A late withdrawal prompted changes to two Men's Over-30 groups and the schedule for Madison United's 19th annual President's Cup indoor soccer tournament, which is next weekend at BreakAway Sports Center in Madison and Keva Sports Center in Middleton.

The St. Charles Celtics pulled out of the event and were replaced by Madison-area team Galaxy.

Anticipation is building after January served up a nice set of appetizers for the season to come, both for MLS and the US National Team. We begin with Klinsmann's first go-round at Camp Cupcake, the annual January gathering of the "best of the rest" in the USMNT pool...

One-Nil to the USMNT

Results were slow to arrive early in Klinsmann's tenure as USA boss, but a pair of 1-0 wins (home to Venuzuela and on the road in Panama) sees him start 2012 with an unblemished record.

Mike Ashley wants a major revamp of Newcastle United so that the club can compete with the best clubs in Europe over the next few years. Mike Ashley - will invest even more in youth development It seems that Newcastle will add to their first team pool big time in the summer, and that's not too surprising, with [.

Likely starters

There's a trip to Bolton looming in midweek, where we'll continue our climb up the league table in search of that Champions League spot. But first there's the matter of the FA Cup to deal with. A small matter or a big matter? Depends on the individuals. Arsene Wenger loves a bit of this competition but not over qualification to Europe's premier competition.

Including both diving and synchronized swimming.

His name is Narcisse Ekanga, and there is a pool of water near him or all around him, rather. There's also a rounding of the football gods cursing him with some really bad karma for the rest of AFCON.

There's actually a very real chance he was hurt on the landing after a genuine attempt to escape injury.

The forward class in the 2012 MLS Combine is an intriguing one, as teams try to figure out who the top strikers will be on the board once Akron star Darren Mattocks is taken, as expected, with the first or second pick in the draft.

Three of the most likely candidates to go early from the forward pool are UCLA product Chandler Hoffman (pictured), Maryland standout Casey Townsend and South Florida star Dom Dwyer.

Pool to land Reds starlet

Blackpool have agreed a deal to sign Liverpool defender Danny Wilson on loan until the end of the season.

View the full story here: Sky Sports

A news article on 2011-12-31 14:09:32 from: Sky Sports

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United States Under-23 coach Caleb Porter has been a star here in the US at the collegiate level, and is now charged with the responsibilities of managing the US Olympic team. His goals are not only to qualify for the Olympics, but also to help develop a nucleus that will compete for the US in the 2014 World Cup.

The day after a match typically means a regeneration session for players that involves some version of hydrotherapy, which usually takes place pool workout. After all, pools are usually the most accessible for a team, especially one on the road. But if there happens to be water nearby ...
And so it was that the U-23 team found themselves on the beach in Sarasota, doing stretching and other exercises in the Gulf of Mexico.

McLeish: Aston Villa must improve squad depth before we can compete

Pool of talent available to Liverpool incomparable to situation at Villa Park bemoans boss

View the full story here: Talksport

A news article on 2011-12-18 17:23:38 from: Talksport

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Shelvey praises Pool duo

Jonjo Shelvey has hailed Blackpool manager Ian Holloway and Barry Ferguson after finishing his loan spell at the Championship side.

View the full story here: Sky Sports

A news article on 2011-12-06 16:28:30 from: Sky Sports

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Everton vs Stoke 0-1 Highlights 2011 December Robert Huth Goal Video is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter

Everton vs Stoke 0-1 Highlights 2011 December Robert Huth Goal Video is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter Everton vs Stoke 2011 ( Everton Stoke 2011 video below) Score and result:- Everton vs Stoke 0-1 ( Robert Huth) Goodison Park, L'Pool- 4 December, 2011- Sunday German defender Robert Huth nets a [.

1) Big changes coming to officiating system. #MLS has proposed using foreign referees, one source tells me.

2) #MLS ref Terry Vaughn dismissed from USSF full-time program. Performance based. Only Salazar, Toledo remain. Vaughn still in general pool

http://www.

Major League Soccer announced the full 18 team protected list prior to the November 23 expansion draft, listing players exempt from selection during the festivities. The Montreal Impact will then have the option to select 10 players from the available pool to put on their roster for the 2012 MLS season, which I'll talk about in my next entry.

Wait, what???

Seeing Red

Well color me surprised. It seemed that this bit of business was all done and dusted last month. Now comes the revaluation that Seyi Ojo has, in fact, agreed a deal to join Liverpool. The 14-year old deemed that his future would be better served on Merseyside, hence the change of heart.

Already missing Liverpool's two latest matches due to a calf injury, Jamie Carrager, is working hard to get fit again during the current international break, so he can be available for the Reds as soon as possible.

Carragher revealed that this week he still needs to work with the physios but the veteran defender is hoping that he can get back to normal training next weekend so he can be available for Pool's next match against Chelsea.

Bem-vindo to Day 3 of Selecao Bootcamp! These Brazilian caras are still in Libreville, Gabon where they're scheduled to play a friendly as part of the inauguration of the newly-built 'Friendship stadium' below today. As we mentioned, the guys have been training hard and Menezes just announced his starting line-up with Hulk and Jonas leading the attack today.

Liverpool's hopes of progressing to the NextGen Series knockout stage have been given a major boost after Wolfsburg were held to a 3-3 draw by Molde on Wednesday night.
The result means the German side finish Group 2 on six points, one adrift of the Reds who currently occupy the second qualification spot.

Two members of D.C. United, Ethan White and Perry Kitchen, have been named to the roster for the U.S. Under-23 camp.

Men's National Team head coach Caleb Porter has named 31 players to the roster for the upcoming training camp in Duisburg, Germany, which also features several players who are age-eligible for the U.

Creating The World Record for Longest Football Fan Scarf - AFR x FIFA 12

However rational or irrational, the dream of diving into a pool filled with a substance of your liking seems to be fairly universal.

MLS has just officially announced details for the 2012 MLS SuperDraft. Those of you who were with us prior to this season's beginnings will remember that that's where the Timbers acquired Darlington Nagbe.

This year's event will kick off on January 12th, 2012 and will be hosted by Kansas City.

Image Credit: Ben Keller / dcunited.com.

You know an MLS game is a thriller when even we are compelled to find an illegal live feed of the action.

We know it's not much of a consolation prize for a large and vocal pool of American soccer fans, but here's a gratuitous shot of the team's youngish manager, Ben Olsen.

By Chris Wright

Exactly what it says on the tin, all of R9′s goals for Barca, Real, Inter and Milan in the space of 14 glorious minutes...

Just so you know, Pies may be a little slow today as I put my back out yesterday and it's so painful that it hurts to type and it's actually making me vomit intermittently.

Liverpool may still be considered by many as potential title challenger this season but according to their new star, Luis Suarez, at the moment it's very unlikely for his team to challenge for the league title.

Suarez admitted that the strength of two Manchester clubs alongside Chelsea are a bit further than other teams in the premier league including the Pool, who are still sitting at fifth place in the league table with 13 points.

Shelvey hails Pool debut

On-loan Liverpool midfielder Jonjo Shelvey has hailed his Blackpool debut as 'perfect'.

View the full story here: Sky Sports

A news article on 2011-10-03 12:51:21 from: Sky Sports

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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.

England defeated neighbors Scotland 16-12 to advance to the quarter-finals of the Rugby World Cup in Auckland, New Zealand on Saturday. Two penalties and a drop-goal from Jonny Wilkinson along with a late try from Chris Ashton gave England the win and first place in Pool B of the tournament. The Scots must now hope [.

Defending champions South Africa defeated a brave Samoa side 13-5 in both teams' final Pool D match of the 2011 Rugby World Cup. The result sees Samoa exit the competition with a record of two wins and two losses. (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) {return;} js = d.

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 [.

What a difference a goal makes! that could stand as a headline to the game against Pool at Anfield yesterday. Football is soo much a game played in the head, apart from with the feet and the rest of the body. Wolves started the best and showed no fear at all the first ten minutes [...]

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 [...]

South Africa crushed regional rivals Namibia 87-0 their 2011 Rugby World Cup 2011 Pool D meeting in Auckland on Thursday. Bryan Habana became the Springbok's all-time leading try when his score in the 23rd minute of the match game took his all-time total to 39. Gio Aplon and Juan de Jongh scored two tries apiece [.

NBA players will soon start missing paychecks due to the lockout. How will players who are living paycheck to paycheck make ends meet? Enter Kobe Bryant. According to Billy Hunter, the players association president, Kobe Bryant is willing to loan money to needy players.

"I know Kobe is intimately involved in interfacing with colleagues and sharing in a pool of revenue to help the others get through this," said Hunter.

The United Soccer League's (USL) PRO division Twitter account tweeted today that the Harrisburg City Islanders' goalkeeper Chase Harrison will train with the Philadelphia Union this week.

Harrison training with the team possibly signals that current back up Thorne Holder was injured during the Union's 2-1 Reserve League loss to the Columbus Crew.

To say Charlie Adams wanted to get tossed out of this game was an understatement. Two yellows in the first 30 minutes saw 'pool go down a man and then another sending off for Liverpool in Skrtel saw Spurs crank up the screws. Modric scored early and then it was all cruise control as Spurs go on to win 4-0 with a brace from Adebayor.

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 [.

Are they the best?

In his last post, Jacques posed an interesting question:

Is it acceptable/effective to select experienced players with incomplete skill sets and little tactical malleability? Or, is the system Klinsmann seeks to implement better served by selecting players with less pedigree but with skill sets better suited to succeed in a possession based system?

Jurgen has some work to do.When the US Men's National Team took on Belgium, it was yet another learning experience. The team was coming off a 1-0 loss against Costa Rica and was hoping to improve on the performance. They did not. The Americans fell 1-0 to a remarkably powerful Belgium side. Still, there were several things I noticed throughout this match and really over the past two matches.

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 [.

The new season in Malta is just about to begin, and Paul Grech is here to tell us all about what we can expect there over the next few months.

When a league changes format, heated debate and criticism is likely to follow. When the rules are changed midway through a season, you can also throw in a significant element of suspicion over what the motives for such a change might be.