According to reports, the 33 year old midfielder was being pursued by several European clubs, but will remain in Major League Soccer. Ljungberg will become Chicago’s second Designated Player, joining recent acquisition Nery Castillo. The Fire also recently traded Justin Mapp to Philadelphia, a move that gave them some additional salary cap room.

There is also a possibility Seattle will offer Fredy Montero, who has been attracting interest from several European clubs, a Designated Player contract to remain at the club. This is something we’re told the club are still considering, nothing concrete yet. Make sure to stay tuned to WSR for the latest developments.

No details yet on the trade itself, we’ll update accordingly as we learn more.

UPDATE: MLS have now confirmed the move.

But I’m a stubborn chap, and I don’t think Roger Johnson, Scott Dann, Stephen Carr, and Liam Ridgewell can match the defensive magic they had last year (or stay healthy as much). So, while I’m not predicting a drop or anything, I think things will be much tougher for Birmingham the second time around:

15) BIRMINGHAM CITY

2009-10 standing: 9th

Gaffer: Alex McLeish (4th season)

Best new signing: Nikola Zigic – Well, you know what the Serbian is going to bring to the table, don’t you? Size and more size. If you watched Birmingham last year, almost all their set pieces involved playing the ball to the far post and having someone put the ball back into the “mixer” to finish it. Someone with more time on their hands than me can figure out how many times this worked for Birmingham last season (I’m guessing 10. Seriously). So Zigic will be that guy at the back post, but can he do enough else so as not to slow down the Birmingham counterattack?

Biggest loss: Joe Hart – I mentioned the back four, but Hart played in 36 of 38 league games last year, and helped organize those guys as well. Ben Foster seems like an adequate replacement, but can he fit in as well as Hart did last season? He’s got big shoes to fill.

Key player: Roger Johnson – You could probably put Scott Dann in this mix as well, by the way. Johnson – who was one of only two field players to play every minute of every league game last season (Tyrone Mears of Burnley was the other) – was a little-noticed signing from Cardiff before the season, but was on almost every pundit’s Best XI team by May. Johnson, Dann, and the rest of the defense proved that – especially on the defensive end – sometimes organization can be much more important than talent.

Random fact: When McLeish set a record that many people thought would never be broken by naming the same starting lineup for the ninth straight league game against Manchester United (8 hadn’t been done since 1997), it was also the 100th straight contest that Sir Alex Ferguson had fielded a changed side. A little difference in squad depth, no?

Bad news:
It’s hard to see the things that came together for them last season repeat themselves. They were amazingly healthy and only lost two games at home despite managing just 19 goals (exactly one per game). That’s a lot of pressure to put on a defense, and I think it took its toll as the season came to a close. It’s also hard to see how Zigic will be integrated by McLeish with Cameron Jerome and Christian (Chucho) Benitez still around. I can’t imagine he will go with three strikers, so which one takes a seat? We shall see.

Good news:
McLeish pretty much brings back the same club (especially on the defensive end) that worked so well together last season, and has added Zigic and may add another player or two before the transfer window closes. Despite not having the names of the “big” clubs, the back four may be the most cohesive in the league, especially at home, where Birmingham conceded only 13 goals (only Tottenham and Manchester United allowed less – 12) in 2009-2010. Barry Ferguson and James McFadden were very solid, if not spectacular and can certainly be counted on game in and game out in the Premiership.

Outlook:
It’s entirely possible that I’m underestimating McLeish and Birmingham again. As I said, I’m stubborn. They defend extremely well (and relatively cleanly, Birmingham had the second most yellow cards in the EPL, but only one red card), and Jerome and Benitez don’t need too many chances at the other end. They are better than the teams we’ve previewed already, and shouldn’t have too much trouble staying up.
But they don’t have the depth or the quality to compete with the teams at the top of the table, and did extremely well to finish where they did last season. I think it will be a step back, but not big enough to fall into the Championship abyss, a league their fans are all too familiar with and – at the end of the day – will be happy to avoid for the time being.

“I’m very excited to be playing in the U.S. because the football has grown a lot in the last few years and keeps getting better,” Fernandez said. “Seattle is beautiful and I think it’s the ideal place to be with my family. All these things helped in making my decision.”

“Alvaro is a versatile player who can play in a number of midfield positions,” head coach Sigi Schmid said. “He brings good energy to the game as well as World Cup experience. He can score and also set-up others.”

Fernandez most recently played on loan at Chilean club Universidad de Chile, scoring 1 goal in 11 appearances for the club. He will be eligible to play for Seattle after receiving his international transfer certificate. Fernandez becomes the 3rd Designated Played in the clubs brief history.

As WSR’s Kevin McCauley said in his recent column “Alvaro Fernandez could become the best player in Major League Soccer. No, I’m not exaggerating or using hyperbole for the sake of hyperbole.” Click here to read the rest of the article.

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Mark Hughes unveiled as the new Fulham manager on Thursday.

Hughes’ last job was as manager of Manchester City where, despite a fairly decent start to the season, he was sacked in December 2009 and Roberto Mancini replaced him at Eastlands. The former Manchester United and Chelsea striker has previously managed Wales, almost qualifying for Euro 2004, and spent four years in charge of Blackburn Rovers, leading the club to a sixth place finish in his second season.

Hughes, 46, is the second Welshman to manage Fulham after Chris Coleman’s tenure from 2003 to 2007. The club has only ever had one foreign manager in their 130-year history, Frenchman Jean Tigana who helped them to promotion to the Premiership in 2001 where they have remained ever since.

Fulham finished 12th in the Premier League in Hodgson’s last season and went all the way to the Europa League final, losing out to Atletico Madrid in Hamburg. Sadly for Fulham, the club will not compete in Europe during the coming season after finishing outside the Europa League places. It will be a tough job for Mark Hughes to replicate the success of Hodgson but he is well liked by fans and has a talented crop of players at his disposal on the banks of the River Thames. Fulham owner Mohammed al-Fayed is also not the sort of man to sack his managers as easily as Hughes’ former paymasters at City. The neutrals that were thrilled by the club’s exploits during the last term will be hoping that Fulham’s new man can lead them back into Europe at the first time of asking.

The champions Chelsea and their arch rivals Manchester United still, on paper at least, remain the strongest of the seven and one would assume they would be favorites to be occupying Champions League slots this time next year. Indeed should one of those two sides miss out on taking their place at Europe’s top table it would represent an astronomical failure, eclipsing Liverpool’s capitulation last season by some considerable distance.

Arsenal, one would suspect, must finally fulfil the promise that they have demonstrated for the last four or five seasons. Potential must translate into trophies for Wenger if they are to hang on to the likes of Theo Walcott, Thomas Vermalen and of course Cesc Fabregas. Champions League football is a must again for the Gunners next season and if they could combine a top four finish with a first domestic trophy since 2005 it would go a long way to alleviate a great deal of the pressure on both the club and their manager. The addition of the talented Moroccan Marouane Chamakh to the playing staff is a huge boost for the coming season and could prove to be a vital piece in the puzzle for the Londoners.

The deposed Liverpool represent something of an unknown quantity when it comes to the coming season. Free of the burden of Champions League football one would suspect that Roy Hodgson’s men will focus the majority of their energy on climbing back up the Premier League ranks. Hodgson’s influence will be pivotal this season, highly respected and incredibly experienced, he will no doubt look to steady the ship following a tumultuous couple of seasons under Rafa Benitez. In turn the respective decisions of the talismanic duo Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres will also no doubt help to re-galvanise the club. Couple this with the considerable coup the Reds pulled off by securing the services of Joe Cole and suddenly Liverpool could re-emerge as a force in the Premier League.

Manchester City are zeroing in on the title itself rather than simply settling for a top four finish. The seemingly endless supply of money available to Roberto Mancini will bear fruit eventually; it is simply a matter of when and not if. Their summer spending again has passed the £80 million mark and shows no signs of slowing down, with any number of players seemingly on the brink of joining the club on any given day. If Mancini can blend his new signings into his already immensely talented squad then City could potentially win it all this season before embarking on a European assault in 2011. The constant process of renewing their playing staff could hinder the club in some regards; Mancini will be looking for fluidity and understanding amongst his players and this does takes time when wholesale changes are made. Whether the club’s owners will have the patience to match their bank balance is questionable, just ask Mark Hughes.

Tottenham Hotspur are in an unenviable position in some regards. They have not yet qualified for the Champions League proper and until they do they may struggle to attract the calibre of player that they will require to become a true force at home and in Europe. Indeed Joe Cole’s decision to join the Europa League bound Liverpool ahead of the London club is quite telling. It is conceivable that they could yet follow in Everton’s ill-fated footsteps and crash out before the competition really begins, should that happen it could be a disaster domestically. While Tottenham’s squad is impressive in its creativity and potency in front of goal their rivals have stolen a march on them when it comes to re-enforcements. Equally their perilous defensive situation means that they need bodies soon. Ledley King is a case in point, despite his obvious talents, he is in no condition to be deployed on a regular basis and will doubtless be unable to sustain a European campaign as well as a domestic one; his summer in South Africa is testament to that.

Aston Villa appear to be the dark horses in the race for the top four, yet Martin O’Neill has worked wonders with the Midlands club. He has taken them from perennial under-achievers to League Cup finalists and the brink of Champions League qualification. O’Neill has a very young, British squad at his disposal and it is vital that he be allowed by owner Randy Learner to keep a hold on his best players. With the likes of Young, Milner and Agbonlahor attracting some furtive (and in the case of Manchester City, not so furtive) glances from bigger and more powerful clubs, it is time for Villa to decide whether they are serious about becoming contenders for European and domestic honours. With a few additions in the right areas the glory days could easily return to Villa Park.

The problem with dreams, though, is that you eventually wake up from them. Roy Hodgson is gone to greener pastures (at least he thinks so), Martin Jol turned them down, and without European football this season, Fulham must get back to the grind, which might be tougher than they think:

16) FULHAM

2009-10 standing: 12th

Gaffer: Vacant (Ray Lewington is the caretaker manager, and if no one wants the job, he might stay on).

Late news, looks like Mark Hughes is the man. He has plenty to prove, but that also means he just might not be very good.  I think we’ll just have to wait and see.

Best new signing: Philippe Senderos – The Swiss international could never really find his footing at Arsenal, and – like so many others at big clubs – never got a consistent game, something he hopes to get at Fulham. At only 25, it’s hard to call his career done, and it could be a move that really pays dividends if Senderos can find the form and confidence that made Arsenal sign him in the first place. Fulham is also apparently going to get a similar player (not in style, but in the fact he went to a “big” club and got lost), Steve Sidwell, who was tremendous at Reading, but couldn’t get on the field for Chelsea or Aston Villa.

Biggest loss: Chris Smalling – For now, at least. The good thing for Fulham is that they knew Smalling was headed to Manchester United for most of last season, and even though Smalling could turn out to be a big star, Brede Hangeland is pretty good himself. They may be set to lose Mark Schwarzer and Paul Konchesky, who may be a little more problematic to replace.

Key player: Damien Duff – (I know, another Irishman, oh well). Bobby Zamora scored more goals and Clint Dempsey probably scored bigger goals, but Duff was the man who was the glue that kept the Fulham attack together last season. One of many tremendous pick-ups by Hodgson, Duff was basically given up for dead by big clubs after Newcastle was sent down with Duff aboard two seasons ago. He actually started  the 2009-2010 season in the Championship, but was quickly – and wisely – scooped up by Fulham. Now 31, does he still have the legs to carry Fulham through a tough Premiership campaign?

Random fact: Fulham certainly didn’t hack their way to their great campaign. In fact, they got the lowest number of yellow cards in the Premier League (46), and saw red only once – South African Kagisho Dikgacoi (who only made 12 appearances), ironically on Dikgacoi’s debut for the club.

Bad news:
There’s nowhere to go but down, is there? Fulham used up so much emotion and energy in their Europa League run that they still might be drained to start this season, and they don’t have the talent to play drained and still get results. As good as they were at home, they were toothless away from Craven Cottage, recording just one win and scoring only 12 goals in 19 matches. There are still some questions about Zamora’s goal scoring ability, and if Schwarzer leaves, they don’t really have an adequate replacement right now. And Danny Murphy – outstanding last season – is 33.

Good news:
The partnership of Zamora, Dempsey, and Duff seemed to click (although obviously not much on the road). They all work hard, and you don’t really see them dropping off too much this season. Brede Hangeland is among the best backs in the league (maybe in the world), John Pantsil is also coming off a very good World Cup for Ghana, so the defense that allowed only 46 goals last season (8th best in the Premiership) is pretty much intact and ready to roll.

Outlook:
There is too much quality here to get them relegated, but not enough quality to completely overcome what should be a pretty big hangover after last season’s exploits. The lack of a manager and the continuing problems on the road are big red flags, and depth could be a big problem if they lose a player or two. It just seems to me like a team ready to take a little bit of a step back. Although the defense is still very good, I don’t expect too much out of them in the season’s first few months.

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The biggest storyline to come out of this game will probably be the poor job Bruce Arena has done with multiple teams over the last 24 hours.  I would go as far to say that in the past 24 hours, Bruce Arena has thoroughly embarrassed MLS.  After last night’s CONCACAF Champions League debacle against the Puerto Rico Islanders, Arena led the MLS All-Stars to the first regulation defeat in their history.  The All-Stars allowed their first goal within a minute and allowed a second just 12 minutes into the match.  The grouping of players on the field made little sense and a couple of players on the field probably weren’t deserving of a start.  However, even more shocking than those issues were the way Bruce Arena dealt with his own players.

Over the last two games Bruce Arena has managed, his decision making with players has made little sense.  His decision to start Landon Donovan against Puerto Rico Islanders and play him for 90 minutes implies that he was taking that match very seriously.  However, Omar Gonzalez, the best central defender on the Los Angeles Galaxy, did not start that match.  Most assumed that meant Gonzalez was slated to start the MLS All-Star game, but that was not the case.  Additionally, 24 hours after playing 90 minutes, Donovan was subbed into the All-Star game, which was surprisingly physical for an exhibition, when the score was 4-1.  I felt surprised to see such ridiculous management from Arena, but isn’t this his M.O.?  Long periods of intelligent decisions followed by a few moments of “What the hell is he thinking?”  Regardless of what you think of him, Bruce Arena has made some poor decisions over the last 24 hours and has to some degree negatively affected the image of Major League Soccer.

So, let’s get to the players.  The first one we have to talk about, of course, is Kevin Alston.  Why he was in the starting lineup in the first place, I have no idea.  If anyone else does, they’re either a Revs fanboy or should quickly be admitted to the nearest mental health facility.  Besides having no concept of positioning and being fairly poor at tackling for a defender, Kevin Alston managed to give away the ball that lead to Federico Macheda’s goal inside the first minute of the match.  For reasons we will never know, he continued to play in the second half and the only positive attribute he showed throughout the game was his speed.  I’m not sure why we’re supposed to get excited about Marvell Wynne with a fro.  Sebastien Le Toux was the other MLS player who had an absolute shocker.  Besides being the man responsible for Manchester United’s second goal, Le Toux was almost responsible for the third of the night when Darren Fletcher hit the crossbar and was absolutely invisible going forward.  When the initial list of 11 All-Stars was released, the player whose omission generated the most outrage was Sebastien Le Toux.  Sadly, he did not live up to the hype.

There were a couple of positives from the Major League Soccer All-Stars.  It was very nice to see Brian Ching score in his home city.  I didn’t think Ching’s performance so far this season made him worthy of an All-Star selection, but it was great to see him put one in the back of the net and give the All-Stars some hope, even if it quickly faded.  David Ferreria of FC Dallas was probably the best player on the pitch after he came on, almost certainly the biggest positive for the All-Stars.  Sadly, his performances and FC Dallas in general have flown under the radar this season.  Ferreira’s been one of the best players in the league all season and his team deserves more attention than they get.  His delivery on set pieces and activity off the ball were very impressive and I hope they encouraged people to pay more attention to him in the second half of the season.

While the first two goals from Manchester United were the result of mistakes from the MLS All-Stars, the third and fourth goals were unstoppable and Manchester United’s young players deserve praise.  Darron Gibson’s free kick and Tom Cleverley’s incredible skill were the highlights of the night for sure and showcase the ridiculous depth that Manchester United have.  When everyone is healthy, Gibson and Cleverley probably aren’t among the 23 best players on Manchester United.  When players with that kind of skill are your reserves, your depth is astounding.

The coolest part of the night, for me, was the reception that Javier Hernandez got when he entered the game, then when he scored his goal.  Was it offside?  Yes, probably, but it’s an exhibition and I’m happy that a young player got to score a goal on his debut in front of a crowd that loves him.  It will be interesting to see how Chicharito’s talents translate to the English Premier League this season.  My guess is that he will have a difficult time adjusting to the style of play, but let’s be honest, that’s kind of a tired cliche.  I’m no Man United or Mexico supporter, but I think it’s good for football in this region if Hernandez does well, and by all accounts he’s a great kid.  It was a cool moment for him, and I hope he has more.

Inevitably, the discussion that is going to stem from this game is “Are these games stupid?”  I’ll let one of my colleagues at World Soccer Reader answer that question, or Yahoo! Answers.  This game was certainly disappointing for MLS fans and was certainly a major disruption from competitive fixtures.  Right now, I’m a little too annoyed to answer that question objectively, but the question I can answer was whether or not this particular All-Star game was stupid.  The answer, of course, is yes.

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At the end of the day, through many faults and tribulations, Wolves should do enough to stay in the Premiership for a third season. And that’s the only goal they likely have right now:

17) WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS

2009-10 standing: 15th

Gaffer: Mick McCarthy (5th season)

Best new signing: Stephen Hunt – He seems to have bounced around to clubs who tend to get relegated (Reading and Hull the last two), but you know he’s going to work hard, get under people’s skin, and score an occasional goal or two. Those seem to be the types of guys you need when you’re near the bottom of the table (side irrelevant note: whenever I see Hunt, I’m reminded of Stephen the Irishman in Braveheart). Saw late that Hunt is out until October, but doesn’t change much.

Biggest loss: Chris Iwelumo – Yea, slim pickins, I know, but I was surprised that McCarthy didn’t use Iwelumo more in the Premier League, he actually scores goals every once in a while and Wolves were dead last in scoring last season (32). There still may be others to go, including Sylvain Ebanks-Blake – who was very disappointing last season – but it looks like Kevin Doyle will stay, which is good for Wolves.

Key player: Kevin Doyle – I thought about putting Kristophe Berra here, but: a) that would make three Scots in four teams; and b) Doyle somehow managed 9 goals and 60 shots last season (both leading Wolves by a wide margin), despite being isolated more than any other striker in the Premier League. Other teams play 4-5-1 as their primary formation, but no one leaves the lone striker more on an island more than Mick McCarthy (and, to a large part, it worked).

Random fact: Thanks to some good hold-up play, Doyle was also fouled 80 times last season, good for 4th most in the league (and 43 more than anyone else on Wolves), and most among true strikers. Overall, Wolves were 19th in fouls won (Stoke were 20th), but Stephen Hunt was tied for 10th, so he’ll help there, too.

Bad news:
Let’s face it, you really wouldn’t put Wolves into the “attractive” pile, would you? McCarthy’s main goal was to try to grind out points. Putting aside the fact they only scored 32 goals last season (even with Doyle near top form), their style was a lot like Birmingham when they were playing well, but Jody Craddock and Christophe Berra couldn’t match the consistency of Roger Johnson and Scott Dann, and it almost saw Wolves get sent back to the Championship. Oh, and did I mention they only scored 32 goals and their leader in assists only had 3? Yikes.

Good news:
As it ended up, Wolves were able to stay up fairly comfortably despite their woeful offense, and when they did get goals they were able to close out games, even away from the Molineaux, as they had key away wins over West Ham and Tottenham last season (a lot better form than we can say for anyone else at the bottom of the table). They have a lot of guys (to delve into cliches) that will put in a shift: Doyle, Hunt, Craddock, Berra, and Karl Henry to name a few, and sometimes that’s enough to keep yourself off the bottom of table and away from relegation. I also can’t finish this without mentioning Marcus Hahnemann, who was outstanding last season, the most underrated goalkeeper in the Premiership.

Outlook:
It won’t be pretty, and there will be days I will be asking my TV, “How in the world are they going to score?”. And there will probably be a lot of matches where they get blanked. But, whatever you think of Mick McCarthy, he’s no dummy. He knows that only three teams can get relegated, and 17th will do just fine.

It should be very close, but I think McCarthy and Wolves – led by Doyle and a serviceable defense – will stay up. Barely.

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Predictions:

First semi-final – Chivas de Guadalajara vs. Universidad de Chile

Both teams have over-achieved a bit thus far, but Chivas are gaining quality players from the first two knockout rounds while La U lose one of their best.  Still, Flamengo are much tougher competition than both Velez and Libertad, and Chivas did not impress in their first game in the league.  I see a close tie with goals, and I’m going to give it to La U on away goals.

Leg 1:  Chivas 2-2 La U

Leg 2:  La U 1-1 Chivas

Universidad de Chile advance on away goals.

Second semi-final – Internacional vs. Sao Paulo

These teams are difficult to separate on talent, but there are a couple places where they do show separation.  Both teams had to defeat very tough opponents in the quarterfinals, but the previous round is a different story.  Internacional’s round of 16 defeat of Banfield and their young star James Rodriguez, who has since moved to Porto, is much more impressive than Sao Paulo’s failure to score and penalty shoot-out victory against Universitario of Peru.  In addition, Internacional has performed adequately in the league while Sao Paulo has not.  While Sao Paulo’s even goal differential in league play suggests that they are better than their 16th position, the fact still stands that they are not reaching their full potential.  I see a narrow victory for Internacional.

Leg 1:  Internacional 3-1 Sao Paulo

Leg 2:  Sao Paulo 2-1 Internacional

Internacional advance 4-3 on aggregate.

Raul during an emotional farewell ceremony at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.

What Raul does next will be fascinating, he has had feelers from both Germany and England and it would seem he will be making a decision shortly. For purely selfish reasons I hope he comes to grace the Premier League, although I fear the pace of English football might just catch up with Raul’s 33 year old legs rather quickly. While Madrid with no Raul seems inconceivable it will be very interesting to see how Raul copes being away from Los Merengues. Does he still have the same drive and passion to succeed? It is my view and hope that he does, the so-called best League in the world is as good a place as any to test that desire.
 
Raul missed out on Spain’s 2008 European Championship squad; and it brought the curtain down on his sparkling international career. Then Coach Luis Aragones decision to opt for youth over experience however was vindicated as Spain finally fulfilled their potential on the international stage, winning the tournament and drawing high praise from all quarters.
 
However many people, including myself, felt that Raul deserved his moment in the international sun and despite becoming World Champions earlier in July, their coronation seemed a slightly less grand affair without the former Prince of  Spanish football.
 
So as Real Madrid line up for the new season in their coliseum like Santiago Bernabeu there will likely be a superstar number seven in their midst, but he will play in the shadow of his former team mate. And a shadow cast by Raul may be too much of an obstacle for even Cristiano Ronaldo to overcome.