It was a fantastic final in Seattle, Washington as 31,311, a new record attendance in the US Open Cup Final, jammed inside Qwest Field to watch their first Championship Final involving their Sounders and a possible repeat to keep the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. This tournament since 1914 had plenty of action, pace and […]

Fans of Liverpool Football club have finally got what they wanted with the news that George Gillett and Tom Hicks are set to sell the club. New England Sports Ventures, fronted by self made-millionaire John W Henry, will takeover at Anfield subject to Premier League approval. But speaking to Liverpool fans soon after the news […]

In goal, I've got Wolfsburg's Diego Benaglio. If it wasn't for him, Borussia Monchengladbach may have walked away with three points against Steve McClaren's side. Benaglio is always a reliable player, but he stood out this weekend for his side. At right-back, I've got Bayern Munich's Philipp Lahm. The Germany captain was assured in defense, […]

While their young stars will go globetrotting with their national sides this weekend, there will still be a sense of disappointment in the Arsenal squad. Sunday’s defeat at Chelsea was a familiar story for the Gunners, as once again they failed to get a result against their London rivals. Will this result be the story […]

"The referee's done his job, it's a sending off, but Taylor's not a malicious player." "Ryan isn't that type. It's so ironic he's involved because he's such a genuine kid. It'll be devastating for him." "There was no malice in Nigel's challenge and Nigel is not that type of lad." 5 words that could be […]

Injuries forced Vicente del Bosque to alter his standard squad for Spain's forthcoming Euro 2012 fixtures against Lithuania on Friday and Scotland on Tuesday. Xavi Hernández is suffering from tendinitis, Cesc Fábregas has an ankle injury, Jesús Navas is dealing with a thigh strain, Fernando Torres limped off against Blackpool on Sunday with a groin problem […]

Bloody Exchange Rate So this is it, my last day Stateside for some time. Months of planning and preparation have led to one final day in Lexington before an overnight flight delivers me and the Mrs. to Heathrow and the United Kingdom. It's sure to be an incredible journey, one of which will be adventurous, rewarding, […]

International breaks; like taxes and the poor, they are always with us; always hanging around the street corner waiting to disrupt our domestic contentment. Just when things have settled into a nice groove; just when the season’s drama is beginning to unfold its latest plot twists, along comes the International Break to spoil it all, […]

As we enter the final month of the regular season, the league seems to have finally reached its equilibrium. While the standings my not reflect it, there are two teams who have distinguished themselves (Real Salt Lake, Dallas) with a small group who have shown the potential to threaten (Los Angeles, New York, Seattle). On […]

With an international break approaching, we get a chance to analyze the new Italy team which Prandelli is building. While he didn't decide to call up Totti, he has included a player from the Lippi-days. Here's the list of 23 players which Cesare Prandelli has called up: Goalkeepers: Mirante, Sirigu, Viviano Defenders: Cassani, Zambrotta, Bonucci, Bovo, […]

Saturday night in South Florida saw Miami FC play its last game. The team next season will be renamed the Strikers, the name that graced one of the most famous soccer institutions in U.S. soccer history, the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. But success is far from guaranteed. A crowd of 1,684 came out to Lockhart Stadium […]

During a break in the action on this past Saturday's broadcast of Sunderland against Manchester United, ESPN's commentator Ian Darke mentioned that Clint Dempsey had just scored a goal for Fulham away at West Ham United. At first, I was ready to cry blasphemy at Darke's decision to break one of the cardinal rules of […]

The Week 27 numbers look like this... 5 year comparison Week 27 Thru Week 27 YTD Avg +/- GP Avg +/- GP 2006 18,083 6 15,116 180 2007 18,241 0.87% 7 16,593 9.77% 181 2008 15,291 -16.17% 7 16,946 2.13% 181 2009 16,844 10.15% 7 15,748 -7.07% 190 2010 17,636 […]

Gregorio Manzano took the reins of Sevilla FC one week ago from the sacked Antonio Álvarez, and he did not inherit a club that inspired any confidence from los nervionenses that filled the Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán on Sunday afternoon. Although the Andalusians only lost one of their first five matches in La Liga, two […]

Seeing Kevin Davies name in an England squad may be a shock to some people, indeed it may be a shock to Kev himself. Is it some sort of madness by Capello? Is he really so desperate for strikers that he has to select this Bolton Wanderers journeyman? Well, yes. At 33 years of age, […]