One of these men is known as one of the great talents of his generation who threw it all away in an endless string of terrible decisions. The other is just a fuckwad. Which is which?
SSN is a digest of the day's soccer/football/futbol articles with a focus on the top European leagues and the United States National Team. Below, you’ll find links to articles and video, as well as additional features and commentary. We locate the top news of the day so you can stay updated with ease.
Friday, March 07, 2008
Lookalikes of the Week Pt 5: Antonio Cassano and Mickey Rourke
One of these men is known as one of the great talents of his generation who threw it all away in an endless string of terrible decisions. The other is just a fuckwad. Which is which?
England: FA Cup and Premier League Previews
Pompey travel to Old Trafford (Cup), Arsenal go to Wigan (League), Liverpool host Newcastle (League), Reading host Citey (League), Barnsley host Chelsea (Cup) and Spurs welcome West Ham (League). Plus a few other matches...
Previews
Lawro's Predictions for the Weekend
Fasteddy's Hot Tips
Italy: Serie A Weekend Preview
Inter host Reggina, Juventus travel to Genoa, Siena host Fiorentina and Roma are in Naples...
Preview
UEFA Cup Wrap
Tottenham 0 - 1 PSV Eindhoven
Wembley Hangover for Spurs
Fiorentina 2 - 0 Everton
Howard Keeps it From Being Worse
Wrap
Give & Go: Bruce Arena, Part II
In the second part of goal.com's two-part interview with Arena, the former U.S. National Team manager opened up about the 2006 World Cup and the players he believes are the best in Major League Soccer.
The Joy of Six: Football's Lost Talents
From Nii Lamptey to Keith Gillespie, The Guardian picks half-a-dozen of those players who sparkled all too briefly.
6) Wayne Harrison (Oldham, Liverpool)
Harrison might be the only sportsman to retire having had more operations (23) than years (22). He was the most expensive teenager in the world, at £250,000, when Liverpool signed him from Oldham in 1985.
The Other Five
The Madness of Cassano
Once described as the 'The future of Italian football' by then Azzurri coach Giovanni Trapattoni following his €28m transfer from Bari to Serie A Champions Roma in 2001 petulance has prevented those lofty predictions from coming true.
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Lookalikes of the Week pt 4: David Hasselhoff and Jens Lehman
One of these handsome gents was Germany's #1 at the 2006 World Cup. The other one was Germany's #1 throughout the 90's. Jens is known for his quick reflexes and his bad decision making. The Hoff is known for drunkenly making love to a hamburger while suffering a savage berating at the hands of his teenage daughter. Separated at birth?
MLS Comes Down on Away Support
Classic MLS here. Since its foundation the league has always had a very top-down view of the product, from the ownership structure to the player contracts. They've always shown little support for fan run fan organizations beyond designated seating sections and bending rules to allow supporters in certain sections to stand for the duration of the game. It seems that this indifference has been replaced by active discouragement, at least in cases where the stadiums are more than half full. Toronto FC and the always moronic (at least in the Guppy era) Chicago Fire front office are conspiring to restrict attendance by traveling fans. Is this because they see traveling fans as a threat to the wholesome family oriented atmosphere coveted by most front offices or because they feel that guaranteeing tickets to traveling groups shortsells their own walkup sales. Regardless it's pointlessly stupid and sadly typical MLS move.
Columbarium, Espanyol style
Looking for somewhere to deposit your ashes when you kick the bucket? Spanish club Espanyol has the answer...
Espanyol to let fans leave ashes in new stadium
Italian soccer turns Spanish eyes green
El Cid finds the Spanish media desperate to put some kind of gloss on the unthinkable - that their rivals across the Med play better football
You only win when you're sinning
Reading’s Hahnemann Still Keeping it Real
Martin Rogers catches up with the Seattle native...
“As soon as I get in the car, it really starts,” he added. “I’ll be listening to Slipknot or Tool, something really hard and in your face to get you pumped up.”
The 3-5-2: Remember These Names
Goal.com Lider Marmol, New York Red Bulls or Chicago Fire. There’s a reason two teams are currently fighting over his rights. The Paraguayan midfielder is a Juan Carlos Osorio man, and I pity the fool who questions Osorio’s spooky knack for assessing talent.
Time right for Walcott?
Richard Williams says Theo Walcott's telling contribution at the San Siro showed that the 18-year-old is starting to come of age
Walcott ready to make his gifts really count
Tonight's UEFA Cup games
David Moyes has faith in his unsung hero as the Merseyside club switch their focus onto the Uefa Cup quarter-finals
Tim Howard cleans up act in Everton's goal
The north London club will parade the newly acquired Carling Cup in front of their fans at White Hart Lane before the Uefa Cup tie against PSV Eindhoven as the club look for more success
Juande Ramos wants Uefa Cup win over PSV
Getafe coach Michael Laudrup is hoping his side can obtain the right result as the travel to Lisbon to take on Benfica in the last 16
Laudrup Confident Ahead Of Benfica Clash
There's an all-German Uefa Cup clash in Leverkusen tonight, but it's Hamburg's Dutchman Rafael Van der Vaart who Bayer coach Michael Skibbe is worried about
Skibbe Wary Of Van der Vaart
Spotlight on Cesc
Cesc Febregas, whose skills lit up the San Siro on Tuesday, is compared by Michael Henderson to past Milan great Gianni Rivera. Teammate Almunia also thinks he's pretty good.
Cesc Fabregas follows Italian master
Cesc Fabregas plans his conquest of Europe
Another three for Torres
Fernando Torres amazed yet again at Anfield with yet another hat-trick, though the 4-0 score perhaps flattered the Liverpool performance in general
Fernando Torres vindicates Steven Gerrard
Benítez hails Torres hat-trick
Real disappoint again as Rome win in Madrid
Roma produced a superb away performance at the Santiago Bernabeu to deservedly knock 10-man Real Madrid out of the Champions League. The Giallorossi won 2-1 on the night, 4-2 on aggregate
An Italian job well done
Spalletti tries to quell Roma euphoria after win at Real
Neuer sees Schalke through after PKs
Schalke trainer Mirko Slomka hailed Manuel Neuer after the young goalkeeper inspired the Königsblauen to a surprise penalty shoot-out win over Porto at the Estadio do Dragão
Slomka Hails Super Keeper Neuer
Schalke must quickly come back down to earth
Ballack back on form
Michael Ballack showed against Olympiakos that his midfield partnership with Frank Lampard may yet be a success
Ballack winning his battle against the snipers and sceptics
Stroll in the park for Chelsea
It's hard to understand how Olympiacos qualified for the CL, let alone get through to the knock-out stages, so easy did they make things for Chelsea last night
Kalou caps cakewalk for rampant Chelsea
Avram Grant continues with balancing act
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
Look Alikes of the Week pt 2: Del Piero and Springsteen
One of these men has played over 500 matches for Juventus. The other has played over 500 shows at Giants Stadium. Which is which?
Look Alikes of the Week: Rick Springfield and Filippo Inzaghi
The Diving TwatDr. Noah Drake
Cheers to VA Gray for this one...
EPL Preview: Liverpool vs. West Ham
An important mid-week fixture this, as a win for Liverpool will put them back in fourth ahead of Everton on goal difference. West Ham look to recover from their loss to Chelsea and return to the hunt for a European place.
Preview
Calcio Debate: What Was To Blame For Milan’s Exit?
AC Milan were deservedly dumped out of the Champions League last night by a hugely impressive Arsenal side.
Carlo Garganese analyses the reasons for the Rossoneri’s exit…
Give & Go: Bruce Arena
The former New York Red Bulls and U.S. National Team head coach spoke exclusively with Goal.com for a two-part interview.Goal.com: During this break, have you stepped away from soccer completely, or are you still following everything on TV and the internet?
The Bruce tends the Cornell net back in '72
Roberto Gotta in Italy
Roberto says that Everton better watch out because the Florence side are riding a wave...Viola starting to play the right tune
Liverpool takeover drags on
This seems to be one of those soccer stories that just drags on for ages. Every newspaper says something different, while ever Liverpool fan seems to want DIC take over
George Gillett Jr and DIC in high-stakes poker
Dubai bidders warn Hicks they will not increase offer
Tonight's CL games
Fun in the pool with Robinho
In tonight's CL games Real seek to overturn a one goal deficit without Van Nistelrooy, but with an in form Robinho. Out of form Schalke will hope to hold on to their lead against Porto, while Chelsea will expect to beat Olympiacos. Liverpool play Inter next week.
Real Madrid hopes rest with Robinho
Totti tips advantage Roma's way
Grant relishes return to pressure of Europe
ManU and Barca stroll, Sevilla and Fener entertain
In the other CL games ManU knocked out Lyon and Barca eased past Celtic in two pretty uneventful matches. No nodding off at the Sevilla Vs Fenerbahce game though, where another five goals were scored, with penalties seeing the young Turks go through.
Lyon hand Ferguson fine wine but United keep Benzema bottled up
Celtic suffer one-goal thrashing
Historic night for Turks
Arsenal dispatch Milan
According to former Milan coach Arrigo Sacchi Arsenal wouldn't win the second leg because 'they were scared and narcissistic'. Spot on Arrigo, they looked terrified.
Any neutral would be delighted by Arsenal's win as their football was a delight. Admittedly Milan were poor, but Arsenal made them look poor. More impressive was the fact Arsenal had players missing. Hleb and Fabregas were again outstanding, but Flamini seems to improve in every game he plays. Not only did he outfight Gattuso, which is no mean feat, but his forward play was also excellent, especially his passing. In general Arsenal's passing was much sharper than in the first leg, where they opted for the long punt to Adebayor too often.
Cesc Fabregas puts Arsenal into quarter-finals
Enter Fábregas to mark end of Maldini's reign
Player Ratings
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Tuesday's Champions League Previews
It's a lovely day of football that we've got on tap. The most intriguing match has to be AC Milan vs. Arsenal. Is today the day that Arsenal’s season finally comes completely off the tracks? Or will this be the day that Milan Lyon face a troublesome trip to Old Trafford where Manchester United have been imperious. I can’t see the French side coming away with much here. Conversely, you never know what Barcelona Camp Nou Sanford
AC Milan vs. Arsenal
Preview
Kevin McCarra on a jaded Milan
Lee Dixon's View
Barcelona vs. Celtic
Preview
McGeady thinks positive ahead of toughest test
Manchester United vs. Lyon
Preview
Sevilla vs. Fenerbahce
Preview
Fenerbahce dream of joining European elite
AC Milan vs. Arsenal
Preview
Kevin McCarra on a jaded Milan
Lee Dixon's View
Barcelona vs. Celtic
Preview
McGeady thinks positive ahead of toughest test
Manchester United vs. Lyon
Preview
Sevilla vs. Fenerbahce
Preview
Fenerbahce dream of joining European elite
Quotes and Chants of the Week
"If you are driving to work, don't get into a car with Liam Miller because he gets involved in more car crashes than anybody I know."
Roy Keane puts Liam Miller on the transfer list after getting fed-up with his excuses for turning up late to training.
"There's only two Dave Kitsons!"
Villa fans to a red-headed Reading steward during the recent encounter at the Madjeski.
All The Fun
Roy Keane puts Liam Miller on the transfer list after getting fed-up with his excuses for turning up late to training.
"There's only two Dave Kitsons!"
Villa fans to a red-headed Reading steward during the recent encounter at the Madjeski.
All The Fun
Americans in England: Keepers Delight
Goal.com Clint Dempsey. Fulham
Dempsey was curiously not included in the side that lost to Manchester United on Saturday. The
Americans on the Continent: The Unsung Hero
Hannover 96 and U.S. National Team right back Steve Cherundolo continues to thrive in Gregg Berhalter, 1860
vs. Bayern Munich, A, 1-0 loss (120 minutes, 0 goals) (German Cup)
vs. Alemania Aachen, H, 0-0 (90 minutes, 1 yellow card)
The most watched soccer game in
Raphael Honigstein in Germany + Bundesliga Table
The Schalke boss is under even more pressure after his side lost at home to Bayern for the first time in almost a decade.Ribéry pinballs Slomka closer towards exit
| 2007/2008 German Bundesliga | ||||||
| CLUB | GP | W | L | D | PTS | GD |
| Bayern Munich | 22 | 13 | 1 | 8 | 47 | 28 |
| Werder Bremen | 22 | 13 | 5 | 4 | 43 | 20 |
| Hamburg SV | 22 | 11 | 3 | 8 | 41 | 17 |
| Bayer Leverkusen | 22 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 38 | 16 |
| Karlsruhe | 22 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 36 | 0 |
| Schalke 04 | 22 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 35 | 10 |
| Eintracht Frankfurt | 22 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 32 | -3 |
| Hannover 96 | 22 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 32 | -4 |
| VfB Stuttgart | 21 | 10 | 10 | 1 | 31 | -3 |
| VfL Wolfsburg | 22 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 30 | 1 |
| Hertha Berlin | 22 | 9 | 10 | 3 | 30 | -3 |
| VfL Bochum | 22 | 8 | 9 | 5 | 29 | -1 |
| Borussia Dortmund | 22 | 8 | 10 | 4 | 28 | -4 |
| Hansa Rostock | 22 | 6 | 12 | 4 | 22 | -11 |
| Arminia Bielefeld | 22 | 5 | 13 | 4 | 19 | -24 |
| Nurnberg | 22 | 4 | 13 | 5 | 17 | -12 |
| Energie Cottbus | 21 | 3 | 10 | 8 | 17 | -13 |
| MSV Duisburg | 22 | 5 | 15 | 2 | 17 | -14 |
Paolo Bandini in Italy + Serie A Table
Inter's unexpected defeat against Napoli was merely a wobble - talk of a crisis is premature.Nerazzurri's latest hiccup won't stop their title charge
| 2007/2008 Italian Serie A | ||||||
| CLUB | GP | W | L | D | PTS | GD |
| Inter Milan | 26 | 18 | 1 | 7 | 61 | 34 |
| Roma | 26 | 16 | 3 | 7 | 55 | 22 |
| Juventus | 26 | 13 | 4 | 9 | 48 | 22 |
| Fiorentina | 26 | 13 | 5 | 8 | 47 | 15 |
| AC Milan | 26 | 11 | 5 | 10 | 43 | 18 |
| Udinese | 26 | 11 | 9 | 6 | 39 | -2 |
| Sampdoria | 26 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 36 | 1 |
| Genoa | 26 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 35 | -4 |
| Palermo | 26 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 35 | -6 |
| Atalanta | 26 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 34 | 0 |
| Napoli | 26 | 9 | 11 | 6 | 33 | -3 |
| Lazio | 26 | 7 | 10 | 9 | 30 | -4 |
| Torino | 26 | 4 | 6 | 16 | 28 | -3 |
| Siena | 26 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 28 | -4 |
| Livorno | 26 | 6 | 12 | 8 | 26 | -12 |
| Parma | 26 | 5 | 11 | 10 | 25 | -10 |
| Empoli | 26 | 6 | 13 | 7 | 25 | -13 |
| Catania Calcio | 26 | 5 | 12 | 9 | 24 | -11 |
| Reggina | 26 | 4 | 12 | 10 | 22 | -18 |
| Cagliari | 26 | 5 | 15 | 6 | 21 | -22 |
Norman Hubbard on Everton's Charge for Fourth + EPL Table
It is not merely Goodison Park's cramped stands, old-fashioned hospitality and antiquated atmosphere that can make a visit there resemble a trip back in time. The sight of Everton in a lofty league position, while embarking on two lengthy cup runs is like being transported back two decades.| English Premier League | ||
| March 2, 2008 | Played | Points |
| Arsenal | 28 | 65 |
| Man Utd | 28 | 64 |
| Chelsea | 27 | 58 |
| Everton | 28 | 53 |
| Liverpool | 27 | 50 |
| Aston Villa | 28 | 48 |
| Blackburn | 28 | 45 |
| Man City | 28 | 45 |
| Portsmouth | 28 | 44 |
| West Ham | 27 | 40 |
| Tottenham | 27 | 32 |
| Middlesbrough | 28 | 29 |
| Newcastle | 28 | 28 |
| Wigan | 28 | 27 |
| Sunderland | 28 | 27 |
| Birmingham | 28 | 26 |
| Bolton | 28 | 25 |
| Reading | 28 | 25 |
| Fulham | 28 | 19 |
| Derby | 28 | 10 |
Phil Ball in Spain + La Liga Table
Barça play Celtic in the Champions League this week, and left Leo Messi on the bench. In his absence, the other vertically-challenged Argentine most often quoted as the 'new Maradona' was given centre-stage, and he certainly took it. Perhaps he should be called the 'new Messi', but Sergio 'Kun' Agüero, the youngest player ever to debut in the Argentine league at 15-years-old, finally began to look like he justifies the tags hanging awkwardly from him ever since his arrival from Buenos Aires.| 2007/2008 Spanish Primera División | ||||||
| CLUB | GP | W | L | D | PTS | GD |
| Real Madrid | 26 | 19 | 5 | 2 | 59 | 34 |
| Barcelona | 26 | 16 | 4 | 6 | 54 | 30 |
| Villarreal | 26 | 14 | 7 | 5 | 47 | 8 |
| Atlético Madrid | 26 | 13 | 8 | 5 | 44 | 14 |
| Espanyol | 26 | 12 | 8 | 6 | 42 | 5 |
| Racing Santander | 26 | 11 | 7 | 8 | 41 | 0 |
| Sevilla FC | 26 | 12 | 11 | 3 | 39 | 17 |
| Almeria | 26 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 37 | -1 |
| Valencia | 26 | 10 | 11 | 5 | 35 | -9 |
| Getafe | 26 | 9 | 11 | 6 | 33 | -3 |
| Real Betis | 26 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 32 | -5 |
| Mallorca | 26 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 31 | -2 |
| Valladolid | 26 | 8 | 11 | 7 | 31 | -11 |
| Osasuna | 26 | 8 | 12 | 6 | 30 | -3 |
| Athletic Bilbao | 26 | 7 | 10 | 9 | 30 | -3 |
| Deportivo La Coruña | 26 | 8 | 12 | 6 | 30 | -8 |
| Real Zaragoza | 26 | 7 | 11 | 8 | 29 | -8 |
| Recreativo Huelva | 26 | 7 | 11 | 8 | 29 | -11 |
| Murcia | 26 | 5 | 13 | 8 | 23 | -18 |
| Levante | 26 | 5 | 17 | 4 | 19 | -26 |
Monday, March 03, 2008
Sheringham to end playing career when season ends
Former England striker Teddy Sheringham announced on Saturday that he will end his 26-year playing career at the end of the season.
Teddy leaves a helpless defender in his wake during the early stages of his career...
Italy: Serie A Review
Napoli 1 - 0 Inter Milan:
Inter suffer first league defeat
Juventus 2 - 3 Fiorentina:
Last-gasp win
Milan trail Fiorentina by four points in Champions League qualification race
Review
England: Premier League Review
Key results:Fulham 0 - 3 Manchester United
United stroll
Arsenal 1 - 1 Aston Villa
Late Bendtner equalizer
Newcastle 0 - 1 Blackburn
Owen apologizes
Everton 3 - 1 Portsmouth
Yakubu leads charge
West Ham 0 - 4 Chelsea
Lampard sent off in Chelsea romp
Middlesbrough 0 - 1 Reading
Reading find another gear
Ugly – Frank Lampard and Claude Makelele
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Manchester United Pull Within One Point
General Review
The Insider at Emirates Stadium
Do Arsenal have the guts for the fight?
David Pleat:
Bolton's inability to suppress Steven Gerrard saw them swept away at the Reebok
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