By definition, an own goal occurs in association football when a player scores a goal that is registered to his or her own team. That definition was in fact one of many I found while scouring the Internet, but most of the others are similar in that they mention players knocking or kicking the ball into their own net.

During my last real rant, I lamented the treatment of soccer by the American sports establishment; I specifically targeted sportstalk radio, the only real place I hear any any of the general (albeit locally-focused) sports discussion anymore, but the anger could have just as easily been directed at columnists and talking heads with national profiles.

Tim Howard wants you to think critically.

Another World Cup has come and gone, and, along with it, another round of shallow soccer analysis by the American media* (complete with the touch of veiled condescension we've all come to know and love). My favorite, or I guess I should say least favorite, falsehood that is constantly thrown about is the idea that soccer is the biggest sport in every country in the world outside of the United States.

I'm sure you've all heard the good news by now. I'm very proud and happy to announce that I have been named the Minister of Information for the National Association Football Federation.
I very much believe in the future of this new, dynamic league, and hope to do my part to put AssBallFed on everybody's lips.

Mexican powerhouse Club Deportivo Guadalajara, commonly known as Chivas or Chivas de Guadalajara, is a Mexican association football team based in Guadalajara, Jalisco that competes in the Primera División de México - the top-tier of soccer in Mexico. Chivas has the most league titles in Mexican first division history with 11.

For the second time in recent memory, the Americans are attempting to host a World Cup. The Go USA bid for 2018 and 2022 may have generated less media attention than its European competitors, but make no mistake: the Americans want it. Bill Clinton, Michael Bloomberg, Henry Kissinger, Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman have all lent their names behind the cause.

Fridays for the forseeable future on Twohundredpercent will be the home of a new feature, 'A Picture That Dotmund Did', where our resident artist gives the game of association football some serious in-depth analysis. No doubt.

Today: a look at the inextricable link between football and nostril-warmers.

Am I reading too much into Landon getting Dixie Dean's old jersey number? I realize they don't retire numbers in association football, but Brazil and Argentina don't give the backup goalkeeper #10, either.
It's just that 9 is a very low number to give to a guy that's just going to be renting, is all.

Something of a storm broke out this week in the American soccer blogosphere following an article by an American Manchester United fan decrying what they claimed was the use of excessive foul language in chants by Philadelphia Union fans at the latter's friendly with Manchester United this week.

Rungrado May Day Stadium in Pyongyang, originally built for the 1989 World Festival of Youth and Students, has a capacity of 150,000, making it the largest Association Football stadium in the world.

Photo credit: shanster1 on Flickr, via the Pitch Invasion Photo Pool.

By Ollie Irish

I read that the new 'One Show' presenters were pants, but this means nothing to me as don't watch the 'One Show'. If I did watch the 'One Show', it would only be proof that my life had taken a very wrong turn.

Oh, and if you're wondering what the hell this has to do with association football, Bleakley is currently going out with Frank Lampard.

Mexican powerhouse Club Deportivo Guadalajara, commonly known as Chivas or Chivas de Guadalajara, is a Mexican association football team based in Guadalajara, Jalisco that competes in the Primera División de México - the top-tier of soccer in Mexico. Chivas has the most league titles in Mexican first division history with 11.

In his chapter on Brazil in The Thinking Fan's Guide to the World Cup, John Lanchester writes:

"Most football writing is about that experience, one way or another; in the overall run of writing about football, most of it is about the epiphenomenon of being a fan rather than the phenomenon of the game itself.

One of my favourite books is Winter: Notes from Montana by Rick Bass. It is a diary of sorts about Bass and his partner moving to a remote valley in the Northwestern USA, near Yaak, Montana. He arrives just in time to begin preparations for the ferocious Montana winter. He knows that foot after foot of snow will come and render him housebound for weeks at a time.

The football organisation FIFA (International Federation of Association Football) has named on their official Website Arsenal hotshot Carlos Vela as one of the promising talents to have a chance to win the "Best Young Player Award" for the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2010 in South Africa.

At the 124th Annual General meeting of the International Football Association Board (IFAB) in Zurich on 6 March 2010, which, as is the case with every FIFA World Cup year, was chaired by myself on behalf of FIFA, the IFAB decided not to implement technology in football.FIFA supports this decision, based on the following points:
The universality of the game: one of the main objectives of FIFA is to protect the universality of the game of association football.

First he's dicking around watching the Lakers, next he's off in some desert resort catching a few rays. David Beckham - what a piece of work, I tell you. Globetrotting jet-setter glamor boy, hitting all the world's vacation spots.
And today, he actually deigned to watch some football. As an American fan, it was an extremely disappointing result - no injuries.

Ed Ruscha, "Music From The Balconies"

"There's no formula; (the concepts) just have to be emotionally loaded. It may be something I hear on the radio, or a lyric from a song... It's a simple thing." Ed Ruscha (primarily noted as an artist) distills his methodology in this straightforward description, and Michael Beirut (a graphic designer) co-opts it in his collection of essays on design, chiefly to frame artistic process in terms of Beirut's own profession.

Laurence McKenna, co-host of the EPL Talk and World Cup Buzz Podcasts, recently had a golden opportunity to sit down with one of the most remarkable English football writers and authors, Barney Ronay of The Guardian and When Saturday Comes.

In this second part of the interview series (part one is included below), Ronay shares his opinion regarding several fascinating topics including:

• How he assesses Fabio Capello as a manager,
• How England measures up to the rest of the world,
• His fondest memories of previous World Cup tournaments,
• What we will remember the 2010 World Cup for,
• What sets the World Cup apart from other sporting tournaments,
• Who will win the 2010 World Cup in South Africa,
• And much more.

Ezra Shaw - Getty Images

Landon Donovan, "roofing it." The Slovenian goalkeeper wanted absolutely nothing to do with it.

View full size photo »

PRETORIA, South Africa -- Brilliant things said and written this weekend around World Cup 2010:

This from Bryan Chenault, who was once a U.

Welcome to a brand new week, hope your weekend was fine.

It was probably better than that of the French squad who refused to train and whose captain had a scrap with a fitness coach. It was probably better than the England squad too after John Terry showed exactly why England struggle at big tournaments - player egos are totally out of control.

I had to post this article that was forwarded to me, because never did I ever think that someone would consider Diego Maradona the ideal parent.
The Stir - a cafe mom blog - writes of lessons parents can learn from the Argentine enigma:
Football is a very big deal in our household, and by football I mean association football -- aka footy, fútbol, soccer.

Boston24 After World Cup title, Spain looks to 2018 bid - http://www.boston.com/news... 3 hours ago from Boston.com / Boston Globe --... - Comment - Like Now that Spain has its first World Cup title, the country's soccer authorities are focusing on winning the right to host another World Cup. World Cup - Spain national football team - Sports - Association football - FIFA World Cup - Petr Buben

Today marks the 12th Man Blog's first birthday. The blog was created with the intention of mixing association football news with a brand of sarcasm. It took two weeks to prepare the site and August 15th the first post was published. Since then, the 12th Man Blog has amassed 33,540 unique hits with an average of 252 unique visitors a day.

Can you recall the last time Arshavin actually played well?

I think he may of had a decent half in the fateful game up at the Brittania last season, aside from that, are we going back to Anfield away and Blackburn at home?

If he is not fully fit, rest him, and play the lively Vela down our left attacking flank.

By Chris Wright

Friends, we are witnessing association football's fragile facade crumbling before our very eyes.

Following yesterday's shocking revelations that Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho is not as he was believed to be child magician Harry Potter, comes the planet-shattering development that Birmingham manager Alex McLeish is, in turn, not the Real Madrid coach.

In our "Football-is-a-business" series, today's infographic aims at figuring out if English Premier League Clubs are smart in signing new players, in other words if if they are cash efficient.

First off, we need to precisely define the "cash efficiency" notion so that we all understand what Footbalistic studied.

With the start of the Bundesliga today, let's take a look at the German league, teams, players, and some new changes, as well how their World Cup run ties it with it all...

Germany had a rather successful run in South Africa for the 2010 World Cup, finishing in 3rd place, after being knocked out by the eventual winners, Spain.

Association football, aka soccer, has its problems with fan violence. We don't deny it and quite frankly, we don't like it.
From time to time, ignorant fans of American football like to throw verbal stones about how soccer is nothing but a violent sport dominated by hooligans. They also will preach about the virtues of their sport despite the fact if you've ever been to an NFL game, you fully realize how disgusting, violent and foul mouthed fans of that sport can be.

Sogndal Fotball is the association football section of Norwegian sports club Sogndal IL from Sogndal in Sogn og Fjordane. The men's soccer team was promoted to the Norwegian Premier League or Tippeligaen after the winning the Norwegian First Division or Adeccoligaen title at the end of the 2010 season.

In the name of progress, we continue to be reminded about the dangers of franchising in football, and we continue to be right to stay vigilant against attempts to parachute teams into the Football League or senior non-league football. The fundamental principle of the entire pyramid system in England is that, subject to concerns over the health and safety of large crowds, newly-formed clubs should start at the bottom and work their way up.

In the beginning days of league soccer in Philadelphia, games were almost exclusively played on Saturday afternoons. Primarily, this was due to the simple fact that players were not professionals and so had to work for a living. For most players this would mean working in factory jobs in Philadelphia's textile mills.