Rafa Benitez says he knows his Chelsea side face a "very difficult" task when they face champions Manchester United on Sunday. The Spaniard is keen to keep up the Blues' winning ways as the battle a packed fixture list to try to finish in the top four. Chelsea need to avoid defeat against United before [.
Prior to Euro 2012, rumours started to surface linking Rafael van der Vaart with a move back to
Germany. Initially, Schalke 04 were put in the frame before Rafa's old team Hamburg stepped in and
declared their interest.
The player was preparing for the Euros at the time but after Holland's early exit, the stories
started to gather momentum.
The name of Gaston Ramirez has appeared already on this site but it seems that the race to sign
the 21 year old has gathered momentum in the last 24 hours.
It's now being reported that Spurs have made a firm offer to Bologna for the player's services
but claims are that the bid has been rejected as Ramirez may be holding out for a move to Liverpool
where the big appeal must lie in the presence of his national team mates Luis Suarez and Sebastian
Coates.
Over the course of the weekend, reports gathered momentum linking Rennes midfielder Yann M'Vila
with a move to the Premiership after his club claimed that they had received a concrete bid from
England. Those reports continued to claim that the bid was from Spurs and not from Arsenal, who are
thought to have tracked the player for some time.
Spurs' quest for a new goalkeeper may have narrowed down to just two candidates – French
international Hugo Lloris and Inter Milan's Julio Cesar and there are conflicting reports in the
press as to who is the more likely purchase.
Some stories claim that Lloris is the name in the frame and this may have gathered momentum
after Younes Kaboul's comments yesterday,
Well, apparently the international break was too long for the Union. Any momentum that may have been gained from the previous wins was lost and they reverted back to their Nowak-ian ways. On a night with little highlights for the Union, the one bright spot has to be McInerney’s scoring. He’s no Wondo, DeRo or even LeToux yet, but he is still quite young.
Welcome to another edition of Monday Morning Centre Back
The Dynamo drew 2-2 with the Columbus Crew last night, coming back from a goal down late to
equalize and then holding on late as the Crew came close to becoming the first MLS team to win at
BBVA Compass Stadium. It wasn't the reaction match I was hoping for after last week's loss to New
York, but it's a point and the Dynamo offense looked sharp, especially in the first half.
So I went to bed shortly after the final whistle, and I woke up this morning trying to recall
whether the game I am certain I witnessed last night was real. On the one hand, the entire team has
periods of absolute inconsistency with passing and finishing, and then on the other they nailed
home two astonishingly impressive goals.
Liverpool will hope their mini-revival has not lost any momentum when they host Stoke City on Sunday afternoon. The Anfield club hammered Norwich City 5-2 in the Premier League last weekend but then threw away the lead to lose at home to Udinese in the Europa League on Thursday night. Manager Brendan Rodgers was very critical of his players after the midweek defeat, describing them as making 'lazy' errors, and he will be demanding improvements.
While it's still hard to sort the real stories from the gossip, most of the players mentioned in
connection with a move to White Hart Lane would be welcomed by fans into the club. There are
exceptions however, and it was particularly worrying to see Charlie Adam's odds shorten to 6/4 on a
move from Liverpool.
Chelsea have too much momentum for all-changed QPR - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
Chelsea are 1.83 withbet365to beat QPR at Loftus Road this weekend in what promises to be a real battle. The Blues had two players sent off in their last visit, and their opponents ended last season with more red cards (9) than any other team in the top flight.
Liverpool defender Daniel Agger is considering appealing his red card in the opening day defeat to
West Brom.
Agger was shown a straight red card by referee Phil Dowd for giving away a penalty after appearing
to push Shane Long inside the box.
The Danish international was unhappy with the decision and insists he made no contact with Long.
With Robin Van Persie signing for United joining the likes of Wayne Rooney and the emergence of
Danny Welbeck, Javier Hernandez must be wondering what's going to happen to him this season?
Now this is only rumour and there is no concrete truth in the story as yet but this is something
that could gather momentum right up until transfer deadline day.
Lucas Leiva has revealed how Joe Allen is already impressing his new Liverpool team-mates in
training.
The Wales international joined the Reds for a reported fee of £15million earlier this month and
comes with a reputation for his excellent technique and ball retention skills.
Lucas admits that is already shining through at the club's Melwood training base.
New York Red Bulls Designated Player Tim Cahill has not taken long to find his form in MLS,
accounting for a goal and two assists in five matches since joining the league and giving opposing
defenders problems with his trademark aerial ability and runs into the area. It was more of the
same on the international level for Cahill Thursday night.
With Sporting Kansas City sporting a top lineup, the Eastern Conference leading squad proved why
they sit at the top of the standings, defeating Toronto FC, 1-0, at BMO Field on Saturday.
Despite not taking the lead until the final ten minutes of the match, there was no question who
the better squad was on the day.
The Portland Timbers may not have won their first road game of the season on Wednesday night,
but they did manage to get a result that surely felt like a victory.
The Timbers drew Toronto FC, 2-2, at BMO Field on Wednesday after a late headed goal from
Darlington Nagbe. The Timbers attacker took advantage of some poor defending by TFC to get open and
equalize in the 82nd minute after Portland had relinquished a 1-0 lead earlier.
Just days after capturing the US Open Cup title over the Seattle Sounders, Sporting Kansas City
carried that momentum back into MLS play and earned three huge points on Saturday.
Graham Zusi and Teal Bunbury each got their names on the scoresheet as Kansas City defeated DC
United, 2-1, at Livestrong Sporting Park to put KC back in first place in the Eastern
Conference.
In Major League Soccer, assumptions count for very little. That was the lesson from Wednesday when
the League's newest favorite contender was shutout in New England. Columbus has the two-time Player
of the Week and the momentum, but it was New England getting the result in the 2-0 win. Dimitry
Imbongo opened the scoring in the 53rd minute with a Columbus own-goal doubling that lead in the
74th.
The Union midfield did well to silence Fernando Cardenas and the Revolution's midfielders.
(Photo: Walter Silva)
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. A game to forget for the both the New England Revolution and the Philadelphia
Union. A dour 0-0 draw where neither team really showed a desire to score a goal or put the
opponent on the back foot.
Revolution fans honored Shalrie Joseph during his return to Foxborough. (Photo: Kari
Heistad/CapturedImages.biz)
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Down 3-0 just 21 minutes into the match, Shalrie Joseph's first return
trip to New England with Chivas USA on Wednesday night looked headed for disappointment.
Last night served as an historic moment for US soccer as the Americans defeated Mexico 1-0.
The victory will be remembered as the first time they defeated El Tri on Mexican turf in 75
years.
With many of the USMNT veterans absent from the roster, 'keeper Tim Howard  was called upon to
lead the youthful side into the hostile territory known as Estadio Azteca.
Last night served as an historic moment for US soccer as the Americans defeated Mexico 1-0.
The victory will be remembered as the first time they defeated El Tri on Mexican turf in 75
years.
With many of the USMNT veterans absent from the roster, 'keeper Tim Howard  was called upon to
lead the youthful side into the hostile territory known as Estadio Azteca.
On Wednesday night, Sporting KC defeated the Seattle Sounders in a penalty shootout to win the
US Open Cup. The championship was the first piece of silverware for the organization since last
winning the USOC in 2004.
With the USOC behind them, the club now aspires to add an MLS Cup Championship and CONCACAF
Champions League trophy to their collection.
Portland moved up to 14th out of 19 teams and are no longer at the bottom of the west. Here is
what everyone said after the game and the official stats.
Quotes
Portland Timbers Quotes
Timbers general manager/interim head coach Gavin Wilkinson
On winning back-to-back games for the first time this season:
"It feels good.
Finally a game to break the monotony of the "I hate Gavin" vs "Let's wait and see" argument
because that horse hasn't been shot, beaten, dragged behind a car, beaten some more and then left
out in 100 degree weather. What a game it is too! A battle for the wooden spoon (for those of you
who don't know what that is check this link out).
Sociedad edged Celta Vigo, Zaragoza won at Espanyol, Rayo beat Betis, and Mallorca held Malaga
in the Spanish Primera Division (La Liga) on August 25, 2012.
Real Sociedad 2-1 Celta Vigo
Real Sociedad recovered from conceding an early second half goal to win the season opener.
Imanol Agirretxe scored both goals for the home side.
2012/13 Atletico Madrid Shirts - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
Atletico Madrid finished the 2011/2012 season of La Liga 5th behind Malaga and earned a place in
the Europa League group stage. Fans might not deem it good enough for the quality of players
present at the Vicente Calderon. Although, dwarfed by the immense size of their city rivals, Real
Madrid, Atletico holds a firm chance for qualifying for the UEFA Champions League.
The first sneak previews of FIFA 14 have been released and it promises to be tiki-taka-tastic. Among the new features are four that encourage users to build play through midfield and dictate the tempo of a match. Those features are: Protect The Ball, which will enable players to fend-off and block defenders from the [.
"Momentum? Momentum is the next day's starting pitcher." -- Earl Weaver
***
Momentum is a nebulous term once you apply it to the world of sports, as opposed to the realm of physics where, you know, it actually means something what with co-signs, velocity, all that jazz.
This weekends game against Norwich is Arsenal's big chance to finally leapfrog Tottenham and Chelsea into Third Place in the Premier League, and Arsene Wenger will be using all his psychology to galvanise the players to give it their best shot.
Wenger knows that Arsenal have not lost one of the 18 games they have scored in first this season, winning 16 of them, and another quick staert against Norwich will give them the impetus to go on and take the points.
Alan Pardew has said today that all his players are fit and that he will send a strong side out against Club Brugge at St. James' Park tonight, in an effort to win the game, and continue the momentum we picked up, with the lads' courageous display at Sunderland last Sunday. Papiss Cisse likely [...
While millions of people the world over are buying things like Fifty Shades of Grey and Coldplay
albums just because other people are buying them, the same sort of momentum rarely attaches itself
to those of us at the humbler end of the spectrum. But The Fulham Review is just as
special in its own way, and contains some wonderful things by some fine writers, so please do have
a look if you're in any way tempted.
The U.S. men's national team will attempt to take a big step toward the final round of CONCACAF
World Cup qualifying when it faces Jamaica in the fourth match of the six-game semifinal round (8
p.m., beIN Sport). To get three points, though, the Americans will have to do something they have
never done in their history: Win a World Cup qualifier on Jamaican soil (0-0-4 all-time).
Three Second-Half Goals Power Tribe Past Spiders Courtesy TribeAthletics.com WILLIAMSBURG, Va.
- The William and Mary women's soccer team defeated Richmond, 3-0, Wednesday night at Martin
Family Stadium at Albert-Daly Field. In second-half action, W&M netted three goals in the span of
10 minutes as it distanced itself from the visiting Spiders.
Their Words "I continue to believe that they are a big part of every success we've had here at Rio
Tinto Stadium. We couldn't be more happy with the number of fans, and how passionate they are,
especially at the beginning of the games. It feels like a big surge of momentum when they're
singing the song and it's awesome.
Studs like hugs.Everything I said earlier about how fearful the world should be of Japan and how
they're securing their positions as a true force in women's soccer--if not one of the
forces, a true effing powerhouse, in women's soccer--let me now apply this to the Canadians.
It's exciting, I have to admit, as a fan of this game.
Hibernian, Aberdeen, and Motherwell all won on the road in the Scottish Premier League on August
18, 2012. The other results include Ross County holding Celtic to a draw and Inverness with a
second half comeback at Hearts.
Ross County 1-1 Celtic
The home side took an early second half lead before Celtic's Kris Commons leveled in stoppage
time.
Saturday night's 7:30 PM KONG televised game between the Seattle Sounders FC and the San Jose
Earthquakes could be Seattle's last chance at the top of the Western Conference. With the one game
in hand, two games against the 'Quakes and only seven points difference, this is the chance that
any team asks for within their season.
Colorado snapped a six-game losing streak on Saturday, beating Real Salt Lake, 1-0 at Dick's
Sporting Goods Park. Now Oscar Pareja's club returns to Frisco for a second time this season to
face an FC Dallas team that comes into Saturday's match with a disappointing 1-1 draw with Portland
its most recent result.
