Smuda to expend preliminary roster to 32

In less than a week, Poland national team head coach Frank Smuda will announce his preliminary roster for Euro 2012. There will now be 32 names on the roster, and not 26 as first planned by Smuda.

Smdua will expend the roster from 26 to 32 names to create a six-man reserve list in case of any injuries.

"I will pick 32 names, six more than I first planned, but I want to create a reserve list," Smuda said. "The extra six players will have to train with us until May 28."

The six players on the reserve list will not travel with Poland to Austria for a pre-Euro training camp.

Kamil Glik scores again

Kamil Glik scored his second goal of the Serie B season in Torino's 2-1 win over Crotone.

Glik's goal in the 3rd minute gave Torino an early 1-0 lead. The 24-year-old defender has now scored in two consecutive games.

Glik's first goal of the season was scored in a shorten-match against Reggina. The match was finished up on Wednesday. Glik was credited with the only goal in the match.

Torino sit atop of the Serie B standings with only six matches left in the season.

Poland U-18's finish 8th in Slovakia Cup

The Polish Under-18 national team had talents on their roster, but the results did not show it.

A promising tournament came to an end on Friday after Polish U-18's were shotout by Slovakia 3-0. With the loss, Poland ended the tournament on a disappointing note, finishing 8th and last at the 2012 Slovakia Cup.

Poland only picked up one point during the group stage. They lost to Japan and Czech Republic by the same score -- 1-0, and drew 1-1 with Norway.

Poland won the Slovakia Cup in 2004.

Poland: Mateusz Taudul - Norbert Misiak, Michal Dudek, Adrian Liberacki, Piotr Jaroszek, Patryk Malinowski, Wojciech Zyska, Martin Kobylanski, Mateusz Wilk, Kamil Włodyka, Piotr Zielinski.

Legia re-sign Zewlakow, Ljuboja and Zyro

Legia Warszawa plans on repeating this season's success by re-signing three important players to new contracts.

Veteran leaders Michal Zewlakow and Danijel Ljuboja both signed one-year contract extensions to remain for another year with Legia. Both men joined Legia during last year's summer transfer window.

Meanwhile, Legia also secured a deal with young prospect Michal Zyro. The 19-year-old signed a 4,5-year contract extension to remain with Legia until 2016, but it will be hard to keep the youngster in Poland for too long as many European teams are taking a look at him.

Zyro helped Legia repeat as Polish Cup champions by scoring a goal and assisting on another in Legia's 3-0 won over Ruch Chorzow on Tuesday.

Jagiello out for U-17 tournament

Legia Warszawa prospect Aleksander Jagiello will miss the 2012 European Under-17 Championships with a shoulder injury. Jagiello will be replaced by Gwarek Zabrze midfielder Lukasz Zeglen.

Jagiello suffered the injury during a Mloda Ekstraklasa match between Legia Warszawa and Widzew Lodz.

The European U-17 Championships begin on May 4th, the same day Poland U-17's take on Belgium in their first match of the group stage.

Poland U-18s, Norway play to a 1-1 draw

One day after dropping three points to Czech Republic, the Polish Under-18 national team only gained one pint after drawing 1-1 with Norway in the 2012 Slovakia Cup.

Poland's only goal was scored by Piotr Zielinski. The Udinese prospect converted a penalty kick in the 59th minute, which gave Poland a 1-0 lead. However, in the 80th minute, Veton Berisha scored to level the score at 1-1.

With the tie, Poland have gained one point, but still sit last in Group B. They will play their last group stage game against Japan on Thursday.

Poland: Mateusz Taudul - Mateusz Wilk (77. Robert Sulewski), Michal Dudek (41. Adrian Liberacki), Radoslaw Robakowski, Piotr Jaroszek - Norbert Misiak (55. Lukasz Wronski), Wojciech Zyska (68. Wiktor Witt), Patryk Malinowski (41. Martin Kobylanski), Kamil Wlodyka, Mateusz Tetłak (31. Jakub Legierski) - Piotr Zielinski.

Legia 2, Ruch 0: Goal Highlights

Legia defeat Ruch to win second straight Polish Cup

For a second consecutive year and 15th time in team history, Legia Warszawa have captured Poland's oldest trophy -- the Polish Cup.

Legia Warszawa easily passed by tournament-surpriser Ruch Chrozw by the final score of 3-0. While the play of the pitch was entertaining, the supporters in the standings, once again, decided to blow up the party.

Serbian striker Danijel Ljuboja opened the scoring in the 8th minute. Then, four minute before break, Legia went up 2-0, after Miroslav Radovic scored from a low cross by Michal Zyro. Poor defending by Ruch caused them to have no shot at the Polish Cup.

In the 56th minute, Michal Zyro, who was named "Man of the Match", scored to make it 3-0 and help become the first team to win back-to-back Polish Cups since Wisla Krakow done it in 2002 and 2003.

After Legia took a 3-0 lead, their fans started to celebrate too early and match referee Hubert Siejewicz was forced to stop the game for couple of minutes. Legia players asked their fans to let them continue the match. Eventually the match continued.

Legia: Dusan Kuciak – Artur Jedrzejczyk, Michal Zewlakow (87. Rafal Wolski), Inaki Astiz, Jakub Wawrzyniak (69. Tomasz Kielbowicz) – Ivica Vrdoljak, Miroslaw Radovic, Michal Kucharczyk, Janusz Gol, Michal Zyro (82. Jakub Rzezniczak) – Danijel Ljuboja.

Ruch: Michal Peskovic – Lukasz Burliga, Rafal Grodzicki, Piotr Stawarczyk, Marek Szyndrowski (46. Wojciech Grzyb) – Marcin Malinowski (33. Pawel Lisowski), Marek Zienczuk, Gabor Straka, Maciej Jankowski, Lukasz Janoszka – Andrzej Niedzielan (57. Pawel Abbott).

Wojtkowiak signs with 1860 Munich

Grzegorz Wojtkowiak's six-year stay at Lech Poznan is coming to an end.

Wojtkowiak signed a three-year contract with German second division side TSV 1860 Munich, which will come into play in June when his contract expires with Lech Poznan. The German side will not pay any kind of fee for Wojtkowiak.

1860 Munich sit 6th in the German second division standings with two more matches to be played in the season. They do not have any kind of shot at reaching the promotion or playoff spot.

Wojtkowiak joined Lech from Amica Wronki in 2006. They 28-year-old has made 17 appearances for the Polish national team since 2008.

Kobylanski goes distance with Poland U-18s

Polish prospect Martin Kobylanski is stuck between two nations, but at this time of the year, he is helping the Polish Under-18 national team in the 2012 Slovakia Cup.

Kobylanski started and played the full 90 minutes in Poland's 1-0 loss to Czech Republic U-18s. It was the first time Kobylanski has played for the Polish national team since 2011, when the represented the Polish U-17 national team in couple friendlies.

With the loss, Poland sit last in Group B, with no points after one game. They play Norway on Tuesday and then, wrap up group play against Japan on Wednesday.

Poland: Przemyslaw Frackowiak - Robert Sulewski, Adam Radecki, Radoslaw Robakowski, Adrian Liberacki - Kamil Wlodyka (50. Norbert Misiak), Martin Kobylanski, Wiktor Witt, Patrick Dytko - Jakub Legierski, Lukasz Wronski.

Interview: Jakub Rzezniczak

Legia Warszawa defender Jakub Rzezniczak was kind enough to answer couple questions about himself, Legia Warszawa and the Polish national team. Here is the interview conduced by PolandSoccerBlog:

You have already played eight seasons with Legia Warszawa. Have you thought maybe it's time to try out your skills abroad? 

Its true, I have already played eight seasons with Legia, and like most players, I would like to try out my luck abroad. There has been couple inquiries in the past, but every time something happened, another thing stood in the way for the transfer to be completed. Generally, I keep those issues to my agent, and I only focus on soccer. I am already 26-years-old, and I would like to one day play for a foreign club before I retire.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

I try to focus on todays date and not jump too far into the future. Of course every player wants to develop and grow, just like me.I try to do everything 100 percent, so when I look back five years from now, I want have anything to regret.

It has been more than an year since you lasted played for the Polish national team. Do you still believe your name will be included in the roster for Euro 2012 or is that a closed topic?

I try not to open up the topic about the Polish national for now. I am only thinking about battling out a permanent starting job at Legia's starting elven because that is the shortest way to the Polish national. I could only catch the national team coach's eye by showing off my good disposition on the fields of Ekstraklasa Its true, Euro is getting closer and time is running out, but even though I still believe.

What is your opinion about players who receive Polish passports to play for the Polish national team?

The topic is often being discussed by the media. Generally, I think players who hold Polish passports should play for our national team and players who have a strong relationship with Poland, but not players who just want to play during Euro 2012. I hope players that receive Polish passports feel very strong to Poland and that why they want to play in our national team.

Must-See Pictures: Lewy, Kuba taking a drink

Polish trio helps Borussia clinch league title

Borussia Dortmund have won the Bundesliga title for a second straight season after a 2-0 win over Borussia Monchengladbach.

Robert Lewandowski picked up an assist on Shinji Kagawa's 59th minute goal, which gave Borussia a 2-0 lead. All three Poles started the game, but only Lewandowski and Lukasz Piszczek played the full 90 minutes. Jakub Blaszczykowski came off in the 88th minute.

This is the eighth time that Dortmund have won the German league and also, victory extended the record for the German league's longest unbeaten run in a single season to 26 matches.

Congratulations to the Polish trio for a fantastic season. They combined for 28 goals and 26 assist.

Here is Lewandowski's assist:

Kaiserslautern relegated to German second division

Jakub Swierczok and Ariel Borysiuk will be playing in the German second division next season.

After two season in Germany's top flight league, FC Kaiserslautern has officially been relegated to the 2. Bundesliga, despite a 2-1 win over Hertha Berlin on Saturday.

Kaiserslautern finished in 7th place last season, but this season was a complete disaster. With a 2-1 win over Hertha Berlin on Saturday, Kaiserslautern snapped a 21-game winless streak.

Both Polish players joined Kaiserslautern during the winter transfer window. Borysiuk made 10 appearances while Swierczok made 6 appearances. Both players combined for zero goals or assists and six yellow cards.

Peszko scores in Koln's draw

A troubled Slawomir Peszko has redeemed himself.

Peszko scored his second goal of the Bundesliga season in FC Koln's 1-1 draw with VfB Stuttgart. Peszko found the back of the net in the 50th minute, giving his side a 1-0 lead.

Peszko, who started and played 79th minute, has been recently playing with trouble on his shoulders. It was Peszko's first goal since he scored in a 3-0 win over FC Augsburg on October 30, 2011.

With the draw, Koln remain in the 16th spot in the league standings with 30 points. They are two points away from the 15th spot, which is occupied by Augsburg. If Koln remain in the 16th spot, they will play a relegation playoff match against a 2. Bundesliga side.

Here is Peszko's goal vs. Stuttgart

Tyrala's Greuther Furth promoted to Bundesliga

After spending the last two season in the German second division, former Polish national team midfielder Sebastian Tyrala will get a chance to return to Germany's most prestige league.

Greuther Furth have been officially promoted to the Bundesliga for the first time in their history after Friday night's 1-1 draw with FSV Frankfurt. Tyrala spend the entire 90 minutes on the bench.

Tyrala last played in the Bundesliga when he was still a member of Borussia Dortmund. He spend 10 years, jumping back and forth from Borussia's first team to their reserves. The 24-year-old made seven appearances in the Bundesliga while with Borussia.

Tyrala has been sidelined most of this season. He has only made six league appearances this season, after missing six months with a knee injury. He has two assist in six matches.

Do you still believe in Tyrala's career?

Legia 0, Sevilla 2: Goal Highlights

On Tuesday, Legia Warszawa came up short in a 2-0 loss to Spanish side Sevilla in an unusual mid-season friendly.

Przybylko scores game-winner in reserves

And the kid does it again.

Kacper Przybylko scored the game-winning goal in the 14th minute in FC Koln reserves' 1-0 win over Mainz reserves. The 19-year-old has now scored in three straight games.

Przybylko has now tallied eight goals in only 14 appearances for Koln's reserves. He joined them in the winter transfer window, after scoring 15 goals in only 13 appearances for Arminia Bielefeld's reserves.

Przybylko, who holds a Polish passport and wants to play for Poland, could possibly see a lot of playing times minutes for FC Koln's first team next season, if they get relegated into the 2. Bundesliga. Koln currently sit 16th in the Bundesliga, which is the relegation playoffs spot.

What is your take on this young kid?

Cywka's Reading gains promotion to EPL

Polish midfielder Tomasz Cywka could become the first player to break Krzysztof Warzycha's 19-year-old record of last Polish player to score a goal in the Premier League after his club, Reading, earned promotion on Tuesday.

Derby County secured passage to the Premier League with a 1-0 victory against Nottingham Forest. Cywka did not dress for the match. On the other side of the field, Radoslaw Majewski started and played 84 minutes for Nottingham.

Reading returned to England's top-flight division after spending the last four season in the Championship. Cywka has only made 12 appearances, scoring one goal since joining Reading during the winter transfer market

If Cywka gets a chance to stay at Reading next season, he will have a chance to break Krzysztof Warzycha's 19-year-old record of last Polish player to score a goal in the Premier League. Warzycha, while playing for Everton, scored a goal against Manchester United on August 19, 1992.

Grosicki scores, adds assist in win

Polish national team winger Kamil Grosicki struck his first goal in three months in Sivasspor's 4-0 win over Bursaspor.

Grosicki netted his seventh goal of the season in the 49th minute, giving Sivasspor a 3-0 lead. It was Grosicki's first goal since January 15th. The 23-year-old also added his 10th assist of the season.

Grosicki started and played 80 minutes in Sivasspor's first win in the Turkish Super Lig Europa League group.

Here is Grosicki's goal (The goal starts at 0:42):

Must-See Goal: Piszczek's goal vs. Schalke

Lukasz Piszczek scored his fourth goal of the season in Borussia Dortmund's 2-1 win over Schalke on Saturday.

All three Poles started for Borussia, but only Robert Lewandowski and Piszczek played the full 90 minutes. Jakub Blaszczykowski was forced to come off in the 81st minute after picking up an injury.

Here is Piszczek's fantastic goal:

Where would you like to see Lewandowski play next season?

Robert Lewandowski's impressive season has opened eyes of many teams throughout Europe. His latest performance against Bayern Munich opened eyes even wider.

Lewandowski's current contract expires in 2014, but his agent, Cezary Kucharski, believes his client deserves a higher paycheck from Borussia Dortmund, so he is threating that Lewandowski will leave for a bigger club.

However, Lewandowski will most likely stay at Borussia, but with clubs such as Liverpool, Bayern Munich or Chelsea knocking on the door, Lewandowski might want to think about negotiating with the bigger clubs and making the move to compete at a higher club.

poll by twiigs.com

Why would you like to see Lewandowski play at the club that you chose?

Wojciechowski scores twice in Willem win

Pawel Wojciechowski's career was heading the right way before two major injuries hit his young career. Now it looks like he is back.

Wojciechowski scored twice in Willem II's 5-0 won over AGOVV Apeldoorn on Friday. It was Wojciechowski's first two goals of the season. The 21-year-old came off the bench in the 67th minute to find the back of the net in the 77th and 83rd minute.  

On his second goal, Wojciechowski's penalty kick attempted was blocked by the goalkeeper but he did get his own rebound and smashed the ball into the open net.

Wojciechowski has only made 16 appearances for Willem II since joining them in the summer of 2010.  Wellem currently sit 7th in the Dutch second division and occupy the last playoff spot.

Wojciechowski's first goal start at 1:27 and the second goal starts at 1:44.

Survey: Which Ekstraklasa team do you support/follow?

The Ekstraklasa season is about to be wrapping up, but we here at PolandSoccerBlog would like to know which Polish team the fan base supports. 

poll by twiigs.com

Legia receives approval to play Sevilla

Legia Warszawa received permission from the National Sports Center to host friendly match against Sevilla at the National Stadium in Warszawa.  The match will be played on Tuesday, April 17th.

The Spanish side will come will their strongest team, according to the team's official website. One of their players is Polish-born Piotr Trochowski, who plays from the German national team.

The  National Sports Center announced that both teams will be using their strongest players, but Legia Warszawa's head coach Maciej Skorza told the team's official website that he does not want risk any injures, and will most likely use their reserves team.

Will you be watching this friendly between Legia and Sevilla?

Legia to play Borussia Dortmund reserves in July friendly

Legia Warszawa and Borussia Dortmund reserves will play a friendly on July 11th at newly-reconstructed City Stadium in Ostroda.

The match will be played during Borussia Dortmund reserves' week-long training camp in Ostroda. The new stadium was built as a training base facility for Euro 2012.

Ostroda's mayor Olgierd Dabrowski did not rule out that Borussia Dortmund will bring some players from their first team. He also mentioned that Legia Warszawa will most likely come with their reserves too.

Croatian national team officials visited Ostroda to be their home base during Euro 2012, but at the end, a road to Gdansk prevented Ostoda from hosting Croatia.

Poland U-17 roster announced for European Championships

Polish Under-17 national team head coach Marcin Dorna has made his final decisions on the roster that he will take to Luxembourg for May's European Under-17 Championships.

Poland will play in Group B with Slovenia, Holland and Belgium. The Championships begin on May 4th and run through May 16th.

Here is Poland's roster for European Under-17 Championships:

Goalkeepers: Oskar Pogorzelec (Legia Warszawa), Aleksander Wandzel (Lech Poznan).

Defenders: Gracjan Horoszkiewicz (Hertha Berlin, Germany), Bartosz Jaroch (Resovia), Igor Lasicki (Zaglebie Lubin), Sebastian Rudol (Pogon Szczecin), Patryk Stepinski (Widzew Lodz), Sebastian Zieleniecki (UKS SMS Lodz), Patryk Zenik (Arka Gdynia).

Midfielders: Aleksander Jagiello (Legia Warszawa), Piotr Azikiewicz (Zaglebie Lubin), Konrad Budek (Polonia Warszawa), Adrian Cierpka (Lech Poznan), Pawel Dawidowicz (Lechia Gdansk), Arkadiusz Mroczkowski (Stomil Olsztyn), Rafal Wlodarczyk (Mazur Karczew).

Forwards: Dariusz Formella (Arka Gdynia), Damian Kugiel (Lechia Gdansk), Karol Linetty (Lech Poznan), Vincent Rabiega (Hertha Berlin, Germany), Mariusz Stepinski (Widzew Lodz), Karol Zwir (Stomil Olsztyn).

It is the same roster Poland used during their qualifications. Poland finished first in Group 2 with three wins in three games. They only allowed one goal during the qualifications.

Smolarek scores in Den Haag's win

Former Poland national team striker Ebi Smolarek scored his second goal of the Eredivisie season in Den Haag's 3-0 win over Groningen.

Smolarek scored in the 79th minute to give his side a 3-0 lead. He came off in the 88th minute after making his fourth start of the season.

Smolarek has now two goals in seven appearances since joining the club on free transfer during the winter transfer window.

Click here to see Smolarek's goal vs. Groningen.

How Important is Polish Trio to Borussia?

Since the Polish trio of Robert Lewandowski, Jakub Blaszczykowski and Lukasz Piszczek formed in the summer of 2010, it seems like Borussia Dortumnd can not lose.

They have already won one Bundesliga title and are on their way of winning another one. Here are some stats and facts I found since the Polish trio formed. These stats will change as there are still four matches left in the season. The stats are only for league play. Cup and European actions were not counted.

• Since the Polish trio formed (thats two Bundesliga seasons), Borussia Dortmund have collected 144 points out of a possible 192.

• Borussia have only lost 8 games in two seasons. They lost a total of 9 games in the 2009-2010 season.

• Borussia Dortmund have scored 67 goals in the Bundesliga this season. 27 out of the 67 have been scored by Poles.

• Lewandowski, Blaszczykowski and Piszczek have been directly involved in 44 of Borussia's 67 goals this season.

• Lewandowski has already scored 20 league goals this season. Last Borussia Dortmund player to score at least 20 league goals in a season was Stephane Chapuisat, who scored 20 goals during the 1991-1992 season.

• Lewandowski tied Jan Furtok's record for most goals scored by a Polish player in the Bundesliga. Furtok scored 20 goals during the 1990-1991 season for Hamburger SV.

• Lewandowski (20) sits third in the Bundesliga Top Scorer race. He is only behind Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (24) and Mario Gomez (25).

• Blaszczykowski is tied for fifth on the most assists list. He has 10 assists for the season. He is only behind Franck Ribery (17), Juan Arango (14), Thomas Muller (12), and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (11).

• The Polish trio has combined for 25 assists this season. 

• Lewandowski is one of two players who have started in all 30 league matches for Borussia this season. Defender Mats Hummels is the other one. 

• The Polish trio are ranked 1, 3, 4 on the assists list for Borussia Dortmund. Shinji Kagawa sits second with 9 assists. 

These stats show how important the Polish trio is to Borussia Dortmund. Piszczek established himself as one of Europe's best right-defenders and Lewandowski has proven that he can be a first-choice striker for a big-time club in Europe. As for Blaszczykowski, he has really proven those that said he should leave the club after Mario Gotze took over his position.

Boenisch suspended two games

Polish national team defender Sebastian Boenisch was suspended two games after picking up a red card in Werder Bremen's 2-2 draw with Borussia Monchengladbach on Tuesday.

Boenisch was making his first start of the season, when in the 27th minute, he picked up a red card after taking down last man Patrick Herrmann just before the penalty box.

According to Werder's sporting director, the club will not appeal the red card.

With four games remaining in the season, Boenisch will miss clashes with Stuttgart and Bayern Munich. He will be available to play in the final two game of the season. Werder play Wolfsburg and Schalke. Werder are still chasing a European spot. They are two points out of the final Europa League spot.

Must-See: Cover of today's Kicker

Polish national team striker Robert Lewandowski was named into Kicker's Team of the Week for the eighth time this season. Lewandowski scored the game-winning goal in a 1-0 win over Bayern Munich.

Szczesny's save vs. Wolves

Lewandowski's winner leads Borussia past Bayern

Robert Lewandowski's game-winner set the tone in Borussia Dortmund's 1-0 win over Bayern Munich.

Lewandowski scored his 20th goal of the season in the 77th minute with a slick back-heel re-direct to beat Manuel Neuer.

With that goal, Lewandowski tied Jan Furtok's record for most goals scored by a Polish player in the Bundesliga. Furtok scored 20 goals in the 1990-1991 season for Hamburger SV.

Lewandowski could have easily added two more goals, but both chances hit the posts. In the 39th minute, Lewandowski's header found the post and then in the 90th minute, of a counter attack, Lewandowski's shots hit the bar.

All three Poles started the game but only Lewandowski and Lukasz Piszczek played the full 90 minutes. Jakub Blaszczykowski came off in the 89th minute.

Here is Lewandowski's 20th goal of the season:

Legia advance to Polish Cup final with win over Arka Gdynia

Legia Warszawa's title defense of the Polish Cup will continue into the final after defeating Arka Gdynia 2-1 in the second leg of the semi-finals.

Legia came into this match with a 2-1 lead on aggregates after winning away in Gdynia last week. They added to that lead in the 23rd minute. Nacho Novo scored his first goal as a member of Legia after a cross was send in by Ismael Blanco. That gave Legia a 1-0 lead in the game and a 3-1 lead on aggregates.

However, Arka pulled one back after Piotr Kuklis scored in the 51st minute. It was now 1-1 in the game and 3-2 on aggregates. Arka needed one more goal, but it was Legia who scored the next one. In the 89th minute, Janusz Gol put the icing on the cake with a header into the back of the net of a cross from Michal Zyro.

Defending-champions Legia Warszawa will play Ruch Chorzow in the Polish Cup final on April 24 in Kielce.

Official: Peszko's Euro 2012 Dream Over

Poland national team head coach Frank Smuda has underlined that FC Koln midfielder Slawomir Peszko will not be included in Poland's 23-man roster for Euro 2012.

Smuda traveled to Germany on Tuesday to watch Adam Matuszczyk and the Polish trio from Dortmund in action, but also stopped at the police station where Peszko spend the nigh in police custody after drinking with Marcin Wasilewski.

"Peszko once again disappointed me. That kind of behavior will not be allowed in the national team and thats why I will not call him up for the European Championships," Smuda said today during an interview with Polsat Sport News.

As for Marcin Wasilewski, Smuda said he did not yet make a decide, but as of right now, it looks like Wasilewski still has a chance to play during Euro 2012.

Smuda picks three goalkeepers for Euro

Poland national team head coach Frank Smuda has already decided on which three goalkeepers he will take to Euro 2012.

According to Polish soccer expert Roman Kolton, Smuda will go with Lukasz Fabianski, Wojciech Szczesny and Przemyslaw Tyton. Kolton revealed the information on Polish soccer show Cafe Futbol. The only possible way another goalkeeper slips in is if one of the three goalkeepers suffers an injury.

This means Smuda will not give Tomasz Kuszczak another shot. Kuszczak has impressed since joining Watford on loan. Also, Artur Boruc will not be heading to Euros after having a conflict with Smuda.

What do you think of the three goalkeepers?

Poland rises in latest FIFA rankings

The Polish national team moved up ten spots to No. 65, marking the highest they've been ranked since September 2011 when they were ranked 64th.

The most surprising part the new ranking is that the Polish national team did not play a game since the last rankings were published on March 7.

Poland's Group A rivals are ranked as following: Russia 11th, Greece 14th and Czech Republic 26th.

Polanski scores from PK spot

Polish national team midfielder Eugen Polanski scored a goal in Mainz's 4-0 win over FC Koln on Tuesday.

Polanski notched his third goal of the Bundesliga season from the penalty kick spot in the 20th minute. He gave his side a 1-0 and they never looked back.

Polanski started and played the full 90 minutes. On the other side, Slawomir Peszko did not dress for Koln after being suspended.

Here is Polanski's penalty kick goal:

Ruch Chorzow advances to Polish Cup final after penalty kicks

Ruch Chorzow's surprising season continues after defeating Wisla Krakow 6-5 on penalty kicks to advance to the Polish Cup final.

Ruch had the advantage coming into the game after winning 3-1 in the first leg at home. However, their lead was cut in the second leg which forced extra time and then penalty kicks.

Wisla Krakow take a 1-0 lead in the 22nd minute after Ivica Iliev was taken down inside the penalty box and the referee called for a penalty kick. Tsvetan Genkov converted on the penalty kick. Maor Melikson's 49th minute goal tied the series at 3-3 and gave Wisla a 2-0 lead in the match.

Wisla looked liked they were in control as they had the away goal on their side, but in the 69th minute, the referee once again pointed to the spot, but this time it was for Ruch Chorzow. Lukasz Janoszka was taken down by Dragan Paljic and Pawel Abbott slided one pass Sergei Pareiko to cut Wisla's lead to 2-1.

With that goal, Ruch looked like they were heading to the Polish Cup final, but in the 90th minute, Tsvetan Genkov scored his second of the game to give Wisla a 3-1 lead and 4-4 on aggregates. The goal send the game into extra time.

Extra time went scoreless and the match headed into penalty kicks. Dudu Biton missed his shot in the first round. In the third round, Mark Szyndrowski had his shot blocked and after three rounds, the penalty kicks were tied at 2-2. Everyone else converted on their chances but in the seenth round, Gervasio Nunez missed his shot, which ended the game and send Euch Chorzow to the Polish Cup final.

Ruch will face the winner of Legia Warszawa/Arka Gdynia in the final.

Boenisch sees red card in first start of the season

Sebastian Boenisch's first start of the season may have been his last.

Boenisch was given a straight red card in the 27th minute in Werder Bremen's 2-2 draw with Borussia Monchengladbach. Boenisch was the last man as he took down Patrick Herrmann just before the penalty box.

It was Boenisch's first start of the season and first since going down with a knee injury over two years ago.

With five games remaining in the Bundesliga season, Boenisch will be suspended for Werder's next game.

Here is a video of Boenisch's red card:

Przybylko scores in reserves

Polish prospect Kacper Przybylko continues to shine for FC Koln's reserves.

Przybylko scored a goal in Koln reserve's 2-0 win over Fortuna Dusseldorf reserves on Monday. He gave his side a 2-0 lead in the 89th minute. The 19-year-old striker started and played the full 90 minutes.

Przybylko now has six goals in 12 appearance for FC Koln's reserves. He also has three assists. Przybylko had 15 goals in 13 appearances for Arminia Bielefeld's reserves before joining FC Koln in the winter transfer window.

What do you think of this kid for the future?

Komorowski needs knee surgery, will miss three weeks

Polish national team defender Marcin Komorowski suffered a knee injury and requires surgery that will keep him out of action for three weeks, according to Terek Grozny's official website.

Komorowski suffered the knee injury during Terek Grozny's 2-0 win over Spartak Nalchik on Friday. Komorowski was forced to leave the game in the 37th minute.

Komorowski has impressed since moving to Terek Grzont during the winter transfer window. He has started and played in all six matches for the Russian side since joining them from Legia Warszawa.

The 27-year old defender has made two appearances for the Polish national team under Frank Smuda.

Lewandowski named into Kicker Team of the Week

Polish national team striker Robert Lewandowski was named into Kicker's Team of the Week for the seventh time this season.

Lewandowski scored a brace in Borussia Dortmund's 3-1 win over Wolfsburg on Saturday. He received a rating of 2 (scale from 1-6; 1 being world class) from German magazine Kicker. Jakub Blaszczykowski received a 2,5 and Lukasz Piszczek got a 3.

Lewandowski remains third in the Bundesliga Top Scorer race. He has 19 goals for the season and is chasing Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, who has 24 and Mario Gomez, who has 25. Lewandowski is also now one goal shy of tying Polish striker Jan Furtok for the most goals scored by a Polish player in the German Bundesliga. Furtok scored 20 goals in the 1990-1991 season.

With five games remaining in the season, how many goals do you think Lewandowski will end the season with?

What will Smuda do with Wasilewski?

A trip to Koln for the weekend may have cost Marcin Wasilewski a trip to Euro 2012.

The 31-year-old defender, who has captured the central-back position for the Polish national team, may be endangered of missing Euro 2012 after falling into trouble with Slawomir Peszko. Both men were kicked off the Polish national team by head coach Frank Smuda.

However, Wasilewski's club Anderlecht will not penalize their defender beacuse according to the team, Wasilewski did not take part when Peszko was arrested.

"According to our information, Marcin Wasilewski was invited to Koln by his international teammate, and his behavior was not inappropriate. He was not arrested by the police, and immediately after the incident, he was at free, and returned to Brussels on time," said an official statement released by Anderlecht.

Wasilewski spoke with Anderlecht's sporting director Herman Van Holsbeeck right after the incident and assured him that he was only a witness.

So after Smuda released a statement saying that both Wasilewski and Peszko have no chance of being included in the 23-man roster for Euro, this information pops out. If Wasilewski did not cause any trouble, should he be kicked off the team by Smuda? Then, the question comes around to Smuda, who will play central-back if Perqis and Glowacki are not ready in time for Euro?

Ekstraklasa Title Race Heating Up

With only 5 Rounds remaining, several teams can push to the top and solidy a place not only in Europa, but as Champions of Poland. Last years Champions, Wisla Krakow have absolutely zero chance of winning the title as they sit in 8th position, even if they won all their remaining games they would not have enough points to overtake Legia at the top.

Today's round showed a bit of everything, from a very boring derby in Lodz that ended in a 1-1 draw, to a fighting Zaglebie that earned 3 huge points to further themselves from the bottom. Finally a crazy game in Korona, that saw Lech Poznan come back from a 2-0 deficit and came out with 1 point in the 90th minute.

After 25 games played this is what the table looks like:
1. Legia 48pts
2. Slask 45pts
3. Ruch 44pts
4. Korona 42pts

With just a couple of points between the top 4, I did some research to find out who has the best chance to finish atop. I will begin with the team that has the smallest chance of achieving the Championship, then work my way to the top team that has the best opportunity.

Korona has 3 away games vs Lodz, GKS and Legia out of the possible three I see them coming out with a maximum of 4 points - a win vs Lodz and a draw with GKS. While, at home they will entertain Zaglebie and Widzew and from that I see them grabbing all 6 points. For a total of 52 points on the year.

Slask also plays 3 away games vs Podobeskidzie, Lechia, and Wisla, from these games I see a maximum of 2 points being optained 2 draws and a loss to Wisla. At home is a different story, and I see them earning full points vs Zaglebie and Jagiellonia giving them a total of 8pts in the next 5 rounds. For a total of 53 points on the year.

Ruch hosts 3 games at home to Gornik, LKS and Lechia, I see Ruch earning 9 points here. While, away they will be challenged by Polonia but will beat out Cracovia in their barn earning them a total of 13 points. For a total of 57 points on the year. 

Finally, the best for last, our 2012 Champions Legia Warszawa!!  Legia will host three teams at Lazienkowska and will earn 3 wins vs Lech, Jagiellonia, and Korona for a total of 9 points. Then, they will travel to Widzew and Lechia, and collect 4 points with a draw at the hands of Widzew and a win vs Lechia. Earning them a total of 61 points on the year.

For a final table that will look like this:
1. Legia 61pts (Champions and CL in Europa)
2. Ruch 57pts (Europa)
3. Slask 53pts (Europa)
4. Korona 52pts(Europa by default of Legia and Ruch going to the Polish Puchar final)

Who do you think will take the crown this year, and how do you see your top four at the end of 30 rounds?

Peszko apologizes for his actions

Slawomir Peszko's dreams of playing at Euro 2012 may have come to an end after losing control over himself and ending up in police custody.

Peszko apologizes for his actions on FC Koln's official team website on Monday.

"I am very sorry for what happened on Saturday night," Peszko said. "I was in the wrong place at the wrong time and I acted unprofessionally."

Peszko spent late Saturday night in police custody following an alleged dispute with a taxi driver while under the influence of alcohol. However, he was not alone. According to German media, Marcin Wasilewski was with him.

"I made a mistake which I really regret. I also know that my performances in recent weeks have not met the expectations of the club and the fans," Peszko added. "That is my biggest disappointment."

Peszko did not speak about the Polish national team and how Frank Smuda decided to treat both men after hearing about their troubles. Peszko was dropped from Koln's first-team squad, suspended indefinitely and will pay a financial fine.

"I promise Koln and our faithful fans that I will give everything to the very end to fight for safety with this team, when I am given the chance by the coach," Peszko ended.

Relegation-threatened FC Koln play Mainz on Tuesday, but will be without suspended Slawomir Peszko.

Poles Abroad: Sunday

English Premier League

• Wojciech Szczesny played 90 minutes in Arsenal's 1-0 win over Manchester City

• Lukasz Fabianski spend the full match on the bench in Arsenal's 1-0 win over Manchester City

German Bundesliga

• Artur Sobiech spend the full match on the bench in Hannover's 3-0 loss to Schalke

French Ligue 1

• Ludovic Obraniak started, played 80 minutes and missed a penalty kick in the 15th minute in Bordeaux's 1-0 loss to Caen 

Turkish Superlig

• Arkadiusz Glowacki spend the full match on the bench in Trabzonspor's scoreless draw with Orduspor

• Adrian Mierzejewski came off the bench in the 58th minute in Trabzonspor's scoreless draw with Orduspor

• Piotr Brozek did not dress in Trabzonspor's scoreless draw with Orduspor

Dutch KNVB Cup final

• Przemyslaw Tyton played 90 minutes in PSV Eindhoven's 3-0 win over Heracles.

Breaking News: Smuda axes Peszko, Wasilewski from Euro

Just two months before Euro 2012, Slawomir Peszko and Marcin Wasilewski were both thrown out from the Polish national team by head coach Frank Smuda after late night partying and ending up in police custody.

"I received couple phone calls from German journalist, who told me that Peszko was partying with Marcin Wasilewski. Both men are crossed out from the national team for Euro 2012. There is no chance their names will be included in the final 23-man roster," Smuda said on Sunday.

Both men were taken into police custody late Saturday night after getting into an argument with a taxi driver. According to reports, both men were under the influence of alcohol.

It is not the first time Smuda decided to throw out players for drinking-related problems. In September 2010, the same Peszko and Maciej Iwanski were banned from the Polish national team after drinking following a game against Australia in Krakow. Then a month later, Smuda threw out Artur Boruc and Michal Zewlakow for drinking on the plane while retuning from Canada.

However, Peszko was the only player that Smuda forgave and returned to the Polish national team.

What are your thoughts about this development?

Peszko suspended indefinitely following arrest

Poland national team midfielder Slawomir Peszko was suspended indefinitely by FC Koln after late night trouble that involved the police and alcohol.

Peszko, who was under the influence of alcohol, was taken into police custody after being involved in a dispute with a taxi driver. Peszko spend the night in police custody.

It is not the first time Peszko has problems due to alcohol. Back in 2010, Peszko and Maciej Iwanski were both banned from the Polish national team after breaking team rules while on international duty after the final match with Australia in Krakow.

What do you think of this development? What should Frank Smuda do with Peszko?

Poles Abroad: Saturday

Italian Serie A

• Artur Boruc played 90 minutes in Fiorentina's 2-1 win over AC Milan

English Championship

• Radoslaw Majewski played 90 minutes in Nottingham Forest's 1-0 loss to Bristol City

Scottish Premier League

• Pawel Brozek spend the full match on the bench in Celtic's 6-0 win over Kilmarnock

• Lukasz Zaluska spend the full match on the bench in Celtic's 6-0 win over Kilmarnock 

• Adrian Mrowiec did not dress in Hearts' 2-1 win over Dunfermline

German Bundesliga

• Jakub Swierczokspend the full match on the bench in Kaiserslautern's 2-1 loss to Hoffenheim

• Ariel Borysiuk started and played 45 minutes in Kaiserslautern's 2-1 loss to Hoffenheim 

• Eugen Polanski played 90 minutes and picked up a yellow card in Mainz's 4-1 loss to Stuttgart

• Slawomir Peszko started, played 45 minutes and picked up a yellow card in FC Koln's 1-1 draw with Werder Bremen

• Sebastian Boenisch came off the bench in the 61st minute in Werder Bremen's 1-1 draw with FC Koln

• Lukasz Piszczek played 90 minutes in Borussia Dortmund's 3-1 win over Wolfsburg

• Robert Lewandowski played 90 minutes and scored two goals in Borussia Dortmund's 3-1 win over Wolfsburg 

• Jakub Blaszczykowski started, played 87 minutes and recorded an assist in Borussia Dortmund's 3-1 win over Wolfsburg  

• Mateusz Klich did not dress in Wolfsburg 3-1 loss to Borussia Dortmund

German 2. Bundesliga

• Tomasz Zahorski spend the full match on the bench in MSV Duisburg's 2-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt

French Ligue 1

• Ireneusz Jelen spend the full match on the bench in Lille's 3-1 loss to Brest

• Dariusz Dudka played 90 minutes in Auxerre's 2-1 loss to Olympique Lyon

Turkish Super Lig

• Kamil Grosicki played 90 minutes and picked up a yellow card in Sivasspor's 2-1 win over Samsunspor

Kamil Glik's goal vs. Reggina

Lewandowski's brace and his chance to make history

Robert Lewandowski ensured that Borussia Dortmund stayed atop of the Bundesliga today, by scoring twice and giving his club three crucial points away at Wolfsburg.

With both teams pressing, Lewandowski was finally able to break the deadlock tie 22 minutes in and netted his 18th goal of the season. Jakub Blaszczykowski also had a great game, very close to scoring himself but also ensured a crucial assist to Ilkay Gundogan, at which point BVB went up 0-2.

In the closing minutes of the game, Lewandowski found the top corner after being sent in one on one vs the keeper, his cool finish did not only ensure victory but showed his superb final touch.

Statistically speaking, our Polish Trio have now earned 26 goals and 25 assists together and that is some very lethal production from out NT heroes.

Robert Lewandowski is now one goal shy of tying striker Jan Furtoka, who scored 20 goals in 1990-1991.

All three Poles started the match, but only Lewandowski and Piszczek played the full 90 minutes. Blaszczykowski came off in the 87th minute.

I truly feel it is in the best interest of BVB to resign Robert to a new deal and make him one of the highest paid players on the team, at the same time I also think that it is wise for Robert to stay in the Bundesliga and not be tempted by the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City.

How many goals do you think he will score this year?

Poles Abroad: Friday

Italian Serie B

• Kamil Glik started and scored a goal in a match that was suspened after 45 minutes due to poor weather conditions. Torino was leading 1-0.  

• Blazej Augustyn played 90 minutes, scored an own goal, and received a yellow card in Vicenza's 3-0 loss to Juve Stabia

• Bartosz Salamon started, played 69 minutes and received a yellow card in Brescia's 2-1 win over Verona

English Championship

• Tomasz Cywka did not dress in Reading's 2-0 win over Leeds

• Tomasz Kuszczak played 90 minutes in Watford's 2-0 loss to Blackpool

French Ligue 2

• Grzegorz Krychowiak played 90 minutes in Nantes' 2-1 loss to Monaco

Dutch Jupiler League

• Michal Janota played 90 minutes in Go Ahead Eagles' 2-0 win over Almere City FC

Belgian Pro League

• Marcin Wasilewski played 90 minutes in Anderlecht's scoreless draw with Standard Liege

Polczak scores first goal in Russia

Former Cracovia Krakow defender Piotr Polczak scored his first career goal in the Russia Premier League in Terek Grozny's 2-0 win over Spartak Nalchik.

Polczak scored an insurance goal in the 83rd minute, giving Terek a 2-0 lead. With the three points, Terek are now six points away from the first relegation-zone play-offs spot.

For the first time, all three Poles were featured in the starting lineup for Terek Grozny. Polczak and Maciej Rybus played the full 90 minutes, while Marcin Komorowski was forced to leave with an injury in the 38th minute. Rybus also picked up a yellow card.


Here is Polczak's goal:

Boenisch to leave Werder after contract expires

Poland national team defender Sebastian Boenisch will not be offered a contract extension and will most likely leave Werder Bremen during the summer. 

Werder's sporting director Klaus Allofs announced that four current players will not be offered contract extensions. One of the four players is Sebastian.Boenisch, whose contract expires om June 30th.

Boenisch, who has been battling knee injuries, retunred to Werder's first team this winter after being out for about 20 months. He was a regular at the club before the injury-bug hit him.

Boenisch joined Werder in 2007 after spending two years with Schalke 04.