Liverpool vs. Everton, Arsenal vs. Tottenham, The Joy of Six

The Editor lost an old friend and is traveling today, so we need to keep this brief. Big, big matches in the Premier League as shown in our heading, and the Joy of Six is worth a look.

Onward.

-SSN

Málaga 0-0 Barcelona, Ronaldo's Remarkable Record, Paolo Bandini in Italy, Jonathan Wilson on Marcelo Bielsa

Hello. How are you? Excellent. Better than Philipp (Seymour) Hofmann, we presume...

Cristiano Ronaldo. Love him or hate him (we hate him), you gotta respect his ability. He's scoring goals like nobody's business at the moment. Here is his record in full.

Speaking of goals in Spain, there were none yesterday (hah!) in the match between Málaga and Barcelona. Nada, amigos. Lo siento. Here's a wrap of all the mid-week fun en España.

Mid-week action in Serie A, yo! Paolo is the expert on that so let's allow him to bring us up to date on what's going on Italy. Hint: Napoli is not doing well. Wee review? OK. This includes everything you need.

Mid-week action in Das Bundesliga, ya? Here's a wee review of the action that included a fine comeback by Borussia Dortmund. More? How about Raphael Honigstein talking some Mario Gotze!

That's one way to get a selfie with Super Frank...

The current round of the Capital One Cup concluded yesterday with no surprises. Man City, Chelsea, and Spurs all advanced. Crystal Palace vs. Newcastle sounded like it was good. Newcastle grabbed the win despite playing with 10 men. West Brom/Hull City also sounded like it was exciting. The Baggies bagged two in the final four minutes to claim the victory.

We do love us some Jonathan Wilson here at SSN Headquarters. Dude can not only write, but he can pick the stories of note that others let pass on by. Today he's focusing on southern France and the work of Marcelo Bielsa at Marseille.

We also dig Richard Jolly. He's looking toward Liverpool today, and wondering if things will be different for Brendan Rodgers. Roy Evans, Houllier, and Rafa all improved things at club...but none could win a title.

That seems about right.

Onward!!

-SSN

nbcsoccer.com

Liverpool Win 14-13, Southampton Beat Arsenal, Fernando Torres Scores as Empoli & Milan Draw, 18 Goals in a Week for Real Madrid, Caulker Wrongly Accused of Stealing Cheese, Gyan Denies Human Sacrifice

Hump Day? Already? Geez. So, the What's In Your Wallet? Cup provided some drama last night. Liverpool defeated Boro 14-13 on penalties! Andy Hunter was at Anfield. Elsewhere, Southampton won at Arsenal thanks to a rocket from Clyne, more woe for Tim Howard as Everton conceded three to Swansea, Sunderland beat Stoke (Jozy Altidore scored!!), and Fulham and Derby County both advanced. Check it:

League Cup Round-Up

Arsenal 1 - 2 Southampton: Amy Lawrence at the Emirates Stadium

Iain MacIntosh: Three Points: Arsenal cede cup progress to Southampton

Liverpool 2 - 2 Middlesboro (14-13): Sam Sheringham at Anfield

Swansea 3 - 0 Everton: Stuart James at the Liberty Stadium

There were matches yesterday in La Liga. Sid Lowe is in Spain not talking about Real Madrid who continue to score goals for fun.

Fernando Torres. He scores when he...wants?

There were matches in Germany yesterday. Bayern put Poderborn away with ease, and Schalke were victorious. Here's a wee review.

There was one match in Serie A yesterday: Empoli 2 - 2 AC Milan Sticking with Milan for a minute, they used to rule Europe and dominate with regularity. No more. What's gone wrong for the Italian giants?

European Talking Points

Sam Kelly is a solid scribe who often writes about Argentina. He wasn't available yesterday for our Scribes section, but he's graced us today...

Where? Argentina. Who? Sam Kelly. What? Machinations abound as Martino names first real Argentina squad

We gave you Jeff Carlisle's MLS Power Rankings on Monday. Today you get Bird's.

Headline of the Day: Asamoah Gyan denies murdering rapper in alleged human sacrifice. Good. Glad that's settled.

Headline of the Day II: Steven Caulker arrested after being wrongly accused of Tesco cheese theft

We out!

Onward!!

-SSN

nbcsoccer.com

TSB's Match Report : Arsenal vs. Southampton

If you're only going to see one game in a season you have to make sure it's the big one. And so it was last night: Carling Cup first round, Arsenal vs Southampton. And ideally you want to be there with all your mates. So off I went with my missus and our neighbour's 14 year son, Rory. Rory who loves rugby ''...but the ticket was free and I'll do anything to get away from my mad mother". My wife likes soccer more than Rory, especially going to Arsenal. Just before kick-off I asked her which was her favourite game. "I really enjoyed the stadium tour", she answered. In fairness this did tally with the earlier comment she'd made on the way to the game, " you know what the best thing about going to the football is? You get to look at the police horses..'

If you're not going to draw a top four team, then playing Southampton, with their open style of play and strong youth policy, is perhaps the next best thing. And the stadium was full. Ok, not Derby County full or Liverpool full, where all but 10 of the seats are taken, but Arsenal full. So there was at least a sprinkling of people around us. And that meant it wasn't too loud, which, lucky me, meant Rory could spend 30 minutes filling me in on the state England Rugby.

The Saints were excellent throughout, and Arsenal weren't that bad during an entertaining first half. But in the second half they were dire. All the real problems were in midfield. Quite a worry when the manager's buying policy [I need a stiker, a defensive mid and a centre back - I know I'll buy another attacking mid] leaves the team with no forwards and a defense of kids. Everything in the centre was numbingly slow. It was like watching a bunch of drugged-up crabs. Wilshere took 4 touches then passed sideways to Podolski, who took 4 touches and passed sideways to Rosicky, and so on and so on. Meanwhile, Schneiderlin was everything the Arsenal midfield wasn't: dynamic, energetic and effective.

At least in the first half there were a couple of cracking goals. Sanchez free-kick even had some fans lifting their heads from their Iphones. In the blurry photo below, taken by my wife, you can just about see the ball flying into the net.

Southampton will be delighted. Perhaps they should sell off the family jewels every year. They out-passed and out-smarted Arsenal. Arsenal didn't really seem to care. Wenger might be a tad disappointed to be out of the cup and that he may have bought another dodgy keeper but he's probably too busy thinking which Saints player he'll be buying in the summer.

-Tracksuit Bottoms (SSN London & Barcelona Correspondent)

What's In Your Wallet?, Quinton Fortune on South Africa 2010, David Conn on Chelsea and Third Party Ownership, Scribes, Mid-Week Euro Action, Great Gattuso Rant

From League Cup debuts to stardom...

A very fine Tuesday to you and yours. We're going to jump right in with our favorite section of the week...Scribes! As you might expect, there's loads of great stuff this week on the heels of all the goals in Spain and the drama in Italy.

Where? Spain. Who? Sid Lowe. What? Ronaldo hat-trick for Real Madrid kickstarts weekend goal fest

Where? Germany. Who? Andy Brassell. What? Revierderby rivals Borussia Dortmund and Schalke repeat same mistakes

Where? France. Who? Julien Laurens. What? Paris Saint-Germain must call on Zlatan Ibrahimovic to right the ship

Where? Germany. Who? Raphael Honigstein. What? SC Paderborn living the dream on top of Bundesliga but still target survival

Where? Italy. Who? Paolo Bandini. What? Rome moved by Aurora’s tears while Massimiliano Allegri has last laugh

Where? Germany. Mark Lovell. What? Bayern the Goliath ready for the David of Paderborn this week

We always liked Quinton Fortune as a player. He seemed like a nice guy when he was plying his trade at Atlético Madrid, Manchester United, and Bolton. Anyhoo, he's from South Africa, and he's penned a piece on his nation's state post-2010. Enjoy.

Podcast! On today's Football Weekly we've got own motley crew – Messrs Richardson, Macintosh, Steinberg and Ronay, since you asked – and they're talking goals, goals, goals, because there were a ton of them this weekend. Literally. We start with the shenanigans at the King Power Stadium, where Leicester spanked Manchester United 5-3, before contemplating Liverpool's continuing awfulness at West Ham, and Frank Lampard's non-celebration after rescuing a point for Manchester City against former love Chelsea. Plus, there's a bumper European round-up, including an 8-2 win for Real Madrid, an 83-metre screamer in the Bundesliga, and news from our friend Michiel Jongsma from benefoot.net about the strange goings-on at Alkmaar amid tales of Marco van Basten's poor health.

Tuesday also means Gabriele Marcotti's musings. This week, Gab is gabbing about Pellegrini, Mourinho 'spar' after draw; Real's misleading win; Milan's spirit.

Chelsea. They're a sketchy, club, right? Even if you support them, you have to admit it. Abromovich, right? Well, David Conn has got this going on today: Chelsea stake in third-party ownership leaves Premier League on shaky ground -- TPO has been banned in England since the Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano furore but not, it appears, at Chelsea.

We've got Third Round Capital One Cup action today. Arsenal host Southampton, Liverpool host Boro, and Swansea host Everton, among others. Here's a wee preview.

We've got La Liga action today. Real Madrid host Elche (bless you). Here's a wee preview.

We've got Serie A action today. Empoli host AC Milan. Here's a wee preview.

We've got Bundesliga action today. Giants Bayern Munich host league-leading minnows SC Paderborn, and Werder Bremen host Schalke, among others. Here's a wee preview.

Woop! That's it.

Onward!!

-SSN

Real Madrid Net Eight, Lampard Goal = Man City & Chelsea Draw, Leicester Shock Man United, Juventus Edge Milan

It simply had to be, right?

Holy Insanity, Batman! What a weekend! You could not have written the script better for Super Frank Lampard as Chelsea's all-time leading goal scorer, on loan to Manchester City from New York City FC, comes on as a late sub and scores the tying goal to deny Chelsea a victory at the Etihad. Similarly, down 1-3 to Manchester United after 62 minutes, few would have predicted a Leicester City Comeback/Manchester United Meltdown that would result in a final score of 5-3 to the home side. Wow. Oh, and Real Madrid put eight past Deportivo de La Coruña, West Ham beat Liverpool, and Crystal Palace won at Everton. Let's get to the reports and analysis, beginning in England.

Monday Morning Hangover

Premier League Playback

10 Talking Points

10 Things We Learned

Heroes and Villians

Chris Kamara's Weekend Review

Peter Berlin: EPL Notes

West Ham 3 - 1 Liverpool: Dominic Fifield at Upton Park

Miguel Delaney: Three Points: Liverpool haven't made it yet

Leicester City 5 - 3 Manchester United: Stuart James at King Power Stadium

John Brewin: Three Points: Man United fall apart at Leicester

Michael Cox: Leicester win duel of the diamonds against a stunned United

Kyle Bonn: Foxes complete comeback for the ages (includes highlights)

Jamie Jackson: How Van Gaal’s tactics were exposed by Leicester’s Nigel Pearson

Manchester City 1 - 1 Chelsea: Phil McNulty at the Etihad Stadium

Manchester City 1 - 1 Chelsea: Daniel Taylor at the Etihad Stadium

Richard Jolly: Three Points: Lampard rescues Man City against Chelsea

Barney Ronay: Touré’s meaty display for City does not disguise loss of appetite

Team of the Weekend

Garth Crooks's Team of the Week

Let's move on to the Continent, shall we? In particular, Spain and Italy. Here are Five Things we learned in La Liga this weekend. Not enough? OK, La Liga and Serie A weekend roundups. More? Fine. Here's some additional Serie A where Juventus won at Milan and Roma cruised past Cagliari. More tomorrow with the Scribes!

There was action in the United States this weekend. What did we learn? We learned at the very least Five Things. Power Rankings? Yes, Jeff Carlisle can provide those.

Not terribly pleased with Pardew...

Last Weekend In Europe

This is pretty great. A lot of German footy fans are not pleased that Red Bull's RB Leipzig was created simply to market the brand in 2009. Supporter input and influence are not encouraged, and the team operates more or less solely as a marketing wing of Red Bull. This weekend in Berlin, Leipzig were met with 15 minutes of silence from 20,000 Union Berlin fans.

The Guardian is taking a very close look at Jorge Mendes: From Diego Costa to Angel di María, the Portuguese super agent is responsible for the biggest deals in football but is also in apparent breach of Fifa regulations.

Like a rock...not.

Good grief! We'd better terminate things there.

Onward!!

-SSN

nbcsoccer.com

Sorry - No Time Today - Enjoy the Weekend Action

Bayern Edge City, Schalke Shock Chelsea, Roma Run Riot On & Off the Pitch, Ole Gunnar Out at Cardiff, Jonathan Wilson on Alejandro Sabella

Due to reader complaints, our usual Schalke fan has been replaced. For today...

Right! Talk around SSN Headquarters yesterday was about how many Chelsea would put past Schalke. Cut to the chase: none of us were correct. No, nobody in the office guessed the game would end 1-1. Elsewhere, Bayern Munich controlled their affair with Manchester City but couldn't score until late. That's all it takes, though. Barcelona knows it. They could only manage one at home against Apoel Nicosia. And it was a Pique header! PSG and Ajax? 1-1. Roma went all nutty on CSKA Moscow to the tune of 6-1, while Porto did them one better with their 6-0 victory over BATE. Also going nutty were the Roma and CSKA supports. Both clubs could be in trouble after violence broke out inside and outside the Stadio Olimpico. Here's the lowdown from last night and the matchday in general:

Champions League Matchday One Review

Champions League Rewind

Winners and Losers – Champions League Matchday One

Team of the Week

John Brewin: English clubs frustrated again

Bayern Munich 1 - 0 Manchester City: Daniel Taylor at Allianz Arena

Raphael Honigstein: Bayern's late win eases the pressure on Pep

Jamie Jackson: Another big-game Touré no-show

Gary Neville: City must learn to see Champions League games out

Richard Jolly: Three Points: Bayern Munich vs. Manchester City

Chelsea 1 - 1 Schalke: Dominic Fifield at Stamford Bridge

Barney Ronay: Hazard sparkles but Chelsea fail to find finishing to match

Roma 5 - 1 CSKA Moscow: Report

Crowd trouble in Rome.

Poor Ye 'Ole Gunnar. Everyone's favorite Norwegian baby-faced assassin lasted less than nine months in charge of Cardiff. He's stepped down. Good effort, though.

Jonathan Wilson is a favorite scribe of ours. Today he's looking to answer this question: Where next for Alejandro Sabella? The manager left his post with Argentina after the World Cup final and is in search of a new gig.

The Europa League is today, but it's so early, we really can't be bothered to provide any previews. We'll take a look tomorrow and see if anything happened of note. OK? Good.

Uhh, Major League Soccer unveiled a new logo. So, you know. Big news.

Oops.

Hey! That'll do for today.

Onward!!

-SSN

nbcsoccer.com

Dortmund Defeat Shambolic Arsenal, Liverpool Leave it Late to Beat Bulgarian Minnows, Seattle Win U.S. Open Cup, Bayern Munich vs. Manchester City

Is it Hump Day already? Geez. Well, in Champions League action yesterday, Arsenal had a night in Europe to forget as Dortmund easily brushed them off the pitch. They only scored two but it could easily have been five or six. Elsewhere, Real Madrid did score five to cruise past Basel, and Liverpool barely survived a scare at Anfield against Ludogorets Razgrad. Here's your lot from Tuesday's European fixtures:

Champions League Rewind

Champions League Tuesday Review

Borussia Dortmund 2 - 0 Arsenal: Henry Winter at the Westfalenstadion

Borussia Dortmund 2 - 0 Arsenal: Daniel Taylor at the Westfalenstadion

Miguel Delaney: Three Points: Borussia Dortmund vs. Arsenal

Jim White: Arsenal have problems

Arsenal Player Ratings

Liverpool 2 - 1 Ludogorets Razgrad: Richard Jolly at Anfield

Liverpool 2 - 1 Ludogorets Razgrad: Paul Wilson at Anfield

Real Madrid 5 - 1 Basel: Sid Lowe at the Bernabéu

Dermot Corrigan: Three Points: Real Madrid vs. Basel

Real Madrid Player Ratings

Modric to Bale = Goal

Back in the USA, Seattle won the U.S. Open Cup thanks to a Clint Dempsey goal. Bird has Three Thoughts.

Talking Points! Let's look back at the weekend one last time: European football returned this weekend and there were twists and turns in every domestic league. With transfer deadline signings suited up for their new clubs and squads refreshed following the extended international break, there were plenty of movers and shakers in the league tables across Europe.

Champions League Wednesday Team News

Chelsea vs. Schalke: Preview

Dominic Fifield: Schalke’s slow start leaves squad doubting themselves for Chelsea

Bayern Munich vs. Manchester City: Preview I

Bayern Munich vs. Manchester City: Preview II

Raphael Honigstein: Bayern aim to bounce back from Pep’s ‘biggest cock-up of career’

That's it!

Onward!!

-SSN

nbcsoccer.com

The Champions League Begins, Scribes, U.S. Open Cup Final, Keeper’s Water Bottle Spiked With Urine

Hello Hello Hello! What a day we have! So much to get through, so let's roll. Monday Night Football finished 2-2 between Hull City and West Ham. The highlight was the Hammers' new man Enner Valencia's cracker of a strike. Richard Gibson was at the KC Stadium.

The Champions League Group Stage gets going today. Let's begin with some general previews and thoughts ahead of this year's competition prior to diving into this week's action. Here:

2014-2015 Champions League Preview. 

Five Key Questions for 2014-15. 

The view from the Continent. 

Michael Cox: A competitive Premier League may have led to England's UCL decline.

OK! Now that's done, what's up today? Obviously, Arsenal's trip to Dortmund is grabbing the headlines since those two clubs are rather large, it must be said. Oh, and Liverpool host something called Ludogorets Razgrad after five years of Champions League exile. Interesting...

Matchday One Previews

Five Storylines to Watch

Uli Hesse: Battle commences once again between English and German clubs

Borussia Dortmund vs. Arsenal: Preview I

Borussia Dortmund vs. Arsenal: Preview II

David Hytner: Injuries raise questions about Arsène Wenger’s transfer strategy

Liverpool vs. Ludogorets Razgrad: Preview I

Liverpool vs. Ludogorets Razgrad: Preview II

Liverpool vs. Ludogorets Razgrad: Preview III

Andy Hunter: Rodgers takes long view as Liverpool embrace return to Europe

Real Madrid vs. Basel: Preview

What the hell is going on at Newcastle? Barry Glendenning takes a gander at the chaos at St. James' Park.

The U.S. Open Cup Final is also today (7:30 pm EDT on GolTV). Here's all you need to know about that illustrious competition and a preview of the match itself featuring Seattle vs. Philly. Sticking with the U.S., Bird has his MLS honors from the weekend and Jeff Carlisle has his weekend review and Power Rankings.

Would it make a difference?

Scribe Time! In-depth analysis of the action around the globe. Sadly, just Europe this week. For some reason nobody is writing about South America.

Where? Spain. Who? Sid Lowe. What? Turan gives Atlético life...and Real another derby defeat

Where? Germany. Who? Adam Bate. What? Kagawa is back where he belongs

Where? Spain. Who? Guillem Balague. What? Madrid need to be more adaptable and show intensity

Where? Germany. Who? Raphael Honigstein. What? Hamburg in a familiar position while Schalke’s crisis deepens

Where? Italy. Who? Paolo Bandini. What? Inter repeat 7-0 Sassuolo thrashing as Milan edge nine-goal Parma thriller

It is Tuesday, so that means it is also time for Marcotti's musings. This week, Gabriele is gabbing about Real Madrid's self-inflicted issues, Man Utd's evolution, and Barca's bright start.

And finally...there's this: Swiss Football Shaken By Truly Disgusting Scandal After Goalkeeper’s Water Bottle Spiked With Urine.

Onward!!

-SSN

nbcsports.com

No More Gus Johnson, Real Madrid 1-2 Atlético Madrid, Arsenal 2-2 Manchester City, Inter Milan 7-0 Sassuolo, Liverpool 0-1 Aston Villa, Parma 4-5 AC Milan, Big Interview = Thomas Müller, Monday Night Football

Where's Waldo Welbeck?

All right! We were pretty excited going into the weekend because it looked pretty damn good on paper. Isn't lovely when the paper is correct? An enthralling draw at the Emirates, Chelsea's attacking machine, Atlético's win over Real, Inter's annihilation again of Sass, Manchester United's new boys changing the mood, Parma and AC Milan in a thriller, there was so much great action. Perhaps the greatest action, however, was Gus Johnson's decision to step down as Fox Sports' lead soccer announcer. While we understand and sympathize with the difficulties in his personal life, we also don't care for his presence on our televisions during soccer matches. Now, let's move on to the Premier League and all the fallout from the weekend:

10 Talking Points

Kammy's Weekend Review

Heroes and Villains

Arsenal 2 - 2 Manchester City: Daniel Taylor at the Emirates Stadium

Arsenal 2 - 2 Manchester City: Phil McNulty at the Emirates Stadium

Barney Ronay: Agüero in a class of his own but Welbeck shows promise

Chelsea 4 - 2 Swansea City: Dominic Fifield at Stamford Bridge

Liverpool 0 - 1 Aston Villa: Chris Bevan at Anfield

Manchester United 4 - 0 QPR: Five Talking Points

Richard Jolly: Three Points: Manchester United vs. QPR

Simon Stone: From Fellaini to Falcao - fortunes revived at Old Trafford

Amy Lawrence: Van Gaal’s new era is on an upward trajectory

Team of the Weekend

Garth Crooks's Team of the Week

No shortage of drama in Spain, where Atlético Madrid went to the Bernabéu and beat Real. Was Sid Lowe there? Duh. Here's his report. And here's a wee weekend review. We'll have more on Spain from El Sid tomorrow.

CRISIS!!!

No shortage of drama in Italy, where Inter Milan pasted Sussudio Sassuolo yet again (!) and AC Milan edged Parma in a thriller. Here's a wee weekend review. We'll have more on Italy with Paolo Bandini tomorrow.

Oooo. We've got a Big Interview to begin the week. It's Raphael Honigstein asking the questions and it's Thomas Müller providing the answers.

Last Weekend In Europe

The complete package (ahem) for Diego...

As if all that excitement from the weekend wasn't enough, there's Monday Night Football to enjoy today! Yes, indeed. Big Sam and his boys head up to Hull to face Mrs. Doubtfire and his Tigers of Hull. Here'a preview. Want to watch? Great! Go to NBCSN at 3pm EDT and you'll be all set.

And finally...Thomas Vermaelen can't park his car.

Onward!!

-SSN

nbcsoccer.com

Real Madrid vs. Atlético Madrid, Arsenal vs. Manchester City, Chelsea vs. Swansea, This Weekend In Europe, Top Tenner, The Joy of Six, The Gentleman Ultra

Rainbow laces outside Arsenal Station...

And there goes another (LONG) one, folks! Finally, finally, the weekend has arrived and with it a plethora of wonderful watching opportunity. Loads to get through today, so let's jump off in England, shall we?

Premier League Preview

Premier League Notebook

10 things to look out for this weekend

10 Questions for the Weekend

Premier League Spotlight

Team News

50-50 Challenge: Arsenal vs. Manchester City

Chelsea or Swansea: Who will win?

Mark Ogden: How the 'Van Gaalacticos' could line up against QPR

Paul Merson's Predictions

Lawro's Predictions

PODCAST! Praise be, proper football is back, and on today's Football Weekly Extraaaaaa, AC Jimbo has Barry Glendenning, Jonathan Wilson and Simon Burnton to bring out the bunting. We preview all the big games this weekend, including Arsenal v Manchester City, Aston Villa's trip to Liverpool and the top of the table clash between Chelsea and Swansea. Next, we head to the Championship, where leaders Nottingham Forest host Derby, and a number of former players are talking themselves up as potential managers of Leeds. Well, someone has to. Finally, we wave goodbye to those pesky European Championship qualifiers by hearing from Stefán Snær Ágústsson about why Iceland may just be the team to watch on the road to France 2016 - and why you can't call your children Harriet or Duncan in Reykjavik.

This Weekend In Europe

Would you look at this? Barcelona will drop their regular home kit in exchange for Catalan colors against Athletic Bilbao tomorrow. That's a first. What else is on tap in La Liga? Here are some previews:

La Liga Round Three Preview

Madrid Derby: Preview

50-50 Challenge: Real Madrid vs. Atlético Madrid

Champions vs. Champions: Real Madrid vs. Atlético Madrid

Michael Cox: What the football world can learn from Simeone & Atlético Madrid

Nicholas Rigg: Stage set for Ronaldo to put niggling doubts to bed

Top Tenner is...Memorable Player Debuts! Good stuff. The Joy of Six is...Football Streaks! Good stuff.

Woo Hoo! The Gentleman Ultra is back! This time, his Serie A Alternative Guide is...AC Milan! Enjoy! Also, please enjoy this Serie A Weekend Preview.

They are still playing top flight football in this country, don't you know? Here are Five Things To Look Out For in MLS. And here's a preview for the weekend's Stateside action.

Key TV

Saturday

Arsenal vs. Manchester City - 7:45am EDT - NBCSN

Chelsea vs. Swansea City - 10am EDT - NBCSN

Barcelona vs. Athletic Bilbao - 10am EDT - beIN Sports USA

Boldmere St. Michaels vs Bedworth United - 10am EDT - None

Real Madrid vs Atlético Madrid - 2pm EDT - beIN Sports USA

Sunday

Manchester United vs. Queens Park Rangers - 11am EDT - NBCSN

Parma vs. AC Milan - 2:45pm EDT - beIN Sports USA

That'll do it, folks! Enjoy the action. 

Onward!!

-SSN

Five Best Soccer Mascots, Almost Weekend Previews

Alex Song arrives for training at West Ham...

Hi.

Yesterday's post discussed the problems Spurs are having with their new stadium plans. So, what exactly are their options in terms of stadia when they can't play at home? Miguel Delaney breaks it down like this.

God, it's slow. We don't really want to get into previews for the weekend today. A lot can change in 24 hours. That said, here are some nice and easy vids for La Liga (Who will win the Madrid Derby?!), Serie A (Fernando Torres in Milan!), and Ligue Uhhhhhhh (Can Lyon stop the rot against Monaco?!). Speaking of Torres, you better believe Milan have high hopes for their new boy. Can he turn back the clock and find his form? Speaking of the Madrid Derby, here are Five Classic Madrid Derby Moments. How convenient is that?

God it's slow. The Five Best Soccer Mascots? Sure. Why not?

Napoli's third jersey: Feel the denim

Yank Abroad Brek Shea has been loaned (by Stoke) to Birmingham City. Good luck to him. May he actually see some playing time.

One dude who is looking ahead to the weekend is Richard Jolly. He's got his eyes on the Arsenal/Man City clash and considers the attacking options for both sides.

That'll do until tomorrow when we can really dig into the weekend's fixtures.

Onward!!

-SSN

Tottenham Stadium Delay, Euro 2016 Wrap-Up, Suárez To Play El Clásico, Amy Lawrence On Acclimation, Tim Vickery On Uruguay's Next Generation

It's Hump Day, peeps! And that means the international break is OVER! Good riddance. Let's get back to some proper footie, shall we? OK, before we do that, we probably should look back at what we learned, what happened, yadda yadda. Here are 10 Talking Points from the week's action. And, just what have we learned? Besides the fact that The Czechs beat The Dutch, that is.

Spelling is hard...

Tottenham want a new ground. They need a new ground. They won't have a new ground for a while. To make matters worse for Spurs fans, it looks delays also mean their side will have to play a season away from home.

Tim Vickery is a favorite of ours. He's been submitting articles about South American soccer from his base in Rio for years. Today, he's taking a look at Uruguay's next generation. José María Giménez, anyone?

Amy Lawrence is also a favorite of ours. Today, she examines the difficulties foreign players often have when adapting to life in England. In her piece, David Ginola talks about moving from Paris to Newcastle: "On my first day in Newcastle I went for a drive around town with my wife and said, 'This is where we are going to live.' I realised what an enormous step I had taken when my wife started crying in my arms in the car."

Michael Cox is a tactics man. Today, he's looking ahead to Saturday and Sunday (aren't we all?) and wondering how Falcao, Welbeck, and Ben Arfa will fit into their new sides. Tactically speaking, of course.

Good luck with that one, Liverpool brass.

October 25th, people. That's the day of the next Clásico. It'll be in Madrid and a certain Luis Alberto Suárez Díaz will be available to dig into the action. Step up to the plate, as it were. Sample the local fare. Chew the fat with his new Barcelona teammates. What fun for him. Let's hope he can step away for a moment mentally and digest the enormity of the occasion. Cough. It'll be at 12pm EST on beIN Sports USA. Now you know.

And finally...no Messi for you!

Onward!!

-SSN

England Win, Estonia Win, San Marino Lose, Montenegro Win, Fear The Zlatan

Hello, Tuesday! Yay! England won a match and it actually had some moments that were not completely snore-inducing. The tabloids can calm down. Here's more on that:

Switzerland 0 - 2 England: Daniel Taylor at St Jakob Park

Five Talking Points

Phil McNulty: Player Ratings

Richard Jolly: Gary Cahill emerges as England's rock

Barney Ronay: Hodgson must solve Wilshere conundrum for new-look England

Elsewhere? Well, Spain crushed Macedonia, Slovakia beat Ukraine, Austria and Sweden drew, Russia beat Liechtenstein, San Marino lost to Lithuania (should we continue? Yes? OK), Montenegro beat Moldova, and Estonia edged Slovenia. Oh, and Luxembourg and Belarus drew. Ahem.

This match is on Fox Sports 1 at 12:00pm EDT today...

Today, Wales play Andorra, The Dutch go and play the Czechs, Kazakhstan host Latvia, Italy go to Norway, and there are other matches, too.

We've always maintained that you need to fear The Zlatan. It's one of the SSN Headquarters policies. Strict policies, they are. It turns out, we're not the only one who fears The Zlatan.

This is awfully fun: The 10 goals of the season in the 1980s. Those were that days...

It is Tuesday so we should check in with Major League Soccer and see who is leading the pack in terms of power. Bird claims that the assGalaxy have surged to the top of the Power Rankings. Bird also has his MLS Best XI for the week. It looks like Jason Davis agrees with Bird. He's also got the assGalaxy atop his Power Rankings.

That's it.

Onward!!

-SSN

Euro 2016 Qualifiers & Quiet

Well, hey there! Welcome to another week. There are some matches that matter, but sadly, thanks to those in the game who prefer to improve aspects like sponsorship revenue opportunities as opposed to action on the pitch, they don't matter as much. You see, in its infinite wisdom, UEFA has decided that 24 countries will be welcome at EURO 2016. That's too many. It means a lot of these qualifiers simply are not that important. And that's sad. It's sad because even though Albania stunned Portugal yesterday, the Portuguese will most like qualify anyway because there are so many open slots. It is Portugal, though, so you never know. Bad example...

What is also sad is all these meaningless friendlies and watered down qualifiers lead to injuries. Still interested? Here's a Guide. Still interested? We suppose it's a bit interesting to see how bad England are/have been. They play the Swiss today. Phil McNulty says they better not lose!

So! Enough of that. Let's turn that frown upside down with The Best Goals of the Week. Roberto Baggio via a gorgeous assist from Diego Maradona? Don't mind if we do.

What have we here? Ronaldinho has gone to Mexico? Oh, dear. Looks like the Buck-Toothed/Geri-Curled One is pulling a Tom Petty and Free Falling. Ouch.

You may have noticed that it's a bit slow this morning. Case in point: "Journalist attacked by thugs after asking Gyan about 'human sacrifice' rumours, brother arrested."

Yes, it's slow. So...finally...let's all welcome these WAGS to the Premier League.

Onward!!

-SSN

USA Defeat Czech Republic, Argentina & Di María Destroy Germany, England Snorefest

Yeah, not what we'd want to do on a Wednesday night in London, either...

Whew! We looked up and Argentina were beating Germany by the score of 4-0. It ended 4-2, but the point had been made. What if Di María had played in Brazil? Sure, the German squad was weak, but what if Di María had played in Brazil? He scored a goal and had three assists last night. What if Di María had played in Brazil? Conrad Leach was at the Esprit Arena in Düsseldorf and filed this report. Raphael Honigstein takes a closer look at the German World Cup Hangover in this fine article.

And what of the United States? They had a little party in Prague and beat the hosts 1-0 thanks to a goal from Alejandro Bedoya. It was a pretty entertaining affair, actually. Some good end-to-end stuff for a fair amount of the match. To be fair, the Czechs pretty much dominated the second half, and per usual, the Yanks had a great goalie performance (this time from Nick Rimando) to thank for preserving the win. Here's your lot:

Brian Straus: Philosophy key in U.S. victory 

Jeff Carlisle: U.S. aggression key to win

Grant Wahl: Three Thoughts

Doug McIntyre: Three Points

Player Grades

We know you'll all be shocked to hear that England's match against Norway sucked. It was drab, boring, labored, whatever synonym you want to throw in there. Sadly for Daniel Taylor, he was there and forced to file this report. You want more on that match? What is you, loco? OK, fine. You get Phil McNulty and this: England need to win their fans back.

There are two matches of interest today: France vs. Spain and Italy vs. Netherlands.

There were some matching in MLS last night. Philly, Seattle, and New England were victorious. Here's a wrap.

And finally...Mario Balotelli's new crib has a helipad.

Onward!!

-SSN

International (UGH) Break

Anyone going to Wembley today? Anyone? Didn't think so...

Good Grief. It's the dreaded September International Break already. The club action starts to heat up and, boom. Stop. Full Stop. Time for Russia/Azerbaijan, Denmark/Turkey, and Ireland/Oman. To be fair, Germany vs. Argentina could be decent since it's true great teams and rematch of the World Cup Final that took place just shy of two months ago. Ahhh, and our Yanks are in Prague to play the Czechs (2:15pm EDT on NBCSN). Oh, and England host Norway at...sorry, dozed off there...Wembley. Here are some previews, beginning with the U.S. of A. and their roster:

Goalkeepers: Cody Cropper (Southampton), Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Nick Rimando (RSL)

Defenders: John Brooks (Hertha Berlin), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Timmy Chandler (Eintracht Frankfurt), Greg Garza (Club Tijuana), Fabian Johnson (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Michael Orozco (Puebla), Tim Ream (Bolton)

Midfielders: Alejandro Bedoya (Nantes), Joe Corona (Club Tijuana), Mix Diskerud (Rosenborg), Julian Green (Bayern Munich), Emerson Hyndman (Fulham), Alfredo Morales (Ingolstadt),
Brek Shea (Stoke City)

Forwards: Jozy Altidore (Sunderland), Joe Gyau (Borussia Dortmund II), Jordan Morris (Stanford), Rubio Rubin (Utrecht), Bobby Wood (1860 Munich)

USA vs. Czech Republic: Preview

Graham Parker: United States' winding road to Russia

Brian Strauss: Brek Shea still in club limbo after USA call-up

Jeff Carlisle: Klinsmann talks World Cup, MLS, dual nationals and Donovan

Raphael Honigstein know his Germany, yes he does. Here's his preview for the WORLD CHAMPIONS' friendly against Argentina.

Spain were shit in Brazil, remember? They were the first nation knocked out. Time to rebuild! Sid Lowe takes a gander at what 'Ol del Bosque has in mind for his tika-tacking failures ahead of the friendlies against against France and Macedonia. Sticking with Spain, Guillem Balague says Real Madrid  have shown 'zero logic' this summer. Damn, Guillem! You harsh!

We want our money back! It appears that even the 1% can get upset when their team sell their stars. Those poor Monacans. Monacoans? Monégasque? Really? Cool.

We want our prestige back! According to Paul Wilson, the Premier League has got it back. Thanks to all those big-$$ signings.

We out!

Onward!!

-SSN