Roundup of Soccer News From Around the World

If you missed the Brazil against Uruguay semi-final of Copa America last night, you could have seen a classic. The entertainment value was extremely high as both teams came so close to winning the match within regulation. Uruguay continually threatened Brazil and were unfortunate not to win the match. After ending 2-2 in regulation, the match proceeded to penalties where Brazil squeezed by with a win.
Earlier in the match, there was a comical moment when one of the floodlight pylons shut down and a corner of the pitch was cloaked in darkness. What an embarrassment for the hosts Venezuela. Power was soon restored (after 15 minutes), but it’s not often that you see things like this happen during a world-class match.
The Carlos Tevez transfer saga continues with the Premier League warning West Ham that they could face additional disciplinary charges if they don’t stand up and fight to receive the transfer fee from Man United.
The Premier League finds itself in an extremely position because Sheffield United’s case will be heard at the High Court in England this Friday. Reading between the lines regarding this transfer saga, it appears that Kia Joorabchian still owns the player while West Ham owns his registration. In order for the Premier League to escape this transfer cleanly, West Ham will have to receive all of the transfer fee. If not, the case could expose the Premier League and/or West Ham to litigation from Sheffield United.
Blackburn Rovers will be dropping sponsor Bet24 at the end of the 2007/2008 season and replacing them with someone else. Rovers has broken new ground by hiring an agency to find a suitable sponsor for the 2008/2009 season.
TWI has announced that it’ll be producing 900 hours of content during the upcoming 07/08 EPL season for viewers worldwide. They’ll be broadcasting all 380 matches live and offering 92 of them in HD. In the United States, of course, we won’t see all of the matches and they won’t be available in HD on Fox Soccer Channel or Setanta, but this just gives you an idea of how much English soccer we could be experiencing if Fox decides to expand what they already provide us.
This week’s EPL Talk Podcast has been released (sorry for the delay). It features an interview with Peter Lawlor, the composer and songwriter of the new EPL theme entitled “My Saturday Self” which will played before every Premier League match as well as on the preview and review shows on television.
The latest episode of the Major League Soccer Talk Podcast has been published featuring an interview with Lindsey Dean, the GolTV commentator. Host Kartik Krishnaiyer dissects the U.S.’s performances at Copa America and delves deep into the recent U.S. u-20 win against Brazil in the under-20 World Cup.