Uruguay have a foot and four toes into South Africa; Costa Rica are hanging by merely a thread. So go the verdicts from the press in both countries. Uruguay asserted themselves on a substandard pitch, used their physicality and their defensive discipline to pin the Costa Ricans in their own area and disconnect the Tico midfield from their strikers, and were opportunistic at the right time. Click to continue reading...

RSL and Chicago are going to square off on Saturday in a match where the Fire of Chicago have the unenviable task of playing the one team in the entire that no one wants a piece of anymore.� If you asked me this is the perfect storm for the boys from Salt Lake and the worst storm for the Windy City squad.

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This was brought to my attention in the play-by-play thread on Bigsoccer: Did you notice that MLS has changed its rules for playoff yellow card suspensions? I'm not sure if this was put into place this year or last year, but it definitely was not the case as of 2007. Two yellow cards in consecutive games mean a suspension. Click to continue reading...

Chelsea has turned the swag on of late (no souljaboytellem), wouldn't you say? Since the defeat to Aston Villa (five matches): 19 goals scored, 2 conceded. The real test, however, comes today when the reigning champions three times running visit Stamford Bridge. Manchester United travel to the Bridge for a 1 v.

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So it's Bolton at the Reebok on Saturday.

I think we can safely say we're not going to see a repeat of the midweek thrashing we threw at Wanderers in the Carling Cup. Wednesday's match was the third consecutive demolition at Stamford Bridge 13 goals scored, none conceded. The Blues are in a rich vein, eh?

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Can the Crew repeat yet again in 2009? (Getty Images)

The four first round series are set for the 2009 edition of the MLS Cup Playoffs. All four series should be really good ones. For the second straight season the wild card positions have benefited one of the conferences over the other as Real Salt Lake got into the playoffs as an eastern conference club.

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If Alan Shearer comes back to manage Newcastle soon,� there's one thing you can be sure of that Alan will immediately put discipline and pride back into the Newcastle club. Alan Shearer - still wants the manager job It hurts Alan, just like it hurts other stalwart Newcastle fans, to see how the club is [. Click to continue reading...

Arsenal fans love scapegoats, rightly or wrongly. � Invariably these have been players on the fringe who the fans can't wait to have a go at, from Perry Groves, Ray Parlour and last season Emanuel Eboue. � Towards the end of last season and for this season the bête noire of the fans has been Abou Diaby.

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Surprise, surprise as Russian Champion RUBIN KAZAN defeated FCBARCELONA at the "Camp Nou" 1-2 with organization, discipline,counter-attack effectiveness & some luck in their Group F clash.The Russians scored in the 2ºmin with a RYAZANTSEV (see VIDEO below)missile that sent "shock-waves" through Barcelona & a message of whatwas to come. Click to continue reading...

The playoffs are a week away but seven MLS clubs still remain in the running for three open spots, including one automatic birth from the eastern conference. This week's rankings saw a few shifts including FC Dallas' on-going run up the boards and possibly into the playoffs.

Elsewhere on the board we saw Toronto gain a little grown while Colorado and Chicago continue to slip.

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Jose Mourinho has heaped praise on Rene Krhin amid speculation connecting the Inter Milan midfielder with a move to Liverpool.
The Slovenian teenager is regarded as an exciting prospect for the future and Liverpool are understood to be monitoring his situation at Inter.
However, the Reds are likely to find it difficult to prise him away from Inter as he still figures in the plans of Mourinho. Click to continue reading...

Another away match, another defeat. Overall, in losing to a good Aston Villa side, Chelsea didn't actually put in a bad performance. But errors both in defence and attack, and a worrying lack of leadership from Ancelotti, were enough to get me concerned.
Even in deserved defeat, there were some positives.

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Another away match, another defeat. Overall, in losing to a good Aston Villa side, Chelsea didn't actually put in a bad performance. But errors both in defence and attack, and a worrying lack of leadership from Ancelotti, were enough to get me concerned.
Even in deserved defeat, there were some positives.

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That was bizarre. But it ended up being bizarre with a good ending, so whatevs.

With a shocking last second goal from Jonathan Bornstein off a corner, the US came back to draw 2-2 with a time wastey Costa Rica and finish atop the CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying group. Atrocious defensive play marred the first half for the US and put them in that 2-0 hole, but their tenacity down the stretch was admirable and perhaps a credit to their desire to put a smile on Charlie Davies' face.

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"I've gotten used to 4-3-3. I've not played 4-4-2 for four or five seasons, and my game has to be different in that system. Last year I was bombing forward into the box.

"Now I have to adjust, and it will make me a more rounded player eventually. I have to play with more discipline, especially when Gareth Barry gets forward, but I feel like I'm getting there.

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South Africa vs Norway. Can South Africa beat Norway on Saturday? I think Bafana Bafana fans, who are a pretty optimistic bunch, already have this sick feeling in their stomach because they know what another loss will mean to the morale of their team.

2010 FIFA World Cup Norway Didn't Qualify

Now, Norway hasn't qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and South Africa, who is losing all its matches has qualified automatically as the host of the World Cup there is a bit of pride at stake in this South Africa vs Norway friendly

According to 365.

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I'm back from the long weekend in Austin. I decided to go a head and catch up on this last night instead of just writing a bunch of posts about the weekend that I missed. Now that I am caught up on everything thanks to some highlights and some DVR I felt like starting with the weekly power rankings before I got into anything else.

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On the 27th round of Brasileirao, Palmeiras gave an important step towards the title by keeping the 5 point lead over Sao Paulo, the second team in the table. And it wasn't a simple victory. It was a clear display of the discipline, power and luck (why not?) against Santos at Vila Belmiro.

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Whose fault is it?

That is the question some U.S. national team fans are asking after the U.S. Under-20 national team's early exit from the Under-20 World Cup. Who is to blame for the failings of a� collection of� what is supposed to be� the best Under-20 players this country can produce?

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Whose fault is it?

That is the question some U.S. national team fans are asking after the U.S. Under-20 national team's early exit from the Under-20 World Cup. Who is to blame for the failings of a� collection of� what is supposed to be� the best Under-20 players this country can produce?

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There is a new regime in place at St. Patrick's Athletic and Ryan Guy thinks that an injection of some much-needed discipline could be exactly what is needed at the club. Click to continue reading...

Thomas Rongen changed half his team, but stuck with his formation, and a decision that started out looking like it might be a stubborn mistake wound up being a smart move that has the U.S. Under-20 national team in great shape at the Under-20 World Cup.

The Americans trotted out a 4-3-3 formation for the second straight match, doing so despite the same formation being largely ineffective in a 3-0 loss to Germany.

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Thomas Rongen changed half his team, but stuck with his formation, and a decision that started out looking like it might be a stubborn mistake wound up being a smart move that has the U.S. Under-20 national team in great shape at the Under-20 World Cup.

The Americans trotted out a 4-3-3 formation for the second straight match, doing so despite the same formation being largely ineffective in a 3-0 loss to Germany.

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Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was of course delighted by his side's 2-0 win over Greece leaders Olympiakos although also frustrated by the fact his side only scored two goals after having 22 shots in the whole match.

The Frenchman said:

I believe we played a great first half and of course had plenty of chances, at that level.

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Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was of course delighted by his side's 2-0 win over Greece leaders Olympiakos although also frustrated by the fact his side only scored two goals after having 22 shots in the whole match.

The Frenchman said:

I believe we played a great first half and of course had plenty of chances, at that level.

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by CARL ELDRIDGE Arsene Wenger might get one or two quizzical gawps if he should take a trolley round the Waitrose near his Barnet home after the Arsenal saw of Olympiacos with a 2-0 Champions League triumph at the Emirates last night.

For AW referred to his local supermarket in his post-match analysis and is quoted this morning in the Daily Mail.

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The skill of a soccer coash is mainly determined by the quality of his drills and training exercies. Although discipline is important, any coach can rule with an iron fist. There are not many coaches who can smoothly integrate the appropriate soccer drills into a practice. Soccer drills aren't just a way to keep the players [. Click to continue reading...

The pivotal CONCACAF Champions League match at RFK Stadium Thursday demonstrated the value of training time for DC United and the helpful contrast of their unusual rest break with their opponent's travel travails. Coach Tom Soehn used the 10 day break to drive home the importance of wide play through consistent training and was fortunate to have an opponent well suited to allow his players to grow comfortable with it. Click to continue reading...

Turkish national team had a disastrous score against Bosnia on an away game and lost its chances (I think) to qualify for World Cup 2010.
The team started well, but couldn't sustain its calmness during the game. As a result, they ended up losing their concentration and tactical discipline. Click to continue reading...

'uncle harry was mean to me!'

Right; so it appears that we've got a bit of a task on our hands. Chelsea away is probably the hardest place to go in the premier league. In my eyes; what we should be looking at is certainly giving them a run for their money and upping the performance from the second half spurs of old that was exhibited against Manchester United.

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Fabio Capello feels England should make the World Cup final next year, but has warned the squad that form in the qualifying group will mean nothing when they arrive in South Africa.

England sealed their place in the 2010 World Cup with two games to spare in Group Six thanks to a crushing 5-1 win over Croatia at Wembley, making them one of the favourites to lift the ultimate prize next summer.

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Arsène Wenger's big test will be to find the balance between the pass-and-move style of football and providing greater protection from the counter.
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Two goals were scored away from home and four were conceded therefore it should be clear which end of the pitch the problems lie.

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MARKHAM - As Pistolas FC try to concentrate on their tough task at Inter Selects in this Sunday's 5:00 pm semi-final, a whirlwind of events have unravelled in the league leaving the other semi-final in shock.
This past Sunday at 7:00 pm, following the Pistolas FC game, the Wildcats took on Practice FC and went on to win by a score of 2-1. Click to continue reading...

Barcelona president Joan Laporta revealed the reason for the replacement of Dutch manager Frank Rijkaard at the start of the 2008/09 season.Speaking to Catalan paper La Vanguardia, Laporta said,"Frank lost his authority in the dressing room".He said he was displeased with the lax rules imposed by Rijkaard which allowed players to do as they pleased. Click to continue reading...

Despite the club's inability to give themselves a strong launching pad at the start of the season, Liverpool legend John Barnes has pointed to Manchester United's early campaign blips in past years as evidence of how Rafael Benitez's Reds needn't be written off so soon.
Liverpool lost to Tottenham Hotspur and also to Aston Villa, but beat Stoke City emphatically, and also showed good character to overturn a losing position against Bolton Wanderers and win 3-2. Click to continue reading...