Liverpool’s Europa League campaign begins today against Unirea Urziceni. The surprise champions of the Romanian league made a good showing in the Champions League group stage, finishing in third place and only one point behind Stuttgart. Urziceni is located in southeast Romania. It takes almost half the town to fill […]
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Foreign leagues & international soccer
Schoolyard Goalkeeping Sinks Arsenal Again
Anyone wondering to what extent goalkeeping can derail an otherwise very good team need only look at Arsenal. The Gunners’ goalkeeping situation reached farcical proportions today after young Polish ‘keeper Lukasz Fabianksi gifted Porto a 2-1 advantage in the first leg of their Champions League tie. Fabianski was filling in […]
Thierry Henry Non-handball Story!
On Soccernet.com yesterday, Didac Peyret had an article about the rough year Thierry Henry has endured at Barcelona. The story is speculative, draws specious conclusions, and contradicts itself (paragraph 3 questions Henry’s spirit while paragraph 7 is a quote from the Frenchman in which he asserts his willingness to ride […]
World Cup referees announced
The thirty referees who will handle South Africa’s World Cup matches were announced over the weekend. And yes, “handle” is being used in a punny sense here as Swedish whistleman Martin Hansson is the most controversial inclusion. Hansson missed Thierry Henry’s clear handball in France’s victory over Ireland that secured […]
Woe To Managers Who Forget: Soccer Is A Team Game
Diego Maradona’s famous run against England in 1986 is probably the most famous play in soccer history (closely followed by the Hand of God). It’s a memorable play for many reasons, not the least of which is how it showcases one player’s ability to single-handedly change a game. Maradona’s goal […]
Altidore scores first Premier League goal in upset win
Jozy Altidore scored his first English Premier League goal today to help Hull to a 2-1 upset win over Manchester City. Altidore won multiple free kicks and looked dangerous throughout the match before pulling up lame with what looked to be a quad injury and leaving for a substitution in […]