Saturday's World Cup qualifiers in the CONCACAF region were supposed to help clear things up in the race to make the 2010 World Cup, but the results have only served to make it even tougher to tell which teams will qualify and which will struggle.

Mexico's 3-0 romp in Costa Rica, coupled with Honduras' 4-1 thrashing of Trinidad & Tobago means four teams are within a point of each other atop the CONCACAF standings.

Ironic Real advertising campaign Fans of Arjen Robben's shiny cranium, this new Adidas viral is a real treat for you. As you have probably noticed, the big Adidas-supplied teams are putting out these 12th man campaigns, supposedly alluding to the fans. The irony is that after Real Madrid's big-name attacking signings, Robben himself is not likely to [.

Club Atlético Platense is an Argentine football club based in Vicente López, in the north side of Greater Buenos Aires. Platense currently campaigns in the 2nd tier of the Argentine football pyramid, La Primera B Nacional, and was the first club of France and Juventus striker David Trézéguet. On October 9th and in true Argentine kit launch [.

It must have been that in a former life we were the type to wear flat shoes. And now we're being punished.

We've been in New York City for 48 hours and have already had our hearts broken by the news that our finest five number 3 footballer, Yoann Gourcuff, is also in our favourite city.

"What do you mean they commissioned Two and a Half Men for another three seasons? How the f@** did this happen?!!"
I just finished watching the best team in Europe, the world and the universe take apart Bob Bradley's pathetic band of no-hopers. Xavi cut the States to shreds with his surgical range of passing, just like I told you he would.

Real Sociedad de Fútbol, S.A.D. (more commonly referred to as Real Sociedad) is a Spanish football club from the Basque city of San Sebastián in Guipúzcoa. It currently campaigns in the Spanish Segunda División (Second Division) after being relegated from La Liga at the end of the 2006-2007 season.

The semi-finals of the FA Cup take place this weekend with Arsenal and Chelsea playing first on Saturday. It will be a very significant derby match as both teams are living two different campaigns all together. Chelsea's strength and the Hiddink factor The Blues' season has completely taking another aspect under new manager Guus Hiddink.

Dunga (pictured here with your favourite tio, Pele and the mayor of Sao Paulo) has sensationally claimed that Ronaldo Lima will not be called up to play for the selecao in the near future. Errr.. no surprises there!

According to Estado de S.

I decided to take a break from rubbing my battered, chapped hands together (which I have been since it was decided that United would be playing Barcelona on May 27th) to take a look into the inevitable silliness that is the summer transfer window. There has been a lot of discussion on this blog of what United should do with their attacking options, but what could prove a more important/prolonged issue this summer is the right back position.

A tragedy that killed 96 LFC fans. In the aftermath, it bought an end to perimeter fencing, over crowded terraces, reformed policing practices, and improved medical services. The changes have bought safety and comfort to the English football fan even as other European nations struggle with regular breakdowns.

Brazilian journalist and Corinthians fan, Juca Kfouri wrote on his blog and on his column in Folha de S. Paulo a few facts that help to understand why the state trophy Corinthians lifted on Sunday is not a minor thing for both the club and Ronaldo. I'll list a few of them:

For Corinthians:
1)It's the first title since relegation in the end of 2007;
2)This tournament has 2 clubs that are playing Copa Libertadores, and one of them is the current Brazilian champion;
3)It was a defeatless campaign, something that did not happen since 1972;
4)Corinthians increased the lead in the list o clubs with defeatless campaigns.

As it was expected, Corinthians and Inter eliminated Vasco and Coritiba. But it was far from being easy. After last week's 1 goal draw in Rio, Corinthians played for a 0 draw at home. And this is exactly what happened. Vasco controlled the actions for most of the time. It had territory and it attacked more.

Watch the U21 Euro 2009 live here.

The 2009 European Under-21 Championship will take place in Sweden from 15 June to 29 June. While it's expected to be overshadowed in press coverage by the dress rehearsal for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, the U21 Euro 2009 still promises to be a showcase of quality football and a chance for European football fans to evaluate the young stars of tomorrow (be it for their clubs or national teams).

It must have been that in a former life we were the type to wear flat shoes. And now we're being punished.

We've been in New York City for 48 hours and have already had our hearts broken by the news that our finest five number 3 footballer, Yoann Gourcuff, is also in our favourite city.

Football Club de Metz is a French football team from the town of Metz, in the Lorraine region. Nicknamed Les Grenats, FC Metz currently campaigns in the French Ligue 2. FC Metz has launched its Kappa home and away kits for the 2009/10 season. Here's a look at them along with the 09/10 team picture. Check out [.

Sam Tillen of Fram Reykjavik will be writing regularly for Les Rosbifs, revealing the behind-the-scenes stories and events of his team's Europa League and PepsiDeild campaigns. If you would like to ask Sam a question, or leave a comment, please do so clicking on the link below. As I am writing a blog about playing in [.

Sam Tillen of Fram Reykjavik will be writing regularly for Les Rosbifs, revealing the behind-the-scenes stories and events of his team's Europa League and PepsiDeild campaigns. If you would like to ask Sam a question, or leave a comment, please do so clicking on the link below. Unfortunately our goalkeeper Hannes Halldorsson did not make his [.

Except for the UEFA Champions League final in Rome, no match this calendar year will be bigger, yet you've probably only tangentially heard that Brazil is going to Argentina this weekend for World Cup qualifying.
"That's cool," you might say (you don't mind if I quote you, do you).

Esporte Clube Santo André, also known as Santo André, is a Brazilian football team from Santo André, São Paulo. The club currently campaigns in the top tier of Brazilian football the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A after being promoted from the Campeonato Brasileiro Série B at the end of the 2008/09 season.

Coritiba Foot Ball Club, commonly known as Coritiba, is a Brazilian football team from Curitiba, Paraná. It was founded in 1909 by several youngsters from the German community of the town. Coritiba currently campaigns in the first tier of Brazilian football the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A. Their sole league title came in 1985.

When Grêmio of Porto Alegre won the Copa Libertadores in 1995, World Soccer magazine had a story on the final entitled, "Gremio, weakest of the strongest". It referred to the fact that Grêmio had mediocre campaigns in 1994 and 1995 and was only able to win a Copa Libertadores spot by winning the Copa do Brasil.

Coritiba Foot Ball Club, commonly known as Coritiba, is a Brazilian football team from Curitiba, Paraná. It was founded in 1909 by several youngsters from the German community of town. Coritiba currently campaigns in the first tier of Brazilian football the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A. Their sole league title came in 1985.

Ian Rush wrote for the Liverpool Echo today claiming there was no problem with Rafael Benitez's decision to make a point of not congratulating Sir Alex Ferguson on the title.

Whilst Benitez wasn't expected to kiss and make up with Ferguson, who got the better of the FSW this season, it surely shouldn't have been too much to ask to say a simple 'well done' to the manager.

Like last season, I want to start off the season review posts with a comparison of campaigns under Benitez. Statistics don't tell the whole story, but enough of one to be worth posting.
I'll have a narrative review of the season up before noon.
Liverpool's league record:
04/05:
Home: 12 wins, 4 draws, 3 losses
Away: 5 wins, 3 draws, 11 losses
58 points
05/06:
Home: 15 wins, 3 draws, 1 loss
Away: 10 wins, 4 draws, 5 losses
82 points
06/07:
Home: 14 wins, 4 draws, 1 loss
Away: 6 wins, 4 draws, 9 losses
68 points
07/08:
Home: 12 wins, 6 draws 1 loss
Away: 9 wins, 7 draws, 3 losses
76 points
08/09:
Home: 12 wins, 7 draws
Away: 13 wins, 4 draws, 2 losses
86 points
Two fewer losses than last season, 12 fewer losses than Benitez's first season.

Poland is preparing to host (half of) Euro 2012, and campaigns by the Polish FA and government to crack down on ultras groups at clubs across the country are producing a visceral backlash.

We've covered Polish fans' protests before here, but events have taken a further turn with the recent news that new legislation this summer means ultras caught lighting pyrotechnics inside a football stadium will face up to five years in prison.

Tragic story coming out of Argentina, where unfortunately violence flared up again which left two dead and two badly injured, on Sunday night.
Fighting among rival factions of fans of Huracan (thats right, they support the same team!) began at halftime in their 3-0 home win over Arsenal (of Argentina, not UK) and, with many brandishing guns and knives, worsened in the streets around the stadium in Parque Patricios after the match.

Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama, usually known as Vasco da Gama or simply Vasco, (is a famous and traditional Brazilian multisports club from Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, founded on August 21, 1898. It's best known for its football team which now campaigns in the Brazilian Série B after being relegated from Série A [.

Milton Keynes Dons Football Club (usually abbreviated to MK Dons) are an English professional football club founded in 2004 and based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. The club currenty campaigns in the Football League One, the third tier of football in England, and are manager by former England captain Paul Ince.

Sam Tillen of Fram Reykjavik will be writing regularly for Les Rosbifs, revealing the behind-the-scenes stories and events of his team's Europa League and PepsiDeild campaigns. If you would like to ask Sam a question, or leave a comment, please do so clicking on the link below. Thanks to a 3rd place finish in [.

Sam Tillen of Fram Reykjavik will be writing regularly for Les Rosbifs, revealing the behind-the-scenes stories and events of his team's Europa League and PepsiDeild campaigns. If you would like to ask Sam a question, or leave a comment, please do so clicking on the link below. Friday 25th July Unfortunately, our Europa League quest has ended [.

The new Premier League season is almost upon us, and Goal.com has assessed the twenty teams and their impending campaigns...

Hoping to use next year's World Cup in South Africa as a means to focus attention on educational needs for the poor children of the world, FIFA has partnered with a program called 1GOAL to create a...

Sam Tillen of Fram Reykjavik will be writing regularly for Les Rosbifs, revealing the behind-the-scenes stories and events of his team's Europa League and PepsiDeild campaigns. If you would like to ask Sam a question, or leave a comment, please do so clicking on the link below. The Premier League is back in England and nowhere [.

A lot of news agencies are reporting that Sir Alex Ferguson has ruled out any other signings prior to the close of the transfer window. That's not quite the case. In an interview with The Independent, Ferguson admitted that, after the Burnley match, he saw considerable problems with his United side.

I haven't had the best of days, although I won't bore you with the details.
But as I was driving home listening to Talk Sport I heard some news that lifted my spirits and made my own silly little troubles pale into insignificance.
Remember this story?
Well if you had not heard already, Michael Sheilds has been released today with a full royal pardon.

FIFA's international Fairplay Day didn't go so well in China.
Refs in the Chinese Super League were spit at, verbally assaulted and had shoes throw out 'em by players on club officials from numerous teams.
Penalties were handed out like fliers to offenders in the wild league by the Chinese FA.

The current Premier League season has so far been the most prolific of all campaigns with three goals per game. So why have there been so many goals in the Premier League?
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They were mocked during the summer transfer window for being able to field nine strikers (three have since jumped ship) but it seems Manchester City's forward thinking is a view very much shared amongst the Premier League coaches.

Photo by ISIphotos.com

Of all the MLS post-season awards up for grabs, there may be no tougher one to call than 2009 MLS Defender of the Year.

Last season, Chad Marshall was the clear-cut winner, topping a strong field of candidates with a career year.

The much debated draw for the European play-offs in a bid to qualify for the World Cup were revealed on Monday. There had been some controversy after FIFA President Sepp Blatter altered the layout of the draw after what appeared to be some poor qualifying campaigns for some of the bigger ...

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger insists that Liverpool's title challenge will not be ended should Manchester United inflict a further defeat upon them this weekend.
Rafael Benitez's Reds have already been defeated four times in the Premier League this season, twice as many as last year in the same competition.