Tomorrow's game against bitter rivals Manchester United is the biggest league game at Anfield in Rafa Benitez's tenue. With all the media attention on the game, 10,000 angry Liverpool fans are planning a protest march before the game in a renewed attempt to drive co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett out of Anfield.

Click to continue reading...

Security will be heightened at Anfield on Sunday as Liverpool FC fans plan a march to protest against George Gillett and Tom Hicks' ownership of the club.
The American pair, who have come under pressure from fans' groups angry at the debt and direction of Liverpool FC, are expected to attend the Premier League clash with Manchester United. Click to continue reading...

It happens quite a lot nowadays in Liverpool. A man (or woman) walks into a room, bearing a small pin-badge on their clothing, and instantly gets the thumbs-up. The badge may be understated, but its emblem, and what it stands for, is most definitely not.
Arms outstretched, with a red scarf around his neck, Bill Shankly is captured forever in his most famous pose. Click to continue reading...

Around here we all make fun of Soccer America's Paul Gardner a fair bit. We all say he's old, or that he's "lost his fastball" or that he's been making the same point for the last 20 years. But the fact is, when he's on, he's on. Today he wrote about Eudy Simelane, a member of the South African women's soccer team and how her life came to a tragic and violent end. Click to continue reading...

Back in the good old days, before the commencement of the Barclays Premier League Asia Trophy, we produced a post on July 21st entitled "How The Rules Corrupt The Laws" (http://footballisfixed.blogspot.com/2009/07/how-rules-corrupt-laws.html).
In the article, we suggested how the Laws of the Game are being contorted by the fake implementation of New Rules that allow too much control to the match officials, particularly the Referee and the 4th Official. Click to continue reading...

STARTERS
Aaaaahhhh, the MJ tribute shirt. So special. Get yours today from The Onion Bag. I dare you to wear it. (thanks to ADSL for this one)
TEAM USA GOLD CUP
Group Stage Matchday 2:
-Wed Jul 8
USA 2-0 Honduras - USA goals by Santino Quaranta & Brian Ching. Click to continue reading...

STARTERS
Landon Donovan On if the USA's run in the tournament gained respect for U.S. Soccer: "... we're at the point where we don't want respect, we want to win."
CONFEDERATIONS CUP SOUTH AFRICA 2009
Final match:
-Sun Jun 28
USA 2-3 Brazil - USA goals by Clint Dempsey & Landon Donovan. Click to continue reading...

No Heart? I'm All Heart Mother...

*As the U.S. National Team attempts to qualify for the World Cup in 2010, I will write a series of pieces concentrating on the style, or lack of it, of American soccer. See the other three here and here and here.

Lucky? Yeah. Holy shit, yeah.

Click to continue reading...

On mlsnet.com, MLS Commissioner Don Garber sort of has a blog called "The Commissioner Speaks" where he talks directly to MLS fans. I say he sort of has a blog because Garber has only written 8 posts. In more than a year. In his defense, he appears to be blogging up a storm lately with three posts going up in a little more than a month.

Click to continue reading...

Maybe soccer games can never truly live up to their hype. The whirring factory of the sport won't let that happen. Before a game with weeks of buildup can settle in our memory, we have more championships to follow, transfer rumors to process, and international competitions to prepare for. The momentum of the sport turns with the globe.

Click to continue reading...

Maybe soccer games can never truly live up to their hype. The whirring factory of the sport won't let that happen. Before a game with weeks of buildup can settle in our memory, we have more championships to follow, transfer rumors to process, and international competitions to prepare for. The momentum of the sport turns with the globe.

Click to continue reading...

If there has been one team in recent times that has shown that the age of the man-marker is not dead, it was the Greek side that carried off an extraordinary triumph at Euro 2004.
It was a triumph for underdog fanciers rather than lovers of the beautiful game, admittedly. Otto Rehhagel's men won few points for style, and indeed Paul Gardner, World Soccer's resident frother-at-the-mouth, has made the 2004 Greeks into the footballing devil incarnate, frequently using them as the topic of his monotonous tirades. Click to continue reading...

Part One of a Series on Style in American Soccer

*As the U.S. National Team attempts to qualify for the World Cup in 2010, I will write a series of pieces concentrating on the style, or lack of it, of American soccer.

As far as I can tell we've been "developing" a style in American soccer for the last century.

Click to continue reading...