Friday's Rumours
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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, July 16, 2010
The Joy of Six: Post-tournament Transfer Deals
Starring Ricky Villa and Ossie Ardiles joining Spurs after Argentina 1978 and Dr Josef Venglos's disastrous stint at Aston Villa.
Man U cures Chicago's soccer hangover
The World Cup is over but soccer is not dead.
As the world's biggest sporting event ended this week, the hangover is just in its first stages but relief has come to the United States in the form of the planet's most valuable (estimated to be worth $1.8 billion) sports club, Manchester United of the English Premier League.
Dominic Raynor: Off The Ball
The World Cup is over! A new season looms on the horizon and so it's time to dust off the old Week That Was column, spruce it up a bit, rebrand it with a snappy new title like Off The Ball and begin scratching around the underbelly of professional football for some bizarre and often inexplicable revelations.To kick-off the new term, we have David Beckham on why he used his substantial down time at AC Milan to build the Taj Mahal out of Lego, former Heavy Weight Champion of the World Mike Tyson eking out a living at Peterborough and the A-Team riding to the rescue of Manchester City.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Eddie Johnson Back In Action As Fulham Beat Brentford In Pre-Season
Four minutes after the re-start USA international, Eddie Johnson, back from his loan with Greek side Aris, made it four when broke the offside trap, rounded Lee and slotted home.
Henry: Coming to America
Henry should hit the field running. Unlike other Europe-based stars who laboured through long club seasons after the World Cup, Henry starts next week with fresh legs and a burning desire to prove himself once again. He's come to New York to score goals - sooner rather than later.
Maradona to be offered four-year extension
Few gave him any chance of turning his undoubtedly high-quality squad into World Cup contenders but they impressed on their way to the quarter-finals before being humbled 4-0 by Germany.
Manchester United unveil new home strip
Manchester United unveiled their latest home strip, featuring the logo of new sponsors the Aon Corporation, on the first leg of their US tour in Chicago.
Mike Tyson makes appearance during West Ham friendly against Peterborough
And the 44-year-old former undisputed heavyweight champion, looking trim in a blue strip with ‘Tyson 1’ embossed on the back of the shirt, failed to inspire the Peterborough, who went down 2-1 to West Ham.
Marina Hyde: Sepp Blatter's slick patter sticks in South Africa's craw
Fifa's arrogant treatment of Nelson Mandela is the latest example of the power it exerts over World Cup host nations.
I think he's literally twisting Nelson's arm...
Anelka reveals depth of French tensions
However, the former Arsenal and Real Madrid forward was not so complimentary about former France full-back Bixente Lizarazu.
Lizarazu, a World Cup winner in 1998, has criticised what he saw as Anelka's casual attitude in South Africa, accusing the forward of "strolling" and playing "in a selfish manner".
Anelka responded by sarcastically asking: "Lizarazu - who is he?
"When he speaks and we listen, we seem to hear a living legend. He's just a former player in lack of recognition, frustrated by the success of his mates Zinedine Zidane and Christophe Dugarry.
Aston Villa and England's Emile Heskey retires from internationals
The 32-year-old was part of England manager Fabio Capello's much-criticised squad at the recent World Cup as they performed poorly in South Africa.
Now he'll have more time for this activity...
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Martin Rogers: World Cup Winners & Losers
The hard of heart would say that there is only one true winner at a World Cup and 31 losers. But the past month and the showcase of soccer gave everyone involved the chance to grab their moment in the spotlight.
Loser...
Catching up with Major League Soccer
Welcome back, MLS fans. Major League Soccer is hoping there are a lot more of you now, after the soccer buzz provided by the World Cup. And for long time supporters, those new to the game, and those in between, America's league is confident it has something to offer you this summer.MLS forgives you if your soccer attention has been elsewhere for the last month. In case you didn't notice -- and who could blame you, with the games in Africa taking up all the column space? -- the league shut down for the group stages this year. The strategy this time around, rather than going head-to-head with the world's biggest sporting event, is to take the momentum built by the World Cup and run with it.
There are plenty of storylines on tap for the second half of the season to hold attention, enough to keep longtime fans entertained while captivating some new ones. Here are a few to follow as MLS heats back up post-World Cup:
2010 FIFA World Cup: Top 10 Goals of the Tournament
There were some memorable strikes in this World Cup. But which were the best? Here is a rundown of the top 10 goals from South Africa.
Tim Vickery in South America
A European team has finally won the World Cup outside its home continent.
More than that, for the first time since 1954, Europe is now ahead of South America in the number of World Cup wins - with a strong advantage. Europe has staged the tournament 10 times and South America just four - but in 2014 the World Cup will return to the continent of its birth for the first time in 36 years.
In Brazil the South Americans will be favourites to level up the all time score at 10 wins each - especially after the form they displayed in South Africa.
New Daddy Cristiano Ronaldo Has His Second Media Bust Up In A Week
On Tuesday Ronaldo again found himself confronting journalists, this time outside his property in the Algarve, Portugal. With hacks swarming his mansion, Ronaldo chose to walk up to the gaggle of reporters to give them a piece of his mind on what he believed to be their intrusion into his private life.
Brazil World Cup in disarray as construction falls way behind schedule
Fifa anxious as work has started at only six of the 12 stadiums chosen for 2014, while locals query choice of venues."None of these projects have taken off because all of the money is coming from the public sector; a very, very good indication that they are not financially viable," says Christopher Gaffney, a geography professor at the Universidade Federal Fluminense in Rio, who describes the stadiums as a "disaster foretold".
England Flops Go On £8K Bender
England flops Ashley Cole and Shaun Wright-Phillips blew £8,000 in a few hours boozing at a Los Angeles nightclub while gutted fans mourned missing out on World Cup success.
A fellow Brit who partied with the pair estimated that Cole, 29, had polished off around 40 cigarettes during his bender.
Torres Injury Confirmed
Torres pulled up in the dying moments of Spain's World Cup final victory over Netherlands and, following a scan at the Centro de Madrid Clinic on Tuesday, the Spanish football federation has now confirmed there is evidence of "a grade one muscle fibre rupture in the left thigh".
Set to miss the beginning of the season...
Red Bulls confirm capture of France star Henry
New York Red Bulls have confirmed the signing of former Barcelona and Arsenal forward Thierry Henry, who will make his debut in a friendly game against Tottenham.
The 32-year-old is France's all-time record goalscorer having scored 51 times for les Bleus and he also broke Ian Wright's record for Arsenal, scoring 226 goals between 1999 and 2007 as he cemented his reputation as one of the finest players in world football.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Martin Tyler: So Long South Africa!
Overall, I must say it was a wonderful experience to be in South Africa for this World Cup.Perhaps watching at home it won't be considered a vintage tournament, but over in South Africa they've moved a country forward five years in five weeks.
The warmth, the fellowship and the unification of so many disparate strands in their society made this World Cup work. They understand each other so much better now and I hope that continues. It was more than just a sporting event for the South Africans and they showed what they can do. Like may others I was thrilled by the experience.
Argies Are Champs
The votes are in - Argentina are the winners of the inaugural WAGs and Stags World Cup after seeing off the Netherlands in the most absorbing of finals in Johannesburg.
The winning couple...
Telegraph Sport's Jeremy Wilson casts his eyes back over World Cup 2010
Unforgettable moment:
The return to the World Cup of Diego Maradona. No one knew what to expect as he strode out to the touchline looking like an extra from Goodfellas for the first match against Nigeria, but he actually left South Africa with his reputation enhanced. An authentic sporting legend.
How Wilson can say his reputation was enhanced is beyond me. His squad selection and tactics were terrible. -Sanford
Cesc Fabregas in a Barcelona shirt and football's worst jersey faux pas
Images of Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas celebrating Spain's World Cup triumph kitted out in a Barcelona shirt - albeit one forced on him - have rekindled memories of similar acts of disloyalty.
Garth Crooks' Team of the World Cup
After 64 games, the first World Cup on African soil ended as many expected - with favourites Spain lifting the trophy. But we have seen some great football from some great footballers along the way.
Here's my 2010 World Cup finals team of the tournament (4-3-3)
You like this one better, Bob?
Eight is enough: Octopus retires
"He won't give any more oracle predictions -- either in football, nor in politics, lifestyle or economy," she said. "Paul will get back to his former job, namely making children laugh."
Nash says Henry to join Red Bulls
French striker Thierry Henry is going to play for the New York Red Bulls, according to NBA star and friend Steve Nash.
Red Bulls general manager Erik Soler refused to confirm Henry would be signed next week, but the MLS team has said a star player will be introduced on Thursday.
Oranje provided fighter-jet escort over Holland
Two fighter jets, one of them orange, escorted the Netherlands soccer team through Dutch airspace Monday, a day after the loss in the World Cup final.
The staff at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport formed an honor guard when the plane touched down.
Howard Webb under fire but Johan Cruyff blames Dutch
"Regrettably, sadly, they played very dirty. So much so that they should have been down to nine immediately, then they made two [such] ugly and hard tackles that even I felt the damage," he said.
"This ugly, vulgar, hard, hermetic, hardly eye-catching, hardly football style, yes it served the Dutch to unsettle Spain. If with this they got satisfaction, fine, but they ended up losing. They were playing anti-football."
World Cup ratings in U.S. up 41 percent
Viewership for the final on Univision was up 49 percent from 5,903,000 for 2006. Sunday's game was the third most-watched program on U.S. Spanish-language TV, trailing Argentina's win over Mexico on June 27 (9,405,000) and the finale of the novella "Destilando Amor [Essence of Love]" on Dec. 3, 2007 (9,018,000).
South Africa left with emptiness to fill
The plain truth is this: most South Africans want the World Cup to go on forever. They want to see the flags festooning every building, hear the noise of someone's random vuvuzela blurting into their conversations every day and see foreign visitors who had such awful perceptions about this place taking so much pleasure from it. They won't mind the traffic jams as team buses or delegations of officials go past, they won't mind the endless queuing to shuffle into stadiums, they won't even mind if it has to remain winter until the end of time, as long as the World Cup stays.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Spain return to rapturous welcome
Spain's victorious World Cup squad have landed in Madrid amid scenes of joyous celebration in the country's capital.
Sid Lowe in Spain
Now, that is a postmatch interview. And what a difference a month makes.
At the end of Spain's first match at this World Cup, a 1-0 loss to Switzerland, Sara Carbonero was waiting in the tunnel for Iker Casillas, clutching a microphone. Now, for those who have not been acquainted with her, Carbonero is a journalist and interviewer with the Spanish television channel TeleCinco. She is also Casillas' girlfriend. Not that you would have known it as she held out the microphone and asked bluntly: "How did you manage to lose that?" Casillas barely looked her in the eye, mumbled some cliché and departed.
Anti-racism campaigner tries to snatch World Cup trophy
The supporter, wearing a shirt bearing the slogan 'Jimmy Jump Against Racism' darted out of the a corner of the Soccer City stadium towards the pedestal on which the trophy had been placed for Spain and Holland to parade past
World Cup showing puts England in the minor league
Spain have found an obvious successor for their title of the most reliably disappointing team in world football.
Grant Wahl: Q&A with Landon Donovan
Landon Donovan is on the line from California. It's just after dawn on the West Coast of the United States, which is symbolic in a way, considering a new phase is dawning in Donovan's career after his standout performance at this World Cup. Donovan scored three goals in South Africa, including the one to beat Algeria that many are calling the biggest goal in U.S. Soccer history. Donovan's star power in America took a giant leap over the past month. So what comes next?
2010 FIFA World Cup: Our team of the tournament
Guardian writers pick their team of the tournament in the 4-2-3-1 formation employed by most of the better teams on show in South Africa.
Richard Jolly: World Cup Worst XI
Centre back: William Gallas (France)Swift to blame Raymond Domenech after France's dismal campaign concluded, William Gallas nonetheless admitted his own form hadn't been brilliant. That is an understatement. His partnership with Eric Abidal rarely threatened to work and it should mark an undistinguished end to his international career.
Richard Jolly: World Cup Best XI
Centre back: Ryan Nelsen (New Zealand)
So which of the following sides ended the World Cup unbeaten: Argentina, Brazil, Germany, Spain and New Zealand? Were the question posed five weeks ago, the answers may have been split between the first four. As it is, the All Whites drew with the reigning champions, acquitted themselves terrifically and exited without defeat.
A reason for each of those achievements was Ryan Nelsen, who defended defiantly and, against Italy, heroically. Before the tournament, it would have seemed surreal to suggest Nelsen would pip Lucio to a place in a team of the tournament. He has.
Manchester United fans plan to snub new shirts in protest against Glazers
The Glazer family face a new battle with Manchester United supporters following a warning that fans are preparing to snub the club’s new Aon-branded shirt which will be launched in the United States this week.
2010 FIFA World Cup: The Final
Spain 1 - 0 Netherlands (AET)Kevin McCarra at Soccer City
Paul Fletcher at Soccer City
Stevenson: Iniesta the inspiration
Williams: Anti-football let Europe down
Fifield: Sneijder and Villa lost in mayhem
Fifield: Webb's dream job turns to nightmare
Carlisle: Casillas is MVP
Jones: Blame the Dutch for gooning it up
Player Ratings I
Player Ratings II
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