THEO Walcott is not a good footballer. Those are the, er, wise words from former Arsenal midfielder Stewart Robson, who these days earns a corn as a pundit. Now, I am not as clever or experienced as Robson when it comes to football.

But am I alone in thinking that, in fact, Walcott is a rather good footballer.

Stewart Robson slams Theo Walcott by BA With everyone talking about Robin van Persie, the fact that Theo Walcott also has only one year left on his Arsenal contract has gone largely unnoticed, but we all know the danger of letting players get near the end of their deals.(Nasri) So, realistically, it is time to [.

While perusing another major sports website (shame on us), we couldn't help but notice the ongoing competition for the cover athlete of EA Sports NHL '13. Now down to the final 8 players, the voting process sees a number of players compete against one another in a public vote to determine who will grace the cover of the much lauded computer game series.

What makes the perfect football boot? - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

The football boot assumes a number of different monikers; a piece of protective footwear, an iconic symbol of the modern player, a performance aid, fashion accessory and weapon.

The number of developers, style, brands and makes of football boot makes it a competitive marketplace, however the latest craze in footballing footwear is the Adidas f50, which is worn by Lionel Messi.

Maria Mutola is one of the world's greatest athletes. The 800 meter champion (2000 Olympic gold medalist, World Champion in 1993, 2001, 2003 etc) competed in 6 Olympic games and is often cited as the best athlete in this event. The 800 is notorious in track and field because it's technically a sprint: requiring speed and endurance, it's a grueling, even cruel, race.

By THOMAS FLOYD

Drew Moor may have enjoyed a career year last season, but he didn't expect anyone beyond the Rocky Mountains to really notice. And that's fine with him.

The Colorado Rapids defender, who has been about as dependable as they come in MLS since he debuted in 2005, scored four goals last year while playing across the back line and logging every minute of 32 league matches.

Photo: Courtesy of AP/Sporting News

Well, on the bright side, the Union will have Freddy Adu, Amobi Okugo and Sheanon Williams back ahead of Saturday's match against Vancouver...Nah, not working, too soon. This still sucks.

US

In need of a win against El Salvador on Monday night in order to advance to the semifinals in CONCACAF Olympic qualifying, US U-23 coach Caleb Porter said, "There is no doubt in my mind that we are going to get the result.

I'm not going to dwell on this, but for anyone that wants to understand what happened To Fabrice Muamba and what happens next for him, last night's BBC feature is a must.To be honest, I don't think things like this only freak out, say, Bolton teammates and fans. I think it kinda freaks out most any human that goes outside to run around like a dog chasing a ball when a pro athlete collapses

The modern day footballer is not an athlete alone. Oh no, he is expected to be all things to all men, including becoming a sportsbook author. OTP salutes some of the (relatively) shocking prose created when our top footballing stars put pen to paper. Here are six examples of when the normally mundane footballer autobiography [.

Dynamo News

• Dynamo team previews (SB Nation) (Houston Dynamo)
• Dynamo depth chart (Houston Dynamo)
• Ching truly loves Houston (FourFourTwo.com)
• BBVA Compass on track for opener (Houston Business Journal)
• Int. rugby match set for BBVA Compass (Rugby Mag)
• Davis is near full fitness (MLS Soccer)
• Cameron gives teammates wake-up call (Houston Dynamo)
• Brad Davis Interview (Houston Dynamo)
• Dynamo fall to Dallas in final preseason match (Houston Dynamo) and highlights (Houston Dynamo)
• Sarkodie wants to go to the Olympics with Porter (Houston Dynamo)
• Ching's final season?

Arsenal have targeted a natural left sided athlete of a footballer in Junior Hoilett. He began...
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There's Only One Gary Speed

Last week during the flurry of matches that will give Sepp Blatter and his friends millions to spend on cars and an infinite supply of botox international fixtures, one match that seemed rather plain, at least compared to Germany vs. France, was Wales vs.

Winning the League Cup was good, but what have you done for us lately? I mean, it was over almost two whole days ago, and if Liverpool lose to Arsenal in the league or Stoke in the FA Cup it'll end up little more than silver lining for one big, dark cloud. So sure, winning was nice and all. But you can't go on living in the past forever.

He came. He scored. He helped saved a season. He charmed everyone with his "I am Goonar!", his cheeky owl grin and high-pitched chuckle.

He has left. Overweight. Unhappy. Nobody particularly enamoured with his run-when-he-wants attitude, that owl scowl hidden beneath a scarf and a hat as he spent the final part of his Arsenal career on the bench, the jeers of that untimely substitution against United still echoing.

A career in soccer is not an endless stream of Happy Days. No, while we'd all like to be the Charles in Charge, some things lay beyond our grasp. Luck. Chance. Fate. As fans and followers, we often project our own anger and insecurities onto players. In their defects, we see our own, yet desperately yearn for the athlete gods to overcome this weakness.

@AlexMorgan13, @NatalieCoughlin, & @Natalie_Gulbis are featured in the @SI_Swimsuit issue repping #USWNT @LPGA @USA_swimming

When it was announced earlier this week that soccer star Alex Morgan would appear in the 2012 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue, we wrote:

The SI swimsuit issue story doesn't generally have anything to do with sports or sports journalism so it's a nice change to see an athlete featured.

And, he does it again folks! He sinks three-pointer with .5-seconds left for the win.
Knicks come back in the 4th quarter Valentine's Night behind their Linsational point guard phenom. He has 27 points and 11 assists in Toronto for the gutty 90-87 win.
The New York Knicks haven't lost a game with Jeremy Lin as a starter or before when he came off the bench to play significant minutes.

(The entry is formulated from the transcript obtained via Integrated Marketing Solutions Group -IMSG, the PR agency of Nike Singapore)
(P.S: The copyrights of the images depicted in this blog entry belong to Nike, unless stated on the images itself.)
In its quest to help players to maintain their game in order to excel further to the next level, sporting apparel giants Nike had recently launched their latest collection of football boots - the "4 Silo" with aim to help them in achieving that goal.

Photo: Daniel Gajdamowicz

Philadelphia Union

Sebastien Le Toux tweets, "Just got traded to Vancouver ! Saddest day for me in my Philadelphia Union story.... Still can't believe it"

The Union host Vancouver Whitecaps on March 31.

Take a look at Adam Cann's roundup of the evolution of Sebastien Le Toux to Vancouver rumors for links, but to summarize, the Union appear to be trading Le Toux to Vancouver for allocation money.

Ducky's Note: Rathna Prashanth looks at a novel way to solve Torres' striking problem. By getting rid of Drogba!

Legend, proven goal scorer, leader on the pitch- these are some of the terms that describe the powerful Ivorian Drogba, aka the Top Dog of the Bridge. At 150 goals and still counting, not only has he been an amazing goalscorer for Chelsea, he has also been a tremendous athlete.

Every person has a talent. Some have a talent with numbers; others are incredibly handy and can build whatever their hearts desire. Some people are intellectually gifted, while others are incredible athletes and invariably, the ones we love the most. It's easy to see why too, for an athlete's allure is a visual treat that invokes a sense of wonderment and a slight tinge of jealousy by the spectator.

Kickette: knowingly exploiting men (including those from the Brasiliense first team) for nefarious purposes since 2006. Image via brasiliensefc.com.br.

We were looking forward to dusting off our radical feminist costumes and having a good old bitch when we found out that Brazilian side Brasiliense FC had been pushing soft porn on their club website in a bid to boost site traffic.

When approached to declare this blog as an ally for basic human rights, it was not a question of whether or not I would support the cause, but rather when I had the time to give the occasion a proper write up.

The ability to utilize one's inherent and unique version of humanity is something that the Brotherly Game strongly supports.

Often when we are putting out the team schedule on ussoccer.com or through Twitter @ussoccer, we refer to a particular training as a ‘regeneration session'. Inevitably that leads to references to the Borg or Hugh Jackson. So what does the term really mean?

"The best way to describe regeneration is ‘active recovery'," says U.

Apart eleven years of as a Reebok athlete, Spain and Real Madrid captain Iker Casillas has signed an endorsement deal with national team and club sponsor adidas. Casillas was unveiled...

By Dario Camacho - MIAMI, FL (Jan 13, 2011) US Soccer Players -- Last year's Major League Soccer season probably had two of the worst injuries I've ever seen. The first I happen to catch on replay, was Steve Zakuani's broken leg. The physical revulsion of watching a pro athlete's leg dangling, swinging in all improper directions, was an unnecessary reminder of the brutal side of the sport.

That's the message delivered by Mark Verstegen, founder of Athletes' Performance, to the team as they depart Phoenix after nine days of training, fitness and strength exercises, and nutritional education.
The charismatic speaker spent nearly an hour counseling the players on a holistic approach to achieving success in their professional careers, summed up in the mantra 'Every Day is Game Day'.

We've received a lot of questions and comments from folks who are wondering what a day in the life is like for the players in January camp here in Phoenix. As Jurgen Klinsmann and the staff work to get this group ready to play two international matches in a short period of time, they have put together a comprehensive program that covers activities both on and off the field.

Throughout January, the players on the Men's National Team will be providing a first-hand account of what's happening inside the camp as they deal with the rigors of intense training under the watchful eyes of the coaching staff, all the while auditioning for playing time in the two important matches at the end of the month.

Peyton Hillis was everyone's favorite player last year. This year, the Cleveland Browns running back has struggled. Why is Hillis struggling? He claims he's the victim of the Madden Curse.

Said Hillis: "Things didn't work in my favor this year. There's a few things that happened this year that made me believe in curses.

Over the past years, the SSO has posted several articles about neuromuscular training programs designed to reduce the risk of injury. We have been especially concerned about preventing non-contact injuries to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in female players. An ACL tear can be personally devastating to the athlete and result in significant financial costs.

U.S. Men's National Team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann announced the 20-player roster for the annual January camp leading up to the games against Venezuela on Jan. 21 at the University of Phoenix Stadium (TICKETS) and Panama on Jan. 25 in Panama City.
ussoccer.com spoke with Klinsmann about his plans for the January camp and where this opportunity fits into the bigger picture of the development of the U.

Slava Mogutin, from "Brosephines" for Vice (October 2011)
I might as well just say it: I've been busy with work. I've been avoiding watching soccer matches on TV and following sports media - because these things provoke me. Plus - and this the biggie - I'm injured and alienated from the local scene which is my muse.

Launching in January in time for the spring training season, the Nike Pro Combat line of baselayer evolves with both a short-sleeve top and shorts a standout combination for the modern athlete looking for premium performance benefits including breathability and compression. The Nike Hypercool Fitted Short Sleeve Top 2.

Sir Alex Ferguson has claimed that Manchester United have enough experience of injuries to get through the season without needing to buy someone in the January transfer window.

"I think it's how you handle the situation," said Ferguson. "We're not panicking. We've got enough experience in the staff to cope with these things.

Rise and Shine is the story of Jay Demerit and his rise to professionalism. I've both reviewed the film and interviewed Jay and still I'm inspired by the story. There is so much to offer fans in watching the film. I wanted to make a personal plea for you the readers to look into it and support the cause.

Sócrates is dead. It's hard to see how anyone could be surprised. It's also hard not to think that he died because he wanted to, since Sócrates always seems to have done what he wanted to. He smoked incessantly because it gave him pleasure; he seems to have ingested vast amounts of alcohol for the same reason.

I'm taking The Mail at face value, even though the whole Seyi Ojo thing blew up in our faces, and saying that this is a done deal. A DONE DEAL. More, after the jump:

Planning for the future

Not much can be reported about the kid. Except that he's a central defender, and will join an already brimming crop of talent at The Bridge, including Jeffrey Bruma, Tomas Kalas, Nathaniel Chalobah, Nathan Ake, et all.

Image: Claudio Villa/Getty Images Europe.

Alessandro Matri: You have got to be kidding me. You are Mario Balotelli. You can't operate a training bib without it turning into an international incident. Or dress yourself. Or go for a pee. I'm an athlete. I make a living using my body.

Twitter might be the demise of the modern athlete, if only by allowing them the medium to do and say stupid shit before their agent and/or PR team can get in the way of a speeding bullet. Adelaide United's Anthony Golec learned this little lesson after one of his tweets, originally designed to be a joking private message to his brother (he says) regarding less than ebullient feelings toward a referee, landed on the whole big wide internet for the public to see.