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The Soccer Source
Because soccer is like life, only more important.
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Inter, Roma, Barca, Seville Join English Teams In Champs League Round Of 16
2007-11-27 22:16:00
Solid performances by Inter Milan, AS Roma, Barcelona and Sevilla saw the four teams through to the round of 16 on the penultimate match day of UEFA Champions League group play. Meanwhile, Rangers blew a chance to clinch passage to the next round by losing at Stuttgart, who had absolutely nothing but their pride to play for. Walter Smith's side now host Lyon in a winner-take-all game at Ibrox Dec. 12. The good news for Rangers fans is they will advance if the game ends in a tie, by virtue holding the tie-breaker after beating Lyon in their first meeting.Today's Barca-Lyon game was a good one, as expected. I was able to watch follow all most parts of it on the Internet and thought Lyon had a lot of fight and put on a solid showing. Juninho and goalkeeper Rémy Vercoutre impressed me in the little that I saw of the game (I didn't catch any of the goals). Lyon came back from goals down twice and it felt like the tie was a fair result.I don't know what happened to Rangers other than what I ...
Champs
English
Inter
League
Teams
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Zenga Quits Romanian Club--MLS Stint Next?
2007-11-27 18:27:00
Former Italian national goalkeeper Walter Zenga, who had two separate stints at New England Revolution including one as coach, has stepped down from Dynamo Bucharest. His stint at the Romanian club was not exactly stellar--the team was seventh in the Divizia Nationala at time of his resignation earlier today and previously was ousted from Champions League qualification and the UEFA Cup, reports Germany's Kicker magazine.Other Italian coaches--with less caché and no MLS experience--recently became available as well: Palermo's Stefano Colantuono was fired over the weekend and today Empoli's Gigi Cagni joined him in the ranks of the unemployed. I thought Palermo were doing all right before getting crushed by Juventus this weekend, though I don't expect MLS clubs to pursue either.
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Club
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What's At Stake In Today's Champions League Games
2007-11-27 17:51:00
If it seems like it's been awhile since the last UEFA Champions League match day, it's because it has. Nearly three weeks to be exact, which is like three years in soccer time. No, not really. The last time these group's played, Man U and Arsenal qualified for the round of 16. Today, a number of teams can join them:The key game today is probably Barcelona versus Lyon. After a slow start to the season Lyon have come on strong in recent weeks. They need to win today and hope that Rangers drop points at lame-duck Stuttgart--who themselves appear to have rediscovered their form, at least in the Bundesliga. All Barca need is a tie and they're through. If Rangers and Barca both win, it's over for Lyon. If Rangers win and Lyon tie, the French side are eliminated as well. If both teams tie, the situation will remain the same for the final match day, Dec. 12, when they face off at Ibrox. At least Rangers can drop no lower than third, which means they'll be playing European football after new ye ...
Champions
Champions League
Games
League
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Poll: Just How Pessimistic Are England Fans?
2007-11-26 17:47:00
In light of England's catastrophic (judging by some of the press reports--the positive ones) failure to qualify for Euro 2008, I thought it would be timely to attempt to put my finger to the pulse of the one-time mother nation. Specifically, I am interested to see how England fans gauge their country's chances of making it to the next the 2010 World Cup. This is of course timely for another reason, namely that the qualifying groups were just drawn yesterday, with England by all accounts ending up with an easy draw.Witness, then, the polls at the top right of the page. The first one quite simply asks what England's fate will be in world cup qualifying. Four options there: They win the group, they finish second and qualify via the playoff, they finish second and fail to qualify, or they finish third or lower. The second poll is much broader and simply asks if England will win a Euro or World Cup in your lifetime (whatever that may be. Of course if you're really pessimistic and anticipate ...
England
Fans
Poll
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The World's Top 25 Clubs, Nov. 26, 2007
2007-11-26 17:38:00
And we're back. Last week we were faced with a dearth of games resulting in little movement over the week before. This week, most teams only played once (and incidentally, most on the list won) leading to only slight re-shuffling. Expect that to change, with a full slate of Champions League, UEFA Cup and domestic league action in Europe this week. But more on that later. Let's first take a look at the rankings:1. (1) Inter Milan. Beat Atalante Bergamo, 2-1. Next up: Fenerbahce in the Champs League Tuesday followed by a trip to Florence for Sunday's Serie A game.2. (2) Arsenal. Beat Wigan thanks to a late push. Next up: at Seville in Tuesday Champions League action, followed by a trip to Birmingham and Aston Villa on Saturday.3. (5) FC Porto. Had no problems with Vitoria Setubal in the Superliga yesterday. But now things get very interesting: Play at Anfield Wednesday with Liverpool facing a must-win, followed by a trip to Benfica Saturday. Both Benfica and Porto are unbeaten in the Por ...
Clubs
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La Liguilla: Sizing Up The Semifinals
2007-11-26 04:29:00
Mexico's Apertura season completed another turn this weekend, as the quarterfinals of the Liguilla (playoffs) wrapped up. There was one notable upset, with seventh-seeded UNAM Pumas ousting the second seed Toluca. With the Diablos Rojos' early exit, its coach Jose Pekerman (if you recognize him but can't place him it's because he was Argentina's coach at last summer's world cup in Germany) is now seen as a top candidate for the managerial vacancy at River Plate, according to this ESPNDeportes story (at least I think that's what it says. By all means please correct me if I'm wrong). For more on the quarterfinals match-ups, please consult the lengthy primer I wrote on the subject.Pumas will now face top-seeded Santos Laguna, with the first leg taking place in Mexico City Thursday. The return leg will follow at Santos' Estadio Corona Sunday. Obviously, Santos will be heavily-favored, but so too was Toluca. Santos is looking very strong; their only Apertura loss came Oct. 12 and their star ...
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Soccer Quote of the Day, Nov. 25, 2007
2007-11-25 19:38:00
"That one game alone changed our thinking. We thought we would demolish this team - England at Wembley, we are the masters, they are the pupils. It was absolutely the other way."--Bobby Robson, after Hungary became the first team outside the British isles to beat England at Wembley, 54 years ago today.Goes to show that lessons in humility are not a new experience in the annals of English football. England has adapted before; 13 years after that historic loss they won their only world cup trophy on the same field. No reason they can't change with the times again, one would think.
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Soccer
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European World Cup Qualifying Groups: England Draws Croatia Again
2007-11-25 18:08:00
England was drawn into a Group 6 with Croatia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Andorra. Looks like it could have been worse for the Three Lions. Several groups look a lot tougher. Take a look:Group 1: Portugal, Sweden, Denmark, Hungary, Albania, Malta.Group 2: Greece, Israel, Switzerland, Moldova, Latvia, Luxembourg.Group 3: Czech Republic, Poland, Northern Ireland, Slovakia, Slovenia, San Marino.Group 4: Germany, Russia, Finland, Wales, Azerbaijan, Liechtenstein.Group 5: Spain, Turkey, Belgium, Bosnia, Armenia, Estonia.Group 6: Croatia, England, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Andorra.Group 7: France, Romania, Serbia, Lithuania, Austria, Faroe Islands.Group 8: Italy, Bulgaria, Ireland, Cyprus, Georgia, Montenegro.Group 9: Netherlands, Scotland, Norway, Macedonia, Iceland.Not sure if there is a "Group of Death," except that England's group isn't it. Of the nine top-seeded teams, Croatia is arguably the worst. Group 2 is probably the weakest group. I don't understand how Israel could be ...
England
European
World Cup
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Freddy Gets Another, As Benfica Cruise To League Win
2007-11-25 04:24:00
After going a goal down 25 minutes into their bwin league game against Academica de Coimbra, Benfica scored three unanswered goals, the third by Freddy Adu in the 93rd minute. You can watch Adu's goal here and elsewhere. It was a lovely shot from the right edge of the penalty area that went off the post. Fred did a nice job running into space and Benfica's right wing did well to serve him the ball.According to my calculations, Freddy now has three goals in the last three games, four in the last six, and five in the last nine. Not bad for his rookie year in Europe!
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League
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Soccer Source Saturday Soccer Summary: Man U Go Down
2007-11-24 19:54:00
An early goal by Nicolas Anelka was enough to get Bolton an historic home victory against Manchester United, their first since 1979. It was only United's second loss in the Premiership this season (the other came Aug. 19 in the Manchester derby) and third overall (Coventry in the League Cup was the other). With Arsenal squeezing out a late victory today against a surprisingly stubborn Wigan, it means Sir Alex' squad are two games behind Gunners in the loss column (to get all American on you. It means they're three points behind and Arsenal has a game on hand). The loss is sure to have consequences in my Top 25 as well, where Man. U were third in the most recent ranking.Elsewhere in the Top 25, #1 Inter Milan is winning against Atalanta Bergamo, 2-1 and #8 Barcelona are scoreless at halftime.Among completed games, #6 Chelsea beat Derby, though not without some difficulty and without scoring anywhere near the 10 goals I had anticipated. #10 Lyon came through with an impressive win at Ren ...
Soccer
Source
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Soccer Quote of the Day, Nov. 24, 2007
2007-11-24 16:20:00
"When the seagulls follow the trawler, it's because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea"--Eric Cantona.A famously cryptic quote that was apparently a collaborative effort, according to this BBC story.
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Soccer
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Cologne Strike Back, Suspend Alpay
2007-11-24 05:42:00
Former Turkish international fullback Özalan Alpay who has said he wants to leave 2nd Bundesliga side F.C. Cologne for MLS, was suspended indefinitely by his club team for "egotism." This according to a statement by his club via Bundesliga sources. To rip off a line from Apocalypse Now, isn't suspending a professional athlete for being egotistical like handing out speeding tickets at the Indianapolis 500? Whatever. Alpay allegedly criticized Cologne manager Christoph Daum in an interview with Turkish television (by the way if a Turkish speaker can locate that video and transcribe some of it--the part about him saying he has received offers from MLS in particular--U.S. soccer fans would be eternally grateful) though Daum said the interview did not affect the club's decision (yeah right). Cologne's GM Michael Meier said the team had met more difficult decisions than that in the past and that "egotists may not become standard fare" (loosely-translated). Alpay has not been in the lin ...
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Introducing New York City F.C. And The Borough Boys
2007-11-23 16:41:00
Talk of a second MLS team in the New York area is about as old as the league itself. Until very recently, talk (more like speculation or gossip) was all it ever amounted to. No longer. In this year's state of the league address, MLS Commissioner Don Garber confirmed that the Wilpon family, owners of the Mets, are indeed seeking a second team for the New York metropolitan area. If I'm not mistaken that was the very first time Garber has publicly acknowledged these efforts.Enter the Borough Boys, a fledgling fan club and de-facto lobbying organization for the hypothetical team, which they have preemptively named New York City, F.C. Being a NYC resident myself, I was intrigued and was able to locate one of the group's co-founders via the Big Soccer sewing circle. What follows is the outcome of our exchange: Soccer Source: So tell me about your organization and what i ...
City
New York
New York City
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Friday Footie Link Feature, Nov. 23, 2007
2007-11-23 06:34:00
USsoccerplayers.com is reducing its coverage of MLS next year due to "several incidences concerning access and basic media relations at the local and league level." They lay out their reasons in some detail in an entry on their Web site. It's a shame, because they really do a great job and have poured a lot of resources into covering MLS. Unfortunately, the league didn't reciprocate. You'd think it might be in the league's interest to do what they can to attract media coverage in all its forms, but maybe not. I certainly hope they try to extend an olive branch, but I'm not holding my breath for that either.Some of you may remember a piece I did a few weeks ago on Indian football. If not, I'll summarize: Basically, Indian soccer sucks so badly it makes the U.S. look like Brazil. I'm not even exaggerating, either. But SoccerBlog.com tells us about the country's football association (the All India Football Federation, or AIFF) is starting a new professional league that is modeled in part ...
Link
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Possible Scenarios Of Euro 2008 Final Stage Groups
2007-11-22 15:02:00
All 16 teams have been set and UEFA has even been kind enough to lay out their draw seedings for us (seeing as there is no way anybody without advanced degrees in both math and Byzantine administrative history could figure it out on their own). There will be four groups of four with the top two teams advancing to the quarterfinals. Those groups will be drawn Dec. 2, with one team taken from each of the following pools:Pool 1: Switzerland, Austria, Greece, NetherlandsPool 2: Croatia, Italy, Czech Republic, SwedenPool 3: Romania, Germany, Portugal, SpainPool 4: Poland, France, Turkey, RussiaIf you ask me, this whole thing makes no sense. You could end up with completely uneven groups, or ones that are pretty well-balanced, or a combination thereof. Which, uh, would be exactly what might happen with a completely random draw. But hey, that's soccer bureaucracy for ya.Obviously, all the teams in Pools 2, 3 and 4 will be hoping to be drawn with Austria, who are clearly the worst of the 16 fi ...
Euro
Scenarios
Stage
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Exhibit A That Bloggers Don't Know What They're Talking About
2007-11-22 01:41:00
I'm referring here to myself here and my idiotic naive rant flaunting Steve McClaren's decision to start Scott Carson ahead of Paul Robinson. Nothing left to do but own up: Yes I did say that. My exact words were "with Scott Carson in goal, England cannot fail." I was being facetious to an extent, but it all blew up in my face. So bring it on: howl and laugh all you want. I can take it!The game will in all likelihood cost McClaren his job, but I still think benching Robbo was the right decision. No telling how many goals he would have cost England (based on recent performances). And Carson did redeem himself to some extent with a brilliant save in the second half right when England were gaining the momentum. Of course he also nearly cost England another one in the first half. And we'll never know if this was the game Robbo finally managed to turn his form around. Maybe McClaren should have given Robert Green a chance or (gasp!) gone with David James or Wigan's Chris Kirkland. Point is, ...
Bloggers
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With Carson In Goal, England Cannot Fail
2007-11-21 14:53:00
Okay, that might be overstating things a bit, not to mention putting a little too much pressure on the Aston Villa goalkeeper's shoulders (as he is after all a regular reader of this blog. Yeah right). By now you probably know Scott Carson is starting in goal for England's crucial Euro qualifier against Croatia tonight. And if you didn't know, please leave and become a fan before returning to read this blog.All kidding aside (and I was kidding. Please don't leave), Paul Robinson was a huge liability, who probably cost England the game in Moscow. Even before that match, I had tried to warn Steve McClaren about starting Robbo. Soccer Source readers backed me up on this, as only 6% thought the Spurs keeper should have started that game. The same poll found 40% in favor of Carson starting in Robinson's place. Alas, McClaren didn't listen and his decision very nearly proved fatal to England's qualifying hopes. (Let this be a lesson to you, boys and girls. You can doubt Soccer Source but yo ...
Carson
England
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Second Half Goals Spur Colombia Comeback Over Argentina
2007-11-21 12:17:00
Who needs Juan Pablo Angel? The New York Red Bulls striker was said to be desperately needed by his country as Colombia was having problems scoring goals (two in three games going into last night's encounter at the Nemesio Camacho). But Angel was unavailable due to the knock he picked up in Red Bulls' season-ending loss to New England.No Angel, no problem. Lionel Messi put the guests up 37 minutes in but Ruben Bustos and Dayro Moreno added second half goals for the cafeteros. Carlos Tevez was sent off after 25 minutes for kicking Bustos, an event that apparently galvanized the Argentines more than the Colombians, according to ESPNSoccernet's report of the game (and supported by the fact that they took the lead 12 minutes later).So who are these guys that scored for Colombia? Bustos is a 26 year old defender, so forget about him for a second, but Moreno is a 22 year old forward who was playing in only his fourth international game. He currently plays for Brazilian side Atletico Paranaen ...
Argentina
Colombia
Comeback
Goals
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Turkey Centerback Alpay Headed To MLS?
2007-11-20 12:51:00
Özalan Alpay, a former Turkish international who currently plays for Second Bundesliga side Cologne, is apparently headed to Major League Soccer. This tidbit comes courtesy of Germany's kicker.de, which cites an interview Alpay did with Turkish television. Other details are elusive, except that Alpay said he will not be going to L.A. Galaxy (who apparently are more preoccupied with signing guys like Clint Mathis anyway) and that lack of playing time at Christoph Daum's club is to blame for his impending departure.Alpay is a 34 year-old centerback who had surgery this summer and has not played for the first team this season. He was a member of Turkey's 2002 World Cup team that went all the way to the semifinals. He has been a controversial figure since, feuding with managers (Graham Taylor, among others) and fans during a three year stint at Aston Villa. He was also a central figure in the brawl between Turkish and Swiss players after their 2006 World Cup qualifying playoff--a role tha ...
Turkey
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Soccer Quote of the Day, Nov. 20, 2007
2007-11-20 07:43:00
"Lloyd McGrath is lucky he's not running in a gelding plate now. That tackle was so high it was very nearly a squeaky - voice job."--John Sillett, Coventry manager, on a challenge by Dave Watson, 1987.
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Soccer
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Mexican Liguilla Primer: 2007 Apertura Quarterfinals
2007-11-20 04:22:00
North American soccer fans hungering for some action now that MLS has completed its season are advised to check out the Mexican Liguilla, the eight team playoff that kicks off Wednesday night. While not quite Man U versus Arsenal, the Mexican league is deeper and better than many European leagues and is considered by some to be the best professional soccer league outside of Europe. I reckon the eight playoff teams would give nearly all Premiership sides a good game. There are also several young players you're likely to see in European leagues before too long. The quarterfinals play out over two legs, concluding this weekend. Let's take a look at the match-ups:Santos Laguna (top seed) vs. Morelia (8) First game: At Morelia, Thursday. (Exact times and U.S. television to be determined and added later).Second game: At Santos, Sunday.Outlook: Santos is obviously heavily-favored, having completed the regular season with just one loss. Morelia had to win a play-in series against Club America- ...
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Say Goodbye To Cletus, RB Fans
2007-11-19 21:35:00
The New York Red Bulls have traded Clint Mathis to the L.A. Galaxy in exchange for a third round pick in the 2008 SuperDraft. According to RB Technical Director Jeff Agoos, “this was a very difficult decision but I would like to thank Clint for his work this year and wish him the best of luck in the future.” That's from an official statement by the team.This is a shame, as Cletus was a fan favorite and early this year appeared to show glimpses of his former self. But he was barely used during the stretch run of the season--perhaps due to a falling out with Bruce Arena, as has been rumored (he'd hardly be the only one to have feuded with Arena this season. Depending on whom you believe, it might be easier to find the players that didn't feud with the former USMNT coach).I'm not sure who the Red Bulls might get with the third round pick, but new blood is definitely needed. And let's face it: Clint is no longer a spring chicken. Dude turns 31 in a few days, which for an offensive midf ...
Fans
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Euro 2008 Final Matchday Qualification/Seeding Scenarios
2007-11-19 16:36:00
Ten of 14 spots have been decided going into the final day of qualifying games, while a separate battle to not land in the pool of top-seeded teams could prove interesting. Allow me to explain this second point first, before going into everybody's chances (though I reckon you all know that Scotland is eliminated and England can qualify with a tie against Croatia).'Pool 1' will contain the two host nations (Austria and Switzerland) and the defending champion (Greece) plus the top team according to its coefficient, which is gleaned from the last round of Euro- and World Cup-qualifying. For obvious reasons--specifically the fact that Switzerland and Austria suck and Greece is not viewed that highly--teams will not want to be in that pool. Instead, an ideal situation would be to be drawn into the group that has, say, Austria as the "first" seed and if you're in the same pool as them you obviously won't have a chance to be drawn into their group.The UEFA coefficient itself is calculated via ...
Euro
Scenarios
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Soccer Quote of the Day, Nov. 19, 2007
2007-11-19 16:03:00
"Sometimes you have to sacrifice beautiful football for the result."--Stylianos Giannakopoulos, on winning the European championship with Greece in 2004.
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Soccer
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The World's Top 25 Clubs, Nov. 19, 2007
2007-11-19 06:03:00
With all the drama in UEFA and CONMEBOL qualifying, not to mention in the MLS Cup, it would have been easy to forget about this list this week. I didn't though. There was enough action to put together the rankings, though as might be expected the top spots didn't change much.1. (1) Inter Milan. Idle. Next game is Saturday at Atalanta.2. (3) Arsenal. Move back into second thanks to having actually played a game last week, where they beat Reading handily, 3-1. Next: Wigan at Emirates on Saturday. Nice way to ease back into Premiership action...3.(2) Manchester United. Idle. Play at Bolton next on Saturday.4. (4) Real Madrid. Idle. Next up: Murcia, Sunday.5. (5) FC Porto. Idle. Host fifth-placed Vitoria Setubal in the Superliga Sunday.6. (6) Chelsea. Idle. Next up: At Derby on Saturday. That should be tough (not). The only question is if they manage to score 10 or more goals.7. (7) Villareal. One of very few European teams to actually play last week, Villareal beat Las Palmas in Copa del ...
Clubs
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