Turkcell Super League – Week 20 review

Week 20 of the Turkcell Super League could be the week where the standings could be shaken up.   It featured a top of the table matchup that could vault one team to the top of the table, or the other team into serious contenders for the league championship.  Kayserispor hosted Galatasaray in the match of the week on Saturday.  Fenerbahçe looked to continue their lead in the standings as Diyarbakirspor came into town.  The week got started on Friday, as Beşiktaş looked to inch closer to a Europa League spot by facing Gençlerbirliği.

Turkcell Super League – Week 19 Sunday recap

Week 19 of the Turkcell Super League season came to a close on Sunday with the top four teams in action.  With the gap between first and second separated by only a point, both Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray were under pressure to keep their battle for the top going.  Bursaspor and Kayserispor looked to keep pace with the top two as they faced Eskişehirspor and Gaziantepspor respectively.  The other match on Sunday saw two teams locked in a battle to stay clear of the relegation zone as Ankaragücü and Manisaspor met.

The Future of This Site

Despite my hiring as the Public Relations and Communications Director for the North American Soccer League, this site will continue to operate. However, I will no longer be writing for the site. The continued good work of Ata Dizdar covering Turkish Football, as well as Dave Trotter covering French Football and Mitch Howard will continue. Additionally, we will be looking for new writers to cover a variety of subjects. Those interested, please email me at kkfla737@yahoo.com

Turkcell Super League – week 19 – Friday and Saturday matches.

The march to the Turkcell Super League championship continues onward this week.  A total of three games were featured on Friday and Saturday.  After their match last week was postponed, Beşiktaş got their second half of the season started with a trip down to Antalya to play Antalyaspor.  Trabzonspor looked to improve their chances in clinching a Europa League spot, as they headed down to Diyarbakir to face Diyarbakirspor.  Kasımpaşa is only three points above the relegation zone, while Istanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor is still in the middle of the table.  Those two teams would meet for local supremacy.

Turkcell Super League – Giovani dos Santos joins Galatasaray on loan.

It has now been reported by Fanatik and Sky Sports in England that Mexican international player Giovani dos Santos will now head to Galatasaray on a loan.  The player had been playing for Tottenham Hotspur.  Dos Santos played for Barcelona when current Galatasaray head coach Frank Rijkaard was at the helm there.  He had failed to establish himself at Spurs, and spent some time on loan at Ipswich Town the previous season.  With the move, dos Santos reunites with Rijkaard and will certainly see playing time in Istanbul.  The move can be made permanent during the summer transfer window.  With the move, Galatasaray will have to offload one of its foreign players.  Turkish football regulations stipulate that only eight foreign players can be registered with one club; and up to six foreigners can play on the pitch for a club.

With Harry Kewell now out for 2-3 months, and with Milan Baros thought to be out until mid-March, this seems like a good move for Galatasaray.  Rijkaard had given dos Santos his chance at first-team football when Rijkaard coached Barcelona.  Now it may be that this young player can be able to fulfill his potential under his old coach.  The Turkcell Super League tends to favor offensive football rather than defensive.  Dos Santos, who is a forward, should be able to find his rhythm here.  Who Galatasaray releases due to the foreign player rule will be the question.  Although perhaps with the quality of players now coming into Galatasaray, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Shabani Nonda go.  Considering he had missed a few good opportunities in the Gaziantepspor match, including a penalty kick, Nonda’s days could be numbered.  Galatasaray had to let Tobias Linderoth go because of the new signings (Lucas Neill and Jo); then again, he had been considered a liability.  The main concern with dos Santos will be diving.  Mexican players have gained a reputation for diving on the pitch, especially with fans of the United States national soccer team.  The Turkish TV pundits might have a field day if he dives at times on the pitch, calling the legitimacy of the on-pitch action into question.  Even so, this is a good move for Galatasaray considering dos Santos’ age (20 years old) and potential to become a star.

Turkcell Super League – week 18 – Sunday action

The opening weekend of the second half of the season for the Turkcell Super League came to a close Sunday.  With Fenerbahçe consolidating their lead at the top, Galatasaray needed to win to keep pace with their cross-town Istanbul rivals.  Kayserispor looked to keep within striking distance of the top spot that they held for two weeks in the first half of the season.  Roger Lemerre made his debut as Ankaragücü head coach, along with former Turkish national team, Fenerbahçe, and Gençlerbirliği player Umit Ozat as his assistant.  Trabzonspor, although highly unlikely to break their championship drought this season, looked to at least get into contention for a Europa League spot as they took on Sivasspor.

Cabanas Shooting Story Big News Worldwide

The Salvador Cabanas shooting story continues to garner the attention of football supporters throughout the world. But for some reason, the shooting has gained less attention in the American soccer press than abroad, even among the notoriously insular English press ( who by the way have become more wordly over the past ten years).

This for me makes little or no sense. Cabanas is arguably the best attacking playing club football in the CONCACAF region. He’s been the top goalscorer in Copa Lib and Interliga (played on US soil, in MLS stadiums) as well as COMNEBOL player of the year. This is also a player who was destined to start in the World Cup for Paraguay, one of South America’s best national teams. Yet, many American fans who’d you would think would pay attention to developments south of the border especially with the co-biggest club in the region (Club America) seemed to miss the Cabanas shooting story.

Cabanas had a banner month, leading the Interliga, held in the United States, by scoring with five goals, for America.

We discuss this and other circumstances around the shooting of a legitimate superstar in world football at the SPA Pod.

NOTE: BEGINNING JANUARY 31ST, I WILL NO LONGER POST ON THIS SITE DUE TO MY ROLE AS COMMUNICATIONS/PUBLIC RELATIONS DIRECTOR OF THE NASL. HOWEVER, THIS SITE WILL REMAIN OPEN THANKS TO THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF OUR EXCELLENT WRITING STAFF.

Turkcell Super League – Week 18 – Friday and Saturday action

After nearly a month off because of a winter break, the Turkcell Super League got back into action with a set of matches on Friday and Saturday.  The top four in the league are only separated by a point each, so now every game is crucial in the march toward the league title.  The second half of the season will feature new faces, such as Gokhan Unal now being transferred to Fenerbahçe from Trabzonspor, and Lucas Neill and Jo who have been transferred to Galatasaray from Everton and Manchester City respectively (Jo is on a six month loan).   With the amount of transfers in and out of the league, the league will certainly have a somewhat different look player-wise.  However, the league will certainly look to be competitive over the next seventeen weeks as the drive for the title approaches its end.  Week 18 got started with Fenerbahçe facing a bottom of the table Denizlispor on Friday.  Three matches were set to be featured on Saturday.  However, due to a snowstorm in Istanbul, only the Eskişehirspor-Manisaspor match was played.  The Beşiktaş-Istanbul Buyuksehir Belediyespor and Kasımpaşa-Bursaspor matches were postponed.

Alejandro Bedoya Makes US Debut

South Floridan Alejandro Bedoya made his USMNT debut tonight in the 3-1 loss to Honduras at the Home Depot Center. Bedoya had several good touches after coming on around minute sixty and also put a shot attempt just wide of the far post on a corner from fellow Floridian Dax McCarty.

Bedoya is a veteran of the youth soccer circuit in south Florida and also played for Boston College before following former team mate Charlie Davies over to Sweden.

SPA Daily Pod: Dempsey Injury Concern

Richard Farley, Johnathan Starling and Kartik Krishnaiyer have a candid conversation about Clint Dempsey’s injury and its affect on the US Team in the latest SPA Daily Podcast. Additionally, we discuss the opening weekend of the Mexican Clausura, Premier League, Owen Coyle, Bundesliga, Serie A and anticipate the Milan Derby.

SPA Daily Podcast