Earl Reed

In this the latest edition of World Soccer Talk's Tactics Corner, World Soccer Talk's Earl Reed looks at the USA versus Germany match. The US escapes the "Group Of Death" after suffering a narrow 1-0 defeat to Germany. What was Jurgen Klinsmann thinking in this match, and how did Germany get after the United States […]

Salvador has played host to some of the tournament’s most exciting games, so a lot was expected before the meeting of these European neighbors and it didn’t disappoint particularly if you were of a French disposition. France dominated the early proceedings with Benzema shooting narrowly wide on five minutes. After a brief lull, France took […]

Before the World Cup began, Spain had an 89% probability of advancing from Group B, while Chile had a 40% chance. Against Spain, Chile beat the odds with a fantastic first half performance in front of tens of thousands of cheering fans at the Maracana Stadium. But what specific tactics did Chile employ to prevent […]

Today we witnessed the complete performance from one of the world’s finest footballers Arjen Robben in a 5-1 Netherlands win over reining World Champion Spain. Work rate and desire were just two of the key components of an eye-catching performance from the Netherlands outstanding number eleven. Initially beginning by playing off the equally majestic RVP, […]

Widely heralded as favorites for this summer’s World Cup, Brazil appear to have unshakable momentum owing to last summer’s impressive Confederations cup triumph. However, the suspicion remains certainly from this writer’s perspective that emerging from their group may be the most difficult obstacle they encounter during the tournament. A group containing Cameroon, Croatia and Mexico […]

Since its inception, the Premier League has witnessed some phenomenal teams. Some are universally celebrated, but others never garner the attention they truly deserve. Remaining impartial, my breakdown of the top five teams was not decided solely by what the teams won. My fundamental criteria was the manner in which they played and the enjoyment […]

The impending departure of Nani from Manchester United evokes more questions than answers. Undoubtedly talented, arguably the most skilful member of the present United squad, Nani is an enigma. His departure from the Premier League is certainly a negative in terms of entertainment, but unfortunately given a player of his calibre, his departure will not […]

As the transfer season is now in full swing, one player that will arguably be crucial to the plight of several leading Premier League teams is James McCarthy. A skilled midfielder who has certainly achieved all he can at Wigan, the question as to where he ends up next season must be occupying the minds […]

As the sun sets on another enthralling Premier League season, Arsenal are once again vying for Champions League football. Is this a surprise? No. Is this unacceptable? Yes. Clearly, investment is a word often associated with Arsenal, but for many wrong reasons. Losing their best and only world class player to the eventual champions was […]

We've seen this script many times so far in the United States Mens National Team's attempts to get results on foreign soil in 2014 World Cup Qualifying. -US plays football for a decent portion of the first half, -US holds its own (with an optional goal to lift the spirits of American fans and players […]

In a different year, a different city, a different era, a 1-0 United States Men's National Team home victory over Costa Rica may have been a ho-hum, run-of-the-mill result ground out in front of a sellout crowd. But this was Denver, Colorado. It was 2013, and that year's month of March was particularly intense as […]

If the Philadelphia Union want to return to being in the 2013 Eastern Conference playoff picture, it figures that the partnership of Jack McInerney and Sebastien Le Toux needs to blossom. On Saturday evening in the Delaware Valley, that tandem netted the lone goal of the match, as McInerney converted on a Le Toux corner […]

The steady singularity that has stewarded the area for the United States Men's National Team for the last few years is about to be disrupted. The Guardian reported today that Tim Howard suffered two bone fractures in his back while manning the goal for Everton F.C. during a recent FA Cup match against Oldham. This […]

The 2013 Major League Soccer season shoved off from the shores of the Delaware River on Saturday. The host Philadelphia Union were the dominant team in the match, but Sporting Kansas City took better advantage of their fewer chances and ended victorious 3-1 on a chilly March afternoon. Coming Home The story of this match […]

Tomorrow hatches the 2013 campaign for the 19 teams in Major League Soccer. When we began our series of previews a couple of weeks ago, I had asked a number of contributors to the site and podcast to give me their predictions for the season. Please feel free to share your predictions for the upcoming […]