The Argentine national team flashed the kind of form long expected of such a talent-laden side with a World Cup qualifying masterpiece on Saturday night.

Four different players scored goals, including Lionel Messi and birthday boy Sergio Aguero, to help Argentina post a 4-0 pummeling of Ecuador in CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying action in Buenos Aires.

If, as is being suggested, Harry resolves any issues with Daniel Levy and continues as Spurs' manager, you would hope that with the transfer window about to officially open, some deals might start to be concluded.

One player who was briefly mentioned in January was Newcastle's Demba Ba who enjoyed a prolific African cup of Nations before returning and being upstaged somewhat by his compatriot Papiss Cisse.

Newcastle United and Senegal striker Papiss Cisse the great one has been recognized for his exploits for Newcastle this year in the Premier League. Papiss Cisse - scoring at Swansea Papiss arrive don Tyneside in early February form the African Cup of Nations and ended up scoring 13 goals in 14 appearances for [.

The Timbers front office announced that four Timbers players will be serving with their respective national teams during the FIFA international break between May 23 and June 16. The players mentioned in the press release were CB Futty Danso, GK Jake Gleeson, MF Lovel Palmer and MF Rodney Wallace.

Because of the long break from MLS competition, neither Lovel Palmer nor Rodney Wallace will miss MLS matches.

Didier Drogba is reportedly moving closer toward making China the next stop on his career path.

The former Chelsea striker, who confirmed Tuesday that he was leaving the Blues after eight years and just delivering a UEFA Champions League title, has entered into negotiations with Shanghai Shenhua, according to the Chinese club that also employs his former Chelsea teammate, Nicolas Anelka, as a player/coach.

To go along with Graham Zusi's call into the US national team camp in Orlando, another Sporting KC player has been called up to his national team. Kei Kamara is one of 15 international players that have been called up for Sierra Leone's camp ahead of some friendlies and three important qualifiers. The first friendly is this coming Tuesday against Iraq, and the second friendly is on the 26th against Jordan.

One thing we don't want to see this summer is for Newcastle to be signing African players. Newcastle's two Senegal strikers number 19 and 9 That's because with the African Cup of Nations taking place every two years, Newcastle will lose their African players as we did last January and February, and we were lucky that Senegal [.

One thing we don't want to see this summer is for Newcastle to be signing African players. Newcastle's two Senegal strikers number 19 and 9 That's because with the African Cup of Nations taking place every two years, Newcastle will lose their African players as we did last January and February, and we were lucky that Senegal [.

Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse may miss quite a bit of the season for Newcastle next term. Papiss Cisse could miss summer tour That's because both strikers could be involved for Senegal in the Olympic Games in the UK, and then there is the African Cup of Nations starting in January in South Africa, and that's the second year in a row the tournament has taken place.

Whenever a member of the world soccer community passes away it is a sad day, but the passing of former Nigerian World Cup striker Rashidi Yekini at the age of 48 last Friday brought an extra tinge of sadness for a generation of American soccer fans.

Yekini's unforgettable goal celebration during Nigeria's 3-0 win vs.

An early start this morning and an early kick off for Arsenal as we face Norwich in our final home game of this challenging league season.

The situation we're in in simple and requires little explanation win both games we have left and we finish third and qualify automatically for next season's Champions League.

Newcastle may well be without strikers Papiss Cisse and Demba Ba for most of the pre-season, and for the European play-off games in August, if we have to play two of then. Papiss Cisse - after scoring against Swansea recently The Olympic football tournament will be taking place in August, and that's the same time as [.

Ives Galarcep reports on Egypt's run of success, which sees coach Bob Bradley and the Pharaohs on an eight game unbeaten streak.
On a day when 73 people stood trial for their alleged roles in the deadly riots at a February soccer match in Port Said, Egypt, Bob Bradley was busy doing his part to restore the game in the African nation, guiding the national team in another match while trying to assess his squad before the games start to count in June.

Demba Ba has been interviewed in the Newcastle program for today's game, and the program is in 3D for the first time ever. Demba Ba after scoring at Stoke earlier this season Demba Ba has scored 16 goals in the Premier League this season, but he has only one goal since returning from the African Cup of Nations in early February, so we have to hope he can [.

Demba Ba has been interviewed in the Newcastle program for today's game, and the program is in 3D for the first time ever. Demba Ba after scoring at Stoke earlier this season Demba Ba has scored 16 goals in the Premier League this season, but he has only one goal since returning from the African Cup of Nations in early February, so we have to hope he can [.

On a day when 73 people stood trial for their alleged roles in the deadly riots at a February soccer match in Port Said, Egypt, Bob Bradley was busy doing his part to restore the game in the African nation, guiding the national team in another match while trying to assess his squad before the games start to count in June.

Joe Gyau's future at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim is secure.

The U.S. Under-23 winger signed a three-year professional contract with the Bundesliga club on Friday, meaning that he is tied to Hoffneheim through 2015.

Gyau, 19, has begun to emerge as an option for the first team this season after proving his quality for the club's U-23 side.

Demba Ba hasn't scored in 9 games and indeed, he has scored just one goal since he returned from the African Cup of Nations in February. Demba Ba in action yesterday against Bolton stroppy again? And that was in his first game back after just 30 minutes in the 2-1 win over Aston Villa at home, when Papiss Cisse on his [.

Egyptian soccer continues to be in recovery mode after the club season was cancelled in the aftermath of the fatal riots in Port Said, but the beat goes on for Bob Bradley and the Egyptian national team.

Egypt defeated Uganda 2-1 in Sudan on Thursday to remain unbeaten in the four games since the tragedy that took the lives of 74 people last month.

Yohan Cabaye has been an excellent buy for Newcastle, and he has formed a good partnership with Cheick Tiote in the middle of the park for the Magpies. Cheick Tiote - I am stronger now Since Cheick returned from his African Cup of Nations duties and Yohan returned from his three match suspension for his violent play charge at Brighton, the two have only played together [.

Right then, once more into the breach and this morning we face those dastardly Mugsmashers who want nothing more than smash our mugs of Sp*rs filled joy.

In terms of the team the manager cast doubts over the involvement of both Robin van Persie and Thomas Vermaelen yesterday, due to their international involvement.

Fans living outside the Portland area got great news on March 1 as the Timbers have created a regional network that will broadcast all matches currently carried on Fox 12 or KPDX to affliated stations in Bend, Eugene and Medford. Meanwhile, the team was able to get within roster compliance as three players received their green cards by March 1.

Today at 5pm CST, Sporting KC close out the group phase of the Disney Pro Soccer Classic in Orlando against the Vancouver Whitecaps. The Whitecaps are currently 2-0 in the group and have booked their spot in Saturday's final against the winner of the other group. Kansas City still has a chance to play on Saturday in the consolation game.

The Ivory Coast has arranged a friendly tonight against Equatorial Guinea in Abidjan, and it was arranged at short notice. Cheick Tiote in action for Ivory Coast recently Unfortunately Newcastle's Cheick Tiote has been called up for the game in the 16 man Ivory Coast squad, so he faces a long return journey to play a friendly.

Photo: Nicolae Stoian

Philadelphia Union

This day in history, February 28, 2008: MLS announces Philadelphia will join the league as its 16th franchise in the 2010 season. (Not sure if this counts as a birthday, but it makes for a nice headline. More importantly, it's just a great day to remember.

Sporting KC is back in action in about an hour down in Orlando when they'll take on the expansion Montreal Impact in their second game of the Disney Pro Soccer Classic. Sporting comes into the game off their 0-0 draw with the Houston Dynamo on Friday night. The Impact come in after being defeated 3-0 by the Vancouver Whitecaps in their tournament opener.

Do y'all realize it snowed this morning? Crazy. Actually, as a Minnesota native, I would have preferred snow to 38 degrees and windy rain. But there's soccer to be practiced, and practice to be reported on. That's the sacrifice I make.

It was a closed practice today, so oregonlive's Kip Kesgard and I talked over the news and absences before hanging out in the conference room for an hour.

Union

Read Ed's piece on Camden Youth Soccer Club's stolen goals. Do it now. (please)

The700Level wonders whether any of the Union's announcements at their recent town hall meeting will win back fans who were put off by the Sebastien Le Toux saga.

The team for Ghana's friendly against Chile at PPL Park will arrive on Monday, February 27.

By Alan Duffy

Newcastle United Wolverhampton Wanderers Premier League 25th February 2012

Terry Connor's promotion to Wolves' manager for the rest of the season was met with a less than enthusiastic response from both fans and the media.

When Cheick Tiote was out at the African Cup of Nations for over five weeks, it's hardly surprising that he would talk often to his Premier League colleagues Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou of Chelsea. Cheick Tiote in action in the final against Zambia The Ivory Coast came within a whisker of winning the tournament [.

When Cheick Tiote was out at the African Cup of Nations for over five weeks, it's hardly surprising that he would talk often to his Premier League colleagues Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou of Chelsea. Cheick Tiote in action in the final against Zambia The Ivory Coast came within a whisker of winning the tournament [.

It has been a fortnight since Newcastle United were spanked 5-0 by Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane and after returning to action today for the first time since that nightmare, manager Alan Pardew is determined to avoid a similar setback.

The Magpies were positioned well to get into the top four at the expense of Arsenal and Chelsea two weeks ago but the visit to North London proved to be disastrous, with the Spurs emphatically moving 10 points clear of the chasing pack in third place.

Ghana finished fourth in the 2012 African Cup of Nations, which was ultimately a disappointment for the team that outlasted all other African sides in the 2010 World Cup. And now, Ghana's Serbian manager is blaming witchcraft and self-sabotage for their inability to meet expectations.

From the BBC:

Ghana coach Goran Stevanovic has revealed deep divisions within the squad, saying some players used witchcraft against their own team-mates.

Sort of a regular occurrence at this point, but it appears that three of our guys are, once again, off to represent their nations on the world stage. It's a shame we have yet to see anybody don the jersey for the old red, white and blue but it's nice to see some of our guys getting meaningful minutes under a national team system, which is very beneficial to player development.

There are stories coming out of the club this week that Cheick Tiote has been full of life since he returned to Tyneside, and resumed training earlier this week. Cheick Tiote in action at the African Cup of Nations And the brilliant Ivorian midfielder has revealed how devastated he was at losing the African Cup of Nations under such unfortunate [.

Marseille vs Inter 1-0 Highlights Video 2012 Champions League Goal Andre Ayew But is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter

Marseille vs Inter 1-0 Highlights Video 2012 Champions League Goal Andre Ayew But is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter Marseille vs Inter 2012 ( Olympique Marseille Inter video below) Final score and result:- Marseille vs Inter 1-0 ( Andre Ayew) Stade Velodrome, Marseille- 22.

Cheick Tiote was back in training at the Benton training grounds yesterday, with the rest of the Newcastle squad. Cheick Tiote back again on Saturday And the Ivory Coast International spoke for the first time about his huge disappointment of losing the final of the African Cup of Nations to Zambia on penalties last week, after neither side had scored in normal time or in [.

Cheick Tiote was back in training at the Benton training grounds yesterday, with the rest of the Newcastle squad. Cheick Tiote back again on Saturday And the Ivory Coast International spoke for the first time about his huge disappointment of losing the final of the African Cup of Nations to Zambia on penalties last week, after neither side had scored in normal time or in [.

Newcastle's star midfielder Cheick Tiote has spoken for the first time today, of his heart-break at losing the African Cup of Nations to Zambia. Newcastle's Cheick Tiote in action in the African Cup od Nations The game against Zambia ended up 0-0 after extra time and that was after Didier Drogba, of all people, had missed a penalty for [.

Newcastle's star midfielder Cheick Tiote has spoken for the first time today, of his heart-break at losing the African Cup of Nations to Zambia. Newcastle's Cheick Tiote in action in the African Cup od Nations The game against Zambia ended up 0-0 after extra time and that was after Didier Drogba, of all people, had missed a penalty for [.