Franz Beckenbauer, legendary Germany and Bayern Munich defender, has come out in the press recently and has slammed England's performance against USA. The ex-Germany captain, who lifted the World Cup in 1974, and once as manager of the national team in 1990, and who has also won three European Cups (now Champions League) in a […]

Cote d'Ivoire and Portugal made up the marquee match-up on Tuesday, but it was the efforts of New Zealand (against Slovakia) and North Korea (against Brazil) that wrote the stories. In this edition of the World Cup Buzz podcast, I'm joined by special guest The Gaffer to wrap-up Tuesday's action from South Africa 2010.

Cote d'Ivoire and Portugal made up the marquee match-up on Tuesday, but it was the efforts of New Zealand (against Slovakia) and North Korea (against Brazil) that wrote the stories. In this edition of the World Cup Buzz podcast, I'm joined by special guest The Gaffer to wrap-up Tuesday's action from South Africa 2010.

There are the obvious explanations. Teams are not accustomed to the new Adidas football, teams are frightened to lose the first game, teams are set up to not concede the first goal. Could the real explanation be that football has changed? The game is professional in a way that it has never been before. Teams […]

It's only five days into the 2010 World Cup and the critics are already taking digs at the tournament. And most of those criticizing the World Cup are soccer lovers, not haters. I've had the good fortune to watch each game live on TV and while I agree that the games have not been very […]

The biggest "win" in New Zealand soccer history was also a major victory for the Italian national team. Slovakia was the better club for ninety minutes today, taking a 1-0 lead over New Zealand early in the second half on a goal by Robert Vittek. The All Whites, who looked like a club playing in […]

Next week on ESPN, the sports TV network, will debut its brand new documentary entitled "The Two Escobars," the story of Andres Escobar, the talented Colombian soccer player who was tragically murdered after he scored an own goal in the 1994 World Cup. The film investigates the surprising relationship between the murders of Escobar and […]

Raise your hand if you live in these great United States, you work full time Monday-Friday, or close to it, and you're a passionate football fan and love the World Cup with every fiber of your being? If you're anything like me, your hand is probably (frustratingly) raised high in the air because of your […]

They say that you learn from your experiences and no statement is truer than with a drinking/bingo game, sadly my original effort was not realistic enough, there were not enough points scored or drinks consumed. Therefore with the Vuvela's cracking off, goalkeeping gaffes and lack of excitement in the tournament so far, I have updated the […]

The World Cup's magnificent 80-year history has seen many extraordinary players grace the tournament with their talents and skills. In 1958, Just Fontaine scored 13 goals in 6 World Cup matches, including 4 against West Germany, the defending Champions. In the same year, a 17-year old, imaginative Brazilian was first introduced to the world: Pele. […]

Whether you're new to the World Cup or you're taking in your tenth finals, you're sure to have noticed the incessant drone at matches this past weekend from the stadium horns known as vuvuzelas that are so common in South Africa. Love them or hate them, it seems the vuvuzela, or lepatata is as much […]

Laurence McKenna, co-host of the EPL Talk and World Cup Buzz Podcasts, recently had a golden opportunity to sit down with one of the most remarkable English football writers and authors, Barney Ronay of The Guardian and When Saturday Comes. In this second part of the interview series (part one is included below), Ronay shares […]

Soccer fans from around the United States descended on their local sports bar or pub this past Saturday to experience the game against England the way it was meant to be experienced: With complete strangers and close friends in a brilliant atmosphere where you can cheer on your country. MLS Talk blogger Daniel Feuerstein was […]

The Azzurri have played their first match, and while some will view the 1-1 draw result as a bad thing, the match was actually filled with positives for Italy. Although we've seen Germany demolish Australia 4-0, I think that the Azzurri match was unique, it finally felt like I was watching a World Cup match. […]

Sunday we reported that ESPN's viewing numbers for the first five games of the tournament were double the number from four years ago. And now there's more good news as the TV ratings and updated audience numbers for Saturday and Sunday's matches add more ammunition to the argument that the 2010 World Cup is taking […]