Wisconsin Soccer Central

Greg Rosenthal (UW-Milwaukee) apparently is off to a great start to his professional career.

The Gamla Upsala SK center back has been the best defender in Sweden's Division 2 so far this season, according to voters in a poll conducted by a website that covers the 72 teams in the division.

GUSK plays in the Norra Svealand, one of six 12-team leagues across the country in Division 2, the fourth division of Swedish soccer behind the Allsvenskan, Superettan and Division 1.

The 22-year-old Rosenthal, who has played all 720 minutes in the first eight matches for Norra Svealand leader GUSK (4-1-3), had received 65 percent of the votes in the poll as of Friday night. His contract with the Upsala club expires at the end of June.

• Tosaint Ricketts (UW-Green Bay) had a great week internationally, as the 23-year-old forward scored his first goal for the Canadian senior national team, but it was just the opposite for his club team. FC Politehnica Timişoara was relegated from Liga I by the Romanian Football Federation due to financial problems. The ruling also stripped Timişoara of its spot in the third round of qualifying for the 2011-12 UEFA Champions League; the club finished second in Liga I last season to earn the berth in the prestigious tournament. Timişoara announced it would appeal the decision.
• San Jose Earthquakes defender Tim Ward (Waukesha), who is yet to play this season because of a hamstring injury, could be close to returning to Major League Soccer action. He is listed as questionable on the official injury report for Saturday's home match against the Houston Dynamo, but has trained with the team for the past two weeks.