Senegal Captain on Trial at Newcastle

According to Goal.com, Newcastle are currently having a look at Senegal captain and defender Lamine Diatta. The player is on a four day trial, and Kevin Keeegan has said he will make a decision on him by Tuesday. Diatta is available on a free transfer as he bought out his contract with Turkish club Besiktas over the winter break. With experience on the international scene with Senegal, as well as in club football in france and turkey, the player could be used to shore up Newcastle's leaky defence.

M!ke

Ronnie O'Brian Traded From Toronto FC

Ronnie O'Brian has been traded to the new San Jose Earthquakes franchise. In return, TFC is going to recieve a first round draft pick for next year, and allocation money towards the salary cap. It is a big loss for TFC, as O'Brian is considered to be one of the best wingers in the MLS, however he is quite injury prone, having only played 13 matches last year. His knees are not what they used to be, and the prospect of playing another season on the hard turf of BMO feild could have been terrible on his already injured knees. There are rumors that TFC will have a few new signings next week, though we have heard that before this off-season, and nothing has happened as of yet.

M!ke

Things Are Getting Worse For Newcastle

Newcastle goalkeeper Shay Given will miss the rest of the season after suffering a groin injury agains Aston Villa a few weeks ago. The injury has gotten worse, and he weill now require surgury that will put him out of the lineup for the remainder of the season. Newcastle are currently struggling to stay in the Premier League, and have only managed two draws in their last 6 matches under new coach Kevin Keegan.

M!ke

Liverpool For Sale? No Way!

Media reports have stated recently that Liverpool is for sale, with any number of possible new owners coming into the fray. This rumor has now been denied by current Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks. He confirmed that he is only interested in the growth and prosperity of the club, and is commited to the club and its supporters, and is not interested in selling his stake.

Palermo To Be Boca Player For Life

According to Goal.com, Argentine striker Martin Palermo is going to be offered a lifetime contract by his beloved Boca Juniors. The stiker is having a magnificant season for Boca, scoring 179 goals for the glub over the course of his career. Once touted as being the future of Argentine soccer, Palermo never really made it outside of his native Argentina, but has been prolific for Boca, and looks to add to his total this weekend against Gimansia of La Plata.

M!ke

Resting Players

With all the hype over the amount of games many teams play every season, is it right for managers to rest some of their bigger players in order to save them from fatigue before something like a Champions League match up later in the week? This is an issure that has pretty much destroyed the credibility of the Italian Cup, Carling Cup, and various other cup competitions around Europe, as big teams are feilding weak sides in order to rest their superstars. Yes some may argue that this allows the smaller clubs to compete with the big boys for once, but is it fair to say that this should be accepted. These clubs are basically disrespecting the competition by feilding a second rate squad. What do you think?

M!ke

Tottenham Defeat Chelsea in Carling Cup Final

Tottenham came from a goal down to defeat Chelsea 2-1 through an extra time goal from Jonathan Woodgate. Chelsea had taken the lead in the first half through a Didier Drogba free kick that fooled Paul Robinson. It was not until the second half when Tottenham was able to equalize with a penalty shot from Dimitar Berbatov. Tom Huddlestone was controling a cross from Lennon, and the ball popped up and Chelsea defender Wayne Bridge handled the ball within the penalty area, thus giving Tottenham a glimmer of hope. It was in extra time when Jonathan Woodgate struck the fatal blowm heading in the ball off a cross from Jenas, giving Tottenham its first cup since 1999, and a place in europe next year.

M!ke

The Sorry State of Newcastle

What is wrong with this Newcastle squad? They leak goals from everywhere, and though their defence may be weak, they are not a team without quality players. Look at their captain, Michael Owen. He hasn't been the same player since leaving for Real Madrid, but come now, this was one of Englands most prolific goal scorers. Up front with Owen you have former Leeds and Man U striker Alan Smith and former Inter striker Obafemi Martins. In midfeild they have Damien Duff and Geremi, these two have played for Chelsea, and Geremi spent a few years at a little club called Real Madrid as well. Are they all just over the hill?

M!ke

Montreal Impact Defeat Esposende

The Montreal Impact of the USL first division defeated Esposende of the Portuguese forth division 3-1 on Thursday. The team is currently in Portugal prepairing for their upcoming season, and have taken on several Portuguese clubs this month. The Impact, one of the big three clubs in Canada allong with Toronto FC and the Vancouver Whitecaps FC, are not only prepairing for the USL first division, but for their play off with the other two Canadian clubs looking for a place in the CONCACAF Champions League. The tournament begins later this year, and a spot would bring in a lot of revenue for the club, as well as some international exposure for the club and its players. They're next exhibition match is on February 26 against club AD Fafe of the third division, and then FC Vizela of the second division.

M!ke

Joao Pinto to Toronto a No-Go

According to mlsrumors.blogspot.com and sportsnet.ca, the possibility of Toronto FC signing former Portugese International Joao Pinto has fallen through. Apparently his club in Portugal is having an injury crisis, and the offer from Toronto was not substantial enough to make the Portugese club bite. Could there be another big name player coming instead?

M!ke

Amauri to Play For Italy?

Brazilian striker Amauri may be availably to play for the Italian National Team should they want him for Euro 2008. The striker has been rumored to want to play for Italy, and it is assured that his citizenship could be rapidly put through in order to make him available. Having never appeared for Brazil at any level, the Palermo striker would have nothing in his way from taking on the same sort of role that Luca Toni plays to the Azzurri. Amauri looks also set to move away from Palermo, possibly to Roma, Milan, or one of several other big european clubs such as Chelsea, who made an offer for him in January but had it rejected.

M!ke

Pan-Pacific Championship Kicks Off Tonight

The Pan-Pacific Championship kicks off tonight in Hawaii, with for teams vying for the title. Two MLS sides, the Houston Dynamo and the Los Angeles Galaxy, as well as Gamba Osaka from Japan and Sydney FC of Australia will take part in the innaugurial tournament. Beckham fans swarmed the team as they arrived in Hawaii last week, and the tournament will showcase prefessional soccer to three of the bigger markets still trying to be tapped by major soccer business.

M!ke

Liverpool Stun Inter, Roma Beat Madrid

Liverpool found their winning ways again in a shocker yesterday as they defeated Inter Milan, arguably the best team in Europe at the momment, 2-0. Both goals came in the last five minutes of regulation, stunning Inter Milan who had been playing a man down since the 30th minute when Marco Materazzi was sent off for two yellow cards... calls that upon review seem quite suspect, with Materazzi's contact minimal at best.

In the other big game of the day, Roma came back from being a goal down to defeat Real Madrid 2-1 with goals from David Pizzaro and Mancini. Roma now looks to keep their lead in the return leg in Madrid, while trying to avoid a repeat of the disaster that took place last year when they led Manchester United 2-1 after the first leg, only to loose 7-1 in Manchester. The quality of both teams was evident, and the second leg looks to be the crown jewel in this round of the Champions League.

M!ke

Fans Purchase Club in England

According to BBC.co.uk the fansite MyFootballClub will officially take over as owners of soccer club Ebbsfleet United. The site which has some 18 000 members voted with almost 96% in favour of the purchase. Each member will contribute 35 British Pounds each to make up the 700 000 pound fee. The site will then allow members to vote on squad selection, player transfers and more. Nike has also offered to produce their kits and merchandise for next season, a decision that was voted 91% in favour by the websites members. This is a historic day for fans of football, actually becoming involved in the game on a larger scale.

M!ke

Today In Soccer

So today is the restart of my beloved Champions League, and I am excited to see who will come out in what I think will be the top match up of this round, Real Madrid against Roma. Yes Roma has been struggling lately, but this is a strong attacking team, and if their defence can keep it together against the Madrid strikers then they will at least have a chance of advancing to the next round. The other match up that is really interesting is between Olympiacos and Chelsea. Although Chealsea should be heavily favoured, go no forget that playing in Greece can be very intimidating for most teams. Olympiacos also have some top quality players, and should not get walk all over in this match up.

M!ke

Scratch That...TFC Signing Possible Trio

So less than 24 hours since I speculated about Toronto FC signing a quality, internationally know player, news has hit the wire about a possible trio of singings coming to BMO feild. According to Goal.com and several other sources, TFC is very close to signing Darren Huckerby, Johnnier Montano and former Portuguese international Joao Pinto. Apparently Huckerby is coming to Toronto to check out the club in the next week. This trio...if signed, would significantly increase the quality of players at TFC. Though Pinto may be getting on in years (aged 36) he still has some quality, and Montano has been capped for the Columbian National team, is 25, and has his whole career ahead of him. This week should be interesting.

M!ke

Veron to TFC? No Chance...But it Would Be Nice

This is just an idea I had while I was working on my last post. Juan Sebastian Veron is currently playing for Estudiantes in Argentina, but last year was approached by DC United of the MLS regarding signing on to play in DC. It didn't work out, but what about Toronto? Toronto currently does not have a designated player on the roster, and knowing Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, they have the money and would love to sign on a big name player to draw in fans and support outside of Toronto. TFC is a hit in the city, but imagine how many fans would come out to see TFC in LA or Miami (eventually, with a planned franchise soon) if they had a star player from South America such as Veron. hmmmm....

M!ke

Boca Juniors Thrash Argentinos Juniors 4-0

Boca took control of a game that many people believed was to have been a more even match. Though only leading 1-0 at the half, Boca managed to turn it up in the second half through the beautiful play of Juan Roman Riquelme. Four different Boca players scored, Martin Palermo in the first half, and Rodrigo Palacio, Jesus Datolo, and Alvaro Gonzalez in the second. Upon hearing the rest of the results over the weekend in Argentina, I began to wonder about all the great talent that has returned to South America recently. Riquelme, D'Alessandro, Adriano, Abreu...all plauers that could, and maybe should be playing abroad, have returned home to play. Is this because they are more suited to the South American game? It could be, as they never really made long term splashes in Europe (with the exception of Adriano, who yes has lost form, but is still a talented striker). I believe these players will return to Europe, most likely to play in Italy, as specially players like Riquelme and D'Alsseandro, who are very much in the mold of former Serie A and Argentina star Jaun Sebastian Veron. What do you think?

M!ke

Drogba's Price is Sky High

So Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has stated that if any team wants to come after Didier Drogba, they are going to have to pay a hefty sum of money. Abramovich has put the asking price at 30 million euros... a fee that most teams probably wouldn't want to touch. Drogba is a fantastic finnisher, but there are probably dozens of other young forwards with promise and youth, that would come at a fraction of that price. So unless you are desperate (AC Milan) or crazy (Real Madrid/Barcelona) I don't think many clubs are going to come calling for Drogba's services unless some kind of swap deal can be made... maybe Ronaldinho... like I said, crazy...

M!ke

Cassano is Brilliant as Sampdoria Defeat Genoa

Antonio Cassano once again proved that he is one of the greatest talents in Italian soccer as his moment of brilliance set up the only goal in an exciting Genoa darby between Sampdoria and Genoa. Cassano made a menace of himself throughout the match, showing flashes of the skill that got him signed by Roma from Bari for 20 000 000 british pounds. With all the talk about possible forwards for the Italian National team in the upcoming Euro championships, Cassano is playing his way back into the fold. His skill was examplified today when he single handedly dribbled through three Genoa defenders before sending a perfect cross to teammate Maggio who after having his header blocked, put in his own rebound. How long will it be before national boss Roberto Donadoni will recall Cassano? Only time will tell, but with the way he's been playing as of late, it shouldn't be too long.

M!ke

Barca Sign 14 year old Argentine

Barcelona have apparently signed a 14 year old from Argentina named Mauro Icardi. According to Goal.com, he is a striker that has had various trials with several big name clubs over the last year before finnally deciding to sign with Barca's youth set up. I find it amazing that these clubs will search the world for talent. I'm a young guy, so I wasn't really around when clubs primarilly had players from their city or town, but signing a 14 year old and moving him all the way accross the world seems a bit excessive don't ya think?

PDL Paradise: Can the Toronto Lynx Survive?

Last years on and off feild success for Toronto FC has thrown a wrench in the chances that the Toronto Lynx Soccer Club will continue to survive. For the better part of ten years, the Lynx were Toronto's major soccer franchise, coming one game away from the A-league final, and representing themselves well against clubs from top european leagues (Torino - Serie A, 1860 Munich - Germany etc.). But with TFC's success, the Lynx have dropped two divisions and are playing in a variety of places this year without a permanent home stadium. The Lynx, which have had some top Canadian soccer talent on its roster (Dwayne DeRosario, Paul Stalteri, Theo Zagar, Marco Reda, Chris Pozniack) still need the support of the city and its soccer fans in order to survive. I personally attended some games last year, and they were just as exciting as any of the TFC games I went to. If you are looking for some good soccer, check out a Lynx game this summer, they are still producing some quality soccer players, its a fast paced game with a lot of young talent, and any support that Canadian youth can get will only help soccer in this country. Lets not forget the Lynx.

M!ke

Possible Signings for Toronto FC?

According to mlsrumors.blogspot.com there have been several big name players linked with Toronto FC recently. First and foremost is the rumor of Darren Huckerby coming in to provide some support up front or on the wing. Huckerby was a great talent in the late 90's early 2000's, but has since spent time struggling to find the same form again. Another rumor I've heard is that Stefano Fiore could possibly be on his way to TFC. I tend to think that this is more of a long shot, but who knows. He was a great talent for Lazio and the Azzuri a few years back and could probably dance circles around some of the defences in MLS. If you've heard anything else on the TFC rumor os signing front let me know, or if you have any ideas about who they should sign post them... lets speculate shall we

M!ke

Trouble in Rome for Lazio

Following a string of poor results, the former champions are sitting in the relegation zone trying desperatly to avoid the drop down to Serie B at the end of the season. Their supporters are livid, criticizing managment, player selections, and the overall mentality of the squad. Manager Delio Rossi and forward Tommaso Rocchi met with angry fans in an attempt the settle their concerns over the state of the team and assure them that Lazio is serious about maintaining their top flight status. What do you think Lazio must do in order to stay up in Serie A? What are the reasons for their terrible form this year? Let me know what you think.

M!ke

Ronaldo's Surgury Finished

According to goal.com, Ronaldo has had surgury on the left knee he injured yesterday in a game against Livorno, and according to Professor Gerrard Saillant, the man who carried out the surgury, it was successful. To what extent Ronaldo will be able to play is still up in the air, but most people commenting on the situation believe it is time for Ronaldo to retire. What do you think? Is retirement around the corner, or a possible move to MLS as has been the roumor going around lately?

M!ke

Bolton - Atletico Madrid

Right from the get go it was Bolton taking the game to Atletico, for the most part through hard kicking forward Matt Taylor. With 5 good scoring chances in the first half, only the reflex saves of Atletico goalkeeper Chrisitan Abbiati allowed his team to stay within reach of the English side. An altercation took place between El Hadji Diouf and several Atletico players after Diouf cut down an Atletico player early in the first half. After the scrum and several yallow cards were handed out, the game restarted with Bolton taking control once again. Diouf would have the last laugh when in the 75th minute Stelios crossed the ball into the Atletico box where it landed at strikers feet after a header from Taylor deflected off the defender Pablo, and Diouf made no mistake knocking in the winner. From all indications, the return leg will be an exciting one, keep an eye out for Atletico looking to repay Diouf for his contributions tonight.

M!ke

Bayern Munich - Aberdeen

So if you also caught the UEFA Cup round of 32 match between Bayern Munich and Aberdeen than you also experienced an exciting and action packed match that saw the underdog's Aberdeen go ahead twice before ultimatly drawing 2-2 at home. The match was full of intensity, with Aberdeen scoring their goal's not from just one, but two 18 year olds, Josh Walker and Sone Aluko. Bayern answered back with goals from Miroslav Klose, and Hamit Altintop who after missing a penalty, put in his own rebound in the 54th minute. The return match promises to be an exciting affair, and though Aberdeen are in tough conceeding 2 away goals, they defenently put a scare into the usually confedent Bayern side.

M!ke

My Mission

Hey everyone,

I wanted to let you all know what my mission will be for this site. I want to create an up to date soccer news site that will deal with the sport we love from all over the world. I will focus on European leagues, the MLS, international tournaments, and when I can, comment on soccer all over the globe. If you are interested in the worlds favourite game, then I hope to make this site one of the first places you visit for news, scores, and discussion about our sport. If there is something you think I should cover, let me know and I'll see what I can do. This is our sport, and I cannot wait to see where this site can take me in the future. Thanks,

M!ke