Juventus vs. Barcelona, More FIFA Freakout, Women's World Cup

There goes another one, guys. We had to take a day off yesterday due to flooding and snakes at SSN Headquarters. Things seem to have mellowed, though, and we're ready to see what's up and tackle the weekend. We should probably begin with FIFA and figure out what the hell is going on there. The first thing of note is this: FIFA paid the Irish to stop legal action over the Thierry Henry handball. Oh, dear. Here...we...go!

New for FIFA: A Fiercely Contested Election

FAI’s €5m FIFA payment not apparent in published accounts

Gary Al-Smith: Jack Warner wanted $7m bribe to vote for us as hosts, says Egypt

Back on the pitch, there is the minor concern of the Champions League Final to address. It all goes down at the Olympiastadion in Berlin tomorrow at 2:45 p.m. EDT on FOX. Here's what you need to know:

Juventus vs. Barcelona: Preview

Juventus vs. Barcelona: Preview II

Juventus vs. Barcelona: How the teams compare

Paolo Bandini: Chiellini injury can help Juventus do Italian job on Lionel Messi

Adam Digby: Vidal will be key for Juventus

Sid Lowe: Suárez’s European journey finds its apex at last in Champions League final

Michael Cox: Can Messi, Neymar and Suarez be stopped?

Amy Lawrence: Pogba can take next step to greatness in Champions League final

Jim White: Suarez proving bargain of the century - even at £75 million

The Women's World Cup gets underway tomorrow at 6:00 p.m. EDT in Edmonton when Canada host China. It's on Fox Sports 1. The first match for the U.S. comes at 7:30 p.m. EDT on Monday. Here are some Stories to Watch. Here are Five Things The U.S. Women Must Do in Canada. And finally...Who Will Win It?

The Mill. Plus One. Plus Plus One.

Interesting dress code...

The U.S. Men also have some matches coming up. Friendlies, yes, but the opponents are good. They face Holland today (2:30 p.m. EDT on ESPN) and Germany next Wednesday.

Backheel Breakfast

We out!

Onward!!

-SSN

Blatter Out!

Holy #$^*^##%%&)&^$%$@@^%^%&, Batman! What a Hump Day! Sepp has said he'll step down as head of SPECTRE FIFA! Word is he's on the suspect list. That's pretty much the only subject of conversation around the SSN Headquarters Water Cooler today. Let's get to the insanity!

Sepp Blatter Decides to Resign as FIFA President in About-Face

How a curmudgeonly old reporter exposed the scandal that toppled Blatter

Sepp Blatter: From Defiant to Defeated in Four Fateful Days

Grant Wahl: Now what?

David Conn: What happens now?

Kevin McCauley: What's next?

Tom Fordyce: Blatter resignation one of sport's most dramatic falls

Marina Hyde: How Qatar was a frontier too far

Gabriele Marcotti: What it means and what happens next

Owen Gibson: Blatter finally lets go of FIFA as FBI noose tightens

David Hytner is in Como, Italy. Lucky bastard. Anyway, he's writing about Marco Tardelli and Juventus ahead of the big showdown on Saturday. Also talking Juve? Adam Digby. Specifically, he's profiling Alice Cooper Gianluigi Buffon.

Backheel Breakfast

As expected, Raphael Benitez is now the new manager of Real Madrid. The Madrid native takes over after failing to get Napoli into the Champions League. Let's see how long he lasts...

Women's World Cup? Better believe it! Here are previews for Group B and Group C.

The Mill. Plus One. Plus Plus One.

Like Sepp, we out.

Onward!!

-SSN

nbcsoccer.com

Transfer Rumors, Some Scribe Action, Women's World Cup Previews

Hello Hello Hello!

Things are going to be slow for a spell. We've got the final in Berlin on Saturday and Women's World Cup starting, but that's it until Copa America kicks off. We should probably start with the silly season stuff of transfer rumordom.

The Mill. Plus One. Plus Plus One.

Right! As noted above, the Women's World Cup gets started on Saturday when hosts Canada welcome China to Edmonton. The question on the minds of those mingling around SSN Headquarters: Can the U.S. win? Here is a Group A Preview. More as we near the end of the week.

Women's World Cup 

Group A: Canada, China, New Zealand, Netherlands

Group B: Germany, Ivory Coast, Norway, Thailand

Group C: Japan, Switzerland, Cameroon, Ecuador

Group D: USA, Australia, Sweden, Nigeria

Group E: Brazil, South Korea, Spain, Costa Rica

Group F: France, England, Colombia, Mexico

Michael Ballack Interview!!! How can Juve beat Barcelona? Let Michael tell you.

Now is the time on SSN when we Scribe!

Where? Italy. Who? Luca Hodges-Ramon. What? Verona vs. Vicenza: How one of Italian football’s great rivalries could be reborn

Where? France. Who? Julien Laurens. What? Evra a hero for Juventus and Man United but unloved in France 

Where? Germany. Who? Uli Hesse. What? Is the Bundesliga suffering through an injury crisis?

Where? Italy. Who? James Horncastle. What? The Serie A 2014-15 Best XI

Where? South America. Who? Tim Vickery. What? Corruption at the heart of the Brazilian game

Where? Germany? Who? Andy Brassell. What? Triumphant Wolfsburg aiming high after DFB Pokal success

Where? Italy. Who? Paolo Bandini. What? Benítez leaves without handing Napoli his gift of the Champions League

It's Tuesday and that means it's time for Marcotti's Musings. This week, Gab is gabbing about...Barcelona peaking, Neymar debate, Arsenal hope, Benitez says bye, more.

Power Rankings! Bird's got the best from MLS.

And...we out!

Onward!!

-SSN

nbcsoccer.com

Arsenal Win the FA Cup, Barcelona Win the Copa del Rey, Lazio Defeat Napoli, Xavi

Happy Monday, and what a weekend! There were some spectacular goals on Saturday. Messi lit up Bilbao with a sweet slalom and finish, while Alexis Sanchez went for sheer power and a touch of swerve for his blast against Villa. Both the Argentine's side and the Chilean's side emerged victorious in their quest for cups. Barcelona now look to Juventus on Saturday to complete the Treble. Let's roll, beginning with all of the FA Cup fallout...

Arsenal 4 - 0 Aston Villa: Henry Winter at Wembley

Arsenal 4 - 0 Aston Villa: Phil McNulty at Wembley

Arsenal 4 - 0 Aston Villa: Three Things We Learned

Amy Lawrence: Sánchez and new self-belief the bedrock for Wenger’s plans

Barney Ronay: Arsenal must push on for title after enjoying their FA Cup cruise

Oliver Brown: Wilshere's juvenile posturing leaves acrid taste

Toby Moses: Wilshere did nothing wrong, except show a bit of personality

Iain Macintosh: Villa's dream dies at Wembley but the dream of the FA Cup lives on

Michael Cox: Walcott’s subtle threat helps Arsenal unravel Tim Sherwood’s plot

Phil McNulty: Can Arsenal take the next step?

Xavi has left the building. The dude is headed to Qatar after quite a brilliant career with Barcelona. Sid Lowe has curated a collection of praise and presents it here.

The Mill. Plus One. Plus Plus One.

We haven't heard from Marcela Mora y Araujo in while. It's a shame, too, because we like her writing. Sadly, it's taken the case of El Topo López to get her back on our map.

Over in Barcelona, it was business as usual for Messi and Co. as they brushed aside Bilbao in their quest for three titles. As you might hope and expect, Sid Lowe was at the Camp Nou and filed this report. The question begs: Is this team better than the 2009 version?

In Italy, the Rafa Era ended on a sad note in Naples as Napoli failed to overtake Lazio (and claim a Champions League spot), losing to the Roman side 4 - 2. Here are Three Points from that one.

Backheel Breakfast

Sad scenes, too, in Germany where The Klopp left Dortmund after losing in the Cup final to Wolfsburg. Raphael Honigstein reports.

Just how did things finish on the Continent, then? Let's take a look at La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, Ligue Uhhhhhhhhhn and Eredivisie finalities. We can give you one stat right now. AC Milan and Inter Milan both missed out on Europe for first time in 60 years.

And finally...three Leicester City players (including the manager's son) are stupid, racist assholes.

Onward!!

-SSN

nbcsoccer.com