SoccerBlogs

Well it looks as if Arsenal have finally made their first signing. The rumored Gervinho deal has been announced on Arsenal.com and that is good enough confirmation for me to speak on the signing. Personally, I am excited about bringing the Ivorian into the fold. Gervinho is a highly skilled forward who provides some flexibility up front.

The Good - Abby "Ice Cold" Wambach, Megan "Pixie Dust" Rapinoe, Hope "Han Would be Proud" Solo
Wambach and Rapinoe celebrate their 123rd minute equalizerWhile Wambach hasn't been scoring at quite the rate of her 2007 campaign, she was the perfect recipient of Rapinoe's pinpoint cross in the 123rd minute to bring the US back from the dead.

Manchester City earn even more money (although a fee is not yet reported) through what is likely a lucrative stadium naming rights deal with their current shirt sponsor: Ethiad Airways. City have been flirting with the upcoming UEFA Financial Fair Play rules, reporting a $193M deficit in recent reports (a far cry from UEFA's debt allowance of $61.

Sunderland boss Steve Bruce bagged himself a pair of veteran United defenders yesterday in John O'Shea and Wes Brown.
Sunderland's doors have been wide open this summer. Brown and O'Shea mark the 7th and 8th signings made by the club this year, and at least two others (Manchester United's Darron Gibson and Blackpool's David Vaughan) have been strongly linked with a move as well.

Well it looks as if Kenny Dalglish finally got his man. After attempting and failing to purchase Adam in the January transfer window, Liverpool has finally acquired Charlie. The 7million pound fee has been agreed upon and the only thing standing in the way is a medical and of course contract negotiations between Liverpool and Charlie.

The potential Arsenal summer fire-sale has officially begun: Gale Clichy is on his way to Eastlands.


Negative spin: while I don't know too many Arsenal fans upset by the news, it certainly doesn't help strengthen the weakest part of Arsene Wenger's squad. Not to mention, Arsenal is down to only two true outside backs in veteran Bacary Sagna and 21 year old Kieran Gibbs.

We brought you the Everton home shirt a while back, and it's exactly as reported:



The real news here is the keeper shirt:


Yep, that's camo (insert standard "won't be able to see the keeper" joke here). It's certainly unique. There's not much to the design, despite it's camouflage-ness.

Copa America is in full swing as all of the participants have played their first group game. I was actually prertty excited for this to start as the South American teams did really well in the World Cup. The first games have been less than stellar and I hope the quality picks up as the tournament moves along.

You've already heard my take on the Women's World Cup. Now we want to know what you think. Vote in the new poll at the top of the page on whether or not you care about the WWC.

The West Brom home and away kits have been released, and are on sale now.

2011-12 West Brom Home Shirt:


3.5/5 Stars
First, let me say that as far as jersey templates go, this Adidas one is a winner. Their design for this new West Brom shirt is equally winner-ish.

Remember when we brought you the review of the leaked Arsenal away kit?
Well, our worst fears have been realized:

I'm sticking with my original -2/5 rating. It's just awful. Arsenal's own Andrey Ashavin described it best, likening the shirts to "jockey silks". And it's not likely to look any better on the pitch:

Clowns.

I usually try not to fall into the trap of anointing teenage sensations as the "next big thing". With that said, what Ivorian striker Souleymane Coulibaly has done in the U-17 World Cup has been nothing short of astounding. Coulibaly has scored an incredible 8 goals in 3 games so far. He started the tournament with 1 goal in a 2-1 loss to Australia.