O dia 22 de Dezembro de 2001 dificilmente alguma vez se apagará da memória de Marius Niculae. Até então, o ponta-de-lança romeno estava a fazer uma época de estreia bastante auspiciosa ao serviço do Sporting, tendo marcado, por exemplo, ao FCP na primeira jornada do campeonato e ao AC Milan, na Taça UEFA.

The U.S. is one of four teams in Group A for the U-19 Stuttgart Junior Cup.
The U.S. sent a team to Germany to compete in the U-19 Stuttgart Junior Cup, and the tournament kicked off today. The U.S. won its first match, against Lechia Gdasnk 1-0 courtesy of a Jonathan Top goal.
Right now, you can watch the U.

DFB Pokal (German Cup) holders Schalke 04 were dumped out of this season's competition by Borussia Mönchengladbach following the latter's 3-1 home win in Wednesday's Round of 16 tie.

Borussia Mönchengladbach ensured that there would be no repeat triumph for Schalke 04 in this year's DFB Pokal.

Photo by Max Becherer/ISIphotos.com

By FRANCO PANIZO

LAKEWOOD RANCH, Fla. - Prior to November, the last time Jared Jeffrey suited up for a U.S. youth national team was in 2009, and much has changed for him since then.

Since representing the United States at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup three summers ago, Jeffrey has switched clubs, learned a new language and overcome the nagging hip injury that put him on the shelf for much of last season.

Though the game is being played while much of the United States is still asleep, the Club World Cup Final between Barcelona and Santos is promising to be must-see football.

The battle between the reigning European and South American champions will feature some serious star power, with Lionel Messi and Neymar grabbing most of the headlines.

Mario Gomez (left) is the top scorer in the Bundesliga this season

FC Bayern München secured the tag of Herbstmeister (autumn champions) in Germany last night. Despite going down to ten men following Franck Ribéry's red card on the half hour mark, FC Bayern were seldom troubled by visiting 1.

Babak Rafati attempted to take his life in a hotel room

The Bundesliga game between 1.FC Köln and 1. FSV Mainz 05 was called off today following the attempted suicide of the match referee Babak Rafati.

The news of Rafati's situation was learned by the two teams around one hour and a half before the game and, being unable to find a replacement official at short notice, it was felt by all concerned to postpone the match.

'Cause You're A-MAINZ-ing Just The Way You Are
FSV Mainz 05 3-1 VfB Stuttgart (04:11:11)
Making his debut for European Football Weekends, Everton fan Phil Naylor. *applause*
Like a lot of people I know, I'd never really considered Germany as a holiday destination before the 2006 World Cup but, after having such a fantastic time there, I take every opportunity to go back.

In our final week before the next international break, I count forty-three matches being broadcast in the United States this weekend, so there's definitely something for everybody. The only match between two ranked clubs takes place on Saturday from a league that is used to such matchups but including a pair of unlikely suspects as Levante hosts Valencia on ESPN Deportes.

We're almost a third of the way through the Bundesliga season, and Bayern Munich, as is the case more often than not, look like the team to beat. Bundesliga statistics reflect that, as Bayern are not only solidly top of the charts in goals scored but have also allowed the fewest goals in the league.

For the first time in a long time, neither FC Barcelona or Real Madrid is in first or second place in the Spanish First Division, something both Barca and Madrid will try to change with wins today.

Barcelona is currently sitting in fourth place after four matches, and faces a stiff test against Atletico Madrid today, while Real Madrid tries to climb out of seventh place after some recent disappointing results.

Nobody has been able to slow down Manchester City's high-powered attack, but U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard will have a shot at doing so on Saturday, when the Toffees venture into the Eastlands to take on City, which has scored at least two goals in every league game thus far.

As for a pair of American midfielders, Stuart Holden could be in line for his first Premier League minutes of the season after his 90-minute Carling Cup stint when Bolton travels to the Emirates to face vulnerable Arsenal on Saturday, while Michael Bradley aims for his second consecutive start in Chievo Verona's home match against Genoa on Sunday.

This weekend should be a great one for football but in a less traditional way. There are no Manchester United/Chelsea or Barcelona/Real Madrid matches going on but there are some matches in other countries that might be considered the local equivalent at the moment. The three in particular that I will have my eye on are Porto/Benfica on Friday, Shakhtar Donetsk/Dynamo Kyiv on Saturday and Twente/Ajax, also on Saturday.

• Schalke fans gave Manuel Neuer a warm and cozy welcome. (Dirty Tackle)
• Tommy George spent a weekend of football in Berlin... (In Bed With Maradona)
• ...where Patrick Ebert learned to control his madness. (Deutsche Welle)
• Dortmund woke up in a harsh post-Championship reality.

• Schalke fans gave Manuel Neuer a warm and cozy welcome. (Dirty Tackle)
• Tommy George spent a weekend of football in Berlin... (In Bed With Maradona)
• ...where Patrick Ebert learned to control his madness. (Deutsche Welle)
• Dortmund woke up in a harsh post-Championship reality.

FC Barcelona is struggling.

Yes, I know that sounds crazy to even read, but by their standards, the reigning European and La Liga champions are struggling after giving up late leads in consecutive draws last week. We will find out how Pep Guardiola's side will respond to those disappointments today when Barca takes on Osasuna in what should be one of today's more entertaining games (if only for the potential for a Barcelona romp).

Am 5. August startet die Bundesligasaison 2011/2012 mit einem Spiel zwischen zwei allseits bekannten Mannschaften. Eröffnet wird die Spielzeit vom jüngsten deutschen Meister der Geschichte: Borussia Dortmund. Der Verein tritt in einem Heimspiel gegen den Hamburger SV an. Die deutsche Fußball Liga (DFL) gab den Spielplan für die 1.

1. FSV Mainz 05, is a German football club based in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. They are currently sitting in 5th position in the German Bundesliga and have qualified for the 2011/12 UEFA Europa League for their first European action since the 2005/06 season. On Thursday Mainz presented their Nike 2011/12 home kit to the German media.

1. FSV Mainz 05, is a German football club based in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. They are currently sitting in 5th position in the German Bundesliga and have qualified for the 2011/12 UEFA Europa League for their first European action since the 2005/06 season. On Thursday Mainz presented their Nike 2011/12 home kit to the German media.

Das Freitagsspiel der Bundesliga lautete gestern Abend, Mainz 05 gegen Borussia Mönchengladbach, also Europaleagueanwärter gegen Absteiger. Wie die Paarung schon verspricht wurde es das erwartet eher durchwachsene Spiel, in welchem Mainz am Ende den Borussen duch Schürle sein 1:0, den Last-Minute-K.

Das Freitagsspiel der Bundesliga lautete gestern Abend, Mainz 05 gegen Borussia Mönchengladbach, also Europaleagueanwärter gegen Absteiger. Wie die Paarung schon verspricht wurde es das erwartet eher durchwachsene Spiel, in welchem Mainz am Ende den Borussen duch Schürle sein 1:0, den Last-Minute-K.

Mostly unchanged, but some notable absences and reappearances:
Keeper: Manuel Neuer (Schalke), René Adler (Leverkusen), Tim Wiese (Werder Bremen)
Defense: Denis Aogo (Hamburg), Philipp Lahm (Bayern), Jerôme Boateng (Manchester City), Holger Badstuber (Bayern), Mats Hummels (Dortmund), Per Mertesacker (Werder Bremen), Arne Friedrich (Wolfsburg), Marcel Schmelzer (Dortmund)
Midfield: Sven Bender (Dortmund), Mario Götze (Dortmund), André Schürrle (Mainz 05), Lukas Podolski (Köln), Mesut Özil (Real Madrid), Thomas Müller (Bayern), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern), Sami Khedira (Real Madrid), Toni Kroos (Bayern), Christian Träsch (Stuttgart)
Forward: Miroslav Klose (Bayern), Mario Gomez (Bayern) [read more]

Renato Augusto celebrating his goal for Bayer Leverkusen
A couple of months ago I wrote about Borussia Dortmund, and the way that they had been dominating the Bundesliga. While Dortmund still have a strong lead of nine points over Bayer Leverkusen, things aren't looking as solid as they were back when Jurgen Klopp's team had gone 15 games without losing.

Renato Augusto celebrating his goal for Bayer Leverkusen
A couple of months ago I wrote about Borussia Dortmund, and the way that they had been dominating the Bundesliga. While Dortmund still have a strong lead of nine points over Bayer Leverkusen, things aren't looking as solid as they were back when Jurgen Klopp's team had gone 15 games without losing.

Whether you're looking for the passion of a derby, or the pressure of a Cup quarterfinal, or even a chance to see the best team in the world, today's schedule of soccer matches has it all for you.

Roma and Lazio will resume their Rome rivalry this morning, with Lazio trying to solidify its hold on the fourth and final Champions League qualifying place in Serie A.

Es ist die 17. Minute im guten alten Volkspark beim Sonntagsspiel des Hamburger SV gegen Mainz 05. Petric flankt von rechts, Noveski verlängert unfreiwillig auf den langen Pfosten und Jansen zieht volley ab. Der Ball kracht gegen die Unterlatte! In diesem Moment müssen Referee Babak Rafati und seine Asisstenten wohl gemeinschaftlich die Augen zugemacht haben.

Weekend Six Pack Wednesday woe and the Mainz attraction is a post from: Just Football

After a fabulous week of Champion's League fare when Arsenal came from behind at In Play odds of 40.0 to beat Barcelona and Spurs secured their away win in Milan after touching In Play odds of 8.0, we are back to more local battles this weekend, with action from the FA Cup, the Barclay's Premier League, the Bundesliga and the SPL.

Everybody is back in action now. Well, not everybody, but almost everybody that is normally televised in America. You know, except the Americans. And the Argentines, I suppose. Still, most everybody is back now. The television schedule is pretty full up again, anyway.

Despite the fact that almost everybody is back, there are no matches this weekend between WCR Top 25 Clubs.

Everybody is back in action now. Well, not everybody, but almost everybody that is normally televised in America. You know, except the Americans. And the Argentines, I suppose. Still, most everybody is back now. The television schedule is pretty full up again, anyway.

Despite the fact that almost everybody is back, there are no matches this weekend between WCR Top 25 Clubs.

It's one thing to have supporters or analysts tell you who the best players, teams, or leagues are. Depending on who you ask or which metric you use, you can have endless arguments about quality. But why not go directly to the source and ask the professionals themselves? After all, they have to play the game week in and week out and see things on and off the field that spectators often don't or can't.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011
07:00 Konya Sekerspor 1:3 (23) Trabzonspor
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
13:45 (15) Benfica x:x Olhanense 14:00 (14) Villarreal x:x Sevilla 14:45 Ipswich Town x:x (8) Arsenal 15:00 (18) Inter Milan x:x Genoa 15:45 (6) Porto x:x Pinhalnovense 16:00 (2) Barcelona x:x Real Betis
Thursday, January 13, 2011
16:00 (7) Real Madrid x:x Atlético Madrid
Friday, January 14, 2011
14:30 (20) Bayer Leverkusen x:x (4) Borussia Dortmund
Saturday, January 15, 2011
09:30 VfB Stuttgart x:x (13) Mainz 05 10:00 (5) Manchester City x:x Wolverhampton 10:00 (19) Chelsea x:x Blackburn Rovers 10:15 (16) Olympiakos x:x Panserraikos 12:00 (9) Napoli x:x Fiorentina 12:30 West Ham United x:x (8) Arsenal 14:45 (18) Inter Milan x:x Bologna 15:00 Nice x:x (12) Lille 15:00 (24) Paris St.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011
07:00 Konya Sekerspor 1:3 (23) Trabzonspor
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
13:45 (15) Benfica 5:0 Olhanense 14:00 (14) Villarreal 3:3 Sevilla 14:45 Ipswich Town 1:0 (8) Arsenal 15:00 (18) Inter Milan 3:2 Genoa 15:45 (6) Porto 2:0 Pinhalnovense 16:00 (2) Barcelona 5:0 Real Betis
Thursday, January 13, 2011
16:00 (7) Real Madrid 3:1 Atlético Madrid
Friday, January 14, 2011
14:30 (20) Bayer Leverkusen x:x (4) Borussia Dortmund
Saturday, January 15, 2011
09:30 VfB Stuttgart x:x (13) Mainz 05 10:00 (5) Manchester City x:x Wolverhampton 10:00 (19) Chelsea x:x Blackburn Rovers 10:15 (16) Olympiakos x:x Panserraikos 12:00 (9) Napoli x:x Fiorentina 12:30 West Ham United x:x (8) Arsenal 14:45 (18) Inter Milan x:x Bologna 15:00 Nice x:x (12) Lille 15:00 (24) Paris St.

The Borussia Dortmund manager, Jürgen Klopp, has played down speculation linking him with the Liverpool job. "There has been no approach and there's no point talking about it," the 43-year-old said.
Dortmund, runaway leaders in the Bundesliga with 14 wins from 17 games, started a six-day training camp in Jerez, Andalucia this afternoon amid reports that their coach has been sounded out as a possible candidate to succeed Roy Hodgson at Anfield.