My co-worker Doug has become Football-Curious. Between me talking about Liverpool every week (lately: moaning about Liverpool most every week) and an article he read about Clive Owen talking about being a Liverpool supporter, he has taken an interest in the Reds. He asks me tons of questions whenever we work together, everything from "What's a Scouser?

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France won the first leg of the World Cup playoff away to Ireland 1-0, but the tie is still up in the air.

France was the better team, but they weren't firing on all cylinders, and as a result, need to get a result in the second leg in Paris.

The formation didn't always hold it's shape, but it was something like this:

Gignac
Henry Gourcuff Anelka
A.

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This video quickly goes from the worst non-offside call in history to the worst offside trap in history to the worst goalkeeping in history. In essence this video should have all its copies burn and rid from the earth so as to avoid being viewed by a young, impressionable footballer. There are three clips: in the [. Click to continue reading...

As you know, EPL Talk focuses on the Premier League and not the lower leagues of England, but my day didn't start so well when Setanta-i had technical problems which prevented me and all other Setanta-i customers from viewing the Welsh derby featuring the club I've supported all my life, Swansea City, against Cardiff City.

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Hermantown Hawks 5-1 Mankato West

First State Tournament for Hemantown provides motivation.

Gusty winds and a heavy mist that came in waves is what greeted fans and players in the first game of the night at Roseville HS. The boys State 1A Tournament quarterfinal matched the section 7A champion Hermantown Hawks (20-1-0) against the section 2A winner, the Mankato West Scarlets (18-2-0).

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Hermantown Hawks 5-1 Mankato West Scarlets

First State Tournament for Hemantown provides motivation.

Gusty winds and a heavy mist that came in waves is what greeted fans and players in the first game of the night at Roseville HS. The boys State 1A Tournament quarterfinal matched the section 7A champion Hermantown Hawks (20-1-0) against the section 2A winner, the Mankato West Scarlets (18-2-0).

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Totino-Grace 3-0 St. Louis Park

Eagles believe getting the first goal helps to motivate them to score more.

The second game of the night at Hopkins HS saw the #1 seeded Totino-Grace Eagles (17-3-0) take on the St. Louis Park Orioles (12-8-1).

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Totino-Grace 3-0 St. Louis Park

Eagles believe getting the first goal helps to motivate them to score more.

The second game of the night at Hopkins HS saw the #1 seeded Totino-Grace Eagles (17-3-0) take on the St. Louis Park Orioles (12-8-1).

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HO CHI MINH CITY, 22 October 2009: Two first half goals from Aleksandar Duric and a goal each from Khairul Amri and Masrezwan Masturi gave Singapore a 4-2 win over Turkmenistan in the HCMC International Tournament in Vietnam.
The Lions dominated possession from the opening whistle as they created numerous chances against the back pedaling Turkmenistan defense. Click to continue reading...

OK, I was pleasantly surprised. I went to this game with no expectations whatsoever and to be fair if you had to choose a Malaysia Cup tie to see this wouldn't have been on the list but it was all I had and it weren't bad.
The first 45 minutes were goaless before the visitors took the lead right on half tme with a sweet half volley from the edge of the area. Click to continue reading...

Junior Katie Bethke scored a career high 4 goals today and added 2 assists to gather 10 points individually and help her U of M Gophers to a 9-0 win against a rather hapless University of South Dakota Coyotes.

The University of Minnesota Rouser is played at home games each time the Gophers score a goal.

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Junior Katie Bethke scored a career high 4 goals today and added 2 assists to gather 10 points individually and help her U of M Gophers to a 9-0 win against a rather hapless University of South Dakota Coyotes.

The University of Minnesota Rouser is played at home games each time the Gophers score a goal.

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A little later than usual, here is your weekly Major League Soccer roundup. It was a great weekend for the Crew while many around them floundered. It's getting mighty exciting on the other side of the Atlantic and the play-offs are fast approaching. So with LA, Seattle and DC all tripping up, here's the lowdown:
It was a tale of two spot kicks at Dick's Sporting Goods Park last Wednesday. Click to continue reading...

Reina
Johnson Skrtel Carragher Insua
Lucas Aurelio
Kuyt Gerrard Benayoun
Torres
Goals:
Jovetic 28' 37'
Decisively and deservedly beaten. Out-Europed in Europe. Liverpool never got in gear and Fiorentina were fantastic, besting Liverpool at its own game in the first half and smothering the life out of them in the second. Click to continue reading...

Although Liverpool started the new season with a disappointing two losses from their first three matches, football fans know that with a fit and in-form Fernando Torres, Liverpool possess a player who can drag them to the summit no matter how tall the order. Â Torres' superb treble against this year's whipping boys Hull City, his fourth for Liverpool and third in the Premiership, thrusts Rafa's men emphatically back into the mix for silverware and reminds football cynics of Liverpool's threat.

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Trabzonspor back on track

After being eliminated from European competition, Trabzonspor got off to a slow start, scoring only four goals in the first four weeks of the Turkcell Super League competition. Last week's game against Istanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor would see Trabzonspor score six goals, with defender Egemen Korkmaz scoring a hat trick, as the final score there was a 6-1 road victory.

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Francis Laurent's injury time strike gave Southend all three points after an exciting encounter at the Withdean Stadium.
The Blues took the lead on 8 minutes, when Lee Barnard angled a header into the net from a Simon Francis cross. It was his eighth goal of the season.
The home side equalised through another in-form striker, Nicky Forster, on 21. Click to continue reading...

Well if you missed yesterdays game.

Boooooo on you.

You missed a fine display of what our attack can do when it is on.

It was quick.

It was accurate and ultimately it was Lethal.

Villa scores twice.. and should have had a hat trick had it not been for bad reffing.

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That wasn't exactly how I wanted to see us play against one of the worst teams in the league, but a win is a win, and somehow I still feel like we earned this one. It definitely took this team 30 minutes or so to settle in, and gave up way too many chances during those first 30 minutes, but we looked like the better team in the second half, and ultimately we prevailed. Click to continue reading...

You know you want to see the final scores before the matches are even started, so here they are. All results brought to you by Crystal Ball Corporation "When you need to know what your bookie does not".

All predictions are of course subject to the minor caveat that this is futbol, football and soccer where anything can and will happen except what you think will happen.

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                                                                    Photo by ISIphotos.com

The U.S. national team trailed early and were in jeopardy of dropping a decision that could have put a severe dent into its World Cup qualifying hopes.

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                                                                    Photo by ISIphotos.com

The U.S. national team trailed early and were in jeopardy of dropping a decision that could have put a severe dent into its World Cup qualifying hopes.

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Old Foes

My attention on Saturday evening was drawn to the Coca-Cola Championship, or Division 2 as it was called up until BSkyB came along, and the clash between recently relegated West Bromwich Albion and Ipswich Town. Roberto Di Matteo and Roy Keane faced each other as players on numerous occasions during their careers, with one particular incident in the Charity Shield in 2000 leading to one of the 11 red cards Keane received during his Manchester United career.

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Chelsea are sharing top billing in the Premier League with London rivals Tottenham Hotspur after both sides earned good away wins in the capital on Sunday.

Carlo Ancelotti's Blues made it three wins from three as they recorded a 2-0 victory away against west London neighbours Fulham.

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A frustrating afternoon spent chasing shadows.  Chelsea controlled the game from start to finish, and Fulham really didn't threaten Petr Cech's goal.

Part of this was because of the injury to Andy Johnson on Thursday. His absence was felt all over the pitch: we missed his sharp running, constant harrying and intelligent runs.

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Elegant. Graceful. Patient. Methodical. If you could lineup your knuckles perfectly, would you knock out every single teeth in Berbatov's mouth? Or would you leave one individual front tooth hanging, a testament to the depths of your disdain?

Sir Alex fielded a slick-passing 4-4-2 against Birmingham, with Scholes and Fletcher providing muscle and Nani and Valencia as delegated flair specialists.

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Reina
Johnson Carragher Skrtel Insua
Mascherano Lucas
Kuyt Gerrard Babel
Torres
Goals:
Assou-Ekottu 44'
Gerrard 56' (pen)
Bassong 59'
Good start!
The only "big four" side to drop points, let alone lose, and my sole riposte is that it's the same result as last year's fixture. Click to continue reading...

Michael Owen had fifteen minutes of football today and two good opportunities to score. His first chance was ruled out for offside, which replays showed was marginal, as he burst behind the back line, rounded the keeper and slotted the ball in the right angle.

The second opportunity really should have resulted in a goal, with Rooney's great pass on meaning Owen could be the offside trap.

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Wayne Rooney's goal in the 34th minute gave Manchester United a 1-0 win over newly promoted Birmingham City as the Red Devils began their march towards an unprecedented fourth straight Premier League crown.

Right from the start the Red Devils looked strong and confident, even after announcing a depleted backline.

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Goals from Bastian Schweinsteiger and Miroslav Klose were enough to keep Germany on top of their World Cup qualifying group. Azerbaijan had an early opportunity to go in front but could not finish after beating an offside trap. FC Bayern winger Bastian Schweinsteiger took command of the game in the 12th minute by launching a screamer [. Click to continue reading...

In lieu of a longer (much longer) narrative, I'm going to go with bullet points for different thoughts, similar to how I treated the Aquilani transfer. Even in this format it clocks in at almost 1300 words. I can't help being verbose, and there are a few factors to take into account.
On Monday, I actually predicted Liverpool would win the league. Click to continue reading...

Arsenal suffered their first pre season defeat against Valencia at the Mestella Stadium. The Spanish outfit scored two goals thanks to Michel and David Villa.

A lively encounter saw the home team take control after the break when Arsenal made several changes. Lucas Fabianski saved a David Villa penalty before Cesc Fabregas cleared off the line.

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For the first time since 2000, S.S. Lazio has lifted the Italian SuperCoppa after a shocking 2-1 victory over Inter Milan at the Bird's Nest in Beijing, China. Like the Community Shield in England, the SuperCoppa kicks off the Serie A season by pitting the winner of the Scudetto and the winner of the Copa Italia in an exhibition match. Click to continue reading...

After the Emirates Cup, a few things stuck out in my mind. Firstly, Arshavin and Eduardo are crucial to any title hopes we may have. Next, the balance of the side is so important and may well enable the better players to play where they are, at their best. Lastly, Wenger really is stubborn sometimes regarding certain players, especially the defence!

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The American football psyche may have been dominated by the Gold Cup and the All-Star game lately, but the relentless march of Major League Soccer continues. Week 19 got underway at Rio Tinto on Friday, where FC Dallas gave their hosts a fright - briefly.
Jeff Cunningham mugged Real Salt Lake's Will Johnson on 20 yards and fired past Nick Rimando to put FCD ahead in the 13th minute. Click to continue reading...