Nike has unveiled the official matchball for this summer's Copa America 2011 tournament to be held in Argentina the Nike Total90 Tracer Doma Soccer Ball (now available at World Soccer Shop). The Tracer Doma was presented to the media in La Plata Argentina on Friday by recently retired Brazilian striker and Nike athlete Ronaldo.

Article By Lee Camblin
MLS is a league that is in its infancy compared to many other Soccer leagues around the world. When you think that other league structures found in England, Spain, Italy, France, Germany have been around 40,50and even over 100 yrs.
MLS started back in 1993 as part of the USA bid to host the 1994 world cup, which they did host.

It might be summer but that doesn't mean that the ill feelings between Barcelona and Real Madrid have gone away.

The war of words between the two clubs intensified today when Barca president Sandro Rosell accused Madrid of anti-sporting behaviour and slammed Real coach Jose Mourinho.

In honor of the Women's World Cup in Germany asking girls to aspire to become a level of athlete which most simply cannot, Mattel has upped the ante and reminded them of what the supposed ideal range of female looks like. Oh, and she's a great athlete too.

No pressure.

Written by Total Arsenal

Seldom have I seen a football player like Abou Diaby. On the one hand he oozes class and potential, a beautiful athlete: a modern day gladiator. On the other hand he seems to struggle badly at times with being able to focus on the field, and achieving consistency in his performance.

This is not an injury for antsWhat could be the worst way to repair a defence that just saw itself ripped open for six goals this past weekend? How about losing the anchor of that already porous backline for the remainder of the season? No?
　
Thought you'd seen the last of Ty Harden?

Today's game against Romania marks Ronaldo Lima's final departure from the seleção brasileira. He'll still be with Corinthians for the next few months and has promised fans of the Timão that he won't be leaving till the end of the year. Before he left, he gave a really nice press conference where he lauded Neymar and said he was confident of the youngster's future.

Japan turned the narrative tables: This time it was not the USWNT winning against the run of play. They attacked relentlessly for much of the match, and came awfully close to scoring over and over again. Japan forced the USWNT to bring the game to them. Every now and again, they let up their breaks.

Yesterday, Deion Sanders entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He called it one of the best days of his life. However, if you've ever seen Deion Sanders' wife, you know he's living well each and every day. Pilar Sanders is one of the hottest, if not the hottest, wife of any athlete on the planet.

The 2011 ESPN Magazine Body Issue is hitting the shelves soon. In it, there are a number of star athletes naked. Perhaps the most famous naked athlete this year is reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Blake Griffin. Blake Griffin naked pictures? Personally, I don't get the point.

What would Blake Griffin get out of appearing naked in ESPN Magazine.

Disclaimer: The following is for educational purposes only and every athlete will be a little different. My best advice is to work under the supervision of a reputable professional especially when it comes to age –appropriate strength training. If done right, it is a powerful training tool.

In an article that focused on football Athletes seek help finding colleges the writer apparently spent some time talking to players and looking at the question of whether a service is valuable.

Enter college recruiting services, a growing industry where high school athletes and parents can turn for help in gaining exposure and making contact with colleges.

The Professor returns with a long diatribe on sexism in soccer and the sorts of problems it causes. Compare and contrast with Bill Archer's podcast on being caustic and coming down off that high once you meet people. One of the Professor's main questions is about the caustic nature of comments one receives, how they're objectifying, of a sexual nature, demeaning, etc.

By FRANCO PANIZO

It appears not even an NFL labor dispute is enough to keep Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco off the field.

Ochocino will join Sporting Kansas City for a four-day trial starting next week, Kansas City announced on Wednesday.

I've been busy over the past week on the other site -- still am, as a matter of fact -- so I haven't had time to blog about Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson's impending tryout with Sporting KC which started today. I knew that Johnson was a soccer fan -- he played at youth level, is a big follower of the UEFA Champions League, is friends with Thierry Henry and David Beckham among other players -- but I share Ives Galarcep's opinion that the idea that an athlete who hasn't played soccer in close to two decades can walk into a professional.

If you haven't a chance to watch the first episode of the series MNT in England, take a look at 'Howard at Home'
This was our second visit to Timmy's house on the 10-day tour of England. We initially went to film his game-day experience when Everton played Aston Villa at Goodison Park.

Often times, great athletes need great egos in order to drive them to excel beyond that which they may do otherwise, to be become the great athletes they are. It's a part of the process.

Usain Bolt is a great athlete. He also has a great ego. Really, really great ego.

Apparently he's suffering from delusions too, as he claims to be good enough to play for Manchester United when he hangs up his track spikes and tight-fitting onezie.

I know a hair joke is almost expected from me for a Brek Shea post but I'm going to break from regular programming this morning to just gush about the guy's art. Seriously, some of dude's stuff is pretty good and I love him for it. There's some real talent there or at least enough that Coldplay are biting his style now.

During last January's transfer window a great deal of focus was on big name players and the one that caught most of the attention of the media was Fernando Torres of Liverpool. Chelsea come along and broke the bank with an English transfer fee record of £50 million. However, at the end of the 2010-2011 season Torres had 18 total appearances for Chelsea and scored just one goal.

Happy Friday guys. I thought I'd change it up a bit and go all Simon Borg on ya. So pretend your reading this in a loud and boistrous fashion. Growl at some point mid-sentence to keep it real. Here's your Friday rant. Enjoy!I'll never understand the mentality of so many adult amateur soccer players. It happens to nearly every athlete who doesn't make it as a pro: they love the game and join adult leagues.

"I think this is a team game and unfortunately there isn't an equal level between my teammates and I." -Rafa Marquez

I'm not an athlete, I've never been one so my understanding on the locker room dynamic is limited. However, as a human who has engaged in a variety of relationships in the last 31 years (I'm dating myself) I think I understand the importance of not selling out people you work with.

There are probably better ways to write this tale. Maybe just that one picture is enough. Or maybe this line from Goalkeeping Coach Tom Dutra says it better.

There's nobody like Kasey.

One of the greatest blessings I've had as a Seattle Sounders fan, and that's really the only way I can write about Kasey Keller, is that one of my heroes in sport plays in front of me almost every day.

For those interested in this sort of thing, I had a little poke through the Football Manager 2011 database to see what exactly I could find out about Rodrigo Brasesco, assuming that those who rated him there might have a more intimate view of his capabilities than a YouTube clip. According to said profile.

The Chicago Fire selected North Carolina defender Jalil Anibaba with the ninth overall pick at the 2011 MLS SuperDraft on Thursday at the Baltimore Convention Center.
Chicago also chose forward and Elmhurst native Jason Herrick (Maryland, 45th overall) and forward Davis Paul (California, 51st overall) in the third round.

Ever considered who has got your back when you roll your sleeves up for that big game you have been waiting for? Given the fast pace and high intensity of modern-day sports, injuries are always likely to happen.

Therefore, it has become more important than ever before for every athlete to take a step back and carefully review insurance options available.

By Ashley Frederickson and Nicole Morell Over the summer we shared some tips on how to prevent athlete burn out. These tips may not have rung too true at the time, as many student-athletes do get a break over the summer. Now that you're deep in the school year and the season, it's time to [...]

Portuguese outfit Benfica have confirmed that they have received an offer from Chelsea for defender David Luiz. The center back would provide some much needed depth for the Blues as they aim to rebound following a slow start to the season.

"Sport Lisboa e Benfica inform that we have received an offer from Chelsea Football Club for the acquisition of the sporting and economic rights of athlete David Luiz Moreira Marinho," revealed a statement from Benfica.

More twists and turns this afternoon (expect a whole lot more before the deadline by the way) but it seems that Benfica have announced the Stock Exchange that the deal with Chelsea has been terminated for David Luiz.
"No agreement with Chelsea for transfer of sporting and economic rights of athlete David Luiz.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. It's fair to say that the 2010 MLS season could not end soon enough for Darrius Barnes.

For the third-year center back, who enjoyed a solid rookie season in 2009, any hopes he harbored of avoiding a sophomore jinx were quickly dashed after last season became a high-speed train wreck of team struggles and injury issues.

Andy Carroll gave the thumbs-up to Liverpool fans after training properly for the first time since his £35million switch.
The giant striker, who joined from Newcastle on deadline day in a breathtaking deal, stepped out at Melwood to be put through his paces.
And he signalled his happiness to watching youngsters, who peered over the fences to snatch a glimpse at their new No 9 after the record-breaking departure of Fernando Torres to Chelsea for £50m.

Jamie Carragher has attributed Martin Kelly's rise at Liverpool to the arrival of Kenny Dalglish as manager.
Under former Anfield and newly appointed West Brom manager Roy Hodgson, Kelly saw limited first-team chances in the Premier League and was reduced to appearances predominantly in the Europa League.

Chad Ochocinco, né Johnson, is one of the most thoroughly entertaining athletes in American sports, as typically typically he does so without being a complete ass about it. The type of guy every sport could use, really, even if he does have a touch of diva (well NFL wide receiver).

And he wants football.

The National Football League is currently in meltdown as the owners have locked out the players, the players are going to take these owners to court and the season starting on time / actually happening is in jeopardy. This is a situation where billionaires are having an argument with millionaires over how to distribute billions of dollars amongst them.

USA soccer legend Mia Hamm is now a co-founder and endorser of a new line of sun care products. The new line is called MISSION Athlete Care. Here are some more details on it: Who would have thought that Dwyane Wade, David Wright, Serena Williams and Mia Hamm would come together to help design a line of [.

I know I promised an article on ankle sprains and it is on the way, but I wanted to share some first-hand experiences relating to sports medicine that I have encountered in the last month or so while coaching my U18G team in Midwest Regional League (MRL). One experience is especially interesting after writing about concussions early this year that you can read here.

High School Girls Select Tryouts will be held at Lake Country Soccer in Springfield, Missouri on June 15th and June 17th, from 6:30 8:30 pm. both nights. We will be on field #8 which is the furthest SW field on the South side of the soccer complex/building. Bring water and bring a soccer ball with you!

We realised that leaving Yoann Gourcuff out of the sixth iteration of our F5 list (due out Monday!) would cause some fallout, but we weren't sure how large of a seismic disturbance would disrupt our beauty sleep months after the initial blast. Nor were we prepared to find out.

The first time I met Wells Thompson was early in his career. It was at a time when his first professional team was playing in a pre-season friendly. Well's was kind enough to walk over and shake my hand, talk to me about everyday things. Sometimes, that is rare in professional sports. What I found though over the years and throughout this interview, was a very humble and thankful athlete who finds strength in people and in faith.

One future University of Wisconsin athlete and one former Badger are poised to play in the USL W-League playoffs this week.

Midfielder Kinley McNicoll, who has verbally committed to UW for the 2012 season, and the Toronto Lady Lynx (5-5-2) will play the regular-season champion Ottawa Fury (12-0-0) in a Central Conference semifinal on Saturday in Ottawa.

Cadel Evans has been close before but the 2011 Tour de France was finally his time to shine. The Australian cyclist became the first athlete from his country to win the most famous bike race in the world. The 34-year-old also became the oldest winner of the Tour de France in more than a generation.