SEATTLE -- The teams arrived in Seattle last night, all staying near the teeming town center, presumably to be close Pike Place Market in case they get the urge to throw some fish.

From a competition standpoint, I find it interesting that the teams didn't arrive a little earlier. On the one hand, I do get it: they want proper training during the week, and that's more manageable in nicer conditions.

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Photo says it all, really...

See the full magazine front here.

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Gobsmacked this morning to glance at the local rags and actually see some coverage of Singapore football. Especially as there are no SLeague games tonight.
One rag has a trip down memory lane as it looks at what has happened to the team of 1977. Usually I like this things but then that's in the context of the here and now. Click to continue reading...

Arsenal fans have been crying out for a defensive midfielder ever since Vieira left this despite the fact that Vieira was not a defensive midfielder in the mould of Makelele. What Arsenal fans have really been looking for is a player to protect the defence and to dominate the midfield.

This season Wenger has realised that to give the defence the protection they need, we need to change formation, and we need to play 4-1-2-3.

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...but so much worse.

Millwall and West Ham fans did their best to reenact deleted scenes from the Frodo Baggins flick Green Street Hooligans, invading the pitch numerous times, while prearranged fights outside Upton Park led to one man getting stabbed, while another took a dart to the head (yes, a dart), and many others were left bloodied and injured.

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it is played by robots. Yes, you heard right, not one, but both major area newspapers featured the footy match that took place on the USF campus Wednesday.
It was a three-on-three Lego robot match designed to promote computer sciences and engineering. Good stuff. Not to sound bitter here or down on higher learning and all, but neither paper can hardly give the time of day to real live humans playing soccer in the Bay area, but toy robots can make both fish wraps. Click to continue reading...

Word from across the pond is that Clark Hunt might be looking to add another team to his collection. Apparently Hunt Sports Group came out of left field with a £120m buyout offer for West Ham. As of right now, no one is saying anything, which usually means that something is happening, but according to Sean Mitchell the Hunts are flatly denying any interest in acquiring the EPL side, saying that they "kind of have a full plate.

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A statement on Milan's official website reads:
"A.C. Milan communicate they have reached an agreement with Real Madrid for the purchase of striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.
Klaas-Jan bags a fish. But can he bag the goals for Milan??!! Click to continue reading...

I'm a fan of the way the Guardian illustrates the theme of its Liverpool preview today by showing Rafa Benítez confusedly stepping out into a terrifying bright light, like Saint Paul, or Gollum.

I've always imagined Manchester United's shadow as a dank, cavelike place where one survives by eating live fish and hiding from goblins.

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I don't know if it is a symptom of being in unfamiliar territory or simply that on holiday you have more time to observe things around you, but over the last few days we have seen no less than 3 dead ringers for football celebrities.
First there was Wayne Rooney in the middle of Newcastle. Click to continue reading...

Let the fish comments begin (for three points cause it's just too easy):

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According to this report from Willamette Week it real is a done deal now...

Here is an excerpt:

The $31 million revamp of PGE Park, which will allow Major League Soccer to begin play there in 2011 and force the Portland Beavers to find a new baseball home, was approved Thursday by the City Council.

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For those of you who don't subscribe to the US Women's National Team Blog, you should check it out as there are some entertaining posts this week.
Whereas the Fake Sigi blog is driven by pure evil and a thirst for the blood of the living, the USWNT blog is a collection of goofy photos and random behind the scenes video. Click to continue reading...

CR9 was then fed fish by his animal trainer as the crowd cheered Click to continue reading...

Keirrison is all but Barcelona's - much to the delight of everyone at former club Palmeiras. But he's being flogged about as loan fodder in order to catch a bigger fish - either David Villa or Bruno Alves. Must feel nice to be loved. Eventually. On the other side of the Clasico, Almeria striker Alvaro Negredo [. Click to continue reading...

You'd have though Jonathan "J-Dub" Wilson would be the sort of pundit to tell us the Confederations Cup taught us why an attacking midfielder in the MODERN GAME should always lead off on his right foot so as to to be able to cut more deftly inside in a 4-3-1-2 formation, but no, he's opted to shoot five upended fish a barrel buzzing with vuvuzelas (Spain is beatable Jon? Click to continue reading...

Sorry these are a bit late. I haven't had the best internet access because I am on the road this week for soccer camp. A blogger without internet is like a fish without water...

Great to see my boy Leonard Griffin making his LA Galaxy debut! He came back from an early preseason injury and he "Believes in it!

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Ouch.
Poor Brian Ching.
Making some links will help ease the pain:

• Messi = fish? [Off the Post]
  
• Some coach banned, some ref suspended. [ESPN]
  
• Pato's getting married. [Futbolita]
  
• New Man. United shirt deal? [Guardian]
  
• Peter Nowak resigns at USMNT asst.

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This weeks little lovely lady is Carly Jee from Essex, a senior support worker and part time model. Carly is a bit of a minx in front of the camera, in fact the pictures she sent us were so hot we had to crop half of them out.

Age

23

Marital status

Single, woowhoo!

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What a spoilt bastard I've become, a 3-0 away win should be something that is savoured and enjoyed, not that I didn't enjoy it, but we all know there are bigger fish to fry in the week and that it was not the most important of games. Even if we'd have lost the chances of a struggling Villa or Everton catching us would be pretty slim, still it's nice to know that we cannot be caught barring a Click to continue reading...

December 6, 2008 - Needed a pick-me-up today and here it is: Training schools for goldfish! The folks at R2 Fish School have put out a complete fish training system that allows the average person to teach the average goldfish to dribble a tiny soccer ball down a tiny court and even do a fish-y limbo. Click to continue reading...

December 6, 2008 - Needed a pick-me-up today and here it is: Training schools for goldfish! The folks at R2 Fish School have put out a complete fish training system that allows the average person to teach the average goldfish to dribble a tiny soccer ball down a tiny court and even do a fish-y limbo. Click to continue reading...

Surprise, surprise...the LA Galaxy are still shopping Guatemalan striker Carlos Ruiz. The main reason why The Fish is back on the trading block (was he really ever off?) is due to LA's desire to claim Eddie Lewis through the allocation system. They would need to free up some space and dump Ruiz as we all [. Click to continue reading...

We all remember it.
In fact almost all we associate Benny Feilhaber with is that wonder strike against Mexico in the Gold Cup -- which I saw with a plate of fish and chip and pals at The George and Dragon.
Now you're all like, "Oh yeah, I remember that guy."
Well things have kinda gone downhill for him since that moment in the clouds, making these Olympics Games a very big tournament for him. Click to continue reading...

Some news to read as you get a fish pedicure: Red Bulls Fan of the Year gets banned for life. Another Red Bulls Offside exclusive interview. (Red Bulls Offside) On a related note, the US Soccer Fans' Bill of Rights (Outside the Box) And the US Fan's Bill of Responsibilities (Also Outside the Box) An entertaining history of [. Click to continue reading...

... Does it strike anyone else that the SuperLiga logo below looks like a head-on view of half a fish? We really need to get back to MLS play. Meanwhile, the headlines on Soccernet read that Ronaldo is still being "coy" about his future. Anymore, he's the idiot at the party that keeps saying he's going to [. Click to continue reading...

Dinamo Zagreb have announced that they have agreed to sell their prized striker Eduardo da Silva to Arsenal for the same fee they received last week for club legend Thierry Henry. The Brazil born Croatian international will join his new team mates provided he passes a medical at Ashburton Grove. Da Silva leaves a club where [...] Click to continue reading...