Now that Brazil is out of the 2010 World Cup after a underwhelming performance against a very strong Dutch team, the favorites no longer have a chance to win the tournament. But who do you think will now win the World Cup? Before we get to the poll below, I would like to add that […]

Four years ago, which seems like a lifetime in Internet years, the 2006 World Cup experience was very different than it is today. There were only a handful of soccer podcasts worldwide. Soccer blogs were a relatively new thing. And the TV coverage was decent. All games were televised but national anthems were skipped and […]

Today the US progressed, and not just to the next round of 16 in this World Cup. They progressed in the ranks of world football. Their status, their pedigree was elevated. How so? They did something that they as a nation have never done before. Something that Brazil, Argentina, Germany do in every World Cup. […]

Italy managed to draw 1-1 against both Paraguay and New Zealand while failing to impress despite having seen a lot in terms of ball possession, in particular against the Kiwis when the Italians had just over 70% in terms of ball possession. Pundits and fans alike are debating what has gone wrong for the Azzurri […]

So the World Cup is now a week old, every team has played at least once. It is now becoming clear whether your team was a sound bet or as dodgy as a Northern Rock balance sheet. There have already been a few surprises, and those following a minnow may have had a nice surprise. Also […]

Going into this World Cup many people are expecting big things from the England squad, and why not? All play in what’s considered the best league in the world, they have one of the top three strikers in the world in Wayne Rooney, a top 5 defender in John Terry, and manager Fabio Capello […]

Finally the Emperor has returned. Adriano has gone to AS Roma on a free transfer from Flamengo, the Empreror has arrived in the capital, but will it be a smart move by Roma? Adriano's contract is said to be worth around 5 million euros a season (plus performance-related bonuses) and it will expire on June […]

Predictions, right or wrong go hand in hand with the World Cup like some beautifully ironic couple you see walking down the street. At first glance, the awkwardly short man who's pulled a 5'8 blond model strikes a questionable chord with your intellect. You immediately resort to predicting and analyzing (if you're honest with yourself) […]

Last year, I was lucky enough to do a fabulous series on English football legends, which saw me delve back through history to cover 11 players that perhaps never get the credit they deserve. Football is such a fickle sport that these days, people forget just how many great players passed through the annals before […]

It was the marquee signing that announced that Manchester City had money to burn and were determined to usurp the comfy old pals act at the top of the Premiership. Fans flocked to Eastlands in tea-towels to show their new Arabic allegiance and the shock that seemed to follow such a transfer. £32.5 million had […]

The last time many of us saw DaMarcus Beasley, his miss on a corner launched a Brazilian counter-attack that led to the eventual trouncing of the US in the group phase of the Confederations Cup. It was the culmination of a number of mediocre and lackluster performances from him in the national team shirt, which […]

Simon Kuper and Stefan Syzmanski titled the American version of their new book Soccernomics (review is here), but their title for the release in the UK is Why England Lose. In the book, Kuper and Syzmanski identified the US as a rising power in soccer and England as a permanent disappointment to their rabid fans. With […]

In an announcement Wednesday that will not come as much of a surprise to followers of soccer, Italy was named one of the top seeds for the 2010 World Cup, joining host nation South Africa, Brazil, England, Netherlands, Spain, Germany, and Argentina. The big news coming out of this announcement is the conspicuous absence of […]

The theory is that because of the low amount of scoring in football, using particularly protective and cynical tactics ruins the sport whose nature inhibits a high amount of goals per match. Football's common nickname is "The Beautiful Game," but from where did that phrase initially originate? Credit is usually given to 50's and 60's […]

Q: Why did he mention Dempsey and Howard in the title? A: It's a sneaky writer's trick. He name-dropped Americans who play in the Premier League to justify writing about USA v Brazil for EPLTalk.com. Q: Is that why he posted that hastily sketched drawing of Dempsey's mug as well? A: Yes indeed. Is there […]