UEFA Power Rankings 20 February 2012 - The 90th Minute Soccer Blog

Below are my weekly power rankings for the top (8) clubs teams in UEFA. These rankings are a combination of their play in domestic and UEFA competitions.

Real Madrid continue to be in the top spot while there's little change in the rest of the power rankings.

Israeli midfielder Ashraf Soliman was involved in arguably the most exciting game of his life when Maccabi Umm al-Fahm took on Hapoel Afula in a cup tie. With his team 2-1 up and injury-time looming, Soliman contrived to score perhaps the worst (or best depending how you look at it) own goal ever as he [.

A whole gaggle of interesting matches to watch this weekend. We've chosen a handful each on Saturday and Sunday, including the quarterfinals of the African Cup of Nations, a couple each from the big leagues (Premier League, including Chelsea-ManUtd; Serie A, highlighted by AC Milan-Napoli; La Liga the one we're most interested in is Atletico Madrid-Valencia), plus a few wild cards (e.

A whole gaggle of interesting matches to watch this weekend. We've chosen a handful each on Saturday and Sunday, including the quarterfinals of the African Cup of Nations, a couple each from the big leagues (Premier League, including Chelsea-ManUtd; Serie A, highlighted by AC Milan-Napoli; La Liga the one we're most interested in is Atletico Madrid-Valencia), plus a few wild cards (e.

Dopo la vittoria con conquista del primo posto da parte del Borussia Dortmund, vittorioso pr 2 a 0 sul campo del Norimberga, si attendeva la risposta del Bayern Monaco ma i bavaresi non sono andati oltre l'1 a 1 sul campo dell'Amburgo, nella 20/a giornata di Bundesliga. Stesso risultato, ma tra le mura amiche, perContinua a leggere .

I'm not going to lie to you. As much as I'd like to sit here and tell you about all of the great action that is taking place this weekend, I'm having a hard time coming up with enough to fill up this entry. There are a pair of great matches on Sunday, that are taking place at the same time, unfortunately, but other than that, the pickings are pretty slim.

The US roster to face Italy next week.

Cameron...moving up in the world...outta my way!

GOALKEEPERS (3) :Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)

DEFENDERS (7) :Carlos Bocanegra (Rangers), Geoff Cameron (Houston Dynamo), Timmy Chandler (Nürnberg), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96), Clarence Goodson (Brondby), Michael Parkhurst (FC Nordsjaelland), Jonathan Spector (Birmingham City)

MIDFIELDERS (6) : Michael Bradley (Chievo Verona), Maurice Edu (Rangers), Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim), Jermaine Jones (Schalke 04), Jose Torres (Pachuca), Danny Williams (Hoffenheim)

FORWARDS (5) :Jozy Altidore (AZ Alkmaar), Terrence Boyd (Borussia Dortmund), Edson Buddle (LA Galaxy), Clint Dempsey (Fulham), Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy)

Chandler, Donovan, Torres withdraw from USA Roster; Shea & Kljestan added - The 90th Minute Soccer Blog

The USA roster has changed a bit as three players have withdrawn and two are added. Timmy Chandler, Landon Donovan, and Jose Francisco Torres have been forced to withdraw from the squad due to injuries.

Bright Eis

Did anyone really expect Wenger to burn holes in Arsenal's chequebook this month? The general climate in football hinted at no, the fact that Arsene is our boss said no, and the apparent need for backup up front or at the back said – haha – no. No no no.

Time for a rest?

Midweek Premier League match. Haven't had that in a while. Tonight, Arsenal travel to Bolton looking to capitalise on the yesterday's results. I say results when it's actually only a single result. That of Chelsea's draw away to Swansea. Effectively, they've gained a point over us, both by the result and the fact that we lost ours when we went to Liberty Stadium.

The transfer window for English club's slammed shut last night at 11pm, with Everton grabbing former midfielder Steven Pienaar from Tottenham on-loan on the final hour.
Harry Redknapp one of the shrewdest managers in the transfer market surprisingly signed injury prone Everton striker Louis Saha, also in the final hour after losing Roman Pavlychenko for £8m to Russian side Lokomotiv Moscow .

In three short hours we face a stiff test. No, Bolton aren't that good. But for this is a test for Wenger and the boys.

We've lost three games in a row in the league for the first time since 2007. We should have drawn all three, and we could have won any of them. We're in 6th spot in the league, six points behind Chelsea and have a worse defensive record than West Brom.

The departure of Mohamed Zidan from Borussia Dortmund has opened the door of opportunity for U.S. Under-23 national team forward Terrence Boyd.

With Zidan having moved to Mainz during the transfer window, Boyd and fellow youngster Marvin Duksch have been summoned from their respective reserve teams by head coach Jurgen Klopp.

Nurnberg - Borussia Dortmund 2:30pm - Galavision Timmy Chandler's Nurnberg are 13th in the Bundesliga table to Dortmund's 2nd, making this on paper a tough assignment at the EasyCredit-Stadion. Nurnberg are coming off a 1-0 loss to Hannover 96 last Friday, with Chandler absent with a pulled muscle. Clausura on Galavision: U.

By FRANCO PANIZO

The winter transfer window closed this past Tuesday, and a pair of Americans who secured moves during it will be looking to make their debuts this weekend.

George John and Robbie Rogers could make their first appearances abroad for West Ham United and Leeds United, respectively, as the Championship gets back into a full weekend swing.

Nell'anticipo della 20/a giornata della Bundesliga, il Borussia Dortmund passa con un convincente 2 a 0 sul campo del Norimberga e balza in testa alla classifica con 43 punti, tre in più del Bayern chiamato alla risposta sul difficile campo dell'Amburgo. Sono di Kehl e Barrios le firme sul successo esterno dei gialloneri.

Putting footballing rivalries aside for the benefit of the greater good isn't something that happens too often, but if it's happened anywhere, it's not surprising that it would be in the Bundesliga. Praised as "a model of financial virtue and good governance," the league has rejected gluttonous spending in favor of actually turning a profit.

If you've paid any attention to the Bayern Munich news bits over the past years, you'll know that they've got some characters running the show. Thus their public persona isn't exactly seen as the cuddly teddy bear, smiled-at-least-once-in-their-lives types. So to hear that they gave Borussia Dortmund, a direct competitor, a loan which saved them from bankruptcy in 2003 is just.

Holstein Kiel 0-4 Borussia Dortmund Highlights DFB Pokal 2012 Video Goals Lewandowski Kagawa Barrios Perisic is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter

Holstein Kiel 0-4 Borussia Dortmund Highlights DFB Pokal 2012 Video Goals Lewandowski Kagawa Barrios Perisic is a post from Soccer Blogger.

Holstein Kiel 0-4 Borussia Dortmund Highlights DFB Pokal 2012 Video Goals Lewandowski Kagawa Barrios Perisic is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter

Holstein Kiel 0-4 Borussia Dortmund Highlights DFB Pokal 2012 Video Goals Lewandowski Kagawa Barrios Perisic is a post from Soccer Blogger.

Das war gefährlich, man spielt auch nicht Eishockey auf Rasen. Das ist im Profi-Fußball nicht in Ordnung. Wir sind froh, dass es keine schweren Verletzungen gab.

Jürgen Klopp, Trainer von Borussia Dortmund, nach dem DFB-Pokalspiel in Kiel, das trotz extrem eisiger Temperaturen und gefrorenem Rasen stattfand.

Friday, February 10
2:30pm Wolfsburg vs Freiburg ESPN Deportes, ESPN3
3pm Spain vs USA (beach soccer) Fox Deportes
4pm El Salvador vs Mexico (beach soccer) Fox Deportes
7:15pm Boca Juniors vs Olimpo GolTV
7:15pm Lanús vs San Lorenzo TyCSports
8pm Atlético Nacional vs Boyacá Chicó TV Colombia
9:10pm Morelia vs Santos Laguna Fox Deportes, Azteca America
9:45pm Universidad Guadalajara vs León GolTV

Saturday, February 11
7:45pm Manchester United vs Liverpool ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, ESPN3
9am Auxerre vs Lorient Fox Soccer 2Go
9am Evian TG vs Olympique Marseille Fox Soccer 2Go
9am Olympique Lyon vs Caen Fox Soccer 2Go
9am Montpellier vs Ajaccio Fox Soccer 2Go
9am Valenciennes vs Nancy Fox Soccer 2Go
9:30am Borussia Dortmund vs Bayer Leverkusen GolTV
9:30am Bayern München vs Kaiserslautern ESPN3
10am Everton vs Chelsea FSC, Fox Deportes
10am Sunderland vs Arsenal Fox Soccer Plus, Fox Soccer 2Go
10am Blackburn Rovers vs Queens Park Rangers Fox Soccer 2Go
10am Bolton vs Wigan Athletic Fox Soccer 2Go
10am Fulham vs Stoke City Fox Soccer 2Go
10am Swansea City vs Norwich City Fox Soccer 2Go
10am Peterborough United vs West Ham United Fox Soccer 2Go
12pm Udinese vs Milan Fox Soccer Plus, Fox Deportes, RAI Internazionale, ESPN3, Fox Soccer 2Go
12pm Racing Santander vs Atlético Madrid ESPN3
12:20pm Blackpool vs Portsmouth Fox Soccer 2Go
12:30pm Tottenham Hotspur vs Newcastle United FSC
1pm Brest vs Dijon Fox Soccer 2Go
2pm Osasuna vs Barcelona GolTV
2pm Ghana vs Mali (Africa Cup of Nations 3rd Place Match) Al Jazeera Sports USA
2pm Cobresal vs Colo Colo TV Chile
2:45pm Cagliari vs Palermo FSC, Fox Deportes, RAI Internazionale
3pm USA v New Zealand USsoccer.

Il Borussia Dortmund, ancora senza il talentuoso Gotze, non frena la propria corsa e si sbarazza con il punteggio di 1 a 0 (rete decisiva di Kagawa) del Leverkusen. Il Bayern Monaco, però, non molla e, grazie al 2 a 0 rifilato al Kaiserslautern (Gomez-Muller la coppia gol dell'incontro) replica con vigore ai rivali, tornandoContinua a leggere .

UEFA Power Rankings 13 February 2012 - The 90th Minute Soccer Blog

Below are my weekly power rankings for the top (8) clubs teams in UEFA. These rankings are a combination of their play in domestic and UEFA competitions.

In this week's rankings, Manchester City move up to 2nd place as Barcelona continues to struggle in La Liga.

The under-23 United States Men's National Team will feature three Philadelphia Union players in camp and against the Mexico under-23 national team 29, per a press release from the team.

Under-23 head coach Caleb Porter selected Freddy Adu, Jack McInerney and Amobi Okugo, all members of the Union, the most players from any single team included on the roster.

Photo by Earl Gardner

Union

Amobi Okugo will join The Goaltender today for a live Q&A session. Make sure to tune in and ask Amobi if Michael Essien can save Chelsea's season.

Speaking of Amobi Okugo, he's joining 22 other players including F'Adu and Mac Attack who have been called up ahead of a February 29 friendly against Mexico.

The latter stages of the FA Cup always seem to pit lower-tier underdogs against powerhouses, and this weekend's Round of 16 is no different.

Seven of the eight matchups have Premier League teams squaring off with lower-tier competition as they try to stave off upsets him hopes of reaching the quarterfinals.

FA Cup play resumes in England on Saturday, as a number of Premier League powers look to avoid the upset bug en route to the quarterfinals.

Regardless of whether the flu-stricken Landon Donovan plays, Everton will look to send the on-loan American out on a high note by taking care of League Championship side Blackpool in their fifth-round cup clash at Goodison Park.

German Bundesliga Match Predictions 18 February 2012 - The 90th Minute Soccer Blog

Below are predictions for all the Bundesliga matches on February 18, 2012. Times listed are GMT or local UK time.

German Bundesliga Match Predictions

Saturday, 18 February 2012

Bayer Leverkusen v Augsburg, 14:30 Bayer Leverkusen wins 2-1

Hamburg v Werder Bremen, 14:30 1-1 Draw

Hertha Berlin v Borussia Dortmund, 14:30 Borussia Dortmund wins 3-1

Kaiserslautern v Borussia Monchengladbach, 14:30

Nuremberg v Cologne, 14:30 Nuremberg wins 1-0

Freiburg v Bayern Munich, 17:30 Bayern Munich wins 2-0

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German Bundesliga Match Predictions 18 February 2012 - The 90th Minute Soccer Blog

German Bundesliga TV Listings 18 February 2012 - The 90th Minute Soccer Blog

Below are television listings for all the Bundesliga matches on February 18, 2012. Times listed are GMT or local UK time.

German Bundesliga TV Listings

Saturday, 18 February 2012

Bayer Leverkusen v Augsburg, 14:30 Sky Bundesliga (Germany)

Hamburg v Werder Bremen, 14:30 Sky Bundesliga (Germany), NTV (Russia), OTE Sport 1 (Greece), EuroSport (Scandinavia)

Hertha Berlin v Borussia Dortmund, 14:30 Sky Bundesliga (Germany), NTV (Russia), Sky Sport (Italy), C+ (Spain), EuroSport 2 (Scandinavia), SuperSport (Africa), Sky Sport (Italy), OTE Sport 3 (Greece), Dubai Sports 2 (Middle East)

Kaiserslautern v Borussia Monchengladbach, 14:30 Sky Bundesliga (Germany), Sport 2 (Israel), OTE Sport 2 (Greece)

Nuremberg v Cologne, 14:30 Sky Bundesliga (Germany)

Freiburg v Bayern Munich, 17:30 Sky Bundesliga (Germany), Sport 1 (Israel), Sport+ (Russia), SuperSport (Africa), OTE Sport 2 (Greece), EuroSport 2 (Scandinavia), C+ (Spain), Sky Calcio (Italy), Dubai Sports 2 (Middle East)

Follow @jrf90thminute

German Bundesliga TV Listings 18 February 2012 - The 90th Minute Soccer Blog

The Mönchengladbach way

Borussia Mönchengladbach are one of the biggest surprises in Europe this season. Facing relegation at the end of last year, manager Lucien Favre has done a remarkable job in instilling a brand new system in his players. The league table doesn't lie, and Mönchengladbach sit in second place, above Bayern Munich and completely capable of snatching the Bundesliga title from Borussia Dortmund.

La capolista Borussia Dortmund passa a Berlino contro l'Hertha con uno striminzito 1-0 nella 22/a giornata della Bundesliga: nonostante la notevole differenza in classifica, gli uomini di Klopp faticano a concretizzare e passano in vantaggio solo al 66' con un gol del centrocampista Grosskreutz, eroe della serata.

We are still have one international slot open on our roster. I was holding it for Robert Lewandowski, the great striker of Borussia Dortmund. I offered second-round MLS draft pick and box of slightly-used practice balls. They responded with demands of €9 million. I tried to sweeten the deal with Levi Houapeu and three more balls.

Marseille vs Inter 1-0 Highlights Video 2012 Champions League Goal Andre Ayew But is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter

Marseille vs Inter 1-0 Highlights Video 2012 Champions League Goal Andre Ayew But is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter Marseille vs Inter 2012 ( Olympique Marseille Inter video below) Final score and result:- Marseille vs Inter 1-0 ( Andre Ayew) Stade Velodrome, Marseille- 22.

Bayern Munich's struggles away from home ever since the resumption of football in Germany last month have not gone unnoticed, particularly as the Bavarian outfit slumped to a devastating 1-0 defeat at FC Basel in the UEFA Champions League last night.

Widely considered one of Europe's three best squads along with Barcelona and Real Madrid at the beginning of the season, Bayern have not been able to follow up on a promising start, with their most recent phase of patchy form causing them to drop to third in the Bundesliga.

USMNT will face Italy next week. (Getty Images)

As expected, US Men's National team coach Jurgen Klinsmann called a very Euro-based roster for next weeks friendly against Italy.

Only four MLS players were called up while the rest of the 21-man roster plays outside of the US. Some folks will be shocked not to see some of the usual Klinsmann guys like keeper Bill Hamid or midfielder Brek Shea, but the U23 national team also plays Mexico on the same day.

Jurgen Klinsmann has announced his USMNT roster for the upcoming February 29th friendly against Italy. The game will be played at 1:30 PM CST and you can catch the action on ESPN2, ESPN3, and Galavision. As per usual, HTIOT will also be featuring a gamethread during the match. Please join us to talk all things USMNT during the match.

North London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham renew old acquaintances at the Emirates in the weekend's marquee match-up.

Arsene Wenger and the Gunners badly need a victory against their arch-rivals to keep their hold on fourth place in the Premier League, while Tottenham can solidify their hold on third place with a result on the road.

Genoa's Stadia Luigi Ferraris

Stadium history//Video (worth a watch)

Jurgen Klinsmann's men saunter onto the Stadio Luigi Ferraris pitch Wednesday in Genoa looking to ignite some offensive fireworks (pun intended) that were on display last time they were in Europe a 3-2 win over Slovenia last November.

This season's Bundesliga campaign has already been as exciting and enthralling as any in the recent memory, especially given the tightly contested title race. At the time of writing champions Borussia Dortmund sit top of the pile, after a great run of form has made up for a sluggish start.