Yep, Sunderland are the best team in the league over the last bunch of games. Read Martin's preview for proof.

Kick-off is 3pm London time, 10am New York, 7am Vancouver, and sometime last night in New Zealand. As usual, I'll be here half-an-hour beforehand to provide accompanying drivel and conjecture.

Saturday The USA Women vs New Zealand will be streamed live on USSoccer.com starting at 4pm. Manchester United - Liverpool 7:30am - ESPN2 A highlight game based on reputation rather than the Premier League table. Liverpool are 7th, 14 points behind second-place Manchester United with both clubs on 24 games played.

Hope Solo denies an Alex Morgan blast
Can't say there is much to report from U.S. WNT training in chilly Frisco, Texas. All the players are healthy and gunning for spots on the 18-player roster for the New Zealand game, but since there's not much new, we decided to put together a top-10 What's New?

Following on from last month's design, Sir Alex's XXV, Bearded Genius' "Well Bred" is available to buy on Mancunia Merchandise with all profit from this design going to The Christie in February.

The t-shirts are available for £8.70 ($13.40) although because they have to be shipped from America, the p&p takes the overall price to around £17 for deliveries to Europe (more on p&p).

Having been the laughing stock of world football for many years, the tiny Pacific nation of American Samoa is just one step away from progressing beyond the first stage of 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying following a good start to their campaign.

Rock bottom of the FIFA World Rankings over the last few years and having failed to win a single competitive match for 17 years, American Samoa began their first stage campaign on Tuesday by defeating Tonga by two goals to one with Ramin Ott and Shalom Luani getting on the score sheet.

Okay after all the anti-Dutch experts have lined up to bag the guy....dare I suggest he did his job! And did it pretty well.
I know his teams were pretty poor in the World Cup - only finishing around 16 or so, hey that's around the same World ranking as the big Socceroos - and I know it was grim to watch at times.

After failing to advance past the Pool Stage of the Rugby World Cup for the first time ever during the 2011 edition of the tournament, the Scotland rugby team returns to competitive action on November 25th at the HSBC Sevens World Series 2011/12. The Scots will join the likes of hosts Australia, New Zealand, Samoa, [.

With the college regular season coming to a close, we thought this was a good time to dip into our Video Vault and pull out this gem featuring (with apologies to the DiMartino sisters) perhaps the two most successful sisters in U.S. Youth Women's National Teams history, Kristie and Samantha Mewis.

If the blog of the Philippine Football Federation treasurer is to be believed the Galaxy's post-season trip to Australia might be turning into LA's "Last Call for David Beckham" Tour*. PFF executive bean-counter Bonnie Ladrido, erm, spilled the beans last night by mentioning on his blog that LA Galaxy president Tom Payne will be in Manilla next week to tour facilities and all that other executive-type stuff.

New Zealand defeated France by a score of 8-7 to win the 2011 Rugby World Cup at Eden Park in Auckland on Sunday. The victory gives the IRB ranked #1 All Blacks their first title since 1987. A try after 15 minutes from prop Tony Woodcock and a penalty from fourth-choice flyhalf Stephen Donald put [..

New Zealand ended a 24 year wait to reclaim the World Cup with a little help from World Cup debutant Stephen Donald who kicked the penalty which helped the the All-Blacks to their second World Cup title beating a spirited Fench side 8-7 at Eden Park this morning. Remarkably Donald was only the All Blacks fourth choice fly-half and only came on after an injury to Aaron Crudden and took the kicking duties off scrum-half Piri Weepu who had a miserable kicking day missing at least three kickable penalties before Donald was introduced.

Nick Ward of the Phoenix left the field shirtless after receiving a red card during the round two A-League match between Wellington Phoenix and Newcastle Jets at Westpac Stadium on 16.10.2011 in New Zealand. Image Credit: Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images AsiaPac.

New Zealand defeated arch-rivals Australia 20-6 at Eden Park on Sunday in the semi-finals of the 2011 Rugby World Cup. The All Blacks advance to a tournamnent final meeting with France in their quest for their first title since 1987. Centre Ma'a Nonu scored a try after just 4th minutes to open the scoring for [.

What are the odds Tottenham are heavenly at St James' Park? Derek McGovern's Bets of the Day

An Englishman, an Irishman and a Scotsman walk into a bar. The Welshman wasn't there because he was still in New Zealand. That's the joke currently doing the rounds in Wales, a country where rugby is treated like a religion – very few people turn up on a Sunday.

I think in the past few years we seen funny goals more than what any of us seen in his entire life, thanks to the internet and YouTube that would allow a teenage in Bolivia watch a funny goal from the second division scored at New Zealand.
Yet, I don't think I ever seen an own goal like this one, I am sure the player wished that he would never played that day, or football at all.

New Zealand defeated Argentina 33-10 at Eden Park on Sunday in the quarter finals of the 2011 Rugby World Cup. The All Blacks advance to a semi-final meeting with Australia in their quest for their first title since 1987. (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) {return;} js = d.

Here's Rio Ferdinand at a Pizzeria in Manchester earlier this year, where the entire United team were out to celebrate qualifying for the Champions League finale. Well, we all know how that turned out! Following Rio's failed attempt against a newspaper to prevent a 'kiss and tell' of his other alleged affairs from being exposed, the former England captain has bizarrely declared that he would have been a great actor if football didn't come knocking.

All Blacks winger Zac Guildford scored four tries to lead hosts New Zealand to a 79-15 rout over Canada in both team's final Pool A match of the tournament in Wellington on Sunday. (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) {return;} js = d.createElement(s); js.

Fergie tips Scotland to beat Johnno's men in New Zealand

"I fancy Scotland so strongly you've no idea. Why? Because we are playing England..." says United boss

View the full story here: The Mirror

A news article on 2011-09-30 16:29:20 from: The Mirror

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

The United States exited the 2011 Rugby World Cup with a 27-10 Italy in Nelson, New Zealand on Tuesday. The result leaves Italy with a shot a qualifying for the competition quarter finals pending the results of its October 2nd meeting with pool leaders Ireland and that of the Australia Russia match on the [.

Three tries in the first 20 minutes of the match opened 2011 Rugby World Cup hosts New Zealand's scoring in a 37-17 win over France at Eden Park on Saturday. The win seals a spot in the quarter finals for the All Blacks while France remain in contention for advancement with one Pool A game [...]

Ireland upset reigning Tri-Nations champions Australia by a score of 15-6 in the teams' Saturday's Rugby World Cup Pool C meeting at Eden Park in Aucland, New Zealand. (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) {return;} js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.

Hosts and tournament favorites New Zealand domininated reigning Asian champions Japan by a score of 83-7 to emerge winners in both team's second Pool A match of the 2011 Rugby World Cup in Hamilton on Friday. A win against France on September 24th will seal a quarter-final berth for the All Blacks. Japan must win [.

Nueva Zelanda busca que no solo se les asocie con los escenarios de hobbits,elfos y orcos, sino porque son buenos en uno de los deportes mas rudos del planeta.

Este viernes tuvo lugar la ceremonia de inauguracion que fue en el estadio Eden Park de Auckland, el templo mayor de rugby del país, donde se coronaron campeones por única vez los All Blacks, en la primera edición de la Copa del Mundo en 1987.

Nueva Zelanda busca que no solo se les asocie con los escenarios de hobbits,elfos y orcos, sino porque son buenos en uno de los deportes mas rudos del planeta.

Este viernes tuvo lugar la ceremonia de inauguracion que fue en el estadio Eden Park de Auckland, el templo mayor de rugby del país, donde se coronaron campeones por única vez los All Blacks, en la primera edición de la Copa del Mundo en 1987.

Hosts New Zealand dominated Tonga to emerge 41-10 winners in the opening match of the 2011 Rugby World Cup in Auckland on Friday evening. The IRB #1 ranked All Blacks remain favorites in the tournament as they seek to win their first World Cup since their 1987 title. (function(d){ var js, id = 'facebook-jssdk'; if [.

The much anticipated IRB Rugby World Cup 2011 kicks off on September 9th, 2011 with hosts New Zealand facing off against Tonga in Auckland. The broadcasting rights for the tournament in the United States are licensed to NBC Sports / Universal Sports. NBC and Universal Sports will show 10 World Cup matches on television.

The Federazione Italiana Rugby recently unveiled the Italy Kappa Rugby World Cup 2011 home and alternate kits. The Azzurri (Bluea) will wear them during this year's tournament in New Zealand as they look to advance beyond the competition's pool stage for the first time. They are grouped with Australia, Ireland, Russia and the USA in [.

Ranked fourteenth in the world by the International Rugby Board (IRB), Canada has qualified for its fifth consecutive World Cup. The team is grouped with hosts New Zealand, France, Japan and Tonga in the formidable Pool A of the tournament. With Canada's opening tournament match against Tonga in Whangarei just over two weeks away on [.

Ranked #14 in the world by the International Rugby Board (IRB), the Fiji national rugby union team is well-respected and has produced numerous star players for clubs in Australia, New Zealand and Europe. With the Rugby World Cup 2011 less than a month away, here is a look the Fiji KooGa Rugby World Cup 2011 home [.

SPANISH FOOTBALL U-20 NATIONAL TEAM defeated AUSTRALIA 1 - 5 in their last Group match corresponding to the FIFA U-20 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS being held in Colombia. Spain finish Top of Group C & now know await their next rival South Korea. Spain - u 20 vs Australia The highlight was the HAT - TRICK from Spaniard ALVARO VAZQUEZ with his three goals in the 6th , 14th & 18th min, along with a goal

Today we got confirmation of the recent rumor about the US women's national team playing in Kansas City. The US women will in fact be coming to Kansas City to play their first game post World Cup 2011. The US was rumored to be facing New Zealand in the friendly here in Kansas City, but instead the US will take on Canada at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park on September 17th.

Another month has ended and it's time for an updated Monthly International RPI Rankings. The big mover of the month was Vanuatu because it has finally played enough matches in the past four years to qualify for the rankings. So, I guess it didn't move as much as it merely qualified for the first time.

Group A Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Colombia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 France 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Mali 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 South Korea 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 30 July 2011
17:00 Mali v South Korea Estadio Nemesio Camacho (El Campín), Bogotá
30 July 2011
20:00 Colombia v France Estadio Nemesio Camacho (El Campín), Bogotá
2 August 2011
17:00 France v South Korea Estadio Nemesio Camacho (El Campín), Bogotá
2 August 2011
20:00 Colombia v Mali Estadio Nemesio Camacho (El Campín), Bogotá
5 August 2011
20:00 France v Mali Estadio Pascual Guerrero, Cali
5 August 2011
20:00 Colombia v South Korea Estadio Nemesio Camacho (El Campín), Bogotá
[editar] Group B Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Cameroon 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 New Zealand 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Portugal 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Uruguay 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 30 July 2011
17:00 Cameroon v New Zealand Estadio Pascual Guerrero, Cali
30 July 2011
20:00 Portugal v Uruguay Estadio Pascual Guerrero, Cali
2 August 2011
17:00 Uruguay v New Zealand Estadio Pascual Guerrero, Cali
2 August 2011
20:00 Portugal v Cameroon Estadio Pascual Guerrero, Cali
5 August 2011
17:00 Portugal v New Zealand Estadio Pascual Guerrero, Cali
5 August 2011
17:00 Uruguay v Cameroon Estadio Nemesio Camacho (El Campín), Bogotá
[editar] Group C Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Australia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Costa Rica 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Ecuador 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Spain 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 31 July 2011
15:00 Costa Rica v Spain Estadio Palogrande, Manizales
31 July 2011
18:00 Australia v Ecuador Estadio Palogrande, Manizales
3 August 2011
17:00 Ecuador v Spain Estadio Palogrande, Manizales
3 August 2011
20:00 Australia v Costa Rica Estadio Palogrande, Manizales
6 August 2011
17:00 Ecuador v Costa Rica Estadio Hernán Ramírez Villegas, Pereira
6 August 2011
17:00 Australia v Spain Estadio Palogrande, Manizales
[editar] Group D Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Croatia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Guatemala 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Nigeria 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Saudi Arabia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 31 July 2011
15:00 Nigeria v Guatemala Estadio Centenario, Armenia
31 July 2011
18:00 Croatia v Saudi Arabia Estadio Centenario, Armenia
3 August 2011
17:00 Saudi Arabia v Guatemala Estadio Centenario, Armenia
3 August 2011
20:00 Croatia v Nigeria Estadio Centenario, Armenia
6 August 2011
20:00 Saudi Arabia v Nigeria Estadio Hernán Ramírez Villegas, Pereira
6 August 2011
20:00 Croatia v Guatemala Estadio Centenario, Armenia
[editar] Group E Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Austria 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Brazil 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Egypt 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Panama 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 29 July 2011
17:30 Austria v Panama Estadio Jaime Morón León, Cartagena
Referee: Antonio Arias (Paraguay)
29 July 2011
21:00 Brazil v Egypt Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez, Barranquilla
Referee: Cüneyt Çakır (Turkey)
1 August 2011
17:00 Egypt v Panama Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez, Barranquilla
1 August 2011
20:00 Brazil v Austria Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez, Barranquilla
4 August 2011
20:00 Brazil v Panama Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez, Barranquilla
4 August 2011
20:00 Egypt v Austria Estadio Jaime Morón León, Cartagena
[editar] Group F Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Argentina 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 England 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Mexico 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 North Korea 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 29 July 2011
14:30 England v North Korea Estadio Atanasio Girardot, Medellín
Referee: Wilson Seneme (Brazil)
29 July 2011
17:30 Argentina v Mexico Estadio Atanasio Girardot, Medellín
Referee: István Vad (Hungary)
1 August 2011
17:00 Mexico v North Korea Estadio Atanasio Girardot, Medellín
1 August 2011
20:00 Argentina v England Estadio Atanasio Girardot, Medellín
4 August 2011
17:00 Mexico v England Estadio Jaime Morón León, Cartagena
4 August 2011
17:00 Argentina v North Korea Estadio Atanasio Girardot, Medellín

2014 World Cup Qualifying Group Draw Review Show
Tuesday, August 2nd 8PM EDT - 5PM PDT

Discussing all six Confederations and those who know them from top to Botton

CONCACAF: Michael Lewis of Big Apple Soccer & Tropigol.

US Women to play in Kansas City? There is a report from New Zealand that the "Football Ferns" as their women's team is known is setting up a pair of friendlies with the U.S. and that one of those games would be played in Kansas. While nobody would confirm the story on record, I was told that it was close if not a done deal.

By Andrew Villegas If Mexico's U-17 World Cup win this week has shown us anything, it's that the gap between U.S. Soccer and FMF development has widened into a gulf. In that tournament, the U.S. lost to Uzbekistan in the group stage after beating the Czech Republic, tying New Zealand and ended taking 4 points [.

England vs France Women's Football Highlights 2011 World Cup is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter

England vs France Women's Football Highlights 2011 World Cup is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter England vs France 2011 Women's World Cup Score:- England vs France 1-1 France win 4-3 on penalties.

England vs France Women's Football Highlights 2011 World Cup is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter

England vs France Women's Football Highlights 2011 World Cup is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter England vs France 2011 Women's World Cup Score:- England vs France 1-1 France win 4-3 on penalties.

Mexico scores two early in what should be an easy cruise to the knockout stages only to give up not one, but two injury time goals knocking both out of the competition. Late goals by Smith and Wilkinson prove the difference makers.Video: footytube
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