The CBA, for me personally, is a sad saga. I was told it would be settled when I came back to the USA in January. Now it plays a lot on the minds of players in the preseason because we don’t know if the first game is going to be played on March 25 or not. If it isn’t, it will be a very sad day for players and fans in this country.

Coming from Europe, maybe I see it differently, as I’ve been playing under FIFA rules my whole life, but the players just want those rights. If we keep the wage cap, it shouldn’t put the league in economic jeopardy as it won’t cost the league any more money than what it has already agreed to.

One thing for me that is very confusing is what happens after a player’s contract is up. I find it amazing that even after your club lets your contract run out without renewing, it still has all the power and still owns the player’s rights.

Sounders sign a top striker
Now, let’s talk about what’s happening on the field. We are 3-1-1 in our preseason, but I don’t care about the results of the games at this point. We’re training really hard even the day before the game to get fit. For me, the first game of the season is the one where we need to play well. But my understanding is that over the next few weeks we’ll be doing less heavy work and focusing more on quickness and sharpness. It’s always good to win in preseason, but I prefer getting the win on March 25 (against Philadelphia).

I spoke about refereeing in MLS last year. Defenders are allowed to push and hold and get away with much more than I have ever experienced before. I don’t like to be pushed to the ground, especially when there’s no free kick given, so this preseason I have decided to take matters into my own hands. I’m trying to put on six-seven pounds to see if I can stop being pushed around so much. I’ve never had to resort to these measures before but I’ll try and hopefully it will work.

The other big news in Seattle is that we have signed Blaise Nkufo, a striker from Switzerland who is playing in the Dutch league. He will join the team in the July transfer window after the World Cup. I wish he could be here now, but it will be good when he arrives.

Last year we created a lot of chances, but didn’t put enough away so hopefully Blaise can help improve on that. He works hard for the team and adds a physical presence and I’ve also heard that he’s great off the pitch, which is, of course, very important, too.

World Cup preparations in full swing
The World Cup is just around the corner and many teams that have qualified played friendlies last week. I think these games can be seen in two different ways. On the one hand, it’s great for national teams to gather and get some playing time together and try to get ready for the World Cup.

But, on the other hand, as I’ve experienced myself, when you’re at the end of a long season and competing for honors you definitely don’t want to get injured in a friendly and miss playing in those last few months when it really counts if you’re going to be a winner or a loser.

While we were playing for the Champions League as well as the Premier League and FA Cup, I must say I didn’t think about the World Cup at all. It was never on my mind until everything was over. Those games are so tight that if you’re not concentrating, you’re going to get knocked out. But, if you’re in the middle of the table with nothing to play for over the last two months, maybe then it plays a little bit more in your mind.

Friendlies are called friendlies for a reason. The bigger players usually take their foot off the pedal a little bit because they do not want to get injured. It’s always important to get wins, but in a friendly before a World Cup I think it’s more important to try and give more time to players that the coach thinks could be a nice surprise off the bench to make a difference in the tournament.

Finally, on to my boys at Arsenal. I hope they can keep up their challenge in the Premier League. They don’t have a roster as big as Chelsea, but I think Chelsea and Manchester United have let them back in it. If they’re in it at this point, they’ll be in it the whole way. As for the Champions League, I think their style of play suits the competition and I think they will be dangerous in the later rounds.

I have read quite a few articles from England about Aaron Ramsey’s horrible injury, from which I hope he recovers well. Afterward, Arsene Wenger pointed out that Arsenal have had some bad injuries from bad tackles lately and questioned them.

I saw a very good article in one of the papers that made the point that players have been saying before games that they would kick Arsenal because that was the only way they could beat them. The author questioned if it is correct that people can say such things and asked what would happen if something similar was said in Spain about a team like Barcelona.

//F

PS You find my column at ESPN Soccernet

I saw on TV that Cesc Fabregas was very disappointed — he said Arsenal made schoolboy mistakes. I understand his frustration because, at that level, you don’t expect to see those kinds of errors, which make it almost impossible to win on the road. Otherwise, I think Arsenal would have had a much better result, and it would have been much easier in the second leg.

I think Arsenal will be very disappointed with the first leg result, but in the end, it’s a good score in general to lose 2-1 and have the away goal. If they can win 1-0 at the Emirates, the Gunners are home-free. At the end of the day, I think Arsenal will still make it through.

In the Premier League, I’m excited because Arsenal are now only six points off the lead. After recent losses by Arsenal to both Man United and Chelsea, the Gunners were all but ruled out of the title race. It’s never good for your confidence when you want to compete for a trophy and you lose 3-1 to title rivals like Man United. However, with both Chelsea and Man United faltering themselves recently, the race is wide-open again.

As an Arsenal man, I’m hoping the other teams will continue to slip up again. Arsenal has an easier month of games coming up, so perhaps the gap will narrow further.

With the Sounders, we are in Spain right now in what has become the longest preseason I’ve ever played in. At Arsenal we typically trained for three to four weeks and then we played. We are training for about seven to eight weeks with the Sounders, so it’s hard to determine how hard to train and how hard to push myself. I talk a lot to the fitness coaches about how to plan that.

On the field, we have some unfortunate injuries to some key players, but I hope they can be back at the start of the season. In MLS, that becomes difficult because of the salary cap. When you lose some of your starters, you can’t just replace them with new players.

Before coming to Spain, we were in Arizona for nine days before making a 27-hour journey to Europe that, from boarding the plane to arriving at the hotel, was the longest trip I’ve ever taken! But we’re working hard and we’re getting fit.

Compared to the teams that are here in Spain, we’re pretty unfit. It’s early in our preparations, so it’s going to be difficult for us in the games, which is a pity. I would have loved to come here and show what type of team we have when we’re in full flow. I think that’s something that the Europeans need to see. It just comes too early for us to show how good we are.

I remember, during one year with Arsenal, we played an afternoon game at a tournament in Amsterdam against Barcelona. The day before and earlier that day we ran and worked in the gym so much that we couldn’t move, and Barcelona beat us 3-0. We were all upset because the game was televised all over Europe and we were making fools out of ourselves. But our coach told us it was the Premier League that matters, not the preseason, and that the result didn’t matter too much. It’s good to get fit in preseason games — the quality will come later.

We will be in Spain until Saturday, when we go back to Seattle. It will be nice to finally get back to living a normal life.

//F

PS You find my column at ESPN Soccernet

//Claes Elefalk, agent
CAA Sports

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PRESS RELEASE

Freddie Ljungberg Joins ESPN Soccernet

Soccernet.com today announced that internationally renowned soccer star Freddie Ljungberg will join host Derek Rae, and analysts Tommy Smyth and Janusz Michallik,as a regular guest on ESPNSoccernet Press Pass.

This exclusive program, which is aired five days per week since August 13th, gives millions fans across the world a chance to stay up to date on the latest global soccer news and expert opinion’s leading up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa.

In addition, Freddie will also be sharing his opinions and knowledgeable  by writing a column, which is rare and unique among top players in the world, twice per month for the site.

Currently playing in the U.S. for Major League Soccer’s Seattle Sounders FC, Ljungberg’s 15-year career in soccer will add invaluable contributions to the latest news on the pitch.  He began his professional career playing for Halmstad BK before joining Arsenal FC where he won the award 2002 Premier League Player of the Year and became a key player on the undefeated team that went on to capture the 2004 EPL title.  The Swedish native also participated in the 2002 and 2006 World Cup tournaments and the Euro 2000,  Euro 2004 and Euro 2008 for his home country’s national team.

His experience with fame and popularity as a model, fashion icon and product endorser, will also add new dimensions to discussions about the lives of players off the pitch as well.

Read Freddie’s column on ESPN Soccernet