Arsenal striker Robin Van Persie could miss three months or more of the English Premier League season after suffering torn ankle ligaments during the Netherlands 0-0 tie vs. Italy on Saturday.

Van Persie injured his right ankle after a hard challenge by Italy and Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini just 15 minutes into the friendly.

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Arsenal striker Robin Van Persie could miss three months or more of the English Premier League season after suffering torn ankle ligaments during the Netherlands 0-0 tie vs. Italy on Saturday.

Van Persie injured his right ankle after a hard challenge by Italy and Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini just 15 minutes into the friendly.

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By NESTOR F. SEBASTIAN

It's been all business in the Uruguayan and Costa Rican camps this week, ahead of their first-leg playoff match at San Jose's Saprissa stadium, with no bulletin-board material or off-key quotes to rile each other up.

Instead, it's generally been a pleasant environment for players, media corps and managers, both of whom have praised each other's squad's games and achievements but have also divulged very little information on their respective teams' workouts.

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Call it Rafa's Last Stand.

When Manchester United travels to Anfield on Sunday to take on Liverpool, the defending EPL champions will have a very real chance of beating the struggling Reds and pushing Rafa Benitez one step closer to the exit door.

Liverpool has already lost four matches this year in the EPL, and dropped more points in Champions League at mid-week, making Sunday's match a virtual must-win for the under-fire Spanish manager.

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Call it Rafa's Last Stand.

When Manchester United travels to Anfield on Sunday to take on Liverpool, the defending EPL champions will have a very real chance of beating the struggling Reds and pushing Rafa Benitez one step closer to the exit door.

Liverpool has already lost four matches this year in the EPL, and dropped more points in Champions League at mid-week, making Sunday's match a virtual must-win for the under-fire Spanish manager.

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                                                Photo by ISIphotos.com

By KILLIAN O'CONNOR

As Argentina stands on the brink of failure to qualify for the World Cup, former striker Claudio Lopez looks on in disbelief.

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By NESTOR F. SEBASTIAN

Wednesday marks the final round of South America's World Cup qualifying action and all eyes will be on the masterpiece of a match in Montevideo, where Uruguay plays host to Argentina in a "battle of life and death," as one top player put it.

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By NESTOR F. SEBASTIAN

When all is said and done next week following the conclusion of South America's two-year marathon of World Cup qualifying, fans everywhere will have witnessed one of the most exciting conclusions the continent's federation has ever produced since its decision more than a decade ago to switch to a home-and-away format for all 10 nations.

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By NESTOR F. SEBASTIAN

When all is said and done next week following the conclusion of South America's two-year marathon of World Cup qualifying, fans everywhere will have witnessed one of the most exciting conclusions the continent's federation has ever produced since its decision more than a decade ago to switch to a home-and-away format for all 10 nations.

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While Chelsea-Liverpool will draw much of the attention from American soccer fans who love European soccer, today's schedule of matches also features Real Madrid's first true test of the season.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Co. take on Sevilla in a battle of top La Liga sides. Real Madrid is unbeaten and untested, but will have a chance to prove that it is ready to challenge Barcelona for the La Liga crown today.

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While Chelsea-Liverpool will draw much of the attention from American soccer fans who love European soccer, today's schedule of matches also features Real Madrid's first true test of the season.

Real Madrid take on Sevilla in a battle of top La Liga sides. Real Madrid is unbeaten and untested this season, but will have a chance to prove that it is ready to challenge Barcelona for the La Liga crown today.

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As most soccer fans are know, there was South American FIFA World Cup 2010 qualification action last night. As with any South American soccer games, the babes were out in full force. Here's a look at some of them from the Brazil Chile meeting in Salvador and the Paraguay Argentina matchup in Asuncion. Click to continue reading...

With a loaded slate of World Cup qualifiers across the globe, it's time to start talking about today's action.

Whether it's the pivotal European qualifiers, or the vital South American and CONCACAF qualifiers, there are important games galore, starting this afternoon. If you will be watching any of today's action, please feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below.

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With a loaded slate of World Cup qualifiers across the globe, it's time to start talking about today's action.

Whether it's the pivotal European qualifiers, or the vital South American and CONCACAF qualifiers, there are important games galore, starting this afternoon. If you will be watching any of today's action, please feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below.

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By NESTOR F. SEBASTIAN

Just when the dust has settled on one of the more memorable rounds in South American World Cup qualifying, up come another round of matches that will surely have fans in euphoria or depression at the end of Wednesday night.
A wounded Argentina, a reignited Colombia, a desperate Ecuador, a shocked Uruguay and a nervous Venezuela are battling for the final two spots in CONMEBOL's qualifying table with Brazil already qualified and Paraguay and Chile all but assured of a spot in South Africa next year.

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The 2010 World Cup is still ten months away but today's matches will go a long way in determining which teams will be competing in the event.

World Cup qualifiers from Europe to South America, Asia to North America, headline today's action. You have high-profile match-ups like Brazil-Argentina and Denmark-Portugal, and great CONCACAF match-ups like USA-El Salvador and Mexico-Costa Rica.

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The 2010 World Cup is still ten months away but today's matches will go a long way in determining which teams will be competing in the event.

World Cup qualifiers from Europe to South America, Asia to North America, headline today's action. You have high-profile match-ups like Brazil-Argentina and Denmark-Portugal, and great CONCACAF match-ups like USA-El Salvador and Mexico-Costa Rica.

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A full slate of World Cup qualifying matches will kick off around the world on Saturday and no match will have more international interest than Brazil vs. Argentina.

Argentina finds itself in the improbable position of fourth place in the South American World Cup qualifying, just a spot away from missing out on automatically qualifying for the 2010 World Cup.

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Today's menu of soccer matches on TV may not be as loaded with marquee match-ups as Saturday's, but there are great games nonetheless. From England to France to Spain, there are matches with intriguing sub-plots and stars to see.

Bordeaux-Marseille, Roma-Juventus and Valencia Sevilla are just a few of the quality encounters on tap today, as well as a good MLS showdown between Houston and Colorado.

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Today's menu of soccer matches on TV may not be as loaded with marquee match-ups as Saturday's, but there are great games nonetheless. From England to France to Spain, there are matches with intriguing sub-plots and stars to see.

Bordeaux-Marseille, Roma-Juventus and Valencia Sevilla are just a few of the quality encounters on tap today, as well as a good MLS showdown between Houston and Colorado.

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You've waited all summer for European club soccer to come back into full swing and this weekend is that first weekend when all the top leagues are in action.

Not only are all the leagues you love playing, but there are also juicy match-ups galore, from Man Utd-Arsenal to AC Milan-Inter Milan to Bayern Munich Wolfsburg to tonight's MLS showdown between the LA Galaxy and Chivas USA.

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You've waited all summer for European club soccer to come back into full swing and this weekend is that first weekend when all the top leagues are in action.

Not only are all the leagues you love playing, but there are also juicy match-ups galore, from Man Utd-Arsenal to AC Milan-Inter Milan to Bayern Munich Wolfsburg to tonight's MLS showdown between the LA Galaxy and Chivas USA.

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Dan Loney weighs in with what I figured out long ago. I can boil his post down to a single sentence.

MLS has found a way to make money from people who hate MLS.

And that's pretty much the point of Soccer United Marketing's existence. Quite honestly, it's the answer to keeping MLS afloat and prosperous in the long term. Click to continue reading...

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The Chicago Fire moved one step closer to silverware on Wednesday night, riding a Cuauhtemoc Blanco free kick to knock off the New England Revolution, 2-1, in the SuperLiga semifinals.

The victory means the Fire will now face Mexican side Tigres in the SuperLiga final. Tigres defeated Santos Laguna, 3-2, in the second semifinal at Gillette Stadium.

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The Chicago Fire moved one step closer to silverware on Wednesday night, riding a Cuauhtemoc Blanco free kick to knock off the New England Revolution, 2-1, in the SuperLiga semifinals.

The victory means the Fire will now face Mexican side Tigres in the SuperLiga final. Tigres defeated Santos Laguna, 3-2, in the second semifinal at Gillette Stadium.

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                                                                 Photo by ISIphotos.com

In case you didn't know, the Beckham Circus has arrived in the New York area, and while there isn't exactly the type of buzz that existed during his first visit to the area with the Galaxy, there's still some excitement in the air.

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By NESTOR F. SEBASTIAN

South America will see its Copa Libertadores finalists determined this week when the second legs of the semifinals are sorted out with Club Nacional of Montevideo, Uruguay hosting Argentina's Estudiantes de la Plata in the first match-up tonight while tomorrow's all-Brazilian affair has Gremio welcoming Cruzeiro.

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By NESTOR F. SEBASTIAN

South America will see its Copa Libertadores finalists determined this week when the second legs of the semifinals are sorted out with Club Nacional of Montevideo, Uruguay hosting Argentina's Estudiantes de la Plata in the first match-up tonight while tomorrow's all-Brazilian affair has Gremio welcoming Cruzeiro.

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It is a somewhat light day of soccer on the international calendar, as the Confederations Cup resumes and African World Cup qualifying takes center stage.

There will be a running commentary post for today's MLS action beginning at 4pm, so look out for that, but if you are following the international front (or South American soccer), feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below.

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It is a somewhat light day of soccer on the international calendar, as the Confederations Cup resumes and African World Cup qualifying takes center stage.

There will be a running commentary post for today's MLS action beginning at 4pm, so look out for that, but if you are following the international front (or South American soccer), feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below.

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By NESTOR F. SEBASTIAN

Copa Libertadores returns to action and its semifinalists will be determined this week as the second legs of he quarterfinals get underway this week with all four matches pretty tight, making the away-goal rule crucial. Brazil has a great chance of having a champion with four of its representatives in the final eight, which would give it its first title since 2006 when Internacional won it.

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By NESTOR F. SEBASTIAN

Copa Libertadores returns to action and its semifinalists will be determined this week as the second legs of he quarterfinals get underway this week with all four matches pretty tight, making the away-goal rule crucial. Brazil has a great chance of having a champion with four of its representatives in the final eight, which would give it its first title since 2006 when Internacional won it.

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By NESTOR F. SEBASTIAN

With four rounds left, and after almost three years of home-and-away matches among the 10-nation pool of countries in South America, the dust is closely settling on who will make it to South Africa next year and who will stay home and watch it on TV----and there's been little surprise at the outcome.

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By NESTOR F. SEBASTIAN

With four rounds left, and after almost three years of home-and-away matches among the 10-nation pool of countries in South America, the dust is closely settling on who will make it to South Africa next year and who will stay home and watch it on TV----and there's been little surprise at the outcome.

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World Cup qualifying kicks off around the world today as the pressure to qualify for the 2010 World Cup grows and teams start securing their places in the 32-team field.

There are always surprises in qualifying, which makes the matches that much more exciting and unpredictable. Consider that Argentina sits in fourth place in CONMEBOL qualifying while Portugal and Sweden stand in danger of not even qualifying for the tournament.

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