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.
The Merseyside derby pits troubled Liverpool against a resurgent Everton on Sunday. Elsewhere, newly-promoted West Bromwich Albion travel to Old Trafford, Aston Villa host league leaders Chelsea, Arsenal aim to bounce back against Birmingham City, while Blackpool welcome Manchester City to Bloomfield Road. Draw specialists Fulham are in action against London neighbours Tottenham Hotspur at Craven Cottage. Stoke City seek to maintain their improved form when they make the trip to Bolton Wanderers, while just a point separates Newcastle United and Wigan Athletic as with the pair lock horns at St James' Park on Saturday. The last game on Saturday sees Wolverhampton Wanderers go head-to-head with West Ham United at Molineux.
AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic could be a key absentee when the Rossoneri host Chievo in Serie A on Saturday. Inter Milan are level on 11 points with Milan and Napoli and this weekend travel to face a Cagliari side which remains unbeaten at the Sant' Elia this season. A tough examination for Rafael Benitez's side will be made that bid harder by the possible absence of several key players, among them Diego Milito, Goran Pandev and Esteban Cambiasso, all of whom are carrying knocks. Lazio expect to pick up where they left off before the international break when they travel to Bari. Fiorentina will have an added motivation to beat Sampdoria in Genoa knowing that a defeat could see them drop into the relegation zone, while struggling Roma host Genoa on Saturday desperate to claim their second win of the campaign.
In the boardroom, things have seldom been calmer at River Plate. Daniel Passarella became the club's president at the end of 2009, and recently his board of directors approved an ambitious new refinancing programme. The fans, alienated and angered by the corrupt and bumbling administration of previous president Jose Maria Aguilar, had almost forgotten what it was like not to feel irritated by the board. Sadly for them, they've merely been given reason to transfer their ill feeling away from the directors' box and towards the pitch during recent matches. After an impressive start to the season, which saw them top of the Apertura table after four matches, River have slipped away and now languish in mid-table. More seriously though, thanks to Argentina's bizarre system, they're also falling off the pace in their battle to rise clear of the relegation struggle.
Off The Ball never rests in its mission to scratch around the underbelly of professional football to find the most bizarre, humorous and inexplicable stories.
This week, Liam Gallagher is accused of stealing Eric Cantona's car door, Japan plan to beam live holographic matches around the world, a voodoo goat is blamed for Egypt's shock defeat and a fan gets a full-chest tattoo of Andres Escobar's shirt.
The fact that sports economists predict that there is at least $210 million to be gained by the Spanish clubs if they market and sell a properly structured package of television rights to China has been a galvanizing force in the Primera Division.
Spain does not have a coherent sales structure for Primera Division rights in China -- or any other important part of Asia. The problem is that, unlike their major European competitors, Spain's clubs do not sell rights collectively. It's every club for itself, so to speak.
After flirting with relegation last season, Lazio are the surprise leaders of Serie A after six matches. Could an unlikely title challenge be on the cards? Probably not, as the Biancocelesti have won the scudetto just twice in their history. Their most recent title success came in chaotic circumstances in the 1999-2000 season as a team bankrolled by Sergio Cragnotti, coached by Sven-Goran Eriksson and inspired by the likes of Juan Sebastian Veron snatched glory away from Juventus on the final day of the campaign.
VfB Stuttgart's early-season woes are nothing new. For the last few years the Swabians have started the season lethargically, only to look like a different, stronger team in the second half of the season. But sitting 18th and last in the Bundesliga, management was alarmed enough to change coaches yet again.
One has to ask how all sorts of illegal weapons could enter the stadium in Genoa, and how did the troublemakers manage to slip under the radar of the Serbian security and judicial system and travel as far as Genoa with the intent of causing a major incident?
The first question, related to the Italian hosts, I'd prefer to leave with UEFA's pending investigation.
The answer to the second question is rather complicated and requires a look into the past 25 years.
When Andres Escobar was killed not long after scoring a decisive own goal against the United States in Colombia's disastrous 1994 World Cup showing, Felipe Alvarez was just 9 years old. Now 25 and a obsessive fan of Atletico Nacional -- Escobar's club team at the time of his death -- Alvarez has paid tribute to Escobar in a painful and permanent way.
With the United States experimenting again with a new formation, the Americans finished the home portion of their 2010 schedule with a dull 0-0 draw against Colombia on Tuesday night that extended their three-year winless streak against South American opponents to nine matches.Eric Lichaj and Brek Shea made their national team debuts, among the only highlights on a night U.S. coach Bob Bradley changed five starters from Saturday's 2-2 tie against Poland in Chicago.
The U.S. is 4-5-4 this year, in danger of its first losing record in a year since going 5-6-7 in 1997. The Americans complete 2010 play on Nov. 17, when they return to South Africa for an exhibition against Bafana Bafana in Cape Town.
Steve Davis: Firing Blanks
England left Wembley with the jeers of their own fans ringing in their ears as they failed to score at the rebuilt stadium for the first time and had their 11-match winning streak on home soil ended by Montenegro. Fernando Llorente's late winner for Spain sealed a 3-2 win and broke Scotland hearts after they had come back from two goals down at Hampden Park. Holland made it four wins from four in qualifying, with a handsome 4-1 win over Group E rivals Sweden. France strengthened their hold on Group D with a 2-0 win over struggling Luxembourg in Metz.
Ivan the Terrible...?
The future of the club was being discussed in a hearing at the High Court in London.
It might still be early days in qualifying but the matches remain a crucial test for many big football nations which flopped at the World Cup in South Africa. England, Italy and France all have the chance to take big steps into securing their Euro 2012 Qualifying Groups with wins tonight. Here are the previews for all the groups.
Mark Lomas: Blanc's French revolution marching on
U.S. soccer player Charlie Davies was fined $1,040 and his license was suspended by French police because of a speeding violation in which he said a teammate was driving.
Before Ian Holloway stepped into the intense spotlight of the Barclays Premier League most football fans' only exposure to the quirky manager came via his highly publicised post-match metaphors - which included comparisons to pulling women in the back of a taxi and burgling houses - but after just seven games in the English top flight the Blackpool boss has asserted what he is really about: attacking, entertaining football.
Previously, on SI, we reviewed this season's Spanish football awards, as presented by the sports daily Marca, and asked who will win them next year. Having started with the Pichichi and Zarra awards for the top scorer and top Spanish scorer respectively, we then left you on a cliff hanger as we prepared to continue the run down of next year's likely winners, based on the opening weeks of the season, turning our attention to the best coach, referee, and player.
The U.S. finally played with a lead, only to waste it.
Group A
