Freddy Adu's heads up play found Landon Donovan steaming on the right and in a flash the LA Galaxy man positioned himself to lay a perfectly delivered low cross which found who else but Clint Dempsey. Goal. This was the USA at its best 0-60 counterattacking best. It took but a moment but it changed a match desperately in need of an adrenaline rush.

We love you Robin.. We really do!

And then there were two. It looks like Arsenal and Manchester United will fight it out for the Premier League crown after a pivotal day in the title race.

Sir Alex Ferguson's side beat third-place Manchester City on Saturday lunchtime to pour pressure on Arsène Wenger's outfit before they faced Wolves at Emirates Stadium.

The election is only two weeks away and subject to appeal there are just two candidates to lead the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI). The incumbent, Nurdin Halid, is seeking a third term in office while running against him is Nirwan Bakrie, a powerfully connected businessman who has long been involved at the PSSI and owns Pelita Jaya.

Schalke's 5-2 destruction of Inter last night was both shocking and riveting. It also, rather unfortunately, overshadowed one of the greatest goals ever scored in the competition. Some might label it indescribable, but dissecting Dejan Stankovic's volley only adds to its greatness.

For starters, the ball from Cambiasso to Milito is inch perfect and had Manuel Neuer not left his goal to clear the ball, Inter would have had a breakaway and probable goal.

Sinead Farrelly moving the ball out Megan Rapinoe's breakaway leading to her goal Celebrating Rapinoe's brilliant strike Tina DiMartino boxed out by McCall Zerboni Lianne Sanderson leaps for a header that makes it to Brittany Bock Amy Rodriguez nearly kicked in the face WNY celebrates their first goal Nicole Barnhart guesses wrong on Marta's penalty kick Independence frustration as the Flash rejoices Sanderson settles Rodriguez nearly takes another hit Marta streaks past Jen Buczkowski toward goal Zerboni and Farrelly fight for control of the ball Lori Lindsey sends in a cross Rodriguez WILL beat you to that ball Tasha Kai and Megan Rapinoe signing autographs Buczkowski does the same.

Apologies for the long silence. The dust is beginning to settle1, so I'm just going to try to get back into the routine swing of things by making a few observations...

1. Okay, okay. I hear your digital consensus: Pontius has been playing quite well of late. Still, every so often, I'm tempted to throw something at the screen when his ambitions outstrip his talent.

Tomorrow sees Singapore take on The Maldives in a friendly that both will use as vial preparation ahead of World Cup preparations.
One player missing from the squad, despite having been called up initially, is Medan Chiefs Shahril Ishak. The Medan Chiefs play in the breakaway Liga Primer Indonesia which, under the old PSSO regime, was not recognised and was effectively an illegal league not recognised by PSSI, AFC and them doyens of transparency and fairness, FIFA.

Monday's practice saw Saturday's first-teamers in a small group playing keep away in a circle on one field while a group of reservists and a few guest players played on a short field. Fredy Montero, Roger Levesque and Leo Gonzalez were in that group and the keeper's were Josh Ford and Bryan Meredith.

The former Netherlands star, Giovanni van Bronckhorst, who captained his country at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, will visit his mother's homeland, Indonesia, to play in an exhibition game on 22 June. Van Bronckhorst will turn out for the International Stars, a side featuring the top foreign players from the official Indonesian Super League and the breakaway Indonesian Premier League,

The United States' 2-1 loss to Sweden in its final group game in the Women's World Cup is the kind of game that makes you want to re-evaluate everything about a team. It makes you want to re-think the lineup, the tactics, the style, the philosophy, the youth system, the type of athletes we crank out, everything.

FIFA U-17 World Cup Final
Mexico 2:0 Uruguay, Azteca Stadium, Mexico City, 98,943
It all ended sweetly for the host nation as Mexico's Under 17 team won the World Cup in front of a partisan sea of green in the Azteca today.

Captain Antonio Briseno's goal just after the half hour gave the home team the cushion and Giovani Casillas' breakaway finish in injury time at the end of the 90 sealed a perfect day for El Tri.

By JONATHAN VERA

LOS ANGELES, Calif – Real Madrid came back to LA with the same agenda as last year: to beat LA. And they did just that as Cristiano Ronaldo and company unleashed a 4-1 clinic on the Galaxy Saturday night at the LA Coliseum.

PSM coach Robert Alberts is reported to have quit PSM ahead of their reincarnation in the breakaway Liga Primer Indonesia.

Apologies for the title taken from a Robbie Williams song. I would have preferred another song, more earthier, more direct but there you go.
Questions are being raised about the authenticity of a fax allegedly sent from FIFA to the Indonesian FA, PSSI, calling on the Indonesian body to impose sanctions on the breakaway Liga Primer Indonesia.

Whatever Arsene Wenger said at halftime seemed to work a charm.

Arsenal's bright start vaporized as Barca began painting pretty little triangles all over the Emirates. It all looked hauntingly familiar as Andres Iniesta fed Leo Messi squaring off to Villa before breaking away with the return as the Arsenal defense gave futile chase.

KC has struggled to score goals this preseason, having scored a grand total of five in their previous six games. Last night in Tucson though, Sporting KC broke for six against the Arizona Sahuaros in their 6-1 win over the Arizona side. KC's line up was made up of players that are likely to all be on the Swope Park Rangers this year, the team's reserve side.

By THOMAS FLOYD

WASHINGTON - After a modest start to the season, the star-studded New York Red Bulls are officially living up to the hype.

Striker Thierry Henry notched two goals and an assist, Joel Lindpere and Juan Agudelo added goals of their own, and New York put together its second straight emphatic win with a 4-0 triumph at Atlantic Cup rival D.

Again claims are being made that the breakaway league, the Liga Primer Indonesia, will not continue after the mid season break. Again though the claim is being made by PSM which doesn't seem to stop them being linked with Edward Wilson Junior and Pierre Njanka.
Yesterday, on Twitter so it must be true (!

Jakarta FC, one of the capital city clubs of Indonesia's breakaway Premier League (LPI), has signed a two-year sponsorship agreement with UK apparel company, Mitre. Mr Lie Lie Lien, CEO of PT Matahari Terbit Indoraya, Mitre's licensee and distributor in Indonesia, said "all the apparel needs of Jakarta FC players will be supplied by Mitre, for both home games and away games.

San Jose Earthquakes forward Steven Lenhart was voted MLS Player of the Week by the North American Soccer Reporters for Week 13. Lenhart recorded the first hat trick of his MLS career and tallied an assist in San Jose's 4-2 win over D.C. United.

Moments after D.C. United's first goal, Lenhart evened the game by beating an offside trap.

Freddy Adu's heads up play found Landon Donovan steaming on the right and in a flash the LA Galaxy man positioned himself to lay a perfectly delivered low cross which found who else but Clint Dempsey. Goal. This was the USA at its best 0-60 counterattacking best. It took but a moment but it changed a match desperately in need of an adrenaline rush.

After going down at the half, the Union stormed back through Paunovic, Ruiz and the brilliant Danny Mwanga to earn three points against Chivas USA on a muggy Saturday night in Chester.

An open and ugly first half saw Chivas slicing through the Union midfield like a Republican governor through unions of a different ilk.

France 1-0 Nigeria

Nigeria elected to sit back for the first 20 minutes, respecting the French attack. France still created a number of opportunities, but could not get a final touch in the box to produce the goal.
Nigeria should have been up 1-0 when Oparanozie's good run on goal down the right side ended with a shot rolling wide.

For a team that had been held scoreless five times in their previous ten matches, seeing the ball in the back of the net three times was a welcome sight for the New England Revolution on Monday. Unfortunately the manner in which the three goals came and the overall performance of the offense left little reason to think the Revs have turned a corner.

When there are seven goals scored the highlight reel is packed with action ending in results. A save or two may sneak in there, but the goal fest is easy to see again and quickly. About the 6th minute you'll get to see how awful the surface was for everyone during an Erik Friberg breakaway. Even the center referee falls on that play.

Six key questions on why top clubs could stage a European revolt

• Europe's biggest clubs could start breakaway league in 2014 • Owners motivated by possibility of generating more money Who are the teams involved? It is the biggest brands in football that are driving this agenda.

After scoring the 90th minute winner in today's Community Shield match against Manchester City, United winger Nani was full of praise for his teammates' attitude and winning mentality.

Despite being 2-0 down at halftime, the Red Devils ran out 3-2 winners at Wembley, with Nani scoring a brace.

It's 20 years since the Premier League was launched and to mark the occasion, we've put together an infographic suitably laced with factoids illustrating the League's journey from domestic breakaway to global superpower.

Barca chief warns UEFA: Expand Champions League or face breakaway European league threat

"If UEFA does not accept, in the worst case scenario, we will go away from UEFA," says Sandro Rosell

View the full story here: The Mirror

A news article on 2011-11-16 13:26:47 from: The Mirror

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

With Persema seemingly committed to the breakaway Liga Primer Indonesia there has been intense debate on what the future holds for new national team star Irfan Bachdim. Actually, it hasn't been that intense but I though I would pretend to be a part of the English media and through in some irrelevant adjectives to big up the story.

Irfan Bachdim has committed himself to Persema. There had been persistent rumours that he would seek a move as Persema had entered the breakaway Liga Primer Indonesia and it is thought unlikely that he would be selected for the national team in the future. However he has shown loyalty to the team that gave him a chance in Indonesian football.

Just days to go before the much hyped Liga Primer Indonesia kicks off and the police are refusing to give permission for the opening game, between Solo and Persema, to go ahead.
All sport events with the likelihood of large crowds need security clearance.
The police are saying that until the LPI, the breakaway league, sort out their differences with the official football body in Indonesia, PSSI, they will not authorise games to go ahead.

Persis Solo are the latest club to threaten to withdraw from the official football set up in Indonesia. They currently sit bottom of Group 2, Divisi Utama with three points from their opening six games. As I type this they are playing Persik in what could be their last game.
Wonder what would happen to their players if they make good on their threat?

Finally the big days arrives. Tomorrow sees the breakaway Liga Priner Indonesia kick off with Ksatria Solo playing Persema at the Manahan Stadium in Solo.
What should we expect? Persema will be fielding the team that served them in the official Indonesia Super League till they withdrew while Ksatria Solo will be made up of various folk nobody has heard of along with an Aussie keeper.

Liga Primer Indonesia side Bogor Raya have signed Andrija Jukic after A League side Perth Glory agreed to release him from his contract.
While many have been wary of the breakaway league which lacks FA sanction Australians have flocked to join the league. Old hand Robbie Gaspar has been in Indonesia and is in his second season with Persema who recently withdrew from the official Indonesia Super League.

After FIFA threatened sanctions against Indonesia's breakaway league, the Liga Primer Indonesia, the new league have welcomed the opportunity to sit down with the world's governing body and explain their situation.
OK, let's put aside claims they had already done this and gotten approval (I think what was said at the time was that FIFA won't get involved if the FA are on board), appealing to FIFA's morals and ethics is rather like asking a King Cobra who hasn't eaten for six months to take care of the barbeque you're preparing while you nip into the bottle shop for a few more six packs.

If you are then Jakarta is the place to be. The Liga Primer Indonesia team Jakarta 1928 have reportedly signed Philippine internationals Phil and James Younghusband. So that means, girls, you get two young husbands for the price of one!
Jakarta 1928 are slated to play their first LPI game on Saturday when they host Bogor Raya at the Lebak Bulus Stadium.

I just love the eternal optimism that gushes forth from some of the people involved with the breakaway Liga Primer Indonesia.
Today's football tabloid, Top Skor, suggests that Aceh United are interested in signing for Leeds United, Newcastle United and Middlesborough striker Mark Viduka.
Now I don't know how much truth there is in that story and I have never met the stocky Australian striker but the mere thought of Mark Viduka moving to Aceh, with its strict implementation of sharia law, they have public canings there, has me tittering into me tissues so it does.

So there I am, me and Belgian Pat, sat in the main stand, the only stand, at Tugu Stadium waiting for Persitara v Persiraja to kick off. The stadium is empty, no more than two or three dozen inside at the time.
Up comes this Persitara official and asks us if we are connected with the breakaway Liga Primer Indonesia.

The war of words between the official Indonesian football leagues, in this case the Divisi Utama, and the breakaway Liga Primer Indonesia now has a new front. In Semarang.
PSIS, in Divisi Utama, were scheduled to play Persikota yesterday afternoon but earlier in the week the game was rescheduled til Saturday.