This week, Apple expects to hit the magic number of one billion downloads in its App Store. An incredible achievement by any means in addition to the 3.9 million iPhones that have been sold that have revolutionized the cellular phone industry.

With so many apps available on the App Store, the choice can be overwhelming, which is why we’ve put together a list of what we consider the top 5 essential iPhone apps for soccer fans. Enjoy:

  1. Tunin.FM. This one isn’t a soccer app specifically, but it’s without a doubt my favorite. The app allows you to listen to live streaming audio on your Apple iPhone no matter where you are — which is perfect for those of you, like me, who listen to BBC Radio Five live for sports news, the World Football Phone-In Show. In addition to BBC Five Live, there are tons of other radio stations focusing on news, music, talk and more. And there’s even a FC Twente radio station for those of you who love your Steve McClaren. I recommend the Lite version of Tunin.FM, which is free.
  2. English Premier League Live! If you’re on the go, like me and want to follow Premier League matches live via your iPhone, EPL Live is your ticket. The app allows you to follow text commentary for matches. Plus you can get match statistics, team lineups, the league table and more. The $4.99 price tag is well worth it (read EPL Talk’s review of EPL Live).
  3. Real Soccer 2009. It’s incredible how the Apple iPhone has turned into a gaming platform. The best of the lot in action soccer games on the iPhones is Real Soccer 2009 which features amazing graphics and is relatively easy to pick up (although the controls will take some time getting used to). If you love the FIFA 2009 or Pro Evolution Soccer, this is the next best thing to it on the iPhone. Price: $5.99
  4. TVU Player. Just like Tunin.FM, this isn’t a soccer app but it does feature soccer programming now and again. TVU Player allows you to watch live television on your iPhone as long as you’re hooked up to a wireless connection. There are a few sports related channels and, from time to time, you can also watch Fox Soccer Channel on it. Price: free.
  5. Soccer Manager. The newest soccer game on the block will be appreciated by fans of Football Manager and Championship Manager, which feature a lot of similarities to Soccer Manager. There’s the typical features as you manage the budget and pick the squad each week. The creators of Soccer Manager weren’t able to get the license rights to the team names, so Wolves become Walverhampton, Swansea becomes Swensea, and so on. Price: $4.99

What iPhone soccer apps do you recommend that aren’t on the list? Click the comments link below and share your advice.