By Ollie Irish

Spotter's badge: Caught Offside

Pig-nosed eejut David O'Leary, who no doubt still has brutal, sweat-inducing nightmares from which he wakes up screaming "My babies!", fronted up to martial artist/footballer Zlatan during Al Ahli's exhibition match (the Emirates Challenge Cup football is not golf ffs) against Milan.

SOURCE: REPUBLICAKATHMANDU, June 10: All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) signed new contracts with national team coach Graham Roberts on Friday. ANFA and Roberts agreed to sign a contract for a-year long tenure, said ANFA in a press release.
Graham will look after national age group teams along side the national team.

Partnership equals profit.
The debate will always rage between the fans of a European game and the MLS system faithful: the debate of relegation. This article is not about that. Relegation is not a reality in modern American soccer, so let it rest. Instead the focus is on the relationship between Major League Soccer (MLS) and the second tier North American Soccer League (NASL).

Johannesburg, 07 July, 2011 – adidas, the leading sports brand, has given Orlando Pirates football club a new look home and away kit for the 2011/2012 season – which kicks off with the Vodacom Challenge Cup next weekend. Following the popularity and success of last season's jersey, adidas has stuck to the same clean and classic [.

Former Fire goalkeeper Andrew DykstraFor once in the Carolina Challenge Cup, the Chicago Fire did not have to deal with a man disadvantage situation during Saturday's finale of the tournament. But despite numerous chances on the offensive end, Chicago came up empty as the Fire played the host Charleston Battery to a scoreless draw at Blackbaud Stadium in Charleston, S.

Orlando Pirates vs Kaizer Chiefs Highlights Score 2011- Vodacom Challenge Video is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter

Orlando Pirates vs Kaizer Chiefs Highlights Score 2011- Vodacom Challenge Video is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter Orlando Pirates vs Kaizer Chiefs 2011 ( Pirates vs Chiefs 2011) July 21, 2011- Thursday- Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium Final score and result:- Orlando Pirates vs Kaizer Chiefs 1-0 ( Tlou Segolelo) A [.

Leicester City outfoxed by Real Madrid Leicester City 1 - 2 Real Madrid (30-07-11)nPower Challenge Cup A warm EFW welcome to writer, artist, thinking women's Justin Bieber and Leicester City fan, Ryan Hubbard... Did you know that Leicester has a Statue of Liberty? If you're from Leicester you probably do, but if you're not, I have a photo to prove it.

Preview: For those reading this (and that'd be you right now), this post is about more than semantics in calling our sport "soccer" instead of "football". It is about defining our own history with the sport and our own identity within the global game.


In the last few weeks we've been reading David Wangerin's (author of "Soccer in a Football World") "Distant Corners" which chronicles the emergence of soccer in the United States.

It's hard to believe, but preseason is just around the corner. All of our players are due at training camp on Tuesday where they will presumably see how many of them have survived the clearout, get checked out for knocks and face the media. As I've mentioned previously, Nicholas Lindsay will not be playing this season after suffering an injury in a snowmobile accident and Julian de Guzman is still working on his fitness after undergoing surgery for his knee problem.

• Carolina Challenge Cup to feature four Development Academy clubs: Chicago Fire, D.C. United, North Meck SC and South Carolina United – Charleston Battery
• MLS Academy presence strong in CONCACAF U-17 Final – MLSSoccer.com
• Goal.com takes a look at the Chivas USA Academies approach to mixed age groups – Goal.

Like a moth to the flame, we are often drawn to commenting on the shadowy underbelly of football culture. Whether because it is under-reported, overlooked, or generally swept aside, issues of football finance, supporter tension over club directives, or the vagaries of rules administration provide ample fodder for analysis and debate.

Long time readers will remember my Weekend Roundup posts on the 4 overseas teams I follow. This past offseason was very busy for the Rapids so I stopped doing the regular updates, but I figured I'd do an end-of-season Roundup on them.
Queen of the South - Scotland Division OneQoS had a rough year due to the bath weather in Scotland.

D.C. United v Toronto FC
8/6/2011, Saturday, 7:30 PM
RFK Stadium

Last Four Head-to-Head:

4/16/11 3-0 D.C. United (a) (Pontius x2, Davies)
3/12/11 2-2 Draw (n) (Davies, Ngwenya; De Rosario, Santos) (Carolina Challenge Cup)
10/23/10 2-3 Toronto (h) (Quaranta, Moreno; De Rosario x2, Santos)
9/11/10 1-0 D.

The Beautiful South
Brighton 3-1 Portsmouth (08:01:11)

by Larry from Lancing

Ever since Charles Alcock (no jokes from us on that name, EFW is a family publication and remains strictly above the waist) suggested on 20 July 1871: ‘That it is desirable that a Challenge Cup should be established in connection with The Association, for which all clubs belonging to The Association should be invited to compete', the great and good of the footie world have been up for the cup.

SOURCE: REPUBLICA

KATHMANDU, Jan 12: The coaching team headed by senior coach Krishna Thapa has submitted a preliminary list of 46 players for the training of AFC Challenge Cup to the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) on Wednesday.
The ANFA had submitted a list of five dozens footballers on Tuesday on the basis of their performance during the San Miguel Knockout Football Tournament and British Gurkha Cup to the Thapa headed coaching team comprising Upendraman Singh and Meghraj KC.

Cann, LaBrocca, Gargan and Harden get ready...

Yes, it's a bit of a slow news day when you are discussing your club's travel plans but things are a little more interesting than in years past. From 2007 through 2010, Mo Johnston's Reds usually dilly-dallied around Florida for a few weeks while testing their "strengths" against far from formidable opponents such as out of season NCAA squads and Sunday League ex-pros before winding up with a mediocre display at the annual Carolina Challenge in Charleston, SC.

While some MLS teams are starting their pre-season training today, the Chicago Fire sent out a press release with their entire pre-season schedule. Can you believe that there are just 61 days until the start of the 2011 season?

Highlights include the Carolina Challenge Cup that is going to be hosted by the Charleston Battery in Charleston, South Carolina.

Head Counsellor at "Camp Wannafooty"
Dispatches from camp always have to be taken with a grain of salt. The campers often have a wide variety of emotions from good to bad and send the strangest messages to their loved ones waiting for news. TFC camp isn't all that different - lots of wide-eyed youngsters, surly camp veterans and wily counsellors make for an adventurous few weeks where anything seems possible.

I'm planning on bringing back the live chat for the final pre-season match on Saturday night...in the meantime here are the starting line ups for the second match of the Carolina Challenge Cup:

Fire

Conway; Anibaba, Mikulic, Gibbs; Ristic, Husidic, Pause, Pappa, Paul; Puerari, Chaves

DC United

Onstad; Barklage, White, Brasesco, Burch; Quaranta, Morsink, King, Fred; Davies, Brettschneider

I'm particularly looking forward to the match up with USMNT forward Charlie Davies.

For a team hoping to get a look at its offensive options heading into the 2011 Major League Soccer season, the continual red cards are not helping the Chicago Fire's cause.
Uruguayan forward Diego Chaves was ejected in the 37th minute and the Fire fell to D.C. United, 1-0, on Wednesday at the Carolina Challenge Cup at Blackbaud Stadium in Charleston, S.

Though it was not by design, the Chicago Fire's opening game of the eighth annual Carolina Challenge Cup against Toronto FC turned into a strong preseason test.
Marco Pappa netted the game's lone goal and Chicago played down a man for about 55 minutes and hung on to a 1-0 win over the Reds on Saturday in Charleston, S.

D.C. United took the U-15/16 division and the Chicago Fire won the U-17/18 division of the Carolina Academy Challenge Cup - played in conjunction with a four-team profesional tournament in Charleston, S.C.
In the younger age group, D.C. United played North Meck SC to a 1-1 draw on Saturday, but advanced to the championship via a penalty shootout.

It's time again for the annual Carolina Challenge Cup. The Toronto FC squad are currently in Charlston, South Carolina participating in their final preseason tournament before the 2011 season kicks off. Canadian Andrew Ornoch has also joined up with the team as a trialist.

On Thursday, TFC faced Charlston College in a friendly game before the tournament.

DC United rode an early goal and benefited from a first half ejection as they took command of the Charleston Challenge Cup. Should DC win next Saturday against the winless Tornoto FC, DC will have clinched their second straight Charleston ...

Photo by ISIphotos.com

The Chicago Fire and D.C. United each won its first match at the Carolina Challenge Cup, but something will have to give when the two teams meet tonight at Blackbaud Stadium in Charleston, S.C.

The Eastern Conference foes will meet at 5 p.

• Big Apple Soccer with a run down of area players who will travel to Carson for the U-15 BNT camp – Big Apple Soccer
• Chicago Fire claims Carolina Academy Challenge Cup championship – chicago-fire.com
• MLSSoccer.com takes a peek at CASL Chelsea FC, which has produced a number of current MLS players – MLSSoccer.

Chicago Fire vs. Charleston Battery: LIVE STREAM 6:15pm CT

Tune in tonight at as the Chicago Fire take on former goalkeeper Andrew Dykstra and the Charleston Battery in their last match of the Carolina Challenge Cup and their last match of the preseason. Team writer Jeff Crandall and Battery president Andrew Bell, who announced the last match against Toronto FC, will be making the live calls again tonight at 6:15pm CT on Chicago-Fire.

(In pre-season....sigh)
Just a roundup of some thoughts in the aftermath of DC United's retention of the Carolina Challenge Cup, in no particular order.
• • •
The McCarty-Boskovic combination isn't one that works in isolation. I think they can do well in central midfield together, but only if they have a holder/destroyer behind them.

Charlie Davies' early goal and Joseph Ngwenya's second-half strike earned D.C. United a 2-2 draw with Toronto FC tonight in Charleston, South Carolina to help the Black-and-Red to their second consecutive Carolina Challenge Cup win. United has 7 points through ...

The Chicago Fire and the Charleston Battery showed signs of a true rivalry with a chippy first half in the last match of the Carolina Challenge Cup. Three red cards were shown and multiple yellows all within 8 minutes secondary to some suspect refereeing.

The majority of the match was played 10 v 9 with Charleston down a man, and the score finished without any goals.

TFC played their final two games in the Carolina Cup Challenge this week. On Wednesday the Reds faced Charleston Battery. Here's how we lined up for that match:

TFC Starting XI: Stefan Frei, Ty Harden (Dan Gargan 46′), Nana Attakora (Ashtone Morgan 46'), Dicoy Williams, Mikael Yourassowsky, Nick LaBrocca (Matt Gold 58′), Oscar Cordon (Andrew Ornoch 63′), Nathan Sturgis, Jacob Peterson, Javier Martina, Keith Makubuya (Nick Soolsma 70′)

I didn't get to watch this game, and apparently I didn't miss much.

Fire rookie defender Jalil Anibaba -- ISI PhotosThe Chicago Fire defense went through a complete makeover following last season, with a new scheme and a new cast of characters.
Veteran Cory Gibbs, Josip Mikulic and rookie Jalil Anibaba are the projected defensive starters from left to right within this year's new three-back system.

The big news yesterday was that the Philadelphia Union signed two players and officially announced another. Secondary was the release of the 2011 MLS Reserve League schedule.

After announcing the signing of Gabriel Farfan, the twin brother of Union midfielder Michael Farfan, separately, the Union made public that the team had signed third round SuperDraft selection Levi Houapeu (a midfielder/forward out of the University of Maryland Baltimore County) and former trial player Keon Daniel (last played midfield for the Puerto Rico Islanders).

(In pre-season....sigh)
Just a roundup of some thoughts in the aftermath of DC United's retention of the Carolina Challenge Cup, in no particular order.
• • •
The McCarty-Boskovic combination isn't one that works in isolation. I think they can do well in central midfield together, but only if they have a holder/destroyer behind them.

Fire assistant Leo Percovich -- Getty ImagesBRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- Chicago Fire assistant coach Leo Percovich can chew out someone in one moment and be the nicest guy in the next.
On one end of the spectrum, Percovich brings necessary energy to training, as well as a strong voice. That voice did land him a fine during the preseason's Carolina Challenge Cup, when he had a few choice things to say to the officials.

We won the Carolina Challenge Cup and go undefeated in pre-season! What does that mean? Who knows. We won this tournament last year and went from success to disaster as soon as the season began. Nonetheless, I would rather win than lose. Come on real games!

SOURCE: REPUBLICA

KATHMANDU, Jan 12: The coaching team headed by senior coach Krishna Thapa has submitted a preliminary list of 46 players for the training of AFC Challenge Cup to the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) on Wednesday.
The ANFA had submitted a list of five dozens footballers on Tuesday on the basis of their performance during the San Miguel Knockout Football Tournament and British Gurkha Cup to the Thapa headed coaching team comprising Upendraman Singh and Meghraj KC.

The glittering Football Association Challenge Cup - yup, that's its full name - was displayed at the British Consulate in San Francisco earlier this month (AP Photo).

You can when holders Manchester City play the Galaxy at 1 p.m. at Home Depot Center (live on ESPN).

Tickets, starting at $30, are still available.

SOURCE: REPUBLICASpeaking at the same press meet, ANFA President Ganesh Thapa said that Nepal had a tough time securing the chance to host the final round of AFC Challenge Cup scheduled for April 2012. Along with Nepal, Maldives and Palestine, which boast of better infrastructure than Nepal, had also filed their bids to host the final round of tournament.

ASFORDBY VILLAGE 0-3 GLENFIELD TOWN Saturday 1st October 2011 Leicestershire Intermediate Cup 1st Round Parish Hall Ground, Main Street, Asfordby source: official website
Despite Oadby Town having a home game against Ibstock United I decided to give it a miss this afternoon and take in a game in a 1st round tie of one of the Leicestershire & Rutland county cups.