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AC Milan v Panathinaikos? In the Pontiac Silverdome? On grass?

August 7, 2010 — by Suman

"Panathinaikos' Sotiris Ninis, front left, and AC Milan's Alexandre Pato fight for this ball in the first half at the Silverdome on Friday. (JULIAN H. GONZALEZ/DFP)"

Doesn’t it seem like every club in Europe is somewhere in the United States over these few weeks, playing warmup matches and making odd publicity appearances?  Thierry Henry scoring on Spurs yet again, but this time after “Coming to America” (really MSG?), making a memorable appearance on NY1, and taking the lovely PATH train from Manhattan to Harrison NJ; Sir Alex eating ribs while competing with a gospel choir in Kansas City; Cristian Ronaldo lecturing at UCLA (hat tip for that link to faculty member Steve Lee (although some are pushing him to try out for goalkeer on the 2014 South Korean squad–Be the Reds Steve–literally!)); and hapless Portsmouth on the pre-season tour from hell.

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Sami Khedira to Real?

July 23, 2010 — by Sean

Another German standout at the World cup has had his head turned by a glamor club. Khedira scored the winning goal in the third place game with his header against Uruguay, and has been a rock as the holding midfielder at Stuttgart. Now Mourinho is showing interest, and Sami is listening:

“I am mulling over the thought of making a move to Real Madrid, ” Khedira told Bild. “The club has confirmed that they are interested. Real Madrid is the biggest clubs in the whole world and Jose Mourinho is one of the most successful managers in the game.

It’s always a gamble to leave the small pond, especially when you’ll be fighting the likes of Madrid’s first team for a place on the pitch. Mourinho tends to like veterans who play out his tactical game, but he has shown some development skills over the years (most recently with 19 yr-old defender Davide Santon at Inter) so it’s unlikely he’s about to bring on an expensive bench warmer.

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Santos Star Neymar Still with Club…for Now

July 20, 2010 — by Sean — 2

So slight he needs to hold up his shorts.

So everybody wants a piece of the goal-scoring phenom Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior, more easily: Neymar. He’s a speedy, quick footed attacker who is of course a whiney brash little thing seeing that he’s all of 18 yrs-old. Playing alongside Robinho and Ganso has certainly helped him this year, but he is the type of player who would surely excel in any system that could feed him the ball 35 yrds out, as he’s quite capable of dribbling through the remainder of the defense from that point.

Clubs have lined up to get him, with Real, Chelsea, West Ham, Man City, and Barça among the suitors (yes, the Hammers don’t exactly fit with the level, but they do (try) and play possession football and are generally easy on the eye, though they lost often last season). Chelsea have felt the first sting of rejection, as their €20M offer was dismissed.

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It Begins: Mourinho at Real

July 15, 2010 — by Sean — 2

This is where my tin foil hat goes.

The Special One presided over the first day of training at Real Madrid on Thursday, though  2/3 of the squad were on rest after international duty and didn’t have to show. He’s already made some changes to the day-to-day, and he’s sure to keep the press happy. Check out a bit more over at The Independent

Mention Mourinho’s name to Barça fans and first there is a twitch of the nose, as if a bad smell has wafted across the room, followed by a more respectful shrug of the shoulders. The Catalan purists do not like the way his sides play football, but they know he wastes no time in finding winning ways, whichever club he manages.

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