Mexico next

After losing 3-2 to the USA in Carson, Los Angeles the Swedish national team take on Mexico in their next game of their American tour. 

The match will be played at McAfee Colisuem in Oakland tomarrow and Sweden will be looking to end the tour on a high. 

Mexico coached by fellow Swede Sven Goran-Eriksson will be up for this game but the side are in a little crisis at the moment having just about squeezed through to the final round of world cup qualifiers back in November and calls for Eriksson to quit. Eriksson has picked a strong team with Guillermo Ochóa included. 

USA 3-2 Sweden 24th January 2009

The USA recored victory over Sweden in what was a fantastic game. Sweden bought an experimental side to Los Angeles for this game and will be overall happy considering that Sacha Kljestan hit a hat-trick. 

But Sweden had Daniel Nannskog and Mikael Dahlberg to thank for Sweden's goals. 

USA: Troy Perkins (g.k): Marvel Wynne, Dan Califf, Michael Parkhurst, Jonathan Bornstein: John Thorrington, Ricardo Clark, Sacha Kljestan, Robbie Rogers: Charlie Davies, Brian Ching subs: Jon Busch (g.k), Ugo Ihemelu, Chris Wingert, Chris Rolfe, Brian Carroll, Kenny Cooper, Eddie Gavan

Sweden: Johan Dahlin (g.k): Markus Jonsson, Marcus Lindberg, Max Von Schlebrügge, Adam Johansson: Daniel Andersson, Andreas Dahl, Gustav Svensson, Samuel Holmén: Daniel Nannskog, Mikael Dahlberg subs: John Alvbåge (g.k): Patrik Anttonen, Rasmus Bengtsson, Mattias Bjärsmyr, Andreas Johansson, Andreas Landgren, Denni Avdic, 

New season just under 3 months away

The new Allsvenskan season will kick off in just under 3 months time but already teams are coming back to pre-season training. 

Many of the teams face each other in pre-season games through-out Ferbuary and March and many expect their teams to do well. 

Champions Kalmar, wheather we will be calling them that this time next year remains on what they can do following the departure of both Viktor Elm and Patrik Ingelsten. But Daryle Smylie has been signed from relegated Ljungskile. 

The others will have to challenge but Elfsborg, Helsingborgs, AIK and IFK Goteborg maybe the teams that will be challenging for the title this season. 

All in all expect some more transfers and news from the teams before we get under way on April 5th right until November. 

New Fixtures are released

The Allsvenskan 2009 will kick off on April 5th. That is the date all 16 teams will play their first games of what is expected to be the best ever Allsvenskan season. 

Champions Kalmar have an easy looking trip to Gefle but weather Kalmar will be a force be then it remains to be seen. They then play AIK (home), Elfsborg (away) and Halmstads (home) in the next 3 matches after the opener. But the match against Elfsborg will be really special because it was Elfsborg who challenged Kalmar to the 2008 title. 

Last year's runners-up Elfsborg have a very difficult task at home to Hammarby in their 1st game. After that they face Örebro (away), Kalmar (Home) and Gefle (away). 

IFK Göteborg have to tackle Helsingborgs away in what will be the match of the round. IFK Göteborg then face Djurgården (home), newly-promoted BK Häcken (away) and another promoted side Örgryte (home)

Helsingborgs face IFK in their first game and then face GAIS (away), Hammarby (home) and Örebro (away)

AIK have a home game against Halmstads to start off with before games against Kalmar (away), Malmö (home) and IF Brommapojkarna (away)

Malmö have a very easy looking start with BK Häcken (away) and Örgryte (home) before they face AIK (away)

Örebro have Djurgården away in their 1st fixture before protecting that unbeaten home run against Elfsborg and they face Örgryte in their 3rd game away. 

Hammarby begin with Elfsborg away before Gefle at home and Helsingborgs (away). 

Halmstads lock horns with AIK in their 1st game (away) before hosting Trelleborgs and IF Brommapojkarna. 

Trelleborgs begin their season with a home game against IF Brommapojkarna before taking on Halmstads (away) and GAIS (home)

GAIS have to face Örgryte away in their 1st game and then host Helsingborgs before they travel to Trelleborgs. 

Djurgården will begin their season of expectation at home to Örebro before they make the trip south to face rivals IFK Göteborg. They host Gefle at home in their 3rd game. 

Gefle could not have had a more thougher start with Champions Kalmar coming to town before Gefle go to Hammarby and then play Djurgården away in their 3rd fixture. 

Örgryte will play GAIS in their 1st Allsvenskan match since November 2006. They then travel to Malmö before Örebro visit them in their 3rd game. 

BK Häcken have a very though start with Malmö (home) before going to IF Brommapojkarna and they face IFK Göteborg after that. 

IF Brommapojkarna will play Trelleborgs (away) in their 1st Allsvenskan game since November 2007. Their 1st Allsvenskan home game since November 2007 will be against fellow promoted side BK Häcken before they travel to Halmstads. 

Johan Claesson leaves

Johan Claesson has left Gefle. The defender who started 2008 as a sub but did get a 1st team place has decieded to leave the club.
Johan Claesson has joined Portland Timbers in the United States. He becomes Portland's 1st signing and Gefle will be looking for a replacement.

Allsvenskan preliminary start date

The Allsvenskan has announced a preliminary start date of April 2009 has the start of the 2009 Allsvenskan.
With the Fixtures the be announced in the new year many changes are being made. The new Ullevi Stadium in Goteborg is open and Malmo plan to move into their new stadium in next summer while Kalmar are thinking about building a new stadium.
So far there have been major departures from the league with Johan Wiland heading south to Denmark, Viktor Elm and Patrik Ingelsten heading to Holland and Kusi Asare going to Denmark.
But one team has so far remained silent ever since the Allsvenskan finished in November. Hammarby from Stockholm have been very silent with no transfers in or out yet and new change of coach. But speculation as to Charlie Davies' future is still going around. The American has made no secret of a move abroad possibly next year but he remains a Hammarby player.

Kalmar lose Ingelsten

Champions Kalmar have sold star striker Patrik Ingelsten. The striker who played a key role in Kalmar's title win last month was attracting interest from abroad in Denmark, Holland and Germany.
Ingelsten becomes the 3rd major departure from the Champions in the last 6 months following the departures of Cesar Santin and Viktor Elm.
Ingelsten has joined Heerenveen and will link up Viktor Elm. Heerenveen have been interested in looking at players from the Allsvenskan.
Patrik Ingelsten and Viktor Elm will both join Heerenveen on January 1st.