Soccer Hero

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Introducing the Newest Rooney

Welcome to the world Kai Rooney, you’re in for a bumpy ride.

First the day old son of Manchester United superstar Wayne Rooney and his childhood sweetheart Coleen will spend his first weeks all over the papers as people speculate why the first couple of English soccer chose such a name in the first place. After all Wayne has always seemed a pretty down to earth bloke (for a multi millionaire soccer player)

Some people have speculated it is after a character in the Mortal Kombat video game series, while others think that Coleen (who her mother says was the one to pick out the name) may have gone for its meaning in other languages. In Burma it means unbreakable, in Nigeria it can mean love, in Japan it translates to "the ocean" and in Chinese Mandarin it means victory. In ancient Persian it meant "Great King" and in Scandinavia "keeper of the keys".

To add a little extra pressure on the lad British bookmakers William Ladbrokes have started taking bets on what Rooney Jr (his middle name is Wayne) might do with his future. They currently have him at 100/1 to play in the Premier League, 125/1 to play for Manchester United and 150/1 to gain a full England cap.

Win a $25 Gap Gift Certificate

Soccer Source Competition.
Rooney, Torres or someone else. Who will score the most goals in the Premiership this year and why? We want your opinions. Leave your comments here and make sure to leave your real email address. Best comment wins a $25 Gap gift certificate. Winner to be chosen on Tuesday November 3rd 2009.

Drew and the Seattle Sounders

Great interview with comedian Drew Carey about his Seattle Sounders and their MLS playoff chances, as well as what makes his team so unique in the world of soccer.

Swine Flu Hits Blackburn Rovers

Swine flu (or H1N1 as it is properly known) has been hitting the headlines on both sides of the Atlantic for a while now. But now it has apparently found its way to Blackburn Rovers, with at least 3 players being ruled out of the English Premiership club’s Carling Cup tie against Petersborough on Tuesday.

Manager Sam Allardyce confirmed the fact to the BBC but would not name the players involved, although on the club website it is stated that a “virus” was to blame for David Dunn and Chris Samba missing the Saturday 5-0 defeat at Chelsea on Saturday.

At the same press conference Big Sam said the team only decided to play at Stamford Bridge at the weekend because Premiership rules held them to the fixture, and according to Allardyce he was told it was too late on Friday to call the game off, even if other players were at risk for contracting the virus.

No so, say the league. A spokesman told BBC Sport "Blackburn made contact with the Premier League on Friday to report the outbreak of swine flu but did not request for the fixture against Chelsea to be postponed. The Premier League does not anticipate at this stage a situation where any game will be postponed as a result of swine flu.”

So it is with whatever team they can field that Rovers will face the challenge on Tuesday night. And given the drubbing they were handed by Lampard and Co and the fact that their opponents next weekend are Manchester United it was probably time for Sam to make some serious lineup changes anyway.

Is a Big Four Shakeup on the Cards in the EPL?

For once the top of the English Premiership is tighter than Cristiano Ronaldo’s short shorts. None of them put in a very convincing performance this week, while other teams on their heels played some beautiful soccer and got great results.

Manchester United have not looked dominant or that impressive at all this season, although Ferguson won’t admit it. No Wayne Rooney against Bolton almost led to their undoing. So what happens if the side is Wayne less for a long period of time?

Chelsea looked no better in their defeat at the hands of a solid Aston Villa who do not seem to be missing Gareth Barry over much. John Terry and Frank Lampard both look well under par and what the hell is Peter Cech wearing on his head?

And then there is Liverpool. Beach ball incident aside, without Gerrard and Torres on the pitch they look very poor indeed.

Although Arsenal are looking ok, they seem to have a problem hanging on to lead, especially at 2-0, and no one player is dominating so far.

And despite all the money Mark Hughes was allowed to splash around this summer it is two other teams (with a much smaller payroll) that seem to be the ones to watch – Aston Villa and Sunderland. Both teams put in the work every game and the graft is paying off.

Speaking of Sunderland, I for one seriously want Fabio Cappello to explain the rationale of leaving out Darren Bent from England’s recent qualifiers, because the man is practically on fire at the moment, even if he did get a bit of a break from a spot of poor referring last weekend.

Beach Ball Ref to be Investigated.

On the same day that Alex Ferguson learned that he will be facing charges for the fact that he suggested that an English Premiership referee was not quite fit to do his job, one of them will be facing scrutiny from the FA himself.

Mike Jones was the official who let Darren Bent’s balloon assisted goal against Liverpool stand on Saturday when the laws of football (which the referee is there to enforce) state clearly that such a goal should have been disallowed, since the game should have been halted as soon as the “outside interference”, in this case a Liverpool themed beach ball apparently thrown onto the pitch by a toddler, occurred.

While his error is investigated Ref Jones is being demoted next weekend to oversee a Champions League game instead of the top flight game he was scheduled for. A number of professionals, including former referees have expressed their shock at the glaring error.

To give credit where its due, Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez did not cry in public about the non goal dismissing it as “a very technical question”. He was more concerned about his team putting in another lackluster performance. Alex Ferguson made no comments about the affair either, although he must be having a nice little chuckle in private.

Sir Alex faces the Music over Ref Remarks

With Diego Maradona already facing disciplinary action for the rather off color interview he gave to the press after his Argentinean side qualified for the FIFA World Cup last week , it is Sir Alex Ferguson’s turn to face the music.

The 67 year old Manchester United manager has now officially been charged with improper conduct by the English FA over his remarks about referee Alan Wiley after a match against Sunderland back on October 3^rd.

The game ended in a draw, and in post match interview’s Ferguson questioned the referee’s fitness to adjudicate. "The pace of the game demanded a referee who was fit. He was not fit."

After he drew heavy criticism, especially from the referees’ union, Fergie did apologize for any personal embarrassment he had caused Wiley but did not go as far as retracting his comments claiming the comments were to highlight "what I believe to be a serious and important issue in the game".

For the ref’s union this was not enough and they pressed the FA to sanction Ferguson, who has been banned in the past for his comments about the referees in the Premier League. Alan Leighton, who is the head of the union says he not on a witch hunt against the veteran manager but “ If this had gone unchecked, other managers would have felt able to make similar slurs and that fundamentally brings the game into disrepute."

Sir Alex has until November 3^rd to answer the charges.

Maradona Weeps with Joy as Argentina Secure a World Cup Berth

His fitness as a manager has been questioned, even by the countrymen who worship him for what he did on the soccer pitch as a player. But with his team putting in a performance that could only be described as feisty, and a single goal deciding their fate in the 84^th minute, Diego Maradona and his Argentine team silenced their critics and for now at least, Argentina’s favorite son is just that once again.

In typical Maradona style his reaction to his team’s victory over Uruguay was extremely emotional. Flying to the center of the pitch to hug his players and crying with joy, no one could doubt his passion for what he does now. One has to ask if he knew that by virtue of Chile’s defeat of Ecuador earlier in the day both teams on the pitch would have qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup whatever the result. Before that happened the loser would have been hoping for a place off place at very best. If he did, it did nothing to tone his emotional reaction down.

The winning goal was side footed from Mario Bolatti out of the midst of a goal mouth tussle. He had been brought on for Gonzalo Higuain a mere four minutes earlier, making Maradona appear a tactical genius, even though those who have criticized his managerial skills recently have made a point of attacking his selection decisions.

Rio Feels the Wrath of Fabio, but in a Milder Form than Expected

The one thing that the England players who hope to board the plane to Johannesburg to compete for their country in the 2010 FIFA World Cup next year know for sure – that their boss Fabio Capello means business, and has no problem benching even the biggest stars to achieve his ambitions for the team.

The latest star to incur the wrath of Fabio is Manchester United veteran Rio Ferdinand. His error in the game at Dnipropetrovsk led to goalkeeper Robbie Green being sent off leaving the side with ten men, and his overall play was sloppy to say the least. Couple this with the shocking lack of defensive skills he displayed against the Netherlands last August, practically gifting the opposition a 2-2 draw and a shambolic performance in the recent Manchester derby and it may seem to many that Rio’s passage to South Africa is far from guaranteed.

Indeed the Manchester United number 5 was summoned to a private meeting with Capello after Saturday’s loss, and while he retains his spot for the Wednesday clash with Belarus the boss apparently made it clear that things have to change.

Capello spoke with the press on Tuesday about the conversation "I spoke with him on Monday and this morning. I will speak on the day of the game. I asked him about what happened. I spoke with him about the moment, different things. He is a good man, a big man, an important player for England and United. He needs to play [against Belarus]. The experience of Rio will be very important for us. I have big confidence in him." Milder comments than some expected.

In fact the line up for Wednesday will differ considerably from the one that took to the pitch amidst a storm of missiles at the weekend. Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard are both injured (much to the consternation of their club managers Alex Ferguson and Rafa Benitez) so Peter Crouch and Gabriel Agbonlahor get a start leading the attack.

Another Man U player getting a second chance though is goalkeeper Ben Foster, who has also made some glaring mistakes of late at both the club and international level.

And all these changes fit in with Capello’s tactics. "We won't always play the same style," he said. "We need to play other styles, style A, B, C. It depends on the opposition and the style of the game we need to play. We need to practice other styles. I want to see some players in different formations.".

The Belarus game should be a good example of that with Gareth Barry set to return to the midfield over Michael Carrick and youngster Aaron Lennon covering the left.

All this means while technically the game is only a friendly, as England have already secured qualification, it should be well worth watching to see how Capello’s tweaks and changes work out.

CR9 is Cursed, But Rooney has an Alibi...

Most soccer fans thought it was a bad idea when wonder boy Cristiano Ronaldo was running around New York City this summer with Paris Hilton but according to the crazy stories that are abounding in the Spanish press it was a lot more than that.

The story, which has all the elements of a great tele novella, goes that a week or so ago an “unnamed ” Spanish sorcerer told the press that he had been paid to put a curse on the Real Madrid star. Ha ha very funny, except the very next day CR9 pulled up lame and sat out of the match against Seville, which the team promptly lost , their first defeat of the season.

But wait, it gets better. To keep the story going, the El Mundo newspaper went after more details from the Harry Potter wanna be, who has been revealed as a 57 year old from Malaga called Pepe (no relation, one hopes, to Cristiano’s teammate of the same name)

According to Pepe he was hired by a female who was “deceived” by the Portuguese playboy. Given that he rarely dates the same woman for more than a few weeks, this did little to narrow the suspect pool. However, as Pepe told the paper that his client was “very famous, rich and non European.” the Spanish press have now decided that the culprit has to be the Queen of the Airheads herself, Paris Hilton. (although if it was her, I’m actually very impressed. I didn’t think her pea brain was capable of such deviousness. Sure beats drunk dialing.)

Apparently sorcerery in Spain is a fairly lucrative business, as Pepe says he charged $21,000 to place his first curse, which he achieved, he says, with a handcrafted voodoo doll. And he’s not done yet. For a little extra he has apparently agreed to up the ante, and has now placed a curse that will end CR9’s playing days altogether which says he won’t lift even if “Ronaldo’s crying mother knelt before him.”

But, this is not the first time Real Madrid have encountered Senor Pepe. In 2003 he wrote to the club claiming to have cursed David Beckham Esteban Cambiasso, Fat Ronaldo, and assistant coach Carlos Queiroz, and 2006 he was back again to have a go at Raul, Fabio Cannavaro, Sergio Ramos and Iker Casillas, so at least poor Crissie can count himself in good company.

Of course, Real fans are not going to let their investment go down like this. Enter Portuguese wizard Fernando Nogueira, who has now cast a counter spell to keep his countryman in top form.

Maradona Threatens to Quit, Whether or Not Argentina Make it to The World Cup

He may be one of the greatest players who ever graced the soccer pitch. He may have scored two of the most famous goals in FIFA World Cup history – one the most controversial and one perhaps the finest – but Diego Mardona’s skills as a soccer manager are seriously under scrutiny, as it seems increasingly likely that his Argentina side will not be making the trip to Johannesburg next year at all.

So in a fit of temper that many have seen him display before, Maradona is now threatening to quit, even if Lionel Messi and the others on his squad can pull off a qualification miracle.

Much of the blame for the team’s failure has been put on Maradona. Soccer pundits and fans alike think he lacks the ability to come up with a cohesive team strategy and that his selection choices are just too inconsistent. But Diego places the blame elsewhere.

According to Argentinean media sources Maradona and the national team’s technical director Carlos Bilardo have had a huge falling out and are barely on speaking terms. Apparently Maradona feels that Bilardo’s interference in the team’s affairs is the cause of all the failings of late, not his own lack of managerial skills.

What that interference has been no one except Maradona really knows, but he told the press that regardless of the outcome of the qualification battle he will only be staying on if his as yet unknown conditions are met by Argentine Football Association president Julio Grondona. "Things happened that I didn't like and I will speak about them later.” he said.

I, for one, cannot wait to hear what he has to say.

Internet Only England Match Distresses Fan

The upcoming England match against Ukraine on Saturday is the first of what may eventually become widespread in soccer – for the first time ever the match will only be available to UK soccer fans online, with television coverage being blacked out altogether.

This came about after the collapse of Setana – the cable TV firm that owned the rights to a number of soccer matches – and not everybody is too happy about it.

English soccer fans are more than internet savvy but there are a number of problems facing the die hard soccer fan who wants to watch Rooney and Co. in action this weekend.

First of all is the cost. British TV viewers are used to watching most soccer games for free, and the idea of paying between $10 and $20 to watch a single game really rankles some fans. The other problem is that the webcast will only be accepting the first one million subscribers who sign up, to avoid exceeding bandwith limits. Considering that the average viewing audience in the UK for an England match on TV is 6 million then a lot of people will be missing out.

The decision to air the match on the Internet only was not taken by the English FA, as the game rights belong to the Ukrainians, as the game is being played there. That matters little to disgruntled England fan Mark Perryman "A World Cup qualifier should be available for everybody on free-to-air TV,"he told the BBC "It seems to me there's a very simple solution - Fifa and Uefa should insist as a condition of entry that all nations sell their games to terrestrial stations, whether its the home or away market." It should be pointed out that this is really only a friendly game, as England have already qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

One man who actually thinks the webcast is a good idea is England defender Rio Ferdinand. He told reporters "I read that online advertising has taken over from TV, so that tells you something about where it's going in terms of the digital world,". Internet marketing is something that the Manchester United veteran does know quite a bit about, his digital magazine “#5” is about to launch its third edition and by all accounts its doing very well.

Maybe the Sol will rise after all.

A few weeks ago former Arsenal and England superstar was improbably signed to play for Notts County, a team who although the oldest in professional football play these days in the lowly depths of England’s Division Two. He was recruited by another fallen star, former England manager Sven Goran Erikson, who recently became the clubs Director of Football. But after just one game Sol abruptly left the training ground, never to return, and has yet to publically explain why he did so.

For many that seemed to signal the end of a long and illustrious career, but at 35, some in the game felt Campbell still has what it takes to cut it in the EPL, if as his old Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger remarked ‘he wanted it enough.”

How much he wants it is somewhat of an unknown still, but there is it seems considerable interest from Hull, Aston Villa and Wolves, all EPL clubs, in obtaining his services.

For Hull manager Phil Brown adding the solid power of Campbell to his leaky defense may help silence the ever increasing criticisms he is facing, while adding the experience of a seasoned EPL veteran like Campbell could be a big boost to a young Wolves side that is trying to find its way in the EPL after their promotion to the division after a six year absence.

But before he can speak with anyone, Campbell will have to prove to the English FA that he had a valid reason for walking away from Notts County. He has entered an appeal with the governing body to be allowed to circumvent the rules that sate unless there were exceptional circumstances that necessitated his departure he will not be eligible to sign with any other team until the January 2010 transfer window opens up.

What he may or may not have to say in his defense might shed some light on the dealings at Notts County, which many soccer pundits consider to be rather shady to say the least.

In the meantime the trouble Meadow Lane continues. After the players reported the clubs management to their union last week for failure to pay bonuses that they were promised for winning, the team and Sven Goran Erikson especially suffered another public embarrassment when forward Luke Rodgers was arrested over the weekend after a nightclub brawl.

Which is a big shame, because what is being forgotten amid all the drama behind the scenes, on the pitch the club are off to a very respectable start, having yet to be beaten at Meadow Lane in six games.

Steven Gerrard..Superhero?

Naruto, Goku and now Steven Gerrard? The manga craze hits the world of soccer as Adidas launch a new anime themed campaign that features the Liverpool star, as well as other soccer super heroes including Kaka and Zinedine Zidane.

Happy Boss, Mad Boss. Benitez had a Moody Week

What a difference a few days make in the wild world of English Premier soccer. On Saturday Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez was all smiles after his team pulverized Hull City 6-1. He was full of praise for his side, especially Fernando Torres, who scored a hattrick in the game.

Today it was a very different sounding Benitez who addressed the media after Liverpool’s crushing 2-0 loss to Fiorentina last night. This time he said his team made too many mistakes, failed to focus in the first half and that the team was “bad all over the pitch.”

He finished his mini tirade by assuring the press that his Reds would never play like that again. "I cannot really recall a performance like that. We certainly will never be as bad again."he said.

Liverpool have a chance to impress their moody manager again on Saturday when they face Chelsea, who should be hungry for a win after their surprise 3-1 defaet at the hands of Wigan Athletic last week.

Random Funny Soccer Clip

A prime example of why a goalkeeper should stay in his area.

Long, Strange Trip for Clarets Fan to Follow his Team

Sometimes you do what you have to do to follow your favorite soccer team. But the lengths that Burnley FC fan Jason Taylor will be going to to watch his team in action against northern rivals Blackburn next month.

The match is a local derby, but to avoid the kind of trouble that erupted at the Millwall/West Ham game in August the officials at Burnley aren’t taking any chances, and have laid down some very strict conditions for their fans who want to travel to watch the Clarets in action.

Fans will need to gather at their home Turf Moor stadium four hours before kickoff and travel the 13 miles to Blackburn via chartered coach.

The problem for Jason is that he lives just around the corner from Ewood Park, the home of the Blackburn Rovers. But, in order to attend the game, as a Burnley fan he will have to get in his car, drive to Burnley, park, and then get on the coach to go back to ground that is a minute’s walk from his front door. Then do the whole thing again after the final whistle blows.

When he spoke to the British newspaper The Sun about his long strange trip he wasn’t happy. "I'll be getting up at 7.30am for a game four minutes away. I'm very frustrated at these measures which are totally over the top.

"I'll spend the day in the car, the coach and on the motorway."he told them.

But, despite all that, like the true soccer fan he is, he’s going to take one for the team and grin and bear it.

Top 10 World Cup Goals?

For those of you who just cannot wait for the FIFA World Cup in 2010, reliving the past competitions might make you feel better. these are the the Top 10 World Cup goals ever, as picked by the BBC? Watch it and see if you agree.

FA Aims To Hit West Ham and Millwall Hard after Upton Park Riot

If the English FA has their way both Millwall and West Ham United will be paying dearly for the actions of their fans on August 25th, 2009.

That night millions of British, and indeed soccer fans worldwide, saw images of hooliganism and match day violence that haven’t been seen since the bad old days of the 1980s when bands of rowdy English soccer fans were considered the scourge of Europe.

Today the FA issued a multitude of charges they want both clubs to answer, and the penalties could include forcing the clubs to play matches behind closed doors, and their supporters being banned from attending live soccer games for life.
According to an official statement the FA has issued the same set of charges to both clubs. These are:

• Failure to ensure their supporters refrained from violent, threatening, obscene and provocative behavior.
• Failure to ensure their supporters refrained from racist behavior.
• Failure to ensure their supporters did not throw missiles, harmful or dangerous objects onto the pitch.

In addition, as they were the home side, West Ham have been charged with failure to ensure that their supporters did not gain access to the field of play – a result of two different pitch invasions by Hammers fans during the game.

During the course of the evening in question both Hammers striker Carlton Cole and Millwall's Jason Price were subjected to racial taunts and the targets of flying objects hurled at the pitch. 200 seats in the Upton park ground were damaged and an entire block of toilet facilities was badly damaged.

Outside the ground, one man was stabbed and taken to hospital and several others received minor injuries in a number of different scuffles.

Both clubs have 14 days to respond in writing to the charges.

Soccer pundits say that the FA has no choice but to come down hard on both clubs, as any signs that the bad old days of soccer hooliganism might be creeping back into English soccer will seriously damage the country’s high profile bid to host the FIFA World Cup in 2018.

EPL Weekend Round Up 9/26-9/27/2009

This weekend provided some great goalscoring and a few upsets in the English Premier League

On Saturday, after losing to Arsenal last week Wigan Athletic managed to upset a lackluster Chelsea side with a 3-1 win at home at the DW Stadium. Only Didier Drogba managed to net for the Blues, and Wigan may have been helped by the fact that goalkeeper Peter Cech was sent off, after fouling Hugo Rodallega in the box.
Rivals Liverpool had a much happier afternoon, pounding Hull City by a score of 6-1, three of the goals being provided by Fernando Torres.

Over in Stoke, Manchester United put themselves at the top of the table for the first time this season with a 2-0 win, while Robbie Keane scored an amazing for goals to lift his Tottenham side to a 5-0 win over the struggling Burnley.
For Arsenal it was a hard fought 1-0 victory over Fulham, courtesy of a Van Persie goal, and Portsmouth remain pointless, losing 1-0 to Everton.

Sam Allardyce’s Blackburn Rovers pulled back an improbable win over Aston Villa. Conceding a goal in the third minute and being reduced to ten men in the second half did not stop them from coming away the 2-1 victory, scoring in the 89th minute to win.

Another late winner came in the match between Birmingham City and Bolton, with a fairly equal game being decided by a goal by substitute Chung-Yong Lee, his first for the Wanderers giving Bolton the 2-1 win.

Sunday was a nightmare for Mick McCarthy and his Wolves side. Two early penalties gave Sunderland the lead at half time, only for Wolves to roar back to a draw. Unfortunately Sunderland managed to add three more of their own handing Wolves a 5-2 defeat, especially sad since the score did not eventually reflect the level of play the Wolves offence put in.

Will Cristiano Ronaldo Be Staying Home Next Summer?

The 2010 FIFA World Cup is traditionally the stage where the best soccer players in the world showcase their talent. But some of the biggest names in soccer lore never did make it to the big show. George Best, Alfredo Distefano and Eric Cantona to name just a couple off the top of my head. In 2010 at least you may have to add the world’s most expensive soccer player – Cristiano Ronaldo – to the list.

He may have just broken a Real Madrid record by scoring in all four of his first games for the club but his showing in international competition has been poor, and he and Portugal, just like Lionel Messi and Argentina, are in serious danger of missing out on the festivities in Johannesburg next June.

But unlike Messi, who seems to be trying to carry his team on his shoulders, Ronaldo is just as guilty as any of his national side team mates of putting in less than stellar performances in the 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign. In the last 23 months Ronaldo has scored just 2 goals for his country and none at all in the eight World Cup qualifiers so far. While in his last season in the Premiership with Manchester United he netted 26 overall and his tally at Real Madrid is already 7 in 5 appearances. So obviously there is nothing wrong with his game.

So what is going wrong? No one really seems to know. There are other great players on the side apart from CR9. Nani, from Manchester United, Deco from Chelsea and Simao from Athletico Madrid, to name but a few. But still, in the recent game against Denmark the side was only able to hit the back of the net once in 35 shots at goal.

Time is running out fast for Portugal. The two remaining qualifying games, which they will get to play at home, against Hungary and Malta will have to yield maximum points and even then Portugal would have to rely on a Swedish slip up to qualify. Unless something changes very quickly it looks like Ronaldo will be spending the summer next year working on his tan, rather than joining fellow new Real Madrid superstar Kaka in South Africa.

Diego Maradona and the Case of the Confiscated Earrings

Diego Maradona – soccer legend, Argentinean national team manager and now enemy of the state in Italy?

As if he didn’t have enough to contend with trying to get his underperforming team through to the FIFA 2010 World Cup, he now has to deal once again with the ghosts of misdeeds that allegedly took place during his time at Italian soccer club Napoli back in the eighties.

According to Italian authorities Maradona still owes the government 37 million Euros – about $54 million – in back taxes. Whenever he spotted in the country police officers are allowed to act upon a court ruling that decreed that they could seize any valuables carried or worn by the soccer legend that are “in plain sight”.

So why he went to an Italian health club last week sporting a pair of his trademark diamond earrings is anyone’s guess. Perhaps because he says they are only worth about 4000 euros, he thought that authorities might overlook them. But no, two officers entered the facility and promptly took them away. Less of a loss though than he suffered in 2002, when Italian policemen confiscated two pricey Rolex watches from him while he was watching a charity soccer match.

Maradona has always challenged the assertion that he owes the taxes, saying that his former Serie A club should have been paying them for him.

U-20 World Cup Gets Underway in Cairo

There is of course a building excitement about the 2010 FIFA World Cup that will be played in Johannesburg next June. But right now there is another World Cup underway that is showcasing the talent of a new generation of soccer stars, the 2009 Under 20 World Cup which is being played in Egypt.

The home side got the tournament off to a flying start on Thursday with a 4-1 win over the team from Trinidad and Tobago.

The schedule below details the rest of the upcoming matches in a tournament while lesser known than its senior counterpart was the starting place for the international careers of many of the current superstars of the soccer world including Kaka and Lionel Messi.

Thursday, Sep. 23

#1 12:55 p.m. Egypt vs. Trinidad & Tobago (Group A, Alexandria)

Friday, Sep. 24

#2 9:55 a.m. Paraguay vs. Italy (Group A, Cairo)

#3 12:40 p.m. Nigeria vs. Venezuela (Group B, Cairo)

#4 3:25 p.m. Spain vs. Tahiti (Group B, Cairo)

Saturday, Sep. 25

#5 9:55 a.m. USA vs. Germany (Group C, Suez)

#6 12:40 p.m. Cameroon vs. Korea Republic (Group C, Suez)

#7 12:40 p.m. Ghana vs. Uzbekistan (Group D, Ismailia)

#8 3:25 p.m. England vs. Uruguay (Group D, Ismailia)

Sunday, Sep 26

#9 9:55 a.m. Brazil vs. Costa Rica (Group E, Port Said)

#10 12:40 p.m. Czech Republic vs. Australia (Group E, Port Said)

#11 12:40 p.m. United Arab Emirates vs. South Africa (Group F, Alexandria)

#12 3:25 p.m. Honduras vs. Hungary (Group F, Alexandria)

Mon., Sept 28

#13 9:55 a.m. Nigeria vs. Spain (Group B, Cairo)

#14 12:40 p.m. Italy vs. Trinidad & Tobago (Group A, Cairo)

#15 12:40 p.m. Tahiti vs. Venezuela (Group B, Cairo)

#16 3:25 p.m. Egypt vs. Paraguay (Group A, Cairo)

Tues., Sept.29

#17 9:55 a.m. Korea Republic vs. Germany (Group C, Suez)

#18 12:40 p.m. USA vs. Cameroon (Group C, Suez)

#19 12:40 p.m. Uruguay vs. Uzbekistan (Group D, Ismailia)

#20 3:25 p.m. Ghana vs. England (Group D, Ismailia)

Wed., Sept. 30

#21 9:55 a.m. Australia vs. Costa Rica (Group E, Port Said)

#22 12:40 p.m. Brazil vs. Czech Republic (Group E, Port Said)

#23 12:40 p.m. Hungary vs. South Africa (Group F, 23 Alexandria)

#24 3:35p.m. United Arab Emirates vs. Hungary (Group F, Alexandria)

Thurs., Oct. 1

#25 12:40 p.m. Tahiti vs. Nigeria (Group B, Cairo)

#26 12:40 p.m. Venezuela vs. Spain (Group B, Cairo)

#27 3:25 p.m. Trinidad & Tobago vs. Paraguay (Group A, Cairo)

#28 3:25 p.m. Italy vs. Egypt (Group A, Cairo)

Fri., Oct. 2

#29 12:40 p.m. Korea Republic vs. USA (Group C, Suez)

#30 12:40 Germany vs. Cameroon (Group C, Ismailia)

#31 3:25 p.m. Uruguay vs. Ghana (Group D, Ismailia)

#32 3:25 p.m. Uzbekistan vs. England (Group D, Suez)

Sat., Oct. 3

#33 12:40 p.m. Hungary vs. United Arab Emirates F – 33 Alexandria)

#34 12:40 p.m. South Africa vs. Honduras (Group F, Port Said)

#35 3:25 p.m. Costa Rica vs. Czech Republic (Group E, Alexandria)

#36 3:25 p.m. Australia vs. Brazil (Group E, Port Said)

SECOND ROUND (knockout with 16 teams)

Mon., Oct. 5

#37 10:25 a.m. 1st B vs. 3rd A/C/D (Cairo)

#38 1:55 p.m. 2nd A vs. 2nd C (Cairo)

Tues, Oct. 6

#39 10:25 a.m. 1st D vs. 3rd B/E/F (Ismailia)

#40 1:55 p.m. 1st A vs. 3rd C/D/E (Cairo)

#41 1:55 p.m. 1st F vs. 2nd E (Alexandria)

Wed., Oct. 7

#42 10:25 a.m. 1st E vs. 2nd D (Port Said)

#43 10:25 a.m. 2nd B vs. 2nd F (Suez)

#44 1:55 p.m. 1st C vs. 3rd A/B/F (Suez)

QUARTERFINALS

Fri., Oct. 9

#45 10:25 a.m. Winner 38 vs. Winner 39 (Suez)

#46 1:50 p.m. Winner 37 vs. Winner 41 (Suez)

Sat., Oct. 10

#47 10:25 Winner 42 vs. Winner 44 (Cairo)

#48 1:55 p.m. Winner 43 vs. Winner 40 (Cairo)

SEMIFINALS

Tues., Oct.13

#49 10:20 a.m. Winner 45 vs. Winner 46 (Cairo)

#50 1:50 p.m. Winner 47 vs. Winner 48 (Cairo)

THIRD PLACE PLAYOFF

Fri., Oct.16

#51 10:55 a.m. Loser 49 vs Loser 50 (Cairo)

FINAL

Fri., Oct. 16

#52 1:50 p.m. Winner 49 vs Winner 50 (Cairo)

US soccer fans can follow all of the matches on ESPN 360.com

Sol Campbell Walks Out on Sven

Pundits and soccer fans were a little surprised when former England and Manchester City manager Sven Goran Eriksson decide not to pursue another top flight soccer management career after leaving his position as the head coach of Mexico’s national team last year.

Despite being linked to offers from several Premiership clubs he made the surprising move of taking a position as the Director of Football at Notts County, the oldest soccer team in England but one that has fallen to the very depths of English Professional football Football Division Two (the former Fourth Division)

Not so surprising was the signing of Sol Campbell at the start of this season. Although once an England player and a part of the Arsenal team known as the “Invincibles” (they went undefeated in the 2002/2003 season) he is now 35 and well past his best. His contract with first Division Portsmouth expired and he was about to have no team to call his own, until his old England boss arranged a free transfer to Notts County.

But apparently Sol couldn’t handle life at the bottom of the heap, and unexpectedly packed up his soccer cleats and walked out this week, immediately following a team photo shoot during which he had been all smiles.

So what went wrong? Sven Goran Eriksson, speaking on behalf of the club says he really doesn’t know. But if the rumors that Campbell was telling people he was disillusioned by the clubs progress (after just one game) are true , Erikkson says Campbell was being grossly unfair.

He told the BBC "I really don't know the real reason. He didn't like the training pitch and the dressing room and things like that but he knew that before because we showed him around before he signed. Since the new owners came in, the club has signed seven or eight new players - and you can't build a new training ground in four or five weeks. We are all sorry that he has gone but the project goes on without Sol Campbell, nothing has changed."

For many, this seems to put an end to Campbell’s long career, especially since he made such a dramatic move that is rather out of character with his normally very pleasant demeanor.

Then again, maybe he was right to want more after all. Another former boss, Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger thinks Campbell could still be useful to a top flight team.

"It depends how much he wants it," said the Arsenal boss. "He still has enough in the locker to play in the Premier League. If he wants to play in the Premier League, he can still play in the Premier League."

Rio Ferdinand's Newest Role

Most of you probably know Rio Ferdinand as the cornerstone of the Manchester United defense. But in 2009 he also became a magazine publisher, or rather an Ezine. The 2nd edition of #5 is just out and included a peek into the soccer equipment in Cristiano Ronaldo's locker and at his rather impressive freestyle soccer tricks.

Check out the latest edition of #5 here

The New Ronaldo?

Many in the soccer world think this kid, Eden Hazard, is the next Cristiano Ronaldo. Real Madrid, Manchester United and Arsenal are all chasing him. See what you think.

Are David Beckham's World Cup Hopes Really just a Pipe Dream?

David Beckham wants to go to Johannesburg next June. Even before England clinched a spot in the final 32 last month he had made it clear to the MLS, to England manager Fabio Capello, and indeed to the entire world that that is one and only priority right now. Will he be back at the LA Galaxy next season? Who knows, and if the Becks himself has made any kind of decision he’s not talking and neither are the team. Will he go back to Italy for the winter, or is a return to the EPL on the cards? Again Beckham will only drop veiled hints. But he will tell you he wants one more shot at the World Cup, and he’ll do anything to get it.

But does he really have a chance? He’s been named by Capello to qualifying squads throughout the campaign, but when he has appeared he has not contributed in any big way. And with a wealth of younger talent in midfield it may not seem likely. But some of his closest rivals for the spots are more injury prone than he is, meaning that taking him as sub may indeed be in Fabio Cappello’s best interests.

For instance, last week Capello admitted he has pretty much ruled out former England stalwart Ledley King because of his ongoing knee problems, and he is not so sure about Manchester United’s Owen Hargreaves either, as according to his club physios he will be out of action until after Christmas at least.

"The problem with King is his knee, Manchester United's doctor said Hargreaves he will be back in two months. Joe Cole told me he would be ready in the next five weeks. He is one more important player for us and I hope he will be ready quickly." Capello told the press. And while this may all not be the best news for these guys, it makes Beckham’s chances of boarding that team plane next June all the better

Messi Says Argentina Must Qualify for World Cup 2010

Argentina have given World Cup fans some of the most memorable soccer moments in history over the years and are used to being a force to be reckoned with at every World Cup competition. But on the road to South Africa 2010 things are not going very well.

The team coach is Argentinean and World Cup legend Diego Maradona. Their star player is the man many consider to be the best soccer player anywhere in the world right now, Lionel Messi . But this has just not been enough so far. The team has lost their last two qualifying games, a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Paraguay and a 3-1 loss to Brazil.

Brazil and Paraguay’s wins over Argentina qualified both teams for South Africa 2010. In addition, Argentina is still lagging behind other teams in their group in the quest for the last automatic qualifying place. Chile are well ahead with 27 points to Argentina’s 22, and Ecuador have a one point advantage over Diego’s boys as well.

However, Lionel Messi told reporters yesterday that he is not that worried, that he and his countrymen and teammates will indeed by jetting off to Johannesburg next June. "We have to get together and go forward because Argentina can't stay out of the World Cup," the Barcelona forward said. But he also admitted he can’t do it alone “I alone won't win a match...this is down to all of us who are in the team,"

He also took the opportunity to dispel rumors that he and Maradona, to whom he is often likened, just do not get along. "The relationship with Diego is great. There are no fights (in the squad), on the contrary.”

Despite Messi’s confidence, he is right, he can’t get the team to the World Cup by himself, and the play of his teammates has been lackluster to say the least of late.
Only time will tell if Argentina will be among the final 32 but one thing is for sure, it’ll be a real loss for World Cup soccer if they don’t make it.

Soccer Goalie Blunders

Even the best soccer goalkeepers in the world make terrible mistakes, these are some of the worst (or best)Funny stuff. The main message here? Stay on your line guys, stay on your line


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