Count me in as another person to talk about this bit of news today. According to a Honduran paper (via USSoccerPlayers.com), CONCACAF is considering changing up how teams qualify for the next World Cup. In their eyes they want to give some of the smaller sides a bit of a chance against some of the big boys earlier in qualifying.

There are still rumblings and rumors concerning the much coveted Landon Donovan. The LA Galaxy attacker enjoyed a 10 game stint with Everton and caught the eye of the big boys.
With the futures of Stephen Ireland and Shaun Wright-Phillips still in doubt at Manchester City, Donovan coming to Manchester would signal the end of one, if not both players', careers at Eastlands.

By Geoff Reid

The second day of matches kicks off today with some very interesting ties on slate. After the opening round of fixtures we didn't really learn too much, and confirmed what we already know after some of the big boys thrashing a few minnows.

Group E
FC Basel vs Bayern Munich from St.

Kevork Djansezian - Getty Images

To answer your question, no, I don't think Bob Bradley will be POed that he wasn't Sunil Gulati's first choice this time around. Next question ...

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I've been asked the same question in two separate radio or podcast interviews over the last two or three weeks: "Will Bob Bradley feel hard done because he wasn't, apparently, U.

photo credit: ph-stop

The season is officially half way over heading into this weekend's matches and treble winners Barcelona are still perfect on the year. The champs have had four draws this season, but are still awaiting their first loss in league play. That nineteen week unbeaten streak is obviously the best in any major league.

Spain. Brazil. Italy. Everyone knows them, the favorites. The big boys of international soccer. In all likelihood, one of the big teams will go home with a nice shiny World Cup trophy this summer. But nothing is set in stone. Thirty-two teams have their eyes on the ultimate prize, and if the top dogs stumble, there'll always be someone ready to strike.

It's always difficult to put together a "Best of" in any sport because there are so many variables to consider that determine who qualifies, and particularly in this Premier League season, there are many players who warrant serious consideration. This season has shown that competition is still fierce at both ends of the table, and results have shown that "The Big Boys" have not had it their own way, and some newcomers have shined in the spotlight.

In the same week that we saw for the first time an all-English top flight match kick off with no English players or coaches involved (Portsmouth v Arsenal), the jewel in the crown of the mother of football's competitions performed its most traditionally exciting day with a whimper.
The Fratton Park clash surely dispels for good any arguments that England has a problem with youth development, while the decline of the FA Cup, alive and kicking since 1872, is equally depressing.

Some players will always have their detractors whilst others tend to have unwarranted complaints laid at their door but here are ten players who have managed to overcome criticism this season.

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The UEFA Champions League has entered its ‘big boys' stage. Apologies to Chelsea your team is too old to be playing with these ‘kids'.

John Terry blames German referee Markus Stark for ignoring penalty claims that saw Jose Mourinho and his Inter side leave Stamford Bridge with a bigger smug than they came with.

Well, if Brazilian fans can't see legendary Ronaldinho in this summer's World Cup, young 18 year-old Neymar may be able to make up for it.

During Santos' 8-1 beat down on Guarani, Neymar impressed once again finding the back of the net five times.

Despite Ronaldinho's Serie A success, it is unlikely that he will be making another World Cup appearance this summer.

Our jaunt through the 2010-11 English Premier League season heads Northeast to the Stadium of Light and Sunderland, a club who just might earn my irrational, albeit it, meaningless support for the season. SunderlandingRecognition by proximity And a brand new face Just a smidgen of success pie And a pinch of social grace You can play with the big boys Or you can tell them what to do But sooner or

Soccer By Ives has the details on precisely how urgently stupid CONCACAF is - and not only does this new idiocy plan for World Cup qualifying mean no USA v Mexico, it also means that each of the next tier teams (Costa Rica, Honduras, etc.) will miss playing one of the big boys in the final round. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

European Club Association chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge had some harsh words for FIFA ahead of today's Euro qualifying games.

"It is no longer acceptable that we have to give up our players, taking the risk that, in case of injury, we still have to play their salaries," Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, president of the European Clubs' Association (ECA), told reporters.

Apparently this bloke is better suited for the likes of Real Madrid...sure mate.

Saturday 18th Sept.

Aston Villa v Bolton The Villa players will want to impress Gérard Houllier before he takes charge next week, whereas Bolton are without key player Cahill.

Another weekend in the Premier League brings another mouth watering clash as London big boys Arsenal and Chelsea meet at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. A Chelsea win would see the Champions go seven points clear of Arsenal in the first week of October, a comfortable distance early on.

By Ollie Irish

How do you solve a problem like Gareth Bale?

So did you enjoy the Gareth Bale Show Part II? I loved it.

Another barnstorming, lung-busting, holy-shit-how-is-he-still-sprinting-at-full-speed-after-85-minutes?! performance by Bale was the key to Tottenham's fully deserved win against the reigning European champions last night.

We're over the halfway stage now in Angola and it has proved to be everything I hoped for; excitement, bags of goals, ridiculous refereeing, gravity defying longshots and abysmal defending. What I didn't hope for was the terrible Togo shooting incident that overshadowed the earlier part of the tournament.

A theory doing the rounds in some quarters is that the crunch games in our push for fourth is not the quartet against the big boys (Man Utd-l'Arse-Chelski-City) but the four against the less glamorous mob – Pompey, Sunderland, Burnley and Bolton. Anything less than three points against each of this lot, so goes the theory, and we really will throw away fourth spot.

Not so very long ago, many an eyebrow was raised (mine included) when Aston Villa shelled out the lion's share of £12 million to sign James Milner from Newcastle United.

Milner, then just 22-years-old, was a young player with a burgeoning talent and a growing reputation, but it still seemed that the inflated transfer fee was possibly more a result of his recent purple patch than a true reflection of his talents.

When you think of greatness in Spanish football, one active player likely surpasses all others in the last few decades.

Raul of Real Madrid has been a consistent goal scorer over his career and the aging forward and captain has proven this year (just like any year in his career) that he still can contend with the big boys.

Kevin Nolan has talked to the Newcastle Evening Chronicle today and says that most of the Newcastle players just cannot wait for next season to begin, and they are confident they can hold their own with the big boys. Kevin Nolan with Alan Smith and the Championship trophy Kevin Nolan told the Evening Chronicle today: "Hopefully, the [.

There won't be the time to do this for every single team, particularly with coaches trimming the fat like they're, well, trimming the fat, but this one's a rather big one one half of the favored duo at the World Cup, you could even say.

Vincent Del Bosque has laid down his 23 who have the chance to firmly bury the past somewhere deep in the heart of South Africa, and though there are a few surprise omissions, all the big boys suffering from niggling injuries (or just plain injuries) such as Cesc and Fernando have been called up.

Ryan Taylor may not be the best player at Newcastle, but his honest play, endeavour and experience will be a huge help to Newcastle's survival next season, when Newcastle are back with the big boys. Ryan Taylor with Danny Guthrie and Championship Trophy Newcastle manager Chris Hughton told the Evening Chronicle today: "Ryan will get his [.

Eastlands boss lines up move for promising young Spanish international.

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Manchester City are weighing up a deal for Athletic Bilbao midfielder Javi Martinez.
The highly-rated 21-year-old has been linked with Liverpool over recent years but City scouts have monitored him closely in recent months and have been putting together an extensive file documenting his background, habits and personality.

By Chris Wright

Liverpool legend Alan Hansen has stuck the boot in to the club's recently-departed manager Rafa Benitez, claiming that the Spaniard has left the squad in the worst state it's been in for half a century.

Arnautovic Signs For Werder Bremen.

FC Twente's Marko Arnautovic has made the move to Bundesliga side Werder Bremen today.

Marko Arnautovic made 44 appearances for FC Twente and scored 12 goals. In 2009, Italian champions Internazionale took him on loan, where he seemingly failed to impress, making only three Serie A appearances.

Nobody really expects much of Balestier Khalsa. Beyond that is finishing bottom of the SLeague, an honour they have claimed in the last two campaigns. The current campaign though is looking a little bit different.
Look at their recent years.
2009 4 wins 22 goals 18 points2008 3 wins 26 goals 17 points
After 15 games, almost half way through the season they sit in 8th spot, nose bleed territory.

When Siphiwe Tshabalala gloriously fired home the first goal of the World Cup it looked like we had a tournament on our hands. Unfortunately, France and Uruguay took to the pitch straight afterwards and in a heartbeat the previous match was a distant memory, I can't remember the last time I watched a game that was so bad it hurt to watch it.

[101gg]

The romanticism is supposed to lie in the Europa League, where the big boys suffering through a spell in the continental dungeons can be caught off balance and the little tykes can make a historic run to the quarterfinals or thump a giant in qualifiers while the world simply isn't watching.

I love the live draw for the Champions League, more so the knockout rounds, yet the group stage still heralds an air of magic about it.

There is no doubting the glamour and mysticism of this great competition, the annual world cup for club teams.

London get 3 representatives this season, and with the final at Wembley next May.

If CONCACAF's proposed changes to World Cup qualifying go through, and we know the reports are legitimate now with Sunil Gulati commenting on them during the "four more years" presser today, it's very possible that the United States and Mexico will not face each other on the road to Brazil '14. With two groups in the final round, the chances of the region's two biggest powers being split up is very likely, if not inevitable.

I already have a feeling today will be fairly slow from me as I am a bit under the weather here. Plus its another rainy day here in Dallas which makes me want to do next to nothing but lay on the couch and watch re-runs of The Office or Community.

But before I go all lazy on the day I did want to go into a thought that was posted yesterday by SI.

The League Cup is now entering the stage of when the remaining big boys who are flying the flag in Europe enter the fray, and without question the tie of the round is Tottenham vs. Arsenal. Three seasons ago The Gunners visited White Hart Lane and were left humiliated, as they missed out yet again on a cup final appearance by a 5-1 battering.

Chelsea's 2-0 defeat of Arsenal was a perfect display in efficient, composed football by the hosts. This was a seemingly deja vu contest of watching the Arsenal Reds held at bay by the Chelsea Blues. The fact that many Arsenal supporters seem to lack too much surprise at the result is a testament to what we've been conditioned to accept by Arsene Wenger and the Club as a whole.

With the Barclays Premier League standings beginning to resemble the final table many expect come the end of the season, punters are starting to wonder where they can find value with regards to a bet on who will be the eventual winners of the Premier League this year.
Although Chelsea are clearly looking like a side which is going to be extremely tough to overhaul at the top of the table this season, they have also become an unappetising bet for many punters, with few bookies now offering Chelsea betting odds that will generate a high rate of return for those risking their hard earned cash.

In the light of all the positivity following two excellent performances, 7 goals scored and none conceded, it would seem odd to publish this article submitted by Carlito 11, but I think it serves to show how quickly things can change in football. The piece was written after two pretty poor performances and our customary loss to chelski.

After seasons of mid-table mediocrity, Sunderland suddenly look like a team capable of reaching for the heights of Europe. Results at Anfield, the Emirates and White Hart Lane last night, as well as their 0-0 draw to Manchester United and the 1-0 victory over City at home, suggest that Steve Bruce's men are able to mix it with the big boys in the Premier League for the first time since their two consecutive seventh place finishes in 2000 and 2001.

From the Comets
It's not quite on par with the "Miracle on Ice," but the Comets certainly pulled off the "Miracle in Milwaukee" with a shocking, 13-8 victory over the undefeated Milwaukee Wave at U.S. Cellular Arena Friday afternoon. The Comets, coming off an embarrassing loss just two days ago to the Baltimore Blast, played their most complete game of the season and ended the Wave's 13-game consecutive regular season win streak, dating back to last year.

Is there any credibility left in winning the FA Cup anymore, I mean the FA told Man U it didn't matter and go and play in the World Club Championship instead, they started it not us.

There is no glory in the competition anymore, When we won it last time we couldn't even be bothered to get the open top Routemaster out of the garage.