WestHamFirm

Sam1 · FirmModerator Joined: 29 Apr 2007 Posts: 2804

Thursday, July 24, 2008; Page E02

Who: MLS select squad vs. English club West Ham.

Where: BMO Field, Toronto.

When: 7 p.m. TV: ESPN.

MLS ROSTER

Goalkeepers: Pat Onstad (Houston), Matt Reis (New England).

Defenders: Jim Brennan (Toronto), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City), Frankie Hejduk (Columbus).

Midfielders: David Beckham (Los Angeles), Cuauhtémoc Blanco (Chicago), Dwayne De Rosario (Houston), Christian Gómez (Colorado), Shalrie Joseph (New England), Pablo Mastroeni (Colorado), Steve Ralston (New England), Juan Toja (Dallas).

Forwards: Juan Pablo Ángel (New York), Edson Buddle (Los Angeles), Kenny Cooper (Dallas), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles).

Coach: Steve Nicol (New England).

ABOUT WEST HAM
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The Hammers, who were founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks in East London, finished 10th in the 20-team Premier League last season with a 13-15-10 record. They tuned up for the All-Star Game with a 3-1 victory at Columbus, an exhibition that was marred by a scuffle between supporters for each club. West Ham has won a first-division title four times (but not since 1965) and the FA Cup on three occasions, most recently in 1980. Famous former players include Geoff Hurst, Bobby Moore, Rio Ferdinand, Joe Cole and Carlos Tévez. The current squad features forward Dean Ashton, goalkeeper Robert Green, Australian defender Lucas Neill and Swedish midfielder Freddie Ljungberg.

MATCH INFO

MLS is seeking its fourth consecutive all-star victory over a European opponent in preseason training. Previous matches were against Celtic, Chelsea and Fulham. For the first time in the league's 13 seasons, no D.C. United players are on the roster. A capacity crowd of about 20,000 is expected at Toronto's lakeside stadium. Next year's game, against an opponent to be determined, has been awarded to Real Salt Lake, which is tentatively scheduled to open its new stadium this fall.

-- Steven Goff

Washington post
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Sam1 · FirmModerator Joined: 29 Apr 2007 Posts: 2804

TORONTO (AP) — Facing West Ham United in Thursday's Major League Soccer All-Star game will bring back a lot of memories for David Beckham.

The England international and Los Angeles Galaxy captain was born and raised miles from West Ham's stadium in East London. Influenced by his parents, Beckham grew up a fan of Manchester United, but many of his friends and neighbors cheered for the Hammers.

"It's great, being an East End boy, playing against West Ham so many times for Manchester United, and also scoring against West Ham, which didn't go down well with a few friends," Beckham said Wednesday after training with the MLS All-Stars.

Beckham, who joined Los Angeles last July after four years with Spanish team Real Madrid, is intent on proving the quality of MLS by helping the league extend a four-year unbeaten run against foreign opponents when they face West Ham at Toronto's BMO Field.

"It's always nice to play against a quality team," Beckham said. "They're a team that's got some good players, they're working toward the start of the Premiership. Of course, it's great to play against good opposition and it will be a tough game. We're looking forward to that. You always want to play against good players and good teams and we're up against that."

The MLS All-Stars beat Mexico's Guadalajara 3-1 in 2003 and defeated English team Fulham 4-1 in 2005. They haven't allowed a goal the past two years, blanking England's Chelsea 1-0 in 2006 and beating Scotland's Celtic 2-0 last summer.

Galaxy teammate Landon Donovan expects Beckham will have plenty to play for against West Ham.

"My guess is he's going to take it very seriously," Donovan said. "He usually does. He knows that this league is better than people give it credit for, especially in England."

Beckham's teammates are just as eager to prove their league's superiority.

"You want to show how good the players are in this league and how good the standard is," said Toronto FC defender Jim Brennan, the lone All-Star representative for the host team.

Knee and ankle injuries limited Beckham to just five league games for the Galaxy last season. He's scored five goals in 11 league appearances this season, and believes the standard of play has been improving.

"It's a higher level than everyone thinks," Beckham said. "I realized that when I came here, because I had a lot of time, especially last season, to just sit and watch the games. Especially this year, the level of play has gone up."

Notes: In his annual address, MLS commissioner Don Garber repeated the league's desire to expand from 14 to 18 teams by 2012. Seattle and Philadelphia have already been approved, and St. Louis, which Garber called "one of the birthplaces of soccer in America," is thought to be favored for an expansion team. "There's a lot of support there and we've got to be successful in the Midwest," Garber said. Other candidates include Atlanta, Las Vegas, Miami, Montreal, New York, Ottawa, Portland, Ore., and Vancouver, British Columbia.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/soccer/2008-07-23-394851039_x.htm
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Peter Parka · Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 11:00 am Post subject:

I'm guessing Beckham will be in for some stick from supporters during the match. Laughing

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Peter Parka · Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 11:14 am Post subject:

TORONTO soccer bosses will get tough with any West Ham hooligans at tonight’s clash with David Beckham’s MLS all-stars.

Nearly 350 police and stewards have been drafted in for the friendly.

They are anxious to avoid a repeat of the crowd trouble that marred the Hammers’ 3-1 win over MLS side Columbus Crew in Ohio on Sunday.

Toronto chief Bob Hunter said: “We’re going to be paying very specialised attention to the West Ham supporters group.

“We’ll be looking for anything that is unruly behaviour.”

The Sun

That's right, of course it was nothing to do with Columbus Crew supporters who have already been in trouble last season for kicking off. Rolling Eyes

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Sam1 · FirmModerator Joined: 29 Apr 2007 Posts: 2804

PP, I hear there still on the look out for the remaining members of the GSE.
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Peter Parka · Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 7:15 pm Post subject:

I wouldn't be too surprise if the West Ham supporters involved were actually Americans who jumped on the bandwagon after watching too much Green Street!
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Peter Parka · Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2008 8:59 am Post subject:

MLS All-Stars 3-2 West Ham United

West Ham United were edged out in a five-goal thriller against the MLS All-Stars that saw Dean Ashton score twice only for MVP Cuauhtemoc Blanco to steal the show.

At a packed BMO Field in Toronto on Thursday night, Ashton had fired the opener midway through the first half but a sublime back-heel from Blanco set up Christian Gomez almost immediately. The veteran Mexican playmaker then struck a sublime goal just before half-time when he tricked his way into the penalty area. Blanco's work was done and although Ashton levelled matters in the 67th minute with a deflected long-range shot, Dwayne De Rosario won it with a penalty soon afterwards.

The match was a welcome step up for Alan Curbishley's men after the 4-2 and 3-1 wins against Hampton and Richmond Borough and Columbus Crew respectively in the first two matches of pre-season. As well as Ashton's strikes, the positives were plenty. Carlton Cole impressed on his first start of the summer while Matthew Etherington and Luis Boa Morte got a welcome 45 minutes apiece on the left flank. The night will also be remembered by Joe Widdowson, with the 19-year-old defender marking David Beckham.

The home crowd was largely made up of Toronto FC supporters, who with their constant chants and incessant singing made for an atmosphere that was reminiscent of cup games in England. Although the MLS All-Stars are deep into their season, United kept going until the end - not least the strong-running Scott Parker. The team will travel back to England on Friday night, after a community session at the BMO Field, and then have some welcome rest before a busy schedule resumes next week. First up is a trip to Peterborough United on Tuesday before heading to Cambridge United the following evening.

whufc.com
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