European powerhouses observe Piszczek

Three European powers have set their eyes on Polish national team defender Lukasz Piszczek.

Inter Milan, AS Roma and Chelsea all have been observing Piszczek and  are reportedly interested in brining in the 26-year-old defender during the summer. Piszczek is worth around 9 million eruos.

Piszczek is enjoying an impressive season so far at Borussia Dortmund. He has been praised by many European journalists, and some even call him the best right-back in Europe. Piszczek has scored three times and picked up seven assists this season.

Would you like to see Piszczek leave Borussia for a stronger European team?

Poles Abroad: Saturday

English Premier League

• Wojciech Szczesny played 90 minutes in Arsenal's 2-1 loss to Queens Park Rangers

• Lukasz Fabianski spend the full match on the bench in Arsenal's 2-1 loss to Queens Park Rangers 

English Championship

• Radoslaw Majewski played 90 minutes and scored three goals in Nottingham Forest's 3-0 win over Crystal Palace

• Tomasz Cywka did not dress in Reading's 4-2 win over West Ham

• Tomasz Kuszczak played 90 minutes in Watford's 2-0 win over Leeds

German Bundesliga

• Slawomir Peszko started and played 45 minutes in FC Koln's 2-1 loss to Augsburg

• Eugen Polanski started and played 65 minutes in Mainz's 3-0 win over Werder Bremen

• Sebastian Boenischspend the full match on the bench in Werder's 3-0 loss to Mainz

• Ariel Borysiuk played 90 minutes in Kaiserslautern's 1-0 loss to Hamburger SV

• Jakub Swierczok did not dress in Kaiserslautern's 1-0 loss to Hamburger SV

• Mateusz Klich did not dress in Wolfsburg's 4-1 win over Hertha Berlin

German 2. Bundesliga

• Sebastian Tyralaspend the full match on the bench in Greuther Furth's 1-1 draw with Erzgebirge Aue 

Italian Serie B

• Kamil Glik spend the full match on the bench in Torino's 1-0 loss to Empoli

• Blazej Augustyn played 90 minutes and received a yellow card in Vicenza's 1-0 win over Albinoleffe

French Ligue 1

• Dariusz Dudka played 90 minutes in Auxerre's 2-0 win over Valenciennes

• Ludovic Obraniak played 90 minutes in Bordeaux's 1-1 draw with Dijon

Turkish Superlig

• Kamil Grosicki started and played 60 minutes in Sivasspor's 1-0 loss to Buyuksehir

Dutch Eredivisie

• Pawel Kieszek played 90 minutes in Roda's 2-0 loss to Twente

• Przemyslaw Tyton played 90 minutes in PSV's 2-0 loss to Venlo

Majewski nets first career hat-trick

Radoslaw Majewski scored a hat-trick as Nottingham Forest moved a step closer to Championship safety with a 3-0 win over Crystal Palace.

Majewski started his fine individual performance in the 52nd minute, giving Forest a 1-0 lead. In the 72nd minute, Majewski scored his second of the game when he turned smartly before firing home from 18 yards. Majewski completed his first career hat-trick in the 82nd minute.

Majewski netted his 3rd, 4th and 5th goals of the Championship season. It was also his first goal since scoring in a 2-1 win over Blackpool on October 11, 2011. He ended his 9-match scoring drought.

Nottingham currently sit 19th in the Championship standings. They are 6 points clear from the relegation-zone.

Here is a video of Majewski's hat-trick:

Blaszczykowski scores in Borussia's tough draw

Jakub Blaszczykowski continued his impressive form with a goal in Borussia Dortnund's 4-4 draw with Stuttgart.

Blaszczykowski nailed his fourth goal of the Bundesliga season in the 49th minute, giving Borussia a 2-0 lead. He received a beautiful cross from Mats Hummels and without questioning himself, he fired a low strike from the right side of the penalty box.

Since the spring round began, Blaszczykowski has made 11 starts (out of a possible 11) and has scored four goals, with six assists. Before the winter break, Kuba only started in nine games (out of a a possible 13) and had only three assist, without any goals.

Once again, all three Poles started and played the full 90 minutes. It now has been the two straight games that all three Poles started and all played the full 90 minutes.


Here is Blaszczykowski's goal:

Poland, Moldova to play World Cup qualifier in Wroclaw

The Polish national team will make its return to Wroclaw during World Cup qualifications as the new Slask Wroclaw stadium will host Poland vs.Moldova.

The match will take place on September 11, three days after Poland return from Montenegro, also from World Cup qualifications.

So far, Poland have only place once at the new Slask Wroclaw stadium. They lost 2-0 to Italy on November 11, 2011. Poland will also play the third and final game of the Euro 2012 group stage in Wroclaw against Czech Republic.

What do you think about the new Slask Wroclaw stadium?

Poland U-17s end qualifiers with a commanding win over Luxembourg

The Polish U-17 national team ended their qualifying campaign with a 3-1 win over Luxembourg on Thursday.

Poland started the game with a bit of a scare, but managed to restore with three unanswered goals. They fell behind 1-0 after Frederic Thill scored in the 18th minute.

However, Poland took over the game from that point. In the 32nd minute, Zaglebie Lubin prospect Igor Lasicki leveled the score at 1-1. In the 55th minute, Poland took at 2-1 lead after Lech Poznan prospect Adrian Cierpka scored his second goal of the group stage. Poland put the icing on the cake in the 73rd minute when another Lech Poznan prospect Karol Linetty scored to give Poland a 3-1 lead.

With the win, Poland ended the elite round qualifiers with a undefeated record of 3 win and 0 losses. They only allowed one goal, which came in the final game against Luxembourg.

Poland: Aleksander Wandzel - Patryk Stepinski, Gracjan Horoszkiewicz (41. Sebastian Zieleniecki), Igor Lasicki, Sebastian Rudol (70. Arkadiusz Mroczkowski), Mariusz Stepinski, Adrian Cierpka, Vincent Rabiega, Damian Kugiel (41. Karol Linetty), Rafal Wlodarczyk, Karol Zwir.

Swierczok continues to score in reserves

Jakub Swierczok's playing times minutes have recently slipped for Kaiserslautern's first team, but he has picked up his game in the reserves in the German fourth division.

Swierczok scored a goal in Kaiserslautern's 2-0 win over Mainz's reserves on Tuesday. He now has 3 goals in five matches in the German fourth division, after scoring twice in a 3-2 win over TuS Koblenz.

Swierczok has yet to find the back of the net for Kaiserslautern. Since making a move from Polonia Bytom in January, Swierczok has played in 6 matches, making three starts.

Do you think Swierczok made the right decision to move to Germany?

Legia talking potential friendly with Sevilla at National Stadium

Legia Warszawa is in talks with the Spanish side Sevilla over a potential friendly. A deal has not been finalized, but the game will most likely take place at the National Stadium on April 17.

The Bureau of Security and Emergency Management in Warszawa received a letter from National Sports Centre to organize the match at the new National Stadium. In the letter, its says Legia's rival will be Italian side Fiorentina, where Artur Boruc plays, but according to reports, Fiorentina was never considered a candidate.

The most serious candidate that comes into play is Sevilla, but there is also another team, with a high reputation that is considered. A final desicion will be made in the near future.

This game will mark the first ever match between clubs. Poland and Portugal played an international friendly in February, but the Polish SuperCup and Polish Cup final have been dropped from the National Stadium due to safety reasons.

Are you excited about this friendly being played in Poland?

Poland U-17s 2, Belarus 0: Goal Highlights

Mariusz Stepinski 1-0


Adrian Cierpka 2-0

Brazil, Japan to meet in Wroclaw

Polish Football Association has granted approval to the City of Wroclaw to host Brazil vs. Japan at the new Slask Wroclaw Stadium.

The match, which will take place on October 16th, was first turned down by PZPN President Grzegorz Lato as it interrupted with Poland's World Cup qualifier with England, which is scheduled for the same day but in Warszawa.

However, after meeting with Wroclaw's officials and SportFive, PZPN decided to approve the match, which would bring in much needed income to the newly built stadium.

The Brazil-Japan friendly will start the match at 4:00 pm local time, three hours before the Poland-England game kicks off.

Excited for the match? Anyone in the area plan on going?

Video: Smolarek's goal vs. Twente

Here is Ebi Smolarek's first goal as a member of ADO Den Haag:

Poland Under-17s qualify for Euros after downing Belarus

For the first time in 10 years, the Polish Under-17 national team have qualified for the European Under-17 Championships.

With a 2-0 win over Belarus and help from Czech Republic, who beat Luxembourg 2-1, Poland clinched a berth for May's European Under-17 Championships, which will take place in Slovenia.

Poland took an early 1-0 lead when Widzew Lodz prospect Mariusz Stepinski, scored his second goal of the group stage, just three minutes into the match. Poland took a commending 2-0 lead after Lech Poznan prospect Adrian Cierpka scored his second career goal for the Polish U-17 national team.

That was all Poland would need. Here some stats from the game: Shots on target 2-1 for Poland, Shots off target 11-2 for Poland, Corner 4-3 for Belarus, Fouls committed 16-15 for Belarus, Yellow cards 4-1 for Belarus and no red cards were handed out.

Poland return to the field on Thursday to play their final game of the group stage against Luxembourg.

Poland: Oskar Pogorzelec - Patryk Stepinski, Gracjan Horoszkiewicz (C), Igor Lasicki, Karol Linetty - Piotr Azikiewicz, Sebastian Rudol (74. Damian Kugiel), Mariusz Stepinski, Adrian Cierpka - Vincent Rabiega (60. Karol Zwir), Aleksander Jagiello (67. Rafal Wlodarczyk)

Lewandowski, Piszczek score in Borussia's win

Robert Lewandowski and Lukasz Piszczek each scored a goal in Borussia Dortmund's 6-1 thrashing of FC Koln.

Piszczek scored his third goal of the season in the 26th minute, leveling the score at 1-1. His header found the back of the net from a free-kick of the foot of Marcel Schmelzer. In the 47th minute, Piszczek recorded his first of two assist on Shinji Kagawa's goal, which gave Borussia a 2-1 lead.

Five minutes later, Lewandowski scored his 17th goal of the season into an open goal after receiving a pass from Jakub Blaszczykowski. In the 80th minute, Piszczek recorded his second assist of the day after sending a perfect cross to Kawaga to make it 5-1 Borussia.

All three Borussia's Poles started and played the full 90 minutes. On the other side, Slawomir Peszko started and played 77 minutes.

Here is Piszczek's goal:


Here is Lewandowski's goal:

Poland U17s vs. Czech Republic: Goal Highlights

Vincent Rabiega 1-0


Mariusz Stepinski 2-0

Poland U17s atop of Group 2 after Day 1

The Polish Under-17 national team hold a comfortable lead atop of Group 2 after matchday one of the European Under-17 Championship elite round qualifications.

With a 2-0 win over Czech Republic, and Belarus and Luxembourg played to a 1-1 draw, Poland hold first place in Group 2 with three points.

Here is how the situation looks so far:

Poland returns to action on Monday to take on Belarus. Three days later, they play Luxembourg.

Remember, only the first place team in the group qualifies for May's European Under-17 Championships. Poland have not qualified for the tournament since 2002, which means it has been 10 years. Lukasz Fabianski is the only well-known player that represented Poland in 2002.

Here is some more history about Poland being in the tournament. Poland finished 2nd place in 1999, losing to Spain in the final. In 1990, Poland finished 3rd place, being Portugal in the Third Place Match.

Smolarek scores first goal for Den Haag

Former Poland national team striker Ebi Smolarek scored his first career goal as a member of Dutch side ADO Den Haag in a 1-1 draw with Twente.

Smolarek scored in the 8th minute to give Den Haag an early 1-0 lead.  He made his second start of the season and played 70 minutes. It was Smolarek's first goal since he scored for Qatar side Al-Khor.

Den Haag currently sit 15th in the Eredivisie standings. They have collected 29 points and are four points clear from a relegation playoffs spot.

I will post a video of Smolarek's goal as soon as I find one.

Boenisch returns to Werder after 19 months

Poland national team defedner Sebastian Boenisch made his first appearance in 19 months for Werder Bremen. His side played to a 1-1 draw with Augsburg.

Boenisch started the match on the bench, but replaced Tom Trybull in the 78th minute. It was his first appearance for Werder since August 8, 2010.

Since late 2010, Boenisch underwent two surgeries and has been playing with Werder Bremen's reserve team. His made his official comeback this February, when he came on in the 85th minute in Poland's scoreless draw with Portugal.

Poland U-17s top Czech in elite round opener

The Polish Under-17 national team grabbed three important points away from Czech Republic after a 2-0 win in the opening match of the Elite Round Qualifications to the European Under-17 Championships.

Poland grabbed a 1-0 lead in the 35th minute, thanks to a goal from Hertha Berlin prospect Vincent Rabiega. In the 48th minute, Poland went up 2-0 after Widzew Lodz prospect Mariusz Stepinski scored.

Poland were in control most of the match. Here some stats from the game: Shots on target 5-1 for Poland, Shots off target 5-3 for Poland, Corner 7-2 for Poland, Fouls committed 14-6 for Poland, Yellow cards 3-0 for Poland and no red card were shown.

After only one game, Poland are currently atop Group 2 with three points. Belarus and Luxembourg play later in the day.

Poland return to the field on Monday to take on Belarus. They will wrap-up the elite round campaign on Thursday against hosts Luxembourg.

Poland: Oskar Pogorzelec - Konrad Budek, Gracjan Horoszkiewicz (C), Igor Lasicki, Karol Linetty (67. Damian Kugiel), Piotr Azikiewicz, Sebastian Rudol, Mariusz Stepinski, Adrian Cierpka, Vincent Rabiega (58. Rafal Wlodarczyk), Aleksander Jagiello (80. Karol Zwir).

A look ahead at Poland U-17s Euros elite round qualifications

The Polish Under-17 national team could not have asked for an easier group in the elite round of the 2012 European Under-17 qualifications.

The last time the Polish U-17 national team qualified for the European Under-17 Championships was in 2002, where they finished third in their group stage and failed to qualify for the knockout stage. Now, with an easier road, the Poles have an chance to quailfy for the European Championships for the first time in 10 years.

Poland's opponents will be Czech Republic, Belarus, Luxembourg. Only the first place team in the group will qualify for the big tournament in May.

Polish Players to Watch:
Aleksander Jagiello (Legia Warszawa) - The youngster is most likely Poland's most talented player in this group. He is definitely a player to watch for the future. Some even call him the Polish Messi, but lets not get carried away. The 17-year-old winger is already training with Legia's senior team and is consider a big-time prospect for the future.

Gracjan Horoszkiewicz (Hertha Berlin) - The central defender is Poland's best defender in the squad. He is also the leader and captain of this side. He regularly plays for Hertha Berlin's U-23 team as a 17-year-old. Polish scout Maciej Chorazyk believes Horoszkiewicz will sooner than later debut for the Polish national team and compares him to England's John Terry.

Mariusz Stepinski (Widzew Lodz) - He is a non-stoppable goal scorer. The 17-year-old scored 22 goals in 28 appearances for the Polish U-16 and U-17 nationals teams. He made his Ekstraklasa debut at the age of 16 and has already made 8 appearances for Widzew Lodz.

Poland's Schedule:
March 24 - Poland vs. Czech Republic 10:00 am est
March 26 - Poland vs. Belarus 10:30 am est
March 29- Poland vs. Luxembourg 1:00 pm est

How do you think Poland U-17s will fare in the elite round?

A Look Back: Poland U-18s 0, England 3 Highlights

A couple of weeks ago, the Polish U-18 national team lost 3-0 in the hands of the English U-18 national team. Here are the full match highlights I found:

Rybus send off in cup loss

Maciej Rybus saw a red card, which resulted in him being send off in Terek Grozny's 2-1 loss to Volga Nyzhnyi in the Russian Cup.

Rybus was send off in the 120th minute after punching an opponent in the stomach. Terek was already down 2-1 with couple seconds left in the match. With the loss, Terek were eliminated from this year's Russian Cup.

Rybus started and played until he was send off. Marcin Komorowski also started and played the full 120 minutes. Meanwhile, Piotr Polczak spend the entire match on the bench.

Here is Rybus' red card:

Smuda to announce preliminary roster on May 2nd

Poland national team head coach Frank Smuda will announce Poland's 26-man preliminary roster on May 2nd. Smuda will need to cut three players before May 29th, the day UEFA requires all teams to hand in their 23-man roster for Euros.

From May 9th to 16th, Poland's 26-man roster, which will not feature all players due to different endings to leagues, will travel to Turkey to take part in a relaxing and treatment camp for players and their families.

Straight from Turkey, Poland will travel to Austria to take part in their pre-Euro training camp. All 26 players will spend 12 days in Austria. While there, Poland will play Latvia on May 22nd and Slovakia on May 26th .

On May 28th, all 26 players will return to Poland. They will have two days off, while in the meantime, Smuda will cut three players and announce his 23-man roster for Euro 2012.

On May 31st, the 23-man will begin training camp in Poland, where on June 2nd, Poland will play their final tuneup against Andorra. Poland begin Euro 2012 on June 8th against Greece.

Are you excited for Poland's 26-man preliminary roster?

National Stadium will not host Polish Cup final

The 2011-2012 Polish Cup final will not be played at the National Stadium in Warszawa, according to the Polish Football Association.

The match was scheduled to take place at the new National Stadium in Warszawa on April 24th, but once again, for the same reason as the Polish SuperCup was canceled, the Polish Cup Final will not be played. The police will not allow the match to be played due to safely reasons.

"We will wait until Friday for a desicion from National Sports Centre," said Grzegorz Lato, President of PZPN. "If the match can not be played in Warszawa, then we have a reserve stadium."

No replacement has been yet announcement, but last year's host Bydgoszcz could be amongst the favourites.

Ruch Chorzow, Arka Gdynia reach Polish Cup semis

An impressive comeback was not enough to send Slask Wroclaw to the Polish Cup semi-finals after a 3-1 win against Arka Gdynia in the second leg.

Thanks to a 2-0 win in the first leg, Arka clinched a spot in the final four with Ruch Chorzow, Wisla Krakow and Legia Warszawa.

Meanwhile, Andrzej Niedzielan netted a brace in Ruch Chorzow's 2-1 win over Ruch Zdzieszowice. Ruch advanced to the semis after winning 6-2 on aggregate.

The final four drawing will take place on Thursday, with all matches being played in April. The final is scheduled for April 24th.

Tyton saves late penalty to reach Dutch cup final

Przemyslaw Tyton saved a late penalty kick to help PSV advance to the Dutch Cup final after a 3-1 win over Heerenveen on Wednesday.

Tyton started and played the full 90 minutes. He is slowly falling back to becoming PSV's first-choice keeper after being out for a couple months with a concussion.

With a 3-1 lead in the 80th minute, Tyton guessed correctly Bas Dost's shot and saved a crucial penalty kick.

PSV, who won the cup in 2005, will face the winners of Thursday’s semi-final between AZ Alkmaar or Heracles Almelo. The final is on April 8 in Rotterdam

Here is Tyton's penalty kick save:

Wisla Krakow, Legia Warszawa first semi-finalists in Polish Cup

Wisla Krakow and Legia Warszawa are the first two semi-finalists in this years competition of the Polish Cup. Two more teams will be joining them on Wednesday.

Wisla Krakow once again defeated Lech Poznan by the final score of 1-0 and advanced to the next round on 2-0 aggregates. Tsvetan Genkov's 25th minute header was the difference in the match.  

In the other Polish Cup quarterfinals match, Legia Warszawa and Gryf Wejherowo played to a 1-1 draw, however, Legia advanced to the next round after a 3-0 win in the first leg.

Tomasz Kotwica gave Gryf a 1-0 lead in the 64th minute off a rebound. However, in the dieing moments of the match, Michal Zyro, who scored twice in the first leg, scored off a ricochet which found the back of the net.

Here is Genkov's goal vs. Lech:

Brozek scores for Celtic reserves

Poland national team striker Pawel Brozek netted his first goal as a member of Celtic. Unfortunately it was in a  reserve match against Dunfermline. 

Brozek scored in the 40th minute to give Celtic a 1-0 lead. Brozek started and played 60 minutes before being replaced by Paul George in Celtic's 4-0 win.

Since joining Celtic in late January, Brozek has made only two appearances, both coming off the bench. He did not even make the bench in Celtic's last two matches.

Matuszczyk scores equalizer

Poland national team midfielder Adam Matuszczyk scored his first goal as a late equalizer in Fortuna Dusseldorf's 1-1 draw with Energie Cottbus on Monday.

Matuszczyk scored in the 81st minute to level the score at 1-1. It was Matuszczyk's first goal since joining the German second division side on loan. He has played four games for  Fortuna, however, it was also the first time Matuszcyk started and played the full 90 minutes.

With the draw, Fortuna remained in 3rd place in the 2. Bundesliga standings, which is also the promotion play-offs spot.

On the other side, Martin Kobylanski spend the whole match on the bench.

Video: Wasilewski's hit on Peter Delorge

Glik, Klich to meet with Smuda

Poland national team head coach Frank Smuda will soon sit down and talk with former national team members Kamil Glik and Matusz Klich. Both players are having a hard time catching up with the national team.

Klich made his Poland national team debut against Argentina last June. Since that time, he has not played for Poland and yet to make his Wolfsburg debut after 9-months with the club. He joined them right after making his Poland national team debut.

"I will meet with Mateusz next Friday. That's when Wolfsbug will play Hamburger SV. I know Mateusz will most likely not play in that match, but still, I want to talk him," said Smuda.

Smuda also plans on meeting with defender Kamil Glik. The 24-year-old last played for the Polish national team against Germany in September. With Arkadiusz Glowacki and Damien Perquis both suffering injuries, Smuda needs to take a look elsewhere for  new defenders.

"Kamil found his game in Torino and I need solid defenders. A place for him during Euro is still open, but under the condition that he is in his strongest form. At this moment, I want to see how he performs on the field," said Smuda.

Glik has made 17 league appearances this season for FC Torino. His club sits first in the Serie B standings with 63 points and a chance to be promoted with 11 games remaining in the season.

Wasilewski could face huge suspension

Poland national team defender Marcin Wasilewski could be fined with a seven-game suspension after elbowing an opponent in the head in Anderlecht's 2-2 draw with  St.Truiden on Sunday.

In the 81st minute of the match, Wasilewski elbowed captain Peter Delorge in the head. The player was rushed to a local hospital with a concussion. The 31-year old player also suffered a broken nose. Wasilewski was not fined on the field as the referees did not see the incident. 

After the game, Anderlecht's head coach Ariel Jacobs said Wasilewski's 'challenge' was totally unacceptable and bad for team. Wasilewski started and played the full 90 minutes.

Roma, Hamburg eyeing Polish rising star

Italian powerhouse AS Roma and German side Hamburger SV have set their sights on Legia Warszawa's rising star Rafal Wolski.

Both sides plus couple other European teams will be pursing Wolski this summer. Couple of days ago, Werder Bremen scouts were in attendance, watching Wolski play for Legia Warszawa. In recent months, Wolski has emerged as one of Poland's biggest talents. 

Wolski is listed as being worth 1,1 million euros but Legia Warszawa's asking price is 10 million euros, according to Wolski's agent Cezary Kucharski.

Malecki returns to Poland after England trial

Wisla Krakow winger Patryk Malecki finished up his week-long trial at Middlesbrough, and will not be joining the English side in the near future.

"It was an opportunity for him to come along and for us to have a look at him but there was no possibility of signing him because you can't sign players on loan across borders outside of the transfer window," said Tony Mowbray, head coach of Middlesbrough.

Malecki retunred to Poland on Saturday and will talk about his future with new Vice President of Wisla Krakow Jacek Bednarz.

"It was just an opportunity to have a look at him, potentially with a view to the summer, to see what we thought. He's done fine, we know he's a good player, he's a Polish international. We just wanted to see his personality and how he fitted in to training," added  Mowbray .

It will be up to Wisla Krakow's head coach Michal Probierz if Malecki's suspension should be upheld. Malecki is suspended until the remainder of the season.

Rybus scores first goal in Russia

Poland national team winger Maciej Rybus scored his first career goal in Russia as Terek Grozny defeated FC Krasnodar by the final score of 3-1.

Rybus started and played 73 minutes. He gave Terek a 2-0 lead in the 10th minute, scoring his first goal in only his second game as a member of Terek.

Marcin Komorowski played the full 90 minutes, while Piotr Polczak did not dress for the match. With the win, Terek are slowly moving away from relegation.

Here is Rybus' first goal:

Wisla, Lech play to a scoreless draw

In the most interesting match of Round 21, Wisla Krakow and Lech Poznan played to a boring, scoreless draw.

Despite being down to 10-man since the 64th minute, Lech Poznan managed control the game and prevented Wisla from scoring. It was Mateusz Mozdzen who saw his second yellow card and was forced to leave.

Lech could have taken the lead 17 seconds into the match, but Mozdzen had his header blocked by Sergei Pareiko right in front of the net. Lech controlled most of the first half and deserved to have a lead.

Wisla's best chance came in the second half after a free-kick of the leg of Lukasz Gargula was headed by an open Dudu Biton, but his header was saved nicely by Krzysztof Kotorowski. In the 79th minute, Biton had another chance to score, but being one-on-one with Kotorowski, his shot when over the goal.

Wisla: Sergei Pareiko - Marko Jovanovic, Kew Jaliens, Osman Chavez, Junior Diaz - Ivica Iliev, Cezary Wilk, Gervasio Nunez (79. Tomas Jirsak), Dragan Paljic (60. Lukasz Gargula), Andraz Kirm (60. Maor Melikson) - Dudu Biton.

Lech: Krzysztof Kotorowski - Marcin Kikut, Hubert Wolakiewicz (46. Manuel Arboleda), Marcin Kaminski, Luis Henriquez - Mateusz Mozdzen, Rafal Murawski, Dimitrije Injac, Semir Stilic (71. Ivan Djurdjevic), Vojo Ubiparip (61. Siergiej Krivets) - Artjoms Rudnevs. 

Zaglebie Lubin penalised for corruption

The Disciplinary Department of Polish Football Association will deduct three points from Zaglebie Lubin, following a match-fixing scandal from 2006.

Zaglebie must also pay a 300,000 zloty fine (96,163 dollars), although the club is expected to appeal against the decision. If the decision is not overturned, Zaglebie will start next season with negative 3 points.

Zaglebie players paid Cracovia Krakow players 100,000 zloty (32,024 dollars) to ensure a draw in a match in May 2006 and the result allowed Zaglebie to qualify for the UEFA Cup.16 people were accused, including Poland national team defender Lukasz Piszczek, who played Zaglebie at that time.

The Disciplinary Department is also preparing a decision regarding Cracovia Krakow.

Malecki to trial with unknown English team

Wisla Krakow midfielder Patryk Malecki will go on trial with an anonymous English team.

Wisla are willing to sell Malecki this summer after a conflict with former head coach Kazimierz Moskal. But before the English team makes any attempt to sign Malecki, they first want to test him out, although when the trial begins and for how long has not been revealed.

However, both sides aren't in any rush to compete the transfer for Malecki.beacuse the English transfer window does not open until July 1st. Malecki's contract with Wisla does not expire until June 2014.

Malecki was close to joining LKS Lodz, but financial problems at LKS prevented the deal from completing. Also, Lechia Gdansk had interests in Malecki, but the rumor was cleared quickly.

Malecki has been suspended by Wisla for the remainder of the season, following a conflict with Wisla's former head coach Kazimierz Moskal. First, Malecki refused to shake Moskal's hand after coming off in the 59th minute against Standard Liege in the Europa League, Then, couple days later, Malecki told Moskal that he does not want to play for his team ever again.

What do you think of the development? Which English team do you think Malecki will go on trial?

Ekstraklasa Round 21 Preview

The 21st round of the Ekstraklasa resumes on Friday with a thriller as Lech Poznan travel to Krakow to take on Wisla. Both sides are trying to get back to the league title race. At the bottom half on the standings, LKS Lodz and Cracovia Krakow will battle for three important points as both teams sit in the relegation-zone.

Here are the upcoming Ekstraklasa games this weekend:

Friday
LKS Lodz vs. Cracovia Krakow 12:00 pm est
Another match featuring two teams who are struggling and are relegation-threatened. Both sides sit in the last two relegation spots with 16 points. Tomasz Kafarski will make his debut as coach of Cracovia. Prediction: LKS 1-1 Cracovia


Wisla Krakow vs. Lech Poznan 2:30 pm est
At the beginning of the season, these two teams were one of the favorites to win the league. Now, they are struggling two keep up with the top three teams in the league. Both sides have new coaches and are looking to make changes. Mariusz Rumiak will make is debut as coach of Lech after last week's game against Gornk was rescheduled. Prediction: Wisla 2-1 Lech

Saturday
Gornik Zabrze vs. Lechia Gdansk 7:30 am est
Lechia Gdansk are trying to stay away from the relegation-zone, but not gaining any points will not help them out. They lost 2-0 to Wisla Krakow last week, and are now without a win in their last five league matches. Prediction: Gornik 0-1 Lechia

Podbeskidzie Bielsko-Biala vs. Legia Warszawa 9:45 am est
Legia Warszawa are coming off a 2-0 win over LKS Lodz and Podbeskidzie are coming off a 2-0 defeat to Korona Kielce. The last time these two teams met, Podbeskidzie surprisingly shocked Legia 2-1 in Warszawa. That gave Podbeskidzie their first ever win in the Ekstraklasa. Prediction: Podbeskidzie 0-3 Legia.

Zaglebie Lubin vs. Ruch Chorzow 12:00 pm est
Red-hot Ruch Chorzow take on a struggling Zaglebie Lubin, who are fighting to stay out of the relegation-zone. Ruch now sit third in the standings after a 1-0 win over Jagiellonia Bialystok last week. Ruch have not lost since November 28th. Prediction: Zaglebie 0-2 Ruch

Sunday
Widzew Lodz vs. GKS Belchatow 8:30 am est
Widzew are looking to climb in the standings with a win. They sit 7th and are only five points away from the 3rd place spot. Widzew is coming off an important tie with Slask Wroclaw and GKS Belchatow shocked Polonia Warszawa 2-1 last week. Prediction: Widzew 1-1 GKS

Slask Wroclaw vs. Korona Kielce 11:00 am est
Slask Wroclaw will be looking for their first win of the spring round. They drew 2-2 with Widzew Lodz last week, and were destroyed 4-0 by Legia Warszawa the previous week. Korona are also red-hot this season. They currenlty sith fourth in the standings and are only five points away from leaders Legia. Prediction: Slask 1-0 Korona

Monday
Polonia Warszawa vs. Jagiellonia Bialystok 12:30 pm est
Tomasz Hajto is still looking for his first win as head coach of Jagiellonia. He took over in February and has only gained one point so far. As for Polonia, their race for the league title has slowed down after suffering a 2-1 loss to GKS Belchatow last week. Prediction: Polonia 2-0 Jagiellonia

Which Ekstraklasa match or matches will you be watching this weekend?

A closer look at the Ekstraklasa average attendance for each team

Legia Warszawa are not only the leaders in the standings but also the leaders in average attendance this season.

Pepsi Arena, which can hold 31,000 fans, averages 19,498 people per game during Legia Warszawa home games. Lechia Gdansk and Slask Wroclaw sit second and third respectfully. Both teams have new stadium, which were built for Euro 2012.

There are couple low-ranked teams with low capacity that are waiting for their new stadiums to be built. 15th ranked LKS Lodz can only hold 5,000 fans at their home games but they can not come to an agreement with the city of Lodz for a new stadium. 14th ranked Gornik Zabrze are currently having their new stadium built. The new stadium will have a capacity of 30,000. Podbeskidzie Bielsko-Biala are also waiting for their new stadium to be built and Polonia Warszawa are another team that can not come to an agreement with the city over a new stadium.

Here is the average attendance for each team:
1. Legia Warszawa 19,498
2. Lechia Gdansk 18,836
3. Slask Wrocław 17,798
4. Wisla Krakow 14,011
5. Lech Poznan 12,989
6. Cracovia Krakow 8,915
7. Korona Kielce 7,445
8. Widzew Lodz 6,645
9. Zaglebie Lubin 6,313
10. Ruch Chorzow 5,117
11. Jagiellonia Bialystok 4,028
12. Polonia Warszawa 3,840
13. Podbeskidzie Bielsko-Biala 3,220
14. Gornik Zabrze 3,096
15. LKS Lodz 2,433
16. GKS Belchatow 2,003

Are you surprised by the average attendance rankings?

Midweek Review: Kuszczak's performance vs. West Ham

Tomasz Kuszczak played 90 minutes and was one of the best players on the field in Watford's 1-1 draw with West Ham United on Wednesday. Kuszczak made couple decent saves to prevent West Ham from scoring.

Here are couple highlights of Kuszczak's saves:

Poland U-17s top England in friendly

The Polish Under-17 national team defeated England U-17s by the final score of 2-0.

Poland took the lead after an English player headed the ball into his own net after a free-kick was taken by Poland. Later in the game, Poland took a 2-0 lead when Zaglebie Lubin prospect Piotr Azikiewicz scored of a feed from Legia Warszawa prospect Aleksander Jagiello.

Poland: Oskar Pogorzelec - Bartosz Jaroch, Gracjan Horoszkiewicz, Piotr Azikiewicz, Igor Lasicki - Vincent Rabiega, Karol Linetty, Adrian Cierpka, Konrad Budek, Aleksander Jagiello - Mariusz Stepinski.

Poland will kick-off the elite round of the Under-17 European Championships against Czech Republic on March 24th. Two days later, Poland will play Belarus and then three days later, they will wrap up the group campaign against Luxembourg.

Energie Cottbus blocks Kobylanski chance to play for Poland

Wednesday evening was supposed to mark Martin Kobylanski's return to the Polish national team after he was called up by Janusz Bialek to represent the Polish Under-18 national team against England U-18.

Kobylanski was ready to return to the Polish national team after playing four matches with the German U-18 national team, however, Kobylanski's club Energie Cottbus did not allow the 17-year old striker to leave for Poland's two-week camp and friendly against England.

"My club will not allow me to leave for Poland's camp, but I talked with Janusz Bialek and he understands everything.. Two weeks is a bit too long," Kobylanski said a day before Poland's clash with England.

The German U-18 national team held their training camp the same time as Poland held theirs. Kobylanski also received a call up from Germany but he decided to reject it for the same reason as Polands.

Poland U-18s fall to England

The Polish Under-18 national team suffered a 3-0 defeat in the hands of England U-18 national team.

Manchester City prospect Jordie Hiwula opened the scoring in the 37th minute. Everton prospect Hallam Hope scored in the 61st minute  to give England a 2-0 lead and Plymouth Argyle striker Matt Lecointe scored four minutes later to put the icy on the cake.

Poland's brightest player was Udinese prospect Piotr Zielinski, who had couple decent chances to score. Martin Kobylanski was called up to the squad but was not allowed to leave his club and did not participate in the match.

Poland: Przemyslaw Frackowiak - Pawel Wojowski, (67. Marcin Flis), Alan Uryga, Adam Radecki, Robert Sulewski - Kamil Wlodyka (85. Norbert Misiak), Tomasz Kedziora, Piotr Zielinski, Lukasz Wronski - Jakub Legierski, Arkadiusz Milik (61. Marcin Stromecki)

Poland falls to No. 75 in FIFA rankings

The recent draw with Portugal did not help the Polish national team in the latest FIFA world rankings, as the results have dropped Poland from 70 down to 75.

More to come later.

Former Poland NT icon Smolarek, 54, dies

The Polish Football community lost a legend on Wednesday, as Wlodzimierz Smolarek, a Poland national team member of the team that finished third at the 1982 World Cup, died at age 54.

The Polish Football Association said Wednesday he died at his home in Aleksandrow Lodzki. The cause of his death was not immediately known. Wlodzimierz is the father of Ebi Smolarek.

“It's hard for me to imagine. Wlodek was my friend, a buddy from the field. He was the team’s good spirit," said Grzegorz Lato, Presisent of PZPN.

The older Smolarek made 60 appearances for the Polish national team, scoring 13 goals. He captained them for nine matches and helped the Polish national team finish third place at the 1982 World Cup. During his 22-year career, Smolarek spend time between Widzew Lodz, Legia Warszawa, Eintracht Frankfurt, Feyenoord and Utrecht.

After ending his career, Smolarek worked for Feyenoord as a youth coach. In October 2009, he was hired by the Polish Football Association to oversee the Polish youth program.

Kafarski takes over at Cracovia

Former Lechia Gdansk coach Tomasz Kafarski is back in the Ekstraklasa after agreeing to become the new manager at Cracovia Krakow.

Kafarski signed a deal through the remainder of the season and replaces Dariusz Pasieka, who was let go after only five months at the job. Pasieka took over in September for Yuriy Shatalov. Cravovia have not won a league game since a 2-1 win over GKS Belchatow on November 27th.

Kafarski is back on the bench after being laid off since November 8th. He was fired by Lechia Gdansk due to poor results in the league. The 37-year-old helped Lechia finish 8th place in both of his first two seasons.

Cracovia currently sit in relegation-threatened 15th spot with 16 points. They have managed to avoid relegation in their last three seasons. Last season, Cracovia finished 14th, in 2009-10 they finished 12th and in 2008-09, they finished 14th.

Szczesny named World player of the week

Poland national team goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny was named World Player of the Week by editors of goal.com.

Szczesny received the award for outstanding performances against Portugal on Wednesday and Liverpool on Sunday.

"Wojciech Szczesny had a brilliant and productive couple of games over the past week, putting in a scintillating display for both club and country," writes goal.com.

Szczesny made couple decent saves to keep Portugal off the scoreboard on Wednesday and then on Sunday, he saved a penalty kick and rebound, plus couple more saves to allow Arsenal earn a three important points.

Szczesny is the first Polish player to ever be awarded the World Player of the Week by goal.com

Lech-Gornik match postponed

The Lech Poznan-Gornik Zabrze game scheduled to be played on Monday has been pushed back to a further date yet unknown.

The match has been postponed after Polish government declared a day of mourning following a train crash which claimed the lives of 16 people and injuring 58 in southern Poland.

The tragedy occurred on Saturday night, but both scheduled Ekstraklasa matches were played on Sunday. Widzew Lodz and Slask Wroclaw played to a 2-2 draw and Ruch Chorzow defeated Jagiellonia Biaylstok 1-0.

Perquis out for season with broken hand

Poland national team defender Damien Perquis will miss the remainder of the season with a broken hand.

Perquis was forced to leave in the 58th minute after suffering a broke hand during Sochaux's league match with Valenciennes on Saturday. He will undergo surgery on Sunday, which could decide if Perquis will be ready to return in time for Euro 2012.

After a shaky start to his Poland national team career, Perquis turned it around with a outstanding performance against Portugal on Wednesday. His partnership with Marcin Wasilewski has become the savior for the Polish national team in time for Euro 2012.

The French Ligue 1 season ends on May 20th. The Polish national team begins their pre-Euro training camp on May 16th in Austria. They play a friendly against Latvia on May 22nd and Slovakia on May 26th.

Who should replace Perquis if he can not go for the Polish national team?

Komorowski, Rybus debut for Terek Grozny

Former Legia Warszawa stars Maciej Rybus and Marcin Komorowski made their debuts in Terek Grozny's 1-0 win over Tom Tomsk on Saturday.

Komorowski started and played the full 90 minutes while Rybus came on in the 60th minutes. Other Pole Piotr Polczak spend the entire match on the bench. Polczak has not played since November.

"I am glad that we managed to win in my debut game. This is my fourth game in ten days and I could feel the fatigue in the muscles of the legs, but that is probably from the artificial turf. I didn't have enough time to adapt to it," Rybus said.

After coming on in the 60th minute, Rybus played an important role in Terek's only goal in the game. Rybus found Igor Lebedenko, who passed a long ball to Shamil Asildarov for the 62nd minute goal.

"A victory for our team is always important and nice," said Komorowski, who played a decent game at defense and also picked up a yellow card.

Terek now sit third and are safe from relegation in the Russian Premier League Relegation Playoffs.

Blaszczykowski scores, Piszczek assists in Borussia's win

Jakub Blaszczykowski scored his third goal of the Bundesliga season in Borussia Dortmund's 2-1 win over Mainz.

Blaszczykowski scored a nice one-timer goal just from inside the penalty box. His goal fell in the 26th minute, giving Borussia a 1-0 lead. Lukasz Piszczek picked up an assist on Shinji Kagawa's 77th minute goal, which gave Borussia a 2-1 lead and three important points. Piszczek has now five assists on the season and two in this last two games.

All three Poles started for Borussia but only Robert Lewandowski and Lukasz Piszczek lasted the full 90 minutes. Jakub Blaszczykowski came off in the 72nd minute. On the other side, Eugen Polanski started and played 59 minutes for Mainz.

Here is Blaszczykowski's goal:


Here is Piszczek's assist:

Szczesny's latest dynamic penalty save

After an incredible performance against Portugal on Wednesday, Wojciech Szczesny came out and continued his fantastic form with some incredible saves, but most importantly his penalty kick save and rebound on Dirk Kuyt in the 19th minute in Arsenal's 2-1 win over Liverpool.

Here is Szczesny's penalty save and rebound:

Lewandowski to return to action vs.Mainz

Poland national team striker Robert Lewandowski will play against Mainz on Saturday after missing Wednesday's friendly between Poland and Portugal due to a knee injury.

Borussia Dortmund head coach Juergen Klopp thanked Poland national team coach Frank Smuda for not forcing Lewandowski to play against Portugal. Lewandowski was injured during Borussia Dortmund's training session last week.

"I want to thank Smuda who was so kind to keep him (Lewandowski) on the bench," said Klopp on Borussia's official team website.

Lewandowski played in Borussia's last league match against Hannover. He scored two goals in a 3-1 win. The Polish striker is chasing two players for the Bundesliga top scorer title. Lewy needs three more goals to overtake the lead as Mario Gomez and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar both have 18 goals, while Lewandowski has 16.

Borussia Dortmund play Mainz on Saturday at 12:30 pm est.

Portuguese talent could play for Poland

And here we go again.

Another young player whose family comes from Poland is interested in one day representing the Polish national team. Born in Portugal, Tomas Podstawski is slowly emerging as one of Portugal's brightest talents, but according to his father Wlodzimierz, his son has yet to make a decision which national team he will play for in the future.

"Tomas speaks Polish really well, he often visits our family in Poland and he knows a lot about Poland's history. The door for him to one day play for the Polish national team is completely open. But for now, let him peacefully develop," said Wlodzimierz Podstawski.

Born in 1995, Podstawski is the captain of the Portuguese Under-17 national team. He plays for FC Porto U-19 team, but his name emerged when he was called up to FC Porto's senior team and made the 23-man roster for Europa League clash with Manchester City. The 17-year-old central midfielder was featured in Porto's game roster and spend the entire match watching from the bench.

"Tomas' name became a big buzz when he was called up by Vitor Pereira to FC Porto's senior team for match against Manchester City. The call up can be seen as a reward for hard work and the progress he has made in recent months," continued Wlodzimierz.

Tomas, who holds Polish citizenship, is being recognized by Portuguese scouts as a big prospect for the future. As a central midfielder, he sees the field really well, is physically strong and is a smart player with the ball. Portuguese scouts even predict that he will one day replace Raul Meireles in the Portuguese national team.

Ekstraklasa Round 20 Preview

The 20th round of the Ekstraklasa resumes on Friday with two surprising team facing-off. Another intriguing match to watch will be Lechia Gdansk vs. Wisla Krakow as Michal Probierz will be making his head coaching debut. Lech Poznan will also have their new coach make his debut as they square-off against Gornik Zabrze. Also, look out as Ismael Blanco is expected to make his Legia Warszawa debut.

Also, I added my predictions to each match, but I just want to reassure that I am not really good at predicting matches. Here are this weekend's Ekstraklasa matches:

Friday
Korona Kielce vs. Podbeskidzie Bielsko-Biala 12:00 pm est
A shocking sixth-place, Podbeskidzie travel to Kielce to take on fifth-place Korona. Should be a fun match to watch with two surprising teams. Prediction: Korona 1-1 Podbeskidzie

Cracovia Krakow vs. Zaglebie Lubin 2:30 pm est
Two struggling teams face-off for three important points. Cracovia sit 14th and are tied with LKS Lodz for the first relegation spot with 16 points. Zaglebie sit in last place and hold the last relegation spot with 14 points. Prediction: Cracovia 2-1 Zaglebie

Saturday
GKS Belchatow vs. Polonia Warszawa 7:45 am est
Polonia Warszawa are looking for a win and inch closer to the leader spot as they are only four points away from leaders Slask Wroclaw. As for GKS, they are once again struggling, as they sit 12th in the standings with 20 points, and are only fours points away from the relegation zone. Prediction: GKS 0-2 Polonia

Legia Warszawa vs. LKS Lodz 9:45 am est
After an impressive 4-0 win over leaders Slask Wroclaw, Legia Warszawa return home to square-off against relegation-threatened LKS Lodz. Legia are hoping to see Ismael Blanco make his debut, as Nacho Novo made his debut last week. Prediction: Legia 2-1 LKS

Lechia Gdansk vs. Wisla Krakow 12:00 pm est
Michal Probierz will make his debut as Wisla Krakow's head coach. The struggling Wisla are winless in their last three Ekstraklasa games, and have dropped to 8th place in the standings. As for Wisla's rival Lechia, they are also struggling, as they sit 13th in the standings and are only three points out of the relegation-zone. Prediction: Lechia 0-2 Wisla

Sunday
Widzew Lodz vs. Slask Wroclaw 8:30 am est
Leaders Slask Wroclaw look to make a turnaround after being crushed 4-0 by Legia Warszawa last week. Widzew sit 9th in the standings and are looking to climb up with three important points. Prediction: 0-2 Slask

Jagiellonia Bialystok vs. Ruch Chorzow 11:00 am est
Tomasz Hajto is looking for his first win as head coach of Jagiellonia. However, they are facing their biggest test so far. They will a very good Ruch Chorzow side, which beat Lech Poznan 3-0 last week. Prediction: Jagiellonia 1-3 Ruch

Monday
Lech Poznan vs. Gornik Zabrze 12:30 pm est
Mariusz Rumak will make his debut as head coach of Lech. He replaces Jose Mari Bakero who was fired after being thrashed 3-0 by Ruch Chorzow last week. Prediction: Lech 3-0 Gornik

Which Ekstraklasa match or matches will you be watching this weekend?

Wisla Krakow hire Michal Probierz as new head coach

Wisla Krakow have announced the hiring of 39-year-old coach Michal Probierz as the team's new head coach. Probierz replaces Kazimierz Moskal who was acting as an interim.

Probierz has been a free-agent since terminating his contract with Aris Thessaloniki back on January 5th. He was linked with a move to Lech Poznan but the deal went dead couple of days ago.

This will be Probierz's four club since the beginning of 2011. He left Jagiellonia Bialystok in the summer after being in charge for three years. He took over LKS Lodz in September but left the club two months later. He received an offer from Greek side Aris Thessaloniki, but after another two months, he decided to terminated his contract. And now, Probierz returns to Poland to take over struggling Wisla Krakow.

After signing a 1,5-year contract today, Probierz completed his first training session with Wisla Krakow late in the afternoon and will coach his first match against Lechia Gdansk on Saturday.