Post-World Cup

Viewership of the World Cup Final was up 41% compared to the last World Cup with some 15.5 million watching on ABC and 8.8 million watching on Univision, that 24.3 million making the final more watched than the any game of the last World Series, the Stanley Cup, and the NBA Finals, not to mention the last Daytona 500. TV ratings are only part of the story in our breve new digital world. According to John Skipper, ESPN’s executive VP of content, “One of every three people watched on something other than the television at their home, either watched in a bar, or on their phone, or in their office on a computer.” Some 4.9 billion minutes were spent on ESPN’s digital content via ESPN.com, ESPN3.com, and ESPN Mobile.

FIFA has released its first post-World Cup rankings and the US have moved up one spot to 13th, which is apparently shared with Serbia. Just to show how bizarre these rankings are, England also moved up one spot seventh in the rankings.

The Wall Street Journal says the US bid to host the 2018 or 2022 World Cup “faces a steep climb.”

Fulham want Bob Bradley as their new manager, according to the eminently unreliable British tabloid The Sun. The Daily Mail says Sven Goran Eriksson will get the job. Previously speculated to be linked to the job are Mark Hughes, Alan Curbishley and Swiss national team manager Ottmar Hitzfeld. Maybe Paul the Octopus has an opinion?

Union/Independence

The Inquirer looks at how the match against Celtic tonight will give the Union a chance to re-tool without possibly further hurting their standing in the league table. Meanwhile, Celtic have admitted they don’t know much about the Union.

Here’s an interview with Independence head coach Paul Riley. And here are ten questions with Independence midfielder and Sweden international Caroline Seger.

MLS

Goal.com looks at what the New York Red Bull’s signing of Thierry Henry means. MLSsoccer.com throws in its own two cents. The Olympian wonders if Freddie Ljungberg might be joining him. Meanwhile Ryan Giggs downplays talk of him going to the MLS after he retires from Manchester United. For more on possible international targets for MLS, here’s another piece from MLSsoccer.com.

The 2010 MLS All-Star First Eleven has been revealed. The list features no Union players despite the fact that Sebastien Le Toux finished second in the fans vote for midfielders. The remaining twelve players for the game’s 23-player roster will be announced Monday, July 19 on MLSsoccer.com

Tactics

Soccer smart guy Jonathan Wilson looks at the future of 4-4-2.