SPAIN!!! 2010 World Cup Winners!!!

Spain has won the 2010 World Cup for the first time!!!

They were considered one of the favorites before the tournament started, and unlike Brazil, they were able to get the job done. Spain didn't play the best soccer in the tournament, that would have to be Germany, but they were the most efficient. After winning the Euro in 2008, and because they have so many great players on the same squad, I would have to say the Spanish deserved to win.

Spain played a tightly contested game against a Dutch side that clearly didn't care about playing the game. They wanted to intimidate Spain physically, and they were able to do that for the most part. English referee Howard Webb let the Dutch off the hook easy by not giving red cards to Mark van Bommel (the dirtiest player I've ever seen) for "flying" slide tackle to the back of Andres Iniesta's knees, and Nigel de Jong for kicking Xabi Alonso in the chest. It was a bit early in the game, so I understand Webb might not have wanted to jeopardize the final game by sending off 2 Dutch players, but this showed the Dutch didn't want to win the game with the ball on their feet.

Both teams had clear chances with Iker Casillas saving Spain on one side, and the Spanish players taking too long pull the trigger on the other side. But at the 116th minute mark of extra time, Iniesta comes through to save the day just like he did against Chelsea in the Champions League a little over a year ago.

This was a well deserved Cup for Spain and I still think they have another Euro win in 2012. But for 2014, everyone better watch out because I doubt anyone will be able to go to Brazil and beat them on their turf!

And then there were 4!

The Semi-finals of the World Cup are set! Uruguay will play The Netherlands while Germany will face Spain.

If you ask me, I don't see anything wrong with these 4 nations reaching the semis.

Spain hasn't played up to their potential, but they keep improving with each game. Uruguay was very lucky against Ghana, but they've been playing well. The Netherlands upset Brazil on the pitch, and they absolutely crushed Brazil's composure, something I've never seen before from Brazil. And last, but certainly not least, Germany...the best team in this year's tournament. They've dismantled every team they faced, with the exception of the loss to Serbia. They keep getting better and right now, there's no telling how good they can really be.

If I were to bet on who's going to win it all at this point, my money would be on Germany!

Anelka sent home...Players protest!

 Things just keeps getting worse for France.

The team isn't playing well at all and they need a win by at least 4 goals against South Africa and a loss from Mexico in order to advance to the next round. Given the situation they're in, I'm pretty sure French players have already packed for a return home.

Much of the problem is because of coach Raymond Domenech, who doesn't know how to manage the team. He criticized Anelka for his performance during the first half against Mexico, but Anelka didn't agree with his coach and told him "Go f*** yourself, you dirty son of a b****!" The coach then told Anelka he was out for the second half. After a quick review of the situation, the French Football Federation decided to kick Anelka off the team for disciplinary reasons.

All the players are against Domenech, and they also didn't agree with the decision by the French Federation. In order to protest Anelka's exclusion from the squad, the players have decided not train today, making a bad situation even more chaotic. This has led to the resignation of team director Jean-Louis Valentin. Not only that, there was also a heated argument between team captain Patrice Evra and fitness coach Robert Duverne, who walked off the field after throwing his badge on the ground.

I've never been a fan of Anelka, and even though he's wrong, why didn't the French Federation replace Domenech when all of the players were clearly against him even before the World Cup started? You can blame this whole situation on them, that's it.

2010 World Cup Recap - Group Stage Round 1

() - My predictions

South Africa 1 x 1 Mexico (1x1)
Opening game of the tournament and both teams were a bit timid. South Africa scored first on a counter-attack, but Mexico tied the game on a defensive mistake by South Africa. Neither team showed they're a threat.

France 0 x 0 Uruguay (1x1)
Embarrasing game for both teams. France looks old and very individualistic, while Uruguay showed why they needed a final playoff game to qualify for the tournament. Both teams have a lot of talent, but they can't put it all together.

South Korea 2 x 0 Greece (1x1)
South Korea has been playing well since the 2002 World Cup. They're composed and surprisingly skillful, so their win didn't surprise me. Greece is old and they've never scored in a World Cup tournament. They looked old and very sloppy, but tried very hard.

Argentina 1 x 0 Nigeria (3x0)
Credit Nigerian goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama for not allowing this game to be a blowout. Argentina tried, but were shut down for the most part. Nigeria can be dangerous, but they have to be firing on all cylinders and this seldom happens. Looks like Messi is starting to play like he does for Barcelona. If he keeps it up, Argentina will go far and you can give Messi his 2nd FIFA World Player Award.

England 1 x 1 USA (2x1)
England's goalkeeper Robert Green had the first big "oops" of the tournament. What looked like an easy shot to grab, turned into a nightmare when Green let the ball slip away from his hands. The USA didn't show much in this game, but thanks to Green's mistake, they're in as good of a shape as England, so I think it'll all work out at the end, but I don't see them going past the Round of 16.

Algeria 0 x 1 Slovenia (1x3)
Slovenia is this year's surprise team in most people's opinion. I didn't see much from them and they only scored after Algeria was down to 10 players. They also got a little help from Algeria's goalkeeper, who misjudged the bounce of the ball in front of him.

Ghana 1 x 0 Serbia (0x2)
A hand ball by Serbia's Zdravko Kuzmanovic allows for Ghana to be the 1st African nation to win a match in the tournament. I expected a lot more from Serbia as I thought they would be the team that surprised everyone. I never thought they could actually win the tournament, but I thought they would put up a good fight. Ghana is very young and are without Essien, but they held their own against Serbia and are now in a good position to advance to the next round.

Germany 4 x 0 Australia (2x0)
Official start of the World Cup! Finally a team scoring more than 1 or 2 goals. Germany looks very scary right
now. They don't have some of the big names from 2006, but they're playing well together and they can definitely score. For me, Australia always plays dirty and they don't deserve to be in the tournament. If things don't go their way, they will hurt you.

Netherlands 2 x 0 Denmark (3x1)
The Dutch played without Robben, a game changing player in my opinion. As it has always been for the Netherlands, they're loaded with talent, but they always fall short. Still, they showed they can go far in this tournament, but I don't think they can win it all. Denmark played solid, but they won't threaten any of the favorites.

Japan 1 x 0 Cameroon (0x2)
Japan is organized, but are not very talented. They also have a hard time scoring. Everyone expected more from Cameroon, but it looks as if they will fall short of the knockout stage and will have a very disappointing tournament.

Italy 1 x 1 Paraguay (1x1)
Just like France, Italy is old, they don't have enough playmakers, and I think they might be in trouble this tournament. Pirlo didn't play, Buffon got hurt, but Italy's tradition alone will intimidate opponents. Paraguay is a solid team and I think they might be able to pull off 1st place in Group F, but as of this game, it doesn't look like they're too much of a threat.

New Zealand 1 x 1 Slovakia (0x2)
Ugly game between 2 weak teams. Slovakia had this game won until the last minute of injury time. Nothing else exciting to talk about this one.

Portugal 0 x 0 Ivory Coast (2x0)
Drogba was cleared to play with a cast on his broken arm, but he only came in as a sub in the second half. This wasn't enough time to get him warmed up. In my opinion, whoever scores more goals against North Korea between these 2 teams will advance. I think only Big Phil was able to get Portugal to play to their pontential and once again, Cristiano Roanldo came up small in a big game. Sorry Ronaldo, but you're going to see Messi win many more FIFA World Player Awards in the years to come.

Brazil 2 x 1 North Korea (4x0)
The only team that plays "down" to the competition. North Korea is mainly made up of Soldiers from the North Korean Army and no one really knows anything else about them. They defend with all 11 players. Brazil could've sent a message with this game, but they decided to play around and try to be fancy. They did show some precision passing and shooting in their 2 goals, but a defensive lapse let the North Korean's score at the end of the game. Still, Brazil will be taking things a lot more serious in the next 2 games.

Honduras 0 x 1 Chile (1x2)
Much like Paraguay, Chile played a solid game and were very impressive. Chile will be a tough opponent to Spain and Switzerland, so Group H will be very tight in my opinion. Honduras gave a good effort and like many of the less favored teams, they showed there aren't any easy games in the World Cup.

Spain 0 x 1 Switzerland (3x0)
The first big upset of the tournament! I don't think anyone would've predicted this. Switzerland isn't really a soccer powerhouse. They do play well, but no way would I've thought the would beat arguably the favorites to win the cup. I have been saying for a long time that Spain has the talent, but they still lack chemistry. Spain will still advance, but if they end up second and Brazil end up 1st place in group H, one of the 2 most favored teams to win the tournament will be going home early.

Summary:
Not the most exciting start to a World Cup. A lot of complaining about the Jabulani ball and not a lot of scoring. Only Germany was able to score more than 2 goals in a game, but the Germans have been using the Jabulani in the Bundesliga for the past 4 months, so they're already used to the  With the exception of a handful of referees, refereeing so far in the tournament has been horrible. Let's hope things pick up in the next round of games.

Mourinho to coach Real Madrid!!!

They finally get a coach that might be able to turn things around!!!

Real Madrid signed Jose Mourinho to coach the club for the next 4 years at 10 million Euros per season. Many names were thrown out as a possible replacement to Manuel Pellegrini, but only Mourinho was able to go in the Nou Camp and shut down Barcelona.

In my opinion, Mourinho is the best man for the job and the only coach that would actually put his foot down against all the front office directors who think they can run the club, but so far have been driving one of the greatest European teams into the ground.

Even before signing with Madrid, Mourinho has said Guti will not be part of the team and that he would need to speak to Raul before making a decision. Guti is rumored to have a deal in place to play for Turkey's Galatasaray, while Raul has his sights on playing for the New York Red Bulls of the MLS. There are also rumors for possible reinforcements requested by Mourinho: right back Maicon (Inter), left back Kolarov (Lazio), winger Di Maria (Benfica), and a midfielder to play alongside Xabi Alonso. Sounds promising, but there's still work to be done. Let's wait and see.

David Villa to Barcelona!!!

 I knew there was a reason no one took the #7 jersey. Something tells me this transfer was a done deal since last year.

Once again, Barcelona beat Real Madrid. It was said last year that David Villa was very close to signing with Madrid, but as it turns out, Barcelona was the club Villa wanted to play for all along.

Villa's transfer from Valencia was finalized this past Wednesday for a transfer fee of 40 million Euros. Valencia was forced to deal Villa due to their financial troubles and they might not be done dealing as Spanish media reports many clubs are after David Silva, with Real Madrid and Barcelona as the front runners. It has been said that if Barcelona can't reach a deal with Arsenal for Cesc Fabregas, they'll be going after Silva, but I believe Madrid might have the upper hand on this deal.

With Villa coming to Barcelona, there's a good chance Ibrahimovic will be moving on. He didn't really live up to his potential and Barcelona's style of play doesn't suit him all that well. Juventus, Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City, and even Real Madrid are interested in the Swedish striker and the transfer fee is speculated to be anywhere from 30 to 50 million Euros.

Sad ending to a great career

If you haven't seen this play yet, take a look at what Francesco Totti did to Mario Balotelli on the Italian Cup Final.

Totally unacceptable for any player, and this looks even worse coming from a player of Totti's caliber. He was given a much deserved red card and he should also be suspended for a few games in my opinion.

After Balotelli's agent called Totti a racist, Balotelli himself says Totti called him a "Black Piece of Shit." There is no place for racism anywhere, and if this is indeed true, Totti should be suspended for a long time.

Real Madrid can rest in peace!

Inter Milan knocked Barcelona out of the Champions League, so Real Madrid's rivals won't have a chance to celebrate another Champions League win at the Bernabeu.

Franck de Bleeckere has got to be the worst referee I've ever seen in my live! FIFA should revoke his FIFA Referee badge immediately!

He gave Thiago Motta a direct red card for "caressing" Sergio Busquets face, and even with a yellow card already to his name, the play was a questionable second yellow for Motta. I have no idea what kind of fouls he was seen with every corner or every ball that was crossed inside the area. Apparently, he was the only one that was seeing the infractions, but the one foul, the one that almost entirely ripped Ibrahimovic's jersey, he didn't see it. And to make matters even worse, he saw an "intentional handle ball from Yaya Toure in a split second play that overturned Barcelona's second goal that would've sent them through to the final.

With that said, I have to tip my hat to Mourinho. This guy is now officially Barcelona's #1 enemy! This is why I've been saying all along that he should be Real Madrid's coach. He went into Barcelona's house, and simply challenged them to try to break his defense. He started playing on just his half of the field, but after Motta's red card, he basically put every single player inside the box, and Barcelona just couldn't get through. This is why I don't like him. He is probably the only coach I know that uses the anti-football tactic. Either way, his clubs always win, and that's what matters at the end for most people.

I rather lose playing good soccer, than win as Inter did. They'll most likely win the tournament and get the monkey that has been on Mourinho's back since he last won the Champions League with Porto. But in this game, Barcelona just didn't seem to ever get comfortable in the game. Xavi was hesitating a lot and holding on to the ball too long, Dani Alves and Maxwell couldn't get a single cross right, Ibrahimovic was a non factor, and Messi always had 3 defenders on him. Not a good day for Barcelona's fans, myself included, but we can't always win every one. I hope they can bounce back from this and win the Spanish league, just so Real Madrid has another year without any Cups!

Joga Bonito!!!

He still got it!!!

Roberto Carlos scored this goal with Corithians against Santo Andre from a pass by Ronaldo (the real one!)

Beat that Cristiano Ronaldo...hahaha!!!

Also, watch this goal from Baiano, currently playing for Paulista



If you don't have GolTV or Fox Sports en Español, I highly recommend you get it so you don't miss out on all the Joga Bonito from the Brazilian Leagues!

Beckham...Out of the World Cup!!!

David Beckham will be sidelined from 4 to 6 months after tearing his left Achilles's tendon in AC Milan's win over Chievo this past Sunday.

This means that Beckham, 34, won't be playing for England this summer in the World Cup at South Africa. He was trying to become the first English player to play in 4 World Cups. Beckham will also miss the rest of the Serie A season and most, if not all, of the upcoming MLS season.

Beckham was successfully operated on today in Finland by Dr. Sakari Orava, who discovered the complete tear of the tendon, which was much worse that the initial diagnosis of the injury.

Embarrassed...AGAIN!!!

Not as bad as losing to a 3rd division club, but very close when you take everything into consideration.

Real Madrid is out of the running for another title, and you can bet that it's all downhill from here.

Madrid tied 1x1 with Lyon last week and have been eliminated (aggregate goals 1x2 for Lyon) from the Champions League again in the knockout stages. They started out fast with a goal from Cristiano Ronaldo at the 5 minute mark, and after missing some clear scoring opportunities, Lyon scored the equalizing goal in the 75th minute that eventually sent them through to the next round.

My thoughts?

It's only a matter of time before Madrid's coach, Manuel Pellegrini, gets kicked to the curb. Madrid is still in the fight for the Spanish League title, so as long as it stays that way, he might finish out the season, but any more slip-ups, he'll get fired for sure. Don't get me wrong...he's a decent coach, and probably the right man for this transition phase Real Madrid is going through. It's also  unfair to expect he would build a "Barcelona-like" squad in only 6 months. With that said, WHAT WAS HE THINKING TAKING OUT KAKA, OUT OF ALL PLAYERS, FOR VAN DER VAART? LAST TIME I CHECKED, KAKA IS ONE OF THE BEST PLAYERS IN THE WORLD, AND VAN DER VAART WAS BARELLY PART OF THE SQUAD!!! If Kaka couldn't do anything in that game, what made Pellegrini think Van Der Vaart was going to do better?

And what can I say about Higuain...PASS THE DAMN BALL!!! WHY DID PELLEGRINI INSIST ON HIGUAIN??? Soccer is a team sport, but you can blame this one on him. He had an open net chance after dribbling past the keeper, but he managed to hit the post, and then he shot the ball in a play where Ronaldo was right next to him, in front of an open net if he had gotten the ball. This is why Real Madrid will most likely transfer him after this season.

As for the other players, DON'T WRITE CHECKS WITH YOUR MOUTHS THAT YOUR FEET CAN'T CASH! All the talk about how "no one comes into the Bernabeu to beat us" and "we'll beat them 3x0" just gave Lyon the extra motivation to go out and do what they did. I've said this before and I'll say it again: Until Madrid gets a coach who will put all of the Spanish players in their place by telling them the team belongs to Kaka and Ronaldo, and that they all must play for the 2 FIFA WORLD PLAYERS, this club is never going anywhere. I'm talking about taking control out of the hands of these Spanish players, as it was done with Raul, and giving it to the coach, so he and other players can do their jobs, without worrying about these Spanish players throwing them under the bus.

As for a new coach, the names Jose Mourinho and Rafa Benitez are beginning to get mentioned as the next possible coach for Madrid. Mourinho is the right man for the job in my opinion. He has the guts to do whatever is necessary to win, regardless of the backlash. As he did with Chelsea, Kaka will be his Lampard and Ronaldo will be his Drogba! He'll tell everyone else to get out of the way of those two, regardless how big of a star the other players are. This is what has to happen for Real Madrid to regain their dominance in European competitions.

How much will it hurt Real Madrid to see Barcelona win another Champions League,  and this time, AT THE BERNABEU?

For Sale!!!

Every player must go!!!

Juventus is planning to transfer many, if not all, of their star players in an effort to rebuild a team that has been slumping for quite some time now.

It appears that players like Felipe Melo, Amauri, Trezeguet, Fabio Cannavaro, Fabio Grosso, Tiago, Cristian Molinaro, and even Mauro Camoranesi are all in line to be transferred over the Summer. Other players who are playing for the bianconeris, but are on loan from other teams, such as Martin Caceres (Barcelona) and Antonio Candreva (Udinese), have very few chances of securing a permanent moves to Turin.

With the World Cup and all the big names being thrown out there for the 2010 Summer transfers, it should be an exciting Summer for soccer fans around the world!

Robinho is moving on!

After recovering from an injury that kept him off the field for 3 months, Robinho hasn't been able to find a spot in new coach Mancini's starting 11. Robinho says Mancini told him he would start every other game for Manchester City, but that was just not good enough for the player, so he wanted out.

Robinho will be playing for Santos, first club in which he played for as a professional, on loan for the next 6 months. Also, it appears Robinho has no intentions of returning to Manchester after his loan is over on August 4th, as he was never able to find his game in the Premier League. The move will allow Robinho to get some much needed playing time before the World Cup in June. This is also good for Manchester City as they hope Robinho can regain his form so his value increases for a potential transfer this Summer.

Due to his high salary (160,000 pounds/week), Manchester City will still pay part of it as long as they get first choice in the potential future transfers of Santos' star players Neymar and Paulo Henrique. This will allow City to match any offers of either player.

I don't particularly like Robinho, and with Ronaldinho Gaucho back in form and Diego waiting in the wings, I really think Dunga should not make Robinho part of Brazil's squad for the World Cup. At the very least, Robinho should not be starting for Brazil.

Winter Transfers and Rumors

A few deals have been done already and there are quite a few rumors out there about player transfers this Winter. Some people even started speculating what will happen when the Summer transfer window opens.

Winter Deals:

David Beckham - LA Galaxy to AC Milan (Loan)
Patrick Vieira - Inter Milan to Manchester City
Tiago Mendes - Juventus to Atletico Madrid (Loan)
Andrea Dossena - Liverpool to Napoli (Loan)
Cristian Molinaro - Juventus to Stuttgart (Loan)
Landon Donovan - LA Galaxy to Everton (Loan)
Goran Pandev - Lazio to Inter Milan
Marius Stankevicius - Sampdoria to Sevilla (Loan)
Felipe Caicedo - Manchester City to Malaga (Loan)

Winter Transfer Rumors:

Kun Aguero - Atletico Madrid to Chelsea
Maxi Rodriguez - Atletico Madrid to Liverpool
Mancini - Inter Milan to Marseille (Loan)
Fran Merida - Arsenal to Atletico Madrid
Kevin Kuranyi - Schalke 04 to Chelsea
Nani - Manchester United to Benfica

Summer Transfer Rumors:

Franck Ribery - Bayern Munich to Real Madrid/Barcelona/Chelsea
Cesc Fabregas - Arsenal to Real Madrid/Barcelona
Steven Gerrard - Liverpool to Inter Milan
David Villa - Valencia to Real Madrid/Chelsea
Kun Aguero - Atletico Madrid to Chelsea/Real Madrid
Wayne Rooney - Manchester United to Real Madrid

Good moves, or bad moves? You tell me...

He's back!

Just where he belongs...European soccer, playing in front of fans who actually know what kind of player he is!

David Beckham started training this week with AC Milan after players returned from their Christmas break. He'll give them the extra boost they need to stay on top in the Serie A and advance in the Champions League. Playing for Milan will also help him be in better shape to make Capello's 2010 World Cup squad.

Just in time to play against Manchester United...Welcome back!

The secret is out!!!

This explains why Real Madrid let Arjen Robben go to Bayern Munich!

Many sources say the transfer of Robben to Bayern was the first step to get Franck Ribery in a Real Madrid uniform next season. Madrid has yet to collect the 25 million Euros from Robben's transfer, meaning this is part of what will cost Madrid the transfer of Ribery, estimated between 50 an 60 million Euros.

Apparently, there's already a verbal agreement between the two clubs for this transfer to be made after this season is over. The 25 million that Madrid has not received serves as a "deposit", so Ribery, if transferred, could only be to Real Madrid. In the event Ribery signs an extension with Bayern Munich, they will be required to pay Real Madrid the 25 million, plus interest for this season.

It's only mid season, but there are also rumors Real Madrid will be going after Andre Santos, Nemanja Vidic, and David Villa, Kun Aguero, or Wayne Rooney next summer. There seems to be an agreement already in place for Santos to be transferred next summer, if not this winter.

Real Madrid for sale?

Not quite.

Spanish media reported over the weekend that Manchester City's owner, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, is preparing an offer of 1 billion Euros to purchase Real Madrid. That's right, 1 BILLION!!!

There is speculation that the offer might even exceed that amount. Mansour is a member of the Royal Family of Abu Dhabi, and since they own pretty much all the oil in the world, he has the money to spend.

It seems that Manchester City is just not enough for Mansour and his petrodollars. The problem is that Real Madrid is not a privately owned club. It's an entity made up of tens of thousands of members who would have to agree to such a deal. Basically, everyone you see at the Santiago Bernabeu every weekend during Real Madrid's games, those are the people who own the club. The word "Club" here really means a club, not just a soccer team. They have many other sports' teams such as basketball, handball, and indoor soccer, and many other arenas, so I think this would all have to be included in the deal.

Not only that, these members would have to first change the club's legal statutes and amend the article that states the club cannot be sold. With that said, this purchase will be impossible to say the least.

Today, a source close to Mansour has denied these reports made by Spanish media, saying he's focused only on Manchester City and trying to improve the team so they can be one of the best teams in Europe.

Man City has a new boss

Manchester City fired coach Mark Hughes after the team's 4-3 win over Sunderland this past Sunday. The club hasn't played well lately and they've had some unfavorable results in their last few matches. Man City's new owner, Sheikh Mansour, spent millions of his petrodollars to bring top players to the club such as Robinho, Tevez, Adebayor, and Touré, but Hughes just wasn't up to the job of taking the team to the next level.

On Monday, chief executive Garry Cook announced the hiring of former Inter Milan coach Roberto Mancini. This is a good signing for the club and following his previous experience at Inter Milan, Mancini hopes history repeats itself. "In Milan there are two big teams there fighting for supremacy and silverware and here it is the same. I like the challenge of that," he said.

Mancini will bring his own staff to the club after Man City cleaned house by also firing all of Hughes's assistants. With all the players in the team, Mancini might be the man who will take the fight to the big 4 in the Premier League. He's experienced, understands talent, and he's a players' coach, unlike Hughes. There was even a rumor of players rebelling against Mark Hughes if he continued to coach the team.

I think Mancini will put Man City over the top, meaning more success in the Premier and European competitions, which in turn will attract more big name players who would want to play for the club. This is the same process Chelsea went through before they became the powerhouse club they are today. Has Abramovich and Chelsea finally met their match?

Lionel Messi and Marta...FIFA World Players 2009!!!

Lionel Messi was named the 2009 FIFA World Player!!! Messi is the first Argentine player to win the award for the best player in the world.

After winning the Balon d'Or, it was expected that Messi would also win the world player award. Not only did Messi win the award, but he won by a landslide! After the vote from coaches and team captains from 147 national teams, Messi took the award with 1,073 points, followed by Cristiano Ronaldo with 352 points, Xavi (196), Kaka (190), and Iniesta (134).

I think this will be the first of many, and possibly consecutive, player of the year awards Messi will take home in the future. Cristiano Ronaldo is probably his main rival for the award in the years to come, but he's nowhere near the player Messi is. That's right, I said it!!!

And a bit of history was also made on Monday night. Marta was awarded the FIFA World Player trophy for the best female soccer player in the world, and this is the 4th consecutive time the 23 year-old Brazilian international has won the award! No other player in the history of soccer, male or female, has won this award 4 times, much less winning it for 4 straight years. She's so good and so much better than any other female player (and even some male players if you ask me), that you can bet she'll be the winner of this award for the next 5 years, at the very least!

Barcelona...Officially the best club in the world!!!

If anyone thought it was going to be easy, then you were wrong. It took Barcelona 120 minutes of play to defeat Estudiantes La Plata for the FIFA Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi.

As it has been for the past few years, the 2 finalists were the Champions League winner (Europe) against the Copa Libertadores winner (South America). It's my personal opinion that regardless how good European clubs are, they usually struggle playing against Latin American clubs. Don't believe me? Look at the finals from the past few years:

2005 -> São Paulo (Brazil) 1 – 0 Liverpool (England)
2006 -> Internacional (Brazil) 1 – 0 Barcelona (Spain)
2007 -> AC Milan (Italy) 4 – 2 Boca Juniors (Argentina)
2008 -> Manchester United (England) 1 – 0 LDU Quito (Ecuador)

This year, Estudiantes scored first, in the 37th minute, and it took Barcelona until the 89th minute to score an equalizer. The advantage European clubs have over clubs from other conferences is their conditioning level. This was clearly evident from the moment the whistle was blown to start the 1st half of Extra Time. In the 110th minute of ET, while players for Estudiantes could barely walk, Lionel Messi scored the winning goal with his chest from a cross by Dani Alves.

And with that, Barcelona makes history!!! This is the first time a club is able to win 6 championships in a single year: Champions League, La Liga, Copa del Rey, Spanish Supercup, European Supercup, and the FIFA Club World Cup.

CAMPEOOOONES...CAMPEOOOONES...OLÉ, OLÉ, OLÉ!!! Vamos Barça!!!

2010 World Cup Ball

The 2010 World Cup ball was finally unveiled on Friday. The ball is called Jabulani, meaning "to celebrate" in isiZulu, which is one of the 11 official languages of host country South Africa.

The main idea behind the new design was the number 11. There are 11 colors to honor the 11 languages spoken in South Africa, 11 small triangles to represent the 11 different communities of South Africa (found on the edge of the 3 triangular designs), there are 11 players on each team, and this is also Adidas's 11th FIFA World Cup ball. The 3 triangular designs on the ball is meant to represent Soccer City Stadium, where the World Cup final will be played.

Perhaps one of the most interesting features of the new ball are the grooves that can be found all throughout the surface. Called "Grip'n'Groove", this new technology is an aerodynamic improvement supposed to help the ball fly straighter through the air without having the wind change the direction of the ball.

I really liked the new design of the ball and I think we're going "Jabulani" plenty of goals being scored with it during the World Cup.

2010 World Cup Groups

The groups are set for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Here are the results from Friday's draw:

Group A
South Africa
Mexico
Uruguay
France

Group B
Argentina
Nigeria
Korea Republic
Greece

Group C
England
USA
Algeria
Slovenia

Group D
Germany
Australia
Serbia
Ghana

Group E
Netherlands
Denmark
Japan
Cameroon

Group F
Italy
Paraguay
New Zealand
Slovakia

Group G
Brazil
Korea DPR
Ivory Coast
Portugal

Group H
Spain
Switzerland
Honduras
Chile

The group of death this World Cup is without a doubt Group G. We can assume Brazil, Ivory Coast, and Portugal can get 3 points by beating Korea DPR, and after that, I believe Brazil is almost a lock to advance. This leaves Portugal and Ivory Coast to fight for the 2nd spot. That means one of the most important games during the group stage will be when they play each other on June 15th.

It's a bit early for predictions, but the front runners to win it all in my opinion are definitely Brazil, Spain, England, and defending champions Italy, in this order.

Lionel Messi - 2009 Ballon d'Or Winner!!!

Lionel Messi will be featured in the new issue of France Football magazine out this Tuesday. He's officially the winner of the 2009 Golden Ball trophy awarded by the magazine for the best player in Europe.

Messi won the awards with 473 points, while 2008 winner Cristiano Ronaldo came in second place with 233 points, and Xavi came in third with 170 points. Andres Iniesta was fourth with 149 points, followed by Samuel Eto'o in fifth and Kaka in sixth place. As you can see, 4 out of the top 5 players are Barcelona players. Eto'o was a Barcelona player for the 2008-09 season, but he has since transferred to Inter Milan.

This is the first time an Argentine-born player wins this award. Not only did Messi play exceptionally well, he also helped Barcelona win 5 titles in 2009: Champions League, La Liga, Copa del Rey, Spanish and UEFA Supercups.

I'm sure this is the first of many Ballon d'Ors that Messi will be awarded the next couple of years, and deservinly so. I think without a doubt that he's 10 times better than Cristiano Ronaldo!!! And with this award, we can definitely get a better idea of who's the front runner to win FIFA's World Player award.

Final Results:

1. Lionel Messi (Barcelona) - 473 pts
2. Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United/Real Madrid) - 233 pts
3. Xavi (Barcelona) - 170 pts
4. Andrès Iniesta (Barcelona) - 149 pts
5. Samuel Eto'o (FC Barcelona/Inter Milan) - 75 pts
6. Kaka (AC Milan/Real Madrid) - 58 pts
7. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Inter Milan/Barcelona) - 50 pts
8. Wayne Rooney (Manchester United) - 35 pts
9. Didier Drogba (Chelsea) - 33 pts
10. Steven Gerrard (Liverpool) - 32 pts
11. Fernando Torres (Liverpool) - 22 pts
12. Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal) - 13 pts
13. Edin Dzeko (Wolfsburg) - 12 pts
14. Ryan Giggs (Manchester United) - 11 pts
15. Thierry Henry (Barcelona) - 9 pts
16. Luis Fabiano (Sevilla), Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United), Iker Casillas (Real Madrid) - 8 pts
19. Diego Forlan (Atlético Madrid) - 7 pts
20. Yoann Gourcuff (Bordeaux) - 6 pts

270 Million Euros later...

Real Madrid still cannot beat Barcelona!!!

The first game of El Clásico was a 1-0 win for Barcelona. The game was a little tighter that I expected, but once again Barcelona showed Real Madrid that they're still the team to beat.

Cristiano Ronaldo started and played 65 minutes, but he didn't really do much to make a difference. Kaka did all he could, but it wasn't enough. The rest of the team wasn't of much help either, and they missed the few clear chances they had.

It was also hard for Barça to get into the rhythm they're used to. Messi played the entire game while Zlatan Ibrahimovic came off the bench early in the second half. It looked like it was the right move to make as he scored on a first-time, left-footed shot from a cross made by Dani Alves.

The game was chippy with a lot of fouls, mostly by Real Madrid. Sergio Busquets was given a red card, after a second yellow, for an intentional handball...a really stupid play. This was 6 minutes after Ibrahimovic scored in the 56th minute, so Barcelona played with a player down for most of the second half. Lass Diarra lost his cool towards the end of the game and was shown a red card after intentionally fouling Xavi, which looked like it was out of frustration.

Real Madrid can spend all the money in the world on players, but what they really need is to spend money on a new coach. Although soccer is a team sport, the solution to Real Madrid's problems lies in the feet of 1 player...Kaka!!! No matter how many players will get offended by having to play second fiddle to Kaka, Real Madrid needs a coach that will do just that...make this Kaka's team! I guarantee he will deliver just as he did with AC Milan, and much like Zidane did in his day with the Merengues.

Adidas F50 Techfit Shin Guards - Approved!!!

I recently got a pair of the Adidas F50 Techfit shin guards from the Soccer Shop and I have to say these shin guards are really good.

The shin guards are light weight with a very hard shell, meaning it's going to protect your shins really well without bothering you while you play.

I really liked the Techfit compression sleeves that comes with the shin guards. The guards go inside of a pocket in the sleeves, which have a rubber like band around the bottom to keep the guards in place without the need of tape. These bands also run up your calves and are supposed to increase circulation for increased stamina.

These shin guards come in 5 sizes: XL(7.5"), L(7"), M(6.5"), S(6"), and XS(5.5"). I'm 5'11" and the Large (7") fit me perfectly. The size was also very accurate.

I highly recommend these shin guards to players of any level, so go get yourself a pair!

The Hand of God, Part 2!

1986 World Cup in Mexico...Argentina vs England...Diego Armando Maradona...If you still don't know what I'm talking about, here's a quick summary:

It was a quarter final game and Argentina defeated England 2-1. Argentina's second goal was scored by Maradona, who is 5 ft 5 in, against England's goalkeeper Peter Shilton, who is 6 ft 1 in, on a "header"! Maradona said after that game that it was "a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God." Look at the picture above...It was ALL Maradona's hand!!! Turns out Argentina advanced and ended up winning the World Cup that year.

Part 2 happened this past Wednesday when France's Thierry Henry clearly controls the ball with his forearm and hand, before crossing it to William Gallas for the game winning goal against Ireland. It was bad officiating on the part of referee Martin Hansson and his assistants, but it's over now and there's nothing that can be done about it.

Ireland protested and wanted FIFA to replay the game. Henry himself admitted to the handball, but he said he wasn't the referee and it wasn't his call. He's also being fair about the situation saying the game should be replayed, but that's also not his decision, and I bet you he's only saying that because his team already clinched a spot in the World Cup, while Ireland will be watching it from home.

Law 5 of the Laws of the Game states that "The decisions of the referee regarding facts connected with play, including whether or not a goal is scored and the result of the match, are final." This basically means that if a referee makes a bad call, that's all it is, just a bad call. Regardless of the ramifications of that call, the decision won't change.

That's a wrap!!!

We finally have all 32 countries who will be in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa!!!

After the games played on November 18th, Portugal, Greece, Uruguay, France, Algeria, and Slovenia have qualified for the tournament. Here are the results:

Bosnia 0 – 1 Portugal (agg. 0-2)
Ukraine 0 – 1 Greece (agg. 0-1)
Uruguay 1 – 1 Costa Rica (agg. 2-1)
France 1 – 1 Ireland (agg. 2-1)
Algeria 1 – 0 Egypt (agg. 1-0)
Slovenia 1 – 0 Russia (agg. 2-2, Slovenia wins on away goals)

France beat Ireland in overtime and thanks to referee Martin Hansson awarding William Gallas a goal that should've been waved off. After a free kick was taken from almost midfield and lobbed inside the area, 2 French players were offside at the time the free kick was taken. One of these players participated on the play, and by rule, the assistant should've called offsides even if that player didn't touch the ball. Then, Thierry Henry, who was not offside, clearly controls the ball that was going out of bounds with his left forearm and hand before crossing it back to the middle to a wide open Gallas, who simply headed the ball in for the victory. This was daylight robbery and even though I rather see France rather than Ireland in the World Cup, this was just unfair to Ireland.

Here is the list of all 32 teams for the 2010 World Cup:

South Africa              Australia              Japan              Korea Republic
Brazil                          Korea DPR           Chile               Ghana
England                     Spain                     Paraguay        Ivory Coast
Germany                    Denmark              Serbia              Italy
Netherlands              Mexico                  Nigeria            Switzerland
Slovakia                     Argentina             Honduras       New Zealand
United States           Cameroon             Algeria             Greece
Slovenia                     Portugal               France              Uruguay

The final draw for the 32 teams will be held on December 4th to determine which teams will be grouped together for the tournmanet.

THE COUNTDOWN HAS OFICIALLY BEGUN!!! 203 days to go!!!

New coach coming to town?

Felipao is coming to the rescue!!!

Different media outlets are reporting that Real Madrid is currently negotiating with Luiz Felipe Scolari (Big Phil) to become the teams' new manager. It has been reported that the former Portuguese national team and Chelsea coach has the blessing from Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo as they believe he'll be the right man for the job.

Big Phil is behind some of Ronaldo's success with the nation squad and he knows Kaka very well from having coached him as well with the Brazilian national team. If this turns out to be true, it'll be one of Madrid's best signings.

Big Phil is a father figure type coach that is able to motivate and stand behind his players. If you've seen him on the sidelines, you can tell that he suffers and celebrates as if he was the teams #1 fan! Not only is he a good coach with an excellent track record, he's already familiar with most players on Real Madrid's squad and his style of play will fit Spanish soccer perfectly.

One step closer to South Africa!

Three more countries are going to South Africa!!!

Cameroon, Nigeria, and New Zealand have booked their tickets to the 2010 World Cup. Nigeria and Cameroon have won their respective groups in the African qualifiers while New Zealand beat Bahrain in the 2nd leg of their playoff match.

Results from the 1st leg playoff matches:

Costa Rica 0 – 1 Uruguay
Ireland 0 – 1 France
Portugal 1 – 0 Bosnia
Greece 0 – 0 Ukraine
Russia 2 – 1 Slovenia

In Group C for the African qualifiers, Egypt and Algeria finished tied for 1st place and all tiebreakers used to determine a winner were even, so they will be playing a one game playoff match on November 18 to decide who will be going to the World Cup.

All other matches will be played on the same date, so check back on Thursday for a complete list of the 32 countries who will be part of the World Cup in South Africa.

Embarrassment of the Century!!!

The most successful club in the history of soccer just got ridiculed by a 3rd division team!!!

Real Madrid lost 0-4 to Alcorcon in last night's Copa del Rey (King's Cup) match. It's safe to say this club is getting by because of Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo, who were both absent from yesterday's game. Ronaldo is still nursing an ankle injury while Kaka, Casillas, and Sergio Ramos were given some much needed rest by coach Manuel Pellegrini.

This is a new low for Madrid and it's time to push the panic button. There are reports circulating that the board of directors have issued Pellegrini an ultimatum while fans are asking for the immediate firing of Pellegrini. The situation at Real Madrid has been getting worse every week.

What I think? Pellegrini is not a bad coach and is probably the right man for the job until the club is able to hire a top coach such as Arsene Wenger (Arsenal), Jose Mourinho (Inter Milan), or Rafa Benitez (Liverpool). It would cost 20 Million Euros to get Benitez away from Liverpool, but he's the right man for the job in my opinion and the money will be well spent, that is, unless Liverpool decides to fire him due to his recent struggles, in which case they'll be responsible for paying that money.

And as I've been saying for some time now...THE PROBLEM IS WITH THE PLAYERS!!! Guti walked off the field giving Alcorcon's fans the finger, argued with the coach, and now will be fined and possibly suspended. Benzema declared publicly that he can't play with Raul because Raul wants to be everywhere on the field and gets in the way of the French striker, and everyone is criticizing Benzema for his poor performance even though it's not his fault.

The mentality of this club won't change until both Raul and Guti are gone. They don't want to lose whatever is left of their spotlight, and because of this, the team is not able to progress. They're past their prime and it's time to just let the new guys take over. Until then, no matter who plays or coaches for Real Madrid, the outcome will be the same...a team of stars, playing average soccer, with the possibility of getting embarrassed by 3rd division team!

And the nominees are...

This is the 30-man list of nominees competing for the 2009 Ballon d'Or. This award is given to the best player playing for an European club. The winner will be announced on December 1st.

Premier League:
Andrey Arshavin (Arsenal)
Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal)
Didier Drogba (Chelsea)
Frank Lampard (Chelsea)
John Terry (Chelsea)
Fernando Torres (Liverpool)
Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)
Ryan Giggs (Manchester United)
Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)
Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United)

La Liga:
Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)
Kaka (Real Madrid)
Iker Casillas (Real Madrid)
Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)
Thierry Henry (Barcelona)
Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Barcelona)
Andres Iniesta (Barcelona)
Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
Xavi (Barcelona)
Yaya Toure (Barcelona)
David Villa (Valencia)
Luis Fabiano (Sevilla)
Diego Forlan (Atletico Madrid)

Serie A:
Diego (Juventus)
Samuel Eto'o (Inter Milan)
Julio Cesar (Inter Milan)
Maicon (Inter Milan)

Bundesliga:
Edin Dzeko (Wolfsburg)
Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich)

Ligue 1:
Yoann Gourcuff (Bordeaux)

Only 9 berths left!!!

There are 4 more nations who qualified for the 2010 World Cup after the games played on October 14th: Switzerland, Argentina, Honduras, and Slovakia. The final 9 berths are still up for grabs.

The 4 European berths will be decided by playoff matches between Russia, Greece, Portugal, Ukraine, France, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Republic of Ireland. There will be a drawing on October 19th to determine the matchups.

Out of the 5 berths allowed to the African Confederation, 3 are still up for grabs with Cameroon, Tunisia, and Algeria leading their respective groups.

Last, but not least, the inter-confederation playoffs will decide the last 2 spots for qualification. Uruguay will play Costa Rica while Bahrain will play New Zealand.

All these games will be played on November 14th (1st leg) and 18th (2nd leg).

Going to South Africa!!!

Germany, Italy, Mexico, United States, Denmark, Cote d'Ivoire, Serbia, and Chile will be playing next summer in South Africa!!!

These are the latest countries that qualified for the 2010 World Cup after this weekend's results.

France, Russia, Bosnia, and Ireland have secured a playoff match against 4 other nations (still to be determined) for the final 4 spots allowed for the European continent (UEFA). Portugal, Greece, Ukraine, Sweden, Hungary, Israel, Latvia, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Northern Ireland, and Croatia still have a chance to earn one of the 4 playoff berths still up for grabs.

As for the South American continent (CONMEBOL), the situation is a bit more complicated...Argentina holds the 4th place, giving them direct qualification, while Uruguay is in 5th place and will earn a playoff match against the 4th place team in the North/Central American qualification (CONCACAF). The only problem is that these 2 teams will play each other on Wednesday, and depending on the outcome of that game, Ecuador or Venezuela could steal the 5th place for the playoff game against the winner between Costa Rica and Honduras.

Things will be very interesting this Wednesday as the final games for World Cup qualification will be played. Check back on Thursday and I will post all of the results here.

He just won't learn!

THAT'S IT!!! I might be the last one to do so, but I'm officially off the Ronaldinho bandwagon!!!

After promising to his teammates to become a more responsible and professional player, Ronaldinho has let everyone down once again. His level of play is not improving, neither is his fitness, or game shape.

First, he was caught partying it up 2 days before AC Milan lost to Zurich in the Champions League. Then, he went to Paris, of all places, the night AC Milan tied Atalanta at home for the Serie A. Even after the team told him not to go, Ronaldinho felt he had to celebrate his game-tying goal in the 84th minute. He just doesn't get it.

The situation has become so bad that the club is now thinking about fining the Brazilian for every night he's out partying. There's a lot riding on his shoulder to carry the team after Kaka's departure to Real Madrid. He's not rising up to the challenge, and I can guarantee you that he won't.

You can take a look for yourself.

Trouble in the Floren-team?

Real Madrid's president, Florentino Perez, is demanding his club to play better soccer than what they have shown so far this season.

Spanish media is reporting Perez has told coach Manuel Pellegrini to stop the rotation of players and define a starting squad. He wants the coach to name 11 players that will be able to quickly learn how to play with each other, and that this group of players can win matches and put on a show to all of the fans.

Due to his low production on the field, Raul will most likely be the player who will be warming the bench for the starters from here on out. As I have been saying for quite some time now, Raul is way past his prime and he should let go of his position to benefit the club.

After an abysmal performance against Sevilla over the weekend, Real Madrid is now actively looking for another left-back to replace Marcelo. Drenthe has also been discarded after his tackle broke Tenerife's Marc Bertran's leg, so they will use Arbeloa to fill the gap from now until the transfer window reopens in the winter. A couple of names have been mentioned as a replacement, but many rumors say Roberto Carlos would be willing to return to Real Madrid this winter, even if he has to play for free!

Hopefully, the result of all this will be a team that will be very competitive for the remainder of the season. The only problem with all this will be when the chosen starting 11 start to struggle and players such a Raul and Guti start to sabotage the team, so they can get back into the starting squad, as they've done in years past.

Upcoming World Cup Qualifiers

* Home Teams listed first *

Saturday 10/10/09
Russia vs. Germany
Ukraine vs. England
Denmark vs. Sweden
Republic of Ireland vs. Italy
Czech Republic vs. Poland
Portugal vs. Hungary
Armenia vs. Spain
France vs. Faroe Islands
Mexico vs. El Salvador
Honduras vs. USA
Argentina vs. Peru

Sunday 10/11/09
Bolivia vs. Brazil

Wednesday 10/14/09
Germany vs. Finland
Portugal vs. Malta
Bosnia-Herzegovina vs. Spain
England vs. Belarus
France vs. Austria
Italy vs. Cyprus
Czech Republic vs. Northern Ireland
Brazil vs. Venezuela
Uruguay vs. Argentina
Trinidad and Tobago vs. Mexico
USA vs. Costa Rica

Champions League Early Impressions

At this point, after 2 match days, I have to say both Barcelona and Real Madrid are the front runners to win it all this year.

Some of Europe's top clubs have not played well this season, and the lesser known teams are definitely making this year's tournament a lot more interesting.

I'll start with the obvious train wreck that is AC Milan. It's safe to say that without Kaka, this club is not a real threat to any opponent. They almost lost to Marseille and they played very poorly at home against Zurich, resulting in a 0-1 loss.

Liverpool has also disappointed thus far this season with a 1-0 win at home against Debecen and a loss of 0-2 away to Fiorentina. The Italian club is a decent opponent, but I have no idea why they beat Debrecen by the absolute minimum score while playing in their home turf. I have no idea where Debrecen is from, but I would think they shouldn't be a match to Liverpool.

Other big clubs such as Chelsea, Juventus, Inter Milan, Bayern Munich, Manchester United, and Arsenal have played okay, but have yet to show they are capable of winning the title this season.

This year's surprise club in my opinion is Sevilla. They have been playing good soccer in both the Champions League and in La Liga. Although I think they won't be title contenders, they will get in the way of the big clubs who are considered favorites to win the title.

2010 World Cup Qualifying Roundup - Part 2

Wednesday, September 9th of 2009 (that's right, 09/09/09) was the second round of qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup. Here are some of the results:

Spain 3 - 0 Estonia
Serbia 1 - 1 France
Hungary 0 – 1 Portugal
England 5 - 1 Croatia
Italy 2 - 0 Bulgaria
Germany 4 - 0 Azerbaijan
Wales 1 - 3 Russia
Scotland 0 - 1 Netherlands
Uruguay 3 - 1 Colombia
Bolivia 1 - 3 Ecuador
Cameroon 2 - 1 Gabon
Paraguay 1 - 0 Argentina
Brazil 4 - 2 Chile
Venezuela 3 - 1 Peru

With these results, England, Spain, and Paraguay have now qualified for the World Cup in South Africa.

Germany and Russia are guaranteed at least a playoff match. Germany will play Russia next, and a win will automatically qualify them with Russia securing the playoff match.

Portugal still has a chance to qualify either directly or via a playoff match as long as they win both of their remaining games, but that will also depend on the results from Denmark and Sweden's last 2 matches.

2010 World Cup Qualifying Roundup

Some of this weekend's results:

Argentina 1 – 3 Brazil
Colombia 2 – 0 Ecuador
Peru 1 – 0 Uruguay
Paraguay 1 – 0 Bolivia
Chile 2 – 2 Venezuela
Denmark 1 – 1 Portugal
Hungary 1 – 2 Sweden
Switzerland 2 – 0 Greece
Slovakia 2 – 2 Czech Republic
Turkey 4 – 2 Estonia
Spain 5 – 0 Belgium
France 1 – 1 Romania
Georgia 0 – 2 Italy
Costa Rica 0 – 3 Mexico
United States 2 – 1 El Salvador
Ghana 2 - 0 Sudan

Brazil and Ghana have now qualified for the 2010 World Cup along with Japan, Australia, South Korea, Korea DPR (North Korea), Netherlands, and host nation South Africa, who have all qualified already for the tournament.

Portugal and France have put themselves in a tough situation after both teams tied at 1-1 against Denmark and Romania respectively. France can still qualify directly depending on other results, but most likely they will at least have secured a second place finish in their group, which will qualify them to play a second round playoff match for one of the final spots given to European nations. Portugal on the other hand, is in a much tougher situation. They can only qualify for a second round playoff match at this point, but that will be very hard to do as the scenarios needed for this to happen are very unlikely. One thing is for sure at this point...It'll be either Cristiano Ronaldo or Zlatan Ibrahimovic going to South Africa, not both.

This is a real coach

Very controversial, but he definitely knows how to put together a great squad. Personally, I'm not a big fan of his coaching style as he tends to play for a draws sometimes depending on the situation, or even instruct his players to play dirty, but I respect the fact that he's a intelligent coach that knows what it takes to win.

I'm talking about Inter Milan's coach Jose Mourinho. This thought hit me the other day, when I started looking into it, the evidence was clear that all the moves he makes is carefully thought about and the results are always positive.

This is what I mean: Most, if not all, of the players currently playing for Inter have either played with or against each other several times, meaning they are very familiar with how everyone one the team plays.

Inter signed Diego Milito and Thiago Motta away from Genoa this season as a packaged deal. That means they know each other and if you look at Genoa's success last season, they play well together. Not to mention these to played against each other in Spain several time when Motta was at Barcelona and Milito at Zaragoza.

And Lucio. His goalkeeper is Julio Cesar and on his right is Maicon. All three players are on the Brazilian national team and they've played numerous matches together and have had great success. And don't forget last year's signing of Mancini.

Eto'o has played with Motta at Barcelona, and against Milito and Sneidjer while in Spain, so he knows very well how to play with those players because he has seen how they play numerous times.

And last but not least, he still has Cambiasso, Zanetti, and Samuel who have played together for the Argentine National team. He also signed Quaresma last summer, and although they haven't really coincided on the same team, I bet you Mourinho had inside information from some friends over at FC Porto (Mourinho coached Porto from 2002-2004 and Quaresma signed with Porto in 2004 after Mourinho signed with Chelsea) and the Portuguese national team before giving the green light on the signing.

All in all, you might not like or be a fan of Jose Mourinho, but you have to show this man some respect because he is a very intelligent coach and knows how to win!

THIS IS ABSOLUTELY UNACCEPTABLE!!!

So let me get this straight...You hurt your opponent so badly that they won't be able to play for the next 10-12 months at the least, with a possibility of never being able to play again. This foul was so ugly, that instead of red carding the player, he should have been HANDCUFFED!!!

Axel Witsel, 20 year-old midfielder playing for Standard Liège, was suspended for almost 3 months because of the following play against Marcin Wasilewski of R.S.C. Anderlecht. That's right...just a little less than 3 months suspension, 11 matches to be exact, while the other player could very well have played the last game of his career!

(WARNING: Graphic Images!)



And this leads me to this question: When is FIFA going to make an example of these criminals and set some kind of a precedent to prevent plays like this from ever happening again?

As far as I know, plays like the one you just saw were rare in the world of soccer. As the game being played today is much more physical than it used to be, I think this might start to become a widespread problem if someone doesn't take action. Don't believe me? These are just 2 of the most recent and publicized injuries in the past year and a half:

May 24, 2009 - South African First Division (Mpumalanga Black Aces F.C. vs Carara Kicks)
Félix Mwamba-Musasa "foul" on Oupa Ngulube




February 23, 2008 - English Premier League (Arsenal vs. Birmingham City)
Martin Taylor "fouls" Eduardo



Here's my solution: For the next player who does this, he won't be allow to play until the player he injured is fit to resume his career. If the injured player is never going to play again, oh well, I guess the offending player's career is over too. On top of that, they must pay a hefty fine ($10,000+), and still get suspended for an additional 6 months. How about that? I bet you every player will get the message if they do this. These aren't soccer players we're talking about here, they're criminals and should have never been allowed to play!!!

Not even close!

Saturday's loss to Inter Milan (0 x 4) just proved the point I made some time ago about how AC Milan won't be very successful this season. Ronaldinho has shown glimpses of his old self, Pato is slowing developing into a star, and Thiago Silva will be one of the best defenders in the Serie A, but not right now. The rest of the squad just doesn't seem to respond well to new coach Leonardo.

As I mentioned before, AC Milan did nothing to replace the departure of Kaka to Real Madrid. Instead, they decided to pocket 65 Million Euros instead of providing first year coach Leonardo with reinforcements. The evidence was clear who will come out on top this season, and that is Inter Milan.

All Inter did this offseason was exchange goal-scoring strikers (Ibrahimovic for Eto'o), sign Diego Milito, Thiago Motta, and Lucio. Not to mention their new signing Wesley Sneijder, who started against AC Milan and proved the world that he was worthy of staying at Madrid playing alongside the rest of the stars signed by that club. The results of this will possibly be another Serie A title and maybe even the Champions League.

AC Milan's fate are on the feet of one player: Ronaldinho Gaucho. Milan will play as he plays, but as much as I hate to admit this, I think his time has passed. I really hope he comes back to form as club president Silvio Berlusconi has put all his faith on Ronaldinho to lead Milan after dealing Kaka, but I just don't see that happening.

P.S. - Gattusso is an idiot for getting a red card seconds before getting substituted out because of an injury!!!

Europe League Draw

Group A
AFC Ajax (NED)
RSC Anderlecht (BEL)
NK Dinamo Zagreb (CRO)
FC Timişoara (ROU)

Group B
Valencia CF (ESP)
LOSC Lille Métropole (FRA)
SK Slavia Praha (CZE)
Genoa CFC (ITA)

Group C
Hamburger SV (GER)
Celtic FC (SCO)
Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC (ISR)
SK Rapid Wien (AUT)

Group D
Sporting Clube de Portugal (POR)
SC Heerenveen (NED)
Hertha BSC Berlin (GER)
FK Ventspils (LVA)

Group E
AS Roma (ITA)
FC Basel 1893 (SUI)
Fulham FC (ENG)
PFC CSKA Sofia (BUL)

Group F
Panathinaikos FC (GRE)
Galatasaray SK (TUR)
FC Dinamo 1948 Bucureşti (ROU)
SK Sturm Graz (AUT)

Group G
Villarreal CF (ESP)
S.S. Lazio (ITA)
PFC Levski Sofia (BUL)
FC Salzburg (AUT)

Group H
FC Steaua Bucureşti (ROU)
Fenerbahçe SK (TUR)
FC Twente (NED)
FC Sheriff (MDA)

Group I
SL Benfica (POR)
Everton FC (ENG)
AEK Athens FC (GRE)
FC BATE Borisov (BLR)

Group J
FC Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR)
Club Brugge KV (BEL)
FK Partizan (SRB)
Toulouse FC (FRA)

Group K
PSV Eindhoven (NED)
FC København (DEN)
AC Sparta Praha (CZE)
CFR 1907 Cluj (BLR)

Group L
Werder Bremen (GER)
FK Austria Wien (AUT)
Athletic Club Bilbao (ESP)
CD Nacional (POR)

Champions League Draw

Group A
FC Bayern München
Juventus
FC Girondins de Bordeaux
Maccabi Haifa FC

Group B
Manchester United FC
PFC CSKA Moskva
Beşiktaş JK
VfL Wolfsburg

Group C
AC Milan
Real Madrid CF
Olympique de Marseille
FC Zürich

Group D
Chelsea FC
FC Porto
Club Atlético de Madrid
APOEL FC

Group E
Liverpool FC
Olympique Lyonnais
ACF Fiorentina
Debreceni VSC

Group F
FC Barcelona
FC Internazionale Milano
FC Dynamo Kyiv
FC Rubin Kazan

Group G
Sevilla FC
Rangers FC
VfB Stuttgart
AFC Unirea Urziceni

Group H
Arsenal FC
AZ Alkmaar
Olympiacos FC
R. Standard de Liège

Will Franck Ribery play for Real Madrid this season?

Real Madrid and Bayern Munich have reached an agreement for the transfer of Arjen Robben for 25 Million Euros. Although Real Madrid's coach Manuel Pellegrini wanted Robben to be part of his team, the club needs to sell some of their players to recoup some of the money that was spent this Summer.

There are rumors that this move is in preparation for the arrival of Ribery to the Spanish capital, perhaps this season. The German club has rejected all offers for Rivery thus far, but with the current situation of the team (in 3 games this season - 0 Wins, 2 Draws, 1 Loss), and the bad chemistry between the players and coach Louis van Gaal (especially with Ribery), this could mean that Bayern might be willing to part ways with the French international.

Bayern Munich has said they will be willing to transfer Ribery next season and there is speculation that a deal might already be in place for the transfer of Ribery to Real Madrid for the 2010-11 season, although Bayern has denied this and have said the transfer of Robben is independent of the Ribery situation.

Out of all the players Real Madrid wanted to transfer out this season, there are still 2 that will be transferred before the transfer windows closes: Miguel Torres (close to signing for Atletico Madrid) and Rafael van der Vaart. With that said, van Gaal really likes his Dutch compatriots, so Real Madrid could still make a final push for the transfer of Ribery in exchange for van der Vaart and extra cash.

Real Madrid director Jorge Valdano says Real Madrid won't spend any more money this season, but Chelsea has reportedly made a 65 Million Euro offer to Bayern for Ribery, so Real Madrid might restart negotiations in fear of losing this signing.

Unlike his predecessor, Ramon Calderon, Florentino Perez has delivered on all his promises with the exception of Ribery. To sign big name players such as Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo is hard enough, but to do it all in the same offseason is truly a great accomplishment.

Will Perez pull the trigger on the Ribery deal and really come through with all his promises in just one offseason? If he does, this team will be even more amazing to watch!

Time for predictions

Who's going to win what?
These are my predictions for the 2009-2010 season. Let me know if you agree or disagree.

Club World Cup: Barcelona

Champions League - Real Madrid

UEFA Europe League (UEFA Cup) - Valencia

England:
Premier League - Chelsea
FA Cup - Manchester City

Spain:
La Liga - Barcelona
Copa del Rey (King's Cup) - Sevilla

Italy:
Serie A - Juventus
Coppa Italia - Inter Milan

Germany:
Bundesliga - Bayern Munich
DFB-Pokal (German Cup) - VfL Wolfsburg

FIFA World Player 2009 - Lionel Messi

FIFPro World Player of the Year 2009 - Lionel Messi

Ballon d'Or 2009 - Lionel Messi

Very sad news

Dani Jarque, central defender and captain of RCD Espanyol, has passed away at the age of 26. Spanish newspapers report the Spanish player was found dead in his hotel room in Converciano, Italy from an apparent heart failure during Espanyol's pre-season tour of Italy. Jarque was on the phone with his girlfriend, who is pregnant with their first child, when he suddenly stopped talking. She informed teammate Ferran Corominas, who then informed teammate Moisés Hurtado as the rest of team felt his absence during a team meal. He was found unconscious and doctors tried to revive him, but without success.

From watching Jarque play, I can tell everyone first hand that this was a talented player who deserved all the success in the world. He was a natural leader who set an example to the rest of his teammates on how to be a true professional. From watching his press conference you could tell this was a man who was always in a good mood while speaking to reporters and really enjoyed doing what he did.

This comes almost 2 years after the passing of 22 year-old Antonio Puerta, former midfielder for Sevilla, who suffered from an inherited heart disease. Puerta collapsed during a game against Getafe, and after recovering and being substituted, collapsed again in the dressing room before being taken to the hospital. Doctors say he suffered a clot in his brain, which then triggered a heart attack due to his heart condition. All this goes without mentioning many other soccer players like Marc-Vivien Foé and Miklós Fehér, who passed away from the same undiagnosed heart condition.

The point I'm trying to make is that clubs around the world should not allow players to play until they have been fully examined and tested for various heart conditions or any other disease that might cause sudden death. These men are dying way too young from something that could have been diagnosed and treated, thus prolonging their lives. Regardless of what club they play for, big or small, every time a passing of this nature happens, it shocks the entire world of soccer. I hope clubs take the necessary measures to prevent this from ever happening again as this is a very serious problem.