Benfica Add Pre-Season Matches with Inter and Feyenoord

Portuguese club S.L. Benfica recently announced two pre-season matches. On August 9th, Dutch side Feyenoord will travel to the Estádio da Luz. On August 15th, Inter Milan will travel to the Estádio da Luz to take on Benfica in the newly created Eusébio Cup.

In other Benfica news, the club signed two youth players - winger Andre Carvalhas and midfielder Miguel Rosa to professional contracts. Carvalhas and Rosa are signed through 2011.

The club also signed 23-year-old winger Javier Balboa formerly of Real Madrid.

Balboa moving to S.L. Benfica in 2008-2009.

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PSV Linked with City's Second Keeper

With the departure of first-choice goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes who is off to Premiership side Tottenham Hotspur, PSV Einhoven look ready to bid £2 million for Manchester City’s second-choice goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson who recently returned from Euro 2008. Isaksson was Sweden's starting goalkeeper.

Is Swedish international Andreas Isaksson off to PSV?

Image details: Manchester City v Bolton Wanderers - Premier League served by picapp.com

Perth Glory Open Pre-Season Tour

Australia's Perth Glory, a club that is affiliated with Manchester City, began its pre-season tour of Indonesia with a 2-1 victory against Persik Kediri.

Forward James Robinson and trialist Anthony Skorich both scored in the second half against the Indonesian outfit who are two-time Indonesian Super League Champions.

The match was played in front of 15,000 supporters and viewed by perhaps 100 million Indonesians via a live feed.

After several years in Germany, Australian goalkeeper Frank Jurić returns to his native land. He will be counted on to add depth to the squad along with midfielders Adriano Pellegrino, Adrian Trinidad, and Josip Magdic.

Goalkeeper Frank Jurić returns home.

Image details: Hannover 96 Team Presentation served by picapp.com

Derby County Signs 8th Player

With today's signing of 28-year-old Danish defender Martin Albrechtsen, manager Paul Jewell has now brought in 8 players this off season. The list includes: 22-year-old Australian right midfielder/right back Ruben Zadkovich, 24-year-old winger Kris Commons, and 20-year-old winger/forward Steve Davies.

Paul Jewell adding to the ranks.

Image details: Portsmouth v Derby - Barclays Premier League served by picapp.com

Five Earn Trials at Yeovil Town F.C.

Five hopefuls earned a pre-season trial at League One side Yeovil Town FC. The list includes three midfielders: 21-year-old Emmanuel Francoise from Metz, former Hibernian player Patrick Noubiss and Fisher Athletic's Gavin Tomlin.

Also on trial are 20-year-old goalkeeper Pierre Antoine Martini from Nice, and Plymouth forward Anthony Mason. Mason is a Republic of Ireland U-19 international.

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In other Coca-Cola League One news, Crewe Alexandra signed former Newcastle United striker Calvin Zola.

Yeovil Town F.C are looking to add depth to the roster.

Image details: Coca-Cola Football League One: Yeovil Town v Northampton Town served by picapp.com

Euro 2008 Final: Spain vs. Germany

Prior to Euro 2008, Soccer City FC highlighted only two of the participating teams - Spain and Germany.

Alan has Spain winning 2-1 while Jack Gaughan gives the edge to Germany 2-1.

Enjoy the final!

2008 UEFA Intertoto Cup Begins

The 2008 UEFA Intertoto Cup's first round will come to a close this weekend. The first round is comprised of 28 clubs who played first leg matches on 21 June and 22 June 2008 and will now complete the second leg.

Three matches of note from this weekend's second leg:

Welsh side Rhyl F.C needs to score against Irish outfit Bohemian F.C. After a 5-1 first leg victory, Bohemian holds a commanding edge. Slovenia's ND Gorica is up 3-0 having scored three away goals at the home ground of Maltese football club Hibernians F.C. And Swedish side IF Elfsborg has a three-goal advantage after a 4-1 defeat of Havnar Bóltfelag in the Faroe Islands.

Teams advancing to the second and third rounds will find the likes of Sivasspor, Grasshopper-Club Zürich, Odense BK, Hibernian F.C., Rosenborg BK, VfB Stuttgart, and Aston Villa waiting for a chance to qualify for the 2008-2009 UEFA Cup. 11 teams will qualify for the UEFA Cup via the Intertoto Cup.

Norwegian international Morten Gamst Pedersen in action with Blackburn Rovers during the 2007 UEFA Intertoto Cup.
Image details: Blackburn Rovers v FK Vetra served by picapp.com

Thorstein Helstad Leading the Tippeligaen in Scoring

SK Brann who are currently in sixth place are paced yet again by their 2007 Player of the Year - Thorstein Helstad. The 31-year-old Norwegian forward leads the league with 8 goals through 10 games.

In other Tippeligaen news, Rosenborg and FK Bodø/Glimt ended 1-1. Third place FK Bodø/Glimt has been the surprise of the league. The side was promoted to Norway's top division this year. On the other side of the equation, Rosenborg has been one of the biggest disappointments. The club spent the beginning of the season in the lower tier of the league, but has since climbed back to fifth place.

Thorstein Helstad (in red) leads SK Brann's attack yet again.

Image details: SK Brann v Hamburger SV - UEFA Cup served by picapp.com

Macclesfield Town F.C. Adds Barbadian Striker

Barbadian international Neil Harvey has signed a one-year contract with League Two side Macclesfield Town FC. Manager Keith Alexander signed the 24-year-old today. Harvey comes to Macclesfield via Retford United. The forward helped his squad finish top of Unibond Division One South which brought exposure and trials from several League One and League Two clubs including Morecambe F.C.

While at Retford, Harvey scored 76 goals in 134 appearances.

James O'Connor Moves to Sheffield Wednesday

Irish midfielder James O'Connor has switched Championship sides moving from Burnley FC to Sheffield Wednesday. He declined an offer from the Turf Moor outfit deciding instead to move via free transfer to The Owls. The 28-year-old midfielder played a key role in Burnley's season after being returned to the starting eleven for the 2007-2008 campaign. O'Connor who signed a three-year deal is Sheffield Wednesday manager Brian Laws' first signing of the transfer season.

US international defender Frank Simek also competes for The Owls.

Owls' manager Brian Laws readying the squad for 2008-2009.

Image details: Sheffield Wednesday v Norwich City served by picapp.com

Spurs Sign Heurelho Gomes

Brazilian goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes signed a four-year deal with Premiership side Tottenham Hotspur. Gomes recently had a falling out with PSV managing director Jan Reker.

The London side is certainly living up to its Latin motto (Audere est Facere) this offseason. With the signing of Gomes plus the additions of Mexican international Giovani dos Santos and Croatian international Luka Modric, Spurs have added three major components for the 2008-2009 campaign.

Heurelho Gomes will be moving to the Premiership next season.

Image details: PSV Eindhoven v Tottenham Hotspur - UEFA Cup served by picapp.com

Liverpool Signs Nikola Saric

Liverpool signed 17-year-old Nikola Saric from Danish side Herfølge Boldklub. The Danish-Serbian forward has signed a three-year deal with the club. Several of the top clubs in Europe were after Saric.

Manager Rafael Benitez adds another forward to the Anfield outfit.

Image details: Liverpool v Manchester City - Premier League served by picapp.com

Marc-Vivien Foe Tribute

By: Alan
Soccer City FC

Five years on and the life of Marc-Vivien Foe still lives on strong, the gentle giant will never be forgotten by those who had the honour of watching and being in his presence. The Cameroon favourite was a rarity in modern day football - a loveable, charming and compassionate character who cared dearly for his nation and worked hard to ensure that life was made better for many in his homeland. The story of a great man on-and-off the pitch.

Life in football began at an early age and his first major honour was being involved in Cameroon’s campaign at the 1994 World Cup finals in USA. The African side did not advance past the group stage, but Foe’s performances earmarked him to a move to Europe at the young age of 20. A star was on the rise.

The transfer took him from Cameroonian side Canon Yaounde to Lens in France, giving him the opportunity to shine on a bigger stage and showcase his talents. He stayed at Lens for almost five seasons and played a pivotal role in their march to the club’s first French title and a place in the French Cup final. Foe’s move to France had most certainly paid off and Lens had on their books a player with undoubted ability with a blend of athleticism and defensive surety. Foe made a total of 85 appearances and scored 11 goals on the way before the Premiership beckoned. A move to England had been on the cards as Manchester United had a £3million bid rejected in 1998 but a broken leg ended any interest. The following year Harry Redknapp broke West Ham’s transfer record for a player at the time to take Foe to London.

The record transfer did not last, however, as he remained unsettled and his dream of playing in England was initially premature. A regular at West Ham during the second half of the 1997/1998 season and again a recurring figure in the team for the opening six months of the next season, Foe returned to France with Lyon for £6 million. A move to Liverpool had fallen through but the French outfit saw Foe as a key player that would help them win the Ligue 1 title for the first time. By 2002, Foe had done exactly that and was a key player in Lyon’s first title win - the start of their dominating reign of French football. A cup win also rounded off a ecstatic year, which also included international honours at the African Cup of Nations.

Foe’s dream to play in England however remained unfulfilled and his stint at West Ham only lasted the equivalent of one season, which is one of the reasons why he rejected the chance to play Champions League football with Lyon to sign for newly-promoted Manchester City. Kevin Keegan was delighted with the capture of the Cameroonian, declaring Foe as “a quality player…who is strong, a tremendous athlete and who knows English football. He really wants to come here and play in the Premiership and has given up the chance to play Champions League football in order to do so. I think he is a tremendously important signing for us. All the others are exciting but some signings you know are just right and this one is just right for Manchester City.”

A loan fee for £550,000 was agreed with Lyon that took him to Maine Road and in his twelve month stay he was a dynamo at the heart of midfield. Foe was ever-present in the Manchester City team for the 2002-2003 campaign and made a total of 35 appearances and scored a creditable 9 goals and secured the club’s position in the Premiership. He was a colossal midfielder who imposed his strength to break up play and repel the opposition, his height to deal with aerial balls both offensively and defensively and he displayed his attacking capabilities by scoring vital goals. Fearless, motivator, commander of the circle box, his determination and drive were his key attributes. Fans, having appreciated his contributions throughout the season, could not wait to sign Foe on a permanent deal in the summer of 2003 and undoubtedly it is something he will have considered strongly but it was not meant to be. On the day of 26th June in 2003 during a Confederations Cup semi-final against Columbia, Marc-Vivien Foe collapsed and died from an abnormal enlargement of a heart ventricle. His place in Manchester City’s Walk of Pride is eternal, and his shirt number 23 has been retired along with Lyon’s shirt number 17, which was recently allocated to countryman Jean II Makoun who said “In memory of Marco, for me and all of the Cameroon; it will be a source of strength.”

Foe will forever be remembered as not only one of the best box-to-box midfielders at Manchester City in modern times, but one of the most talented defensive midfielders in recent years, and who knows what he could have achieved either at City or elsewhere if the tragedy had not happened. His last season with Manchester City was arguably his best and he was cut from his prime and at a stage where he was most definitely looking forwards. Foe went down in folklore as the scorer of the last Manchester City goal at Maine Road on 26 April 2003 - a fitting tribute and one that will forever be remembered.

Two French league titles were only some of his honours as a player. Twice he won the African Cup of Nations in 2000 and 2002 and proudly represented Cameroon on 65 occasions. He was a core player in Cameroon's "Indomitable Lions" and following his death he was honourably awarded the Commander of the National Order of Valour.

Marc-Vivien Foe’s work in youth development programmes in Cameroon is still ongoing. The Marc Vivien Foe Memorial Fund was launched in 2005 to continue the work that he had started and it gives young men aged between 11 and 19 the opportunity to experience and learn football coaching. The project works with at least 5,000 children to improve their sporting skills and to provide communities with sufficient facilities and equipment so that they are able to play football. Other activities carried out raise health awareness on matters such as HIV and AIDS so that the children develop a higher understanding of them.

The death of Foe was unfortunately not the last of its time, as fellow footballers Antonio Puerta, Miklos Feher, Hugo Cunha, Serginho, Max Ferreira, Marcio Dos Santos and more recently Motherwell legend Phil O’Donnell all passed away under similar circumstances. Football creates its own heroes, villains and the legends who produce a moment of inspiration to turn a game around, but it is the well-being of the footballers which is most important. Whilst these players have passed away, they most certainly did not do so in vein. UEFA have ordered that every international player participating in Euro 2008 undergo cardiac screening. Team doctors for each of the 16 international teams screened all 23 squad players and a rule has now been enforced whereby the doctor must be among the maximum six team officials on the bench for international matches.

No matter how you remember him, whether it be as a gifted midfielder, a gentlemen and his community work in his homeland, or just his smile - Marc-Vivien Foe is missed greatly and will forever be remembered. Someone like Marc-Vivien Foe only comes around once in a blue moon.

“A lion never dies, it sleeps.”

Image details: Marc Vivien Foe of Cameroon served by picapp.com

LDU Quito 4 - 2 Fluminense

It was a goal fest tonight in Ecuador with the first goal coming only two minutes into the match via LDU Quito's Claudio Bieler.

Scoring Summary

LDU Quito

Claudio Bieler (2')
Joffre Guerron Mendez (28')
Jairo Campos (33')
Patricio Urrutia (45')

Fluminense

Darío Conca (11')
Thiago Neves (51')

The second leg will be played on July 2nd at Maracanã Stadium.

Don't forget to check out Alan's preview of the Copa Libertadores final:
Copa Libertadores Final 2008 Preview: LDU Quito vs. Fluminense

Frank Dell'Apa Reassigned

Frank Dell'Apa was recently reassigned by the Boston Globe. He will now cover KG; wait KG does not speak to the media. He will now cover Paul Pierce and the rest of the Boston Celtics. Revolution Recap has more on the story + a call to email the Globe's editor requesting Mr. Dell'Apa's return to covering the New England Revolution.

Steven Lenhart Stars for the Crew

Back in March, Soccer City FC spoke with Azusa Pacific's Sven Simon. This past weekend, Simon's former teammate Steven Lenhart came on as a substitute in only his second MLS game with the Columbus Crew. He scored in the game against the L.A. Galaxy which ended tied 3-3.

Lenhart has altruistic goals when his professional career is over. One of which is Acirfa which operates out of Zambia. The non-profit outfits bikes for various members of the community including doctors allowing the medical workers to see several more clients due to their new-found mobility.

Copa Libertadores Final 2008 Preview: LDU Quito vs. Fluminense

By Alan
Soccer City FC

The 49th Copa Libertadores finale kicks off on Wednesday June 25 with two teams making their first final in the competition. LDU Quito of Ecuador and Fluminense of Brazil have contested their way through to the final having advanced past the six group matches and then victoriously progressing through a further eight matches from the round of sixteen all the way to the last two. Remarkably, both clubs have played each other twice before this year having survived Group 8, which also contained Arsenal of Argentina and Paraguay’s Libertad. The final is split into two legs with each club playing home and away, LDU Quito kicking off first on Wednesday followed by the return leg in Brazil next week.

LDU Quito have had a strong presence in Copa Libertadores in recent years, having qualified five times out of a possible six since 2003 and their best run in that period was to the quarter-final stage in 2006 where they lost to eventual winners Internacional. The Ecuadorian outfit can consider themselves unlucky not to have made it further in other years, having lost on penalties to Santos in the last 16 in 2004 and have shown to be their country’s main soccer power. They have won their domestic league five times since 1998 and they are the current reigning champions. It is, however, all about the present and previous history and form are not always accurate estimations of who the victors shall be. Veteran frontman Augustin Delgado could prove to be a cunning option from the bench but Argentine strike duo Claudio Bieler and Damian Manso should start having scored 5 goals between them. LDU Quito go into the match in a strong vein of form in both the Copa Libertadores and their domestic league, where they have won 10 out of 17 and are consequently lying second with two games in hand. Barcelona are the only other team from the nation to have made the final, but both times they failed to win it so LDU Quito have the opportunity to not only make history for themselves, but for Ecuador. Coach Edgardo Bauza is optimistic ahead of the final. "This is a great prize for all the players of LDU, who have put in a lot of effort throughout every stage of the competition. We have not had a free day since we started competing in the Libertadores, and for that reason the players deserve this opportunity.”

On a more worrying note for Fluminense, the Brazilians have had a disastrous opening domestic run and lie bottom of the 20-team Campeonato Brasileiro.

The Rio de Janerio outfit have failed to win any of their seven league matches and only able to scrape uninspiring draws. The commitments of advancing in the Copa Libertadores may have taken their toll, but fans will be delighted with the team and will have the ultimate desire of them adding to last season’s Copa do Brazil with a continental tournament. Quirky and inconsistent league form will not determine the outcome of the final and Fluminense will be hoping to win this season’s competition to secure their position in 2009 as reigning winners and thereby see them automatically guaranteed a place in the group stages. The Brazilians made their first appearance this season in the Copa Libertadores but defeating favourites Boca Juniors in the semis and fellow natives Sao Paulo in the quarterfinals place them as firm favourites. Fluminense can call on former Brazil international Washington to provide the threat upfront with the top goalscorer at the 2007 FIFA Club World Cup grabbing 6 goals en route to the final. Manager Renato Gaucho will be hoping Fluminense can join the likes of Sao Paulo, Gremio and Santos by becoming their nation’s eighth team to take home the tournament.

Neither team had met each other prior to this year’s contest but the finalists were drawn together in the same qualifying group. The advantage lay in the hands of Fluminense after a goalless draw at LDU Quito was followed by a one-goal home win. Fluminense can consider themselves to be favourites having won last year’s Brazilian Cup and they progressed to the last sixteen as top seeds based on their impressive group stage results. A trip to the Ecuadorian capital is bound to be tricky and LDU Quito will have to use their familiar altitude to their advantage if the competition is to produce Ecuador’s first champions. Should Fluminense go into the return leg with a victory, it will surely be Brazil who are celebrating its 14th honour.

Can midfielder Franklin Salas lead LDU Quito to victory?

Image details: Ecuador v Paraguay served by picapp.com

Manchester City Targets Yossi Benayoun

I was surprised to read today about the transfer-rumour report concerning City's interest in Liverpool's Yossi Benayoun. The report also details the renewed interest in Inter Milan midfielder Dejan Stankovic which Soccer City FC posted about last Friday. Interesting to see how it would cost Manchester City around £14m for both players with Stankovic costing around £8m and Benayoun would be available for £6m.

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City backed out of this July's Swiss Uhrencup. The club will hold camp in Germany instead. It also appears that A.C. Milan will make their way to Eastlands for the annual Thomas Cook Trophy match on Saturday, August 9. Kaka vs. Elano will be worth the price of admission.

Nery Castillo wants to move to Spain mentioning clubs such as Villarreal, Valencia and Real Betis.

And finally, it looks like City will hand out another long-term contract to an Academy alum. This time it is goalkeeper Joe Hart.

Israeli international Yossi Benayoun could be moving to Manchester City.

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CFR Cluj Bringing in Top Talent for 2008-2009 UEFA Champions League

CFR Cluj won the 2007-2008 Liga I championship. The club is the first squad outside of Bucharest to win Romania's top football league in the last 17 years. With the championship, the team is now guaranteed a spot in the group stage of the lucrative UEFA Champions League. This added revenue has allowed to club to bring in several notable transfers to be made official on July 1st.

The club has so far signed four players plus three more have returned from loan spells.

22-year-old Portuguese defender Vitinha, Romanian defender Dorin Toma, and 22-year-old Romania winger Ciprian Deac are all back after loan spells.

The club has so far (unofficially) signed:

Burkina Faso international forward Yssouf Koné previously of Rosenborg BK.

Plus three South American players:

Brazilian defender Hugo Alcantara who lasted played with Portuguese outfit Belenenses, Argentine midfielder Cristian Sánchez Prette from Club Atlético Huracán, and 23-year-old Uruguyan midfielder Alvaro Pereira last with Argentinos Juniors.

Ribery Is Gone Till September

The injury sustained by French international Franck Ribery in the team's loss to Italy during the final phase of the group stage during Euro 2008 will cost the midfielder to miss the start of the 2008-2009 Bundesliga season.

Ribery tore ligaments above his left ankle and underwent surgery in Munich on Thursday. The operation was described in media reports as having "gone perfectly."

Originally believed to be out for around seven to eight weeks, the midfielder will once again be operated on in approximately six weeks to have metal plates removed.

This step backward means that the recovery time now must be reassessed. Ribery is likely to return to Bundesliga action in September.

After the plate removal, he will be on crutches for four weeks before commencing rehab exercises at Bayern's training ground.

Ribery out until September after his inury at Euro 2008.

Image details: France v Italy - Group C Euro 2008 served by picapp.com

The Dutch Defense Exposed By Andrei Arshavin

Russian playmaker Andrei Arshavin is on the verge of superstardom. First, he lead his club Zenit St. Petersburg to the 2008 UEFA Cup victory. Now, he has ignited the Russian attack since returning from suspension. In the second fifteen-minute period, he set up Russia's second goal and scored the third as Russia defeated the Netherlands 3-1. The team will face tomorrow's Italy/Spain winner in the semi-finals.

As Soccer City FC noted earlier this month, Premiership teams are lining up to bid for Arshavin. Journalist Martin Rogers recently wrote a top-notch article on Andrei found here. His piece focuses on how the playmaker has caught the eye of the Premiership, but it also reports that the Oil company behind Zenit could realistically match any offer coming in. Good stuff.

Andrei Arshavin kills any hope of a Dutch comeback with Russia's third goal.

Image details: Netherlands v Russia - Euro 2008 Quarter Final served by picapp.com

Abdoulay Konko Signs with Sevilla

Former Genoa right-back Abdoulay Konko signed for La Liga side Sevilla on a five-year contract. Konko looks like the replacement for Daniel Alves who recently moved to Barcelona.

Midfielder Kim Källström could also be on the move to Sevilla according to this report.

The former Genoa right-back is moving to La Liga.

Image details: Genoa v Roma - Serie A served by picapp.com

Glentoran FC Lines Up Three Pre-Season Matches

Northern Ireland's Glentoran FC recently announced three pre-season friendlies for the month of July.

Beginning Monday July 14th, Hearts, the Scottish Premier side, journeys to The Oval. Glentoran last played the Edinburgh club in 1899 which was 109 years ago. Hearts won by a score of a 3-0.

Next up for Glentoran is Jim Magilton's Ipswich Town; the two teams will meet on Saturday July 19th.

Finally, on Monday July 28th at 7:30pm Glentoran will face English Championship side, Burnley at The Oval. Like Glentoran, The Clarets have just celebrated their 125th year of existence.

Anyone making the trip to East Belfast for any or all of the three games can read about travel and accommodation information plus find directions to The Oval can be found at the Gelntoran FC website.

Jim Magilton's Ipswich Town will visit Glentoran FC this July.

Image details: Ipswich Town v Hull City served by picapp.com

Netherlands .vs. Russia on ABC

Don't forget that the third of the four quarter final matches will be on ABC instead of ESPN for viewers in the US tomorrow.

Saturday 6/21 2:30 p.m. - Netherlands vs. Russia (ABC)

Can the Dutch be stopped?

Image details: Netherlands v Romania - Group C Euro 2008 served by picapp.com

Turkey Survives and Advances

Turkey snatched victory from defeat for the third time at Euro 2008. With little time left in the match, Croatia went up 1-0 only to have Turkey tie seconds later on a strike from forward Semih Şentürk. Turkey won 3-1 on penalties after. Turkey will face Germany in one of the two semi-final matches.

Semih Şentürk stuns the Croatian supporters.

Image details: Croatia v Turkey - Euro 2008 Quarter Final served by picapp.com

Kaka Wants to Remain at A.C. Milan

Countering this report that stated Chelsea boss Luis Filipe Scolari was readying to make a bid for the Brazilian superstar, Kaka recently insisted that he won't leave Milan.

With the transfer window to open on July 1st, it is possible for Chelsea to make a major move for Kaka, but not likely. Scolari wants to bring his fellow Brazilian to Stamford Bridge, but A.C. Milan's pricetag will be high for the midfield playmaker.

Will A.C. Milan move Kaka? Will Chelsea meet Milan's demands?

Image details: Serie A - AC Milan Vs Inter Milan served by picapp.com

Bocanegra Joins Stade Rennais

US international defender Carlos Bocanegra has signed a three-year contract with Ligue 1 side Stade Rennais. The 29-year-old centre back arrives at Rennes via Fulham where he played from 2004-2008.

Bocanegra should compete for first-team minutes immediately at Stade Rennais.

Image details: England v USA - International Friendly served by picapp.com

Euro 2008: The Top XI Who Failed to Make the Quarter Finals

Norman Hubbard over at ESPNsoccernet writes about the 11 players who failed to make the Euro 2008 quarterfinals who deserved to be recognized for their work during the group stage.

Read the article here.

Romanian defender Razvan Rat made the list.

Image details: Romania v France - Group C Euro 2008 served by picapp.com

Euro 2008 Gear Still Available

The tornament is almost over. Get your gear now!

Cristiano Ronaldo Speaks About His Dream

Top U.K. journalist Guillem Balague spoke with world superstar Cristiano Ronaldo following Portugal's exit from Euro 2008.

You can find the interview at Balague's new website found here in the interview section.

Cristiano Ronaldo will be more than likely starring in La Liga next season.

Image details: Portugal v Germany - Euro 2008 Quarter Final served by picapp.com

Premiership and SPL Fixtures Released

By Alan
Soccer City FC

The seasons of the major European leagues only finished a matter of a month ago but the fixtures for the 2008/2009 Premiership and Scottish Premier League campaigns have already been released. It is one of the most important dates on the calendar as fans eagerly find out who awaits them on the opening day and allows them to start planning for the new season.

The fixtures were decided through a structure that is designed to avoid international and European matches and hence the need for midweek matches as the 38 games, in the case of the Premiership and SPL, need to be completed by a certain finishing date. Fixture changes are inevitable though as clubs find themselves advancing further into competitions and so league commitments have to be re-arranged. The initial fixtures have been designed so that a home match should be followed by an away match, or vice-versa, and ensuring that there are not two consecutive home or away games together and making it as fair as possible for each club.

The fixture structure is additionally complicated as those teams very close to each other must have corresponding games, with one being home and the other being away for sufficient police resources to be present. Two home games would not allow this and when it does happen, they will appear on different days to make it easier to make the games easier to manage. No games will be played on New Year’s Day in the Premiership and the lower English divisions as the FA Cup is staged on the first Saturday in January. To have a match on Thursday 1st January would make it extremely difficult to have the FA Cup matches on the Saturday so the league games for then have been sacrificed for another date.

The dates below are of the first three and last three fixtures for each club.

Arsenal
First 3
August: 16th West Brom (H), 23rd Fulham (A), 30th Newcastle (H)
Last 3
May: 9th Chelsea (H), 16th Man Utd (A), 24th Stoke (H)

Aston Villa
First 3
August: 16th Man City (H), 23rd Stoke (A), 30th Liverpool (H)
Last 3
May: 9th Fulham (A), 16th Middlesbrough (A), 24th Newcastle (H)

Blackburn
First 3
August: 16th Everton (A), 23rd Hull (H), 30th West Ham (A)
Last 3
May: 9th Portsmouth (H), 16th Chelsea (A), 24th West Brom (H)

Bolton
First 3
August: 16th Stoke (H), 23rd Newcastle (A), 30th West Brom (H)
Last 3
May: 9th Sunderland (H), 16th Hull (H), 24th Man City (A)

Chelsea
First 3
August: 16th Portsmouth (H), 23rd Wigan (A), 30th Tottenham (H)
Last 3
May: 9th Arsenal (A), 16th Blackburn (H), 24th Sunderland (A)

Everton
First 3
August: 16th Blackburn (H), 23rd West Brom (A), 30th Portsmouth (H)
Last 3
May: 9th Tottenham (H), 16th West Ham (H), 24th Fulham (A)

Fulham
First 3
August: 16th Hull (A), 23rd Arsenal (H), 30th Man Utd (A)
Last 3
May: 9th Aston Villa (H), 16th Newcastle (A), 24th Everton (H)

Hull
First 3
August: 16th Fulham (H), 23rd Blackburn (A), 30th Wigan (H)
Last 3
May: 9th Stoke (H), 16th Bolton (A), 24th Man Utd (H)

Liverpool
First 3
August: 16th Sunderland (A), 23rd Middlesbrough (H), 30th Aston Villa (A)
Last 3
May: 9th West Ham (A), 16th West Brom (A), 24th Tottenham (H)

Man City
First 3
August: 16th Aston Villa (A), 23rd West Ham (H), 30th Sunderland (A)
Last 3
May: 9th Man Utd (A), 16th Tottenham (A), 24th Bolton (H)

Man Utd
First 3
August: 16th Newcastle (H), 23rd Portsmouth (A), 30th Fulham (H)
Last 3
May: 9th Man City (H), 16th Arsenal (H), 24th Hull (A)

Newcastle
First 3
August: 16th Man Utd (A), 23rd Bolton (H), 30th Arsenal (A)
Last 3
May: 9th Middlesbrough (H), 16th Fulham (H), 24th Aston Villa (A)

Middlesbrough
First 3
August: 16th Tottenham (H), 23rd Liverpool (A), 30th Stoke (H)
Last 3
May: 9th Newcastle (A), 16th Aston Villa (H), 24th West Ham (A)

Portsmouth
First 3
August: 16th Chelsea (A), 23rd Man Utd (H), 30th Everton (A)
Last 3
May: 9th Blackburn (A), 16th Sunderland (H), 24th Wigan (A)

Stoke
First 3
August: 16th Bolton (A), 23rd Aston Villa (H), 30th Middlesbrough (A)
Last 3
May: 9th Hull (A), 16th Wigan (H), 24th Arsenal (A)

Sunderland
First 3
August: 16th Liverpool (H), 23rd Tottenham (A), 30th Man City (H)
Last 3
May: 9th Bolton (A), 16th Portsmouth (A), 24th Chelsea (H)

Tottenham
First 3
August: 16th Middlesbrough (A), 23rd Sunderland (H), 30th Chelsea (A)
Last 3
May: 9th Everton (A), 16th Man City (H), 24th Liverpool (A)

West Brom
First 3
August: 16th Arsenal (A), 23rd Everton (H), 30th Bolton (A)
Last 3
May: 9th Wigan (H), 16th Liverpool (H), 24th Blackburn (A)

West Ham
First 3
August: 16th Wigan (H), 23rd Man City (A), 30th Blackburn (H)
Last 3
May: 9th Liverpool (H), 16th Everton (A), 24th Middlesbrough (H)

Wigan
First 3
August: 6th West Ham (A), 23rd Chelsea (H), 30th Hull (A)
Last 3
May: 9th West Brom (A), 16th Stoke (A), 24th Portsmouth (H)

Scottish Premier League Fixtures
Opening Fixtures

Saturday, 09 August 2008
Aberdeen v Inverness CT, 15:00
Falkirk v Rangers, 12:30
Hearts v Motherwell, 15:00
Kilmarnock v Hibernian, 15:00

Sunday, 10 August 2008
Celtic v St Mirren, 12:30

Monday, 11 August 2008
Hamilton v Dundee Utd, 19:45

Closing Fixtures

Saturday, 18 April 2009
Celtic v Aberdeen, 15:00
Dundee Utd v Kilmarnock, 15:00
Falkirk v Hearts, 15:00
Hibernian v Rangers, 15:00
Inverness CT v Hamilton, 15:00
Motherwell v St Mirren, 15:00

Dundee United Add Shala and McGovern

Dundee United's Craig Levein announced the signing of two players today. German striker Andis Shala and Northern Ireland international goalkeeper Michael McGovern have joined the Scottish Premier League side. Shala was brought in by the manager for a trial in May and Levein was so impressed by the 19-year-old striker that he decided to sign him to a three-year deal. McGovern found first-team minutes difficult to come by with Celtic, but will push starting goalkeeper Lukasz Zaluska for playing time at United. He agreed to a one-year deal.

The Tannadice side adds to the ranks for 2008-2009.

Image details: Dundee United v Barcelona served by picapp.com

Poul Hübertz Returning to Denmark

The former Millwall FC and Northampton Town forward is heading home to his native Denmark after two seasons in England's League One. The 31-year-old Danish player is rumoured to be joining 1st Division side AB after Northampton Town decided not to resign the popular player. His former club AaB (Aalborg BK) appears to be in the mix as well.

After two years in England, Poul Hübertz is returning home.

Image details: Northampton Town and Gillingham served by picapp.com

Japan Moves on to the 4th Round

With the team's 3-0 victory over Thailand, Japan advanced into the 4th round of the Asian Football Confederation's qualifying stage for the 2010 World Cup. Only 4 or 5 nations from Asia will qualify for the next World Cup that will be held in South Africa.

Joining Japan in the 4th round so far are the nations: Australia, Bahrain, both Koreas, Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, and Iran. Two spots remain up-for-grabs with four teams fighting for the positions. Syria will qualify if the nation defeats UAE by 3 goals or more on June 22nd and Qatar must defeat Iraq to qualify also on June 22nd.

In the fourth round, the ten remaining teams are placed into two groups of five teams. The teams in each group play each other twice (home & away).

The top two teams in each group will qualify for the 2010 World Cup.

The third place finishers in each group will then play each other in a home-and-away series. The winner will be determined by aggregate score over the two legs. After, the nation will compete against the representative from Oceania in a home-and-away series to determine which nation advances to the World Cup.

Japan is looking to return to the World Cup.

Image details: Japan National Football Team Trainings Session served by picapp.com

Uruguay Draws with Venezuela 1-1

With 2010 World Cup qualifying in full swing, South America's Uruguay allowed Venezuela to take an away point. Venezuela came from behind after Uruguay scored.

Fenerbahçe defender Diego Lugano scored early on for Uruguay but Venezuelan midfielder Ronald Vargas scored in the second half to send the supporters of La Vinotinto home satisfied with the result. The 21-year-old Vargas plays for Belgian side Club Brugge.

If you recall, Vargas recently scored in the friendly against Brazil that was held in the US.

Vargas - a new Venezuelan legend is born.

Image details: Venezuela v Brazil served by picapp.com

Carling Cup First Round Draw Announced

Another sobering example of being relegated... Reading must go to League Two side Dagenham & Redbridge for their first Carling Cup match next season. Other highlights include:

• Derby County home against Lincoln
• Birmingham travel to Wycombe
• Macclesfield home against Blackpool FC
• Cheltenham Town travel to Southend

The entire list follows:

Preston vs Chesterfield
Chester vs Leeds
Leicester vs Stockport
Sheff Utd vs Port Vale
Grimsby vs Tranmere
Crewe vs Barnsley
Hartlepool vs Scunthorpe
Derby vs Lincoln
Notts County vs Doncaster
Sheff Wed vs Rotherham
Shrewsbury vs Carlisle
Wolves vs Accrington
Bury vs Burnley
Rochdale vs Oldham
Nottm Forest vs Morecambe
Huddersfield vs Bradford
Macclesfield vs Blackpool
Walsall vs Darlington
Coventry vs Aldershot
M K Dons vs Norwich
Wycombe vs Birmingham City
Brighton vs Barnet
Gillingham vs Colchester
Southend vs Cheltenham Town
Swansea vs Brentford
Luton vs Plymouth
Exeter vs Southampton
Watford vs Bristol Rovers
Bournemouth vs Cardiff City
Bristol City vs Peterborough
Charlton vs Yeovil
Millwall vs Northampton
Swindon vs QPR
Crystal Palace vs Hereford
Dag & Red vs Reading
Ipswich vs Leyton Orient

The one-legged ties will be played beginning on August 11th.

Who will hoist the Carling Cup next?

Image details: Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea - Carling Cup Final served by picapp.com

Are Release Clauses Killing The Game?

By: Jack Gaughan
Soccer City FC

It’s pre-season in European Football, with all the big leagues such as the English Premiership, La Liga and Serie A taking their annual break prior to the new season. Obviously this is the period where managers throughout the globe really earn their salt, in building, tweaking, or keeping together squads. But do the players themselves occupy too much power in the transfer process, as we look specifically at the release clause.

So, what is a release clause? Perhaps best described as a division of a contract, a release clause allows a player to move from his club to another once a certain amount of money in transfer fees is triggered. For example, English Championship side Blackpool last season acquired Ireland international Wes Hoolahan, but such was the players’ ambition, that the contract could only be agreed with a £250k release clause. This has enabled bigger, more attractive clubs, such as Norwich City and Charlton Athletic to trigger this release clause and talk to the player, thus making a move away from Bloomfield Road imminent it would seem for the clubs’ best player.

The release clause now seems to be a necessary evil in the game, in order to attract the better players to your club. Unfashionable teams like the aforementioned Blackpool don’t seem to have any room to manoeuvre with these players, who seem to hold all the aces. Drawing on the above example, Hoolahan is definitely worth in excess of £750k, which proves how much money The Seasiders have missed out on when they do eventually sell the midfielder.

It’s not just about attracting players to a club though, release clauses are even needed to keep players at their existing teams! Take Steven Fletcher of Scottish club Hibernian as a prime example; he is rumoured to have a £500k release clause in his contract which would enable him to move to a club (namely Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid) for about ten times under his market value! Without this clause in his contract, Fletcher might have moved on a free transfer when his original contract expired, so Hibs have been held to ransom in order to keep their player for an extra couple of years. Despite being in the UEFA Cup, Hibernian simply don’t have the financial capacity to even contemplate offering Fletcher a deal to rival Madrid’s.

The essence of the release clause is – in a nutshell – making the rich richer and the poor poorer in world football. Looking at the examples here, the monetary gap between the market value of the player and his release clause isn’t actually an awful lot in the grand scheme of things – certainly a pittance to the teams who want to sign the players. However, that £500k gap to Blackpool, and £4.5m gap to Hibernian are absolutely massive amounts of money to them, which they could reinvest into the squad. Instead, they’re left with minimal amounts, which in their respective leagues are as previously stated, a pittance. Selling these players definitely has a knock-on effect when wanting to sign new players, with people questioning the ambition of the club, and a domino effect could even occur, with more players wanting to leave.

The competitive nature of the game is ebbing away with rules such as the release clause; gone are the days of smaller clubs like Ipswich Town conquering Europe on an undersized budget and the like, for the simple reason that their best players would be poached long before Europe was even a possibility. Although top scorer Paul Mariner went to Arsenal in the late 80’s, this was after his 31st birthday, and The Tractor Boys saw his best years at Portman Road, and not Highbury. As a comparison, after their smaller exploits into Europe earlier this decade, Town had their best players picked off, with Keiron Dyer, Matt Holland, Matteo Serini and Darren Ambrose to name but a few all leaving the club to pastures new. Although I don’t know the ins and outs of those transfer dealings, I’d be very surprised if the players didn’t have some sort of release clause. For the record, Ipswich have been in administration since, and are in the second flight of English football – a heavy comedown from six years ago when they beat Inter Milan in the UEFA Cup.

So, is the release clause good for the game? It’s definitely good for the individual player, who can quickly jump up the career ladder with a small release clause, but bad for the clubs, who don’t have a leg to stand on if a bigger team wants their prized assets. I’m not suggesting we should go back to the state of the game in the 1950’s, where the club held all the power, with a salary cap etc, but we need to strike a happy medium, otherwise Football as we know it will deteriorate even further.

Hoolahan's time with The Seasiders may be ending thanks to his release clause.

Image details: Tottenham Hotspur v Blackpool - Carling Cup served by picapp.com