Sunderland is changing the color and design of its 2008/2009 shirt from the current white to a blue and black color with stripes (pictured). Umbro will continue to be Sunderland's shirt manufacturer. The new design features a unique shoulder and arm design with streaks. The decision to feature vertical stripes on the chest, however, may […]

Champions League Action: Roma vs. ManUnited 0 – 2 After the midweek crash and burn by Roma at Stadio Olimpico I've lost desire to write any previews. Truly Manchester United have Ronaldo and Van der Sar to thank for their victory as the performance of the rest of the squad was mediocre. The Roman Gladiators […]

Well, not really, but there are definitely some similarities between professional sports leagues here in the States and England's most exciting, most competitive soccer league. And no, I'm not talking about the Premiership. I want to show a little bit of love to the Coca-Cola Championship, England's second-tier domestic league. The Championship is fabulous. I […]

Due to a variety of personal situations, it has been a while since I was able to write an update on the FA Cup though I have continued to follow each round. When last I wrote, I was following the fate of Bury. They lost to Southampton in the fourth round. Southampton went on to […]

The title of this post says it all. It's straightforward for the Cottagers. Anything but a win against Sunderland tomorrow and Fulham can start packing their bags for the Coca-Cola Championship next year. Instead of lucrative home games against the likes of historic Premiership city rivals like Tottenham, Arsenal, and Chelsea, the fans at Craven […]

It was a Mexican Superstar, Luis Hernandez that led an MLS side to its last Continental Triumph As has been discussed recently on CSRN's American Soccer Show, MLS Talk and on this website we’ve been fed what amounts to league driven propaganda (presumably to attract new investors to the game which is a good thing) […]

Fenerbahçe continued to be the surprise package of this Champions League season by coming back from a goal down to beat Chelsea 2-1 on Wednesday. The atmosphere at the Sükrü Saraçoglu Stadium was electric as always though the home fans were stunned early on when Chelsea were gifted the lead. It appeared that Fenerbahçe manager […]

It was a Mexican Superstar, Luis Hernandez that led an MLS side to its last Continental Triumph As has been discussed recently on the American Soccer Show and on this website we've been fed what amounts to league driven propaganda (presumably to attract new investors to the game which is a good thing) that the […]

Dave O'Brien is now doing the Boston Red Sox games on NESN, and Eric Wynalda has been replaced by John Harkes. MLS Primetime Thursday on ESPN2 will have a different flavor this season, also because at CSRN we will have a weekly live blog for the matches. Pedro Gomez who grew up like myself watching […]

According to reports coming out of Catalunya, all signs point towards Josep Guardiola taking over for Frank Rijkaard at the Nou Camp. The former Olympic gold medalist and member of the much ballyhooed Dream Team of the 1990's will be promoted to the big team at the end of this season. Catalan network TV3 began […]

The number of Premier League clubs who could possibly play summer friendlies in the United States or Canada has been reduced by one. That's because Tottenham Hotspur looks likely to play matches this summer in India, Singapore, China and Netherlands according to The Daily Mail newspaper. The article also mentions the possibility of Newcastle United […]

Liverpool and Arsenal had an Oscar and Felix feel. Both clubs are each other’s bogey teams. Arsenal’s Frenchified fancy dans cannot break down disciplined defenses and remain prone to adept counterattack. Lump and pray Liverpool struggle when forced to play chess on the ground rather than checkers in the air. The clash can create soccer […]

Perhaps the critics of my recent posts did have a valid point: the standard of MLS is improving ever so slightly. Saprissa the MLS slayer was brought to its knees by a very lively and strong Houston Dynamo side at Robertson Stadium, and I for one could not be happier for the message this potentially […]

It's all over in North London and after the first leg, Arsenal and Liverpool are level 1-1 on aggregate and will settle things at Anfield in six nights' time. Briefly, here's what I thought of today's game: First of all, it should be said, and I know I'm stating the obvious, that this was a proper game of […]

It's been a tale of two halves; Arsenal had the better of things and were in control for the first 20 minutes or so, and Liverpool came alive for the last 20-25 minutes. Very impressed with Liverpool's immediate response to Adebayor's goal. Once again, Steven Gerrard, the captain, put the team on his back and […]