Sanford's Soccer Net

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Portsmouth nine-point deduction confirmed

The Premier League has confirmed that Portsmouth have been deducted nine points after entering administration. It leaves them 17 points off safety with nine games to play and all but confirms their relegation from the Premier League.

Alicia Keys and Black Eyed Peas to kick off World Cup

Alicia Keys and Black Eyed Peas are to perform at a concert in South Africa that will officially "kick off" this year's World Cup football tournament.

Shakira, John Legend and Angelique Kidjo will also appear at the event, to be held in Johannesburg on 10 June.

Can't get enough of this guy...

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

UEFA Champions League: Tuesday's Previews

Chelsea vs. Inter Milan
Where: Stamford Bridge, London, England
When: 3:45 pm EDT
U.S. TV: Fox Sports Net
Preview I
Preview II
Kevin McCarra: Chelsea can overcome deficit
Report: Jose out if Inter lose

Chelsea 2005 vs. Chelsea 2010

Sevilla vs. CSKA Moscow
Where: Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan
When: 3:45 EDT
U.S. TV: Fox Soccer Channel
Preview I
Preview II

England: Tuesday's Premier League Preview

Who: Wigan Athletic vs. Aston Villa
When: 3:45 EDT
Where: DW Stadium, Robin Park, Wigan, Lancashire, England
U.S. TV: Fox Soccer Plus
Preview

Sid Lowe in Spain

Valladolid's eccentric new coach is a hero of the city but he has a mammoth task to build a team in his image.

Anarchic and entertaining: Valladolid's coach is not like the team.

Jonathan Wilson in Eastern Europe

Victory for CSKA Moscow in Sevilla would be a welcome boost for Russian football in financially worrying times.

CSKA Moscow ready to ensure a nerve-jangling night for Leonid Slutsky.

Raphael Honigstein in Germany

Berlin's only Bundesliga representatives are going down, and now they have the fallout from a pitch invasion to deal with too.

Ultras up the ante as Hertha pay for sins committed in a former life.

Paolo Bandini in Italy

Internazionale could be forgiven for being preoccupied with the second leg at Chelsea, but their 3-1 defeat at Catania was still remarkable.

Serie A title race blown wide open as Inter take eye off the ball.

Americans On The Continent: Two In A Row for Bocanegra

After a strong performance against Monaco in which he netted the game-winning goal, Bocanegra and Rennes made it two on the trot as they visited Valenciennes on Sunday.

The Rest

Americans in the UK: Donovan’s Finale Ends on Sour Note

Landon Donovan came on as a substitute in his last game for Everton on Saturday but the club drew with Birmingham after blowing an early 2-0 lead.

The Rest

England: Monday's Premier League Report + Table

Liverpool 4 - 1 Portsmouth
Paul Wilson at Anfield

	Teams	Played	Goal Difference	Points
1	Man Utd	30	46	66
2	Chelsea	29	42	64
3	Arsenal	30	38	64
4	Tottenham	29	25	52
5	Liverpool	30	19	51
6	Man City	28	17	50
7	Aston Villa	27	16	46
8	Birmingham	29	-1	44
9	Everton	29	4	42
10	Fulham	29	0	38
11	Stoke	29	-5	36
12	Blackburn	29	-17	34
13	Bolton	30	-18	32
14	Sunderland	29	-8	31
15	Wigan	29	-30	28
16	West Ham	29	-12	27
17	Wolverhampton	29	-24	27
18	Burnley	30	-32	24
19	Hull City	29	-34	24
20	Portsmouth	29	-26	19

Phil Ball in Spain

I watched Sevilla versus Deportivo on Saturday night, since it seemed as good a way as any to escape from the Real Madrid-based twitterings and twerpings of the last few days. It was a good game too, and one in which Sevilla showed why they won't quite make it this season and Deportivo showed why they still might.

Then again, Sevilla are in the King's Cup final, but one of the events of a newsworthy week was yet another frustrated meeting between the Spanish Federation and the two finalists (Atlético Madrid are the others) which failed to agree on either a date or a stadium. They'd better tell the King soon, however, because by the end of May he's usually donning his Bermudas and hoisting the mainsail.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Monday Night Football: Liverpool vs. Portsmouth

Liverpool will expect to give their faltering top-four hopes a boost as they host basement club Portsmouth on Monday night. U.S. TV is ESPN2 at 3:55pm EDT.
Preview

Monday MLS Breakdown: Landon Donovan's Return Critical to Galaxy's Success

During a weekend when David Beckham sustained a serious injury, Landon Donovan's return from a loan spell with Everton provided the most important bit of news for LA Galaxy manager Bruce Arena.

Breakdown

England: Premier League Weekend Review + Special Reports

The race for the Premier League title remains a tight affair as the top three all won this weekend, while Tottenham Hotspur were the big winners in the race for fourth spot.

Manchester United 3 - 0 Fulham
Richard Jolly at Old Trafford

Chelsea 4 - 1 West Ham
Kevin Palmer at Stamford Bridge

Tottenham 3 - 1 Blackburn
David Lacey at White Hart Lane

Hull City 1 - 2 Arsenal
Richard Jolly at KC Stadium

Germany: Bundesliga Weekend Review

Things remain congested at the top of the Bundesliga as Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich and Schalke all recorded wins.

Hertha Berlin fans storm pitch after loss to Nuremberg.

Italy: Serie A Weekend Review

AC Milan's 1-0 win over Chievo - a result which allowed them to keep pace with city rivals Inter at the top of Serie A - was marred by an Achilles tendon injury to David Beckham. Siena launched a stunning second-half fightback to recover from 3-0 down and earn a 3-3 draw as Juventus' disappointing campaign continued at Stadio Olimpico. On Friday night, Catania threw the title race open and took a giant step towards securing their own future in the top flight by beating 10-man Inter Milan 3-1. On Saturday, Napoli were beaten 3-1 at home as Fiorentina recovered from their Champions League disappointment against Bayern Munich.