Paralysis by analysis. This was ultimately the downfall of Vicente Del Bosque. Of late, Spain has had an embarrassment of riches in soccer talent. And instead of a blessing, this ultimately proved to be a curse in disguise. Two years ago at the European Championship we saw signs of this. Cracks. Del Bosque insisted on […]

The headline on one of the most popular Italian newspapers, Gazetta Dello Sport, reads today "No going home; NO!" ahead of Italy's do-or-die clash against Uruguay, which kicks off at Noon ET/9am PT today. First the TV news and starting lineups: • English language: ESPN and WatchESPN • Spanish language: Univision, Univision Deportes Network and Univision online • […]

For England, there's not much left except pride and a chance to watch a young England team against an exciting, up-and-coming Costa Rica team. First the TV news and starting lineups: • English language: ESPN2 and WatchESPN • Spanish language: UniMás, Galavision and Univision online • Portuguese language: ESPN Deportes or ESPN Deportes+ Starting lineups: England: Foster, Jones, Cahill, Smalling, […]

Japan and Colombia face off today at 4pm ET/1pm PT with both teams in need of points for very different reasons. Los Cafeteros only need one point to be sure of top spot, while the Blue Samurai desperately need their first victory of the campaign and hope Greece do them a favor versus Cote D' […]

Ivory Coast and Greece arrive in Fortaleza with both sides having an opportunity to advance into the knockout stages (4pm ET/1pm PT kickoff). Ivory Coast comes into the match after losing a close affair with Colombia 2-1 and defeating Japan in comeback fashion by the same scoreline. Greece has had a disappointing campaign so far. […]

So you plan on watching Italy versus Uruguay today, eh? Fancy a match with some actual stakes? You won’t even take a peek at the dead rubber between England and Costa Rica? No interest at all in an underachieving England squad making its earliest World Cup exit since 1958? But Italy and Uruguay are only […]

Day one of the final round of games in the World Cup Group Stages is complete, and we now know that Brazil, Netherlands, Mexico and Chile are through to the next round of games, which will be played this weekend. Groups A and B are done and dusted. But what about the other groups? Who's […]

One-on-one with Iker Casillas in the World Cup final, the scores level at 0-0, Arjen Robben had the chance to establish himself as an immortal figure in Dutch soccer history. It was the scenario all players dream of: a golden chance to net the winning goal on the biggest stage of all. But the Bayern Munich winger […]

Manchester United look to be on the brink of sealing their first transfer of the summer window, with reports suggesting that the Red Devils are currently in advanced talks with Athletic Bilbao about a deal for central midfielder Ander Herrera. According to reports coming out of Spain (h/t The Telegraph), a £29 million deal is close to completion and the […]

The stats from the 2010 World Cup are a good predictor of what we can expect at this 2014 World Cup. At the 2010 World Cup, there were 229 injuries, of which 126 happened during matches instead of training. 71% of them were as a result of contact between two players and 47% of those […]

As soon as the final whistle blew in Manaus, confirming USA’s 2-2 draw versus Portugal, their chances of progressing to the Final Round out of Group G soared up to a staggering 86% in the latest simulations. Germany, the leader of the group and the final hurdle between the Americans and the final round of […]

Former England Captain Rio Ferdinand has signed for Queens Park Rangers according to the Daily Mail. The move will reunited Ferdinand with Harry Redknapp who was his first club manager at West Ham. The 67 year-old Redknapp guided Rangers back to the top-flight of English football in May after being relegated the prior season. Ferdinand […]

Italy against Uruguay was always marked as an important game, but perhaps not for the reasons that it will be on Tuesday. With Costa Rica surprising everybody and topping Group D going into the final round of fixtures, only one of the two previous champions will join them in the knockout phase of the World […]

The final games in Group D take place tomorrow and both sides in this fixture find themselves in a somewhat unexpected situation. Costa Rica go into the match-up with no pressure after winning convincingly and playing fast tempo, pressing football in their opening group games against Uruguay and Italy. They employ an attractive attacking mentality […]

It’s do or die for both Italy and Uruguay tomorrow at 12pm EST/9am PST. With mighty England already unceremoniously crashing out and upstart Costa Rica with its’ ticket punched, there is only one spot left in the knockout rounds for Group D. For the Azzurri to advance they need a win or a draw. Their […]