Well, you know the traditional start of these articles by now. "Every couple of seasons a new striker emerges on the horizon, blablabla...". We had Geels, Cruyff, Koolhof, Kist, Kieft, van Basten, Bosman, Gilhaus, Van Loen, Mols, Houtman, Van Nistel, Kluivert, Haisselbaink, Makaay, Huntelaar, Van Persie, Luuk de Jong, [read more]

Right colour, wrong shirtIt's a Chile afternoon in Toronto! Great news for TFC supporters and pun-lovers alike as The Reds officially announced the signing of Chilean international defender Miguel Aceval today. The announcement concludes a signing-process that has been rumoured since December but spent the last few days floating around MLS red-tape limbo.

It's been a very long time since I had anything to write about Belizean soccer beyond the power struggle in the national federation. But the newly formed Premier League of Belize elected a chairman earlier this month, and a new league season is on the horizon. The new season starts next weekend (4-5 February) with twelve clubs split into two geographical zones.

Stoke City head to Anfield currently sitting alone in eighth and unbeaten in their last four. Tony Pulis' side has managed success both domestically and in Europe, as they'll accompany the two Manchester sides in the first knockout round of the Europa League early next month. Liverpool will hope to continue their relative hot streak at home, during which they've scored eight goals in their last two matches at Anfield and finally found a way to finish chances.

By J Hutcherson - WASHINGTON, DC (Dec 29, 2011) US Soccer Players -- European soccer has spent another year living through interesting times. On the field, Barcelona continued their run as the dominant club against whom all others are judged. Off the field, Financial Fair Play looms on the horizon. Midway through the 2011-12 seasons in Europe, we've already seen indicators of trends that could become issues next year.

One of the nice things about an up and down fall for Liverpool is that we've had the joy of monitoring things that are a pain in the ass both on and off the pitch. After a relatively serene spring and a summer mostly marked by optimism, we've been able to lament lack of finishing, dropped points, and poor decisions in matches to go along with a host of other concerns away from the action.

Well, would you believe it? It seems as if progress is on the Arsenal horizon with chief bod Ivan Gazidis seemingly open to ideas from Gooners on improving the atmosphere at the Emirates. Revealtions this morning on Twitter suggest that the club are pondering the option of booting away fans upstairs in the Clock End, thus allowing home supporters cheaper seats and improving the unity at that end.

Well, would you believe it? It seems as if progress is on the Arsenal horizon with chief bod Ivan Gazidis seemingly open to ideas from Gooners on improving the atmosphere at the Emirates. Revealtions this morning on Twitter suggest that the club are pondering the option of booting away fans upstairs in the Clock End, thus allowing home supporters cheaper seats and improving the unity at that end.

Well, would you believe it? It seems as if progress is on the Arsenal horizon with chief bod Ivan Gazidis seemingly open to ideas from Gooners on improving the atmosphere at the Emirates. Revealtions this morning on Twitter suggest that the club are pondering the option of booting away fans upstairs in the Clock End, thus allowing home supporters cheaper seats and improving the unity at that end.

With the increased globalization of the game, major tournaments are heading to new lands. Austria and Switzerland hosted Euro 2008, with next year's event heading to Poland and Ukraine. Last year South Africa staged the World Cup with Russia and Qatar on the horizon. While I'm all for spreading the game around the globe (aside for whatever shadiness helped Qatar land the 2022 World Cup), this trend presents a flaw with regards to tournament seeding.

Matt Lawrence's diary of a lower-league footballer: Parking tickets, chicken dinners and nil-nils

Matt Lawrence has played for seven league clubs including Fulham, Crystal Palace and Millwall, for whom he appeared in the 2004 FA Cup final during his 16-year career.

Clarke: No Surprise at Maxi Impact

Liverpool assistant manager Steve Clarke believes Maxi Rodriguez' fine display against Chelsea on Sunday came as no surprise to those who have watched the player in training. Having been ousted from the squad by some of Kenny Dalglish's summer signings, Maxi has worked hard to force his way back into the manager's thinking, and Clarke believes the Argentine deserves all the praise he gets for managing to do so.

I can understand protecting Charlie Davies if you've got a rumor of trade interest that you think might enable you to significantly improve the team1. I can even plunge past the mystifying decision to protect a well-past-it Simms if a pay-cut or trade are on the horizon.

But Korb and Woolard?

Ah. The nerves are a-jangling.
Scotland on the road again. At stake a place in Euro 2012, a boozed up tour of Poland and Ukraine with all the fun and futile expectation that goes with a major championship.
And then we wake up.
Scotland aren't in the play offs.

So far, any stories about a possible departure for Gareth Bale seem to have been little more than rumour, but if you believe the latest reports, Spurs' resolve is about to be tested by an official bid from Barcelona.

The claim has come out of Spain where reports suggest that Barcelona's technical advisor Albert Valenti was at the Fulham game to run the rule over Bale, who could be seen as a long term replacement for Barca left back Eric Abidal.

The past doesn't count. Everything is starting again. Spain continues to strengthen.

With a friendly against England at Wembley on Saturday and the EUROs on the horizon, the time has come for Spain to refresh, and forget everything. Everything won. Everything created.

The Message:

Iker: "No one came to welcome us"
Silva: "We didn't create a new way of playing football"
Xabi: "We weren't admired by the whole world"
Iker: "We didn't take a whole country to the streets"
Villa: "I wasn't the top scorer"
Llorente: "We couldn't bear the pressure"
Del Bosque: "We didn't change the conception of football"
Xavi: "I wasn't the best football player in the Euro 2008"
Llorente: "We are not a team"
Xavi: "We are not European Champions"
Villa: "We are not World Champions"

The shirt is new, the meaning of wearing it remains the same.

The script stays the same, with Liverpool failing to convert the chances they manage to create, except that for once, it wasn't Kenny Dalglish's side dominating the match. Swansea spent large spells of the match on the front foot, taking it to a Liverpool side that failed to put much of anything together prior to the dying minutes.

Huge blow for Villarreal who will be without striker Giuseppe Rossi for six months after tearing a cruciate knee ligament in his right knee. The 24-year-old Italian international got hurt in last nights's match against Real Madrid, and subsequent tests have shown the full extent of the injury.

Manchester vs. Manchester: The derby goes beyond a City being far from United

The scarf vs. the ‘sir'. An enigmatic Italian vs. a hot tempered, highly talented English talisman. A young, earnest Mexican vs. an Argentine taking the Premier League by storm.

In this last video blog for the 2011 season I take a final look back at the game, the club and the season, and why for perhaps the first time in years I for one feel some genuine excitement and opportunity is on the horizon for Toronto FC going forward.
Rating: 0.0/5 (0 votes cast)

An emotionally heavy week gradually winds to a close, with many of the major storylines (hopefully) having some sort of resolution on the horizon. In the wake of Saturday's draw with United it was the allegations of racism against Luis Suarez, and Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday it was the proceedings in Parliament regarding Hillsborough and the reactions on all sides.

So, here we are.

No more games in hand are left, it is all down to the final game of the season.

When we started this series way back on September 29 following predictions PSP writer Eli Pearlman-Storch made on that week's edition of the KYW Philly Soccer Show podcast, the Union were in fourth place with 40 points, four points behind first place Kansas City.

::: FistedAway welcomes a guest post from Elliott,
editor of the rather lovely Futfanatico :::

If the summer was bad for the Gunners, the start to the season was even worse. No Nasri. No Fabregas. Fine. But the loss to injury of Jack Wilshere was devastating, and Arsenal touched bottom in a humiliating loss to rivals Manchester United.

This is highly interesting. Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck, according to an insightful piece in today's Independent, purchased 100 Chelsea Pitch Owners shares at £100 each in April 2011. This entitles him to the maximum 100 votes in the upcoming apparent make-or-break meeting on 27 October.

Steven Gerrard's groin is back. It's fit, rested, and ready to go. And maybe also tanned. Though for now that last bit remains unconfirmed. It also remains to be seen whether it's in it for the long haul this time around or fated to leave Steven Gerrard and millions of fans around the world feeling let down again.

By Chris Wright

With the 30th September release date crowning on the horizon, the FIFA 12 Hype Machine is ramped all the way up to eleven at the moment and the EA virals are coming thick and fast the lastest seeing Hope Solo squaring off against Steve 'kinda like a gorilla and a leopard' Nash in a duel to the death game of pixel-based football.

Forget the upcoming United game THIS is the week that will define Liverpool's season

In many ways, this is a week that can define Liverpool's season. On the surface, that may appear a rather strange assertion, given they have a rather important engagement with runaway Premier League leaders Manchester United on the horizon.

Good afternoon, readers. It's been a while...

Sorry for the recent lack of inactivity. Generally, life has thrown me some rather challenging obstacles lately and in turn, I've had to deal with them accordingly. Everything seems to be back on track now, and it seems that normal service can finally resume, once again.

The Grinder is undergoing an MLS playoff facelift. With the playoffs bearing down on us like rain clouds on the Texas horizon (please let rain not be a figment of our southwestern imaginations), we shift our focus from one game a week to a few of the important ones you need to know about in advance of the rapidly approaching postseason.

Today is a travel day for the U.S. WNT as the players will fly from all parts of the USA - where they have been enjoying a brief break since the end of the WPS season - to Kansas City to prepare for their first match since the end of the WWC. That will take place at the sparkling new LIVESTRONG Sporting Park, home to Sporting Kansas City of MLS, on Sept.

Welcome to episode #11 of the IMSoccer News North American Soccer League Podcast. The NASL is nearing the end of the season with most teams having only two games remaining. With the NASL Playoffs on the horizon and 4 of the 6 playoff spots clinched, we decided to bring back the IMSoccer News NASL Podcast [.

Image Credit: PA.

If you're based in the UK and the dual-pronged assault of TOWIE and Geordie Shore hasn't melted your brain yet, you will be thrilled to learn that another WAG-based 'dramality' show is on the horizon.

Desperate Scousewives intends to 'lift the lid' on Liverpool WAG culture a prospect Abbey Clancy is justifiably nervous about considering that her cousin, Chloe Cummings, will be taking part.

Image Credit: PA.

If you're based in the UK and the twin pronged assault of TOWIE and Geordie Shore hasn't melted your brain yet, you will be thrilled to learn that another WAG-based 'dramality' show is on the horizon.

Desperate Scousewives intends to 'lift the lid' on Liverpool WAG culture a prospect Abbey Clancy is justifiably nervous about considering that her cousin, Chloe Cummings, will be taking part.

[author' note: this was written on Monday, and with the busy schedule around here I didn't have a chance to run it until now. The context of this has changed a bit after last night, but not too much to require massive editing. I post it as originally writen]

Saturday evening, as the sun sank lower towards the horizon and the elation of a comprehensive 6-2 win begun to turn to contemplation, a strange thought crossed my mind.

We all saw Arsenal's performance against United on Sunday and nothing more needs to be said about that. Looking in from the outside (as some of my mates are Gooners) I am surprised that they have sold BOTH Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri in the same season as close to the transfer window as they have.

This week we have two crucial matches on the horizon against Eastern Conference opposition. If the Black-and-Red are to qualify for the 2011 MLS Cup Playoffs, these next fixtures will go a long way towards ensuring a postseason berth. First up is our trip to Chicago's Toyota Park in a nationally televised contest on Thursday, August 18 (9:00 p.

Arsene Wenger has promised the Arsenal fans a new defender before the end of the transfer window, but there is no imminent signing on the horizon so far despite the big words. Kyle Bartley was thought to be nearly ready to take the step up to the Arsenal first team, but after Wenger sent him [...]

By Chris Wright

Still no new defenders on the horizon but, after months of umming and ahhing, Arsenal announced the signing of 17-year old Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain just before close of play last night, after agreeing to recompense Southampton to the tune of £12 million with a further £3 million's worth of add-ons also due once the winger's baby teeth fall out.

As you would expect, Spurs players are talking in positive terms ahead of the new season and although there have been no major signings at the Lane this summer, skipper Michael Dawson is confident that the club can retain their top four status at the end of May.

"We're aiming to be in the top four, we've been in it, and the lads are hungry to be in it again," Dawson is quoted as saying in The Independent.

For the purpose of our Football League reviews, we will be taking a look at the respective divisions in an overall sense rather than trying to make predictions or inspecting the clubs concerned too closely. If you are here looking for in-depth predictions made by the supporters of each of the seventy-two clubs of the Football League, we would recommend the venerable When Saturday Comes and its annual pre-season preview, which is available now from all good newsagents, or alternatively this collaborative project between two Football League blogs, The Seventy Two and The Two Unfortunates.