In a week's time we will know a near complete list of the nations who will be competing to lift the World Cup in South Africa.� The first legs take place on November 14, with the second legs on the 18th.� The African nations qualification process takes a little longer, so I'll be focusing on the Republic of Ireland Vs France, Bosnia-Herz Vs Portugal, Russia Vs Slovenia and Greece Vs Ukraine.

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The Fire and the Revs have met in the playoffs 8 times. 8 TIMES! It's getting way too predictable, like Lakers v. Celtics in the Reagan-era NBA Finals. A handful of Chicago players and coach Denis Hamlet took a minute to talk about the most consistent post-season pairing since the Buffalo Bills and "choking". Click to continue reading...

"Henrik Larsson always scores." The clip shows Celtic fighting back through Larsson against Porto in a pulsating 2003 UEFA Cup final.

My memories of Larsson will always be defined by the Swedish striker entering the game in the 2006 CL final against Arsenal late in the second half.

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En la liga escocesa solo pueden ganar el campeonato cualquiera de estos dos equipos de Glasgow, los Rangers o el Celtic. Que uno de los dos no sea campeón es un fenómeno muy raro, tan extraño como que caiga nieve en Haití o Jamaica.

Así que imaginen ustedes lo que significa el enfrentamiento entre Rangers y Celtics, es el máximo clásico del país de "Braveheart", y en esta ocasión, The Old Firm como se le conoce, se fue para los Rangers.

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Above is the photographic evidence of Adebayor's malice. As if there was any more reason needed why he is not missed at Arsenal. Also, to make sure, he left because he was getting more money, so to slag Arsenal fans for his move is pure projection. But that was not the extent of Ade's imprint as he went after Cesc in the first half.

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Celtic had a clutch. They watched the Roar's game for most of the first half. Then double-d-clutched. From fast to fast to faster still. They saw the Roar playing their tight places, short passing game. And just nipped in and pitched the ball in Brisbane's half. Twice in some few minutes. Click to continue reading...

Is Tony Adams a grandstanding poseur? He had been talking up his replacement for Gordon Strachan at Celtics when the club came out and flatly denied ever approaching him for the job.

Adams has been in the wilderness since being fired at Portsmouth. These confabulations get him some publicity.

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Kyle Lafferty and Pedro Mendes score against United to keep Rangers in front for the title. Maurice Edu starts the game.

Celtics and Hearts is scoreless so far. Not looking good for the titleholders.

Its raining goals at the Hibs vs Dons game with the latter up, 2-1. At stake for the Dons is a Europa spot.

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Having a good lafferty at Mulgrew's expense?

Charlie Mulgrew found out after being sent off in a Oscar worthy moment by Kyle Lafferty. The Rangers forward fell feigning injury over a head butt with the Aberdeen defender. The fracas resulted in Mulgrew's expulsion. It would have made (insert here customary cheap pot shot at) Cristiano Ronaldo proud.

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Okay so I do, I really do want to be rooting for Obama but what's with this latest appointment? GE's defender on environmental issues,� Ignacia Moreno, has been hired to do the legal stuff for EPA? How did Obama explained this decision, I'm wondering. It kind of gives me a weird feeling in my stomach.

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First, the poem - a beauty by Mark Strand from today's Writer's Almanac ...

My Name

by Mark Strand

Once when the lawn was a golden green
and the marbled moonlit trees rose like fresh memorials
in the scented air, and the whole countryside pulsed
with the chirr and murmur of insects, I lay in the grass,
feeling the great distances open above me, and wondered
what I would become and where I would find myself,
and though I barely existed, I felt for an instant
that the vast star-clustered sky was mine, and I heard
my name as if for the first time, heard it the way
one hears the wind or the rain, but faint and far off
as though it belonged not to me but to the silence
from which it had come and to which it would go.

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First off, from ChristopherCornblog, here's something you've gotta see!

In soccer news, Daniela was named WPS Player of the Week after her 2-goal performance against the Freedom.� Sadly, I am guessing that she is lost to the Athletica for the rest of the season after what looked like a bad leg injury.

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Edu played all 90 minutes in Rangers win against Hearts this weekend. The former Toronto FC man is relishing his starting role in the club and has turned in some solid performances.

He is now looking forward to the coming weekend's Old Firm rivalry in a huge match that will most likely seal the SPL title for one of the clubs.

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Wow - what a race!� I've watched the video twice and still can't quite track how it happened.� Red Sox, Phillies and Celtics all won their respective games yesterday ... and the Breakers came back after a disappointing and lackluster performance against the Red Stars to beat Marta and her LA Sol at Hahvard!

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The Scotland B squad are set to play a friendly with Northern Ireland on the 6th of May and Celtics Mark Wilson and Rangers Steven Naismith have been called up to the squad. George Burley had agreed not to select Old Firm players because of the upcoming Glasgow derby at Ibrox. But ... Click to continue reading...

Ticketless Celtic fans have been urged not to travel for next Tuesday's Champions League trip to Manchester United. Manchester City Council and Greater Manchester Police are desperate to avoid a repeat of the ugly scenes involving a minority of supporters who travelled south to watch Rangers in the UEFA Cup final. Click to continue reading...

I had an interesting conversation with Dave Lifton after Saturday's DC-Chivas game. Talking MLS, the topic of perspective came up -- specifically, the viewpoint of a club's dedicated fan versus that of a journalist, or the proverbial "neutral," and the like.
I am probably oversimplifying here, but in the interests of brevity, Dave described how the instability and uncertainty that loomed over MLS in the years following 9/11/01 helped inspire him to take more of a documentarian's approach to the small, brave, weird happening that was/is the latest stab at a successful soccer league in the United States of America. Click to continue reading...

I'm sure our readers are aware that journalism is struggling as print media losses pile up. As news departments make cuts, soccer coverage is often one of the first beats to go.
On a personal level, it's weird to turn around in the press box and see the empty chairs of those who used to sit there. Click to continue reading...

Sorry, this could not wait until later:
Yesterday on Brad Feldman's weekly New England Revolution podcast, In The Net, Frank Dell'apa of the Boston Globe announced that he has been removed from covering the Revs & soccer! WTF? He has been re-assigned by the paper to cover the Celtics. This is a massive loss to the soccer community not just in Boston, but all over America. Click to continue reading...

Well, my dark horse pick to win the tournament, Croatia, is out of Euro 2008. Turkey seems charmed even if they're practically throwing the equipment guy on in the next match.
That leaves my sentimental pick, Spain, but I have absolutely no confidence in their intestinal fortitude. Skill they have in spades, but I doubt any other top soccer country has as fragile a psyche. Click to continue reading...

ESPN is pretending that they had nothing to do with the Jemele Hill piece which I commented on earlier. Rather than displaying the text as was originally published and explaining the error, they have just suspended her. She has sort of apologized for her comments (she regrets her lack of judgment and writes that she is a good person while criticizing people who have accused her - pointing out spelling mistakes and arguing that more racism doesn't help, which is fair). Click to continue reading...

Morning all. Today is an absolutely fantastic day. The Boston Celtics won the NBA Championship last night for the first time in my lifetime. It was a real massacre of the Lakers, and it couldn't have happened to a bigger set of cunts. So here's to the Celtics, and hoping for another one next year. Click to continue reading...

Celtics, Italy, and the Netherlands win. It's an 80's flashback!

Damn, France sucks. I'm not even sure they could beat the U.S. Italy worked hard and grinded out a 2 – nill victory. The Netherlands' side continued to roll posting an impressive 2 – nill victory over a hustling Romania.

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He's giving Phil Jackson advice. Wait, what?  Avram the Gone has been a guest of the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers this week as the team attempts to revive its championship series with the Boston Celtics. Grant & Phil chatted it up before the Lakers' 103-98 win in Hollywood on Sunday.

"We talked about the situation that happened with Chelsea in the Manchester game, the disappointment John Terry had," Jackson said.

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All I can say is what a day. Sunday might go down as one of the best days of sports in a very long time from Tigers dramatic putt on the 18th to force a playoff at the US Open, to the Lakers holding on to beat the Celtics in the NBA Finals to force a game six in Boston, to the Turks dramatic win over the Czechs in Euro 2008 at the end of the day all I could say was Wow! Click to continue reading...

Warning, non-soccer related:
My post isn't very good. I couldn't really pin down what I was trying to say but did feel like posting a comment on the issue.
I just read an article which was posted less than 1/2 an hour ago on deadspin, in which ESPN's Jemele Hill compared cheering for the Celtics to cheering for Hitler. Click to continue reading...

I don't expect a good crowd for the U.S./Barbados match. Some of that is no doubt due to the opponent - quite a few fans came out to cheer the U.S. versus Argentina. It's different for a country ranked hundreds of places below that.
But I think LA will get blamed as a bad venue for national team games, which I don't believe it is. Click to continue reading...

I dislike the Boston Celtics. Let me rephrase that: I hate the Celtics. Paul Pierce has the ugliest game known to man. James Posey isn't that far behind. And PJ Brown, well, useless.

But their icon, the man they traded about 32 players for, Kevin Garnett, is a Chelsea fan.

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