In their second surprise result of the campaign, Blackburn Rovers proved opportunistic, spoiling Sir Alex Ferguson's 70th birthday at Old Trafford with a 3-2 shocker over second place Manchester United. The home side started the match with a weakened lineup, not uncommon with the congested holiday fixture list and an opponent as downtrodden as Blackburn. […]

This past season in U.S. soccer was certainly an interesting one. In MLS, two new teams were promoted and the soccer world fell in love with them and their passionate fans. Coaches were hired and fired, players finally fulfilled their potential, and others failed to inspire. One MLS team had a chance to make history […]

The Columbus Crew were certainly a surprise team last season. After cutting ties with a number of veterans and going with a roster that looked lacking on almost every part of the pitch, head coach Robert Warzycha coaxed a great season out of a sometimes combustible team. Robbie Rogers earned his way onto the U.S. men's national […]

Here is what the Premier League clubs are wishing for in 2012: Arsenal: Gunner fans are wishing that scoring machine Robin van Persie continues his torrid streak. Aston Villa: That Alex McLeish has a method to his “managerial tactic” madness. Blackburn: Steve Kean is renting and not buying. Bolton: Club officials are wishing the F.A. […]

After a week with seven draws, winning was clearly off the agenda for many teams who seemed content with playing out a stalemate. No where was this dose of Christmas charity more stark than within the top six where only Spurs and Manchester United could muster victories. Not that Spurs are in danger of catching […]

1. Gareth Bale- It's easy to jump on the Gareth Bale bandwagon. We all did it after his fabulous hat trick at the San Siro. We all did it after his Player of the Year Award. I'm doing it again now. Bale scored twice to down a mediocre Norwich City side on Tuesday night, but it […]

Chicago ended the year as potentially the best non-playoff team in MLS. They caught "fire" and had a winning record for the final third of the season, almost stealing the tenth playoff spot from New York. The same team that set the MLS record for draws in a season (which they tied with NY) gave […]

‘WHO ARE YA?’ is a new weekly feature on EPL Talk that profiles players who have been capped for England and fallen from grace and players who never really reached their full potential, with the help of some anecdotes .Feel free to give some feedback on the article and your memories of the player. If […]

In a game that was set back 24 hours, Wolverhampton Wanderers made like the staff of the London Underground and went on strike. Not literally of course, but metaphorically. Just as the tube workers stood firm, refused to budge and put their own interests ahead of others in order to prove a point, so did […]

It isn't exactly halfway through the season, but all of the clubs are 18 games into their 2011-12 campaign except for Everton and Tottenham (both are 17 games in) who have to make up their first round fixture due to the London Riots. One of the things I like to follow throughout the Premier League […]

The "expansion" Portland Timbers had a debut MLS season to remember. The team quickly became the darling of the TV networks with their passionate and creative fans, the team played an exciting brand of soccer, and the resurgence of Jack Jewsbury gave them some high-profile players. The team even had a goal of the year […]

Apart from The Gaffer waxing lyrically about Swansea, there has not been that much on the other two promoted sides here on EPL Talk. It has been quite a year for QPR and Norwich but what did 2011 mean to them and what could happen to them in 2012? Norwich City: Promotion for Norwich into […]

It’s been scintillating six months of English football. We’ve had blow outs (8-2, 5-3, and 6-1 between some big guns) and some stunning individual performances (numerous hat-tricks and goal line saves). With half a season to go, it’s time to decide who has made the Team of the Season so far, settling in a traditional […]

The fall of 2011 has marked a turnaround of sorts for Gareth Barry. More confident performances for Manchester City as well as the honor of scoring England’s 2,000th goal in the 1-0 November friendly win over Sweden. Late last season, former Manchester City midfielder Joey Barton referred to Barry as “slow as a turtle,” and […]

Hello EPL Talk followers and football fans alike....and happy holidays to all. I'm finding it difficult to not only think about the condensed fixtures and amazing games there are in the immediate future, but I'm trying to save some smiles for the crazy aunt and ten little cousins about to be parading throughout my house...but […]