Blame it on my Liverpool supporting Uncle who is in from his retirement compound in Thailand. Hopefully I'll get some previews up later today. Thankfully countries playing countries is behind us for a spell and we can focus on the true beautiful game: club football. -Sanford
His fault. Click to continue reading...

In an attempt to reconnect with the beautiful game, I've purchased a Slingbox and fixed my DVD recorder and gotten a DVR with more memory. Some might call that extreme, but with college football essentially ending on Saturday for me...

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For many, cheating is an ugly blight on the beautiful game. Players who break the rules are regularly vilified and criticized. But cheating, when used effectively, can be a great way to help your team out. It is so much easier to score from the penalty spot than from open play with all those pesky defenders around.

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In my EPL Talk piece yesterday, I discussed all of the reasons that Ireland's potential qualification was better for World Football than France's would be. Much of this thought process centered on the importance of American market to the success of the World Cup.

But alas, Giovanni Trapattoni's side was defeated at the hands of Thierry Henry's France.

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The Hand of the Frog
Thanks to the 50 + of you who participated in our World Cup Playoff Prediction Contest sponsored by Soccer Pro, and I'm pleased to announce our winners...
1st Place: Jon (wins a team jacket of his choice from Soccer Pro!)2nd Place: Daniel (wins an official World Cup replica ball! Click to continue reading...

Allow me to introduce, if you don't know it already, the very worthy Free Beer Movement. The goals and tactics of this movement are simple, but profound:

The success of soccer in the United States depends on a larger and more supportive network of fans that attend games, watch them on TV, and spread their love and knowledge of the game to others.

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SEE YOU IN SEATTLE
MLS Cup Weekend - Party with your friends on Friday night!
The Designated Players - du Nord, Soccer by Ives, The Original Winger, This Is American Soccer and The Offside Rules - will be hosting a get together on Friday night in Seattle at Kells Pub. Click to continue reading...

Aston Villa 1 (Platt) Bradford City 0. Old Second Division. 1988. This was the first football match I ever watched and I instantly fell in love with Villa's goal scoring hero, a fish shaped man called David Platt. I later came to realise he wasn't that good but the point is that, at the time, I thought he was a footballing god.

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Ladies and gentlemen of America, I don't know you. I don't know what you like or what you dislike. I have to assume you enjoy things that are fun and exciting. I also have to assume you hate things that are boring and dull. Thus, I just don't understand why you are not eating up the 2009 MLS Playoffs.

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Firstly I would like to explain the title, whilst this is a little inflammatory I am not here to discuss the merits of the Mike Newell School of sexual equality within the beautiful game but rather the unresolved conflict between two great loves of my life women and football.

Firstly for some reason I feel I must clarify what you already know, the role of football for millions of men's lives begins at an early age.

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It's been a violent week in the beautiful game.
Dirty Tackle found a fitting compilation vid to add to it. Click to continue reading...

Don't miss Adrian Clarke and Iain Spragg debate the beautiful game on Episode 28 of the world famous Soccerlens podcast.Â

This week's sprightly show features lively chat on possible Premier League expansion, the next destination for Man City rebel Robinho and a cheeky new way of ridding football of its diving cheats.

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Sad reports are surfacing over the past hour that German national team goalkeeper Robert Enke has committed suicide. We have not yet seen official confirmation and will continue to look for it, but Enke reportedly had thrown himself under a train.
So, while we spend our days discussing David N'Gog's Tom Daley-esque diving skills and find humor from all corners of this beautiful game, we sometimes need to put it all in perspective. Click to continue reading...

Climbing Walton's Mountain To See What We Might See From The Summit
Just as 'The Waltons' tv series was based on a fictional town in Virginia, Peter Walton's refereeing of Premier League matches is equally phantasmagoric.
Last night, Walton gave Liverpool an entirely illusory penalty which, in effect, saved Rafa's job. Click to continue reading...

From Super Metro Final Summer 2009
From Super Metro Final Summer 2009
In just 5 years, The Dinamo Football Club has gone from a scrimmage at this very field to the final of the Super Metro Division - the highest expression of the beautiful game in the Los Angeles Municipal Sport Program. Click to continue reading...

The morning after a team gets knocked out of the playoffs there's always a good deal of finger pointing, blame seeking and what-iffing.
As dutiful, diligent, longtime fans of the Beautiful Game, we all know perfectly well that blaming a loss on any one play or one call is simply unfair.
What about this or that pass or this or that shot or this or that run that someone did or didn't make? Click to continue reading...

I realize that the last official football match to take place at Giants Stadium was almost two weeks ago between the Red Bulls and Toronto FC, but I still figured I'd throw my two cents in on what was once a football mecca in this country. The first thing that comes to mind when thinking about the Meadowlands is very mixed feelings.

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Links to click after you vote for one of TVGolo's goals of the week... (my vote went to Didier Drogba and that Chelsea keepy-uppy goal) This can't possibly be true. (Unprofessional Foul) Katy Perry in a West Ham basque, plus other Friday photos (The Beautiful Game) Click this one just for the philosophical question in the comments (Pies) Handbag-gate! Click to continue reading...

On this week's show we take a look at Folk Football and discuss its influence on the Beautiful Game. In addition:

• Read our football news review in the good, the bad and the ugly
• Check out a new football expression in English for Football
• Follow the weekly predictions battle between Damon and Damian in the Predictions competition
• For learners of English check out our Football Language Resources page with:
• Football glossary (a huge collection of football vocabulary, football cliches and football phrases)
• Worksheets and transcripts from previous podcasts
  

Automatically receive the podcast each week by clicking on the icon

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This week's main report looks at the earliest version of the Beautiful Game, Folk Football, which emerged during the Middle Ages in England. The transcript can be found below, while vocabulary support can be found for the words in bold at the foot of the post.

Listen to the report here Introduction

Football has often been described as the people's game it is, after all, the most popular sport in the world with millions playing each week.

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As much stick as American fans of football a/k/a soccer get from the mainstream sports media and sports fan, I'm always shocked at how many fans of the Beautiful Game dismiss the women's game. Those of us who take even a passing interest in women's football know it is not a gentle love fest. Click to continue reading...

The same way the U20 World Cup generated some analysis, the failure of the U17 deserves even more talk. First of all, being eliminated in group that had Mexico, Switzerland and Japan is a shame. There is simply no excuse.

This pathetic elimination was so bad that no projections for the future can be made.

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All the stuff being covered outside the unfriendly confines of the award winning Dirty Tackle...

The derby match between St. Pauli and Hansa Rostock once again brings fire and violence and police involvement, this time inflamed by St. Pauli's Deniz Naki. [101gg]

Every fan attending the Dynamo Kiev v Inter Champions League match will be given masks to protect against the terrifying dangers of swine flu.

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Have you voted today?

You did? That's "super"!

Wait, you didn't? You forgot? Again?

Eh, that's supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

Well, not really.

Ironically, "super" is the worst adjective in the dictionary. Its various definitions are simply too diverse to be sloppily thrown into one word.

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Zico takes Japan in vintage early 90's style. Roman spends enough on lunch to feed someone for life. (Bild) Reason #8 billion social networking was a bad idea. (The Spoiler) The American foul roundup. (Climbing The Ladder) Don't set your sheep suit on fire. (The Beautiful Game) Bulgarian football is the new awesome. Click to continue reading...

Yeah, I know it's been a while. Two weeks without The Beautiful Game has probably driven some of you mad.
But I haven't been out as long as C-Ron. Word is he's missing tomorrow's UCL action, after reaggravating an ankle injury three weeks ago.
So clearly I'm absolved of the short absence. Click to continue reading...

Bringing the beautiful game to music video games Rock band Kasabian have called upon a group of freestyle footballers to help produce this nifty viral promoting their new single. The freestylers set to work producing a giant football version of Guitar Hero to incorporate their balls skills.

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What would you be prepared to do for the beautiful game?
What lengths would you go to?
Not these surely.
Would you demonstrate your love by doing this?
I have to say neither of those particularly appeal.
Or what about getting yourself into hot water for the passion of it all? Click to continue reading...

Having a full day off I thought I would share the links that are out there of interest to Sounders fans and those that read the site, as well as a recap of the Sounders FC weekly radio show on 710 ESPN.

First TOA v NuRock is getting to a boiling point. Yep, hints of legal issues as well. Oh, and the Timbers?

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There are so many clichés that commentators, pundits, coaches and players use, whether intentionally or inadvertently, when talking about the Beautiful Game (that's one). One way or another, pretty much all applied to FC Dallas in 2009.
ASN's Marc Stern provides a thorough season review over at our FCD page. Click to continue reading...

To read Part I in this series, please click here.
To read Part II.
Yes, this again. Soccer hooliganism is coming to the USA. Check that: it's already here.
In fairness, the "analysis" is a bit different this time. Whereas in the past hooliganism was all about things that were (supposedly) going on in Major League Soccer, it is now all about stateside supporters groups of English teams. Click to continue reading...

There are a few things that have been detrimental to the image of MLS this week, including Alexi Lalas' face appearing every time I open the MLS homepage. High on my list would have been MLS moving the Fire's away playoff game at New England to Sunday from Saturday, just two days after they had scheduled it for the original date in the first place.

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I've lost track of the number of times Americans ask me where I'm from, and I mention Wales only to hear the next follow-up question, which is "Where is Wales? Is that part of England?"

While most US residents get an F in geography (not just from me, but from many scholars), I've found that soccer fans living in the United States are far smarter than average Americans for the following reasons:

1. Time difference wizards.

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Jonathan Bornstein and Chivas USA look to become the top team in Los Angeles

It's impossible to travel in Los Angeles on a Sunday evening without seeing the beautiful game being played by people of walks of life, income levels, and ethnic backgrounds. In this sprawling metropolis, there are two teams that rule the soccer scene, David Beckham and Landon Donovan's Los Angeles Galaxy and los rojiblancos of Chivas de Guadalajara.

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After the first leg of the World Cup Qualifying Playoff between New Zealand and Bahrain ended in a 0-0 stalemate in Manama, the New Zealand media all but hapless when it comes to the rules of the beautiful game have ben struggling to come to terms with the workings of the actually-quite-simple away [. Click to continue reading...