If you're heading to the bookstore this weekend, look out for Leo Messi on the cover of the latest 'TIME' magazine (International Edition). When your face graces the cover of TIME, you f**king MADE IT! Unfortunately, the lovely Yanks don't seem to think a Messi cover is worthy of the USA edition.

All images courtesy of One Goal USA

If you've made plans for Thursday, February 2, cancel them. Because that evening marks the Philadelphia premier of LADUMA at 7:30pm at the Ritz East. Made by two local filmmakers, Ashwin Chaudhary and Jon Korn, Laduma is "the story of how soccer united the South African people against Apartheid, and how the sport brought Americans together in the magical summer of 2010.

Former Barcelona defender and current New York Red Bulls player Rafael Marquez has hit the streets for Red Bull literally. The Mexican international took to the streets of Mexico City to show off his accuracy and football talent as he performed trick shots throughout the capital.

Check out the video below, and leave your thoughts in the comments section.

Mais um amistoso, foi disputado no dia 04/09/2011, na cidade de Barcelona-ESP, onde jogaram as seleções do México (20º no ranking da FIFA) e a seleção do Chile (11º no ranking da FIFA).
Antes desse jogo, as 2 seleções jogaram:
Copa do Mundo
1930Montevideo 16/07/1930 CHI3:0 (1:0)MEX Group matches
Copa América
2011Mendoza 04/07/2011 CHI2:1 (0:1)MEX First stage2007Puerto La Cruz 04/07/2007 MEX0:0CHI First stage2001Pereira 22/07/2001 CHI0:2 (0:1)MEX Quarter-finals1999Asuncion 17/07/1999 CHI1:2 (0:1)MEX Second stage1999Ciudad Del Este 30/06/1999 CHI0:1 (0:0)MEX
Amistosos
Mexico City 16/05/2010 MEX1:0 (1:0)CHI
2008Los Angeles 24/09/2008 MEX0:1 (0:0)CHI
2004Carson/Los Angeles 18/02/2004 MEX1:1 (0:1)CHI
2001Monterrey 11/04/2001 MEX1:0 (0:0)CHI
1996Vina Del Mar 07/02/1996 CHI2:1 (1:1)MEX
1995Los Angeles 29/03/1995 MEX1:2 (1:1)CHI
1991Veracruz 09/04/1991 MEX1:0 (1:0)CHI
1984Santiago De Chile 28/10/1984 CHI1:0 (1:0)MEX
1973Mexico City 20/09/1973 MEX1:2 (1:0)CHI
1972Santiago De Chile 16/08/1972 CHI0:2 (0:1)MEX
1972Guadalajara 27/01/1972 MEX2:0 (0:0)CHI
1968Santiago De Chile 23/10/1968 CHI3:1 (3:0)MEX
1968Mexico City 27/08/1968 MEX3:1 (3:1)CHI
1966Santiago De Chile 29/05/1966 CHI0:1 (0:1)MEX
1966Mexico City 11/05/1966 MEX1:0 (1:0)CHI
1956Mexico City 18/03/1956 MEX2:1 (1:1)CHI
1952Santiago De Chile 26/03/1952 CHI4:0 (2:0)MEX
Jogos Olímpicos
1928
05/06/1928 CHI3:1 (1:1)MEX Consolation First Round
O árbitro desse jogo, foi: Cesar Muniz Fernandez-ESP
O único gol foi de Andres Guardado, aos 34 minutos do segundo tempo, sendo seu 13º gol pela seleção nacional.

Just a quick one before we get all Monday Night Football up in yo' grills. London nightclub frequenter and occasional footballer for Tottenham Hotspur, Giovani Dos Santos, has got himself on the shortlist for the Puskas Award. Or in plain-speak: FIFA's Most Bestest Most Super Cool Goals of the Year award.

Overcoming adversity: Three Extraordinary achievements by the modern football players - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

Sports Illustrated and Gillette Odor Shield Sweat for Greatness contest is celebrating extraordinary achievements of ordinary men and here on Soccerlens, we are going to look at extraordinary achievements of modern day footballers.

"Oooh, we don't love turtling..."THE BUZZ:
A surprisingly festive atmosphere despite a small crowd at BMO Field as the number of Pumas supporters in attendance was well in the hundreds. Giant golden kitty cat faces everywhere - Nick Soolsma must have been in heaven. Actually, it was quite possibly the largest ever away support number at a TFC match - despite the "away" supporters all having 416 phone numbers.

Frings: Suspended due to impaling with footTORONTO FC (3rd) VS. PUMAS UNAM (1st)
CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - GROUP C
　
BMO FIELD - TUESDAY 8PM ET
TV: SETANTA CANADA
　
THE KICKABOUT:
Many are saying Aron Winter gambled and lost in playing, and tiring, his 1st Team against Chivas USA on Saturday.

The most interesting team in Mexico CitySome may say that being a CONCACAF super club is akin to being the tallest midget. To those negative nelly's we say... yeah, you're probably right. That being said, Mexico City's Pumas UNAM is one of the region's biggest and most storied clubs and when they roll into town they do carry some clout.

That's a lot of ColoTHE BUZZ:
Or rather lack thereof. On the quietest day in memory at BMO Field (tornado days notwithstanding) there was a cautious yet apathetic vibe in the air pre-match. Would the TFC that beat Columbus soundly one week ago show up or would it be their evil-twins who went to Mexico City?

In this post game video blog after TFC's back down to earth loss in Mexico City vs Pumas in the CONCACAF Champions League I make the argument that the loss was an unlucky loss (not disappointing or for that matter embarrassing) based much on the timing of the fixture.
Rating: 0.0/5 (0 votes cast)

TFC's defensive line in usual formTHE BUZZ:
Mexico City's cavernous Estadio Olimpico Universitario is the setting as The Reds try to steal three valuable Champions League points from PUMAS UNAM. The mood was hopeful leading up to the match against the underachieving Mexicans but a rash of TFC absences and a suddenly strong Pumas starting eleven have got us sweating through our UNAM's.

Now that's a midfield!The life of a non-league football blogger isn't all the glamour, celebrity red carpets and beds covered with money you may think it is. Although I did find two dimes and a nickel in my laundry - so there's that. Sometimes, the need to pen a match preview can come up too quickly, such as The Reds' fixture this Wednesday in Mexico City versus Pumas UNAM.

The Rochester Lancers announced the signing of their first player. Doug Miller, the former Rochester Rhinos player and indoor soccer legend has signed with the Rochester Lancers Indoor Soccer Team.
"Doug is probably the best indoor player I have ever played with," Head Coach Billy Andracki said.

Mais um jogo da Copa América, foi realizado no dia 04/07/2011, na cidade de San Juan-ARG, no Estadio del Bicentenario, onde jogaram as seleções do Chile (27º no ranking da FIFA) e a seleção do México (9º no ranking da FIFA).
Antes desse jogo, as 2 seleções jogaram:
Copa do Mundo
1930Montevideo 16/07/1930 CHI3:0 (1:0)MEX Group matches
Copa América
2007Puerto La Cruz 04/07/2007 MEX0:0CHI First stage2001Pereira 22/07/2001 CHI0:2 (0:1)MEX Quarter-finals1999Asuncion 17/07/1999 CHI1:2 (0:1)MEX Second stage1999Ciudad Del Este 30/06/1999 CHI0:1 (0:0)MEX
Amistosos
Mexico City 16/05/2010 MEX1:0 (1:0)CHI 2008Los Angeles 24/09/2008 MEX0:1 (0:0)CHI 2004Carson/Los Angeles 18/02/2004 MEX1:1 (0:1)CHI 2001Monterrey 11/04/2001 MEX1:0 (0:0)CHI 1996Vina Del Mar 07/02/1996 CHI2:1 (1:1)MEX 1995Los Angeles 29/03/1995 MEX1:2 (1:1)CHI 1991Veracruz 09/04/1991 MEX1:0 (1:0)CHI 1984Santiago De Chile 28/10/1984 CHI1:0 (1:0)MEX 1973Mexico City 20/09/1973 MEX1:2 (1:0)CHI 1972Santiago De Chile 16/08/1972 CHI0:2 (0:1)MEX 1972Guadalajara 27/01/1972 MEX2:0 (0:0)CHI 1968Santiago De Chile 23/10/1968 CHI3:1 (3:0)MEX 1968Mexico City 27/08/1968 MEX3:1 (3:1)CHI 1966Santiago De Chile 29/05/1966 CHI0:1 (0:1)MEX 1966Mexico City 11/05/1966 MEX1:0 (1:0)CHI 1956Mexico City 18/03/1956 MEX2:1 (1:1)CHI 1952Santiago De Chile 26/03/1952 CHI4:0 (2:0)MEX
O árbitro desse jogo, foi: Juan Soto-VEN
O primeiro gol do jogo, foi de Néstor Araujo, aos 40 minutos do primeiro tempo, ele que é jogador do Cruz Azul-MEX, sendo seu primeiro gol pela seleção nacional.

"We were, I think, a little bit intimidated by the whole event." - Schellas Hyndman, FC Dallas coach

Let that quote sink in for a bit. That's the coach of a team that just went to Mexico City and beat the defending Mexican Primera champs, suggesting that his team was intimidated by the setting of the U.

By Chris Wright

Read any Djalminha retrospective and the same words seem to crop up; brilliant, mercurial, elusive, tumultuous, profligate, turbulent and it's no wonder why.

Having intermittently illuminated Spanish football with his extrovert brand of grace and skill after arriving at Deportivo La Coruna in 1997 (including a starring role in their title-winning side of 1999/2000), Djalminha looked a shoe-in for a spot in Brazil's 2002 World Cup squad right up until he pressed the self-destruct button two days before Phil Scolari was due to announce his final draft headbutting Deportivo coach Javier Irureta during a training ground scuffle.

By Chris Wright

Read any Djalminha retrospective and the same words seem to crop up; brilliant, mercurial, elusive, tumultuous, profligate, turbulent and it's little wonder why.

Having intermittently illuminated Spanish football with his extrovert brand of grace and skill after arriving at Deportivo La Coruna in 1997 (including a starring role in their title-winning side of 1999/2000), Djalminha looked a shoe-in for a spot in Brazil's 2002 World Cup squad right up until he pressed the self-destruct button two days before Phil Scolari was due to announce his final draft headbutting Deportivo coach Javier Irureta during a training ground scuffle.

By J Hutcherson - WASHINGTON, DC (Aug 19, 2011) US Soccer Players -- I know, I know. We're not supposed to question FC Dallas's win in their opening CONCACAF Champions League group stage game. They beat a Mexican team in Mexico, playing at altitude in Mexico City. It led to quotes like this from FC Dallas coach Schellas Hyndman: "I thought the Pumas team was outstanding.

UNAM Pumas 0 - Dallas 1 FC Dallas opened their Group C campaign on the road in Mexico City and came away with the win. Marvin Chavez was the difference for Dallas, scoring in the 66th minute. Kevin Hartman recorded the shutout. "I'll tell you the first man who broke the four-minute mile was a man named Roger Bannister," Dallas coach Schellas Hyndman said.

Marvin Chaves celebrates his goal in Mexico. (Mexsport)

"It only takes one."

That was something my old soccer coach back in West Virginia used to tell me and my teammates before (and sometimes during) a game that we knew would be tough. We had this one team that we played a couple times a year that always seemed to get the best of us and would typically beat us.

There were lots of big friendlies this week with lots of big publicity Germany v Brazil and Italy v Spain don't exactly happen every day. There was even a big friendly involving Mexico, taking on their northern rivals, the US.

But perhaps the biggest was in Mexico City, where Salvador Cabanas, Paraguayan international, enjoyed a friendly in his honor after being shot in the head in a bar some months back.

- Maxi Rodriguez

I've had a reoccurring dream for a few months now.

I'm standing in a dimly lit corn field, and I can't make out much more than the shadows of downed power-lines and a golden hue in the distance. Naturally, as a god-fearing man, I head towards the light, expecting some sort of fortune-cookie divine guidance about which path my life should take, but just as my uncertain steps settle, I stumble over a shadow in the corn field.

By Chris Wright

Paraguay staged a friendly against Mexican side America in Mexico City yesterday to honour Salvador Cabanas, the striker who was shot in the head at close range in a Mexico City bar back in late January 2010 and miraculously lived to tell the tale with the bullet still lodged in his brain.

By ANTHONY ZILIS

For years, Pavel Pardo planned on ending his career in MLS.

Finally, after a long courtship with the Chicago Fire front office, the former Mexican international signed with the team early this week. He practiced the Fire for the first time on Thursday.

Founded in 1910, Club Universidad Nacional A.C., more commonly known as Pumas de la UNAM or just Pumas, is a Mexican professional soccer club based in Mexico City. Pumas represents the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), the largest university in Mexico, and plays their home matches at Olímpico Universitario located on UNAM's main campus.

Pardo to the Fire reportedly a done deal

Article in spanish.

Club America coach Carlos Renoso is under the impression that Pardo is considering signing with the Fire. However, Renoso also stated that he believes Pardo will ultimately resign with the Mexico City giants.

Pardo was the Club America captain last season until his contract expired a couple weeks ago.

Uruguay vs Mexico 2011 Highlights- U17 World Cup Final Video is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter

Uruguay vs Mexico 2011 Highlights- U17 World Cup Final Video is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter Uruguay vs Mexico 2011- U17 World Cup Final Estadio Azteca, Mexico City- 10th July, 2011 Final score:- Uruguay vs Mexico 0-2 ( Antonio Briseno, Giovani Casillas) Mexico Sub17 are crowned U17 World Cup champions [.

By Chris Wright

Roared on by an astonishingly large partisan crowd (nearly 100,000 people were packed into the Estadio Azteca), goals from captain Antonio Briseno and Giovani Casillas saw Mexico U17s beat Uruguay 2-0 in Mexico City last night to snag themselves the World Cup.

The tournament's two most impressive teams, Brazil and Germany, who had netted a total of 30 goals between them, will be playing for third place after being knocked out of the FIFA U-17 World Cup in the semi-finals.
Brazil were not at the races in Guadalajara, falling 3-0 to Uruguay, while the German juggernaut came off the road at last in Torreon, losing 3-2 to hosts Mexico having led 2-1 on the hour.

What can I say, I'm a total content-tease. But the time has come to make good on my earlier promise and bare all. Or at least some. Thus, I reveal that my forthcoming book is titled "An Illustrated Guide to Soccer & Spanish." It is loosely based on my famous but now slightly antiquated Spanglish series from a few years back.

Where's Carlos?

The Brotherly Game links to Mexican website Elgolfo.info reporting Carlos Ruiz is in Mexico City training with second division side Veracruz. Their translation reads, "the back and forth search for a third foreign signing continues in Mexico City, where the Guatemalan Carlos Ruiz trains with an eye to soon joining the Red Sharks.

Copa America 2011: Paraguay and an inspirational secret weapon is a post from: Just Football

Favourites they may not be, but if it's a dark horse you're looking for at this year's Copa America then Paraguay motivated by special and heartwarming circumstances might be the one. Ralph Hannah reports from Asunción:

Paraguay will kick off their 2011 Copa America campaign in Argentina on Sunday afternoon against Ecuador in Santa Fe.

(Full translations by the Brotherly Game editor Joey Samuel, with consultations from @RockstarLugo10 , @MarksXJ, Tom Marshall of FMF State of Mind and Eric Kessler.)

Carlos Ruiz is in Mexico City in an attempt to move to Mexican club Veracruz, according to a report by El Gofo.

While the Sharks begin its preseason in the city of Guadalajara starting this Thursday, the back and forth search for a third foreign signing continues in Mexico City, where the Guatemalan Carlos Ruiz trains with an eye to soon joining the Red Sharks.

Well ... That will do it for the U.S. team at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Mexico. A disappointing 4-0 loss to Germany sends the U.S. back home after two years of the Residency Program. Here is a recap of tonight's match:
-Game Story and Statistics
-Post-Game Quotes
-Video Highlights from FIFA.

It's no secret. Tim Howard was not pleased with how the Gold Cup awards ceremony played out. For those of you who haven't seen, this is what he had to say:

CONCACAF should be ashamed of themselves. I think it was a [expletive] disgrace that the entire postmatch ceremony was in Spanish.

U.S. men's national team goalkeeper Tim Howard caused a stir following Saturday's Gold Cup final loss to Mexico when he lashed out at CONCACAF for the format of the post-game ceremonies at the Rose Bowl, which were held mostly in Spanish.

Howard's comments were a reaction to what Howard felt was a slight by CONCACAF of the host nation, and he was clearly upset during his profanity-laced tirade.

It was during a trip to Mexico City in 2009 that inspiration struck Ashwin Chaudhary. A longtime filmmaker, the New York native embedded with a rambunctious group of zealous US soccer fans traveling to the US-Mexico World Cup qualifier at the fortress Azteca in August nearly two years ago. Chaudhary smuggled in a small camera, and what he captured - most of which curdles the blood of any US fan

From a Left Wing's Jennifer Doyle makes a good case against Tim Howard's rant following the Gold Cup medal ceremony, in which the American keeper remarked: "I think it was a f***ing disgrace that the entire post-match ceremony was in Spanish. You can bet your ass if we were in Mexico City it wouldn't be all in English":

For the record: the United States does not have an official language.

It was an interesting night for the U.S. U-17 MNT, which played to a scoreless draw against New Zealand this evening in Pachuca. The tie meant that both teams were both on four pointsn and deadlocked in every tiebreaker category, which meant .... a drawing of lots!