Kick Off: Cameron red card fuels HOU-DAL rivalry

Simon Borg

The Houston Dynamo vs. FC Dallas rivalry promises to be just as heated this year after what happened in the US national team’s 1-0 win over Panama last night.

Houston Dynamo center back Geoff Cameron was red-carded early in the second half after new FC Dallas signing Blas Pérez went down just outside the box. Cameron says he took a dive.

“I think so,” he said. "You can look at the replay and take a look for yourself. I don't think it's a red card. I don't think I'd do anything different. … When I got the ball back he fell over me, obviously looking for a foul.”

Here are the highlights from the match. Do you think Cameron is right? (VIDEO)

MLSsoccer.com has all the reactions from Panama City, including Jurgen Klinsmann’s take on playing down a man to end the match: “The way we executed in the last half-hour, especially technically, was very good.”

For US goal-scorer Graham Zusi, who earned his first two caps for the USMNT against Venezuela and Panama, he admits that he “might have kind of blacked out a little bit” after scoring the goal.

This morning, Tim Ream’s transfer from the New York Red Bulls to Bolton has been made official and Wanderers manager Owen Coyle is elated: He says Ream “is everything that we want in the players we are bringing to the club.”

Meanwhile, NYRB sporting director and GM Erik Solér says it was “a difficult decision for us as a club,” but he explains why they proceeded with the move.

According to this report by TheNew York Times’ Jack Bell, who spoke to Ream in England, Bolton manager Owen Coyle was tracking Ream since last summer when Bolton made a brief training stop in the US.

As Red Bulls fans await the rumored signing of Wilman Conde, who has been tabbed as Ream’s replacement, they can celebrate the arrival of a new goalkeeper expected to fight for the No. 1 job.

There is no impending EPL transfer deal for FC Dallas star Brek Shea, according to the player himself. He says “we really didn’t talk about that” during his one-month training stint with Arsenal.

“A deal is imminent. It’ll be announced very soon,” is what one source told Sportsnet about TFC's potential permanent signing of Richard Eckersley, which seems like a formality.

Speaking of signings, San Jose Earthquakes goalkeeper Jon Busch has extended his deal to remain with the club for another three seasons.

Here’s how a scout described new D.C. United center back Emiliano Dudar to TheWashington Post: “Dudar is an experienced, physically strong defensive leader with one of the best long balls I have seen. Good player!” His acquisition was formally announced by D.C. yesterday.

Camilo Sanvezzo is expected back into Vancouver Whitecaps camp this week and although he has an existing deal with Vancouver, he is expected to be rewarded with a new contract. "From our perspective, we wanted to reward him," says club president Bob Lenarduzzi. "We were prepared to renegotiate the contract based on the season he had last year. If he's not prepared to entertain our offer, we have another three options years left."

Forget single player deals. The Seattle Sounders signed on to take up a whole team yesterday as they transform the Tacoma Tide into the Seattle Sounders U-23 PDL side. Check out the new logo in this article.

There’s more news about the New York Red Bulls’ plans to set up a residential academy in this New York Post article, but they are not ruling out bringing in players from the Red Bull academies that exist in other countries: “The [MLS] rules say we can have one or two players outside the area, domestically … or abroad,” Solér said.

While the NYRB are still making decisions on the academy player front, the Portland Timbers have already decided: Jack Jewsbury will be the captain in 2012. "I don't think there is a decision to be made," said manager John Spencer. "Jack Jewsbury, as long as I'm here, will captain the Portland Timbers."

There were some cracking cup matches from Europe yesterday. If you missed them, here are the highlights of the Carling Cup semifinal between Liverpool and Manchester City in which Roberto Mancini’s men were ousted. Even more thrilling was Real Madrid’s Copa del Rey fightback against Barcelona, which fell short at the Nou Camp. (VIDEOS)

The Kansas City Star’s Charles Gooch points out how that player who scored the second goal for Barcelona is really a Kevin Ellis look-alike. Ellis plays for Sporting KC.

Also yesterday in Houston’s Reliant Stadium, Mexico scored three unanswered goals in the second half to overcome a 1-0 deficit against Venezuela and capture a victory in a friendly match. (VIDEO)

Today there’s the Coppa Italia match between AC Milan and Lazio on GolTV (2:30 pm ET) as well as a Copa Libertadores preliminary match between Uruguayan side Peñarol and Venezuela’s Caracas FC (5:30 pm ET, Fox Deportes). Also a Santos reserve side will look for its first win of 2012 against Ituano in the Paulista state championship (6 pm ET, ESPN Deportes).

In case you missed it, Seattle Sounders trialist Andrew Weber and his twin brother were participants in the CBS reality series The Amazing Race. Find out more about the goalkeeper here. The premier of the show is on Feb. 19.

Former D.C. United midfielder Santino Quaranta speaks out about the amazing adventure he’s about to embark on as he heads to India: “It was an easy decision in terms of the financial aspect of it.”

It was an easy decision for the two players who deserted Cuba’s Olympic women’s squad competing in CONCACAF qualifying in Vancouver. They say their hotel floor was heavily guarded but they made a midnight escape via a staircase and took a cab across the border to Washington without a passport. (SPANISH)

Lastly, for your reading pleasure today, we submit to you the story of the league leaders in Israel, who hail from an unlikely location: a city of 23,000 near the Lebanese border and regularly “in the crossfire of the Arab-Israeli strife.”

MLSsoccer.com Must-Reads:

USMNT Player Ratings: Klinsmann’s group takes a step back in 1-0 road win

We’ll Never Know: The 5 deals involving Americans that never got done

Gringo Report: Jeff Cunningham scores on his debut for Comunicaciones