PZPN scout weights in on Polish John Terry

Polish Football Federation main scout Maciej Chorazyk believes 16-year old defender Gracjan Horoszkiewicz will be the next "Polish John Terry".

"He is a player that will sooner than later debut in the German Bundesliga and the Polish national team," believes Chorazyk. "Frank Smuda has already asked about him. He is going to be our Polish hit."

According to Chorazyk, Horoszkiewicz is the best player for the Polish Under-17 national team. The central defender has made more than 30 appearances in the Polish youth systems.  

Horoszkiewicz joined Hertha Berlin during the summer and signed a three-year contract. He currenlty plays for the Hertha Berlin U-23 team after starting with the U-19 team.

Who is your Polish Player of the Year?

The 2011 calender is coming to an end after an exciting year around the Polish national team and their players. Most Polish players were trying to show off their skills to get a look for Poland national team head coach Frank Smuda before Euro 2012.

While some Polish players sparked around Europe, others tried to get off the bench but found no luck. Some, like the Polish trio in Dortmund, helped their team win the league title, while other were relegated.

Here are the candidates for the PSB Polish Player of the Year: 

Lukasz Piszczek (Borussia Dortmund) - Since joining Borussia Dortmund, Piszczek has grown to be one of the best right-backs in the German Bundesliga. He helped Borussia clinch the league title in May and was Borussia's iron man, missed only one match last season. The 28-year old defender was also named the best right defender of the league last season by many German magazines. Also, Piszczek has been Poland's best defender in 2011, and is a sure starter during Euro 2012 next summer.

Jakub Blaszczykowski (Borussia Dortmund) - The captain of the Polish national team had a tough year with Borussia Dortmund, but that did not stop him from having an incredible year with the Polish national team. Blaszczykowski scored four important goals for the Polish national team this year and was Poland's best player each game. Also, Blaszczykowski helped out Borussia Dortmind win the league title, making 29 league appearances, scoring three goals and assisting on four.

Wojciech Szczesny (Arsenal) - Only 21-years old, Szczesny has emerged as one of the top goalkeepers in England. He made his Champions League debut with an excellent performance against FC Barcelona in 2011 and almost helped Arsenal win their first title in couple years, but lost 2-1 to Birmingham City in the League Cup Final. Szczesny also become Poland's number one in 2011 and had a world-class performace against Germany which ended in a 2-2 draw.

Robert Lewandowski (Borussia Dortmund) - His first season with Borussia Dortmund was a tough one. Lewandowski mainly came off the bench to replace Lucas Barrios, but since the calender hit 2011, Lewandowski was starting in every match but managed to only scored three goals. However, he helped Borussia clinch their first league title since 2002. Now, his second season has been a dream season. Lewandowski has started every game and scored 12 goals and assisted on six to become one of the dangerous players in the Bundesliga. As for the national team, Lewandowski scored four goals in 2011 and become one of Poland's best players.

The voting will end of January 4th so don't forget to cast your vote

Who did you vote for and why?

Probierz to leave Aris Thessaloniki

Michal Probierz will step down as head coach of Greek side Aris Thessaloniki.

The 39-year old manager was only in charge of seven league matches and one cup match. During that span, Probierz led his team to four wins, one draw and three losses.

Probierz's decide to leave Aris was influenced by the very poor financial crisis running throughout the club. Seven of his players were not paid for the last seven months and more than ten players could leave the club in January.

"I will terminate my contract with Aris on Friday and return to Poland," said Probierz. "They (Aris) could not afford a better coach, so they took a Pole."

Before leaving for Greece, Probierz helped LKS Lodz battle out from the relegation zone.

Best "Eleven" of 2011 Polish Style

With 2011 almost behind us, and I must say it has been a very positive year for Polish players across Europe. In celebration of a great year I wanted to come up with the best possible starting 11 - composed of Polish players based on their performance this past year.

Striker - Robert Lewandowski (Borussia Dortmund) - 12 goals and 6 assists, he has already surpassed his last years total and looks to be in fantastic form. On top of that he has been scoring regularly for the national team, including one vs. the Germans in a high tempo friendly.

Attacking Midfielder - Adrian Mierzejewski (Trabzanspor) - 7 assists in the Turkish Super Lig is pretty good for a start, he also came close to scoring several times and if he continues in the right direction should be one of the top players.

Left Winger - Slawomir Peszko (FC Koln) - Peszko has really come around since leaving Lech, he has fit in well and made strides especially fighting for a starting spot in the Bundesliga. Although his finishing is at times horrid, he continues to set up goals. This year statistically he is at 4 assists and 1 goal.

Right Winger - Kamil Grosicki (Sivasspor) - A wonderful year for him since joining, he has 5 goals to his name and some of them scored in world class fashion. Unfortunately, Smuda continues to omit him from the NT. A close second was Legia's Maciej Rybus who has 4 goals in all competitions and several assists.

Midfielder - Cezary Wilk (Wisla Krakow) - Despite the teams demise in their CL campaign and an awful start in Europa. Wilk has been playing well and trying to keep the team in tact despite several key injuries that have stalled their progress. I give him this nod based on his good form and wonderful goal vs APOEL.

Defensive Midfielder - Ariel Borysiuk (Legia Warszawa) - The young Polish talent has been playing extremely well in both defense and attack. He has done well vs big time European competition such as Spartak, PSV, and Rapid. His call up for the NT is only months away..

Left Wingback - Jakub Wawyrzniak (Legia Warszawa) - Up and down games on both the NT and league, but has shown a great ability to get up and help offensively. Has provided several assists and helped Legia progress out of the group stages.

Central Defense - Micheal Zewlakow (Legia Warszawa) - There is nobody playing better than Zewlakow not even Glowacki. He is by far playing above his age and then also helping develop the teams great youth players. Although, he may be good enough for the NT anymore, his form deserves this nod.

Central Defense - Piotr Celeban (Slask Wroclaw) - Another player that has offensive and defensive skills that are helping his team stay on top of the league. Great form, but Smuda continues to over look him. He needs to get the nod and partner up with Perques, because we all know he will not bring back Zewlakow.

Right Back - Lukasz Piszczek (Borussia Dortmund) - Probably the best defender Poland has seen in the last decade. There is nobody that has the same skill set as our offensive defender. Continues with great form and will be our key for Euros.

Goalkeeper - Wojciech Szczesny (Arsenal) - Has stood on his head numerous times for our NT already, and is become a Class player in the EPL. The most interesting aspect is that he is only in his early 20's he has a lot of years of growth but will develop into a solid World Class keeper.

Happy New Year everyone!!!  Hope this year will be even better for each and everyone of you and of course for Polish soccer. With two clubs in the final 18 it is something to celebrate lets hope for some great signings and a wonderful Euro 2012.

Feel free to comment on the list and include any of your suggestions.

Legia after Luyindula, Polonia after Budan

Both Warszawa clubs have the intentions to compete for the league title when the season resumes but before they can do that, a good thing would be to strengthen their squads.

Legia Warszawa, who sit second in the Ekstraklasa standings and are still competing in the Europa League, are targeting French striker Peguy Luyindula. The 32-year old is still under contract with Paris Saint-Germain, but has been moved down to the reserves a couple months ago. Luyindula, who played for Lyon, Marseille and Levante in his career, will terminate his contract with PSG during the winter transfer window.

As for cross-town rival Polonia Warszawa, the team that sits third in the Ekstraklasa were offered Croatian striker Igor Budan. The 31-year old plays for Italian side Palermo, but has only made two league appearances this season. Budan's agent has send offer to Polonia Warszawa to hire the Croatian striker.

What do you think about both offers?

Boenisch could return for Portugal friendly

The last time Sebastian Boenisch played in a competitive match was 16 months ago, but if everything goes as planned, the 24-year old defender will soon return to the Polish national team

Right before the winter-break, Boenisch started training with the Werder Bremen first team. When the Bundesliga season resumes late January, Boenisch will be available to play.

The one person that has been waiting patiently for Boenisch has been Poland national team head coach Frank Smuda. Boenisch made his debut under Smuda and was clearly the favorite to be Poland's next left-defender for years to come.

With Euro 2012 just around the corner, Smuda is keeping his options open for the left-back position. Smuda is ready to give Boenisch a chance and will call him up if hes ready for Poland's next friendly against Portugal in February.  

A Look Back: Poland NT Goals from 2011

Swierczok set to sign with Kaiserslautern

Polonia Bytom striker Jakub Swierczok is set to sign a 3,5-year contract with Bundesliga side FC Kaiserslautern.

Swierczok will fly to Germany on Wednesday and will undergo medical tests and sign the contract on Thursday.

Swierczok was wanted by numerous clubs, including Wisla Krakow and Lech Poznan. The 19-year old striker has a incredible start to the Polish First Division season, scoring a league-leading 12 goals in 17 league appearances.

Zaluska offered new Celtic deal

Celtic manager Neil Lennon has confirmed goalkeeper Lukasz Zaluska has been offered a new contract to stay at Celtic.

The 29-year old is currently back-up to Fraser Forster and is believed to be looking for regular first-team football elsewhere. Lennon is waiting for Zaluska to make his decision, but the 40-year old manager has indicated the club are keeping their options open as well.

"We've made him an offer and he is going to let us know but we are always looking to strengthen our squad," said Lennon.

Zaluska has made 31 appearances for Celtic since joining the club from Dundee United in 2009.

Smuda picks 30 players with the best shot at Euro

Poland NT head coach Frank Smuda has listed 30 players who have the best chance to represent Poland at Euro 2012 this summer. However, Smuda underlined the selection is still not closed.

The Euro 2012 official roster will feature 23 players. Smuda will take 26 players to the Austria-camp in May. Three players will be cut from the roster that will make up the Euro 2012 roster.

Here are the 30 players who have the best shot at Euro:

Goalkeepers: Lukasz Fabianski, Przemyslaw Tyton, Grzegorz Sandomierski, Wojciech Szczesny

Defenders: Sebastian Boenisch, Arkadiusz Glowacki, Kamil Glik, Tomasz Jodlowiec, Damien Perquis, Lukasz Piszczek, Maciej Sadlok, Marcin Wasilewski, Jakub Wawrzyniak, Grzegorz Wojtkowiak

Midfielders: Jakub Blaszczykowski, Dariusz Dudka, Adam Matuszczyk, Adrian Mierzejewski, Sebasian Mila, Rafal Murawski, Ludovic Obraniak, Slawomir Peszko, Eugen Polanski, Maciej Rybus, Cezary Wilk

Forwards: Pawel Brozek, Kamil Grosicki, Ireneusz Jelen, Robert Lewandowski, Artur Sobiech

Who is missing from the 30 players' roster?

The Ekstraklasa Roundup

The Best Team: Slask Wroclaw - After finishing as runner-ups last season, Slask returned for the new season with only one major move during the summer. The addition of Dutch striker Johan Voskamp has really paid off Slask defeated Legia Warszawa, Lech Poznan and Polonia Warszawa during the autumn round, placing themselves in front of the other big-name teams. Slask will have a advantage over Legia and Wisla in the spring round as the two teams will be focusing on the Europa League like in the autumn round.

The Most Surprise Team: Podbeskidzie Bielsko-Biala - Many predicted Podbeskidzie would not last even a season in the Ekstraklasa, but Podbeskidzie have really surprise many. After a shaky start to the season (three points in five games), Podbeskidzie won their first game ever in the Ekstraklasa during the 6th round, a 2-1 win over Legia Warszawa. Without any big names, Podbeskidzie managed to defeat Lechia Gdansk 1-0, lose to runner-up Slask only 1-0, defeat champions Wisla Krakow 1-0 and draw scoreless with Polonia Warszawa. Heading into the winter break, Podbeskidzie sit 9th in the standings with 23 points.  

The Most Disappointment Team: Jagiellonia Bialystok - After a strong fourth-place finish last year, and a Europa League qualifying spot, Jagiellonia's summer started off on the wrong foot, loosing head coach Michal Probierz and star goalkeeper Grzegorz Sandomierski. However, Jagiellonia did add Dawid Plizga, Marko Cetkovic, Grzegorz Bartczak and Lukasz Tyminski.  They also added Grzegorz Rasiak, but the striker could not play until the 15th round. After a disappointing 2-1 loss to Irtysh Pavlodar in the Europa League, Jagiellonia dropped to 10th in the league and fired head coach Czeslaw Michniewicz after only five months on the job.

The Best Player: Sebastian Mila (Slask Wroclaw) - The most important and star player on Slask Wroclaw's roster for the past two seasons. After an impressive autumn round, Mila finally received a well-deserved call up to the Polish national team. Is tied for the league lead with 10 assists.

The Best Foreign Player: Artjoms Rudnevs (Lech Poznan) - Rudnevs has scored more goals this season than any other Ekstraklasa player doubled and has more goals than the whole Lech Poznan team combined. He is a pretty important player to Lech Poznan.

The Best Young Player: Maciej Rybus (Legia Warszawa) - After a shaky season last year, Rybus has really stepped up his game and continues to impress. He is regularly being called up to the Polish national team. 

The Best Discovery: Michal Zyro (Legia Warszawa) - Zyro has played in 14 league matches this round and has scored one goal. He continues to play as he talent slowly grows on the field. He is going to be a special player in the future.

The Best Transfer: Danijel Ljuboja -  Legia Warszawa's top scorer is a class better than any Ekstraklasa defedner. One of the most exciting players to watch in the Polish league has helped Legia big-time.

The Worst Transfer: Daniel Sikorski - At one time, Sikorski was a highly-rated talent in Germany but has disappointed since moving to Poland. The 24-year old striker has zero goals and zero assist in 14 league appearances.

Team of the Round: Dusan Kuciak - Piotr Celeban, Michal Zewlakow, Jaroslaw Fojut, Jakub Wawrzyniak Miroslav Radovic, Ariel Borysiuk, Sebastian Mila, Maciej Rybus, Artjoms Rudnevs, Danijel Ljuboja

Poles Abroad: Wednesday Rewind

English Premier League

• Wojciech Szczesny played 90 minutes in Arsenal's 2-1 win over Aston Villa.\

• Tomasz Kuszczak did not dress in Manchester United's 5-0 win over Fulham.

• Lukasz Fabianski (injured) did not dress in Arsenal's 2-1 win over Aston Villa.  

German Cup

• Eugen Polanski spend the whole match on the bench in Mainz's 2-0 loss to Holstein Kiel.

• Jaroslaw Lindner played 89 minutes in Holstein Kiel's 2-0 win over Mainz. 

French Ligue 1

• Ludovic Obraniak came off the bench in the 60th minute and recorded two assists in Lille's 4-4 draw with Nice.

• Ireneusz Jelen spend the whole match on the bench in Lille's 4-4 draw with Nice. 

• Damien Perquis (injured) did not dress in Sochaux's 2-0 loss to Ajaccio.

• Dariusz Dudka did not dress in Auxerre's 2-2 draw with Dijon FCO.

Turkish Super Lig

• Kamil Grosicki played 90 minutes and scored a goal in Sivasspor's 3-2 win over Samsunspor.

Poland finish year 66th in FIFA rankings

The Polish national team will finish 2011 as the 66th-ranked team in the world after not making any moves in the last FIFA rankings of the year.

Last year, Poland finished as the 72nd-ranked team in the world and two years ago, Poland finished in the 57th spot.

Even with a 1-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, Poland did not move in the final rankings of 2011. Poland's Euro 2012 opponents finished as following; Russia 12th, Greece 14th and Czech Republic 33rd.

Poland to play Latvia during Austria camp

The Polish national will square off against Latvia during their pre-Euro 2012 training camp in Austria in May.

Poland will play Latvia on May 22nd and Slovakia on May 26th. Both matches will be played in Klagenfurt, Austria. Poland will spend 13 days in Austria before returning back to Poland and playing one more friendly before Euro 2012 kicks-off.

Poland and Latvia have played each other 11 times with Poland winning seven times and two draws.

On June 2nd, Poland will play a friendly against either Malta or Liechtenstein at the Pepsi Arena in Warszawa.

News and Notes from Tuesday

• Polish referee Marcin Borski was named as one of the four officials who will act as fourth officials in a specific function during Euro 2012. 

• Grzegorz Krychowiak saw a straight red card in Nantes' 2-0 win over Amiens. Krychowiak was forced to leave in the 67th minute. 

• Czeslaw Michniewicz was fired as head coach of Jagiellonia Bialystok. The 41-year old took over as manager of the club in the summer of 2011. At the end of the autumn round, Jagiellonia sit 10th in the Ekstraklasa standings. 

• Artur Boruc played 90 minutes in Fiorentina's scoreless draw with Siena.

• Robert Lewandowski, Jakub Blaszczykowski and Lukasz Piszczek all played 90 minutes, plus the 30 minutes of extra time as Borussia Dortmund advanced to the quarterfinals of the German Cup after a 5-4 win in penalty kicks.

Polish talent to trial with AC Milan

Polish U-15 national team goalkeeper Mateusz Kuchta looks to be the latest young Pole to catch the eye of a European scout.

Kuchta has traveled to Italy to train with AC Milan with an eye toward securing a contract. The 15-year old keeper will train with the Italian giants until Thursday. Kuchta, who currently plays for Slask Chorzow, will transfer to Legia Warszawa when he returns from Italy.

During a friendly with the Polish U-15 national team last spring, Kuchta had a outstanding performace against the German U-15 national team. Many German scouts were in attendance and it was believed Kuchta would make a move to a German club.

Lewandowski scores twice in Borussia's win

Robert Lewandowski added two more goals into his account to the the year of 2011.

Lewandowski scored two goals and set up a third as Borussia Dortmund ended a two-game winless streak with a convincing 4-1 win vs. Freiburg. Lewandowski opened the scoring in the 7th minute. In the 59th minute, Lewandowski assisted on Kevin Grosskreutz's goal, which made it 3-1 for Borussia. Ten minute later, Lewandowski struck a second time to give Borussia a 4-1 lead.

Also, Jakub Blaszczykowski recorded an assist on Ilkay Gundogan's goal, which made it 2-1 for Borussia. Blaszczykowski and Lukasz Piszczek played the full 90 minutes, while Robert Lewandowski played 85 minutes.

Lewandowski's first goal:


Blaszczykowski's assist:


Lewandowski's second goal:

Sobota leads Poland past Bosnia

It wasn't pretty, but the Polish national team ended the year of 2011 on a winning streak after a 1-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Polish national team could have easily won 5-0, but too many chances were missed, that should have gone in.

The first and only goal of the game came in the 26th minute. Slask Wroclaw midfielder Waldemar Sobota scored, who was also making his debut.

Seven Ekstraklasa players made their debuts for the Polish national team on Friday. Sebastian Mila, who returned to the national team after five years, most likely impressed Smuda the most.

Poland: Michal Gliwa - Piotr Celeban, Marcin Kaminski, Grzegorz Wojtkowiak, Maciej Sadlok - Waldemar Sobota (67. Szymon Pawlowski), Tomasz Jodlowiec, Lukasz Tralka (86. Filip Modelski), Sebastian Mila, Tomasz Kupisz (83. Arkadiusz Wozniak) - Maciej Jankowski (46. Arkadiusz Piech).

Sobota 1-0

Legia draw Sporting, Wisla gets Standard in Europa League draw

The Europa League draw has been completed, with both Polish clubs knowing who they will play in the next phase of the European cup.

Legia Warszawa have drawn Portuguese side Sporting Lisbon. The first leg will be played in Poland on February 16th. The second leg will be played a week later, on February 23rd.

The winner of the Legia Warszawa/Sporting Lisbon match will play the winner of FC Porto/Manchester City in the Round of 16.

The other Polish club, Wisla Krakow were drawn against Belgian side Standard Liege. The first leg will be played in Krakow on February 16th, with the second leg being played a week later.

The winner of the Wisla Krakow/Standard Liege match will play the winner of the Hannover/Club Brugge match.

What do you think about the drawing?

Pre-game: Poland vs. Bosnia

The Polish national team will wear their new jerseys, which will feature the eagle, against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Friday.

Frank Smuda has released the starting lineup vs Bosnia and Herzegovina:
Gliwa - Celeban, Wojtkowiak, Kaminski, Sadlok - Kupisz, Tralka, Jodlowiec, Mila, Sobota - Jankowski

Game-time between Poland and Bosnia and Herzegovina is set for 2:30 pm est.

What do you think about the new jersey and the starting lineup?

Who should Smuda start vs. Bosnia?

The Polish national team will end 2011 with a friendly match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, which will feature Ekstraklasa-based players only.

Many Ekstraklasa players, who deserved a call up, will try to show Frank Smuda their high points and possibly return to the national team for another stint.  As many as eight debutants can appera in the match for Poland.

Here is the expected starting lineup against  Bosnia and Herzegovina:

What do you think of the expected lineup?

Europa League draw set for Friday

For the first time in 41 years, two Polish clubs have advanced to the knockout phase of any European competition. On Friday, both Wisla Krakow and Legia Warszawa will find out who they will play in the Round of 32.

The first legs will be played on February 16, and the second legs will be played on February 23.

Both Wisla Krakow and Legia Warszawa finished second in their respective groups, meaning they will have to play harder teams in the next round.

Here are the possible teams Wisla and Legia can be drawn against:
PAOK Salonika
Standard Liege
PSV Eindhoven (Legia can not draw PSV)
Sporting CP
Besiktas
Athletic Bilbao
Metalist Kharkiv
Club Brugge
Atletico Madrid
Schalke 04
FC Twente (Wisla can not draw Twente)
RSC Anderlecht
Manchester City
Manchester United
Olympiakos
Valencia

The drawing will begin at 7 am est. Who would you like to see Wisla and Legia play?

Poles Abroad: Europa League Rewind

• Marcin Wasilewski played 90 minutes and scored a goal in Anderlecht's 5-3 win over Lokomotiv Moscow.

• Filip Bednarek spend the whole match on the bench in Twente's 2-1 loss to Wisla Krakow.

• Roger Guerreiro played 90 minutes and recorded two assists in AEK Athens' 3-1 win over Sturm Graz.

• Miroslaw Sznaucner spend the whole match on the bench in PAOK Salonika's 1-1 draw with Rubin Kazan.

• Artur Sobiech played 90 minutes, scored a goal and received a yellow card in Hannover's 3-1 win over Vorskla.

• Przemyslaw Tyton played 90 minutes in PSV's 2-1 win over Rapid Bucuresti.

• Lukasz Zaluskaspend the whole match on the bench in Celtic's 1-1 draw with Udinese.

Pekalski choses Sweden over Poland

Ivo Pekalski has now joined the club of players who have rejected Poland for another country.

On Wednesday, Pekalski was called up to the Swedish national team for a 10-day training camp and friendly match against Qatar in January.

Even if Pekalski makes an appearance in the friendly match against Qatar, he will still be eligible to play for Poland, as the match against Qatar is not a match for points.

Pekalski, who played for the Swedish U-21 national team, was born in Sweden but both of his parents were born in Poland. He also holds Polish citizenship.

What is your take on this situation?

Must-See Pictures: Europa League Final Standings

Legia 0, Hapoel 2: Goal Highlights

Legia loss in Group Stage finale

Legia Warszawa ended their Group Stage campaign with a 2-0 loss to Hapoel Tel Aviv, but still managed to qualify for the next round.

Legia started the match off well but could not capitalize on their chances, so it was Hapoel, who scored first. Salim Toama gave the Israeli club the lead in the 33rd minute off a perfect free-kick.

In the 63rd minute, Gal Shish saw his second yellow card and was forced to leave. However, with 10 men, Hapoel scored to take a 2-0 lead in the 76th minute.

Legia: Wojciech Skaba - Jakub Rzezniczak, Dickson Choto, Inaki Astiz, Tomasz Kielbowicz (86. Moshe Ohayon) - Michal Zyro (71. Michal Kucharczyk), Janusz Gol, Daniel Lukasik (60. Rafal Wolski), Miroslav Radovic, Maciej Rybus - Danijel Ljuboja.

The Goal That Saved Wisla's LE Season

Wisla Krakow 2, Twente 1: Goal Highlights

Wisla Krakow advance after late heroics in other Group K match

Wisla Krakow did what they had to do and beat Twente 2-1 in Krakow but Wisla also needed some big-time help in the other Group K match.

Fulham took on Odense in the other Group K match, with Fulham needing a win. The match started off well from Fulham, taking a 2-0 lead into halftime. However, in the second half, Odense pulled back by one goal when Hans Henrik Andreasen scored in the 64th minute off a free-kick. Being down 2-1, Odense never gave up, and in the dieing moment of the match, the Danish side pulled back and Djiby Fall scored in the 93rd minute to tie the match up at 2-2.

Switching over to the Wisla Krakow-Twente match, Wisla scored first and took a 1-0 lead in the 12th minute when Lukasz Gargula scored. In the 39th minute, Twente pulled back with Luuk de Jong scoring a incredible bicycle-kick goal. A minute after halftime, Tzvetan Genkov scored to give Wisla a 2-1 lead.

With the win and a Fulham draw, Wisla Krakow finish second in Group K and qualify for the Round of 32.

Wisla: Sergei Pareiko - Marko Jovanovic, Junior Diaz, Gordan Bunoza, Gervasio Nunez - Rafal Boguski (61. Patryk Malecki), Cezary Wilk, Tomas Jirsak (90. Daniel Brud), Lukasz Gargula, Maor Melikson (89. Andraz Kirm) - Tsvetan Genkov

Poland NT Practice Report (Day 2)

The Polish national team held two practice sessions on Wednesday as they prepare for their Friday's clash against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

All of the players that were called up by Frank Smuda took part in the two sessions. No one complained of any injures.

During the first session, which took place at 11 am local time, the players practiced taking shots and tactics. In the later session, which started at 5 pm local time, players were separated into two teams and played a scrimmage. Assistant Coach Jacek Zielinski and Forwards Coach Tomasz Frankowski played in the scrimmage to even up the teams.

Poland will hold only one practice session on Thursday. The clash against  Bosnia and Herzegovina will kick-off at 2:45 pm est on Friday.

Wisla Krakow vs. Twente Preview

Wisla Krakow will play for their lives in the Europa League in a must-win game against FC Twente on Wednesday.

To have a chance to qualify for the Round of 32, Wisla must win against Twente, and Fulham must draw or loss to Odense in the other Group K match.

Wisla Krakow will enter the match with huge defensive problems as Kew Jaliens, Osman Chavez, Dragan Paljic and Michal Czekaj will all miss the match due to injures.

On the other side, Twente will be without some of their big-name players as the club from Holland have already qualified for the Round of 32. Young Polish goalkeeper Filip Bednarek was included in the squad but will most likely watch the match from the bench. 

Kick-off is set for 3:05 pm est.

Pekalski picks Sweden over Poland?

After months of speculations, it looks like Ivo Pekalski has finally made his desicion.

Pekalski will receive a call up to the Swedish national team for their January training camp and friendly match, which will only feature domestic-league players, reports Swedish media.

Pekalski's name will be listed on the Swedish national team roster, which will be announced on Wednesday by national team head coach Erik Hamren.

Poland NT arrive in Turkey without Murawski

The Polish national team arrived in Turkey today, where they will undergo a four-day training camp and play a friendly match against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Friday.

The only player that did not make the trip was Rafal Murawski. The Lech Poznan midfielder suffered a knee injury during his club's 3-2 win over Zaglebie Lubin on Monday. Murawski will not play against Bosnia on Friday.

Frank Smuda will hold one practice session on Tuesday. Only players from Ekstraklasa were called up to the national team for friendly match against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

News and Notes from Monday

• Slawomir Peszko was picked into the Bundesliga Team of the Week for Round 16 after picking up two assist in FC Koln's 4-0 win over Freiburg on Saturday.  

• Polish goalkeeper Filip Bednarek was included in Twente's 19-man roster for Wednesday's Europa League match against Wisla Krakow.

• Kamil Grosicki played 90 minutes in Sivasspor's 2-2 draw with Manisaspor on Monday.

• Lech Poznan defeated Zaglebie Lubin 3-2 on Monday.

• 19-year old Swedish goalkeeper with Polish roots Christoffer Matwiejew will practice with Wisla Krakow for the next three days.

Poland to play four games before Euro

The Polish national team will play four matches in 2012 before Euro kick-offs. Two out of the four matches have been already confimred.

The first match for Poland in 2012 will be against Portugal on February 29th. This match will open up the National Stadium in Warszawa.

The following two matches will be played in Austria during a pre-Euro 2012 training camp. The two matches will be played on May 15th and 29th. The first match will be against Slovakia. For the second match, the Polish Football Federation is talking to Bulgaria about a possible match.

After the training camp in Austria, the Polish national team will return to Poland and play one more match on June 2nd. This match will be played at Pepsi Arena in Warszawa.

During Euro 2012, the Polish national team will live in hotel Hyatt in Warszawa and will practice at the Polonia Warszawa stadium.

Lewandowski awarded Polish Player of the Year

Poland national team striker Robert Lewandowski has been named Poland's Player of the Year as Polish soccer magazine "Pilka Nozna" handed out their annual end of the year awards.

Lewandowski beat of Wojciech Szczesny and Lukasz Piszczek for the Player of the Year award.

Poland national team goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny was named Discovery of the Year. Szczesny beat of Bartosz Salamon of Brescia and Michal Zyro of Legia Warszawa for the award.

Jumping over to the Ekstraklasa awards, Sebastian Mila from Slask Wroclaw won the Ekstraklasa Player of the Year, beating out Tomasz Frankowski and Jakub Wawrzyniak.

Maciej Skorza from Legia Warszawa won the Ekstraklasa Coach of the Year. His team, Legia Warszawa won the Team of the Year. One of Skorza's players, Miroslav Radovic won the Best Ekstraklasa Foreign Player.

The First Division Player of the Year went to Adrian Blad from Zawisza Bydgoszcz. He beat of Arkadiusz Aleksander from Sandecja Nowy Sacz and Jakub Swierczok from Polonia Bytom.

Do you agree with the awards that were handed out?

Tralka replaces Danch on Poland roster

Adam Danch has withdrawn from the Poland national team for the upcoming friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina, and he'll be replaced by Polonia Warszawa midfielder Lukasz Tralka.

Danch was forced to withdrawn after a virus hit his liver.

Tralka has already made five appearances for the Polish national team. His debut came against Serbia in 2008 under Leo Beenhakker. He was one of Beenhakker's Ekstrklasa favorites before the Duct manager was fired.

Could Poland lose another talent to Sweden?

Another talent has joined the battle between Poland and Sweden for international rights. 17-year old central- defender Sebastian Ludzik was called up to the Swedish U-18 national team.

Ludzik made two appearance for the Polish U-15 national team back in 2009 when Marcin Dorna was the head coach. Since Janusz Bialek took over the team, Ludzik has been a no-show.

Now, the Hammarby IF defender has been called up to the Swedish U-18 national team bu this father wants his son to play for Poland.

"I want my son to play for Poland, but its his desicion. Now, hes going to have to chance to show off his skills for Sweden," said Sebastian's father, Robert Ludzik.

Ludzik was born in Sweden but both of his parents come from Poland. He is the second player Poland are going after with Sweden. Ivo Pekalski still remains undecided about his international future.

Poland to play Slovakia in Austria

Slovakia will be one of Poland's last opponent before Euro 2012 kick-offs. Both federations have agreed to play a tune-up match next May in Austria.

Poland will play two matches in Austria, which one will be against Slovakia. The other opponent is still unknown. When Poland return home, they will play one more match at the Pepsi Arena in Warszawa. The match will be played on June 2nd. Possible opponents are Austria, Switzerland and Turkey.

The match will be the first meeting between Poland and Slovakia since 2009 when Slovakia ended Poland's World Cup qualification campaign.

Danch will not travel to Turkey with Poland

Gornik Zabrze midfielder Adam Danch will not travel with the Polish national team to Turkey for their friendly match against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The 23-year old is suffering from a liver problem after catching a virus. Danch will miss out on a decent opportunity after an impress start to the season with Gornik Zabrze. Danch would have made his second national team appearance if he played. His debut appearance was in 2008 against Serbia.

Frank Smuda will announce Danch's replacement on Sunday, when the 17th round of the Ekstraklasa ends.

Who would you like to see as Danch's replacement?

Blaszczykowski scores in Borussia's Champions League loss

Jakub Blaszczykowski scored his first career Champions League goal in Borussia Dortmund's 3-2 loss to Marseille.

Blaszczykowski scored in the 23rd minute, giving Borussia a 1-0 lead. Robert Lewandowksi assisted on the goal. All three Poles played the full 90 minutes.

With the loss, Borussia has been eliminated for European competitions. The Dortmund side could have played in the Europa League but they finished lasted in their group.

Here is Blaszczykowski's goal:

Poland to open National Stadium against Portugal

The National Stadium in Warszawa will make its debut on February 29th, when Poland takes on Portugal.

The match has been officially confirmed by PZPN. The deal read that both sides can not be drawn in the same Euro 2012 group. Because that did not happen, Portugal agreed to play Poland.

Last time Poland played Portugal was under Leo Beenacker in 2007, when Poland drew 2-2 in the Euro 2008 qualifiers. Poland and Portugal have met nine times, with Poland taking the match three times and Portugal fours times.

What do you think of this friendly?

Smuda announces call ups for December friendly

Poland national team head coach Frank Smuda has released his roster for the upcoming friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Poland play Bosnia and Herzegovina on Friday, December 16th.

Just a reminder, Smuda could not call up players from Wisla Krakow and Legia Warszawa, as both teams have their final Europa League matches.


Here is the full roster:

Goalkeepers: Rafal Gikiewicz (Slask Wroclaw), Michal Gliwa (Polonia Warszawa)

Defenders: Piotr Celeban (Slask Wroclaw), Grzegorz Wojtkowiak (Lech Poznan), Marcin Kaminski (Lech Poznan), Maciej Sadlok (Polonia Warszawa), Filip Modelski (GKS Belchatow), Adam Danch(Gornik Zabrze)

Midfielders: Tomasz Jodlowiec (Polonia Warszawa), Rafal Murawski (Lech Poznan), Szymon Pawlowski (Zaglebie Lubin), Sebastian Mila (Slask Wroclaw), Waldemar Sobota (Slask Wroclaw), Tomasz Kupisz (Jagiellonia Bialystok)

Forwards: Arkadiusz Piech (Ruch Chorzow), Maciej Jankowski (Ruch Chorzow), Arkadiusz Wozniak (Zaglebie Lubin)

What do you think of Smuda's call ups?

Who should Smuda call up for the December friendly?

The Polish national team will end 2011 with a friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina on December 16th. Both side will use their domestic league players.

Frank Smuda will announce the call ups of Tuesday.

Projected Poland roster for December friendly

GK - Wojciech Pawlowski (Lechia Gdansk), Lukasz Skorupski (Gornik Zabrze)

D- Maciej Sadlok (Polonia Warszawa), Jaroslaw Fojut (Slask Wroclaw), Hubert Wolakiewicz (Lech Poznan), Tomasz Jodlowiec (Polonia Warszawa), Grzegorz Wojtkowiak (Lech Poznan), Piotr Celeban (Slask Wroclaw), Marcin Kaminski (Lech Poznan)

M- Lukasz Tralka (Polonia Warszawa), Waldemar Sobota (Slask Wroclaw), Mateusz Mozdzen (Lech Poznan), Sebastian Mila (Slask Wroclaw), Dawid Plizga (Jagiellonia Bialystok), Lukasz Madej (Slask Wroclaw), Rafal Murawski (Lech Poznan)

F- Maciej Jankowski (Ruch Chorzow), Arkadiusz Wozniak (Zaglebie Lubin), Jakub Swierczok (Polonia Bytom), Arkadiusz Piech (Ruch Chorzow)

Here are some thoughts:

- I believe but I'm not sure that Frank Smuda can not call up players from Legia Warszawa and Wisla Krakow. Both sides have their final Europa League matches. Legia play on Wednesday, while Wisla play on Thursday. Poland play Bosnia-Herzegovina on Friday.

- Both goalkeepers are very young and unexperienced, but the Ekstraklasa lacks any good Polish goalkeepers. Both keepers deserve a chance

- The whole defense is made up of Polonia Warszawa, Slask Wroclaw and Lech Poznan players. Will we see any other defender get called up?

- The offense is young but thats what Frank Smuda is planning. Jakub Swierczok has been fantastic this season but I do not know if Smuda will go with the First Division striker.

- I remember back in August, Smuda said that if Ivo Pekalski is ready to play for the Polish national team, he will call him up for the December frienldy. Will we wake up to a surprise on Tuesday?

Who did I miss? Anyone else deserves a chance?

Poland WILL play Bosnia on Dec. 16 after few misunderstandings (Updated)

After all, the Polish national team will play Bosnia-Herzegovina next week in Turkey in their last friendly of the year.

The December 16 match is scheduled to take place in the Mardan Stadium in the city of Antalya. Both sides are to call up players from their domestic leagues only. However, the Bosnian side will use their Olympic team.

The misunderstanding started in the morning, when Bosnian head coach Safet Susic told Bosnian media that the match scheduled against Poland was canceled beacuse his players were on vacation and the match makes no sense. However, later in the afternoon, Poland national team's Tomasz Rzasa announced that PZPN received a green light from the Bosnian federation, with the match being on.

Frank Smuda will announce the call ups on Tuesday.

Dudka scores a free-kick for Auxerre

Dariusz Dudka scored his second goal of the season in Auxerre's 3-2 loss to Paris Saint-Germain.

Dudka started the match on the bench, but replaced injured Prince Segbefia in the 75th minute. Being down 3-1, Dudka scored in the 87th minute off a free-kick to make it 3-2.

Auxerre sit 16th in the standings with 15 points.

Here is Dudka's goal:

Grosicki's assist vs. Trabzonspor

Kamil Grosicki notched an assist in Sivasspor's 2-2 draw with Trabzonspor on Friday. Grosicki and Arkadiusz Glowacki were the only Poles that played the full 90 minutes. Adrian Mierzejewski started but played 81 minutes, while Pawel Brozek spend the whole match on the bench.

Here is Grosicki's assist:

Lewandowski scores as Dortmund draw

Robert Lewandowski scored a goal in Borussia Dortmund's 1-1 draw with Borussia Moenchengladbach.

Lewandowski put Dortmund in front in the 40th minute, scoring his tenth goal of the season off a corner kick.
Lewandowski played the full 90 minutes.

Lukasz Piszczek also played the full 90 minutes, while Jakub Blaszczykowski came off the bench in the 77th minute.

Here is Lewandowski's goal:

Poland to face Bosnia and Herzegovina in December friendly

The Polish national team will wrap up 2011 with a match against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The match will be played on December 16th in Turkey, where Poland will be hosting their training camp. Poland were suppose to play Croatia on this day, but the Croatians backed out.

The friendly does not fall on a international fixture date, meaning Poland's squad will be made of Ekstraklasa-based players. Same time last year, Poland and Bosnia and Herzegovina tied 2-2 with two goals from Pawel Brozek.

What do you think of this scheduled friendly? Who should Smuda call up?

Hold on, we haven't won anything yet

Polish soccer fans have waited for years to find out the groupings of next summer's European Championships. And, after seeing Poland "miss out" on the prestigious nations, fans and media in Poland have called our group the "Dream draw", and rejoiced in a celebration. Missing out on Germany, who Poland has never beaten, or Italy, who steam rolled through qualifiers and recently outclassed Poland in Wroclaw, may have helped.

Fans and media shouted how happy they were to miss out on a "Group of death" for the Euros.

Click on 'more after the jump' to read more about Lukasz's thoughts!

Poland to face Russia, Czech and Greece as Euro Draw is set

The Polish national team avoided being drawn into a Group of Death, and will now face a very favorable path in Euro 2012.

Poland were drawn in a Group of Dream and will face Russia, Greece and Czech Republic at Euro 2012.

Poland will kick-off Euro 2012 against Greece on June 8th in Warszawa. Four days later, Poland will play Russia in Warszawa and Poland will wrap up the group stage against Czech Republic on June 16th in Wroclaw.

Here are the four groups of Euro 2012:
Group A: Poland Greece, Russia, Czech Republic
Group B: Holland, Denmark, Germany, Portugal
Group C: Spain, Italy, Ireland, Croatia
Group D: Ukraine, France, Sweden, England

A special thanks Lukasz Kotecki who took care of the Live Chat and to thanks to everyone who joined.

What did you think of the draw?In what place will Poland finish? Which group do you think is the toughest?

Euro 2012 Group Draw (Live Chat)

Must-See Move: Wolski dances past PSV

Remainder: Euro 2012 Group Draw set for Friday

The moment everyone has been waiting for is closer than ever. The Euro 2012 Group Draw is set for Friday, with all eyes on Poland.

PolandSoccerBlog will host a special Live Chat, beginning at 10:30 am est. Co-writer Lukasz Kotecki will lead the chat. The Group Draw will begin at 12 noon est.

Once again, here are the four pots that will determine the groups:

Pot 1 - Poland, Ukraine, Spain, Netherlands

Pot 2 - England, Italy, Germany, Russia

Pot 3 - Croatia, Greece, Sweden, Portugal

Pot 4 - France, Denmark, Czech Republic, Ireland

For viewers in the United States, the draw will be live on Fox Soccer Channel and ESPNews. For viewers in Canada, the the draw will be live on TSN.