Monday, September 30, 2013
Should the NCAA Tournament Be More Like the UEFA Champions League?
Early Details On Orlando?s Stadium
Posted in MLSMLS Expansion
The�Orlando Sentinel was able to get their hands on some early stadium proposals.�In the works is a�deal�for an $85 million stadium, with $30 million coming from the team. The money continues to get discussed but it appears that things are slowly shaping up to get this city a new stadium. Here is what the team […]The post Early Details On Orlando’s Stadium appeared first on WVHooligan.com - MLS Blog.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/WVHooligan/~3/wrUu9NR8dlY/
St. Louis Set To Get Expansion Team?In USL-Pro
Posted in MLSMLS ExpansionUSL
Could the Gateway City finally be getting a pro team to call their own? It certainly appears that they are. Andrew Haines, principal owner of the St. Louis Ambush in the USL?s Major Indoor Soccer League, and Tony Glavin, owner of St. Louis Lions in the USL?s Premier Development League, are working together to start […]The post St. Louis Set To Get Expansion Team…In USL-Pro appeared first on WVHooligan.com - MLS Blog.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/WVHooligan/~3/V-e-s62aZ4M/
Schadenfreude, Thy Name Is Sergio Ramos
Source: http://www.davesfootballblog.com/post/2011/04/21/schadenfreude-thy-name-is-sergio-ramos/
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Football Is Still What We Make It
Source: http://www.davesfootballblog.com/post/2011/08/09/football-is-still-what-we-make-it/
Must-Read of the Day: Hacking the NFL
Source: http://www.davesfootballblog.com/post/2011/02/16/must-read-of-the-day-hacking-the-nfl/
2013 MLS Season, Week 30: Weekend Outlook
Posted in MLS
We’re really getting down to crunch time here in Major League Soccer. Just a few weeks left on the regular season with all 10 playoff spots still to play for today. MLS heads into another busy weekend, starting today with a big game in Portland. 1. Is any lead in the standings safe?�Right now, no. […]The post 2013 MLS Season, Week 30: Weekend Outlook appeared first on WVHooligan.com - MLS Blog.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/WVHooligan/~3/aNmBZOtlt4M/
Euro 2012: Czechs and Greece Advance, Group of Death on Tap
Must-Read of the Day: Hacking the NFL
Source: http://www.davesfootballblog.com/post/2011/02/16/must-read-of-the-day-hacking-the-nfl/
Nike USA Centennial Collection
As you may have seen earlier today, Nike has released a brand new jersey to celebrate 100 years of U.S. soccer. In addition to the jersey, Nike has also released some other great looking products as part of its USA Centennial Collection. Since we?ve already taken a look at the jersey, we are now going…
The post Nike USA Centennial Collection appeared first on SoccerProse.com.
Source: http://soccerprose.com/product-reviews/nike-usa-centennial-collection/
Saturday, September 28, 2013
The Beginner?s Guide to Aussie Rules, 2011 Edition
Source: http://www.davesfootballblog.com/post/2011/03/21/the-beginners-guide-to-aussie-rules-2011-edition/
FIFA 14 Gets First Patch
Although FIFA 14 isn’t officially out yet, EA SPORTS have released the first patch for it, which comes in at 22MB. The new patch comes�addressing stability issues found in the closed beta and minor fixes to a couple game mode (Skill Games, Creation Centre) items (Thanks to Community Manager�Chukwuma Morah�on the forums). They have also [...]
The post FIFA 14 Gets First Patch appeared first on FIFA Soccer Blog.
Source: http://fifasoccerblog.com/blog/fifa-14-gets-first-patch/
New Video Shows Drake Promoting FIFA 14
FIFA 14 is officially out today and we have a new cool video featuring music sensation, Drake. Drake also features in the official TV advert for FIFA 14 and this new video sees him promote FIFA 14 whilst also talking about his love for the game. Enjoy the video and let us know your thoughts [...]
The post New Video Shows Drake Promoting FIFA 14 appeared first on FIFA Soccer Blog.
Source: http://fifasoccerblog.com/blog/new-video-shows-drake-promoting-fifa-14/
Selecting A Name For World Cup 2014?s Official Armadillo
FIFA says the three [...]
Friday, September 27, 2013
France?s Whistle Blowing Fortune
Source: http://www.worldcupblog.org/world-football/frances-whistle-blowing-fortune.html
More Than A Slogan: Eric Abidal and FC Barcelona
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BarcelonaFootballBlog/~3/TwVOdQ3g-T8/
FIFA 14 Gets First Patch
Although FIFA 14 isn’t officially out yet, EA SPORTS have released the first patch for it, which comes in at 22MB. The new patch comes�addressing stability issues found in the closed beta and minor fixes to a couple game mode (Skill Games, Creation Centre) items (Thanks to Community Manager�Chukwuma Morah�on the forums). They have also [...]
The post FIFA 14 Gets First Patch appeared first on FIFA Soccer Blog.
Source: http://fifasoccerblog.com/blog/fifa-14-gets-first-patch/
Fabregas and Tevez should get on with it
A summer without a major football tournament is always a difficult one to bear. The only major sporting event to fill your time is Wimbledon, and even the novelty of that wears off after a week. With no matches to satisfy our football fix we have to be content with transfer rumours. The internet has [...]
Source: http://www.footballnewsblog.co.uk/premiership/fabregas-and-tevez-should-get-on-with-it/
2013 MLS Season, Week 30: Weekend Outlook
Posted in MLS
We’re really getting down to crunch time here in Major League Soccer. Just a few weeks left on the regular season with all 10 playoff spots still to play for today. MLS heads into another busy weekend, starting today with a big game in Portland. 1. Is any lead in the standings safe?�Right now, no. […]The post 2013 MLS Season, Week 30: Weekend Outlook appeared first on WVHooligan.com - MLS Blog.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/WVHooligan/~3/aNmBZOtlt4M/
Rodgers targets top six before reinforcing in January
Rodgers targets top six before reinforcing in January - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers wants his side to remain within top six around Christmas, before making incursions in the winter transfer window to further bolster the squad and give necessary ammunition for a top-four fight till the end of the …
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From Soccerlens.com - Football News
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/soccerlens/~3/56DgclDjgPU/
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Nike USA Centennial Collection
As you may have seen earlier today, Nike has released a brand new jersey to celebrate 100 years of U.S. soccer. In addition to the jersey, Nike has also released some other great looking products as part of its USA Centennial Collection. Since we?ve already taken a look at the jersey, we are now going…
The post Nike USA Centennial Collection appeared first on SoccerProse.com.
Source: http://soccerprose.com/product-reviews/nike-usa-centennial-collection/
Our Own Private CONMEBOL
Source: http://www.davesfootballblog.com/post/2011/06/06/our-own-private-conmebol/
Di Canio, Mourinho and Wenger: ?Change? a hard concept for the ?unchangeable?
Di Canio, Mourinho and Wenger: ?Change? a hard concept for the ?unchangeable? - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
The career of a professional footballer is a brief one, and within the pressured confines of a top flight league, change is a familiar constant. Some players adapt to change seamlessly, while some find transition much harder; the same can …
Read More
From Soccerlens.com - Football News
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/soccerlens/~3/W92B1W_gJRM/
adidas Real Madrid Anthem Jacket Review
Adidas have just released more apparel for all your Galalcticos fans out there and we’ve been lucky enough to get first hand look at one piece of it, the Real Madrid Anthem jacket. Now this jacket is inspired by the colors and designs that are important to the club and its history, namely, white and…
The post adidas Real Madrid Anthem Jacket Review appeared first on SoccerProse.com.
Source: http://soccerprose.com/soccer-fans/adidas-real-madrid-anthem-jacket-review/
Sepp Blatter says Qatar World Cup ?may well be? a mistake, bemoans European imperialism to distract from FIFA imperialism
The 2022 World Cup is still scheduled to be hosted by Qatar and that still doesn't make much sense. The summer heat in Qatar remains the headlining reason behind the possibility of moving the World Cup to the winter months, but more important social and ethical matters continue to lurk in the background. And though FIFA president Sepp Blatter is now admitting that the decision to let Qatar host might be a mistake, it's somehow going to happen and imperialistic Europeans are somehow to blame.
From Blatter's interview with Inside World Football:
I believe that the World Cup should be awarded to a nation that really, really wants to host it, a nation that has the financial means to do it without neglecting other societal obligations, and a nation where the national football federation can determine when it is the best time to play the game. Frankly, if we automatically exclude potential hosts because of the weather, then the next step can easily be exclusion for other arbitrary and discriminatory reasons. I am not going to be party to any such thing....
Sepp Blatter will not be a party to discrimination! Unless it's against homosexuals and it's happening in Qatar. Also, "neglecting other societal obligations" apparently does not include building stadiums with slave labor.
... but Mr Blatter, your ExCo knew full well, already on December 10, 2010, that a summer World Cup would be impossible to be hosted in Qatar's scorching summer...
JSB:... that may well be so, and it may well be that we made a mistake at the time. On the other hand, you must also consider political and geo-political realities. The World Cup is FIFA's biggest if not only global event. Who are we, the Europeans, to demand that this event has to cater to the needs of 800 million Europeans above all, when there are over 7 billion people who populate this planet and of who 6.2 billion are not European, but who must at all times succumb to our diktat?
I think it is high time that Europe starts to understand that we do not rule the world anymore, and that some former European imperial powers can no longer impress their will on to others in far away places, and we must accept that football has moved away from being a European and South American sport: it has become the World Sport that billions of fans are excitedly following every week, everywhere in the world.
Yes, how dare those 800 million Europeans believe that they make up a large segment of the football watching public? Clearly the only fair response was to award the 2022 World Cup to a handful of super wealthy sheikhs who rule a country of two million people. That will show those Europeans who can really impress their will on others in far away places these days (hint: it's the super wealthy sheikhs and the corrupt FIFA executives and corporate sponsors).
But it's not European imperialism that is the true concern here, it's FIFA imperialism. They're the ones imposing the unforgiving will of their sponsors on countries all over the world under a large cloud of corruption. Countries that want to host the World Cup are forced to build and renovate stadiums that become a financial drain as soon as FIFA leaves (see: South Africa), the poor are forcibly evicted from their homes to make way for the corporate circus and public funding is misappropriated to serve FIFA, who reap the majority of the profits. In Brazil the people have made it clear that they don't want the World Cup, but FIFA is giving it to them anyway. And they doing it under the mantra of "FIFA cannot be held responsible" for their problems.
At this point, pointing out the hypocrisy and faulty logic in what Sepp Blatter says is a complete waste of time. He says whatever he wants, FIFA does whatever it wants and they all get away with everything. Until that changes, this passage from Bret Easton Ellis' American Psycho seems fitting:
??there is an idea of a Patrick Bateman, some kind of abstraction, but there is no real me, only an entity, something illusory, and though I can hide my cold gaze and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable: I simply am not there. It is hard for me to make sense on any given level. Myself is fabricated, an aberration. I am a noncontingent human being. My personality is sketchy and unformed, my heartlessness goes deep and is persistent. My conscience, my pity, my hopes disappeared a long time ago (probably at Harvard) if they ever did exist. There are no more barriers to cross. All I have in common with the uncontrollable and the insane, the vicious and the evil, all the mayhem I have caused and my utter indifference toward it, I have now surpassed. I still, though, hold on to one single bleak truth: no one is safe, nothing is redeemed. Yet I am blameless. Each model of human behavior must be assumed to have some validity. Is evil something you are? Or is it something you do? My pain is constant and sharp and I do not hope for a better world for anyone. In fact, I want my pain to be inflicted on others. I want no one to escape. But even after admitting this?and I have countless times, in just about every act I?ve committed?and coming face-to-face with these truths, there is no catharsis. I gain no deeper knowledge about myself, no new understanding can be extracted from my telling. There has been no reason for me to tell you any of this. This confession has meant nothing?.?
For more on the Qatar World Cup, read Philippe Auclair's excellent three-part report for Eurosport: A crisis of FIFA's own making, Football in denial over winter World Cup upheaval, and The human cost of a Qatar World Cup
Landon Donovan starts against Mexico with an eye infection, scores anyway
Proving his commitment to the U.S. team after his sabbatical earlier in the year, Landon Donovan started Tuesday night's mega-hyped World Cup qualifier against Mexico with a fairly nasty looking eye infection. According to ESPN's Roger Bennett, Donovan shied away from TV cameras the day before the match, presumably to keep from scaring the children.
After losing Michael Bradley to injury and Jozy Altidore, Geoff Cameron and Matt Besler to yellow card suspensions before/during last Friday's 3-1 loss to Costa Rica, the U.S. couldn't afford to be without anymore key players. So, Donovan and his gunky eyeball had to play on. It remains unclear how he contracted the eye infection, though. But anyone who has seen Knocked Up knows how that sort of thing usually happens.
We'll see if the fear of it being contagious helps him cut through the Mexican defense.
UPDATE: Apparently it did. Donovan scored in the 78th minute to make it 2-0.
2013 MLS Season, Week 30: Weekend Outlook
Posted in MLS
We’re really getting down to crunch time here in Major League Soccer. Just a few weeks left on the regular season with all 10 playoff spots still to play for today. MLS heads into another busy weekend, starting today with a big game in Portland. 1. Is any lead in the standings safe?�Right now, no. […]The post 2013 MLS Season, Week 30: Weekend Outlook appeared first on WVHooligan.com - MLS Blog.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/WVHooligan/~3/aNmBZOtlt4M/
Here?s the moment Michael Bradley hurt his ankle and proved that he?s the U.S.?s most important player
Michael Bradley is the U.S. national team's most important player. He's proven this time and time again with his stellar and often under-appreciated play in midfield, but only in his absence have more people realized this.
When Bradley took one more shot at the end of warm-ups before Friday's match in Costa Rica, he rolled his ankle. As you can see in the picture below, it wasn't pretty. But the impact it had on the game proved to be even uglier for the U.S.
Bradley had to be pulled from the starting XI and Geoff Cameron was thrown on in his place. Even with Clint Dempsey and Landon "This is the Best I've Ever Played" Donovan starting together for the first time in over a year, Costa Rica still won 3-1 ? slapping the U.S. with two goals in the first nine minutes and snapping that team record 12-match winning streak.
Bradley's absence was felt hard and everyone from novice fans to his teammates knew it. From Sports Illustrated:
"[Losing Bradley] isn't an excuse, but it hurts," said Landon Donovan. "This team is in large part built around Michael, and in my opinion he and Clint [Dempsey] have been the two most influential players over the last few years. That hurts. You lose a leader, you lose a good player, you lose a lot of stability, but that doesn't account for how we started and how we played. We still had to do a better job."
With Bradley on crutches, he has already been ruled out of Tuesday's grudge match against Mexico on Tuesday. The official line is only that he has a sprained ankle.
As Cameron proved against Costa Rica, replacing Bradley isn't something that can be done on five minutes' notice. But with a few days to adjust before facing an opponent that followed up their loss on Friday night by sacking their manager, it shouldn't be considered an automatic disaster. Probably.
Still, the U.S. might want to consider putting Bradley in a velvet, climate controlled bubble to preserve him between now and next summer's World Cup.
CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifying ? Match Predictions ? September 10, 2013
Argentina travels to Paraguay, Venezuela hosts Peru, Uruguay faces Colombia, and Bolivia plays Ecuador in CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifying on September 10, 2013. Bolivia v Ecuador -�Ecuador wins 2-1 Uruguay […]
The post CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifying – Match Predictions – September 10, 2013 appeared first on The 90th Minute Soccer Blog.
Source: http://the90thminute.com/conmebol-world-cup-qualifying-match-predictions-september-10-2013/
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Gabriel Agbonlahor knocks One Direction?s Louis Tomlinson out of Stiliyan Petrov charity match
There were 60,000 people at Celtic Park for Stiliyan Petrov's emotional charity match, but all anyone talked about after it was over was how Aston Villa's Gabriel Agbonlahor knocked One Direction singer Louis Tomlinson out of the game. Former Celtic and Aston Villa midfielder Petrov, who is in remission from leukemia, assembled a team including the likes of John Terry, Dimitar Berbatov, Gareth Barry and other footballers and celebrities to face a Celtic squad including Henrik Larsson and Neil Lennon.
Early in the second half, with Petrov's side up 3-1 (they would go on to win 5-3), the Petrov XI's Agbonlahor knocked Tomlinson to the ground while attempting to take the ball off him. It wasn't the hardest of hits ? and it shouldn't have been a problem for someone who recently signed for Doncaster Rovers ? but for a diminutive boyband member, it was apparently like getting hit by a train.
Dazed and limping, Tomlinson asked to come off. And then he vomited into his hand.
Some members of One Direction's hardcore fanbase decided to try and defend Tomlinson by making death threats against Agbonlahor on Twitter because they're teenagers and take silly things far too seriously.
"It was one of those things," said Agbonlahor of the incident. "I'll apologise to Louis when we meet up with everybody after the game."
Agbonlahor will likely be enshrined in the English Football Hall of Fame on Monday for his contribution to the game.
Odds against U.S., but Azteca win is the aim
MEXICO CITY -- El Tri has never lost to the United States in 20 meetings at Estadio Azteca, they're soaring following their under-23 team's gold-medal triumph at the London Olympics, the last competitive meeting between CONCACAF's powers was a full-on rout, and they've got a strong, representative side ready to take on a young, incomplete American team in what could be a full house at North America's most iconic soccer venue.
What hope could the U.
Eric Abidal is What Makes Football Great
While a player is on the ground after an obvious dive, waving frivolously for the stretcher?we forget about why we watch football. When a football powerhouse steals a young starlet away from his hometown club and ends up ruining his career?we forget about why we watch football. But, as soon Eric Abidal started warming up…
The post Eric Abidal is What Makes Football Great appeared first on SoccerProse.com.
Source: http://soccerprose.com/la-liga/eric-abidal-is-what-makes-football-great/
Brazilian club?s masseur sneaks onto pitch to make double save before running for his life
Non-players driven by desperation to take it upon themselves to become emergency goalkeepers are nothing new, but few instances have been quite as bizarre as this one.
The second leg of the Brazilian fourth division quarterfinal between Tupi-MG and GO Aparecidense was even at 2-2 in the 89th minute. The first leg ended 1-1, so an aggregate score of 3-3 had both sides on edge. So when Tupi threatened to score, Aparecidense's nervous masseur, Romildo Fonseca da Silva (known as "Lefty," according to Globo), snuck up to one of the goal posts and when his side's keeper charged forward to try and stop a shot that he couldn't quite get to, the masseur stuck his foot out to make the goal-line save. A Tupi player then tried to tap in the rebound, but the masseur again made a kick save from a crab position in the goal.
Once his side was safe from anymore shots on goal, the masseur picked up his supplies and booked it out of there, hurdling the advertising hoarding and sprinting to tunnel while being chased by Tupi players and other stadium staff.
The match was halted for 20 minutes while the officials tried to figure out what just happened. When it resumed, neither side could score and Aparecidense advanced on away goals. Tupi-MG supporters threw rocks at Aparecidense's bus as it left and the club's board vowed to challenge the result in court.
Clearly Lefty was Man of the Match.
Gareth Bale?s first day of training at Real Madrid in pictures
With the international break finally over, players who switched clubs just before the close of the summer transfer window now have the chance to introduce themselves to their new teammates. For Gareth Bale, it took months to reach this point and thankfully Real Madrid had cameras at the ready for his first day of training with his new club. Let's take a look.
Carlo Ancelotti: "My eyebrow is only mildly excited about this. The rest of me feels kind of awkward."
"Remember when we both used to play for Spurs and then forced them to sell us to Real Madrid? ... That was awesome."
"Don't stare at Zidane, don't stare at Zidane, don't stare at Zidane..."
Ancelotti: "Do you think you could be a bit more like Mesut Ozil?"
"Running, wearing a training kit, being in a major capital city, free lunches ? this is everything I dreamed it would be."
"Where did everybody go?"
Panama?s Gaby Torres scores tremendous backheel from difficult angle against Honduras
Gabriel Torres helped keep Panama's World Cup hopes alive with a brace in their 2-2 draw against Honduras and he did it in breath-taking style. With Honduras up 1-0, Torres equalized (for the first time) in the 50th minute with an absurd flying backheel as he charged towards the endline that floated over the keeper and landed softly inside the goal. The 24-year-old Colorado Rapids striker lived up to his nickname of "Fantasmita" (little ghost) with that goal, but he wasn't done yet.
Torres eventually equalized again in the first minute of added time to put Panama in the fourth-place/playoff spot in the group ahead of Mexico, who lost 2-0 to the USA. Again.
Anyway, the guy in the bottom right corner of this group was not pleased with Torres' first goal...
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
L?Equipe claims Manchester United bid ?150 million for Gareth Bale, no one believes it
As Gareth Bale prepares to make his debut for Real Madrid after his either ?91 million (according to Real) or record setting ?100 million (according to Spurs) transfer, French paper L'Equipe has come out with the sensational claim that Manchester United actually tabled an even larger bid for Bale. According to L'Equipe, the Premier League champions, who bumbled their way through their first transfer window without Sir Alex Ferguson and David Gill, bid around ?150 million for Bale.
This claim comes a day after Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti said that there were other clubs in for the Welshman and that his boss ? who has paid every world record fee since 2000 ? wasn't just bidding against himself.
From ESPN:
"There were higher offers than the one from Madrid," he said. "I do not know what price Madrid paid. But the player wanted to come here, that made the difference."
L'Equipe added that PSG were also in for Bale, offering him a higher salary than Real Madrid, but that wasn't enough to sway his desire to try and make Cristiano Ronaldo's life miserable.
Speaking of Ronaldo, it would be just one more indignity that Man United would throw ?150 million at Bale, but not be able to come up with the cash necessary to give their fans their ultimate wish by bringing him back to the club.
Maybe the ?150 million bid was something made up by Spurs chairman Daniel Levy in an attempt to squeeze more money out of Real Madrid, maybe it was a paranoid delusion of Real Madrid president Florentio Perez to justify his own actions or maybe Man United's new chief executive Ed Woodword accidentally added a 0 to his true offer of ?15 million. Or maybe someone is feeding L'Equipe nonsense. Whatever the case, this is pure comedy.
DT Exclusive: The Arsene Wenger phone call that convinced Mesut Ozil to join Arsenal
Mesut Ozil has revealed that a phone call from Arsene Wenger was what convinced him to move from Real Madrid to Arsenal on transfer deadline day. Wenger spoke to Ozil in fluent German and the midfielder told Die Welt, "Somehow this telephone call just flicked a switch in me. I thought: 'What he is telling me is what I have missed at Real: transparency, trust, respect. He told me exactly how he sees me [as a player], how he wants to use me, what he expects from me and what he hopes I will contribute." The following is a transcript of that conversation.
Wenger: (in German) Hello, Mesut! This is Arsene Wenger. How are you?
Ozil: Wow, you speak German?
Wenger: Of course I speak German. Who do you think I am, Harry Redknapp? I can communicate through more than just Cockney jowl noises.
Ozil: I'm sorry, I didn't mean to imply that-
Wenger: Stuff your sorries in a sack. That's not why I called. I called because of one German word in particular. My favorite German word of all: Schadenfreude. Do you like schadenfreude, Mesut?
Ozil: I...I guess.
Wenger: Well, I like it a lot, Mesut. Schadenfreude is better than a thousand fourth-place trophies. Anyway, I won't waste your time or mine. Here's my proposal ? I don't like Spurs, you don't like Real Madrid, so let's annoy them both and bring you to Arsenal. The schadenfreude will be off the charts ? and I do have charts for this. You'll be my prized player. You know who else I brought in this summer? Yaya Sanogo and Mathieu freaking Flamini. Compared to those schmoes you'll be seen as a cross between Zeus and Dolph Lundgren. Everyone will be so shocked and excited by the move that you'll make Gareth Bale to Real Madrid look like a divorced bus driver going to McDonald's on his birthday. Real will hate it and every time I look at you, I will feel pure, vengeful joy and laugh harder than I do at Kangaroo Jack and I f***ing love Kangaroo Jack. Spurs will be irate that I circumvented their "special relationship" with Real to land a better player than any of the nine thousands Not Gareth Bales they signed this summer. I will put you on a pedestal in the middle of the pitch and have pyrotechnics explode all around you every five minutes, spelling out the words, "EAT IT , LOSERS." Other clubs will be so in awe of your talent that they will hand us all of their trophies and baked goods. Your contribution to the team will be to make everyone but us miserable. We will pay you �140,000 a week ? that's more than I would pay my own son ? and we'll pay Real Madrid �42 million to make you the second most expensive player in Premier League history, just so you don't have to worry about turing out like Fernando Torres. So. How does that sound?
Ozil: You had me at "schadenfreude."
Wenger: WA-BAM! Yes! Haha this is even better than the day I watched Kangaroo Jack and ate Cadbury Creme Eggs I found in an alley. I have Ivan Gazidis shoveling the money at Florento Perez, so just sign the contract I faxed over and we'll be set.
Ozil: OK, I have signed and sent it back. But Mr. Wenger, I must tell you that this project excites me so much that I would've played for free.
Wenger: What.
Ozil: This is a great club and I want to prove to Real Madrid that they're making a mistake in letting me go. I would have played for free.
Wenger: You're just saying that, right? Like, to be a brown noser, right?
Ozil: No, I really would have.
Wenger: God- ... Alright. OK. This is still OK. I'll just pretend- ... No, whatever. It's fine. It's still fine. This doesn't ruin the schadenfreude. THIS DOESN'T RUIN THE SCHADENFREUDE! Just don't ever say that again. Promise me that you'll never say that again.
Ozil: I promise. I'm sorry.
Wenger: Stop saying you're sorry. I don't want you to say you're sorry again until it's to Florentino Perez and Daniel Levy for being failures who smell like cat food. I can't believe you would've played for free...
Ozil: I just got a text from Manchester United. It says, "Hi Mesut. Not sure how well you know him, but can you tell Cesc Fabregas to return our calls? We still really want to sign him even though he said he doesn't want to sign with us."
Wenger: This day just keeps getting better.
U.S. beat Mexico 2-0 in Columbus for the fourth time in a row, seal World Cup qualification
They did it again. For the fourth time in four matches dating back to 2001, the United States beat Mexico 2-0 in a World Cup qualifier at Columbus Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. And in doing so, they helped seal their 2014 World Cup qualification with two matches left to play. It took a missed penalty from Clint Dempsey during injury time to keep the eerily consistent scoreline, but that didn't do anything to sour a jubilant night in front of 24,584 fans in Columbus.
[Watch: U.S. qualifies for World Cup, faces high expectations]
The "dos a cero" scoreline became a famous refrain for U.S. fans after beating Mexico 2-0 in the round of 16 at the 2002 World Cup, but in Columbus it is the only refrain. Eddie Johnson started the path to the latest 2-0 with his header off a corner kick in the 49th minute.
Landon Donovan and his infected eye then finished the job by putting away an excellent setup from Mix Diskerud, who entered the match two minutes earlier.
Coming off a 3-1 loss in Costa Rica that ended their 12-match winning streak and playing without the injured Michael Bradley or suspended Jozy Altidore, Geoff Cameron and Matt Besler, the result was especially empowering for the U.S. Mexico were coming off a rare home loss themselves and they even changed managers over the weekend. With the U.S. back atop the group table and definitely on their way to their seventh straight World Cup, Mexico remain in a precarious position. A playoff against New Zealand seems increasingly likely, though falling short of that is also possible.
The only good news for Mexico is that they don't have to play in Columbus for a while.
FIFA 14 Stadiums Video
Time for another FIFA 14 video, with the focus placed on showing you all the stadiums that feature in the game. Check out the video and let us know if you’re happy with the stadiums that are in FIFA 14. Again, thanks to Next-Gen Gaming Blog for the video.
The post FIFA 14 Stadiums Video appeared first on FIFA Soccer Blog.
Source: http://fifasoccerblog.com/blog/fifa-14-stadiums-video/
And Now, Jimmy Nutini?s Soccer-Style NFL Shirts
Source: http://www.davesfootballblog.com/post/2011/02/01/and-now-jimmy-nutinis-soccer-style-nfl-shirts/
Former Fulham owner taking Michael Jackson statue away from Craven Cottage
When Mohamed Al Fayed sold Fulham to Shahid Khan, he threatened to shave the Jacksonville Jaguars owner's impressive mustache in public if he touched the odd Michael Jackson statue installed outside Craven Cottage in 2011. The statue of a pop singer who was friends with Al Fayed never made much sense as a decoration at the beautiful and supremely traditional 117-year-old football ground. It was originally planned to be placed outside famed London department store Harrods, but when Al Fayed sold the property, he decided that Fulham fans would either have to accept the statue or "go to hell." But now it's been revealed that Al Fayed isn't going to leave the unwanted one-gloved tribute to a man who had nothing to do with the club behind.
From the PA:
Fulham were bought by the American Shahid Khan in a �150m deal during the summer, and initially it had appeared the Jackson statue would remain in place.
However, it now appears Fayed will take the statue to one of his other properties as the club press on with plans to revamp their home on the banks of the Thames.
A Fulham spokesperson said: "The statue is not part of the Riverside development of the stadium and will be returned to the former chairman in due course."
So what will replace the statue? Maybe a Shahid Khan mustache ride? Dimitar Berbatov's carpeted pleasure van? Or maybe just a far more relevant statue of Miley Cyrus twerking with her tongue out. The possibilities are limitless. It just probably won't be another Michael Jackson statue because that would be nonsensical.
Routed by the Bus
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BarcelonaFootballBlog/~3/088yG_arzHM/
Monday, September 23, 2013
New FIFA 14 ?Celebrations? Trailer
EA SPORTS have released a new trailer which show the new celebrations in FIFA 14. Wondering if your favorite celebration has made its way into FIFA 14? Hit play and find out!
The post New FIFA 14 ‘Celebrations’ Trailer appeared first on FIFA Soccer Blog.
Source: http://fifasoccerblog.com/blog/new-fifa-14-celebrations-trailer/
International Rules Football Is A Dog?s Game
Source: http://www.davesfootballblog.com/post/2011/10/27/international-rules-football-is-a-dogs-game/
Maradona is making fun of the size of Pele?s genitalia now
The childish back and forth between 52-year-old Maradona and 72-year-old Pele has been going on since dragons roamed the earth and as the two legendary players sink deeper into retirement, it only becomes more puerile.
Speaking at conference in Sao Paulo intended to serve as a rally against the corruption of CONMEBOL, Maradona was presented with an old photo showing a fully nude Pele with Franz Beckenbauer and their New York Cosmos teammates in the shower. "I want to know who was the greatest," said the journalist who gave him the photo, referring two the two buck naked all-time greats. Maradona's response?
Pointing to Pele's genitals and laughing, he said: "This was the smallest."
Given how long the photo has been around and the fact that Pele was once a spokesman for Viagra, jokes about his dong aren't anything new. Usually Maradona's Pele material is based around his Brazilian counterpart mixing up his pills. Meanwhile, Pele's countryman Romario, who was also on the panel with Maradona, has taken to keeping it simple in recent months by just calling Pele an imbecile.
This is what great footballers do when they get old.
U.S. Men?s National Team travels to Estadio Azteca
The United States Men’s National Team will play Mexico Tuesday at Estadio Azteca. The U.S. national team is currently in second in the CONCACAF World Cup qualifying. The team lost it’s first hexagonal match 2-1 to Honduras, but bounced back and beat Costa Rica 1-0 in snowy conditions. This leaves the U.S. national team with…
The post U.S. Men’s National Team travels to Estadio Azteca appeared first on SoccerProse.com.
Source: http://soccerprose.com/national-teams/u-s-mens-national-team-travels-to-estadio-azteca/
DT Exclusive: A copy of Cristiano Ronaldo?s Real Madrid contract extension agreement
A few short hours after Gareth Bale made his goal-scoring debut for Real Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo ensured the spotlight was fixed firmly on his oddly bespectacled face on Sunday as he became the best paid player on the planet.
Over the next five years, the Portuguese star will now earn a basic salary of ?21 million after tax in a deal designed to keep him at the Bernabeu until the age of 33. But after so much uncertainty with regards to his future in Spain, how was the tricky winger persuaded to re-up with Florentino Perez? DT has used its extensive network of moles to obtain a copy of the Contract Extension Agreement he signed, which is reprinted below for your consideration...
Sunday, September 22, 2013
All the hilarious new FIFA 14 goal celebrations in one handy video
The release of FIFA 14 is just two weeks away and the game's demo is already out, so prepare gamers for the imminent arrival of the game they'll play on breaks from GTA V, EA Sports released a tutorial video for all the new goal celebrations in the game. And even if you have no intention of playing FIFA 14, it's still worth watching for sheer entertainment value.
In addition to Gareth Bale's trademarked heart hands, Cristiano Ronaldo's bear hands AND "calm down" (sadly, the thigh point was not included) plus Lionel Messi's "point to the sky," there are also a variety of new comedy celebrations.
There's the chicken dance, "muevelo," and even Congo goalkeeper Muteba Kidiaba's bum dance (which EA calls "riding the cat"). Then there's the more intricate "Le Cirque Labelle" and patty cake (performed by Mesut Ozil in an Arsenal kit) among others.
With these additions, many hours will be spent scoring goals just to do the new celebrations. But if you try to perform Bale's heart hands with Cristiano Ronaldo, the real Cristiano will show up at your door within the hour and slap you in the face. Consider this a warning.
Botafogo?s Hyuri dances through defenders to score impressive solo goal on his debut
Making his debut for Botafogo (on loan from Audax Rio), 21-year-old Botafogo striker Hyuri decided that the best way to introduce himself to his new teammates is with incredible goals. He started off by scoring in the 40th minute of Botafogo's match against Coritiba to make it 2-0, but that was only the warm-up.
A mere nine minutes later, Hyuri barreled towards goal and when the Coritiba defender converged on him, he navigated his way through them with the ball stuck to his feet. At one point he is surrounded by three opponents, but he stopped, turned, maintained control of the ball and fired a perfect strike into the far side of the net.
Botafogo went on to win 3-1 and now Hyuri has set a very high standard for the rest of his stay with the club.
Be sure to watch all the replays to fully appreciate what he was able to do.
Naming The 2014 World Cup Ball
Source: http://www.worldcupblog.org/world-cup-2014/naming-the-2014-world-cup-ball.html
Three Goals From This Weekend That I Can?t Stop Watching
The burden of expectations, aka ?We?re doomed ? I think?
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BarcelonaFootballBlog/~3/QU2ZTWvXDEY/
Nike Launch Gorgeous USA Centennial Soccer Jersey and Collection?
Nike and US Soccer have just launched the new US Centennial soccer jersey and its a stylish mix of classic style and modern attitude. The jersey, which is a celebration of the U.S. Soccer Federation?s 100th year, is designed to pay tribute to a century of American soccer by including several classic elements. The first…
The post Nike Launch Gorgeous USA Centennial Soccer Jersey and Collection… appeared first on SoccerProse.com.