UEFAChampionsLeagueLogo (Getty) | Soccer By Ives

UEFA Champions League: Your Running Commentary | Soccer By Ives

If you are looking for exciting UEFA Champions League match-ups you wont find a better pair of Round of 16 match-ups than the ones on offer today, as Manchester United visits Real Madrid (2:45pm, Fox Soccer Channel) and Borussia Dortmund takes on Shakhtar Donetsk (2:45pm, MSG+/Fox Soccer Plus).

Jose Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson renew acquaintances at the Bernabeu, where Cristiano Ronaldo will be facing off against his former club in what should be an offensive showcase. In Ukraine, Borussia Dortmund will be looking to overcome some injuries to their defense to try and beat a Shakhtar side coping with the departure of playmaker Willian, as well as the rust that comes with being in their leagues winter break.

Both matches should offer tons of scoring chances, and some great goals, as four of the best attacks in Europe go at it.

If you will be watching todays action, please feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below.

Enjoy the action.

Peguy Luyindula #99 | Soccer By Ives

Thin on time, Red Bulls continue to vet players for 2013 season | Soccer By Ives

BY DAVE MARTINEZ

Nineteen days ago, Mike Petke was officially named the New York Red Bulls head coach. Eighteen days from today, they kick off their season against the Portland Timbers.

Needless to say, the team has a lot of catching up to do.

Having played all of two preseason friendlies this offseason, the “undefeated” Red Bulls begin a four game, ten day stretch as part of this year’s Desert Diamond Cup in Arizona. During that time, they will be looking to continue to solidify an identity under their new boss and vet out players who will or won’t make the team for the coming season.Headlining the invitees is Peguy Luyindula. The 33 year old former PSG striker has been a seldom used commodity at his former club since the Qatari Investment Authority’s takeover of club operations in 2011. Interestingly enough, as of this past December, he still ranked second amongst active goalscorers in Ligue 1 play.

Luyindula played alongside Juninho during Lyon’s dominating Championship dynasty early last decade. He is also a friend of Thierry Henry, giving the French striker a handful of influential backers in his latest endeavor.

Of course, his outlandish salary (last reported to be around the $3.69 million a year range) makes him a question mark for a Red Bulls team that have classified their salary cap as a “shambles.” Barring a sweetheart deal like the kind that landed Youri Djorkaeff some years ago, Luyindula’s services can come at a hefty price.

Using what resources they have freed up from their various offseason moves, including the trade of Kenny Cooper, the Red Bulls have already taken action in acquiring Eric Alexander from the Portland Timbers. That depth move will surely be followed by a few more signings this week as second round draft choice Ian Christianson and a host of other supplemental picks continue to try and earn their way towards a contract.

Rounding out the Red Bulls’ options are guest players Tyler Ruthven, Marius Obekop and last week’s game winning goal scorer Rafhael Domingues. Ruthven, 24, was a vital part of the Red Bulls franchise record tying five-game winning streak early last season during a time the team was beset by injuries. After being cut late last year, he continues to work towards regaining his spot. Obekop and Domingues have also made favorable impressions with the team in their limited time with the team, earning a call back for the Arizona series.

Midfielder Nicki Patterson and defender Toni Stahl did not receive that luxury. Neither player will feature in the final Arizona leg of preseason evaluations. Supplemental draft picks Ben Fisk, Marc Cintron and Stephane Diop have also not been called back to the team.

The Red Bulls are 2-0 in preseason thus far with victories over Malmo FF and the Columbus Crew. They take on Real Salt Lake Wednesday evening to kick off their involvement in the Desert Diamond Cup.

Ben Zemanski, Kalif Alhassan | Soccer By Ives

CARSON, California July 18, 2012: The CD Chivas USA defeated the Portland Timbers 1-0 during a Major League Soccer (MLS) game at Home Depot Center stadium.

Timbers land pair of former Akron players in deals with Chivas USA and Whitecaps | Soccer By Ives

By IVES GALARCEP

The Portland Timbers have been stockpiling former University of Akron players while Chivas USA has spent a chunk of the off-season unloading players without Mexican roots, so it shouldnt have come as much of a surprise when the two teams got together to execute a trade that help both teams continue their trends.

The Timbers have acquired midfielder Ben Zemanski from Chivas USA in exchange for the right of first refusal for former Chivas USA and U.S. Mens National Team defender Jonathan Bornstein.

The Timbers werent finished there. On Wednesday they also finalized the acquisition of the rights to former Akron midfielder Michael Nanchoff from the Vancouver Whitecaps in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2015 (if the 2015 MLS Draft is only two rounds, as it was in 2013, then the pick will be a second-round pick in the 2015 Supplemental Draft).

Nanchoff had been on trial with the Timbers, and made enough of an impression on his former college coach, Timbers head coach Caleb Porter, to lead Portland to trade for his rights.

Zemanski not only has experience playing for Porter at Akron. He is also an MLS veteran with 58 career starts under his belt. He is familiar with Porters preferred style of play and should help give the Timbers some solid and reasonably-priced depth in midfield.

Both Nanchoff and Zemanski were members of the 2009 Akron team coached by Porter, a team that lost the NCAA Final in penalty kicks to the University of Virginia. Current Timbers forward Darlington Nagbe and rookie goalkeeper David Meves were also members of that 2009 Akron team.

The trade is an interesting one for Chivas USA, which re-acquires the rights to Bornstein, who is currently on the books at Mexican League leaders UANL Tigres, though he is not receiving playing time there. A return to MLS for Bornstein would be a major boost to a Chivas USA defense in dire need of upgrades. Bornstein also fills Chivas USAs plan of building a team around Mexican and Mexican-American players (Bornstein is half Mexican).

Vancouver had already decided to part ways with Nanchoff early in the pre-season, with his Generation adidas salary being too high for the Whitecaps to keep on their books. The No. 8 overall pick in the 2011 MLS Draft, Nanchoff never became a factor for the Whitecaps, managing just two starts and 14 total appearances over the course of two seasons.

What do you think of the moves? See Portland making some shrewd moves or think Porter is making a mistake bringing in so many Akron players? Think Bornstein could be an impact player for the Goats?

Share your thoughts below.

DesertDiamondCupLogo | Soccer By Ives

MLS Preseason: Disney Pro Soccer Classic (Day Two Live stream) | Soccer By Ives

The 2013 Disney Pro Soccer Classic resumes Wednesday in Orlando with the second games of the tournament.

First up, at 1pm is the Columbus Crew vs. Philadelphia Union.? The Crew are coming off a 1-0 win against Toronto in which they controlled much of the possession and debuted Dominic Oduro, who played very well on the right wing.? Philadelphia were frustrated by USL Pro side Orlando City in a 1-1 draw.? The Union started Conor Casey and Sebastian Le Toux up top while Jack McInerney began the game on the bench.

The second game of the day is Montreal Impact vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies at 3pm.? The Impact defeated Sporting Kansas City 2-1 on day one and demonstrated a terrific counter attack.? It can be assumed Montreal will see more of the possession today against a Rowdies team that was beat 4-0 by DC United on the first day and struggled to create much of anything after only a couple weeks back in training.

Sporting Kansas City face DC United at 6pm in game three of the day.? As mentioned above, DC United cruised to a 4-0 victory against the Rowdies in day one with two goals each from Leonard Pajoy and rookie Taylor Kemp.? They will be tested much more in this game, however, as SKC lost to Montreal but showed great possession in midfield and a good understanding between new attacking midfielder Benny Feilhaber and the rest of the team.

The final game of the day is between Toronto FC and Orlando City at 8pm tonight.? Toronto struggled to create quality chances against Columbus, losing 1-0 but did demonstrate good team defense for the most part and a high work rate from all 11 men on the field.? Orlando City had the better of the scoring opportunities against Philadelphia and seemed to be trying to make a statement with some aggressive defense.

Major League Soccer is again providing a live video stream of all four of today’s matches, and SBI will be showing them here.?If you will be watching today’s matches, please feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below.

Enjoy the action (Today’s Live Stream is after the jump):

Real Madrid’s Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo | Soccer By Ives

Wednesday Evening Ticker: Ronaldo scores as Real draws with Man United, Dortmund equalizes late, and more

BY JUSTIN FERGUSON

The Champions League Round of 16 continued on Wednesday with two thrilling draws, setting up intriguing return legs in a few weeks.

Real Madrid played out a thrilling 1-1 draw with Manchester United at the Bernabeu. The hosts controlled the beginning of the match, but it was United who got on the board first, scoring against the run of play in the 20th minute. Wayne Rooneys corner kick found the head of a leaping Danny Welbeck, who shrugged off Sergio Ramos to put away the goal.

But Jose Mourinhos squad kept up its attack against the United defense after the shocking goal. Real got its equalizer at the half hour mark when Cristiano Ronaldo skied to head in Angel Di Marias cross. The star midfielder calmly waved to the Madrid fans after the goal, opting not to celebrate a goal scored on his former team.

The final hour of the match was marked by some spectacular goalkeeping from MOTM David De Gea and new Real man Diego Lopez. De Gea, playing in front of his hometown crowd in Madrid, made seven saves in the matchincluding a fingertip push to the post that kept out a certain Fabio Coentrao goal. Lopezs big moment came in the 75th minute when he redirected a powerful Robin van Persie shot off the crossbar.

The two European giants will meet Mar. 5 at Old Trafford for the return leg.

Here are some more stories to help wrap up your Wednesday:

DORTMUND SCORES LATE TO TIE SHAKHTAR DONETSK

While the drama in Madrid was playing out, Borussia Dortmund and Shakhtar Donetsk finished 2-2 in the Donbass Arena. The match started with a moment of silence in memory of the four Shakhtar fans that died in a plane crash on the way to Wednesdays match.

Shakhtars Darijo Srna opened the scoring in the 31st minute off of a well-taken free kick from 25 yards out. Dortmund would equalize 10 minutes later on a somewhat comical goal from Robert Lewandowski. The Polish striker whiffed on a cross from Mario Gotze, causing two Shakhtar defenders to block a shot that never came. Lewandowski then collected the ball and calmly finished with the extra space.

The home side would get the lead back in the second half when substitute Douglas Costa laced a shot past Roman Weidenfeller only a few minutes into his appearance. Dortmund pushed hard for the equalizer and was rewarded for the effort in the 87th minute. Marcel Schmeltzers outswinging corner kick met the head of a charging Mats Hummels. The header found the back of the net, giving Dortmund two big away goals heading into the return leg.

FIFA PROVISIONALLY APPROVES DROGBA MOVE TO GALATASARAY

FIFA has given the go-ahead for Didier Drogba to start playing for Galatasaray, but the strikers contract dispute with Shanghai Shenhua remains open.

The former Chelsea man can make his debut for the Turkish club this weekend in a league match with Akhisar. He is also eligible for Galatasarays Champions League matchup with Schalke, which starts next week. Drogba has been involved with the African Cup of Nations for the few weeks.

Shanghai Shenhua filed a complaint with FIFA shortly after Drogbas transfer to Galatasaray was announced, saying that the Ivorian broke a contract that runs through 2014. If FIFA rules in favor of the Chinese club, Galatasaray could face a transfer embargo and Drogba could receive a ban.

QUICK KICKS

David Beckham had his first training session with new club PSG on Wednesday and could potentially make his debut this weekend against Sochaux. (REPORT)

UEFA says it will review Zlatan Ibrahimovics suspension after the striker was red carded in Tuesdays Champions League match with Valencia. (REPORT)

A Millwall fan was arrested for his involvement in racial abuse of Leeds United player El Hadji Diouf during a match in November. (REPORT)

A member of the French national team has been accused of soliciting an underage prostitute after the players cell phone number appeared on her phone records. (REPORT)

Liverpool has contacted UEFA with the clubs concerns about racial abuse its players may face in the Europa League tie with Zenit. (REPORT)

What do you think of these reports? What were your thoughts on todays Champions League matches? How do you think the return legs will turn out? What kind of impact do you think Drogba will make at Galatasaray?

Share your comments below.