Volkswagen is set to start running some ads with a soccer theme. The ads are running in anticipation of the World Cup in South Africa and offer some new soccer celebrations...
We've all heard and seen how Barack Obama likes to play hoops, but his oldest daughter Malia likes to kick the soccer ball around, in the video below we see Obama and his wife pull up some portable chairs and take in some of his daughter's soccer game.
A brace against The Blues for the American Clint Dempsey enables Fulham to pull off a draw in the dying minutes of the game. Dempsey must becoming something of a hero at Craven Cottage. He's scored some big goals for the club. See the highlights.
Columbus is off to a wonderful start this season, and they’ve got a player who’s only going to help them get more and more wins. That player is Emmanuel Ekpo. Robbie Rogers got two goals in this game, and at just 21 and with blazing speed, he may get more of the attention, but I think Ekpo will soon garner more and more assists and accolades as the season goes on.
His club was down 1-0 when he entered the match for Eddie Gaven, but things changed quick like. Ekpo entered the game in the last twenty minutes – in that space of time five goals went into the back of the net. He wasn’t necessarily the architect of all the goals, but his quality and intensity I think raised everyone else’s game.
The tears were starting to well up watching this game, and when the goal came, that didn't seem like it was going to come, or not get through Friediel at least, did come, it's what makes soccer a joy to watch. When pundits or agents complain about the lack of goals in soccer, or say things need to be changed to draw in the American fan, it's more a joke and discredit to them as pundits of anything at all.
It looks like the deal is all said and done and Ronaldinho will join Kaka at AC Milan. He's played his last game in a Barcelona jersey and at the Camp Nou. There's no way he will end up at Manchester City, even though that's been mentioned at Tottenham as well, although I'd love to see him playing in the English Premier League in general, I wish he wasn't leaving Barcelona just yet. And to question his form and intensity, I don't think you can.
The opening shot of the game was of Ferguson cleaning off his spectacles and pulling out a few pieces of gum to start chomping on. Well, he did clean off his specks but we didn’t see the gum being pulled out, although he did have a game to watch that he could enjoyably chomp along to.
How frustrating it must be to have an English team come in and out style you? The Italian names still role off the tongue better than most of the players on the Manchester side, compare Marco Cassetti to Michael Carrick, but their play is not on par these days the EPL.
He's set to return to the English national team and try to exceed the 100 caps mark, but before that he'll be on 60 minutes. Everything seems to be falling in Beckham's favor these days.
Brush up on your Portuguese and take a look at the highest paid players:
After several weeks of research, The Futebol Finance site have published a list of the 50 best paid soccer players in the world. In the tables are represented the gross salary of the players, depending on new contracts signed and recent renegotiations. Soon we will publish the following 50 positions of the table as the soccer players earnings from advertising and other prizes.
She's a class player who could play on most men's teams. She doesn't make mistakes and plays smart soccer. While she's athletic and quick, I think it's more her cerebral senses that make her a must pick for a lot of teams. As a defender, she provides common sense in the back, a sense of control and an ability to keep possession in the back. Read more...
Here's an article for the younger set - those just starting out in soccer. A good guide on how to strike the ball...
1/22/08 The Joy of African Football
With players like Eto'o, Drogba, Essien, Geremi, Kalou, and many other European based stars competing in this year's tournament, there's no doubt there will be some excitement surrounding these games - and more joy than is the usual news we here from the amazing continent that is Africa.
Watching the United States play Sweden tonight, and win convincingly. What caught my attention was how many players have played for or been associated with the San Jose Earthquakes, and Kinnear and Yallop. These guys, along with the coaches of New England, are the class of the MLS, passing along something unique to the players they've coached —share the ball, one and two touch soccer, a certain drive and energy. It's effident in all the players they've selected and brought under their umbrella. Sure, there are talented players, but I think the Quakes instilled something special into this group.
Six players in this friendly match were Quakes at one point or another, where Donovan pushed past Eric Wynalda with this 35th goal to lead the U.S men's team in international goals, all be it a penalty kick, he keep knocking them in and it will be a while before someone catches him.
Donovan the star of the U.S national for so long, has a tough hill to climb in receiving the praise he deserves. Most of it has to do with the fact that he hasn’t played for a significant period of time overseas. If he could do that, he would knock down all his critics. He’s tireless, fast and skilled behind what you’d expect.
Eddie Robinson scored a wonderful goal in his first appearance for the U.S team, digging out a cross by Noonan, this won't be his last game for the U.S. national team. The Quakes should be proud, they've planted a nice seed in the MLS
The San Jose Earthquakes connection:
Eddie Robinson
Landon Donovan
Ramiro Corrales
Ricardo Clark
Brad Davis
Jimmy Conrad
1/16/08 Funny Search Terms Finding the Site
At times, we do get some visitors who are searching for things that are tangentially soccer related – or they want to look like a soccer player or see what soccer players wives look like, no problem, we’ve got it. Actually, it seems like there’s a lot of searching for Cristino Ronaldo information, more how he looks and how to get like he looks, and not necessarily how he beats defenders. Below are some funny searchers who’ve arrived at our site recently:
The 2007 MLS Cup Playoffs are officially upon us, and the biggest name in the league will be watching them from his couch. So, if you are just a casual fan looking for a player (and maybe in turn, a team) to latch onto, here are some players who are X-Factors: If these guys can find a way to live up to their potential, they might be hoisting the trophy come November 18th.
It had everything you could ask for and nothing you could complain about (well, except maybe the referees). It, Major League Soccer’s final regular season weekend, proved to be the best in years, with exactly what the big-wigs in the league office have been stressing for quite some time now: meaningfulness of games.
I almost liken it to the MLS's Detroit Pistons versus Pacers fiasco for the NBA. No, not really that bad, but an ultimate fighting worthy effort. How are their ratings compared to the MLS? But at least it's not like stomping on a dog thinking it was a rat, a la the exterminator in Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Heck, it least it was a player and not a fan, a la Cantona's karate kick. Incidentally, I think Cantona, or his run with Manchester United, puts him up there with the greats of the game, and the way he did, with a style all his own. But, for Clark the fine is a tough pill to swallow, unlike the NBA players whose fines are pocket change in comparison to their salaries, Clark makes $195,000 per year, so $10K is a good chunk.
Sadly, the US is out of the World Cup, but Brazil out played them, and may continue to out play the US in future tournaments for years to come.
The skill and quickness of the Brazilian women is at another level, much like their men's team. They can cut and dart at abrupt angles, and leave defenders at a stand still a la Joga bonito, y mas bonito con las chicas.
The US plays a more direct game. Looking to hit their target players upfront. Where they have a size advantage with most teams. But time and time again they were forced to foul the Brazilians after they were beaten on the dribble and just looked lack luster. But the goal was something to behold.
LONDON (AP) — A friendly game of soccer works off more fat and builds up more muscle than jogging, new research shows. Danish scientists, who conducted their research on 37 men, also found the soccer players felt less tired after exercising than the joggers because they were having more fun.
"This is good news for men who prefer to play football (soccer) with their mates," said Dr. Gary O'Donovan, a sports medicine expert at the University of Exeter who was not connected to the study.
To measure how hard the men were working out, the researchers strapped heart monitors to their chests and compared blood samples and muscle tissue before and after matches and jogging sessions.
Sunday, August 26th was induction day, and women’s soccer legends Mia Hamm and Julie Foudy, headlined the Class of 2007. Not to be outdone were their fellow inductees, former NASL player Bobby Smith, and mastermind pioneer Alan Rothenberg. George Tiedemann also received the Jose Colin Media Award for his excellence in photography.
Good grief, what a great goal, and well deserved, as LA fought back. Early on, Vagenas sadly cleared the ball not out for a corner but into his own goal as Pachgua weaved a neat give and go looked to go ahead soon. LA didn’t give up though, hail to Vagenas and Cobi Jones (he does bring something to a team no doubt, fight and experience) and the entire LA Galaxy team for clawing their way to a draw. But Landon was the messenger, look at me he said, stop watching Becks.
Anyone who thought that Superliga was a waste of time ate their words on Tuesday night. Cover your eyes if you are a defender or a goalkeeper who loves 1-0 wins, because Los Angeles and FC Dallas put up 11 goals in their final group game in Dallas.
Tuesday night showed us why it is good to just have a little fun every once in a while. It would have been nice to see something that resembled defending show up in this game, but the Galaxy’s 6-5 triumph over FC Dallas provided the young Superliga with a game that should be remembered for many years to come.
David Beckham. What does the name mean to you? Depending on your level of interest in soccer, it may mean a La Liga champion, a man who won the treble with Manchester United, or simply a guy who can bend free kicks. Or, you might just know him for his status as a global icon or his wife Victoria. Either way, you know the name.
Tonight at 10:30 pm EST, Chivas USA of Major League Soccer will take on USL First Division side Seattle Sounders in the final third round match up of the 2007 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. So far, the third round has provided some great upsets by USL teams, which has sparked some heated debate in the soccer community.
MLS teams that fell victim to lower division sides include D.C. United, the Los Angeles Galaxy, the Houston Dynamo, and the Chicago Fire. D.C. lost to the Harrisburg City Islanders of USL-2, Houston fell to the Charleston Battery of USL-1, Los Angeles was upset by the Richmond Kickers of USL-2, and the Carolina Railhawks of USL-1 beat Chicago on Sunday night.
With the Copa América over and the Brazilians reigning supreme again, let’s take a look back at some of the high and low points of the tournament that produced everything from nail biting penalty kicks to completely dominant performances that separated the men from the boys.
The Pulga Atomic does it again, this time with a deft chip just over the Mexican keeper. What will he do next? It was a wonderful first time shot, nearly teasing the keeper, as the ball reached a high point and then dropped into the net. I can't imagine how frustrating that must be fore a goalie. This Argentinean side is playing beautiful football. What a Copa America final awaits us this Sunday - Brazil versus Messi, Riquelme, Tevez and Argentina. Take a look - Messi's Chip...
He's finally here and about to suit up for the LA Galaxy on July 21. Becks is to make is debut against Chelsea and now Beckham is appearing in a commercial set to a Beatles classic. Take a look. Hat tip for the video to Who Ate All the Pies. Also, read the Beckham Show.
I didn’t expect this at all from the US under 20 World Cup. Expect so much excitement and attacking soccer. Up in Canada the US played Brazil. Sure, the Brazilians have the overall ability to dart, cut and control the ball with a dancing style that few players can match, but Adu and Jozy Altidore (his commercial his entirely warranted) as a pair, possess, speed, skill, strength, and creativity. Altidore scoring both goals for the US.
What’s more, they both play freely, as the Brazilians do. Taking half chances and taking players on. It was a marvelous bit of inventiveness by Adu, to setup the winning goal, and his hard defensive work to knock the ball away from a Brazilian player to create the first goal. Mike Bradley was solid in the middle of the defense and the US was fortunate that Jo’s quickness and surprise shots didn’t slip through. But both teams had a number of chances. Brazil should have tied it towards the end with an open header, but the US held strong and on, to get the victory.
The game was played on articifcal turf. You could see the black pellets fly up after a cut or turn. I’m wondering if the game would have been a bit different on grass. The turf is not too fast, enough of a cushion to slow the ball but still a bit of a faster pitch. In one instance, the Brazilian Pato nearly the chipped the US keeper with a beautiful shot, perhaps on grass he would have gotten under the ball better.
In the end it was a great match with both teams playing hard and with urgency.
7/2/07 David Beckham & Reggie Bush: Football
Beckham shows off his brand new soccer boots to Reggie Bush. Part of the Futbol meets Football campaign by Adidas. Two great stars meet on the pitch for a bit of football. Check out the new adidas commercial...
6/28/07 Where Are Yah?
US Soccer Still Searches for Passion
By Jeff Kassouf
The United States National Team will begin its quest for a formidable showing in the Copa America tonight against Argentina. While the roster will be quite different from the one fresh off of a Gold Cup Championship, the emphasis will still be on gaining experience and winning.
Last Sunday, a crowd of over 50,000 packed into Soldier Field in Chicago to witness yet another border clash, the second game of the year pitting Mexico against the United States, this time for significant hardware. The boisterous crowd witnessed the U.S. win 2-1 for the Gold Cup in another intense game between the rivals, but something was missing.
Someone pointed me to this: I belive you can catch all the games online at Univision
The US is sending a young, basically a second team in a sense, whereas, Argentina is stacked and looks to make a statement--who's going to deal with Messi, Tevez, Riquelme, Veron...? The US will have to pack it in or endure a lot of gunfire and a 6-0 result.
Brazil is without Kaka and Ronaldinho, although I'm sure a new star with rise up and take on their roles. I belive Robinho will be there. Who, has been playing his slilky smooth style of late, and was the conductor for Real Madrid and their title win in Spain.
Mexico is full of talent and sending a strong team as well. I would like to see Mexico and Argentina play again. Their match in last years World Cup I thought was the best of the tournament. I haven't seen the groups though, so not sure if they can end up playing one another...
6/24/07 USA Versus Mexico - Benny Feilhaber
Benny Feilhaber scored the game winner in the final of the Gold Cup--a phenomenal volley that silenced the pro Mexican crowd in a match that was back and forth, with equally near goals for both Mexico and the US. Although Mexico was the more dangerous and skillful side in the first half, the US goal to tie it, a penalty kick, knocked the wind out of their sails a bit and the momentum swung to the US. Late in the game Tim Howard made a wonderful point blank save that enabled the US to hold on.
Who’s Got Attendance on Lock-Down, and Who Draws like a Car Wash in a Rain Storm
By Jeff Kassouf
Attendance. That one word, displayed in the form of a number that everyone seems to be obsessed with. From owners looking to boost the number and turn a profit to fans and media calling for the demise of a team with low representation in the stands, the word is on the tip of everyone’s tongue in the sports world.
Though an important figure in all sports, American soccer fans seem to live by this one number that shows up in the box score. Whether we like it or not, a large part of the measurement of success or failure of Major League Soccer will be how many people they can put in those seats.
So, let’s take a look at the numbers through early June so far. The 2007 season is stacking up fairly the same as previous seasons, with the average attendance hovering around 15,000. However, the noticeable absences of doubleheaders that usually boost attendance make this number encouraging.
I just watched Real Madrid versus Mallorca at Mad Dog in the Fog in San Francisco. About twenty or so people dotted around the bar. Gol TV had the game, and showed split screens now and again when Barcelona or Sevilla scored or were scored on. Barca whipped up on Gimnastic 5-1. Messi scoring and Rondalinho nailing a free kick.
But the focus was all on Madrid, well and the annoucer's wit and a few stars in the stands. Ray Hudson was one of the announcers for the game. He was hilarious and passionate. Calling the Madrid players bull fighters and chastising the other announcer whenever he mentioned Rafael Nadal (his father player for Barcelona) or Tom Cruise (don't know what sport he played but I'm sure his kids will now play soccer) and wife Katie Holmes who watched from the stands. The camera shot over to the stars throughout the game. Cruise is good friends with Beckham and Katie with Posh. The Beckham's bought a home near Tom in Los Angeles. Back to football...
Madrid gave away an early goal and the pressure mounted. They had a few chances in the early stages but their crosses where a bit off or shots just over. Ruud went down with a hamstring injury and had to come off. That appeared to stifle Madrid for a while. Barca were giddy as they sensed a third consecutive title. However, for Madrid, the more Ronbinho got the ball on his foot the better they were. At times, in the beginning of the game, they forced the ball to him but things started to flow with a few changes. One of those was Beckham, he came off with about twenty to play, and things seemed likely to end sadly for the Beckham clan. Then, Ronbinho and Hiquain did their magic and Reyes the substitue smartly finished off the play. Hiquain neatly touched the ball down the line and turned tightly along the touch line to lay the ball back to Reyes. Later, off a corner kick, Mahamadou Diarra (from Mali) knodded hom the winner and Reyes again finsihed off a sequence by Raul as ensured the championship for Real Madrid.
Mallorca fought the whole way but Madrid matched their fight and more. Guti was another subsitute that added some extra bite but I think Ronbinho and Casillas were the gamers today--though the whole Madrid team remained tough in the tackle and battled to the end. It was such a relief for Madrid. I can't imagine all the pressure they must feel at times. But that's where all the joy comes from. And Capello, the leader of this team, must have instilled a determination and fight that was new to this club.
"A major fault of mine this season was not recognizing Beckham's potential," Capello said Sunday.
"Real Mallorca are hanging on the cliff edge by their hands! Real Madrid are on top of the cliff, jumping up and down on their hands! Stomping on their hands!"
"Reyes! braver than a bull-fighter with no knickers on!"
"We're in the land of the bull fighters! Bull fighters! That's what Real Madrid has been all about! Staring the beast straight in the eyes!"
6/15/07 Feilhaber Going with the Flow
Great article from the Boston Globe:
That's something of a Feilhaber family trait. His father's father was an Austrian who concluded in 1938 that it wasn't the best place to be Jewish and departed for Brazil, where Feilhaber's parents were born.
He grew up in Rio de Janeiro, speaking Portuguese and English and playing futsal , the five-a-side indoor game that develops quick feet and ball skills. Next stop was Scarsdale, N.Y., then Houston, then Cos Cob, Conn., then nearby Wilton, then Irvine, Calif. Always, Feilhaber had a ball at his foot.
An hour is probably enough don't you think? It will be interesting to see what happens when the couple arrives in LA, the circus like atmostphere that will hit the air waves for a good while. Will Beckham be loaned out? Will Real Madrid win La Liga?
'Former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham's upcoming NBC reality series will instead run as an hour-long special, the network said Wednesday .
"Victoria Beckham: Coming to America" will air at 8 p.m. July 16. As the title suggests, it will focus on Posh Spice's relocation to Los Angeles from London with her husband, football star David Beckham.
NBC announced the project as a six-episode series in February. But there was recent speculation in the British media about problems on the show once David Beckham was recalled to play with the English national team late last month. He is set to play with Major League Soccer's Los Angeles Galaxy after his contract with Real Madrid expires June 30.'
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