the Bluebirds have players who are desperate to play. What an opportunity to showcase themselves against a Premier League team.
Leeds United have four first-team players ruled out of the FA Cup clash as Jesse Marsch has shared his team news.
Patrick Bamford is only recently back in training while Adam Forshaw and Luis Sinisterra are expected to be in training next week.
Stuart Dallas has also undergone another operation to clean things up and he is not available for the game either.
There will be plenty to interest Prost’s American audience as Leeds United’s manager is American Jesse Marsch, who replaced Marcelo Bielsa as head coach in February 2022.
Marsch became just the third American to manage in the Premier League, after Bob Bradley and German-born David Wagner.
He began his managerial career in the USA with Montreal Impact and New York Red Bulls, before making the move to Austria to take the hot seat at Red Bull Salzburg.
It was with Die Roten Bullen that Marsch caught the eye, winning the Austrian Bundesliga and the Austrian Cup on two occasions.
Salzburg’s talented side under Marsch included the likes of Manchester City’s Erling Haaland, former Liverpool attacker Takumi Minamino and Hungarian playmaker Dominik Szoboszlai, the latter following the American to his next role at German club RB Leipzig.
After mutually agreeing to leave Leipzig, Marsch joined Leeds United just two months later and guided them to Premier League safety at the end of last season.
Cardiff have been struggling to find the net since the World Cup and it will be a big ask to lower the colours of Leeds again. But with memories of 2002 filling the air, who knows what the magic of the cup could bring.
Follow us on Twitter @ProstInt
[columns]
[column size=”1/2″][blog type=”timeline” posts=”10″ cats=”623″ heading=”EFL” heading_type=”timeline” /][/column]
[column size=”1/2″][blog type=”timeline” posts=”10″ cats=”1139″ heading=”Championship” heading_type=”timeline” /][/column]
[/columns]
West Bromwich Albion supporters could not have asked for a better start to 2022 as USMNT striker Daryl Dike joined the club on a four-year contract.
Dike’s arrival represents a coup for Baggies manager Valérien Ismaël, who was determined on reuniting with the 22-year-old following their time together at Barnsley last season.
Having only scored six goals in their previous 10 games, West Brom have lacked a clinical edge to their finishing in recent times, falling behind fellow promotion contenders in the process.
There are big hopes that Dike is the answer to their goalscoring woes, especially as he found the net on nine occasions in just 19 league appearances for the Tykes last term.
Once again, an absence of a natural striker was clear in the Baggies’ 1-1 draw against Cardiff City, a game which Dike attended and was presented to spectators.
However, not too many English football fans will have seen much of the former Orlando City man, with all but one of Barnsley’s matches played behind closed doors last season.
Therefore, to find out more about Dike and what he will bring to The Hawthorns, we spoke to Prost Amerika editor Daniel Gaichas.
Like many, Dike’s goalscoring record alone was enough to convince Dan that the Baggies have pulled off a smart transfer.
“Dike should be a good addition for West Brom. He is a player who can score goals and has done so already at this level. He only played 19 league matches for Barnsley, but netted nine goals in that time and helped them to the play-offs in the Championship.”
Dan’s description of the player will also fill the Albion faithful with confidence, even more so when their aforementioned struggles are considered.
“From what I have seen of him [Dike], he is a bonafide goal scorer in the making. He is a true number nine like Valérien Ismaël said. Defenders will find him a challenge to handle.”
Ismaël himself was lauded for guiding the unfancied Tykes to the play-off semi-finals and earned his move to The Hawthorns off the back of that.
Both Ismaël and Dike’s former side now sit at the wrong end of the Championship table, illustrating how significant their respective impacts were. Dan acknowledged that the latter’s goals should help the Baggies achieve their targets, as they did last season for Barnsley.
“Before he [Dike] came to Barnsley, when was the last time anyone was talking about the Tykes? If he can help Barnsley punch above their weight, he can surely help West Brom return to the Premier League.”
On returning to the States, Dike experienced a mixed 2021 campaign. Though, he did recover from injuries to enjoy a prolific end to the season which will encourage those of an Albion persuasion.
“Dike scored twice in his second match before international duty but then suffered a shoulder injury. Towards the end of the season he found his form and eventually took penalty duties from Nani at Orlando and helped them to the MLS play-offs. He finished the season with 10 goals in 18 league games.”
The beginning of 2022 marks the start of another World Cup year, albeit this year’s edition will be played in the United Kingdom’s winter months, something that has never been seen before.
After embarrassingly missing out on the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the USMNT booked their place in Qatar under manager Gregg Berhalter.
While Dike may harbour aspirations of adding to his eight current international appearances, Dan admitted he will also need to continue his impressive goalscoring form to beat other high-profile names to a place in the squad and make the cut for the World Cup.
“Right now, Dike is a little beind other forward options with Christian Pulisic and Ricardo Pepi scoring for the USA in recent World Cup qualifiers. RB Salzburg’s Brenden Aaronson and Lille’s Timothy Weah are also above him in the pecking order right now.
“His last cap was at the CONCACAF Gold Cup. There are others who are in-form at the present time for Berhalter’s squad. If he can capture the form he had at Barnsley with a bigger club like West Brom, then he may have a chance [of making the USA squad].”
When pushed for a player to liken Dike to, Dan opted to go with a name that long-time Premier League supporters will recognise very well.
“I’ll go old-school and say he’s like Brian McBride in the way he challenges defenders and has made such an impact in England, McBride did that at Fulham.”
If Dike can gain a similar status among Baggies fans to the one that McBride developed throughout his time at Craven Cottage, Ismaël will have completed an extremely astute acquisition.
However, he needs Dike to start firing them in, and quickly. Starting with a trip to Loftus Road to face Queens Park Rangers in just under two weeks time.
We thank Daniel Gaichas for his contribution to this piece and you can follow him on Twitter @StatManDan.
Follow us on Twitter @ProstInt
[columns]
[column size=”1/2″][blog type=”timeline” posts=”10″ cats=”2820″ heading=”West Bromwich Albion” heading_type=”timeline” /][/column]
[column size=”1/2″][blog type=”timeline” posts=”10″ cats=”18″ heading=”USA” heading_type=”timeline” /][/column]
[/columns]
West Bromwich Albion have announced the arrival of Orlando City striker Daryl Dike on a four-year deal, reuniting the forward with boss Valérien Ismaël following their time together at Barnsley.
Dike’s arrival for an undisclosed fee is a much-needed one for the Baggies with Ismaël’s side having struggled for goals in recent matches despite, more often than not, being the dominant force.
The USMNT forward netted nine goals in 19 league matches after arriving at Oakwell in January 2020, firing the Tykes to a play-off finish in the process.
Dike was reported to be creating interest from a number of Serie A sides meaning his signature is somewhat of a coup for the Baggies.
He arrives at The Hawthorns after scoring in each of his final five appearances for Orlando and bagged eight goals in his last 10 matches for the MLS side.
It previously appeared that an agreement would see Dike arrive at The Hawthorns on an initial loan with a permanent deal to be triggered upon promotion. However, the eventual transfer not only represents a vital boost to Ismaël’s promotion bid following Monday’s 1-0 defeat to Derby County but also long-term security to their valuable asset.
A summer transfer outlay of £0 and an absence of communication from the club’s hierarchy had seen supporters openly criticise controlling shareholder Guochuan Lai’s running of the club.
Although, those fans will now be inclined to praise the work of Lai with The Athletic reporting that an initial fee of £7 million has been paid.
Ismaël hailed Lai and fellow senior figures following the announcement, signalling that their December training ground meeting was a productive one.
“There’s a lot of teamwork that has gone into this deal and I would personally like to thank Mr Lai, Ken (Xu Ke), Ron Gourlay and Ian Pearce for making it happen so quickly. They have all worked very hard on the transfer.
“I’m delighted we have completed the transfer of Dike, he was always our first target and priority.”
With the MLS campaign finishing four weeks ago, Ismaël also suggested he will put the 22-year-old through rigorous training across the next couple of weeks in order to raise fitness levels.
“For sure, he needs time and the schedule for him is to work hard in the next two weeks, so he is ready to play a part against QPR. That is our target and now, with my staff, we will work to have a very, very good build up – using every day – to ensure he is in top shape by that game.”
The West Midlands outfit currently sit four points off the automatic promotion places and the expectation is that Dike’s goals will be crucial in a potentially instant return to the Premier League.
Follow us on Twitter @ProstInt
[columns]
[column size=”1/2″][blog type=”timeline” posts=”10″ cats=”2820″ heading=”West Bromwich Albion” heading_type=”timeline” /][/column]
[column size=”1/2″][blog type=”timeline” posts=”10″ cats=”609 ” heading=”EFL” heading_type=”timeline” /][/column]
[/columns]
Liam Ridgewell was a very popular player in Portland
Photo: Diego Diaz/Prost Amerika
Cascadia Association Football Federation want to convince former Premier League defender Liam Ridgewell to come out of retirement.
Whilst Ridgewell is widely associated with West Midlands football, he qualifies to represent Cascadia following his successful five-year spell in the United States with Portland Timbers which included a famous MLS Cup win.
Prost International understands that Cascadia coach James Nichols is a big admirer and would like to invite the West Midlands legend.
Adding Ridgewell to the Cascadia ranks would prove an invaluable step ahead of the upcoming fixture against Kernow at the Fenton Engineering Stadium.
The exhibition match is a 15:00 kick-off on 22nd May, with tickets on sale through the Northwood FC website and on the day.
36-year-old Ridgewell retired in 2019 following a brief stint with Southend United. He now forms part of the coaching staff at Dover Athletic.
The former Aston Villa, Birmingham City and West Bromwich Albion star is fondly remembered in the States having joined Timbers in 2014 and going on to captain them to MLS Cup success on a famous night in Columbus in 2015.
Despite enjoying a career glittered with England-youth recognition and a cup final win, Ridgewell credits Portland with rejuvenating his career after being released by the Baggies and admitted that his first taste of the MLS action only whetted his appetite.
In 2018 he claimed “The very first game I watched, they were playing FC Dallas,” recalls Ridgewell,“
“They were 2-0 down at half-time., I couldn’t hear myself think when the players were coming in at half-time for the fans singing. Not shouting or chucking things, as I was used to, but singing. I thought that could work for me.’”
With the Timbers faithful known for their loyal and passionate support, Ridgewell drew comparisons between the atmosphere at Premier League grounds and MLS fixtures.
Ridgewell celebrates Timbers’ MLS Cup win in Portland in 2015
His arrival coincided with Timbers’ most successful era in modern times.
Having struggled defensively in their 2014 campaign, Ridgewell led the defensive rearguard to help the franchise finish third in the Western Conference.
The defender coolly netted a penalty in the playoff game against Sporting Kansas City, which is largely remembered for Saad Abdul-Salaam’s “double post” penalty miss. The unfortunate SKC player hit both posts during a shoot out and fate seemed to suggest it was Portland’s year.
A rock-solid defensive showing from Ridgewell and co, saw Timbers progress past Vancouver Whitecaps to advance to the Conference Final where they then defeated FC Dallas 5-3 on aggregate.
With the Timbers not content as just Western Conference Champions, they made history by beating Columbus Crew 2-1 to become the first side from the Cascadia rivalry to win the competition, soon to be followed by Sounders FC.
One of Portland or Seattle has appeared in every final since as Cascadia has exerted its dominance on the Western Conference.
Ridgewell also gained a reputation with his signature goal celebration, “The Ridgy Roll” which surprised both British and American fans alike.
His time with the Timbers came to an end in 2019 having found game time hard to come by under Gio Savarese.
But having been a cult hero amongst the Timbers fanbase and with evergreen memories from his time with the club, Nichols hopes Ridgewell may just be tempted to don the Cascadia colours.
He told Prost:
“As a follower of English football, I know the Liam’s abilities well.
James Riley played for Cascadia before and I was amazed just how much credibility and kudos, as well as his talent and leadership, that brought us.
Hopefully, we can get word out to Liam in time so he can player, as well as give his West midlands fans a chance to show their appreciation.”
Media and sponsorship opportunities are also available. Please call 07743 260395 for more info.
Follow us on Twitter @ProstInt
[columns]
[column size=”1/2″][blog type=”timeline” posts=”10″ cats=”15″ heading=”internationals” heading_type=”timeline” /][/column]
[column size=”1/2″][blog type=”timeline” posts=”10″ cats=”18″ heading=”USA” heading_type=”timeline” /][/column]
[/column]
]]>Property belonging to one of the USA’s most prominent football supporters’ club has been damaged in the unrest in the US City of Portland.
The Pacific North West area, also known as Cascadia, has seen some of the most boisterous anti racists activity. That area includes the state of Oregon, whose largest city is Portland.
The supporters group for the MLS Portland Timbers, is known as the Timbers Army (TA), and has been active in supplying water and medical aide to protesters, through its yellow “No Pity” van.
Portland, Oregon has been the scene of continued civil disruption following protests caused originally by the murder of George Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis. The murder was captured on video and led to global protests against racism and injustice.
The windscreen of the No Pity van has previously been shot at
The TA are unapologetically political, often taking public stances to support LGBTQ community, refugee rights and to oppose racism.
Their van was damaged by Portland Police (PPB) in the early morning of August 13th after the Timbers Army has played an important role in supporting the community in the nightly protests through its association with Portland United Against Hate (PUAH).
Additionally, the No Pity Van has provided medical supplies for street medics, and PPE and water to anyone in need.
The Timbers Army stated they were complying with police instructions to leave the area as instructed when the PPB slashed all four tires.
This is the second incident of property damage done to the No Pity Van during the nightly protests.
A federal officer had also fired at the van’s windscreen back on July 25th.
The van was again trying to leave the area, after being instructed by federal officers.
The rationale behind federal and local police’s destruction of property seems to be the van would become a hazard to both sides (officers and protesters) in the event the van was to get in between the two groups.
However, TA members are pointing out that deflating a vehicle’s tires seems to be an inconsistent practice having ordered it to move away.
Despite the destruction, the Timbers Army made repairs on the van and will push on as the protests enter their third month.
The Timbers Army released this statement
A Timbers Army statement maintained the tyres had been mended and they would continue to provide aid to the protesters.
]]>Sevilla v Man Utd
Inter Milan v Shakhtar Donetsk
Charlton Athletic are considering their legal position after Sheffield Wednesday’s 12-point deduction for Financial Fair Play breaches was held over until next season.
Had it been activated this term, Wednesday would have been relegated instead of Charlton.
The player’s name is also a Team – Charlton
Portland Timbers claimed the MLS is Back Tournament title with a 2-1 win against Orlando City SC at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex on Tuesday night.
Larrys Mabiala opened the scoring in the first half, his first goal of the tournament, while Dario Zuparic notched the game-winner, his first goal with the Timbers, in the 66th minute to secure the tournament championship. Mauricio Pereyra was Orlando’s scorer.
POR: GK Clark, D Duvall, D Mabiala, D Zuparic, D Villafaña, M D. Chara, M Williamson, M Loría (Polo,, 67), M Valeri © (Tuiloma, 90), M Blanco (Mora, 89), F Ebobisse (Niezgoda, 67)
ORL: GK Gallese, D Ruan (Smith, 87), D Antoñio Carlos, D Jansson, D Moutinho, M Pereyra, M Rosell (Patiño, 79), M Méndez (Urso, 71), M Mueller (Michel, 71), F Nani ©, F Akindele (Dike, 78)
[columns]
[column size=”1/2″][blog type=”timeline” posts=”10″ cats=”117″ heading=”English Football” heading_type=”timeline” /][/column]
[column size=”1/2″][blog type=”timeline” posts=”10″ cats=”1072″ heading=”News” heading_type=”timeline” /][/column]
[/columns]
Luca Waldschmidt
Credit: Metro
The forward turns 24 today and has a very good start to his career especially with appearances in the U21 European Championships and performing fantastically in every game for Germany.
Waldschmidt had a few different youth teams which included the likes of Oranien Youth, Juno Berg Youth and Wieseck Youth before deciding to move to Eintracht Frankfurt’s system and stay there.
In 2013, the forward signed his professional contract for Frankfurt and made his first appearance for the club a year later in the 14/15 season. He made three appearances for Frankfurt that season gained valuable first-team experience.
The next season, he featured 14 times for the club scoring one goal and assisting once. He decided to move clubs after the season concluded to Hamburger SV for around £1 million.
He made 38 appearances for the first team in the two years that he was at the club scoring three times and assisting on four ocassions.
He decided to move club again in 2018 with Freiburg signing the promising forward in July 2018 for around £5 million.
He’s had a bright start to his life in Freiburg. The forward has 49 appearances under his belt for the club scoring 15 times and assisting five times in the process. This move has worked out really well for Waldschmidt so far.
Internationally, he has featured at every single level for Germany from the U16’s to the senior team. He got his first international cap for Germany in October 2019 and has had two more caps to add to his name since.
Josef Martinez
Credit: Goal.com
The MLS goal machine turns 27 today and has been in great form for Atlanta United ever since joining them. Let’s have a look how his career has panned out.
In 2010, Martinez got his breakthrough for his boyhood club Caracas FC. He spent a year and a half playing at the club at senior level making 42 appearances, scoring nine times and assisting five times.
In January 2012, BSC Young Boys came in for the player and signed him for an undisclosed fee. He played for the U21 team and the senior team. For the U21 team he featured 12 times scoring 18 goals but, struggled in the senior team as he played 38 games scoring only three goals.
In July 2013, he went out on loan to FC Thun till December and he featured 32 times for the club scoring ten times and assisting on three ocassions.
In July 2014, Torino bought the young forward for £3 million, hoping the player would fulfil his potential in Italy.
In the three seasons that the Venezuelan forward was at the Italian club, he made 76 appearances for the club scoring 13 times and assisting on six occasions.
In February 2017, the forward went out on a month loan to Atlanta United with the spell being a good move for Martinez who made the move permanent in late March of that year.
He’s been a revelation for Atlanta and his goal scoring record speaks for itself. In over 100 appearances for Atlanta he has managed to score 90 goals and assist on 12 ocassions. An ACL rupture this season has sidelined the player for most of this year but, he has missed little football due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Internationally, he has made 54 appearances for the Venezuela national team and has scored 12 times for the national team in the process.
He’s won the MLS Cup and the US Open Cup with Atlanta and has picked up individual accolades which include MLS MVP and MLS Top Goalscorer in the 17/18 season.
[columns]
[column size=”1/2″][blog type=”timeline” posts=”10″ cats=”131″ heading=”Bundesliga” heading_type=”timeline” /][/column]
[column size=”1/2″][blog type=”timeline” posts=”10″ cats=”1072″ heading=”News” heading_type=”timeline” /][/column]
[/columns]
Former Arsenal legend has joined the Major League Soccer side until 2021, with an option for a further year.
Henry, just 42 years of age, has a good deal of experience in the coaching field. He started his second career in February 2015, when he was coaching the Gunners’ youth teams.
Just over a year later, he was appointed as the forwards’ coach for Belgium under head coach Roberto Martinez. He eventually stayed there until 2018 where he helped the Red Devils reach the quarter-final. He also provided a positive effect on players such as Romelu Lukaku, who had words of praise for the Frenchman.
“He’s helped me so much. My awareness, my skills, my shooting, my control, where I have to be on the field, scoring goals out of nowhere.’’
Henry was promoted to assistant coach but didn’t last long in that position after he was offered the head coach role at Monaco.
Unfortunately for Henry, he was dismissed by the board four months later, with a record of four wins, five draws and 11 defeats.
Montreal impact are desperate for a redemption after a challenging season; they finished ninth out of 12 clubs in the Eastern conference, with an embarrassing 17 defeats.
Montreal will also be relying on Henry’s experience considering he spent five seasons in the MLS with New York Red Bulls. He scored on 52 occasions in 122 appearances.
His name as head coach will be potentially attracting some big names in the coming transfer windows, which could make his return to the MLS even more intriguing.
[columns] [column size=”1/2″][blog type=”timeline” posts=”10″ cats=”5″ heading=”MLS” heading_type=”timeline” /][/column] [column size=”1/2″][blog type=”timeline” posts=”10″ cats=”1072″ heading=”News” heading_type=”timeline” /][/column] [/columns]
]]>Ibrahimovic joined the LA side after a spell at Manchester United, which saw him leave the club after what was close to a career ending injury for the Swede.
He will be leaving the West Coast with no silverware; however, he did earn himself an array of individual awards. One of them was the MLS newcomer of the year in 2018, which was well deserved, considering he scored 24 goals in 27 games during his first campaign.
To add to that he had what many consider as the best debut in Major League Soccer history, where he came on as a substitute during the first ever edition of the Los Angeles derby, also known as ‘’El Trafico’’ on the 31st of March 2018.
Thanks to a Ibrahimovic brace, the game ended 4-3 to Galaxy with the standout moment his 45-yard-half-volley, which was later voted as the MLS goal of the year.
Before the start of the 2019 season, he was named captain of the team. The Swede had reached 515 career goals after his second game of the season to become the Swedish player with the most amount of goals in history.
In his American bow, Ibrahimovic scored 53 goals in 58 games and registered 17 assists.
Despite a goal and an assist in the Western Conference semi-final, Ibrahimovic couldn’t take his team further.
“I came, I saw, I conquered. Thank you LA Galaxy for making me feel alive again.
“To the Galaxy fans – you wanted Zlatan, I gave you Zlatan. You are welcome. The story continues…Now go back to watch baseball.’’
‘Ibra’ is expected to reveal his next move in the coming weeks.
[columns] [column size=”1/2″][blog type=”timeline” posts=”10″ cats=”5″ heading=”MLS” heading_type=”timeline” /][/column] [column size=”1/2″][blog type=”timeline” posts=”10″ cats=”1072″ heading=”News” heading_type=”timeline” /][/column] [/columns]
]]>
Photo: John Crouch
