Brazilian club Santos on Friday turned down an €8 million bid from Portuguese club FC Porto for their midfield wizard Paulo Henrique Ganso. However, what seems to be rubbing people the wrong way is club president Luis Alvaro Ribeiro's comments where he labelled Porto's bid as comical and that it should have at least contained an extra zero for Santos to consider it.

Having already qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics by winning Friday's game versus Costa Rica, the USWNT's win over Canada in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament was the icing on the cake. The Canadian side came into tonight's match with a lot of confidence, but when it came time to perform, fell quite short.

Queens Park Rangers are set to land Nigerian international Taye Taiwo from Italian champions AC Milan within the coming days. The left back joined Milan from Marseille last summer but has struggled to make it to the first team despite not suffering from any injuries.

The finer details of Taiwo 's transfer are not clear, however what is known is that the defender will be joining QPR on a loan deal.

The Manchester United goalkeeper seems set to undergo eye surgery in the summer, just after the end of the English Premiership campaign and just before Spain's Olympic football participation begins.

The goalkeeper is unlikely to be called up by Spain for the 2012 UEFA European Championships.

By Chris Wright

Not a bad way to start the morning: Almeria target man Henok Goitom's insane overhead-kick against Sabadell in the Spanish second tier on Sunday evening, a goal which was outstanding for two reasons.

Firstly for the technique, agility, spacial awareness and immaculate execution on show and secondly (and Spanish football fans will back me up on this one) for the fact that Goitom usually doesn't display any of these traits and is generally completely useless in front of goal.

A Lambe in Reds' clothingNot baaaaad! Sorry, we promise that is one of the last couple of dozen lamb jokes we make... today. All for good reason though, as Toronto FC officially announced their first new recruit for 2012 today - tricky, young midfielder Reggie Lambe.
　
The 20-year old Bermudian international has been flirting with the English Championship since signing with Ipswich Town's youth program in 2009 - two years after his international debut with Bermuda at 16.

Kelley O'Hara seems to levitate above the jump pad. She's magical.
As the U.S. team often does at the beginning of training camps, there was a battery of fitness tests on the second day of the Arizona camp and while the players, most coming off a six-week break, are not at optimal fitness, they aren't supposed to be.

Wet turf and over 36,000 hostile fans weighed upon the visiting team, but that didn't force the Philadelphia to play the young, inexperienced and almost frightened role that was seen nearly 18 months ago in Seattle. Rather, the Union controlled and played aggressively, showing what a new season can bring to a formerly struggling team.

There is little argument that peak performance in soccer requires a high level of fitness. Soccer fitness includes a variety of components from cardiovascular fitness, strength, power and agility. How to best improve these components is a question that is debated among coaches and trainers. On the Science of Soccer Online, we have discussed the value of strength training (weight lifting),

There is little argument that peak performance in soccer requires a high level of fitness. Soccer fitness includes a variety of components from cardiovascular fitness, strength, power and agility. How to best improve these components is a question that is debated among coaches and trainers. On the Science of Soccer Online, we have discussed the value of strength training (weight lifting),

A Day to Forget – Tottenham Hotspur 4 – 0 Liverpool – Match Review

AnfieldIndex Liverpool FC Stats | Liverpool FC Blog | Liverpool FC Forum Before the match Kenny claimed he wasn't too unhappy with the start Liverpool had had. A poor second half at Sunderland aside, the Reds had played well against Bolton and Arsenal, and were unlucky not to have won the game against Stoke quite comfortably.

Wes Knight is on his way to trial with the Seattle Sounders over the next few days. Joshua Mayers confirmed a tweet that indicated Knight would be headed to Seattle for a several day look. The 25 on Tuesday right back/right mid played with the Vancouver Whitecaps in both the USL (was a finalist for Rookie of Year in 2009) and in MLS.

Eclipse Select Communications
CHICAGO -- The Eclipse Select Soccer Club announced its 2011 West Fall Soccer Skills School, which takes place from September through early October at Just for Kicks, 10200 Soccer Drive, in Plainfield, Ill.
Programs offered include Effective Dribbling with Finishing at Extreme Speed (4:30 to 5:30 p.

The Milwaukee Wave is thrilled to announce a new winter indoor training program. The Wave Academy will be conducted by players and coaches from the Milwaukee Wave who represent countries from around the world. The Wave Academy's advanced training will offer players U8 – U14 the opportunity to develop into a more confident player.

At six feet three inches tall, it's hard to believe that Nicklas Bendtner is still only 16 years of age.

What is just as impressive is that the powerfully built young Dane has the touch, control and agility that belies his sizeable frame.

Rumors are swirling that the Houston Dynamo are working to secure the services of Honduran striker Carlos Costly ahead of the closing of MLS's summer transfer window on August 15th. With Will Bruin on the shelf for at least a month and Calen Carr still recovering from a concussion, it certainly makes sense for Houston to be looking to add a forward, but is this the type of player they need or a desperate attempt to just get someone signed this summer?

Aaah, meninos do Brasil... we haven't forgotten you! The U-20 Selecao got their World Cup campaign to a perfect start last night with a 3-0 victory over Austria (same result for the Argentinians). Unfortunately, three of their players had to leave the field after suffering bad injuries including Alex Sandro, Henrique and Casemiro (who actually left the pitch in tears!

On the morning of May 9th, 2011 U.S. Soccer released the roster for this year's 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup team in Germany. Who knew that a team so many "sports journalists" felt was in disarray, could seemingly overnight turn things around. Odd that this collection of young women transformed into a team that those same "experts" said they, "Never doubted them for a second.

Video: Luis Suarez Learns Diving on Game Show as a Child

Luis Suarez is used to dressing up in a kit, showing off his agility, running round with a ball and occasionally diving. But it would seem that these abilities were put to good use long before he had made a name for himself as one of the world's best footballing talents.

The list keeps growing, perhaps with everybody thinking that if they keep adding names one's bound to turn out right sooner or later. And so today we've got a few more highly dubious but widely reported rumours to add to the heaping pile of possible transfer targets, as well as one rumour that just about everybody seems to think is going to come true no matter what over the next few days.

Sachin Nakrani of the Guardian writes of 5 lessons felt weren't learned by Manchester United between the two UEFA Champions League finals versus Barcelona in 2009 and now in 2011-
Failed to stop Dani Alves marauding forward
Of all the errors Sir Alex Ferguson made in the 2009 final, few were greater than deploying Wayne Rooney on the left wing.

Kevin Gameiro is the latest name to be linked with a move to Tottenham in the summer and it's believed that Harry Redknapp and Kevin Bond have both watched the Lorient player in action.

Gameiro is 24 and after a slow start in French football with Strasbourg, he moved to Lorient in 2008 where he averages just under a goal every other game.

It's that time of the week you've all been waiting for - Diary of an MLS Convert is back, and the converts have, as usual, got plenty to say this week. Topics covered by supporters of Eastern teams include MLS season ticket packages, a package received by Crew fans, sloppy goalkeeping in New York, flying to America and stadium naming rights.

Here's the starting 11 I think the Philadelphia Union will use against FC Dallas, with thoughts on why and how they've played so far this year.:

• Goalkeeper: Faryd Mondragon - The big Colombian told Union reporters that he wouldn't play unless he felt he would be able to go at 100 percent and threw his support behind young back up Zac MacMath if not.

Barcelona – Osasuna may not attract the same audiences as the Madrid derby or El Clasico but for fans who watched the Catalan's 2-0 win last night would have witnessed history in the process. Lionel Messi became the first player to score 50 goals in a Spanish season and, as a result, broke Ferenc Puskas' record of 49 goals in the 1949/50 season.

Beeeeeeeeeep!

A day of fitness testing is in the books for the U.S. WNT and the rest of the camp will be focused on, as Pia Sundhage said in the first team meeting, "play, play, play." But after a morning of VO2 Mac testing on the treadmill, the U.S. team hit the field in the afternoon for its usual quartet of timed 20 and 40-yard dash, agility test, jump test and Beep Test.

U.S. fitness coach Dawn Scott guides Jordan Angeli thorugh the VO2 Max

Today is a day of physical testing for the U.S. WNT. In the morning it was the VO2 max, which saw every player in camp take their turn on the treadmill in the team hotel. Most players expressed a bit of awkwardness at wearing the mask necessary for the test, but despite the fact that it looks a bit funny, the information garnered is extremely valuable to the U.

Talked with Calum Butcher after practiceCalum Butcher running the agility test under the watchful eye of Coach Vermes...

When you hear the name "Mario Balotelli", what terms come to mind? On the positive side, the words "powerful", "strong", and "muscular" ring around the room. On the negative side, we've all read about his "volatility" and "outbursts" and "immaturity." Yet why do we tend to focus so heavily on terms of power when describing black male athletes, when the discourse of grace also applies?

Is that Brittany Taylor or Flo Jo?

The U.S. Women's National Team has traditionally undergone fitness testing during the first training camp of a new year and 2011 is no different. The only difference was that the players who were in Cancun, Mexico for Women's World Cup qualifying were exempt.

We are out town today, but the MLS Combine is upon us. We thought it worth re-posting our interview from last year with Buzz Carrick about the business of the event. Enjoy the post and the great insights from Mr. Carrick.

It's time for the MLS combine, when college seniors and Generation Adidas players showcase their wares for MLS coaches and general managers.

REAL MADRID forward GONZALO HIGUAIN will need to undergo surgury for his back-disc hernia. The Argentine flys of to Chicago for the operation & will leave the Spanish Club "orphen" for at least 3 months. The question then arises if the player will be able to recover in time before the end of the season & if he will be able to recuperate his agility.