September 2007 Archives

I have to admit I have been rather sexist in the past. Yes, I've enjoyed some of the women's games, but with this Women's World Cup, I have to say - the quality of play was far better than in the past.

The Germans found a way to stop Marta. Or rather, she stopped herself by missing that blasted penalty. The Germans played a good solid game of "echt deutschfussball" - hard tackles, mechanical passing, and plodding runs. Still, they broke the high-strung Brazilians, and stopped the samba in mid-beat. They weren't afraid to play a "hard" game, clipping Marta and co. time and time again. The Brazilians had their chances, missed them all, and towards the end - started playing a bit too desperately.

The US thrashed Norway for third place (who cares!) by playing a looser, free-flowing game. Why didn't they do that earlier? Farewell, coach Ryan. I hope Hope's back for the Olympics.

Congratulations to the women's game! And once again, hats off to the Brazilians for bringing the magic back to the pitch. Maybe Dunga could learn a few things from the women's team...

Where's Shourin? Busy producing this off-off broadway production. If you're in New York, you may want to check it out.

Learn more about this "Machiavellian political drama set in Pakistan that shifts back and forth from the late '70s to more contemporary times." >>

Eleven goals in the game - 4 from Reading and 7 from Portsmouth .The highest-scoring game in Premier League history, beating the previous record of nine.There would have been one more to the tally if Reading's Graeme Murty had scored his penalty .Benjani Mwaruwari scored a hat-trick and the irony is that he might not even have been picked for the team had it not been for an injury to Nwankwo Kanu Harry Redknapp's first-choice centre-forward.Goals below.

The old record of nine goals in a PL game has been achieved by quite a few teams in the past.Manchester United hold the record for one of the most impressive scores - a 9 - 0 victory over Ipswich in 1995.They didn't quite manage that against Birmingham yesterday.Ronaldo scored the only goal (video) and Kuszczak brought off a great save (video) to prevent the equaliser .

Here are the two voices that matter: Solo on MySpace, and Erin Paul, the journalist who "interviewed" Solo.

Greg Ryan is history, folks. I know I speak for many soccerblog fans when I say that he's the one who should be fired for his "Sampsonesque" performance.

What is it with the bureaucracy of these US teams?

I wrote another post - "Lessons Learned from Hope Solo" here >>

Hope Solo speaking her mind after being dropped from the US team said -"It was the wrong decision," Anybody that knows anything about the game knows that. There's no doubt in my mind I would have made those saves. The fact of the matter is it's not 2004 anymore. It's 2007 and you have to live in the present and you can't live by big names. It doesn't matter what somebody did in the Olympics three years ago."
The upshot of the this outburst is that she has been exiled from the team and cast into the outer darkness.Jemele Hill - writing in the ESPN sports page has an interesting take on the whole unfortunate business.

Note to US Soccer: she plays in a real league!

or is it just brain dead? The failure of the women's team against Brazil wasn't unexpected, was it?

See exhibit A, from the Pan American games in 2007:

Where have you gone Mia Hamm? Michele Akers? Julie Foudy? Brandi Chastain?

The answer is that they wouldn't have fared much better. Brazil's talent and imagination has taken them past the US, just like it has in the men's game. Mia may have opened the door to women's soccer, but Marta will take women's soccer to the next level, by winning the minds of sexist men everywhere - from here to Brazil.

So what really happened? Here are a few points:

- The US were outclassed from the very beginning. We put everything on Wambach's shoulders, and hoped for the best.

- The coach, Greg Ryan, destroyed team chemistry by benching Hope Solo (see exhibit B - note the look on Scurry's face!)

- We are too old. The US game is too conservative, too risk averse. Which comes down to one thing: poor coaching. We need to stop playing safe soccer.

- Title IX has taken us as far as it can go. Now we need a real pro-league for women.

- We need a new coach, preferably one w/ an imagination. Sunil Gulati has his hands full with this one.

Another way to look at this - it was good for women's soccer... or was it? That depends on Brazil vs. Germany.

Go Brazil!

The torch has been passed. Brazil owns the US and Marta is the Pele of women's soccer.

NEXT: Is US Women's Soccer brain dead or just dead?

Brazil reached the final of the women's World Cup for the first time and ended the American dream for a third title. Match report here and a video of some excellent goals below.

Julio Baptista scored off a wonderful bicycle kick against Betis and then said very modestly "I was lucky that it went in.However, it will definitely help raise my self-esteem.'....! Video of the goal below.

Five goals in seven days - the latest a double against Zaragoza.The spotlight shines on Messi even as the lights go dim over Ronaldinho.

This shot against Sevilla sometime last week(video) is another incredible goal.

Coventry's Michael Mifsud knocked Manchester United out of the Carling Cup by scoring a goal in each half.Ferguson fuming,flattened,flummoxed and flabbergasted.....!
"I was absolutely flabbergasted by that performance," he said. "I did not expect that at all. I am not interested in giving reasons or mitigating circumstances. It was just a very bad performance."

An Italian Serie C side Juve Stabia is up for sale on eBay.Those interested can log in here and place their bids.

Carling Cup.Fernando Torres - unbenched at last by Benitez made the best of the opportunity by going and scoring a hat-trick.More on the match here...

Meanwhile two late goals from Nicklas Bendtner and Denilson saw Arsenal keep the momentum going as they beat Newcastle 2-0 in London.Video of those goals here...

Chelsea go deeper into the mire as midfielder Mikel John Obi's picked up a three match ban.His appeal against the red card he got in their last game was turned down by the Football Association.Mikel was shown a red card for serious foul play after a challenge on Patrice Evra. The video of the incident can be seen here...

Tevez scored his first goal for Manchester United and Louis Saha stole a penalty.Chelsea were down to ten men for most of the game.In 11 meetings with United, Mourinho lost only once.Avram Grant will need to go 10 undefeated to match that record.The vacuum left by Jose's departure will take some filling.

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A must for Zidane fans.A documentary on his life called - “Comme dans un rêve” - “Like a Dream” can be seen on the youtube clips below.The good news is that its in english.The bad news is that you will have to see it in 10 bits.Click on each number to get the movie to play in sequence.
One, two ,three,four,five,six,seven,eight,nine.....and ten.

Arsenal in stunning form.Cesc Fabregas at the pinnacle of his powers.Emmanuel Adebayor scored a hat trick.This is the fifth game in a row (and counting )where Arsenal scored three goals or more. Match report here..


Arsenal 5-0 Derby County from BozWolf on Vimeo.

How do you react after scoring a matchwinning goal against your former club?You must look apologetic.Ronaldo showed how its done after he scored against Sporting Lisbon a couple of nights ago. “These people [the Sporting fans] are very important for me because they helped me a lot when I played here in Portugal.
“When I scored I did nothing with my hands because I think it would not be fair, but I’m happy with the victory. .”

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After topping the EPL charts the Wengerboys continue their stunning form with an emphatic 3 - 0 drubbing of Sevilla in the Champion's League.

Online Videos by Veoh.com

Thierry Henry scoring his first goal for Barcelona and more Messi mayhem were the highlights of Barcelona's 3 - 0 champion's league victory over Lyon.Goals below.

The clash of wills between Jose Mourinho and Roman Abramovich has ended with a parting of ways.Shevchenko apparently played the role of the straw that finally broke the camel's back.Reports on Mourinho's resignation can be read here... and here..

Real Madrid,played their 300th match in the Continent's top competition on Tuesday, and won with goals from Raúl González and Ruud van Nistelrooy, who have struck 107 times between them in the tournament.It was also Ruud's golden jubilee goal - his 50th.More very interesting numerical data and statistics here... Example :"Raúl ran 9,042 meters during his 84 minutes on the field against Bremen before he was substituted."

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Jose Mourinho must be worried with Chelsea's loss of goalscoring form.They only managed a one all draw against underdogs Rosenborg and they almost lost the game while they were at it.Shevchenko saved the day for them .Goals below

Wesley Sneijder continued his record of scoring in every league game by bending in another incredible free kick in Real Madrid's 3-1 win over Almeria.Move over Beckham..!

....with a 3 -1 win over Tottenham.

Mexico went down by three goals to one against Brazil in a friendly.Kleber, Kaka and Afonso scored for Brazil after Andres Guardado had scored first for Mexico.More on that story here..

Lots of best things happened in the England win over Russia.

The best thing that could have happened to the English squad is Frank Lampard's absence due injury which has opened up the midfield and given the English creative control, especially in the game against Russia.

Don't get me wrong, Lamps is a good club player and Chelsea missed him against Aston Villa but keeping him in a crowded English midfield together with Gareth Barry and Gerrard introduces a multiplicity of roles that overlap and muddy the waters.

The most notable part of this midfield is that it is service oriented and by and large selfless. It is also extremely mobile with SWP and Joe Cole opening up the game on both flanks. Gareth Barry was efficient and organized with his passing. I think SWP is really gaining in confidence and he deserves the nod over Beckham should he come back from injury.

The form of Barry is proving to be a welcome headache for Steve McLaren who surely now has to deal with a situation where he will have Hargreaves, Lampard, and even Michael Carrick to choose from. Each one has their strengths but Lampard has never been mistaken for a holding midfielder, a role which has been traditionally overlooked in the English game, but seems of late, to be generating a number of players in that specialist role. Barry is also excellent at set pieces and experience at Villa as makeshift left back gives him an edge over Hargreaves and Carrick in initiating counter attacks.

There should be no question about Micah Richards hold on right back. Gary Neville has done yeoman duty for England but it is time for McLaren to cement Richards position in the squad.

Emile Heskey has done more than was asked of him. He was brought back for no real reason other than nostalgia as Michael Owen's lucky talisman. But he was a physical presence as he won the ball from the slow reacting Russian defence time and time again. Michael Owen's finishing of the ball in the slot has been clinically impeccable.

With Wayne Rooney's accelerated return, McLaren will have another potent weapon should Heskey show a familiar loss of motivation. But at this stage I really don't see how you can go away from a squad that has given England two emphatic wins.

"James McFadden sent Scotland into dreamland and to the top of the toughest group in Euro 2008 qualifying in Paris last night with a stunning second-half goal that sealed his country's most incredible result in living memory." I couldn't have said that better myself.Take a look at the goal.

Elsewhere Owen scored twice to take England to a well earned 3 - 0 victory over Russia.

The top ranked US Women's team drew their game 2 goals each against North Korea.Video of a goalkeeping blunder from US goalie Hope Solo below and match report here...

You can get a clearer look at that and the other goals here..

France was beaten, 1-0 at Hampden Park the last time these two teams met and it was only the second time in 46 games that Les Bleus were beaten in qualifying matches. Today, they meet Scotland for the pole position in Group B.

So the Gaullists are puffing up the Scots with their fanciful pronouncements.

"Scotland - more difficult than Italy", proclaims the official website of the French Football Federation, a sentiment, it turns out, which emanates from one Nicolas Anelka of Bolton, but which is tame beside the declaration of the France coach, Raymond Domenech, that the Scots are now favourites to win Group B.

Of course, that was promptly slapped down by the Scots, noted stoics and purveyors of hard nosed reality.

Darren Fletcher, who captained the side's 3-1 win over Lithuania at Hampden Park on Saturday, encapsulated Scotland's reaction. "I've heard a lot of quotes coming from the French camp and that Scotland are favourites, which is just ludicrous," Fletcher said. "These are mind games.

The key match up will be the Scottish attack which has managed to find scoring from unexpected sources against the French defence which is probably the best in the world today and has not conceded a single goal in the Euro campaign, till the Gary Caldwell goal in Hampden Park on October 7, 2006.

The US women's squad pulled through on a Heather O'Reilly equalizer that kept coach Greg Ryan's unbeaten streak intact. But the North Koreans served notice to the rest of the teams in the tournament living up to their hype. They also proved to be the perfect opportunists.

They fell behind after a Abby Wambach long range strike deflected off the hands of Jon Myong-hui, the N.Korean goalie into goal.

Wambach minutes later left the field for medical treatment as she collided with another player to clear a ball. The US were reduced to ten players and in those 10 minutes that she was off the field, the N.Koreans went into the lead.

Kil Son-hui benefited from a goalkeeping error, as Hope Solo let a long shot slip through her hands in the wet conditions in the 58th minute. In the 62nd, Kim Yong-ae pounced on a rebound and shot it past Solo.

The N.Koreans dominated the stats, enjoying more possession and more shots on goal, forcing Solo into 8 saves. They also looked more poised and were very quick to counterattack unsettling the US with their speed. The US looked overwhelmed at times with the pressure and the midfield did not provide the forwards with the service that they required. Graham Hays has more >>

The Group B standings are wide open as Sweden drew with Nigeria, 1-1. All the teams are level with a point each. At this rate, goal differential maybe the deciding factor in this Group B, which is the toughest in this World Cup.

In another match up Brazil blanked New Zealand, 5-0 with Marta scoring two goals. Norway, the US nemesis for many years beat a tough Canadian team, 2-1.

13 of the nations competing for the Africa Cup of Nations qualified for the tournament to be held next year. Not amongst them was Egypt who should have had an easy win against Burundi but were forced to a draw. The highlight of the match was the early send off of Egyptian captain Ahmad Hassan, after he kicked a Burundi player in the face.

Now the Pharoahs require a home win against Botswana to qualify.

The loss of form is worrying Samir Zaher, the Egyptian FA president who is planning on meeting with coach Hassan Shehata in order to discuss the team's poor away record. Egypt have not won a single game away from home since 2004 when they beat Sudan 3-0 in a World Cup qualifier.

Egypt was without its talisman, Mohamed Abou- Treika who sat out the match because of fitness concerns and without him the Pharaohs struggled to launch a coherent attack even as they fielded three strikers in Mido, Amr Zaki and Emad Meteb.

Messi swung a wicked freekick into the area from the right wing and Martin Demichelis outjumped his marker to head home.This gave the Argentines a 1- 0 victory against Australia in a friendly earlier today.

And while the men's team did well the Argentine women's team took a record breaking 11 - 0 bashing from the German team in the Women's World Cup in Shanghai.The goals can be seen here..

Just as Peter Hill-Wood was talking about running Arsenal as a business, here comes a report that should peel the scales off every Man U fan's eyes.

The Independent United Supporters Trust report will show that about 100m pounds is going annually into debt servicing the Glazers total debt of 660m pounds. The increased revenue from AIG sponsorship and TV rights is going into underwriting this debt.

At 6.69% variable interest rates and with a shaky global market ahead, there is a good chance that the interest rates could go up increasing the debt servicing costs. The added costs will most likely be passed onto the fans whose ticket prices have already shot up by 50% since the Glazers takeover. At this point Man Utd is still making a profit on the backs of the ticketholders. But many fans see this as a tipping point.

Some angry ticketholders are contemplating legal action against the club over the new Automatic Cup Scheme (which requires all season-ticket holders to pay for all cup games — whether they want to go or not) and the unfair way it was introduced.

I really don't see how this is all going to work out unless the debt is restructured to lower interest payments but the market is quite volatile and the Glazers recent attempt to restructure through a consortium of banks failed. The clear solution is to find a richer and more solvent buyer to assume the debt.

It was refreshing to hear Peter Hill-Wood on the possibility of holding talks issuing this smackdown of David Dein. Mihir Bose, BBC's sports editor reports.

"I see no major point in that, I've had 25 years of listening to him," the Arsenal chairman told me.

Hill- Wood also believes that there will be a correction in the present over valuation of players as owners who have plowed hundreds of millions of pounds into their new clubs want a return on their investment. And when that happens Arsenal will be at the right place and at the right time.

"We have always run Arsenal as a business and kept within reasonable bounds.

"All this nonsense about needing a billionaire to put a whole lot of money in to help shore up the annual deficit is not going to happen - it's lunacy."

Its like the overheated art market that will soon cool as buyers realize that there are only a few genuine artists that truly command record prices. Everything else is jump on the bandwagon stuff.

Birgit Prinz and Sandra Smisek scored hat tricks in an 11-0 smashing of Argentina. Vanina Correa had a nightmare debut in the Argentine goal and scored two own goals.

The Germans have lost a few key players from the 2003 campaign as Maren Meinert their playmaker retired but they have Renate Lingor and Kirstin Garefrekes.

Ever wondered why the Scandinavian countries do so well in women's soccer? It has to do with their women's inclusion in the workplace.

A new study conducted by Michael Klein, professor of international economics at the Fletcher School at Tufts University, set out to determine whether the degree of gender equality in a country might be a strong predictor of the success of its women in international sports competitions.

His study, "Work and Play: International Evidence of Gender Equality in Employment and Sports," will be published early next year in The Journal of Sports Economics.

Klein discovered another not previously reported or recognized influence on athletic performance—workforce equality—that strongly correlated with women's success on the playing field. Workforce equality was determined by the number of women working in a country compared to the number of men who had jobs.

Seven of the 10 industrial countries with the highest level of workforce equality rates qualified for the World Cup in either 1999 or 2003, and four of those nations—Sweden, Norway, Canada and the United States—qualified for both competitions. By contrast, none of the seven industrial countries with the lowest workforce equality rates, including Ireland, Spain, Greece and Austria, qualified this year.

More on Klein's study >>

Personally in USA's case, I think Title IX has made more of a difference than workplace equality which is a myth.

This is another episode of transfers gone bad. They are a dime a dozen. But this time it involves a powerful national federation whose ire is being directed towards Chelsea, one of the richest teams in the world for its cavalier and bewildering treatment of Michael Ballack, Germany's captain.

However it also highlights the contrast between the kinetic and richer Premier League which works on an adrenaline drip, makes the club a priority, and barely tolerates national duty and the more staid world of the Bundesliga with its less hectic scheduling and greater willingness to release players to their national squads.

This saga actually began when Michael Ballack turned up his nose at Bayern and decided to go to Chelsea last season much against conventional wisdom. Most fans soured on Ballack as the move was seen primarily to line his pockets. At 130,000 pounds per week they could be forgiven. The Bayern establishment led by Franz Beckenbauer and Uli Hoeness also saw this as a move predicated by money.

Ballack was sparingly utilized by Mourinho in Chelsea's line up and along with Shevchenko and Bouhlarouz became a bust, although he did have his moments. To make matters worse, Ballack sustained an ankle injury in April at a crucial time of the season which the Chelsea doctors downplayed, coming under pressure from Mourinho. Against the clubs permission Ballack flew to Germany where the doctors correctly diagnosed the seriousness of his injury and operated to remove a chipped bone. A furious Mourinho then turned his ire on his doctors once he realized that the ankle surgery was inevitable.

Ballack after undergoing rehab the last three months has been given the green signal by the German doctors to resume playing. Not so fast say Chelsea. He has not been included in the team to play the CL fixtures till November as he is not match fit according to club doctors. The conflicting fitness reports have baffled German coach Joachim Low who is hoping for Ballack's return to Euro duty. Low now wants Jose Mourinho to explain the situation.

Ballack's non-inclusion has stirred the ire of the most powerful German figure in soccer, as Der Kaiser is now calling Ballack's move to Chelsea a mistake, saying that he would have been a better fit at Man Utd. To make matters worse, Ballack was not released by Chelsea until too late for the photo shoot that featured the German team and Adidas, their main sponsor. This time it was Oliver Bierhoff who reacted with annoyance.

"That's not how you treat a German international, especially the captain of the team who is highly respected internationally," said Bierhoff. "It's not correct that they treat us and their partner Adidas in this way. It seems the club has other methods."

Even if you read Bierhoff's words within its context, the effect this will have on future German transfers to the Premiership, will be a chilling one.

I have always admired Brazil's Marta Vieira Da Silva aka Marta, first seeing her amazing skills at work in the 2003 World Cup.

A will o' wisp tirelessly dribbling, creating chances with her pin point passing, ability to coolly and calmly take penalty kicks, marked her out as a talent to watch. She was a human dynamo. scoring 3 goals in Brazil's entry into the quarterfinals losing to eventual runners up Sweden, 2-1. At just 17, Marta was in the vanguard of a group of players fighting her country's skepticism towards women' soccer.

At age 18, she packed her bags for Umea to start her professional career defying her family, a language barrier, and the harsh winter and to score 63 goals in 3 seasons and lead them to a UEFA championship.

In the three years since she has garnered almost every conceivable accolade possible becoming the 2004 U-20 World Cup Golden Ball winner, the 2006 FIFA Women's World Player of the Year, and helping Brazil win the silver medal at the 2004 Olympics, and the U20 Brazil team win against the US in the 2007 Pan American Games finals in front of almost 70,000 at the Estadio Maracana. Brazil destroyed the USA, 5-0 with Marta scoring a brace.

It was Marta's dazzling display with 12 goals that shone a torch on the women's squad and captured the hearts of her countrymen. At the Maracana there were banners that read "I didn't see Pele, but I saw Marta" and "Marta is better than Kaka."

Marta's stellar performance was recognized as she was accepted into the Hall of Fame becoming in the process, the very first woman to line up alongside national legends such as Pele, Zico, Garrincha, Ronaldo and Romario, to name but a few. Her footprints were marked in cement alongside these greats at the hallowed walkways of the Estadio Maracana. Nothing must have satisfied her more than being compared to Pele, the greatest living player as fans called her 'Pele with skirts.' Almost single handedly she has changed her country's attitude and has made it fashionable to follow women's soccer, akin to the adoration that the US women's team inspires.

This playmaker has now set her sights on the World Cup and she is hoping that Brazil can pull off the ultimate prize. At a diminutive 1.60 meters she gives up precious inches to players like Abby Wambach, Birgit Prinz, and the more physical US and European teams but makes up for it through her fearsome talent. In Marta, women's soccer has its complete player.

Abby Wambach, Kristine Lilly meet the North Koreans

The top rated US women's national squad led by veteran Kristine Lilly meets the number 5 seed North Korean team tomorrow in a group B opening encounter that is sure to get wags cracking Team America World Police jokes.

This match pits the best team against a team that has seen its reputation grow and just like everything with North Korea is prefaced by 'reclusive', the women's team too is something of a mystery. As with countries that have continued to thumb the US in its eyes, the match against North Korea will also attract a political sub context played on September 11th. North Korea was the focus of a prickly exchange between South Korean premier Roh Moo-hyun and George W Bush, at a recent meeting.

The women's side is the strongest it has ever been and it is riding an unbeaten 46 game streak into tomorrow's match. Abby Wambach is possibly the best finisher in the world with 77 goals in 96 matches. Kristine Lilly has played in 331 games, scored 126 goals and is the only player who has competed in every women's World Cup. The talent and the experience that USA brings will be needed as Group B has the toughest teams with Sweden at no.3, Nigeria as the African champions, and Asian Games champion North Koreans, led by their talismanic strikers, Ri Kum-suk and Song Jong-sun

US coach Greg Ryan has tried demystifying the North Koreans and offers this insight.

"I think North Korea is one of the top three or four teams in the tournament and the most mobile team in the tournament," Ryan said. "They can run from six-yard box to six-yard box more times and faster than any team in this tournament."

It all promises to be a engrossing match.

More on the Womens World Cup at FIFA >>

Update: Champions Germany blanked Argentina, 11-0, in a flying start.

Despite the scoreline - USA did good.

This video shows his latest free kick goal in Holland's 2 - 0 win over Bulgaria.He took two more great shots in the recent past.In Real Madrid's 5- 0 thumping of Villareal he gave a lofted pass to Raul which he scored off (video here) and the other in the same game was a freekick that curled over the wall and into the goal.(video here)The new Beckham for Real Madrid is wearing the number 23 shirt as well as its previous wearer.

Klose's scored two goals against Wales wearing the captain's armband .Details of the game here..

A 0-0 draw saw France maintain their lead in Group B as Scotland eased into second place with a win against Lithuania.

SWP. Owen. Micah Richards.

China's huge soccer fan base continues to attract the soccer business world. However Jorge Vergara seems to have stepped it up a notch.

Jorge Vergara, Omnilife's founder who has built his fortune on nutrients and vitamin supplements is looking to extend his business in China and also to start a soccer club as part of the Chivas brand. He already owns Chivas Gualdajara, Deportivo Saprissa, and Chivas USA. In the USA, Vergara is known as a rabble rouser with his slogan for Chivas USA "Adios Soccer, Hello Futbol" seemingly used to exploit the differences between the LA Galaxy and Chivas USA fanbase.

He is presently negotiating to buy a first division club to be named Chivas Hefei. Chivas will soon announce the formation of the new club. Gualdajara and Saprissa have been entirely built around local talent from youth divisions with no expensive transfers and in keeping with the same philosophy, Chivas will train 100 Chinese players at their facilities at Gualdajara.

This is all part of Jorge Vergara's vision of introducing the Chivas brand of soccer to rest of the world. His primary target is to purchase a first division Spanish side like Malaga and allow for transfers between his clubs to get a wide exposure. Thus, you could get to see Spanish players playing in China. It is akin to a baseball farm system on a global level. Vergara is not the first foreign owner to buy a Chinese club and in fact, Sheffield Utd earned that distinction when they purchased second division club Chengdu Bull Five in 2006.

So why would Vergara succeed where other clubs have largely given up any long term goal? The most salient point is that Vergara does not own a club that is widely known outside of their country. Thus, his purpose is not merchandising a product, it is the propagation of a long term soccer idiom.

Vergara's purchase of a soccer club is very different from giants Manchester United whose presence in China is driven by a concerted effort to tap the earning potential of its estimated 10m fans which has been limited to merchandising and name branding rather than actual long term investment in infrastructure and training. There maybe truth to this as the signing of Dalian Shide's Dong Fangzhou has often been cited as an example of the club's cynical opportunism rather than actual belief in the player's ability.

Nick Harris reports that Europe's richest clubs are viewed by many fans in China as having a short-term, opportunist interest in their support. Manchester United and Real Madrid both faced indifference and attracted less than capacity crowds on short tours last summer. The Football League with its less overt pecuniary interests and long standing education programs are trusted more and have been approached by Chinese athletic officials to explore long term relationships.

So far, Man Utd has not even explored the possibility of a Chinese version of its famed youth academy which would prove to be a magnet for thousands of aspiring soccer players in a country that languishes behind neighbors Japan and S.Korea in soccer achievements and is desperate for international recognition.

If Vergara's record at Deportivo Saprissa is anything to go on then Chinese fans and officials have something to cheer about. Vergara took over Saprissa in 2003, including only players with Costa Rican nationality. It has become Costa Rica's most successful club to date.

They were the 2005 CONCACAF club champions in 2005 and came third in the Toyota CWC that year. Saprissa also contributed 8 players in the national squad to the 2006 World Cup, the most of any club in the world, and it's presence is directly linked to the success that Los Ticos have enjoyed in the world stage. They presently rank 52nd as compared to China's 85th position in the FIFA rankings.

Defending champions Egypt meets Burundi this weekend in a Africa Cup of Nations qualifier. A win will see them enter the 2008 ACN. Their squad has been bolstered by Mido's selection whose recent Boro transfer has seen a return in form. Mohamad Zidan of Hamburg will partner him up front. Bot strikers have had previous problems with manager Hassan Shehata which appear to have been resolved.

Anderlecht midfielder Ahmed Hassan is in line for a 129th cap, making him the second most capped African international of all time.

Egypt should have no problems with Burundi having won, 4-1 in their last encounter but the Pharoahs have dropped points to Mauritania and Botswana hinting that Mohamad Aboutrika, their best playmaker has not been having the impact that he has had in the past. Botswana who lie second in Group B also have a good chance of qualifying as one of the two best placed teams.

David Trezeguet's last gasp attempt sends Italy to a heartbreaking loss. He is back for today's match.

Watch out. This match is another in a long series of grudge matches between these two countries. The storyline is the Italian defence. Yes, the defence that is become Italy's Achilles heel.

Italy is in a bit of a pickle here with a fast improving Scotland nipping their heels and a Ukraine that is not too far behind. They are looking for a win against France but they do not have history on their side as they have never beaten France without the aid of penalties since 1978. In these 29 years, France has proved to be Italy's bogey team having beaten them in the 1986 World Cup in the Platini led years and then again in 1998 on their way to their World Cup title.

Two years later it was deja vu again as Italy's emotional scars deepened further as France completed a remarkable comeback against Dino Zoff's side, who were seconds from winning Euro 2000 before Sylvain Wiltord's last-gasp equaliser forced extra time and David Trezeguet poached the Golden Goal.

Roberto Donadoni's side is going to be under tremendous pressure to deliver the goods. They lost to Hungary, 1-3 in last month's friendly that could hardly have inspired much confidence. Their much vaunted defense is suddenly proving to be porous and Fabio Cannavarro their heart and soul is proving to be mightily fallible. He had a terrible match against Hungary. Marco Materazzi is out with a thigh injury and Alessandro Nesta has retired from international matches.

So will this banged up and out of form Italian defence stop the likes of Patrick Vieira, Samir Nasri, Thierry Henry, Franck Ribery, and an in form Nicholas Anelka. I think it will be hard to do so.

Kaka will start the game for Brazil when they meet the USA at Soldier Field, Chicago. I really don't think Dunga can do without Kaka at this point if he wants to really nail the big European powers. Dunga has an impressive 13 wins and just the two losses since he began as manager but this accomplishment is the result of a very impressive and sustained defensive effort and not the attack which remains ragged and inconsistent. Kaka creates chances and as an attacking midfielder he stands out with his goalscoring with 23, second only to Ronaldinho.

At the Copa America final, one thing was evident, it was not the Brazilians that won as much as the Argentinians lost. Juan Roman Riquelme chose the final match to turn nondescript and the Veron Riquelme combination ran aground with too many ineffective and misdirected passes. On the other end Gaby Heinze and the somnolent Argie defense made Alves and Vagner Love look very good.

The Copa America final although one sided does not indicate Brazil has recaptured its once invincible status. Elano is Dunga's footsoldier but he is a little short in the creativity department. I think Elano is technically sound and creates that essential link between defense and offense but even in the Man City games it is quite clear that Martin Petrov is a far more creative player creating more chances.

Without Kaka, this Brazil team will have problems breaking down physical and fast defenses consistently. This was quite evident against Copa America teams that actually played them hard like Mexico and Ecuador. So although Kaka is not exactly Dunga's ideal player he is one of the last remaining vestiges of the sort of creativity that Brazil has used before to establish themselves against the Europeans.

I started laughing when I saw this one: "Bobby Charlton says that Victoria hurt Becks' career..."

Really?

The male chauvinists out there can claim that history is repeating itself - I mean look what happened to Sampson and Delilah, John and Yoko, and now Becks and Posh.

What would he prefer? That Beckham ends up like Georgie Best?

Bobby Charlton didn't have to deal with the pressure the way Beckham had to. It's just not fair to make these types of statements in public. What does it serve anyway? Maybe he's just a bit hacked off by all the $$$ Beckham's reeling in.

Shut up, Sir Charlton.

The way the English team is acting, you'd think they're desperate for a win.

The truth is, they are.

Stevie "Dweebie" McClaren thinks Michael Owen can save the day. More and more, we are seeing the English manager display the same lack of imagination which has plagued the team for a decade now.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed, but my gut tells me this English team could in fact fail to qualify for Euro2008. Maybe England needs some psychological help - similar to what Klinsmann did to the German team to get them to stop sucking their thumbs during the last World Cup.

Israel on Saturday, Russia on Wednesday. C'mon lads! Time to kick some _ _ _.

Dinamo Kiev celebrated their 80th anniversary by playing a friendly against European champions AC Milan.Alexandre Pato - all of 17- scored his first goal for AC Milan to mark the occassion.Both teams shared the honours scoring two goals apiece.
Dynamo Kiev 2 - 1 AC Milan

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Barcelona beat Girona 3 -2 in a controversial game to go into the finals of the Catalunya Cup.More details on the origins of that tournament can be found here.

This news will hearten not just Arsenal fans but all lovers of good soccer. We will see the free flowing form that has become a trademark continue on in the Emirates.

The best thing about all of this is that Wenger and the lads are enjoying themselves. Its not just the David Dein camp putting the squeeze on the board but pretty much the whole soccer establishment was writing off Arsenal because it did not make those earth shattering signings this summer.

Guess what? A funny thing happened on the way to the forum. Wenger puts it in words.

"Since the beginning of the season something has been happening in this team," he said. "They fight for each other, they have a great togetherness and love for the game."

At this point I think Robbie Savage, if he decided to take a heave ho at Fabregas, would find his gonads at the back of his throat. This team is feisty and pumped up and ready to take on the establishment.

And doesn't what Wenger said above epitomize what English soccer should be. His words bear repeating.

"Since the beginning of the season something has been happening in this team," he said. "They fight for each other, they have a great togetherness and love for the game."

I would argue that the best thing that has happened to this Arsenal team is that it has become more English in character. It always had the matchplay but now there is a scrappiness, a ne'er die attitude, and a win ugly if need be attitude.

But emotion and feel good vibes aside, Wenger's commitment to the club also reflects a careful consideration of the club's financial resources which are better than expected. A September 24th financial report, the first one after the Emirates move, show that the heavy borrowing for the new stadium is paying off. Real estate development on Highbury grounds, Arsenal's old stomping grounds will bring in an infusion of 150m pounds in 2009. Wenger has the cash if need be, to pay for expensive transfers, even without a takeover. But knowing Wenger its nice to have this great luxury. Whether he exercises it is another story.

Steven Gerrard has to decide whether he should give his broken toe that cortisone injection which will numb the pain and allow him to play the crucial Euro 2008 game against Israel.To inject or not to inject is the question.Whether tis nobler in the mind for Gerrard to suffer a bit of short term pain for long term glory or whether he should just give up arms against the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune and wait till till it is safe for him to play for Liverpool again is what he has to decide.
Dr Panther (a specialist at the London clinic, Pure Sports Medicine) talking about the long term health risks involved said "anecdotal, apocryphal stories" of cortisone ruining careers were history. "It's safe in small doses, which is how it is given these days. Large doses over a long period, especially in the same area, may have led to softening of cartilage and bone and chronic problems in the past. But a one-off jab is safe."
More analyses of Gerrard's dilemma can be found in this article in the Independent here..

Hmmmmm....

David Dein increases his profile within Arsenal's board and suddenly Arsene is talking about staying on in a concrete way rather than in abstractions. This was the biggest story in Arsenal's summer. When would Wenger commit to an extension? The timing now appears to be important and Wenger says that he will have more to say on Thursday or Friday.

Wenger's former best friend David Dein sells his shares to Alisher Usmanov and Red And White Holdings and the Uzbeki born oligarch appoints Dein to seek out more shares. At this stage Dein is jockeying for Red and White to find a spot on the Arsenal board meetings and meanwhile Stan Kroenke, a former Dein partner, has put his takeover bid on hold for now. Kroenke and Usmanov between them own about 27% of Arsenal's shares, a few percentage points shy of a complete takeover. What makes you think Dein is not working overtime to make this relationship happen?

These machinations are all part of the so called 'bringing the big name players to Arsenal so that we are not left behind' scare tactics that actually hide the true colours of the vainglorious David Dein, who sees himself as the de facto head of the Arsenal board. Its all about Dein.

Wenger has shown even as early in the season that this Arsenal team will be no pushovers and their success has a lot to do with team play, not individual stars. His success pre-empts the rhetoric of the Dein-Usmanov-Kroenke camp. I think Wenger was stung to the quick this summer with all this talk about big players as the only way Arsenal could win. That is the reason he held back on the contract. Managers like to set themselves apart in their MO. As long as Arsenal keep winning, the takeover camp will have less of a leg to stand on.

I am sure Wenger has heard stories about Aleshir Usmanov being a real piece of work, and although he has been circumspect about board politics, I would think that a straight arrow like Wenger must be absolutely horrified by the prospect of a Usmanov takeover. So the best scenario to make sure that David Dein is marginalized is for Arsenal to keep winning and for Wenger to sign that extension.

Bayern Munich marred a perfect record by letting in their first goal for this season even as Oliver Kahn set a Bundesliga record for goalkeepers by playing his 535th match - one more than Eike Immel, who played for Stuttgart.The goal against Bayern came in the game against Hamburger SV . Mohamed Zidan ploughed his way through 3 defenders before scoring the equaliser.A video of that goal with the commentary in english can be viewed here....A more blurred version of the same goal is on the youtube clip below - and the commentary is in - ?????

....another exquisite free kick in Barcelona's 3 -1 victory over Athletic Bilbao

Sevilla paid a fitting tribute to Antonio Puerta by storming into the Champions League group phase with a 4-1 win over AEK Athens.Goals by Luis Fabiano [two],Keita and Alexander Kerzhakov.Before the game, some 50,000 AEK supporters clapped when a video tribute to Puerta was played at Athens' Olympic stadium, and displayed banners in his honour.
Players also observed a moment of silence for Puerta and the Greek fire victims, as AEK fans held up lighted candles.Goals here...

After a year on the job Steve McLaren believes that England's attack is best served by a rusty striker and his overweight sidekick. Emile Heskey joins Michael Owen up front for the Euro qualifiers against Israel and Russia.

According to Steve McLaren, Heskey has been included in the England squad as a last minute inclusion, to make Michael Owen look good. In their 12 international starts together in attack Owen scored 11 times. Of course, the tiny detail that seems to have escaped McLaren's attention is that Owen was healthy at that time. Also, we all know about Heskey's much hyped potential but the man is not a goalscorer. 5 international goals in 43 matches. No great shakes.

McLaren is turning into a piecemeal coach. No vision, no bold strokes. As I see it England can still qualify for the Euro even though it will be an uphill struggle but McLaren does have a choice.

Young, fitter players, relatively untested but hungry to prove themselves. Or an older lot with more injuries and inconsistent performances. In Andy Johnson you have a supremely fit athlete hungry for goals. Ashley Young has been hard to stop down the left as the opposition has found out. SWP has been very assertive down the right of late. All three should start.

I think McLaren should look closely at the Aston Villa team that Martin O'Neill is building for his own efforts. The Villa win came against the best defense in the league and it all started from attacking and incisive wing play. Villa has some of the best English talent and they are coming together putting in very disciplined and consistent performances. Yes, it is different when you are a club manager but essentially when it comes to managing youthful talent, the virtue of being disciplined can be applied anywhere.

Both Paul Robinson and David James, who are mistake prone should be out as goalies. Go with Scott Carson who has looked solid in the Villa goal. I think McLaren will be better served with a 4-5-1 with no real meaningful striker duo in the picture.

England team: Scott Carson, Micah Richards, Rio Ferdinand, John Terry, Ashley Cole, Ashley Young, Joe Cole, Steven Gerrard, Owen Hargreaves, SWP, Andrew Johnson.

The fairy tale Asia Cup win of the Iraqi soccer squad was the summer's biggest story and for a brief shining moment it brought the country together. The man behind the win tells us what the win meant for him and the team. He also debunks some myths and tells of his own future. He might be seen Down Under >>

.....and Arsenal stand tall.Video of their 3-1 victory over Portsmouth here.

Jens Lehmann. Paul Robinson. David James. Brad Friedel. Tony Warner. Antti Niemi. Steven Bywater. Jussi Jaskalainen.

A number of big name and not so big name goalies are having a torrid time under the crossbar. Most of them are their own mistakes with some proving costly to their team. This comes at a time when there have been quite a few surprise results in the Premiership which has resulted in a fairly open looking table.

Jens Lehmann: A blunder gave Fulham an early lead but Arsenal were able to pull of a win. An even worse blunder against Blackburn led the Rovers to a draw. Arsenal should have been at the top of the table. So far Wenger's decision to bench Lehmann and bring in Almunia has yielded results as the Spaniard has done little wrong.

Paul Robinson has been caught hopelessly off position time and time again leading many Spurs and England fans to question his judgement. His starting place is in jeopardy.

David James: The England goalie who was chosen by McLaren for the Germany game ahead of Robinson made a horrible tackle on Van Persie in the Portsmouth match leading to an equally horrible non-attempt at stopping the ensuing penalty kick.

Brad Friedel: The game against Arsenal was not his finest. His mistake led to an early RVP goal. He was lucky that his Arsenal counterpart was even worse with his mistake leading to a David Dunn equalizer.

Tony Warner: After doing quite well against Arsenal as a last minute replacement for an injured Niemi, Warner had a nightmare against Middlesborough. He was replaced by Kasey Keller for the Aston Villa match.

Antti Niemi: Niemi got back for the Spurs game but his return was marred by a Younes Kaboul goal that came from an inept attempt at clearing a corner.

Steven Bywater: The Derby defence can make any goalie look bad but Bywater did not look like he was helping matters by reacting too late or not at all against Liverpool and Spurs. The Reds cut him and the Rams into paper mache dolls.

Jussi Jaskalainen: The Bolton goalie had a forgettable match against Portsmouth as Kanu and Utaka ran circles around him. He was out of position against Newcastle as N'Zogbia and Martins cracked long distance goals.

So is this just an aberrant start to an early season or is there something more to it. One factor is that the big summer signings in attack have all by and large panned out. Torres, Voronin, Babel, Nani, Malouda, Roque Santa Cruz, Claudio Pizarro, Mido, Utaka, and others have justified their transfers. So goalies are subject to a lot more pressure in a league that is churning out goals at a rapid clip. Errors in judgement get compounded by a fast reacting attack. This despite the fact that last season's high scoring team Man Utd is struggling to find the back of the net.

A number of goalies are also subjecting themselves to more pressure as they look behind them at their competition. Lehmann knows that he faces a challenge as Wenger signed Fabianski in the first summer signing for Arsenal. Robinson has David James, Scott Carson, and Ben Foster lining up for England squad positions as he is subject to greater scrutiny in the domestic league. These goalies have never been known for their calm at the back.

With crowded backfields as an obvious tactic to stop a more probing attack, long range shots are being tried by players increasingly to test the goalies. The element of surprise and unpredictability have found goalies out of position or weakly parrying the ball into their own goal or back into harm's way. Tony Warner against Mido in the Middlesborough match is a classic example. Even Arsenal that usually waits till the nth moment till they are within breathing distance of the goal seems to have developed an early trigger.

Goalies no longer have to just get distracted by forwards but on corners and free kicks it is defenders who are leading the way with goals. Joleon Lescott, Zat Knight, Younes Kaboul, have found the net. The margin for error goes down.

Of course, the converse is also true. All these scoring options provide an opportunity for spectacular goal keeping. So far we have seen some great goalkeeping from the talented youngsters Kasper Schmeichel and Craig Gordon.

Liverpool becomes the team to beat as Chelsea came a cropper at Villa Park. Zat Knight scored on his debut for Villa as the two quicksilver bookends of Moore and Agbonlahor peppered the Chelsea box with crisp crosses and lightning shots. And when the Villa defence came under unrelenting siege, there was no bigger presence than Martin Laursen to blunt those attacks. He was huge and the Villa faithful will hope that he remains healthy for the remainder of the season.

I think on this day Jose Mourinho was outcoached by Martin O'Neill, whose disciplined team maintained two layers between Chelsea and the Villa goal. A scampering midfield hustled the ball away from Drogba and Essien's feet as they were pushed back and then a stout defence turned, deflected, or tackled the ball at the last moment. Chelsea forced 13 corners but they were unable to take advantage. SWP was Chelsea's attacking presence but his finishing was woeful.

Ashely Young should be given a serious look by Steve McLaren for the English squad. He easily got better of a good defender like Belletti and showed how dangerous wing play can be in creating chances, one of which was met by his counterpart Agbonlahor for Villa's second goal.

Something is happening in Arsenal and it is not Alisher Usmanov's long term plans to inveigle control over the boardroom. Four games into the season, the Gunners are finding ways to put the ball into the net after all that fabulous approach work. And it is coming from a host of players. Fabregas, Hleb, Rosicky, RVP, and Adebayor have all gotten on the scoring sheet. And there is still Flamini, Clichy and Gilberto, players who are equally capable of scoring, yet to contribute.

Truly gratifying is Cesc's willingness to have a go and it has paid fantastic dividends. Last season, we had to wait till the season was almost over for him to record his first goal. This year the little maestro already has two in the first four matches.

The win against Portsmouth is all the more significant because Pompey themselves have a potentially explosive attack with Kanu and Utaka up front. Senderos gets sent off early in the second half but the Gunners still managed to add to their tally through Rosicky who finally was able to finish off a scoring chance. Clichy is developing into a fearsome left wingback. Most of the threatening attacks wide off the field come from the left flank. The right still seems transitional with a number of players trying to effect a wide game with Walcott, Eboue, Sagna, Diaby, and now possibly Diarra, forming a rotation.

Full marks to Arsenal and with the Portsmouth win, they are now in second position with a game in hand against Chelsea who meet Villa.

Jenas missed a sitter. Berbatov, Bale, and Keane were outstanding. And wave after wave of close calls for Fulham but they survived and in the 90th minute, Kamara scored from a beautiful bicycle kick to put Fulham level. Spurs frittered the game away with Robinson not having one of its best matches (10 min video).

Louis Saha scored his first goal for the season and wrecked Roy Keane's Old Trafford homecoming.It was an unconvincing victory for Manchester United against struggling Sunderland.

Xabi Alonso and Fernando Torres scored 2 goals each.Voronin and Ryan Babel did the rest of the damage.Match report.

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Diomansy Kamara did the Spurs in with his highlight bicycle kick to equalize for the Cottagers. But the Spurs did themselves in with their mental lapses. You can't quibble with talent like Gareth Bale and Berbatov but this Spurs team seems to make it hard on themselves as they struggle to finish off games despite dominating the stat sheets.

Breakdowns occurred in set pieces that call for man to man marking and attention to detail. Dempsey and Kamara got their goals through these situations. Smertin's goal was through a serendipitous deflection. But when you know that you are going against luck, these mental lapses really come back to bite.

Keane vs SAF. Finally, the match that will pit the definitive Man Utd player of a bygone SAF era against his old master.

Keane offers his approach of low key players, hard nosed soccer that is life and death, and a unrelenting work ethic as a stark contrast to a more pragmatic SAF whose present coterie of talented players regularly grace FHM covers as they earn salaries that are the GDP of a small country and write badly written books on girlfriends and their shopping.

Keane left Old Trafford in a cloud after a hugely publicized MUTV tirade in which he accused seven players of slacking off, singling out especially SAF fave Rio Ferdinand, "Just because you are paid £120,000-a-week and play well for 20 minutes against Tottenham, you think you are a superstar," Keane said.

"It seems to be in this club that you have to play badly to be rewarded. Maybe that is what I should do when I come back. Play badly."

That interview was pulled by SAF because he so feared it would destroy the morale of the players and undermine his authority. All this in the backdrop of the much whispered eventual replacement of SAF with Keane.

It seems Keane's fire in his belly is undiminished as he recently accused players of being weak because they are more tied to their WAGs and their shopping. This after a number of players turned down playing for Sunderland. Well, whats a poor WAG supposed to do? Keane is not easy to play for and what WAG wants to listen to her BF or husband bitch and moan about his boss when there is no shopping to look forward to in a town not exactly known for its high end fashion boutiques. But this thumb your nose attitude is enough to give Keane one more chip.

So he returns to Old Trafford to show fans his Sunderland team composed of Man Utd castoffs like Kieran Richardson, Dwight Yorke, and Liam Miller and newer recruits such as Russell Anderson and Dickson Etuhu. Maybe in the midst of all this we could get to see glimpses of the Man Utd team of the 1990s.

Polite and respectful but with no fake sentimentality; that is how Keane would want it. "I am not expecting the red carpet and hugs and kisses," he said of this evening's return to Old Trafford.

Fulham meet Spurs in what is shaping up to be one of the most important matches in Martin Jol's career. If the Spurs were bottled up by near misses and dubious referee decisions in their Man Utd encounter, then Fulham could be the enema that the doctor ordered.

Expect the Spurs to come out like gangbusters. In their path, the Cottagers Yank squad with Kasey Keller taking over from Tony Warner, will have to be extra sharp. Dempsey will have to maximize attacking options with Brian McBride out for two or more months and Carlos Bocanegra will have his hands full with Dimitar Berbatov and Robbie Keane. He will also provide Fulham's aerial threat in spot situations.

Update: Ye Gods! Its Antti Niemi in goal and he just botched gathering in a Gareth Bale corner gifting Spurs a goal.

Well, it was the last minute touch and go that we had expected from Wenger but Diarra's transfer continues to be a bit of a headscratcher. Wenger calls him a multifunctional midfielder. Diarra has so far been utilized as a right back for Chelsea.

I don't know what role Wenger sees him playing exactly at this point because he already has Bakari Sagna on the right who is coming along faster than expected. Wenger probably wants to employ him as a holding midfielder who will eventually replace an aging Gilberto, but this adds onto a crowd of players operating in the middle of the field.

Some like 21 year old Abou Diaby who is enormously gifted has seen limited action and I thought Wenger would concentrate on developing him, if he is not really interested in getting any more wingers, rather than add on another central midfielder.

A goal from N.P. Pradeep in the 44th minute gave India a 1-0 win over Syria in the final of the Nehru Cup soccer tournament on Wednesday.It was a dream win for India - currently languishing at the 151st spot in FIFA rankings.The hero of the day - N P Pradeep came to his moment of glory after following his dream of being a football player inspite of poverty and much struggle.Story here...