Friday, March 23, 2007

Friendships put aside as Czechs face Germans

The Czech Republic face Germany on Saturday in a top-of-the-table Group D European qualifying clash featuring two goalkeepers desperate to stop their club mates from scoring.
http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news?slug=reu-euroczech_preview&prov=reuters&type=lgns

No room for errors in Euro qualifiers

The European Championship finals are more than a year away, but the outcome of several key qualifiers over the next week could have a significant bearing on who gets there.
http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news?slug=reu-euro_preview&prov=reuters&type=lgns

No room for error for misfiring Spain

Spain know there is no room for error when they play host to Denmark at the Bernabeu on Saturday in the first of two crucial Euro 2008 qualifiers. Luis Aragones's side are languishing in fifth place in Group F, nine points behind leaders Sweden and another slip-up could cost them a place at next year's European championships in Austria and Switzerland.
http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news?slug=reu-eurospain_preview&prov=reuters&type=lgns

Blanco guaranteed to bring nothing but trouble

Watching the Chicago Fire's high-stakes pursuit of Cuauhtémoc Blanco takes me back to that weird, low-speed O.J. chase of years back. Just like then, I keep thinking to myself: I'll watch this unfold because it's interesting, but there is no way this thing finishes with a happy ending.
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=414453&root=mls&cc=5901

Bob Bradley Previews USA-Ecuador

Sunday, March 25, at Noon EDT on ESPN2
http://www.ussoccer.com/articles/viewArticle.jsp_281801.html

New USA Jersey to Debut vs. Ecuador


Samir Nasri: the new Zidane?


The Marseille youngster has only just been called up to France for the first time, but already he's being hailed as a future legend.

Moritz Volz


The Fulham defender on Thierry Henry, the OC and the distinctive taste of fennel.
http://sport.guardian.co.uk/smalltalk/story/0,,2038590,00.html
And he would take Summer over Scarlett...

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Bradley "Keeping" Things Interesting Between The U.S. Pipes


U.S. interim coach Bob Bradley surprised some when he recalled veteran Kasey Keller along with heir-apparent Tim Howard for USA's latest camp.

(No, sadly KK does not look like this anymore...-Sanford)

Onyewu: Premiership A Step Up From Belgium

Shocking!!
http://goal.com/en-US/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=262694

England squad trains at new stadium for first time


McClaren's special ones have merely been imposters so far

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/2007/03/22/mcclarens_special_ones_have_me.html

Questions of morality catch Jamie napping

Marina Hyde: Jamie Redknapp's call for the Spurs fan who attacked Frank Lampard to be imprisoned shows football is a complex moral arena.
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/2007/03/22/questions_of_morality_catch_ja.html

Keane rips into mediocre, insane Ireland before Wales crunch game


MLS set for UK invasion

Wales midfielder Carl Robinson has predicted an influx of English players into Major League Soccer.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/6472587.stm

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Phil Ball in Spain

We haven't looked at the Second Division yet this season, for which I apologise. The problem's been a simple one, in that normally I pay an annual visit to Eibar, perennial hangers-on in Segunda 'A' - who of course were relegated last season down to even murkier depths. I must go and watch a Segunda 'B' game there before the season's out, but up until now I just haven't found the time.
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=415764&root=europe&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab3pos1&cc=5901

FA Cup Results

Manchester United 1-0 Middlesbrough
For the third time this season, Cristiano Ronaldo was involved in a penalty row against Middlesbrough as Manchester United booked an FA Cup semi-final meeting with Watford and kept alive their Treble dream:
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=215135&cc=5901

Tottenham 1-2 Chelsea
Stunning strikes from Andriy Shevchenko and Shaun Wright-Phillips kept Chelsea's quadruple dreams alive by sending Tottenham spinning out of the FA Cup.
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=215136&cc=5901

The bête noire of Teeside








While anger has turned to grudging admiration in much of the country, in Middlesbrough dislike of Cristiano Ronaldo has only increased as their meetings with Manchester United this season have revolved almost entirely around penalties and the Portuguese.
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=415731&root=england&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab1pos1&cc=5901

Lampard describes moment he was 'lamped'

Frank Lampard has spoken about the moment a fan tried to attack him on the pitch after Chelsea celebrated reaching the FA Cup semi-finals.
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=415749&cc=5901

Arsenal: Form Over Function

Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow: the future promises to be worth savouring for Arsenal, but the immediacy is shrouded in misery. Eleven days after the worst 11 days of their year culminated in the Gunners failure to beat PSV Eindhoven and their third exit from a cup competition, the knowledge that a second successive season without silverware will not even have the uplifting effect of a Champions League run is no more palatable.
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=415621&root=england&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab1pos2&cc=5901

Teams of the Week

La Liga Team Of The Week:
http://www.goal.com/en-US/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=260633

Serie A Team Of The Week:
http://www.goal.com/en-US/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=260626

Adriano's Disco Adventures Continue...With Late-Night Brawl


Tuesday's Rumours

Big Sam to Citeh?
http://football.guardian.co.uk/rumourmill/index/0,,2038395,00.html

Rangers facing Uefa inquiry over fan chants

"Fuck the Pope and the IRA"
http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,,2038025,00.html

Sid Lowe in Spain


Racing Santander's very own dynamic duo might look pretty comic, but Nicola Zigic and Pedro Munitis are seriously effective.

Emre's abuse charge 'not proved'


Monday, March 19, 2007

Paul Robinson's Goal

Results and Reports from Italy, England, Spain and Germany

Serie A
Inter and Milan could both celebrate narrow victories, while Roma were held by 10-man Fiorentina in Florence:
http://goal.com/en-US/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=259727

English Premier League
Charlton get vital victory, ManU and Chelsea win, Arsenal lose, Liverpool draw:
http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/story/6525550
http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/story/6579902

La Liga
Sevilla catches Barcelona at the top:
http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news?slug=fbesreport&prov=st&type=lgns

Bundesliga
Wins for Schalke and Bremen, Bayern Munich lose:
http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news?slug=reu-germanyreports&prov=reuters&type=lgns

FA Cup: Monday's Replay Previews

Manchester United vs. Middlesbrough
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/preview?id=215135&cc=5901

Tottenham vs. Chelsea
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/preview?id=215136&cc=5901

EPL Team of the Week

Paul Robinson Sylvain Distin Sol Campbell Gareth Barry Joey Barton Zheng-Zhi
Cristiano Ronaldo Andriy Shevchenko Ji-Sung Park Wayne Rooney Carlos Tevez
Stuart Pearce/Alan Pardew
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=415397&root=england&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab1pos1&cc=5901

Schalke steady the ship on a good weekend for nil-nil perverts

The football was grim but a four-way scramble for the title has been reduced to two after Bayern gave up the ghost.
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/2007/03/19/schalke_steady_the_ship_on_a_g.html

Mixed feelings for Pires after Villarreal bow

French midfielder Robert Pires said he had mixed feelings after finally making his league debut for Villarreal seven months after suffering a serious knee injury.
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=415591&cc=5901

Monday's Rumours

Berbatov and Tevez to Old Trafford?
http://football.guardian.co.uk/rumourmill/index/0,,2037550,00.html

Mawhinney's big idea has as much appeal as American cheese


The Football League shouldn't abandon draws just because Americans can't understand them.

Posh pies and puddings in the miracle made flesh

Wembley is open for business at last and the consensus is it is fantastic - but then so are the prices, says Jeremy Alexander.
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/2007/03/19/posh_pies_and_puddings_in_the.html