This years Robocup 2008 tournament featured miniature humanoid robots competing as a team to win the soccer tournament hosted in Suzhou China. The robots were able to complete passes, chase down lose balls, albeit very slowly(think Abel Xavier), and score goals. Could this be the future of soccer? Will we see Jozy Altidore partnered up top in the 2014 World Cup by Wynaldatron #9? Here are a few videos from the event:  

Robots cooperate to score goal(the opposing team’s Goalkeeper needs some work)    




Robot “Izra” scores and celebrates




A short passing challenge performed by several robots

 

Hope you enjoyed the videos, and yes we’re looking into securing the online English language broadcast rights for Robocup 2009

Rating: 2(Possible)

Reports out of Puerto Rico suggest that Red Bull New York have told Forward Chris Megaloudis that he cannot join Puerto Rico for their World Cup qualifier 2nd leg June 14th against Honduras. RBNY cannot deny Megaloudis the ability to play for his national team under FIFA regulations, and could face potential sanctions. The 24 year old Striker joined RBNY this season after playing 3 years in USL, he has yet to make a league appearance. Megaloudis has 5 caps to date with Puerto Rico, who lost the first leg of the fixture to Honduras, by a 4-0 scoreline. After the departure of starlet Jozy Altidore, RBNY are short on striker, and this might be the reason behind the denial. We will keep you updated on this story, make sure to check back often.What do you think? Was RBNY right or wrong to deny megaloudis?  UPDATE: It looks like the situation between Megaloudis and RBNY has been worked out and he has been allowed to  join Puerto Rico. According to the Red Bull media guide he is listed as away on international duty, we’ll be able to confirm at the start of the game tonight, but it looks like everything has been worked out.  

As we reported, American starlet Josmer Altidore was unveiled at a press conference Wednesday. “Arriving Spanish league also with Villarreal is a dream coming true. Everything is very exciting and I do not feel any pressure. I really hope to get result from it” said the 18 year old striker. Altidore went on to say “I’ve been playing soccer since I was three years old. It’s my real passion. That’s why I want to progress here, that would be very important for me.However, if Villarreal considers I have to reach experience in another club, I will do it as well”. Altidore will officially join the club on July 1st, when the European transfer window officially opens. All of us hear at ASR with Jozy the best, what are your thoughts on the transfer?   

According to multiple sources, American start Jozy Altidore has agreed personal terms with Spanish club Villareal, and will be unveiled at a press conference Wednesday. Altidore has signed a 6 year deal with the Spanish side, and will most likely be loaned out to Recreativo Huelva for the upcoming season. The transfer will officially be complete July 1st, when European transfer window reopens. The 18 year old striker made 36 appearances for the New York Red Bulls, scoring 15 times, he has also earned 3 caps with the United States Mens National Team.

Rating: 2(Possible)

23 year old Striker and former Seton Hall player John Raus, is currently on trial with the New York Red Bulls. Raus has most recently played with Polish 2nd division side LKS Lomza. Raus apparently took part in a friendly Monday morning against the Long Island Rough Riders, playing 60 minutes. Raus made 20 appearance for LKS Lomza scoring twice, since joining Lomza 2007.Could Raus have been brought in on trial as a potential reinforcement at the forward position after the departure of Jozy Altidore?  

Hello Fans!

Well it definitely has not been the best couple of weeks for the team.  Two losses, and on top of that an embarrassing loss at home (I won’t try to sugar coat it).  Needless to say, all of us are not pleased with the past two results.  Obviously the Chicago game was a rough one for all who were involved, be it a fan or a player.  I am not going to sit here and try to make excuses for our poor performance.  I don’t think there was one person on the field who was the least bit pleased with their performance that game, and how could any of us have been pleased.  In a game that was talked about for a while (and blown a bit out of proportion by some fans and media) we simply did not show up.  Plain and simple!  A loss at home is always tough to swallow, but be it against a rival and a butt whooping…I can’t think of a worse case scenario.  About the only thing you want to do after that game is forget about it.  There are clearly many things we can take from that game; mistakes we made and lack of concentration.  However, at the end of the day every guy on the team knows that performance was terrible and we have to do much, much better.  So we have to put it in the past, and make sure that we do not have a repeat performance.

Last week we were in Houston, a place that especially in June, is not a very fun place to play at.  It was another hot and humid night, and even though Houston was missing some key players, they were still able to field a solid team capable of getting a result.  Although we were missing some key players ourselves (JP, Dave, and Claudio), we still had plenty of experience and talented players on the field to at least grab a point from that game.  It was not the prettiest of games, but it was a game that we were definitely in a good position to get at least a point.  We had talked all week about how Houston’s main strengths are their competitiveness and their set pieces.  Needless to say, conceding a goal on a play that we discussed during the week in practice was frustrating.  Give credit to them, they were aware of us turning our backs, and quickly put the ball back in play.  Next thing we know, the ball is in the back of our net and we find ourselves down 1-0.  Like I said earlier, I am not going to try and sugar coat or make excuses for why we lacked concentration at that particular moment.  We, as a team, simply have to do better and limit the small mental mistakes that we are making, and costing us precious points.  

Tomorrows game presents us with another good challenge against a team who is having their troubles with injuries, but have got great results in their past few games.  Having said that, I believe that we have more then enough experience, speed, and skill to win this game.  We just need to do a better job of possessing the ball; knowing the right times to attack, and the right times when maybe it is not on to go forward right away and just keep the ball.  I think sometimes we try and force the ball forward to quickly right after we have won it from our opposition.  More times then not, the opposition is most vulnerable when the ball is first turned over (because they have committed numbers forward and some players may be caught out of position).  However, sometimes it is simply not on.  You may not have the lane to pass the ball, or there may not be enough players forward to take advantage of the other team.  Soccer is a balancing act of patience (keeping possession) and urgency (knowing when to attack the opponent at speed).  If we can do a better job of balancing the two, I think we will find ourselves back in the win column.

On a lighter note, I would like to send a big CONGRATULATIONS to Dave Van Den Bergh and his wife for the birth of their new baby boy, Max.  Both Dave’s wife and son are healthy and doing great.  I know they are both happy and relieved that it is over with.  Although, you can already tell that Dave is not getting as much sleep as he was.  Guess that goes with the territory!  

Well, I really hope to see you guys out at the game tomorrow.  I know it is a weekday and many of you work, but we really do appreciate all of your support and we are eager to show you that our last two games are behind us and we are back to our winning ways!

As always, here are some of your questions:

Hello Hunter, what positions do you think need most strengthening in  

the RBNY squad? I know the popular opinion among fans would be Left  

footed defender, and center attacking mid, would you agree?

-Melanie K

Melanie,

It is no secret that the positions we are probably the thinnest at would be left footed defender, left footed midfielder, and now with the move of Jozy I would say forward.  Those are three areas that I would think are possibilities for us to improve in during the upcoming transfer window.

Hunter, who’s your pick to win the upcoming Euro 2008 tournament? Have

a dark horse pick?

-Steven J

Steve, 

My favorite to win would be Italy…and dark horse, the Swiss.

Hey Hunter, there are lots of rumors about Jozy slacking in training  

a little bit, what is your opinion? Think he’s doing alright?

-John K

John, 

Well needless to say, I think if you have been reading anything on the Internet today you have seen that Jozy has been sold to Villarreal.  Needless to say, he will not be with us much longer and I only wish him the best.  Definitely a dream come true, and I am excited for him.

Hunter, do you ever play pickup games on the side for fun? or are you  

a little sick of soccer during your off time?

-Carey F

Carey,

I don’t usually play soccer in my off time.  I get quite a bit of soccer in every other day!  Although, I have been known to play soccer tennis with my friends occasionally.  That’s as close as I get to playing soccer in my off time.

  Do you have any questions, comments, mixtapes or anything else to say to Hunter? Send them to Hunter@americansoccerreader.com  

Rating-Confirmed

As we were first to report earlier this year, Villareal has agreed in principal on an initial $10 Million fee for New York Red Bulls and US National Team starlet Jozy Altidore, which could rise to $12 Million based on performance. Sources out of Spain have unveiled that Villareal plan to loan the striker out to Recreativo Huelva. This confirms that the young striker will be leaving MLS this summer, and RBNY will look to bolster there squad. As far as what RBNY will make off this sale, instead of the usual 2/3 of the transfer fee, RBNY will receive $500,000 allocation, and the rest will go to the organization(non player/salary cap related operations). Looks like a great move for Jozy, and it will be great to see an American striker player in La Liga next season!

Following a 5-1 loss to Chicago last Sunday, the New York Red Bulls head to Houston to face-off against the Dynamo. After having their five game unbeaten streak snapped in embarrassing fashion, New York will be looking to take advantage of a significantly weakened Houston side that will be missing numerous significant players. Star midfielder Dewayne DeRosario and goalkeeper Pat Onstad will be away on international duty with Canada as they play Brazil, and defender Eddie Robinson faces a one game suspension after picking up two yellow cards in Houston’s 2-2 draw with FC Dallas on Wednesday. The Dynamo, sitting on eleven points after ten matches, lie in fifth place in the Western conference, although they are only three points behind first place Los Angeles. 

There is no doubt that New York will be looking to improve defensively after surrendering five goals to Chicago, and will certainly be aided by the return of midfielder Seth Stammler from injury. Stammler’s tenacious tackling and ball-winning prowess was certainly missed last Sunday. Talking about Chicago midfielder Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Claudio Reyna said, “Without blaming anyone, every time I turned around I couldn’t believe how much time he had. Juan (Pablo Angel) and I sat at halftime and said we never have time like that. He just seemed to be running into spaces and didn’t really know why he was so open at time. Pace isn’t his thing and he was getting wide open on the ball.” Stammler is excellent at closing out passing lanes and establishing control of the midfield, while also providing support to the backline. 

Two notable absences will be Claudio Reyna, who will not make the trip west due to a hamstring injury, and midfielder Dave Van den Bergh. Van den Bergh will miss his second consecutive game, as his wife is scheduled to give birth to the couple’s second child in the coming days. 

Another intriguing combination to keep an eye on is the Red Bull’s strike force, which has struggled to establish itself this season. The duo of Juan Pablo Angel and Jozy Altidore was predicted to be one of the most prolific goal-scoring pairs in recent MLS history, but early injuries have plugged up the expected deluge of goals. Juan Pablo Angel has suffered from an underwhelming offensive supporting cast, as well as opponents becoming more familiar with him and marking him tightly with double teams. Red Bulls officials have also started to become concerned with the attitude of Jozy Altidore, who seems to be a bit distracted by all of the attention he is receiving from high profile international clubs. The team has also been suffering from an effective third option up top, but will be reinforced by the return of Columbian striker Oscar Echeverry. Considering the talent of this group, it is not a question of if the goals will begin to flow, but when. 

According to several publications out of England, Newcastle United and Kevin Keegan are preparing to lineup bids for American starlets Jozy Altidore(New York Red Bulls) and Michael Bradley(SC Heerenveen). Both have been the subject of much interest across Europe, with several clubs said to be preparing a bid.  Keegan has made it known in recent days that he admires the two youngsters and would like to add them to the setup at Newcastle United. What do you think? Would this be a good move Altidore/Bradley? Could they see playing time? 

According to several Major League Soccer sources, the price tag for Jozy Altidore is $10 Million dollars. We’ve also heard that Reading tabled an $8 Million dollar bid for the young striker in January, but MLS rejected the offer. There are now rumors that two German clubs are lining up bids for Altidore, along with many other european clubs showing interest. It is looking more and more like a bidding war may erupt for the young american starlets signature. What do you all think? $10 Million too much? Too little?