The new site will cover only Fulham FC. I realize there are many Fulham blogs out there but it is my hope we can offer something the others don’t. You’ll be able to access the site via TryGol.com or the new URL, which will be announced when the site opens. We will also keep our Twitter.com feed up so you’ll be able to find out the launch date via twitter.

So after the launch, you’ll be able to access the site via either URL. This sucks as I really enjoyed bringing you the latest rugby & soccer news from an American perspective. Time is just not on my side at the moment. This blog has just become too big for one man to run. I feel I will have better luck running a Fulham specific blog.

Thanks to everyone who has supported TryGol.com for the past 2 1/2 years. Hopefully some of you will stick around to check out the new site once it’s launched.

Jason Gatties

Publisher

TryGol.com

The 2009 UEFA U21 Championship begins this Monday in Sweden. U21 soccer is very exciting and I’m personally looking forward to the competition. For those who subscribe to Setanta Sports, you’ll be able to follow all the action.

England, Spain, Italy, Germany, Belarus, Finland, Serbia & Sweden will compete. I’m picking England, as I’ve been very impressed with them during the qualifying stage. I imagine Germany, Italy & Spain will attempt to prove me wrong.

Here is the complete U.S. Television schedule. All times listed as EDT.

18 year old fullback James O’Connor scored 3 tries in his debut match.  Matt Giteau and Stirling Mortloc each added a try. Giteau kicked three conversions. Italy got a lone try from Kaine Robertson.

Once again, Italy’s defense looked very shakey as they continue to struggle on the big stage. The two nations will meet once again next weekend in Melbourne.

It was just their fourth win since their first visit in 1961 and came 20 months after France bundled the same opponents out of the World Cup in Cardiff.

The French showed no mercy against an inexperienced New Zealand side shorn of their leading stars.

The All Blacks were without Richie McCaw, Daniel Carter, Ali Williams, Rodney So’oialo, Conrad Smith, Sitiveni Sivivatu and a host of others.

Full-back Maxime Medard scored an interception try nine minutes from the end which had appeared to give them a comfortable 10-point margin.

But a late try from Ma’a Nonu, following a first-half effort from Liam Messam, ensured a tense finish.

The early points came from the boots of Julien Dupuy and Stephen Donald, who exchanged early penalties, before French fly-half Trinh-Duc went over for the game’s first try, converted by half-back partner Dupuy.

Trinh-Duc fired a drop-goal attempt well wide in the 26th minute, but two minutes later hooker Servat was burrowing his way over, and Dupuy kicked the conversion.

Donald narrowed the deficit to 17-6 with his second penalty, and soon afterwards Messam dived over in the corner for his first international try, after being fed a pass by Cory Jane.

Two more Donald penalties locked the scores up at 17-17 midway through the second half.

Dupuy missed a penalty when Neemia Tialata was penalised for taking down the scrum, but then found his range to edge the French ahead again.

Medard’s 60-metre race to dive under the posts effectively sealed the  victory, before Nonu’s late score in the left corner.

The exclusive tournament kicks off tomorrow in South Africa. The U.S. kicks off their tournament games on Monday versus the defending World Champs. So, can the United States shock the world?

Depends on what your expectations are…

Much like the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the United States will face a very tough group stage in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup.  Fixtures versus Italy, Brazil & Egypt will test the boys for sure.  The crybaby U.S. supporters are already saying if we don’t make it out of the group stage that Bob Bradley should be fired.

Bullshit…

This tournament isn’t about winning or losing, its about respectability.  Had the U.S. been drawn into the other group, perhaps you could realistically talk about the knock out stage.  However, I feel the goal in South Africa this year should be about respect for our nation.

We’ve never defeated Italy. We have only 1 win versus Brazil and we’ve only played Egypt once (and lost). The odds are certainly against us, but as a “sane” U.S. supporter, here are the results that would make me proud to be an American.

1-1-1

If we can finish the group stage 1-1-1, that would be fine with me. I feel we should beat Egypt regardless. Stranger things have happened, but I like our chances in that match. If we can pip a draw against either Italy or Brazil, I’d be thrilled.

0-2-1  or 0-3-0

The shit you say? Why would I be happy with two or three draws? Again, if we play very well against our opponents and earn three draws, how can you be pissed off with that. Playing three top nations to two or three draws would be great in my book, all things considered.

Of course, winning a couple would be outstanding as well. Hell, we could lose all three games and still feel like winners as long as we show that we are competative. I’m not setting the bar low, I’m simply looking at this as a stepping stone towards a larger goal.

We have the talent to hang with Italy or Brazil. On neutral soil, anything can happen. My prediction? I believe the U.S. will get 4 points, which could be enough to get out of the group stage.  From there, it doesn’t really matter to me. Perhaps another 3rd place finish? I’d take that.

TryGol.com will offer re-caps of every Confederations Cup match and will offer “Expanded Coverage” of each match involving the United States.  USA vs Italy expanded coverage begins Sunday night.

Let’s start with the Chicago Red Stars. Being a Chicago Fire supporter, its only natural that I support the Red Stars as well.  I just wish they were on TV each week. Baby steps…I’m sure that will happen in the near future as this league continues to grow.

For the Red Stars, the theme this past week was 1-1 draws. They took on the red hot LA Sol last Wednesday and FC Gold Pride this past Sunday. Perhaps the Red Stars have been watching their big brothers too much as the Fire have had a few draws as well this season.

Chicago nearly pulled an upset last Wednesday versus the Sol. The match was scoreless heading into the 88th minute when Chicago’s Cristiane finally broke the dead lock. I remember thinking to myself that the late goal would surely result in a victory. Not the case. Two minutes later, Marta fired a shot off the post and Camille Abily scored a “rebound” goal to split the points with Chicago. It was really a stomach punch. Chicago had played well, especially on defense, for 90 minutes. They fought hard to finally score a goal, only to give one up very late.

As for Sunday’s match versus FC Gold Pride…different story, same result. FC Gold Pride took a 1-0 lead in the 14th minute thanks to a goal from Christine Sinclair. Chicago would be forced to play catch up and once again, Cristiane came up big. After Chicago’s Megan Rapinoe hit a beautiful cross, Cristiane fired it home, tying the game up and eventually earning a draw.

Chicago is now 2-3-4 on the season, good for 6th in the table. The top 4 teams will earn playoff spots, so the Stars still have plenty of time to close the gap and earn a trip into the post season. Infact, with the exception of the Sol, who seem to be running away from the pack, every other WPS club is still in contention for a playoff spot. The second half of the season should prove to be very exciting.

WPS Scoreboard

Wednesday June 3rd

LA Sol-1   Chicago Red Stars-1

Sunday June 7th

St. Louis Athletica-1   Sky Blue FC-0

FC Gold Pride-1   Chicago Red Stars-1

LA Sol-3   Washington Freedom-1

Upcoming Fixtures

Saturday June 13th

Washington Freedom vs Chicago Red Stars -4:30 pm Eastern

Sky Blue FC vs LA Sol- 7pm Eastern (NBCU)

Sunday June 14th

Boston Breakers vs St. Louis Athletica - 6pm Eastern (FSC)

Wednesday June 17th

Boston Breakers vs FC Gold Pride- 7pm Eastern

Sky Blue FC vs Chicago Red Stars- 7pm Eastern

WPS Table

1. LA Sol- 24 points

2. Washington Freedom- 12 points

3. Boston Breakers- 11 points

4. St. Louis Athletica- 11 points

5. FC Gold Pride- 11 points

6. Chicago Red Stars- 10 points

7. Sky Blue FC- 8 points

The talented Welsh winger suffered a knock to his knee during training and will have his injury evaluated. He was going to start out on the bench for the Sharks game. He has been replaced by James Hook.

Also fresh off his apperance for Wales versus the USA Eagles on Saturday, Welsh captain Ryan Jones has joined the Lions due to an injury to flanker Stephen Ferris, who will now miss the remainder of the tour. Jones will not feature tomorrow versus the Sharks but could be ready to go by Saturday when the Lions face the Western Province.

Before we get to tomorrow’s Lions squad, I wanted to mention that TryGol.com remains on top of the table of the “Rugby Blogs League” in the Sky Sports Fantasy Lions Challenge! Following last Saturday’s game, TryGol.com extended our lead in the competition. Here are the current standings:

Rugby Blogs League

1. TryGol.com- 148 points

2. WelshRugbyBlog.co.uk- 106 points

3. BloodandMud.com- 87 points

4. London Rugby Ref- 66 points

5. SARugby.com- 50 points

6. Rugby Examiner- 47 points

7. The Rugby Blog- 44 points

8. Your Scrumhalf Connection- 35 points

9. Refblog.co.uk- 17 points

I can gloat but I think half the people have given up at this point. Hopefully I’m wrong, I’d like to be challenged.

Lions Squad vs Natal Sharks

Forwards

9. Mike Phillips (Ospreys/Wales)

8. Jamie Heaslip (Leinster/Ireland)

7. David Wallace (Munster/Ireland)

6. Tom Croft (Leicester Tigers/England)

5. Paul O’Connell (Munster/Ireland) captain

4. Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys/Wales)

3. Adam Jones (Ospreys/Wales)

2. Lee Mears (Bath/England)

1. Gethin Jenkins (Cardiff Blues/Wales)

Backs

15. Lee Byrne (Ospreys/Wales)

14. Shane Williams (Ospreys/Wales)

13. Brian O’Driscoll (Leinster/Ireland)

12. Jamie Roberts (Cardiff Blues/Wales)

11. Luke Fitzgerald (Leinster/Ireland)

10. Ronan O’Gara (Munster/Ireland)

Subs

16. Matthew Rees (Scarlets/Wales)

17. Phil Vickery (London Wasps/England)

18. Simon Shaw (London Wasps/England)

19. Joe Worsley (London Wasps/England)

20. Mike Blair (Edinburgh/Scotland)

21. Riki Flutey (London Wasps/England)

22. James Hook (Ospreys/Wales)

Most people in this country will be supporting the United States. However, there will be a lot of quality soccer on display over the duration of the tournament, so be sure to set your DVR’s or make sure your ESPN360.com software is updated as many of the matches will take place while you’re earning your living and supporting your family.  I’ll be able to watch USA vs Italy from the comfort of my living room as I no longer work Mondays.

2009 FIFA Confederations Cup U.S. Broadcast Schedule

Sunday June 14th

9:55 am: South Africa vs Iraq- ESPN2/ESPN360.com

2:25 pm: New Zealand vs Spain- ESPN2/ESPN360.com

Monday June 15th

9:55 am: Brazil vs Egypt- ESPN2/ESPN360.com

2:25 pm: USA vs Italy- ESPN/ESPN360.com

Wednesday June 17th

9:55 am: Spain vs Iraq- ESPN2/ESPN360.com

2:25 pm: New Zealand vs South Africa- ESPN2/ESPN360.com

Thursday June 18th

9:55 am: USA vs Brazil- ESPN2/ESPN360.com

2:25 pm: Italy vs Egypt- ESPN2/ESPN360.com

Saturday June 20th

2:25 pm: South Africa vs Spain- ESPN2/ESPN360.com

Sunday June 21st

1 am: Iraq vs New Zealand (Delayed)- ESPN2/ESPN360.com

2:25 pm: Brazil vs Italy- ESPN/ESPN360.com

2:25 pm: USA vs Egypt- ESPN2/ESPN360.com

Wednesday June 24th

2:25 pm: Semifinal #1 (1A vs 2B)- ESPN/ESPN360.com

Thursday June 25th

2:25 pm: Semifinal #2 (1B vs 2A)- ESPN/ESPN360.com

Sunday June 28th

8:55 am: Third Place Match- ESPN2/ESPN360.com

2:25 pm: Final- ESPN2/ESPN360.com