Ingolstadt has just released Edson Buddle from his contract. I've been told he's headed back to the Galaxy. Looks like a go, multiple sources checked here.UPDATE: I had been trying to nail this one down for several hours. Ingolstadt suddenly made it easy for me. And somewhere, Eintracht Frankfurt execs are cursing.

Germany's DFB Women's Indoor Cup took place over the weekend and as to be expected, FFC Frankfurt's enthusiastic squad picked up the trophy from the hands of the sad Bayern Munich girls. Next time, chicas!

But there's a reason behind all of this, of course.

P TIMES PG 1 Fortuna Düsseldorf 42 2 SpVgg Greuther Fürth 40 3 Eintracht Frankfurt 39 4 St. Pauli 39 5 SC Paderborn 07 39 6 1860 Munich 32 7 Union Berlin 31 8 Eintracht Braunschweig 29 9 Bochum 24 10 Energie Cottbus 23 11 Dynamo Dresden 21 12 MSV Duisburg 20 13 Erzgebirge Aue 19 14 Alemannia Aachen 15 15 Hansa Rostock 14 16 FSV Frankfurt 14 17 Ingolstadt 04 14 18 Karlsruher SC 12

P TIMES PG 1 Fortuna Düsseldorf 38 2 St. Pauli 36 3 Eintracht Frankfurt 35 4 SpVgg Greuther Fürth 33 5 SC Paderborn 07 33 6 Eintracht Braunschweig 28 7 Union Berlin 28 8 1860 Munich 25 9 Energie Cottbus 22 10 Dynamo Dresden 17 11 Erzgebirge Aue 17 12 Bochum 17 13 MSV Duisburg 16 14 FSV Frankfurt 13 15 Alemannia Aachen 12 16 Karlsruher SC 12 17 Hansa Rostock 11 18 Ingolstadt 04 10

Ireland will start their qualifying campaign for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil away to Kazakhstan.
Following a meeting at the headquarters of their German counterparts in Frankfurt, the Football Association of Ireland announced today that agreement has been reached over their fixture schedule.

P TIMES PG J V E D GM GS SG 1 SpVgg Greuther Fürth 15 6 5 0 1 15 4 11 2 St. Pauli 13 6 4 1 1 10 5 5 3 Fortuna Düsseldorf 12 6 3 3 0 11 4 7 4 Energie Cottbus 12 5 4 0 1 8 7 1 5 Eintracht Frankfurt 12 6 3 3 0 12 4 8 6 Eintracht Braunschweig 13 6 4 1 1 10 6 4 7 1860 Munich 12 6 4 0 2 16 8 8 8 SC Paderborn 07 8 6 2 2 2 5 7 -2 9 Union Berlin 7 6 2 1 3 7 13 -6 10 Karlsruher SC 6 6 2 0 4 7 13 -6 11 FSV Frankfurt 6 6 1 3 2 6 7 -1 12 MSV Duisburg 5 6 1 2 3 7 7 0 13 Erzgebirge Aue 5 5 1 2 2 2 7 -5 14 Ingolstadt 04 5 6 1 2 3 5 11 -6 15 Dynamo Dresden 4 6 1 1 4 7 9 -2 16 Hansa Rostock 4 6 0 4 2 3 6 -3 17 Bochum 4 6 1 1 4 4 10 -6 18 Alemannia Aachen 2 6 0 2 4 1 8 -7

P TIMES PG J V E D GM GS SG 1 SpVgg Greuther Fürth 12 5 4 0 1 11 3 8 2 Fortuna Düsseldorf 11 5 3 2 0 11 4 7 3 St. Pauli 10 4 3 1 0 8 3 5 4 Eintracht Braunschweig 10 5 3 1 1 9 6 3 5 1860 Munich 9 5 3 0 2 13 7 6 6 Energie Cottbus 9 4 3 0 1 6 7 -1 7 Eintracht Frankfurt 8 4 2 2 0 8 4 4 8 Union Berlin 7 5 2 1 2 6 10 -4 9 Karlsruher SC 6 4 2 0 2 7 7 0 10 Erzgebirge Aue 5 5 1 2 2 2 7 -5 11 Dynamo Dresden 4 4 1 1 2 6 4 2 12 Hansa Rostock 4 5 0 4 1 2 3 -1 13 Bochum 4 5 1 1 3 3 6 -3 14 SC Paderborn 07 4 4 1 1 2 3 6 -3 15 FSV Frankfurt 3 4 0 3 1 2 3 -1 16 MSV Duisburg 2 4 0 2 2 3 5 -2 17 Ingolstadt 04 2 5 0 2 3 2 10 -8 18 Alemannia Aachen 1 5 0 1 4 1 8 -7

Both figuratively and literally.

The noise surrounding Hoffenheim's sonic intervention on Saturday keeps getting louder. Hoffenheim's groundkeepr, lone perpetrator or scapegoat, apparently had a helping hand and nearby stewards being in the know. He also has been operating his "self made" boom box in previous home games against Mainz, Cologne, Frankfurt and again Dortmund as well though it was never as loud as on Saturday.

There has been some media rumbling about the supposed strained relationship between Schalke coach Ralf Rangnick (pressing, quick transitions, running) and Schalke striker Raul (icon, legend, artist). Saturday's 5-1 thrashing of Cologne probably offered the best of both worlds. And after looking at Raul's umpteenth chipped beauty that made it 4-1, you might agree with fromer Frankfurt striker turned TV pundit Jan Åge Fjørtoft, who tweeted:

#schalke coach ragnick said #raul is not running enough.

A final da Copa do Mundo Feminino de 2011, realizado na Alemanha, foi realizado no dia 17/07/2011, na cidade de Frankfurt, onde jogaram as seleções do Japão e dos Estados Unidos.
A árbitra desse jogo, foi: Bibiana Steinhauss-ALE.
O Japão foi pela primeira vez campeão mundial de futebol feminino.

This team got relegated last year.

• Like Miami drapes in the 80's. (Football Fashion)
• The right man. (The Carvalho Peninsula)
• Deciphering the lingo. (Surreal Football)
• Les Bleus get a varsity jacket. (Freshness Mag)
• Possible denial at work. (Serie Aaaargh)
• Atletico fans, possibly feeling scorned.

Mais um jogo da Copa do Mundo de Futebol Feminino, foi realizado no dia 06/07/2011, na cidade de Frankfurt-ALE< onde jogaram as seleções de Guiné-Equatorial e a seleção do Brasil.
A árbitra desse jogo, foi: Bibiana Steinhauss-ALE

United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called the U.S. Women' National Team during their pre-game meal today to wish the team good luck ahead of the Women's World Cup Final.
Secretary of State Clinton called from Greece where she said she'll be watching the game tonight at a party.

The 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup Final is just hours away. Game days - espcially when kickoff is late - move pretty slowly. And this day in particular has been crawling along at a snail's pace! Game day in the hotel generally consists of rest, meals, more rest, and a pre-game meal. Not much to do other than get mentally prepared for the game.

Tonight, the Women World Cup 2011 held in Germany will host the Women's World Cup finals, with Japan and the USA as worthy opponents. Japan, who surprisingly eliminated the German team in the quarter finals and created a grave crisis for our national team, was the big surprise for the German audience.

The U.S. players trained in the stadium today, going through the customary short training session the day before the game. It was a short bus ride to the Frankfurt stadium, which looks to be an awesome venue for a World Cup Final.
Off the field the team shifted its focus completely to Japan and the game on Sunday.

TSG's Maurua Gladys almost home with her primer for the Women's World Cup Final.

Rodriguez will start of course...

There's really not much to talk about at this point. We can talk about tactics, strategy and lineups for hours, but it won't do any good.

The U.S.

By Chris Wright

Yep, another batch of photos of the USWNT training ahead of the Women's World Cup Final in Frankfurt tomorrow which ain't no bad thing as far as we're concerned...

In the interests of fairness, we've also got a couple of shots of the Japanese team posing for photos after their pre-final session.

Josh Hunter (L-R) Becky Sauerbrunn And Abby Wambach Attend The USA Team Training Session At FIFA World Cup Stadium Frankfurt On Getty Images - http://sportshizle.com/world-s... 2 hours ago from Sports Buzz | SportShizle.com - Comment - Like

Megan Rapinoe of the U.S. balances a ball on her head during a practice session for the upcoming final of the Women's World Cup in Frankfurt July 15, 2011. The U.S. will play Japan in the World Cup final on Sunday in Frankfurt. (REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach)

To see more World Cup pictures, click here.

U.S. Women's National Team head coach Pia Sundahage plays guitar and loves music. She often opens team meetings with a team song and has even appeared on Swedish TV with her guitar. Rarely does she sing in a press conference, but just two days before the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup Final she marked the occasion with a song here in Frankfurt:

By Chris Wright

The US Women spanked France with two late goals to secure themselves a spot in the World Cup against Japan (who beat Sweden 3-1 in the other semi-final) in Frankfurt on Sunday.

Laura Cheney swept home to put the States a goal up inside nine minutes, only for France to equalise ten minutes after the break when Sonia Bompastor's flat cross bounced across the six-yard box and nestled inside the far post.

After the pathos of the win over Brazil, today's match was a relief. My sense of relief pales, however, compared with that of the people watching the semifinal with me. I write this from the "family bus" – as luck would have it, I attended the France-USA match with the family of Lori Lindsey.

O décimo jogo, do Mundial Feminino, foi disputado no dia 30/06/2011, na cidade de Frankfurt-ALE, onde jogaram as seleções da Alemanha e a seleção da Nigéria.
A árbitra desse jogo, foi: Cha Sung Mi-KOR

FIFA Womens World Cup 2011
Quarter-finals
Germany v Japan (Sat)
France v England (Sat)
Sweden v Australia (Sun)
Brazil v USA (Sun)
Norway, the 1995 World Cup winners and one of the traditional powers of the women's game, have missed out on the last eight of the tournament for the first time and also lost their chance to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

By Chris Wright

More action from the Womens' World Cup now, in which Frankfurt forward Kerstin Garefrekes shonks a nailed-on sitter up, up and over das crossbar during Germany's opening group tie victory over Canada...

Das...war complete and utter scheiße.

Die Hängepartie um einen Wechsel von Nationaltorhüter Manuel Neuer zum FC Bayern München ist beendet. Wie der FC Schalke 04 auf seiner Homepage bekanntgibt, wurde dem 25-Jährigen die Freigabe erteilt – damit wird Neuer in der neuen Saison das Tor des deutschen Rekordmeisters hüten. Manuel Neuer hatte bereits vor einiger Zeit erklärt, seinen 2012 auslaufenden Vertrag auf Schalke nicht verlängern zu wollen.

Due to the release of previously reserved blocks of tickets, the finalizing of stadium layout plans, and returns from previous sales phases, additional tickets are now available to purchase for the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup in Germany. The total number of match tickets on general sale has been increased from 800,000 to 900,000.

Who is out and who is close to the Relegation Zone as of Mon May 16:
3 more got knocked down this weekend: Birmingham, Blackpool & Deportivo La Coruna.
UNREAL: With 1 round left in Ligue 1 there are still nine teams trying to avoid the one final relegation spot!
Only 2 relegation places are left in the top 5 leagues of Europe - France and Germany.

Frankfurt were handily placed in seventh at Christmas but after Christoph Daum was appointed in March they picked up three points from seven games.
Eintracht Frankfurt taken down a notch for fourth time in 15 years.

Who is out and who is close to the Relegation Zone as of Mon May 16:
5 more got knocked down this weekend: Eintract Frankfurt, Hercules, Lens, Sampdoria, West Ham.
Officially Relegated:
Almeria - Primera Division
Arles - Ligue 1
Bari - Serie A
Brescia - Serie A
Eintract Frankfurt - Bundesliga
Hercules - Primera Division
Lens - Ligue 1
St Pauli - Bundesliga
Sampdoria - Serie A
West Ham - Premier League
Serie A - 1 game to go (three lowest placed teams relegated)
REL-36 Sampdoria (-14)
REL-31 Brescia (-18)
REL-21 Bari (-33)
Bundesliga - 0 games to go (two lowest placed teams relegated, with third lowest in playoff against third highest in 2.

Dortmund fans celebrate winning the 2011 German Championship ("Deutscher Meister 2011″) with a massive choreo. Frankfurt fans celebrate winning the self-awarded and newly invented 2011 German Riot Championship ("Deutscher Randalemeister 2011″) without a choreo but some flares and a banner.

Recently crowned 2010/11 German Bundesliga champions Borussia Dortmund have unveiled their 2011/12 Kappa home kit. It will be used for the first time on Saturday when Die Schwarzgelben (The Black Yellows) host relegation-threatened Eintracht Frankfurt at Signal Iduna Park. Amongst Germany's best-supported teams, BVB's latest title is their first since the 2001/02 season and seventh overall.

Three days before their crucial last game at Dortmund with their top-flight survival on the line, Eintracht Frankfurt are still unsure whether American midfielder Ricardo Clark will be able to participate.

Bei der Frankfurter Eintracht liegen die Nerven blank. Nach einem unglaublichen Absturz in der Rückrunde steht Frankfurt vor dem letzten Spieltag auf dem 17. Tabellenplatz – dieser bedeutet der direkte Abstieg in die zweite Liga. Deswegen muss die Mannschaft von Trainer Christoph Daum beim Abstiegskrimi am kommenden Samstag in Dortmund nicht nur selbst gewinnen, sondern auch auf einen Patzer der Konkurrenz warten.

Es hat mal angefangen mit ,Scheiß-Millionäre'. Jetzt muss man aufpassen, dass man nicht verhauen wird.

Christian Eichner, Abwehrspieler des 1. FC Köln, nach den Ausschreitungen der Frankfurter Fans nach dem Spiel Eintracht Frankfurt gegen den 1. FC Köln.

Schlimmer gehts nimmer, denken wohl die FC Fans wenn es alle zwei Wochen ein Auswärtspiel in der Bundesliga zu bestreiten gibt. Auf dem gegnerischen Platz sind die Kölner die Schießbude der Liga. Wenn man die letzten drei Auswärtspartien der Kölner betrachtet ( 2:6 in Hamburg, 1:5 in Mönchengladbach und 1:4 in Wolfsburg ), dann muss einem ja vor der nächsten Auswärtspartie in Frankfurt Angst und Bange werden.

Steve Cherundolo and Hannover pushed back into Champions League contention with a win over Freiburg while Ricardo Clark was in Frankfurt's starting lineup for their draw with Bayern Munich.

Das hat sich Christoph "Die Nase" Daum wohl anders vorgestellt. Bei seinem Heimdebüt für die Frankfurter Eintracht gab es gegen den direkten Kontrahenten im Kampf um den Nichtabstieg nur ein mageres, aber am Ende gerechtes 1:1. In einer ausgeglichenen Partie machte Altintop in bester Stürmermanier das Führungstor für die Bremer ( für Nichtwisser: Altintop spielt bei Frankfurt ), welches der eingewechselte Fenin kurz vor Ende der Partie Ausglich.

In wenigen Wochen ist es soweit, Deutschland richtet ab dem 26. Juni die Weltmeisterschaft im Frauenfussball aus. An mir jedenfalls, ist das bisher komplett vorbei gegangen und da bin ich sicher nicht der Einzige. Klar geb ich zu das ich Aufgrund der Qualität und Spielweise der Frauen lieber richtigen Fussball gucke, aber da im Sommer eh Pause ist und es keine anderen Spiele gibt, werd ich mich für die Frauen-WM interessieren und unsere deutschen Damen kräftig unterstützen.