CommentaryEnglandNews The Wormburner: A Whole Lotta Questions (Fantasy Football, Draft)July 9, 2019 — by Rob Kirby
BrazilCommentaryHistoryPhotographyThe AmericasWorld Cup Dictators and Soccer: The Junta, Argentina 1978, Disappearings, Match Fixing and Early Deity Era Maradona (Argentina)July 11, 2014 — by Rob Kirby
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Commentary

Stoke vs Tottenham recap

August 21, 2010 — by John Lally

A quick recap coming up for today's Stoke vs Tottenham game, just as soon as I go and ask Sepp Blatter why we don't have goal line technology yet... First Half Leaving the late controversy for one moment, this was a great game of football.  Tottenham came out strongly in the first half and showed the organisation and discipline that was lacking in their midweek Champions League game.  Despite only having Crouch available up front (with Defoe, Keane, Pavyluchenko and Dos Santos all suffering from plastic pitch injuries) and a midfield including Jermaine Jenas, Spurs enjoyed the better of the first half and deserved a 2-1 lead at the break.  The first goal came from Lennon on the left flank cutting inside and passing into Bale who's shot was saved, the rebound was straight to Crouch who's attempt on goal was blocked by Stoke's captain Ryan Shawcross, only for his

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News

Red Bulls v Toronto FC

August 21, 2010 — by Sean

Our beloved Red bulls travel north this afternoon to meet a team they beat just two weeks ago. The whistle is scheduled to blow at 1pm, with the winner edging closer to securing a playoff spot—the Bulls can go take their lead over the Canadians to 8 points with a win, while a loss will bring the clubs within 2 points. There are still 9 games left in the season after this one, but the Bulls' staff has their eyes on the prize: "When I look at it, we need to be top two in the East," coach Hans Backe said. "Time speaks for us. I'm just hopeful we can pick up the points we need to reach the playoffs, because both [Henry and Marquez] will adjust their game in a month or something like that. . . I don't know the time, but time speaks for us for both

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Commentary

New Players, New WAGS

August 20, 2010 — by Sean

Kisses!
Super Mario Balotelli, who scored on his debut for Man City in their Europa qualifying game, is bringing more than his wild disposition and playing potential to Cottonopolis. Let's all say hello to his beauty queen girlfriend, Melissa Castagnoli. It's doubtful that the Inter Milan transfer will get 90 minutes against Liverpool come Monday, but at the very least his lady friend will add some flavo(u)r to the WAG section at the Eastlands. Of course, Balotelli will stir it up in his own fashion: Jose Mourinho, a man who does not tolerate eccentric behaviour in anyone other than himself, had called Balotelli "unmanageable"; one performance he rated "close to zero". Says Balotelli, "I don't want to talk about him, he is not my coach any more. Am I a bad boy? I don't know and, really, I don't care."

News

Neymar Drama Ends

August 19, 2010 — by Sean

From Globo and the Federative Republic of Brazil, we bring you what should be the end of the Neymar transfer shimmy. Once again from our friend and neighbor to the south, Mark Gannon. Neymar: “I hope I've been an example for other young players” Forward says it's not the right moment to go and play football in Europe, but admits that making the decision was quite difficult: “My head was like a cloverleaf” By Adilson Barros, GloboEsporte.com, Santos
Neymar carries the weight of Pelé.
There was a time when a young player, whenever asked about his greatest dream, would respond in the following way: “to be a starter on my club and reach the Seleção.” After football became a machine that moves unimaginable fortunes, with European clubs going down below the equator to take valuable and relatively cheap “merchandise,” the discourse changed: “My dream is to

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CommentaryNews

Surprise!

August 19, 2010 — by Sean — 2

World Cup Stadiums Unfit for more Popular S.Africa National Sports It will be no surprise that the rush to finish the stadiums and infrastructure upgrades before July's World Cup opener left a rude wake. In a nutshell, the stadiums S. Africa built don't look like they'll easily accommodate rugby and cricket, two of the country's more popular sports, though $1Billion dollars were spent along the way. “When the event is over, we will still be poor."

CommentaryUnited States

How to Attend to a Soccer Game: A Beginner’s Guide

August 19, 2010 — by Sean

As I watched the nearly sold-out USA v Brazil game, I was reminded of thoughts I'd had while watching the sold-out Red Bulls v Galaxy matchup: New Yorkers don't know how to get to a soccer game on time. It's obvious when you tune in to watch on TV and see over half the stadium empty for the first 15-20 mins. But don't blame the fans entirely. Baseball, (American) Football, Basketball—our homespun sports are very forgiving to the tardy and have surely created a mindset that simply isn't applicable to the footy. I can't be bothered to look up the actual statistics, but I imagine baseball games average 3 hours. Football always seems to take four, but I'm usually watching at home (pre&post-game etc.). Basketball seems like it moves along more quickly, but there's still plenty of breaks in play to get up and refresh a drink or grab a

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Commentary

Will the real Tottenham Hotspur please stand up…

August 18, 2010 — by John Lally — 1

I repeat...Will the real Tottenham Hostpur please stand up. We're going to have a problem here... There's the obvious question of which one the "real" reflection of Spurs is: the fantastic, everything-but-the-win game against Manchester City on Saturday to start the Premier League season; or the tepid, inept, throwaway performance against Young Boys of Berne in the Champions League playoff last night.  But there's also the more long term view. For 20 years, we've been the "nearly" team. The team that goes 3-0 up to Manchester United at half time and loses 5-3 (and proving lightning can strike twice, followed that up with this 2004 FA Cup performance http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e58rdYk1rPE) The team that throws away a season-long stay in 4th place on the last day of the season after some dodgy lasagna and a frustrating defeat to West Ham (cf. 2005/2006 season).  Or is the real Tottenham now the one that

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CommentaryNews

What about Geovanni?

August 18, 2010 — by Sean

San Jose has added the Brazilian known simply as Geovanni to their squad, making him their first designated player in the club's history. Another good grab in a DP slot, and while the 30-yr-old's legs might not me as springy as they once were, he's an excellent technical player who has a knack for showing up late in the box and latching on to a final pass. He can run hot and cold, as I've seen him both intensely passionate and seemingly disinterested from week to week. His run at Man City never amounted to much, and the time he spent at Hull only saw them to relegation from the Prem. He is capable of great distribution, but speed isn't his thing, and he doesn't come off as a particularly motivational leader either. The slower pace of the MLS should suit him well, though one wonders how a player of his technical

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