As I'm just a little flat-out again, here are some previews from the very talented staff at the Central Coast Mariners and Canberra United to read while I get my own stuff happening. Well written and interesting, thanks both Joseph (Mariners) and Chris (Canberra).
Washington to Central Coast – Golebiowski leading Mariners cause
By Joseph Carlucci
The dream of each Australian female footballer is to play at the highest level and represent the Matildas at a World Cup, and for the lucky few that get the chance to don the Green and Gold, the feeling is immense. Click to continue reading...

1974: The year of the Watergate scandal, West Germany hosting and winning a World Cup made nervous by the hostage crisis of the Olympic Games held in the same country two years earlier, the death of Juan Peron and two British general elections. It was also the last year in which Rochdale AFC last played outside the bottom division of the Football League.

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Scotland will be tenuously linked to football at the 2012 Olympic Games after artist Craig Coulthard won a commission as part of the Cultural Olympiad.Coulthard's work is called Forest Pitch and according to the Highlands and Islands Arts website:Craig Coulthard's Forest Pitch involves a football pitch hidden within a forest. Click to continue reading...

Mia Hamm of the United States has been named as ambassador for the 2011 Women's World Cup Games in Germany. The prestigious honor means that Hamm will be going around the world to represent the games and help promote women's soccer. She was named world player of the year back in 2001 and has brought home gold medals for the United States for the last two summer Olympic games.

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Scotland will be tenuously linked to football at the 2012 Olympic Games after artist Craig Coulthard won a commission as part of the Cultural Olympiad.Coulthard's work is called Forest Pitch and according to the Highlands and Islands Arts website:Craig Coulthard's Forest Pitch involves a football pitch hidden within a forest. Click to continue reading...

"Who pays the players when they're on international duty?" asks Doug.

Here in the football wilderness that is the states, I find more and more of my friends, neighbors and coworkers growing curious about the beautiful game. The "football-curious" we'll call them. And since they know me as somebody who's fanatical about the sport, they inevitably come to me when they have questions.

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After 17 WC qualifying games it all comes down to tonight.

Argentina vs Uruguay. In Montevideo.

In the legendary Centenario stadium.

With both teams needing a good result to qualify to the World Cup.

On the surface it seems that the pressure is really on Uruguay, as they need the win to qualify directly and are playing at home.

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Last week Rio de Janeiro was awarded the hosting of the 2016 Olympic Games in a close contest with Madrid, Tokyo and Chicago. All countries had brought leaders and celebrities to Copenhagen to promote their bids. The US President Barack Obama even came to promote Chicago, that nevertheless, to many people's surprise, were the first to be eliminated. Click to continue reading...

As everyone is well aware, Chicago's hopes of landing the 2016 Summer Olympic Games came crashing back to Earth last week with a thud. You can place the blame wherever you please, many people are, but you can't deny that it comes as a blow to our collective sporting ego. It's at this time that we must accept the fact that Rio simply put forth a superior bid and redouble our efforts to land the World Cup the world's largest sporting event in either 2018 or 2022.

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Parabens to Rio de Janeiro... hosts of the 2016 Olympic Games! Let's take a short break away from futbol, shall we, and celebrate... like the sexy pessoas did at Copacabana yesterday! Pele was in tears but they didn't bother to fly his best friend Romario to Copenhagen to hand him a tissue (they could've easily invited Ronaldo along too and played the 'we're a football crazy nation' card but alas, Lula knew the importance of being modest).

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I hear you, Aaron, but missing out on the Olympics is pretty bad for American soccer, especially women's soccer.
The Olympics have historically been very kind to the USWNT. Remember, the Golden Generation got their big boost from the Richard Jewell Olympics in 1996, the worst in human memory. Click to continue reading...

The International Olympic Committee is meeting today in Copenhagen, Denmark to make a final decision as to where the 2016 Summer Olympic Games will be held. The choices have been winnowed down to Madrid, Spain, Tokyo, Japan, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Chicago, Illinois in the US.

The Midwest is of course hoping for a Chicago decision as is President Barack Obama who made a last minute flight with first lady Michelle to Copenhagen where he and the first lady spoke before the IOC this morning.

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The International Olympic Committee is meeting today in Copenhagen, Denmark to make a final decision as to where the 2016 Summer Olympic Games will be held. The choices have been winnowed down to Madrid, Spain, Tokyo, Japan, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Chicago, Illinois in the US.

The Midwest is of course hoping for a Chicago decision, as is President Barack Obama who made a last minute flight with first lady Michelle to Copenhagen where he and the first lady spoke before the IOC this morning.

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Well it looks as if the Toronto FC won't be getting a jab at the MLS Cup this year. At least not after their performance against the Chicago Fire. Chicago's Brian McBride put a late 78th minute goal past the defense and into the opposing Toronto net.

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Many countries hoping to host a World Cup find themselves having to build new stadia in order to meet the strict FIFA standards. Japan, however, only need build an 80,000-seater stadium in which to hold the 2018 World Cup Final, and there are plans in place to do so. There is a problem, however - namely that the stadium will only be built if Tokyo wins its bid to host the 2016 Olympics. Click to continue reading...

Cristiano Ronaldo and superstar sprinter Usain Bolt united in a press conference announcing that they both endorsed a 2016 Madrid Olympic bid. The endorsement comes as a huge bonus for Madrid as Bolt was the star on the track at the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing.

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Barcelona have made a preliminary 4 million euro bid for Schalke's Brazilian right full-back Rafinha (23), reports Catalan daily Sport.Rafinha's relationship with Schalke's management is reportedly strained since last year's Olympic games, where they had fined him 700,000 euros for a "breach of contract", when he had returned after representing Brazil in the Olympics. Click to continue reading...

From today's training session here in scorching hot South Florida:

"My career is in Mexico, my team is in Mexico,
I have been there since I was 16 years old and now I am on the other
side with the US national team. I think it is going to be a great
game, playing against Mexico in Mexico.

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The Vancouver Whitecaps folded 1-0 to the Portland Timbers in last night's game. The Whitecaps FC were scored on at the 30 minute mark by Portland's Ryan Pore after receiving a great pass from Keita.

Vancouver Whitecaps

Vancouver slipped to 6 place in the United Soccer League 1 standings as a result of their loss.

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The Vancouver Whitecaps folded 1-0 to the Portland Timbers in last night's game. The Whitecaps FC were scored on at the 30 minute mark by Portland's Ryan Pore after receiving a great pass from Keita.

Vancouver Whitecaps

Vancouver slipped to 6 place in the United Soccer League 1 standings as a result of their loss.

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With the recent news of England's successful Rugby World Cup bid, it would appear that another part of what is fast becoming known as ‘The Golden Decade of Sport' has fallen into place. The thought of an Olympic Games and RWC may be enough to excite most sports fans, but for many the big one is still the 2018 Football World Cup bid.

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I'm convinced that if ever the Olympic Games added whinging as a sport Singapore could give the original whingers Australia a run for their money.
The Sleague is one of the top leagues in Asia without a doubt, next weekend sees Tampines Rovers take on Singapore Armed Forces in a classic first v second match that would have fans salivating in their coffee shops. Click to continue reading...

Once each month, we reprint something from long long ago...
The post below was first published in August 2008, at the very beginning of last season.
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"The Man With The Key Is Not Here".
Whenever you reach the termination of a cul-de-sac of investigative research in China, this is the statement that reveals the futility of any extra efforts on that particular line of enquiry. Click to continue reading...

July 16 marks an anniversary of sorts for Abby Wambach. One year ago tonight she broke her leg against Brazil, knocking her out of the Olympic Games. In a classic case of "time heals all wounds" Wambach is back with the USA, in her hometown, in search of a win over Canada and her 100th career international goal. Click to continue reading...

We just got word from General Manager Dave Kasper that the club has acquired 22-year old Danny Szetela via allocation. The midfielder arrived in D.C. this week and trained with the team for the first time this afternoon. He will not be available for Saturday's match, as we are still awaiting receipt of his International Transfer Certificate.

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You wouldn't know it from the absolute lack of media coverage in the UK, but the CONCACAF Gold Cup - North & Central America's equivalent of the European Championships - is currently being played out in the USA, and one of the minor surprises of the competition so far has been the progress of the Canadian national team, who have comfortably qualified for the quarter-finals with two wins from their three group matches against Jamaica and El Salvador.

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Watching the USMNT play Grenada last Saturday in the CONCACAF Gold Cup, something dawned on me. A strong core of our squad in this installment of the continental championship, played for our country at the Olympics in Beijinlist of players on roster at both competition at bottom). It's apparent that since departed Peter Nowak had a very good feel for the pulse of our young talent.

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1930 World Cup poster

The U.S.'s surprising run in the Confederations Cup is hardly the first time they have surpassed all expectations on the world stage. Their 1950 victory over England is the best-known; but in many ways, their surprising run to third place at the 1930 World Cup in Uruguay remains the most impressive achievement in the team's history, and the biggest lost opportunity to grow the game domestically.

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SBS Phil Micallef ran an interview with Daily Telegraph "newspaper" journo Phil Rothfield..one of the journo's keen to run strangely anti-football and anti-Socceroo stories in recent days.
http://www.theworldgame.com.au/australia/news-ltd-bias-what-bias-196111
Here's part of the interview, and the power of football advertisers as the Telegraph loses $60,000 in one day! Click to continue reading...

The Iraqi National soccer team has been getting allot of recognition and praise after seeing them emerge as the only representatives in the Summer Olympic Games. Since then they have been able to restructure the team and now have superstar coach Bora Milutinovic leading them.

June 14, 2009 -- Tsepo Masilela (R) of South Africa controls the ball during the opening match against Iraq at the FIFA Confederations Cup in Johannesburg, South Africa, June 14, 2009.

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The worldwide FIFA organization are petitioning the International Olympic Committee to help devise new rules regarding soccer in the Olympic games. One of the rules they are hoping to change is the baring of any player over 21 years old.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter

This they hope will help encourage young talent by giving them a platform from which to shine.

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World football's governing body FIFA has now given the green light for Great Britain to put out an all English line up for their football team in the London 2012 Olympic games. The decision to allow the host nation for the games to include a British football team in world sport's centrepiece had previously courted a great deal of controversy amongst the home nations, as the governing bodies of Nothern Ireland, Scotland and Wales had all voiced understandable concerns that the move would compromise their independent status for other international football competitions - a sentiment seemingly put forward by FIFA president Sepp Blatter. Click to continue reading...

CHICAGO (May 28, 2009) — U.S. Men's National Team assistant coach Peter Nowak has resigned from his position with U.S. Soccer to pursue other career opportunities.
Nowak served as head coach Bob Bradley's top assistant for more than two years, and led the U.S. Under-23 Men's National Team during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Click to continue reading...

For everything David Beckham has been doing for England you'd think he was the Prime Minister. Beckham teamed up with Prime Minister Gordon Brown yesterday at the Wembley Stadium to help establish a bid for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Games in London.

Is there nothing he can't do? David was also influential in bringing the Summer Olympic games to London and was even asked to show up in Beijing to accept the Olympic torch on behalf of England.

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The Canadian Soccer Association has announced today that their women's team will face the United States in a World Cup qualifying match. This will be the first time since the Olympic Games that the two countries have had to face each other.

The games will take place Sunday 19 July in Rochester, NY and Wednesday 22 July in Charleston, SC.

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