Carl Robinson Biography

He is a Welsh former football player and current head coach of Vancouver Whitecaps FC in MLS. Robinson was born in October 13, 1976.

Playing career:

Wolverhampton Wanderers:

He started his career as trainee and made his debut with Wolverhampton Wanderers during the 1996-1997 seasons.

Shrewsbury Town:

Robinson was loan to Shrewsbury Town; he made his football league debut versus Hull City 1-1 on 1996. Robinson made four appearances for the Shrews in the league and one in the Football League Trophy final at Wembley Stadium but they defeated by Rotherham United 2-1.

Portsmouth:

On July 2002, He moved to Portsmouth after appearing over 180 appearances for Wolves over six years.

Robinson played with them around 20 games in their promotion year to be loaned to firstly Sheffield Wednesday scoring once against future club Norwich, and then to Walsall scoring also once against Bradford , then to Rotherham, Sheffield United and Sunderland.

Sunderland:

Robinson signed a permanent three year contract in June 2004 with Sunderland after impressing at it. Robinson with them got promotion during a season where he played 42 of 46 games and he went to collect another championship winner’s medal.

Norwich City:

After being loaned to Norwich City, Robinson signed a contract with Norwich for 2 and half year for undisclosed fee in January 2006. He scored his first goal On August 26, 2006 against Barnsley where his team won 5-1. He made 50 appearances over 15 months with Norwich.

Toronto FC:

He joined Toronto coming from Norwich after a year in Carrow Road on January 31, 2007. He scored his first goal with Toronto against FC Dallas ending the game 4-0 on June 17, 2007. He was voted MVP in his first and second season with the team.

Robinson also completed his UEFA licenses in order to prepare himself to coach.

He announced that will spend the remaining of his career in the MLS and so he moved to play to New York Red Bulls.

 

New York Red Bulls:

On March 2010 he was traded from Toronto to New York Red Bulls in the 2011 MLS SuperDraft.  His first wining game with his team was on March 20, 2010 against Santos FC 3-1. And his first goal was against his former team Toronto in which the game ended 4-1.

International Career:

He made his first debut as a Wales international player against Belarus in 1999, in which he won the man of the game award. Robinson 50^th cap came in the 2-0 World Cup qualifier win over Liechtenstein.

Robinson announced his retirement from international playing career on April 1, 2009 at the age of 32 with 52 caps where Wales suffered from two consecutive defeats making it impossible for them to qualify for the World Cup 2010.

Managerial career:

Vancouver Whitecaps FC:

Robinson retired as a player and joined the Vancouver Whitecaps as an assistant coach in 2012. Then he was assigned the head coach of the team in December 2013.

German list free of surprises for the World Cup in Brazil

The German team Coach Joachim Loew announced for the first football team from the list of primary mannschaft traveling to Brazil to fight in the 2014 World Cup next month.

The initial list included 30 names announced by Loew will have to exclude seven of them to be the final list by the end of this month, is made up of only 23 players.

And contrary to what Felipe Scolari has done in the recalled list for Brazil for the World Cup squad deserted from the German preliminary remember any surprises which saw presence the most prominent names on the scene currently led by veteran German Mersolav Klose with the 35-year-old.

The Bundesliga champion Bayern Munich is the owner of the largest share of the names on the initial list announced by Joachim Loew which saw the presence of the existing seven players from Bayern in the list, which came as follows:

Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Roman Weidenfeller (Borussia Dortmund), Robert Zeller (Hanover)

Line of defense: Philipp Lahm, Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich), Kevin Großkreutz, Mats Hummels, Marcel Schmelzer, Eric dorm (Dortmund), Benedikt Howedes (Schalke), Pierre Mertesacker (Arsenal), Marcell Jansen (Hamburg), Shkodran Mustafi (Sampdoria ).

Midfielders: Julian Draxler, Max Mayer, Leon Goretzka (Schalke), Mario Götze, Toni Kroos, Thomas Mueller, Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich), Sami Khedira (Real Madrid), Mesut Ozil, Lukas Podolski (Arsenal), Marco Reus (Borussia Dortmund), Mats Ginter (Freiburg), Andre Horlh (Chelsea), Lars Bender (Leverkusen), Andre Han (Augsburg).

Forwards: Miroslav Klose (Lazio), Kevin Volland (Hoffenheim).

Scolari announces the list of Brazil to the World Cup amid big surprises

Luiz Felipe Scolari Brazil football coach Announced on Wednesday lineup of 23 players will play the 2014 World Cup scheduled next month without veteran Kaka, Ronaldinho and Robinho, along with Luis Felipe eliminated with in-form Atletico Madrid.

The lineup included the names of the two wingers  Maicon and Maxwell instead of Rafinha and Luiz Felipe also included defender Henrique, but without the AC Milan striker Robinho-of-form teammate Kaka and the best player in the world in 2007 and Ronaldinho holder of Golden Ball in 2005.

"Filipao" Squad came consistent with those that won the Confederations Cup title in 2013 at the expense of Spain (3 - zero).

Scolari, who hopes to repeat the scenario of 2002, and the leadership of his country's team to the sixth title when left out striker Romario, decided last month the names of four players to wear the captain's armband  and They Thiago Silva (Paris Saint Germain), David Luiz (Chelsea) and goalkeeper Julio Cesar (Toronto Canada) and Fred (Fluminense).

It was interesting selection of four players from Chelsea they are defender David Luiz , Midfielder Oscar Ramirez , Willian.

And players will join current 26 in Teresopolis camp in preparation to face Croatia, Mexico and Cameroon in the first round.

In the following combination:

- Goalkeepers: Jefferson (Botafogo), Julio Cesar (Toronto Canada), Victor (Atletico Mineiro).

- Defense: Dani Alves (Barcelona), Dante (Bayern Munich), David Luiz (Chelsea), Henrique (Naples, Italy), Maicon (AS Roma), Thiago Silva and Maxwell (Paris St Germain), Marcelo (Spanish Real Madrid).

Midfielders: Fernandinho (Manchester City), Hernanes (Inter Milan), Luiz Gustavo (Wolfsburg, Germany), Oscar Ramirez and Willian (Chelsea), Paulinho (Tottenham Hotspur).

- Forwards: Bernard (Shakhtar Donetsk of Ukraine), Fred (Fluminense), Hulk (Zenit St Petersburg, Russian Federation), Joe (Atletico Mineiro), Neymar (Barcelona).

Tata Martino review the positives of his difficult season with Barcelona

Artistic Director of the Catalan giant confirms that he enjoyed his first season to lead the team, although it was frustrated.

Barcelona coach reigning Primera Liga Gerardo Martino said Friday that he enjoyed his first season to lead the team, although it was frustrated.

And Barcelona subjected to a jolt in the latter stages of the season and has a limited opportunity to retain the title with falling four points behind leaders Atletico Madrid before the end of three rounds on the league.

The team has suffered this season from the curse of the injuries that mauled the creaking team body and namely the absence of a legend and the team's best player four times Lionel Messi, who missed out on the team and has had a significant and clear impact on the results Barca.

And the Catalan club influenced by also fall heavily on the level of some club stars including Cesc Fabregas and Xavi and Busquets and Dani Alves, and finally and most are slaughtered giant Catalan is the tired and fragile back line, which cost the team out of the Champions League and the loss of the cup in front of rival Real Madrid, and the difficulty of competing for the league title. 

From Sociedad hell is the beginning of the fall and depth:

Martino continued on some of the negatives and the mistakes that have kept the team strength, including:

1 - Pushing Fabregas specter!!

2 – Maintain Messi unchanged

3 – Pushing Neymar to play on the right side 

Barcelona came out of the quarter-finals of the Champions League against Atletico also lost the King's Cup final against arch-rival Real Madrid despite the expectations placed on it.

Martino said at a news conference before the next match at home against Getafe, "it is a season i will learn from it because I was leading a team at this level and playing in such a league and compete in Europe."

The final blow was knocked out of the Champions League at the hands of ambition Rokhiblancos:

"I learned how to drive in difficult conditions and get used to criticism and accolades as well as a lot of other experiences, I think we learn in every place we go, but you learn a lot of things here, and quickly."

He continued, "We fought season witnessed a lot of pressure I would not say problems, the club has a lot of attention and is usually a difficult first season, the analysis of the situation is changing with the results. It is a season saw it in a lot of aspects of learning in my training Register."

And Argentine coach signed a contract for two years before the start of the current season, but it included a provision allowing for the dissolution of the contracting parties following the end of the first year.

All reports confirm Argentine coach out the end of the current season:

It seems unlikely that Martino remains in office after the end of the season comes to coach Luis Enrique Celta Vigo on top of the current list of candidates to succeed him.

Martino said, "was a great opportunity (to win the league) until Granada match recently and we had a lot of hope, we will continue now the same desire we demonstrated against Athletic (Bilbao) and Villarreal."

"We hope to continue our way as much as possible and do everything in our power, if there is a chance calculation (for the title) and even if it seemed great."

"The players have the motivation which is important in this period of their glories; they continue fighting even in this bad situation."

Jeff Cassar Biography

He is an American former football goalkeeper and current head coach of Real Salt Lake of MLS, was born in February 2, 1974.

Playing career:

Cassar was roommates with Steve Ralston at Florida International University where he played college soccer.

Cassar selected after graduating eighth overall in the 1996 MLS College Draft by Dallas Burn. Cassar spent all of the 1997 season injured to appear just in two games, and he was selected tenth overall in the 1997Mls Expansion draft by the Miami Fusion.  

Cassar appeared in 21 games with Fusion, but he lost his job to Nick Rimando. He moved to England and played with Bolton Wanderers as the backup until June 2002.

Cassar returned to the United States signing with Atlanta Silverbacks of the A-League, to appear only in six games. Then he moved to Dallas for the third time following Matt Jordan’s departure to Europe as backup for D.J. Countess. He appeared in seven games and helped the team. In the next season a new coach Colin Clarke was brought and he traded Countess and replaced him with Scott Garlick. In the middle of season an injury forced Garlick to give his place to Cassar and the recent made 19 appearances.

At the end of 2006 season Cassar retired and was appointed by new head coach Steve Morrow as team’s goalkeeper coach.

International playing career:

He played for the US Men’s National Team in September 2013 during the qualification of the World Cup against Mexico. 

Coaching career:

Cassar signed with Real Salt Lake to be their goalkeeper coach in May 2007, and he spent the end of the season as assistant coach to Puerto Rico Islanders of the USL First Division.

Cassar signed on December 18, 2013 with Real Salt Lake to be their head coach replacing Jason Kreis who moved to sign with New York City FC as head coach.