soccer

CZECHO’S SOCCER CORNER The semi-final match between Argentina and Brazil was attended by the legendary player Diego Maradonna, who said that he never saw Brazil play this poorly. According to Maradonna Brazil didn’t have a chance to turn the match around, because their offense was nonexistence and Ronaldhino was a loner without support. He also criticized [...]

Brazil routed Argentina 3-0 in last year’s Copa America but it was Argentina’s turn this time and they did it in style. Sergio Aguero who hadn’t been heard from much so far this tournament, scored two second-half goals in seven minutes. His first goal in the 52nd minute was reminiscent of Maradona’s “hand of god” goal. [...]

CZECHO’S SOCCER CORNER Chelsea opened the Premier League season with a convincing 4-0 victory over Portsmouth. Joe Cole, Anelka, Lampard and new signing Deco were the scorers. Arsenal scored their first goal in the fourth minute by newcomer Nasri, but struggled to add more against newly promoted West Bromwich. Arsenal is still without Tomas Rosicky who [...]

GP W L D PTS Grenoble 2 2 0 0 6 Marseille 2 1 0 1 4 Lyon 2 1 0 1 4 Monaco 2 1 0 1 4 Lorient 2 1 0 1 4 Caen 2 1 1 0 3 Le Mans 2 1 1 0 3 Bordeaux 2 1 1 0 3 Le Havre AC 2 1 1 0 3 Nice 2 1 1 0 3 St Etienne 2 1 1 0 3 PSG 2 1 1 0 3 Valenciennes 2 1 1 0 3 Toulouse 2 1 1 0 3 Auxerre 2 1 1 0 3 Rennes 2 0 1 1 1 Nantes 2 0 1 1 1 AS Nancy Lorraine 2 0 1 1 1 Lille 2 0 1 1 1 Sochaux 2 0 2 0 0

GP W L D PTS TSG Hoffenheim 1 1 0 0 3 Schalke 04 1 1 0 0 3 VfB Stuttgart 1 1 0 0 3 Hertha Berlin 1 1 0 0 3 Borussia Dortmund 1 1 0 0 3 VfL Wolfsburg 1 1 0 0 3 Karlsruhe 1 1 0 0 3 Arminia Bielefeld 1 0 0 1 1 Bayern Munich 1 0 0 1 1 Hamburg SV 1 0 0 1 1 Werder Bremen 1 0 0 1 1 Bayer Leverkusen 1 0 1 0 0 1. FC Köln 1 0 1 0 0 VfL Bochum 1 0 1 0 0 Borussia M’gladbach 1 0 1 0 0 Eintracht Frankfurt 1 0 1 0 0 Energie Cottbus 1 0 1 0 0 Hannover 96 1 0 1 0 0

Zenit St Petersburg have ruled out selling striker Andrei Arshavin to Tottenham before the transfer window closes.

The saga that is Andrei Arshavin's potential move to Tottenham Hotspur appears to be nearing an end, with a decision expected on Monday over the player's future.

Dimitar Berbatov's position at Tottenham looks increasingly untenable after he asked to be given the chance to 'follow my dream'.

In a summer of long, drawn-out transfers has there been a more tiresome and protracted deal than the one involving Manchester United's move for Tottenham Hotspur's Dimitar Berbatov?

Tottenham are unlikely to land Zenit St Petersburg striker Andrei Arshavin, according to the player's agent, as 'Zenit will not sell for a penny less than 25million euros (£19.7million)'.

Sunderland make an offer for Northern Ireland striker David Healy, according to the player's agent.

Arsenal sign Man Utd defender Mikael Silvestre for an undisclosed fee.

Zenit St Petersburg playmaker Andrei Arshavin's hopes of a move to Tottenham are dashed after the Russian club rules out any deal with Spurs.

Chelsea striker Andriy Shevchenko is close to securing a return to AC Milan, according to one of their directors.

Footballer Joey Barton is being sued for damages by a teenage boy he attacked during a night out.

Bahrain 3 Burkina Faso 1 - international friendly result

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Democratic Republic of Congo 2 Togo 1 - international friendly result

Ivory Coast 2 Guinea 1 - international friendly result

Georgia, their team not at full strength due to the country's conflict with Russia, handed new Argentine coach Hector Cuper a surprise 2-1 win over Wales in a friendly on Wednesday.

Denmark 0-3 SpainXabi Alonso scored twice as Vicente del Bosque's reign as coach of European champions Spain began in style.

Germany 2-0 BelgiumA Bastian Schweinsteiger penalty and a Marko Marin goal gave the EURO runners-up victory in Nuremberg.

England 2-2 Czech RepublicA scrambled late goal from Joe Cole denied coach Petr Rada victory in his first match in charge of the Czechs.

Sweden 2-3 FranceAn experimental Sweden side failed to keep their early lead as Sidney Govou scored two goals in Gothenburg.

Russia 1-1 NetherlandsA Konstantin Zyryanov penalty cancelled out Robin van Persie's goal in the teams' EURO quarter-final rematch.

Two goals from Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso ensured European champions Spain completed preparations for their World Cup qualification campaign on a high.

Arsenal have signed Mikael Silvestre from Manchester United for an undisclosed fee, the London club have announced.

Miroslav Djukic was sacked by Serbia on Wednesday, with former Barcelona and Real Madrid coach Radomir Antic named as his replacement.

Kazakhstan kicked off Europe's 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign with a 3-0 home victory over Andorra. Striker Sergei Ostapenko scored twice in the opening half hour of the Group Six match.

Konstantin Zyryanov scored a late penalty to help Russia salvage a 1-1 draw against the Netherlands in a friendly on Wednesday.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst has been appointed captain of the Dutch football team, national coach Bert van Marwijk said on Wednesday.

Joe Cole believes England´s stars must learn how to play under pressure before they can mount a serious challenge for the World Cup.

Less than two months after Spain were crowned as the best team in Europe, the continent´s big guns take to the stage anew Wednesday for friendly tests as they finalise preparations for their 2010 World Cup qualifiying campaign.

Ukrainian striker Andrei Shevchenko, who has endured a miserable two years at Chelsea, is set to be loaned to his former club AC Milan, the Gazzetta dello Sport reported on Wednesday.

Brazilian striker Robinho has given up all hope of a move to Chelsea due to Real Madrid´s refusal to even discuss a possible deal, his advisor claimed on Wednesday.

Scotland boss George Burley remains in good heart for next month's World Cup qualifying trip to Macedonia after drawing 0-0 with Northern Ireland.

England coach Fabio Capello felt his side played well for an hour but were vulnerable on the counter-attack as they drew 2-2 with the Czech Republic.

Northern Ireland manager Nigel Worthington says his side produced a solid performance against Scotland in Glasgow.

Wales lose in injury time to Georgia after a mistake allows Beka Gotsiridze to grab the winner in Swansea.

10-man Northern Ireland are denied a win at Hampden as Allan McGregor saves David Healy's second half penalty.

Denmark 0-3 SpainXabi Alonso scored twice as Vicente del Bosque's reign as coach of European champions Spain began in style.

Germany 2-0 BelgiumA Bastian Schweinsteiger penalty and a Marko Marin goal gave the EURO runners-up victory in Nuremberg.

England 2-2 Czech RepublicA scrambled late goal from Joe Cole denied coach Petr Rada victory in his first match in charge of the Czechs.

Sweden 2-3 FranceAn experimental Sweden side failed to keep their early lead as Sidney Govou scored two goals in Gothenburg.

Russia 1-1 NetherlandsA Konstantin Zyryanov penalty cancelled out Robin van Persie's goal in the teams' EURO quarter-final rematch.

it is time you dirty mongrels..

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Scotland boss George Burley remains in good heart for next month's World Cup qualifying trip to Macedonia after drawing 0-0 with Northern Ireland.

England coach Fabio Capello felt his side played well for an hour but were vulnerable on the counter-attack as they drew 2-2 with the Czech Republic.

Northern Ireland manager Nigel Worthington says his side produced a solid performance against Scotland in Glasgow.

Wales lose in injury time to Georgia after a mistake allows Beka Gotsiridze to grab the winner in Swansea.

10-man Northern Ireland are denied a win at Hampden as Allan McGregor saves David Healy's second half penalty.

Seth Stammler of the Red Bulls has evolved into the soccer equivalent of a baseball utility infielder ... and reserve outfielder ... and backup catcher.

Mike Magee and Juan Pablo Ángel scored goals to lead the Red Bulls to a 2-0 win over Toronto F.C. on Sunday.

Nigeria won Group B by defeating the U.S., sending the American team home with plenty to think about.

The sportswriter Chuck Culpepper hopes to follow a new love, Portsmouth, to Stamford Bridge in London for its game against Chelsea.

Playing in oppressive conditions, the United States defeated Japan Thursday thanks to Stuart Holden’s goal in the 47th minute.

Noon on the campus of Beijing Normal University where we're still looking for a logo to tell us whether it's the Normal Swallows ...

They grew up painting their faces for the 1999 Women's World Cup soccer tournament and taping Mia Hamm posters to their bedroom ...

Team USA used attacking verve and a finishing touch that had been lacking through most of the tournament to secure a gold medal ...

Former U.S. national team coach Bruce Arena was hired Monday as coach of David Beckham's Los Angeles Galaxy, who haven't won ...

Natasha Kai entered the U.S. women's soccer quarterfinal with Canada at the start of extra time and scored the winning goal in ...

Good afternoon folks. It is that time again. Time for you to send your soccer questions my way and time for me to try and either find you an answer or give you my opinion on the subject. It has been nearly two months since the last Q&A so I'm sure there are plenty of new questions you are interesting in asking. You know the drill. Send one or two questions of modest length to me and I will try to answer them by next week. There have been problems getting the Q&A sessions finished because we surpass 100 questions so be warned ahead of time. If you get one of the first 50 questions in…

Don't you just love billionaire magnates who think they can buy whatever they want? Consider the case of Roman Abramovich. The Russian owner of Chelsea FC apparently has his sights set on spending a mountain of cash on luring a star Brazilian to Stamford Bridge. Now that the quest for Robinho is dead thanks to Real Madrid shutting the door on a potential move, Chelsea has decided to go up in class in its chase for some Jogo Bonito. The next target is Kaka. The interest is nothing new but it appears that the Blues can smell blood in its quest to dethrone Manchester United and they know landing…

The time has come again for another day of international soccer as CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers commence while the rest of the world takes part in some good old fashioned friendlies. Ives will be down in Guatemala for the USA vs. Guatemala fixture, but in case you missed it, I've compiled a list of all the other games going on that day.World Cup Qualifying – CONCACAF Group 1: USA vs. Guatemala, 10 p.m.; Cuba vs. Trinidad & Tobago, 8 p.m. Group 2: Canada vs. Jamaica, 7:30 p.m.; Mexico vs. Honduras, 9 p.m. Group 3: Haiti vs. Suriname, 6 p.m.; Costa Rica vs. El Salvador, 10 p.m. The games…

                                                    Photo by ISIphotos.com Red Bulls defender Gabriel Cichero has been suspended for an additional game along with the one-game suspension he was already set to serve for his elbowing of Danny Dichio in the Red Bulls 2-0 win against Toronto FC on Sunday. Playing in just his second MLS match for the club, Cichero was ejected after going up for a challenge and catching Dichio in…

Hello all. I'm coming to you from Guatemala City where tonight's USA vs. Guatemala World Cup qualifier is shaping up to be a good one. With fans here lining up since the morning to get into the stadium for tonight's match, you can expect some of the usual craziness that goes with World Cup qualifiers in Central American. Apologies for the late start. I'll blame a need for some sleep as well as the two-hour time difference with not posting earlier this morning. I wanted to get the day started with a post I'm sure most of you never thought you'd see. It is the rest of the last Q&A session…

England's World Cup qualifying group rivals Kazakhstan beat Andorra 3-0 in Almaty

Georgia came from behind to beat Wales 2-1 after an early Jason Koumas goal

The Republic of Ireland drew 1-1 with Norway in near unplayable conditions

Scotland failed to break their 12-year Hampden Park drought with a goalless draw against Northern Ireland

Joe Cole's last gasp equaliser earned a drab England a draw against the Czech Republic

The journey to the 2010 FIFA World Cup resumes on Aug. 20 when the U.S. takes on Guatemala on MatchDay 1 of Semifinal Round qualifying for South Africa. Kickoff at the Estadio Mateo Flores is set for 8 p.m. MT, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2 and Galavision. Fans can also follow the match live on ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker.

Glasgow Rangers midfielder DaMarcus Beasley has been added to the USA's roster for the upcoming FIFA World Cup Qualifier on Aug. 20 against Guatemala, becoming the 18th and final player that will travel to Guatemala City.

U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Bob Bradley has named an initial 17-player roster that will travel to face Guatemala on Aug. 20 in the USA’s first match of the semifinal round of qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Kickoff at Estadio Mateo Flores in Guatemala City is set for 8 p.m. MT, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2 and Galavision. Fans can also follow the match live on ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker.

Imagine Kobe Bryant playing center during the Olympics. Or Tyson Gay running the 10,000 meters instead of the 100 meters.

NBC has confirmed that all of the U.S. Men’s and Women’s Olympic Soccer Teams’ group play matches will be broadcast live on the NBC family of networks.

The U.S. Women are one victory away from earning their third gold medal when they face Brazil in the final at Beijing Workers’ Stadium on Thursday, Aug. 21 at the 2008 Olympics. The match kicks off at 9 p.m. local / 9 a.m. ET and will be broadcast live on USA Network and the NBC Olympic Soccer Channel. Fans can also follow on ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker.

Midfielder Shannon Boxx, on facing Brazil for the fourth time this year, but this time with their star players: “I think it’s been great that we’ve had a chance to play them a couple times in the warm-ups because it’s always good to play great teams. It will be different as there are some great players that weren’t there, but we’ve seen those players in the past so we’re definitely prepared for that. We’re ready for an exciting game.”

The U.S. and Brazil have followed paths to the 2008 Olympic gold medal game marked by some contrast, but also remarkable similarity.

U.S. Head Coach Pia Sundhage and select players discuss the team's 4-2 win against Japan and the upcoming gold medal match against Brazil on Thursday, Aug. 21.

Forward Angela Hucles scored twice and Lori Chalupny and Heather O’Reilly each scored once as the U.S. advanced to the Gold Medal game for the fourth consecutive Olympic Games.

Claudio Reyna, former U.S. National Team captain and one of the most accomplished soccer professionals in the United States, will make his ESPN studio debut as a guest analyst on ESPN Soccernet Pregame Show on ESPN2 Thursday, August 21, at 10 p.m. ET.

Seth Stammler has proven to be one of the most versatile players in Major League Soccer and a result, one of the most reliable on the New York Red Bulls roster. But in the kitchen? That's a different story.

For at least 45 minutes on Saturday night, it looked like FC Dallas might leave Crew Stadium with a win for the second consecutive year.

Last Tuesday, D.C. United dispatched a second-string New England Revolution squad 3-1 in a U.S. Open Cup semifinal match at RFK Stadium, but afterwards United's joy was balanced by their recognition of Steve Nicol's pragmatism.

For Emannuel Ekpo, it is a matter of whether his Olympics will become a gold rush or just have a silver lining to it.

Match preview by du Nord Women's Soccer Major Tournament Correspondent Adam.-Thu Aug 21USA v BrazilKicks off at 8am central time.See it live on USA Network.US Takes on Brazil for GoldThe USA’s semifinal win against Japan can teach them a few things about their clash with Brazil for the gold medal.1. Start SharpSure, the US was able to come back from a one-goal deficit against Japan in the semis. Thankfully, the Japanese didn’t score twice, like Norway did. However, for much of the first half, the US looked unnerved as Japan’s defense continually stymied its offensive efforts. Out of…

WHY IN THE NAME OF SWEET JIMINY HELL ARE THERE 3 MLS GAMES ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT????? THERE ARE WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS ALL OVER THE WORLD, AND THIS LEAGUE ALMOST NEVER PLAYS MID-WEEK GAMES! ALMOST EVERY GREAT PLAYER WILL BE OUT OF HIS CLUB TEAMS LINEUP. WHAT A JOKE! MLS CONTINUES TO FIND NEW WAYS TO LOOK STUPID, AND THIS IS COMING FROM A GUY WHO WOULD ALMOST KILL FOR THE LEAGUE!~and~Landon Donovan to Steven Goff on the chances he and teammate Carlos Ruiz will make it back to LA in time for their Thursday night match v Chicago from their international match in Guatemala City: "I will be back, but…

Hey all fellow fanaticos!Join Team du Nord in cheering on the USA in World Cup qualifying.Wed Aug 20 @ 9pm centralGuatemala v USAThe Sweetwater Bar & Grilleat the Kelly InnI-94 & Marion in St Paul651-224-6373MAPWe will be watching in a sideroom off the main bar with a projection screen and p.a. system for sound!!!Come and join us for a great evening.Hope to see ya there.Drop me a line if you have questions.

Hi allThe web page is all set up for you to pay for the bus trip to Chicago to see the USA play Trinidad & Tobago in World Cup qualifying on Wed Sep 10.The cost is $116 per person, which includes, bus, ticket and specially designed t-shirt.Less than half of the people who originally signed up have paid so far.And we still have several open seats.So go ahead and get in on the action today.Drop me a line if you have questions: dunordfutbol [] gmail []comBruce

I recovered some of what was lost on Friday, sorry about that again, and will just integrate it into today’s news.A full reshuffling of the deck in both MLS conferences as Columbus takes over the lead in the East and Houston in the West. WOW!~and~Bruce Arena is the new coach in LA.~and~DaMarcus Beasley has been declared healthy and added to Team USA for the trip to Guatemala on Wednesday.~and~Some Latino Fire fans have had run ins with security at Toyota Park. The fans say the security have been racist toward them. The team, including Blanco and the security firm in question, who also…

If you've ever attended at USMNT game on American soil, one thing tends to stand out. No, not the copious amounts of fans for the other team in the stands. No, on the rare occasion the U.S. finds the back of the net it triggers honestly one of the worst songs ever penned, "Goals, goals, goals...for the red, white and blue." It's so inane that it was probably penned by Marcelo Balboa and Poochie

Sunday morning I thought I knew the routine, as the script had been written so many times over the years. Watching from my couch on the opening weekend of the Premier League season, Newcastle United jumped out to a shock 1-0 lead over Manchester United at Old Trafford, only to snatch an equalizer minutes later. As time wore on, the draw continued. As each minute ticked away the British

Print this out and save for May to let me know what a clueless jackass your humble writer is. (Sorry guys this post was accidentally scheduled to publish on Saturday, oops.) 20. Stoke City -- Anyone got a good Harry Potters pun at the ready? 19. Hull City -- In Windass we trust. 18. Fulham -- I know Brian McBride and Andy Johnson, you're no Brian McBride. 17. Bolton -- If a tree falls in

By now you've read the first part of the Premier League 2008-09 preview. If there's one thing we can all agree on it's, 'I don't agree with that in the workplace.' Okay, joking aside today we'll delve into the presumed better teams in the league. The teams that should push for a top-half finish at minimum and hopefully a place in Europe. Oh right, the elite Big Four too. Believe to Achieve

Me wonder if me can write something intelligently after Nigeria's 2-1 win over the U.S. in the Beijing Olympics Wednesday (or Thursday?) in China. Me brain is hurting. Me feel stoopider. Me feel like the puppy who lost his way. Ok, in short, want to win the war on terror? Lock suspected terrorists in a room and make them listen to Marcelo Balboa. (Too harsh?) While it's supremely disappointing

• It’s clear that England is really lacking in two positions – left wing and center forward. Steven Gerrard is a very good player and performed well on the left today, but that’s not his natural position and he doesn’t give England much width. He needs to play in the position Frank Lampard occupied today. Stewart Downing should be nothing more than a squad player. Wayne Rooney, as we all know, is not really a striker, and neither Jermain Defoe nor Emile Heskey (who has 5 goals in 45 appearances) are the answers for England long-term. Fabio Capello left the best options for those…

• Well, I had it wrong earlier when I said Gareth Barry would be on the left and Steven Gerrard in the middle. The two were reversed to start, though Gerrard ended up drifting inside anyway. Ashley Cole and Wes Brown, the left and right backs, respectively, both needed to get forward and provide some necessary width to the team. • David Beckham can still hit a dead or slow-moving ball pretty well. Big shock, huh? He’s still England’s best option on the right side. • I’m getting tired of seeing Wayne Rooney listed as a striker for England. He comes back so far to collect…

Yes, you read correctly. We’ve seen this story before. Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard can’t play together in the same midfield, but yet England boss Fabio Capello is going to give it another try in today’s friendly against the Czech Republic. This should be interesting. The other surprise in the starting lineup is Gareth Barry, not because of his inclusion but because of his position. Barry will be playing left wing, definitely not his best role or the one he’s been so successful in for Aston Villa lately. Why play Barry, who has a great relationship with Gerrard and…

England plays the Czech Republic in a friendly today at 3pm ET/8pm UK time. The game will be shown live on Fox Soccer Channel for U.S. viewers, while U.K. viewers can find the match on Setanta Sports. It should be interesting to see how Fabio Capello’s side does at Wembley on a night when Emile Heskey may get a chance to start up front, John Terry returns as captain and 30,000 seats are still unsold. If you’ll be watching - or have watched - today’s matches, please share your thoughts, insight, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below. If you’re new…

• I was disappointed to see how many empty seats there were at Hull City’s KC Stadium. I know this was only a friendly, but come on. These players are the future of England’s national team, and the already small stadium wasn’t even half-full to watch them. • I liked the 4-3-3 employed by Pearce. He showed some tactical flexibility by adapting the formation to suit his players rather than fit players into a predetermined formation, which too many international head coaches are guilty of. He then moved to a 4-4-2 when he introduced Fraizer Campbell on the hour, again demonstrating…

England 2 - Czech Republic 2 (International Friendly, August 20, 2008) After Milan Baros had put the Czech Republic in front (thanks to a deflection off Ashley Cole), Wes Brown equalised heading in a Beckham corner at the near post for his first England goal. (First-half highlights here.) Three minutes after the break Jankulovski put the Czechs in front again with a great free-kick. After yet another disappointing Three Lions performance, Joe Cole scambled home the equaliser in the 90th minute. Denmark 0 - Spain 3 (International Friendly, August 20, 2008) Fernando Torres teed up Liverpool…

Brian Homewood of Reuters put it best when he described Argentina’s 3-0 win over Brazil at the Olympics yesterday: “Argentina’s crushing 3-0 win over Brazil in their Olympic Games semi-final was another demonstration of how the two great football rivals have swapped roles in the last few years. Argentina, often associated with pragmatic defence and gamesmanship, have adopted a stylish, passing game while Brazil have exchanged their previous flamboyance for brute force and counter-attacks.” Dunga won’t be the first former great to fail at management but it has…

When new football websites start up, we here at 101 Great Goals like to profile them if they add something to what is becoming a crowded market. FootballFilter is a website well-worth bookmarking. FootballFilter.com is a dashboard for the best football sources and content on the internet - articles, news, images, videos, podcasts (which can be played via the site), blogs and forums all centralised onto one page via rss feeds. The idea behind FootballFilter was to gather the best content in order to make the most of your time on the internet. All feeds are categorised into groups such as…

According to reports, Mallorca’s Spanish centre midfielder Borja Valero is set to join West Brom for a club record fee of £4.75 million. Valero is a 5′7, 23-year-old central midfielder who came through the ranks at Real Madrid but was released by Bernd Schuster last summer. The right-footed Spaniard played two full seasons for Real Madrid B (see one of his goals here) before playing 35 games for Mallorca last season, scoring three goals and receiving five yellow cards. Like many diminutive Spanish midfielders he can get around the pitch and is equally adept defending or…

Comment & analysis round-up Quote of the Day: “This is a special game [Wales v Georgia] for the country. No one from Russia believed it was possible to bring 18 players out with us from a war-torn country. The president asked me to come out with these players. He told me that the result wasn’t important. This game is simply to show Russia that you can bomb us and you can send tanks into our country, but you will never stop our people. This is a symbol that they will not defeat us… The 11th of August was the worst night because everyone thought the Russians were going to…

losing effort maybe not the only lesson for american soccer at the olympics In the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, China came home with 59 medals (28 gold), good enough for 3rd place in the medal count behind Russia and the United States, the latter of which had 91 (36 gold) and dominated the games as has become the summer ritual every four years. In 2000, the Chinese took home exactly one medal in the Olympic sports of track and field, swimming, rowing, sailing, and canoe/kayak. There are 119 medals available in those sports, all of which the USA excels at. When China found out…

The Charleston Battery defeated the Seattle Sounders on penalty kicks Tuesday to advance to the Open Cup Finals against D.C. United, who beat the New England Revolution 2-1 in their half of the semi-finals. TIAS traveled to Battery’s Blackbaud Stadium to take in the historic victory along with a crowd greatly thinned by rain. Photos and commentary from the deep south after the jump. As on the soccer field, success in journalism can largely depend on putting yourself in the right place at the right time and getting a bit of luck. Anticipate the action and be there where it happens. When…

nbc is banking on olympic soccer — michael cohen is hedging that bet When we hear people talking about hiring staffs in American soccer, be it for front offices or broadcast booths, they talk about the need to hire soccer people. Well, you can’t say NBC didn’t do that for the Olympics. Almost a month ago I received an e-mail from PartnersofNBCOlympics inviting me to become an “official partner” and share with my readers their extensive Olympic soccer coverage through the use of Super Widgets and RSS feeds embedded on my website. Uh, no thank you, but it drew my…

Looking at Giants Stadium at less than even half capacity, well, just the idea that it can sell-out is a grand testament to American sports and marketing. Of course the 80,000 seats are but a drop in the tri-state population bucket and it routinely fills up. Just not for soccer. “I thought there would be more people here,” the usher said in my favorite mezzanine section, the one that is typically mine alone for Red Bull home games. “Last year it was almost full.” Ninety minutes, an hour, a half hour before the game and the stands were spotty at best, but my preferred…

a local breath before the global exhale and the emulsifying late-summer light I love. —- A nightly program for New York City teenagers started by MLK coach Martin Jacobson in 1999, Summer of Soccer aims to give the city’s kids a place to play. Simple just like the beautiful game it promotes, the loose-knit summer sessions run from July to September, offering teenage kids a place to play with just enough structure to ensure it happens–like getting a field permit which like all real estate dealings in the big apple is problematic to say the least. But that is old hat for…

It's so crazy, it has to be true. Man who came up with this?"His rise from obscurity to international stardom, his universally acknowledged gifts as a supreme sportsman, and his Hollywood lifestyle all have the elements of an aspirational fable," librettist Mark Archer told the U.K.'s Daily Telegraph.As of now the name will be David Beckham – The Theatre of Dreamsand would feature "powerful, gospel-like rock".The real question is, is Posh going to audition for herself...?And, of course, Beckham's wife Victoria would make an appearance.Oh, nice!

DoD gets the credit for this find. Head over there and give them some love.The translation goes: "Jack, Are the villa really more important than our marriage? It's over, Jess"Click here for a zoom on the banner.

I guess Milan would accept a transfer bid of 973 trillion dollars.Actually the number is 80 million pounds or 100 million euros or like 150 million dollars.Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari is said to prefer the signing of Real Madrid star Robinho, but if this is not possible he certainly won’t turn down the chance of working with Kaka...Yeah, it's gotta be rough being the coach of a team with an infinite payroll.

What?You were expecting something different?

To win some pentathlon thing.Why are these guys so well known again?

The US Men's National Team opens up the first group stage of World Cup qualification on Wednesday evening against Guatemala. The American's qualifying group also includes Caribbean nations Trinidad and Tobago and Cuba.

Former Chicago Fire midfielder Floyd Franks has signed a pre-contract with Blokhus FC of the Danish second division and will report to the club on August 30th and join fellow American Mira Mupier.

Fresh from his Olympic adventure, Benny Feilhaber has joined fellow American Jeremiah White at Danish club AGF Aarhus.

US National Team midfielder Maurice Edu will join Rangers and fellow American DaMarcus Beasley pending approval of a work permit.

Rangers continued their pursuit of regaining the Scottish title as they picked up the three points in their home opener by beating Hearts of Midlothian by a pair of goals supplied by Kyle Lafferty and Kris Boyd.

Nothing like moving from the field to the booth. Now this looks like a guest-gig for Claudio Reyna but hopefully it works out for him and we won’t have to listen to people like Allen Hopkins or... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

I guess the monkey wrench in the 2008 MLS schedule was this week. We all knew these four clubs would be in SuperLiga and that their summer schedule would be a little funky. Well, this is the week... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Those golden boots are leaving town. FC Dallas forward Ricardinho has returned home to Brazil to play with his club and Dallas partner Atletico Paranaense today after clearing MLS waivers. He joined... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Fernando Clavijo is resigning as coach of the Rapids effective immediately, according to the Denver Post this morning. No real shocker here as Clavijo left the club earlier last week to be with his... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

With the sale of midfielder Maurice Edu still in holding over a work permit, Toronto FC is trying to figure out what to do with that $5 million transfer fee. Apparently they are looking to go green,... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

The Galaxy face the Fire. As Luis mentioned before, this match gets spicier with the new additions to both teams - McBride and Arena (though of course, Arena won't play, though he might be a better goalkeeper than Steve Cronin. Actually, probably not, considering that in the one game Arena played for the U.S. national team, he couldn't get a shut out, either.)

This makes the second time I've picked Brazil to win a major tourney. I did it during the World Cup of 2007. We know how well that turned out. Honestly, I'm not picking against the U.S. because Abby Wambach isn't there. I'm picking Brazil because I think they're that good and they're finally ready to own that and win the big one. I actually think the U.S. has more of a chance without Wambach. Abby's absence means that Brazil doesn't really have a complete understanding of the U.S. With Wambach in the picture, the U.S. was a bit Germanlike, despite Pia Sundhage's attempts to instill more…

I guess soccer isn't as far along as I thought. I know it's not an upper-tier sport here; I'm not delusional. But I thought that soccer deserved enough respect to have an important match broadcast uncut, commercial-free, as it is around the globe.But MSNBC doesn't quite feel that way, and that much was evident during the Brazil-Argentina match this morning.I got up early, not necessarily to watch the game but I had some writing I had to knock out for an overseas client. After filing the story, I turned on the match. It had already started as I joined around the sixth minute. My girls were…

I always like to read columnists' opinions on soccer, well, columnists who can take an objective look at a game or a hiring or a move or whatever without having to drop in a "soccer sucks" reference.Anyway, I always enjoy reading colleague Jim Alexander whenever he has the chance to chime in on Chivas USA and/or the Galaxy. Same with a former colleague in Steve Dilbeck, who I worked with for about a year and a half at the San Bernardino Sun.Dilbeck's bread and butter is the big sports - Lakers, Dodgers, etc. - but he's been out at HDC before. I don't know that he's a soccer nut like I am -…

What can I say, I'm not a fan of Bruce Arena. He did well with the US of course but he certainly is not the mastermind many made him out to be.Here's my PE column that I wrote about Arena's supposed grandiose tenure with the US national team.I guess I tried to counter some of what Tim Leiweke said about Arena, that the was the best coach in this country or something to the effect. The exact wording is in my column.Anyway, yes, Arena won two titles but that was in the very early days of MLS. He had a chance to show what he could do with New York and did practically nothing. Okay, getting to…

OK, this is admittedly a bit of sour grapes over some poor Euro 2008 decisions by Löw - where poor, for example, could equal David Odonkor. I mean, everything had been in place. I had written a Marin player profile, dug up a highlight video on YouTube to win over

Dastardly striker Henrik Larsson opens the scoring: France stars of the present and future, Sagna and Benzema, combine to equalize; Toulalan pulling the strings in midfield! Sidney Govou with a goal? Malouda with an assist? And Toulalan the playmaker again. Are we changing that "Defensive" in front "Midfielder" to "Complete"?

The genius of Karel Brückner is slowly revealed... After unveiling the Austrian attack and the new goal scoring threat, Emanuel Pogatetz driving home the first goal of the match, his master strategy became clear. With the Campioni del mondo, now fretting over the new super-power Austria taking a two goal lead,

Maybe I'm a morsel too energetic about this but in the Austria v Italy friendly, Emanuel Pogatetz ~ Mad Dog, scored at the fifteen minute mark. I will provide a review after the match concludes. Mad Dog - the scoring threat!

From l'Equipe. No huge surprises for starters, but it's good to see Mexès starting. And I'm interested to see what Sagna can do, too. Malouda and Govou feel like a weak attacking midfield. Are either Toulalan or L. Diarra going to help them out, do you

I have absolutely no evidence to back this up, but I’m guessing a second honeymoon lacks a bit of the zest and flair of the first edition. Certainly was the case for Marcello Lippi today in his second debut as head coach of the Azzurri because it, uh, didn’t go so well. Austria, the team [...]

Even when getting beat Iker Casillas is in perfect form. (Anders Debel Hansen/AFP/Getty Images)

Great news for lovers of pacy Frenchmen with silly haircuts and two broken legs: Djibril Cissé is heading back to the Premier League. Cissé’s current club Marseille have reached an “agreement in principle” for the striker to join Sunderland on loan until the end of the season. Though Cissé’s scoring record at Marseille was decent last [...]

Is it just me, or has this transfer window just been punch yourself in the head awful? There are less than two weeks to go until the end of August and so far… almost nothing has happened. Robbie Keane has gone to Liverpool. Ronaldinho made his bargain move to Milan, and Rafael van der Vaart [...]

Well, it’s quite evident why this guy isn’t doing these shows in the Prem. This is a member of the Red Devils, the British Army’s parachuting team, who attempted to land in the stadium during the Burnley - Ipswich Town Championship game this weekend. Unfortunately, he wasn’t aiming for the roof. He was aiming for [...]

Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) recently named Shafiqul Islam Manik as the new national team coach.

Australia's Socceroos go into next month's crucial World Cup qualifying clash in Uzbekistan unsure of the challenge that awaits them.

Australia coach Pim Verbeek believes his side are now well prepared to begin their World Cup qualifying campaign following a 2-2 draw with World Cup 2010 hosts South Africa in London on Tuesday.

Kuwait’s Al Salmiya recorded their first victory in the Gulf Club Championship beating Oman’s Dhofar 3-2 on Tuesday.

2010 FIFA World Cup hopefuls Australia were held 2-2 by South Africa in a friendly encounter at the QPR’s Loftus Road Stadium on Tuesday.

Zambianfootball.net understands that premier league side Zanaco have decided to end their relationship with head coach Wesley Mondo by mutual consent. According to highly placed sources, Mondo is no longer in-charge of the bankers after a 14 month spell...(read more)

Football Association of Zambia, FAZ has mourned the passing away of its Patron and Republican President H.E. Levy P. Mwanawasa S.C at the Percy Military Hospital yesterday. FAZ vice president, Emmanuel Munaile who is also the association spokesperson...(read more)

Kirchheim 0-2 Zambia (Rodger Kola 78”, 83”) Second half substitute Rodger Kola scored two goals in a space of five minutes to give Zambia a 2-0 win over Germany’s third division Kirchheim. Chipolopolo Boys trainer Herve Renard gave international...(read more)

by: Travis Mills Sweden Boyd Mwila’s three first half goals, all within 15 minutes, led road attack for Orgryte in a 3-1 victory at Degerfors. The former Chiparamba Great Eagles striker opened the scoring in the 25th minute as he was able to run...(read more)

Football Association of Zambia, FAZ has confirmed that Chipolopolo Boys’ friendly against Germany side VfL Kirchheim is on as scheduled, despite the sudden death of Republican President, Levy P. Mwanawasa SC earlier in the today. The match kicked off...(read more)

I've been having some trouble sleeping the last few nights. I lie there almost wide awake then drift off into that sleep that doesn't seem like sleep at all. I have these strange and weird dreams that make no kind of sense to me at all. Vivid motion picture dreams but at the same time I'm convinced that I'm not asleep. It's all terribly confusing. I mean, last night I dreat that we were about to sign Mikael Silvestre from Manchester United. The fish-faced, Freddie Ljungberg head-butting cunt from Manchester United. I must be eating too much cheese before bed time. Still, it's good to have a…

It's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new deal for Adebayor. Arsenal confirmed that the striker has signed a new long term contract - and obviously someone running the website has a sense of humour because the picture they used couldn't possibly have been any better. So well done to Adebayor, he got himself a pay rise. Now the pressure is really on to show that he deserves it, time to get your shooting boots on, Ade. Tomas Rosicky must be bored. Since he limped off at Newcastle he's had little to do but eat pies if the pictures of him at the game on Saturday are anything to go by. He's…

Morning all, it's the start of another week. Dreary too. The weather really is depressing for summertime. After the chorus of boos that Emmanuel Adebayor was treated to on Saturday Arsene Wenger has urged fans to get behind the Togonator and leave what happened in the summer in the past. He says: We have to get behind him and support him because he is of tremendous importance for the team and you want your fans to be behind him. What happened in the transfer period did not always reflect his deep desire [to stay] and there was manipulation from agents on both sides. I'm sure Adebayor heard…

So the season starts with a win, three points and a reasonable performance given the understrength nature of the side, particularly in midfield. There's nothing like an early goal to settle the nerves and that's exactly what we got. It was a lovely goal too. Bendtner played it wide to Clichy, who fed it to Denilson whose run into the box was excellent, he cut it back for new boy Samir Nasri to sidefoot home and to make it 1-0. A debut goal for Nasri will do him the world of good and I liked what I saw of him yesterday. Good on the ball, isn't afraid of having a shot and he works hard. Of…

So here it is. At least. The new season. Are you excited? Chomping at the bit? Psyched? Pumped? Yeah, all of those things. As usual on the eve of a big game we hear a lot from Arsene Wenger at his pre-match press conference. Sometimes on a Saturday morning I look at the glut of stories and it's amost intimidating thinking about how to sort them and present them. I suppose the main thing is the team news and we have Kolo Toure and Samir Nasri back compared to the squad that faced Schteve McClaren'sh Eff-shee Twente, but the boss admits Kolo is still a little bit short of fitness. He says he…

Michael Dawson is one of the worst centre-halves I have ever seen. If you could win medals for shirt pulling he’d be a fucking champion but someone needs to explain to him what defending is about. Spurs are a team built for La Liga. Go past the centre-halves and there is no physical presence. The midfield is tiny, technically very good, but tiny. They’re going to struggle unless they beef up that area with a signing. Boos for Adebayor and Berbatov from Arsenal and Spurs fans show, perhaps, that fans patience with greedy players is wearing thin. It’s very uncommon to hear…

I’m tremendously excited about this new season. Even though we had the European Championships, this off season seems to have taken so long it’s almost rude. Maybe it’s been the relatively quiet transfer market (in terms of big name players at least) My best guess is that the title race will be between Chelsea and Man United, although much was made of Portugal’s defensive frailties from set pieces under Scolari, and how will United get on while Ronaldo is out injured? After Wednesdays performance against Standard Liege, is this really the season Liverpool mount a…

A few things have caught my eye in the first week or so. 1) Free kicks - how many from outside the box have been on target? Not many! I hate to say it, but I think the ball plays a part in this. It looks like the one I bought in 1982 from a newsagent. 2) Diving - Jesus, how many times are people going to get away with this? Refs were told to clamp down on it, as with the shirt pulling, yet it just goes on and on. 3) Defending - I think the team that wins this tournament will be the one with the best defence; so far, I reckon that’s Holland. My initial prediction has gone out the window,…