1. Maradona Lands Argentina Coaching Job

    October 29, 2008 by admin

    Are you serious?!  

    This was the first question most people asked upon learning that one of the most controversial players to ever play the game is about to land the head coaching job for the Argentina World Cup Team.  

    According to that AFA, it sounds like the deal is pretty much done.  The Vice President of the Argentinian Football Association’s national team secretary Luis Segura said Tuesday that ”the appointment will be official when the AFA’s Committee approves it. And the next meeting is scheduled for next Tuesday.  I believe there will not be any more meetings with the other candidates.”

    Now I know Maradona is widely considered one of the best players to ever play the game (or the best ever if you’re from Argentina), he led Argentina to a World Cup title in 1986, won the golden boot for the same World Cup, was voted by fans along with Pele as the FIFA Player of the Century, and much more.  What about his coaching experience?

    Well, so far he has two months as the coach of Deportivo Mandiyu 1994 and Racing Club for four months in 1995.  Hardly the resume one would seek for such a prestigious position as the head of one of the World’s strongest sides.  


    Maradona told FOX Sports: ”The offer from Julio Grondona attracted me a lot. As soon as it is confirmed, I will start working, but I can say I am very proud.

    ”I’m putting everything aside for this. There is nothing that can make me look past the national team. Today my path is the national team, my task is to talk to the players and build a solid group.

    ”I am sure the guys and Argentinian football will pull through. think we must make the players understand that our shirt is the most important thing, that they cannot exchange money for glory.

    ”Glory is much more than money. I know they know that, but we must make them remember that every day. We have enough quality to calm the nation. The road to the World Cup is not easy, but I believe in the Argentinian players.

    ”Everybody wants to play at the World Cup but we must show our traditions and our style on the field.”

    Currently Argentina is 7th overall in the FIFA World Rankings.  It will be interesting to see what the great Maradona can do with such a strong team.

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  2. Beckham on Loan to Milan?

    October 22, 2008 by admin

    Desperate to remain on England’s World Cup squad, Los Angeles Galaxy star David Beckham is considering playing with Serie A powerhouse AC Milan during this year’s MLS off-season.  

    The details of the contract are still somewhat vague, although while being interviewed by the reporters at Milan’s Malpensa airport AC Milan Vice President Adriano Galliani expressed confidence that David Beckham would be playing for his club “for some months on a free loan.”

    Galliani continued, saying, “Beckham has chosen Milan.  Our squad is ultra-competitive and it will remain this way, but Beckham is something different and intriguing.”


    Timing couldn’t be better for Beckham, who is trying to remain a viable candidate to play on the 2010 England World Cup team.  Playing for Milan will allow Beckham to maintain his fitness while playing at a much higher level than what Major League Soccer has to offer–almost certainly helping his World Cup prospects.

    Beckham will finish his season with the LA Galaxy this Sunday as the team failed to make the playoffs.  Due to a Galaxy promotional tour in both Australia and New Zealand, Beckham and Milan will have to wait until the beginning of 2009 to begin their formal engagement.

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  3. Ronaldo Contemplating Move

    October 11, 2008 by admin

    Three-time World Player of the Year Ronaldo recently received an offer to play for French team Paris Saint-Germain amidst the flurry of attention he has recently received.  The injury-ridden Brazilian is coming off of a near career-ending knee injury and is finally ready to begin training again.

     Photo from AP Photo by LUCA BRUNO

    After suffering the injury eight months ago, Ronaldo was released by AC Milan over the summer.  While nursing his injury, Ronaldo’s options are remarkably many as he has become an acquisition target for Manchester City and still has the option to remain with Flamengo.


    “Paris is a city that I love and they have a great project to win the league title,” Ronaldo told Gazzetta dello Sport.

    “However, at City I have Robinho, who is a great friend of mine.

    “But we will see, in the past few days we have spoken.

    “For the time being, my only aim is to return to playing, the rest will follow.”

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  4. U.S. Announce Roster for Qualifier vs. Cuba Saturday

    October 10, 2008 by admin

    Head Coach Bob Bradley announced last week the 23 players he will include on the roster for the U.S. Men’s National Team’s World Cup Qualifying match versus Cuba this Saturday.  The game will begin at 7 pm EST at RFK Stadium in Washington DC and can be viewed on ESPN Classic.

    © John Todd/isiphotos.com

    The United States can clinch a spot in the final World Cup qualifying round with a win over Cuba this Saturday. 

    As far as the roster is concerned, it appears that we’ll be seeing the same old crew we usually see. Whether or not Bradley chooses to use his roster in a different, more effective way is yet to be seen. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I am tired of seeing boring games where the U.S. has trouble putting a solid game together…even when playing against a poor team. We’ll see if Bradley has come up with a better scheme tomorrow evening.


    The U.S. Roster Saturday will include:

    GOALKEEPERS (3): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa, Tim Howard (Everton FC), Troy Perkins (Valerenga IF).

    DEFENDERS (8): Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes), Danny Califf (FC Midtjylland), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96), Jay DeMerit (Watford FC), Frankie Hejduk (Columbus Crew), Oguchi Onyewu (Standard de Liege), Michael Orozco (San Luis), Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock).

    MIDFIELDERS (7): Freddy Adu (AS Monaco), DaMarcus Beasley (Glasgow Rangers), Michael Bradley (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Maurice Edu (Glasgow Rangers), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Danny Szetela (Brescia Calcio), José Francisco Torres (Pachuca).

    FORWARDS (5): Jozy Altidore (Villarreal C.F.), Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo), Charlie Davies (Hammarby IF), Clint Dempsey (Fulham FC), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy).

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  5. Home Field Advantage!

    October 9, 2008 by admin

    After almost four full years of playing soccer on the University of Utah’s football field at Rice Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, UT, Real Salt Lake finally has a place to call home: Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, UT.

    “Our guys have been waiting for this for a long, long time,” general manager Garth Lagerwey said. “They’re going to be really excited and it’s certainly going to be a really good game. All that rolled together makes for a pretty phenomenal atmosphere.” 

    The stadium seats 20,008 and is expected to be filled to capacity for tonight’s game against the New York Red Bulls; a team RSL has never beaten and who is among the teams fighting with RSL for a playoff berth.

    Really, it doesn’t get much better than this,” mentioned defender Chris Wingert . “This is what everybody plays for, and with the stadium full, it’s going to be really exciting.” 

     

    The game can be viewed tonight at 8 pm MST on ESPN2

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  6. FIFA World Rankings Update

    October 8, 2008 by admin

    The Spanish Men’s National Team appears to have extended its lead over the rest of the world as it remained in first place for the fourth month in a row Wednesday.

    Although Spain’s recent World Cup qualifying wins have come over weaker teams Armenia and Bosnia, the top ranking remained in tact.  Second place Italy held its ground as well with qualifying wins over Georgia and Cyprus, and third place Germany managed to secure its ranking with its solid qualifying play.

    The Brazilians managed to make a leap in the rankings despite a tie in qualifying play against Bolivia and a 5-0 win over Chile.  Brazil jumped the Netherlands to secure the fourth place ranking.

    Unfortunately for you United States fans, the Americans are nowhere to be found in the FIFA rankings this month…well, unless you take a look at the bottom end of the list!


    1. (1) Spain
    2. (2) Italy
    3. (3) Germany
    4. (6) Brazil
    5. (4) Netherlands
    6. (5) Croatia
    7. (7) Argentina
    8. (8) Czech Republic
    9. (12) Russia
    10. (9) Portugal
    11. (11) France
    12. (14) Cameroon
    13. (10) Turkey
    14. (15) England
    15. (16) Bulgaria
    16. (19) Israel
    17. (18) Greece
    18. (13) Romania
    19. (26) Ukraine
    20. (22) Uruguay

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  7. FIFA Futsal World Cup 2008 Update

    October 4, 2008 by admin

    Much of the soccer world is unaware of one of the more entertaining events happening right now in Brasilia and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  

    A little history…

    The FIFA Futsal World Cup began in 1989 and has since been held two years after the FIFA Football World Cup.  Since its beginning, there have only been two champions: Brazil and Spain.  Brazil won the first three titles, with the Spaniards winning the last two.  Interestingly enough, Brazil has played in every championship game since the inception of the FIFA Futsal World Cup except for the last tournament held in 2004 when Spain defeated Italy for the championship.

     

    Sixteen teams participate and are permitted to do so only after qualifying.

    The first round of the FIFA Futsal World Cup includes four groups of four teams.  The top two teams in each group advance to the next round which includes two groups of four teams.  The top two in each of these groups then advance to a semifinal round, and the winners, of course, go on to the championship.

    This year’s FIFA Futsal World Cup features the following teams:

    Group A: Brazil, Russia, Cuba, Japan, Solomon Islands

    Group B: Italy, Portugal, Thailand, Paraguay, United States

    Group C: Argentina, Ukraine, Guatemala, Egypt, China

    Group D: Spain, Czech Republic, Uruguay, Libya

    So far, the traditional powerhouses of Brazil and Spain remain the favorites for this year’s World Cup.  For futsal highlights, take a look at the video below…

    YouTube Preview Image

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  8. David Beckham the Author?

    October 2, 2008 by admin

    What can’t David Beckham do?  Well, don’t let the title of this article fool you.  Although Beckham announced yesterday that he will be launching a series of children’s books next year, he will not be the actual author of the books.  

    Of course.

    Inspired by The David Beckham Academy in London and Los Angeles, the series of books are to be aimed at seven year olds and will contain tips, tactics, and soccer statistics.

     

    “The David Beckham Academy is more than just David’s dream of giving children the chance to experience great football coaching, it exists to encourage all aspects of their learning and development.
     

    “David is particularly pleased that The Academy has inspired a series of books that will bring children to reading through football,” a spokesperson for David Beckham mentioned.

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  9. Landon Donovan to play in Germany?

    September 26, 2008 by admin

    Landon Donovan, arguably the best player the United States has ever produced may be leaving the MLS for another shot at playing in Europe.  Bayern Munich has reportedly expressed interest in Donovan, to which Donovan replied, ”That’s one of the best teams in the world.  As of now, I’ve got to worry about what’s going on here, but if January rolls around and there’s interest, and the league is willing to discuss it, I would be excited to talk about it.”

    Certainly not the news LA Galaxy and MLS fans want to hear!  However, fans of the United States Men’s National Team may find comfort in knowing that the skilled forward would be under the tutilage of one of the greatest forwards ever, Jurgen Klinsman, who coaches for Bayern Munich.  While the talent gap between the MLS and European leagues is narrowing, it is still very apparent that the quality of soccer is much greater overseas.

    Donovan isn’t hiding his feelings towards the idea.  

    “It’s up to my relationship with the league and the Galaxy and if they’re willing to let that happen,” Donovan said. “There have to be teams interested, so there’s a lot of ifs, but if a team like Bayern Munich came calling, you don’t really turn them away without thinking about it.”

    “I would love for it to happen,” Donovan said of a move to Bayern Munich. “It’s up to the league, it’s up to the Galaxy and it’s up to me. I feel like I have a good relationship with all those parties, and if it were to happen, I think that would be great.”


     

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  10. 2010 World Cup Mascot Announced

    September 24, 2008 by admin

    It’s a bird, it’s a plane, no, it’s Zakumi!

    Named by taking the first two letters of the host country’s name in Afrikaans, Zakumi the friendly, cuddly, leopard was publicly unvieled on Monday, September 22.  The mascot was created by Cape Town native Andries Odendaal

    “Zakumi represents the people, geography and spirit of South Africa, personifying in essence the 2010 FIFA World Cup. We are certain we will have a lot of fun with him in the lead-up to and during the FIFA Confederations Cup and the FIFA World Cup,” said FIFA Secretary General Jérôme Valcke.


     

    Check out the video…If you ask me, it’s pretty funny!

    YouTube Preview Image

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