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. […]

After Germany overcame Ghana in the last game of Group C today, Germany will now play England in a mouthwatering second round World Cup tie, which is scheduled for this Sunday at 10am ET. Germany is one of England's greatest rivals. The teams have played against each other many times in major tournaments including the […]

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 […]

If you live in South Florida or if you'll be here during the World Cup tournament, you can watch all of the Germany World Cup games live at Wowies Sports Grill located in Boca Raton, Florida (except the 7:30am games). Wowies features 31 big screen TVs, HD broadcasts, excellent food, three full-liquor bars and service […]

When Germany lost Michael Ballack coming into this world cup, some commentators were writing them off, or at the very least not touting them as tournament favourites. Despite an excellent qualification campaign in a less than forgiving group Germany emerged without a loss and played with a freedom that went unnoticed. That is until Sunday […]

This afternoon marks the opening game of the 2010 World Cup for Germany as they face a physically strong Australia side. Before, during or after the match, feel free to share your opinions and observations about the big match here. Starting line-ups are: Germany: Neuer – Lahm, Mertesacker, Friedrich, Badstuber – Khedira, Schweinsteiger – Podolski, […]

Heading into this World Cup, no team should be looking for any extra motivation. After all, this is the World Cup , where the world's best will be gathered for one big battle royal to decide who takes home the title, World Champion! Never will these teams ever again experience the spectacle or pageantry that will be apart […]

On Monday, it was announced that an ankle injury suffered in Saturday's FA Cup Final would keep German national team captain Michael Ballack out of the World Cup. Joining us to talk about that as well the Nationalmannschaft's chances this summer is the Guardian and Sports Illustrated's Raphael Honigstein. Raphael discusses the potential replacements for […]

On Monday, it was announced that an ankle injury suffered in Saturday's FA Cup Final would keep German national team captain Michael Ballack out of the World Cup. Joining us to talk about that as well the Nationalmannschaft's chances this summer is the Guardian and Sports Illustrated's Raphael Honigstein. Raphael discusses the potential replacements for […]

Don't panic, I'm not going to go all Oprah on you all, but I've got a confession to make that a man of my age can't hide. Every 4 years, the World Cup comes around and over here in Europe we've a company called Panini who make sticker books for most major tournaments and leagues. […]

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 […]

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 […]

There you have it, Italy in Group F, drawn with New Zealand, Paraguay and Slovakia. A relatively simple group and one Marcelo Lippi should take the Azzurri through with comfort. Group F Italy New Zealand Paraguay Slovakia They begin the defence of their crown in Capetown at the Greenpoint soccer stadium on June 14th 2010 […]

Almost twenty years ago England went to Poland knowing that a draw would qualify them for Italia 90. A backs-to-the wall performance and the magnificence of Peter Shilton ensured they had their point and the team then went onto reach the semi-finals of the tournament that arguably saved English football from itself and ultimately elevated […]

With this weeks 4-0 drubbing of England u21s by the German u21s, Die Mannschaft completed a hat-trick of youth level European Championships (winning the u17, u19, and u21 tournaments). Such success indicates that the future of the Bundesliga is bright, and that while the Serie A begins a period of decline, the Premier League is […]