In an absolutely brilliant move, World Soccer Shop has launched official Nike USA 2008/09 soccer jerseys featuring the newly elected president and vice-president of the United States, Barack Obama and Joe Biden. All Obama shirts feature the candidate's last name and the number 1 or 44. The Biden shirts only feature his [.

1. Manuel Almunia is smarter than he looks (maybe) Have a look about 1:20 into this video: When Mikael Silvestre played him a dreadful backpass, Manuel Almunia handled the ball. You can't do that, so indirect free-kick. Either Almunia is an idiot who doesn't understand the backpass rule, or... he's very shrewd and decided that conceding an [.

In an absolutely brilliant move, World Soccer Shop has launched a line of official Nike USA 2008/09 soccer jerseys featuring the Democratic and Republican Presidential and Vice-Presidential candidate for the upcoming United States election. All shirts feature the candidate's last name and the number 1.

Synchronicity.
That's the word that best describes the following article appearing on the same day the "Obama '08 Soccer Supporter" T-shirts went on sale. You can nab one below before they are gone. And they are selling quite well.... Simply enter coupon code 3OFFZAZZLETS at the checkout through till November 5 for $3 off.

Well, we Americans have made history in electing Barack Obama, our first African-American President. Its well known that President-elect Obama is not a pretty good basketball player and soccer dad but not many realize that a team in Kogelo, Kenya (the village of Obama's father) renamed itself Obama FC back in 2004.

Since the 18th century, Catalonians have celebrated Christmas by placing a ‘Caganer' ('Shitter') in a nativity scene, with the hope that a defecating figure will bring propserity and a good harvest. In days gone by, a small bearded man in full Catalan costume would have been hidden in the festive display, but like everything else, this tradition has been taken over by commercialism and the world of celebrity.

Accroding to several Berlin news sources, young American defender Bryan Arguez is in Hertha Berlin coach Lucian Favre's doghouse these days after missing two practices in the past few weeks. His most recent was last week when he skipped an afternoon practice to join 200,000 other Berliners (including many other expat Americans) to see Senator Barack Obama speak in front of the Siegesaule.

Following the Hammers What else could West Ham's most famous long-distance admirer drive around in? Spotted on Dirty Tackle

Have you all seen the article on the Telegraph's website "revealing" that Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama is a West Ham supporter?
I'm not sure what to make of this. Reports state that ever since Obama went on a trip to England five years ago, the Illinois senator has been a fan of the Claret and Blue and that he watches Premiership matches whenever he can with his busy schedule.

If Barack Obama is a West Ham United fan, then what English football club would John McCain support, and why? Click the comments link below and share your ideas. If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting! Bookmark to: yahooBuzzArticleHeadline = "What English Football Team Does John McCain Support?

Good morning everybody. I know it doesn't have anything to do with soccer but I felt it needed to be mentioned that the United States of America made history last night by electing Barack Obama president. Whether you voted for him or not, you must agree that his election marks a significant moment in this country's history.

Another Halloween has gone by with no trick or treaters on this hill (and now we have a hefty basket of chocolate to work our way through).  It's November and we're at four days and counting.  As the sun rises, for the last time in Daylight Saving mode, let's see what's going on out there [...]

Presidential T One for our American readers and a last-minute subliminal message to encourage you to vote correctly. We wouldn't want any of you voters being swayed by the Bob Bradley Effect. This Obama Soccer Supporter t-shirt costs $27.55, but there is currently an Election Day $3 discount. Click here to (cough, VOTE OBAMA) buy.

This is some news. Tribal Football has reported that the 2008 US Presidential candidate Barack Obama is a huge fan of West Ham United. It has quoted the British tabloid The Sun in its report. Is it really so? Seems weird, doesn't it? These days lots of public figure yanks are coming out and telling us [.

This Really Happened
Steven Wells wrote a thoughtful article on what an Obama presidency owes to the development of soccer, apparently a panacea for cosmopolitan urbanity, throughout the United States. I will now attempt to echo Wells' stridency and write about what an Obama presidency will mean for the future of soccer in America:
Zilch.

Last Thursday I took a trip out the Tiergarten with K to watch US Presidential candidate Barack Obama deliver a speech to the German public in front of the Siegessäule (he wasn't important enough to speak in fron t of the Brandenburg Gates).
I do like good public speaking and was not let down by Obama who gave an excellent performance technically though he did not really say anything very earth shattering.

Brandi Chastain: "We have to remember. New Zealand is a small island in the middle of the ocean, so they don't get a lot of games."

If only the Ferns moved to a bigger country, everything would be alright. If only Barack Obama as per Cokie Roberts had vacationed at Myrtle Beach instead of an exotic place like Hawaii, he would be considered American.

Football (the real deal) aka soccer is what the US does not get. And US politics is what the world does not get. Eight years of misery and John McCain still gets a stinking chance in hell becoming the president even as he has aided and abetted the Bush regime to the utmost. Even as is his presidency will result in saving only those who don't remember how many homes they possess.

Something to read while you eschew foam fingers for a giant inflatable man member...... A new way to do player ratings (The Spoiler) The Fernando Torres Story in six YouTube vids (LFC Online) Barack Obama to influence World Cup 2018 bid? (Road to 2010) Landycakes back in Germany (mit oder ohne teddy bear?

Could President Obama be the ultimate DC United Capo?
Would an Obama visit to RFK help break the deadlock and drum up local support for the new DC United Poplar Point Stadium which is in limbo?
We're not sure how true this is but it certainly makes a lot of sense and would be a Public Relations coup for a DC United side which lost a bit of its lustre this year on the pitch and is struggling to get a soccer specific stadium built in the District.

Raving Obamaphile: Look at how inclusive our Fearless Leader is. Magnificent! The sheer Audacity! The Hope he brings! Surely we can't go wrong with someone who is open-minded enough to appreciate the world's most popular game? Surely he will rebuild the bridges burned by the current administration?

* West freakin' Ham? Oh, for crying out loud MLS--is this the best you can do for an All-Star opponent? Sure, the Hammers have an American on the roster, but assuming the U-23's can finish the job in qualifying, Spector will be in China, not Canada. * And speaking of our Canuck compatriots in the Frozen White North, beware of TFC.

Morning all. Yesterday we beat Real Madrid 1-0 through a beautiful penalty from Adebayor. I don't care how much you hate him, he makes our team better. If you boo him then go to hell. I don't boo Arsenal players, even Eboue, so piss off for booing our 30 goal scorer. He isn't perfect by any means but who is in today's footballing world?

There's lots to be said for symmetry!  Indeed, back in '80, the first time the Phillies won it all, yours truly was about to turn 28 ... and now here we are 28 years later!  Yeah, symmetry!  :)  On a chilly night in Philly, they did it again! That training Scene from Rocky 1 still [...]

First off, get well wishes to HollyCornblog who is recovering from a bad ankle sprain sustained in a nasty fall at work.  Keep it iced and raised ... and, as we like to say to Willie (and to Ruby - but with much less effect), "Heel!" [sic] Between HollyCornblog and Hope Solo, things have been a [...

Why waste a perfectly good slogan on boring politics, when three points and a place in the Bundesliga are at stake? At least Karlsruhe fans thought so ahead of the match against Werder Bremen (1-0). Bremen is the smallest of Germany's Federal States, but thanks to DFL rules is still worth a full three points.

Just take a look at these images from McCain's week (so far) ... in comparison to the bits and bytes on the airwaves featuring Barack Obama. Almost makes me feel sorry for the Straight Talker. But then I see this video, and that changes! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ieHwOm4ljA Meanwhile, here's an article from Scripps News Service about the newly-configured [.

To my mind, this was one of the finest moments in quite a collection of 'em over the past couple of days.  Bill came through last night, too. The historic milestone that Obama's nomination represents is both cause for celebration and cause for sadness ... because in 2008 we should be well beyond celebrating this [.

Reading through the footballosphere, I get the impression we're in a bit of a dead zone at the moment. The Euros are past and buried, the Premiership is in its infant phase, the Olympics seemed a bit of a dud except for the usual Brazil/Argentina issues, the MLS has lost its appeal for reasons Ben Knight would be better able to talk about, and lately I've been more rapt by the Democratic

While everyone was on Keegan Watch over at Newcastle, it appears another manager beat him to the punch.
Alan Curbishley is out at West Ham based on an apparent "breach of trust and confidence".
Many believe Curbishley was upset over the management's handling of transfers. And the bookies had him as the odds-on fav as the first out, so it can't be too much of a surprise.

This surprises the hell out of me. Raleigh, N.C. – Barack Obama kicks off the general election with a 50-39 lead over John McCain in Ohio, according to the newest survey from Public Policy Polling. It's a significant change from PPP's most recent previous Ohio survey, conducted in March, which found Obama trailing McCain 49-41 during the [.

"How can one not speak of terrorism, how can one find a good use of the media - there is none" - Umberto Eco.
As we recently prompted you, and we like a theme, all markets are functions of economic and psychological mechanisms.
This would necessarily include Political Prediction Markets and, moreover, the hyperrealities that they seek to efficiently price.

I have no ties to any teams in Serie A, but I have a feeling I'll be following Inter Milan a lot more closely this season thanks the ongoing brilliance/antics of Jose Mourinho. The Times of London likened the Special One to Barack Obama this week in terms of his status as a media darling.
The war or words between Obama and John McCain may carry more weight this fall, but likely won't be as entertaining as the one brewing between Mourinho and AC Milan boss Carlo Ancellotti.

The comparision is not the old one between mad dogs and english men but a new one between mad (as in angry) bulls and english football."In the west of Wales this week, two bulls, said to be "aggressive and irate", escaped from a trailer and ran amok in a nearby town. Chaos ensued as the beasts lurched at anything and everything in sight.

The Searchers

I'll say one thing about West Ham - they do nothing quietly. Or with anything approaching competence.
First, the club announce a list of 30 candidates, which they whittled down to 5 within about twenty minutes, presumably after calls to Barack Obama, the Sultan of Dubai and President Bartlett et al were answered with a loud guffaw.

Not to get too political (my Obama post almost got called out at a family get together this week), but does anyone remember when Ronaldo 'got sick' in the lead up to the final at France 98, and then 'miraculously' appeared at the last minute only to get utterly trounced by Aime Jacquet's superbly organized French youngsters, 3-0 in the final?

Guess we missed out on the basil this year!  This morning there's serious frost everywhere.  Stern frost.  Dour frost.  A layer of it whitens the windows and powders the ground.  The nasturtiums still look miraculously green, but the zinnias and cosmos are brown.  November brown.  This frost will disappear as the sun rises and warms [.

Powell endorses Obama. No matter how McCain tries to spin it, it's a crushing blow to his campaign. True, he lost a lot of his stature when he lied to help Bush sell the war, but many swing voters, for whom partisanship is not an issue, still think of him as a true American military hero with significant foreign policy expertise.

I was able to do it on Friday. I went down to Judiciary Square and, even though it was 1:00 in the afternoon, there wasn't a huge line and it only took about 25 minutes. I've always gotten a thrill out of voting, knowing that it's the most important act an American can do (for similar reasons, I am also one of the few people that enjoy jury duty).

This Really Happened
Steven Wells wrote a thoughtful article on what an Obama presidency owes to the development of soccer, apparently a panacea for cosmopolitan urbanity, throughout the United States. I will now attempt to echo Wells' stridency and write about what an Obama presidency will mean for the future of soccer in America:
Zilch.