Soccer Mania

Jonathan Spector has endured a disappointing season at West Ham, one where playing time has been in short supply. He may have his way out and it could come via a move to Germany. Spector is reportedly closing in on a move to German club Cologne, a switch which would end Spector's seven-year run in England. Spector has failed to find playing time under new West Ham manager Avram Grant in a season that has seen the Hammers wallow in the relegation zone. If Spector does go to Germany, he would join U.S. midfielder DaMarcus Beasley as Americans to head to the Bundesliga in search of more playing time. Here are some other stories to get your Tuesday going: CARRAGHER OUT THREE MONTHS Liverpool's quest to climb back into the top four took a major hit with the news that defender Jamie Carragher will be sidelined for three months due to a shoulder injury that will require surgery. The Reds are already faced with the absence of captain Steven Gerrard for another three weeks due to injury...

Manchester City Salzburg : Man City are in pole position to qualify out of Group A and reach the knockout stages of the Europa League, and a win against Salzburg will see them comfirm their passage into the next round. Whether the Citizens will scoop all three points, however, seems a bit of a coin-flip at the moment. On the one hand, weve seen the Blues destroy Fulham and West Brom with some sublime attacking football in recent weeks, but thats been contrasted by some overly defensive tactics in the draws with Manchester United, Birmingham and Stoke. The Mancunicans will be hoping the a team comprised with David Silva, Mario Balotelli and James Milner should have enough guile to turn over the Austrians. While Salzburg have nothing to really to play for in this seasons competition, City will find them no pushovers. They have held Italian giants Juventus to 1-1 and 0-0 draws in this seasons competition, while domestically they are on a good run having won their last three matches i...

Real Madrid vs Barcelona: Barcelona defeated Real Madrid in the Spanish Premier League on Monday. Real Madrid vs Barcelona match was kicked off at 20:00 BST at Camp Nou. Real Madrid vs Barcelona live scores and highlights are updated here. Final Score: Barcelona, 5 and Real Madrid, 0 Barcelona won the match claiming a position and stayed in the top spot in the Spanish Primera BBVA Table with 34 points where as Real Madrid dropped one position and stayed at second spot. Barcelona did not give the any chance for Real Madrid to score. Real Madrid lost the first match in this league. In the first half, Barcelona vice caption, Xavi Hernandez started the scoring; he scored a goal in the 10th minute of the match. After eight minutes, Pedro Rodriguez scored a goal and gave 2-0 lead to Barcelona. Real Madrid failed to score in the first half. Barcelona maintained the lead till end of the fist half. In the second half, Barcelona player, David Villa scored two successive goals in the 55th and 5...

At 41-year-old you would have liked to have though that Viola knows it is unacceptable to heabutt the referee. Sadly that wasnt the case. During a live broadcast of Brazilian masters football last weekend, the bandanna-wearing Viola lost control sparked controversy as the forward attacked a referee after a 50-50 decision went against him. Having been penalised for a foul on the Botafogo number five as the pair scraped for the ball in the corner, Viola completely lost it as he immediately took retribution on the match official. Without any sense of decency, the Corinthians number nine barged aggressively into the ref with his chest before slamming a disgraceful headbutt onto the officials temple. Violas shocking headbutt can be seen here. Football Betting Tips, Odds, Asian Handicap, Oicks, Preview & Prediction

Football Betting Tips, Odds, Asian Handicap, Oicks, Preview & Prediction

These things happen on the pitch. Pep Guardiola. I was caught close to the action and although it was unpleasant, these things happen. In these games there is much tension. Andres Iniesta. One suspects that if Barcelona had been on the receiving end of a beating in El Clasico, rather than the other way around, Cristiano Ronaldos push on Catalans coach Pep Guardiola would not have been so easily dismissed. That said, it was easy for Barcelona to magnanimously swat the issue aside once a five-nil thrashing had been completed at the Nou Camp. The coming together between C-Ron and Pep was one of the major flash-points during a match packed with controversial moments. The incident unnecessarily bubbled up towards the end of the first half as Ronaldo went to collect possession from Guardiola after the ball had been kick out from a Real Madrid throw-in. Rather than simply hand the ball to Ronaldo, Guardiola intentionally turfed the ball just to the side of the Portuguese forward. Not liking...

After the most recent edition of El Clsico, I've heard lots of pithy statements about Spanish football. The best was, "Mourinho should punish Sergio Ramos by forcing him to play as a defender." Most people praised Barcelona's incredible football. The Spanish speaking commentators I listened to repeatedly called the Blaugrana's style a dance; it was hard to disagree. For around twenty minutes (really), between the 50th and 70th or so, Real Madrid conceded two and touched the ball about as many times. Nevermind a 5-0 win against the best coach in the world, the passing game alone was among the most humiliating things I've seen Los Blancos endure, right up there the 2-6 and 0-3 destructions at the Santagio Bernabu in 2009 and 2005.But for all the talk of the best Barcelona team of all time, there may have been several more "best ofs" on the pitch on Monday. Whether or not Messi is the best anything (current footballer, Barcelona footballer, Argentine fo...

After all the talk, the BBC finally broadcasted their Panorama show on Monday night. FIFAs Dirty Secrets accused three of the FIFA ExCo, who will decide the venues of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups on Thursday, of taking bribes as part of a $100m corruption scandal and a fourth of continued involvement in the pirate sale of World Cup tickets. The serious allegations made against Brazils Ricardo Teixeira, Cameroons Issa Hayatou, Paraguays Nicolas Leoz and Trinidads Jack Warner, none of whom responded to Panoramas inquiries, is sure to alienate them from Englands bid so close to decision day. As may have been expected, the England 2018 camp responded firmly after the Panorama show calling it an embarrassment to the BBC. The England 2018 statement read, We stand by our previous position that the BBCs Panorama did nothing more than rake over a series of historical allegations none of which are relevant to the current bidding process. It should be seen as an embarrassment to the BBC...

It was supposed to be a battle of the two best teams in the world, but by the end of it, only one team looked like a world beater. Barcelona savaged Real Madrid, ripping apart Jose Mourinho's normally stingy defense on the strength of the sharp passing of Lionel Messi, Xavi and Iniesta. Goals from Xavi, Pedro, David Villa (with two) and Jeffren buried Real Madrid, 5-0, handing Mourinho the worst loss of his managerial career. Real Madrid simply couldn't keep up with Barcelona's precision passing, with Xavi opening the scoring off a great feed from Iniesta. Messi blew the match open with a pair of pin-point passes finished off by Villa. By the time Jeffren added a fifth, Real Madrid was coming apart at the seams. Sergio Ramos was sent off after an ugly challenge on Messi followed by a shove to the face of Spain teammate Carles Puyol. If you missed the bloodbath, or just want to watch the goal-fest one more time, here are the highlights: What did you think of Barcelona's...

It was supposed to be a battle of the two best teams in the world, but by the end of it, only one team looked like a world beater. Barcelona savaged Real Madrid, ripping apart Jose Mourinho's normally stingy defense on the strength of the sharp passing of Lionel Messi, Xavi and Iniesta. Goals from Xavi, Pedro, David Villa (with two) and Jeffren buried Real Madrid, 5-0, handing Mourinho the worst loss of his managerial career. Real Madrid simply couldn't keep up with Barcelona's precision passing, with Xavi opening the scoring off a great feed from Iniesta. Messi blew the match open with a pair of pin-point passes finished off by Villa. By the time Jeffren added a fifth, Real Madrid was coming apart at the seams. Sergio Ramos was sent off after an ugly challenge on Messi followed by a shove to the face of Spain teammate Carles Puyol. What did you think of Barcelona's blowout? Surprised how lop-sided it was? Think anybody can stop Barca this year? Looking forward to the ...

Barca had the first chance in the Clasico as Leo Messi curled a shot onto the inside of Casillass post but the ball bounced out. In the 9th minute the Nou Camp when wild, Iniesta found his partner-in-crime Xavi Hernandez with an incisive pass into the box, and after the ball bounced up kindly the number 6 chipped the ball past a helpless Casillias. Barcelona: Valdes; Alves, Puyol, Pique, Abidal; Xavi, Busquets, Iniesta; Messi, Villa, Pedro. Real Madrid: Casillas; Ramos, Pepe, Carvalho, Marcelo; Khedira, Alonso; Di Maria, Ozil, Ronaldo; Benzema. English & European Football Clubs & Leagues News | Video | Commentary

The match is finally here. Barcelona and Real Madrid, the two best teams in the world right now, are set to face off in the most anticipated match of the European club season (3pm, GolTV). Lionel Messi vs. Cristiano Ronaldo. Jose Mourinho vs. Pep Guardiola. Xavi and Iniesta vs. Mesut Ozil and Xabi Alonso. You name it and this match will have it. I will be providing commentary throughout the match so please feel free to follow along here. As always, you are welcome to share your own thoughts and opinions in the comments section below. Enjoy the action (Today's commentary is after the jump): World Soccer News | Video | Podcast | Gallery | Live Streaming

Photo by Jose L. Argueta/ISIphotos.com By AVI CREDITOR WASHINGTON - After officially completing his 180-degree turn about his stance on D.C. United's head coaching situation, team president and chief executive officer Kevin Payne insisted that Ben Olsen was the man for the job all along. The 33-year-old Olsen was officially introduced as D.C. United's head coach Monday at RFK Stadium, shedding the interim label that he carried for the final 12 games of the regular season. The introduction came just months after Payne claimed publicly that Olsen would not be the head coach of the team in 2011 and that he wanted him to be more experienced and put in a position to succeed with his first head coaching gig. "My earlier comments notwithstanding whether or not Ben would be the head coach, Dave (Kasper, DCU general manager) and I independently came to the conclusion that the best candidate for the job was Ben," Payne said. Olsen, who retired from his playing career almos...

Let me step back from my normal neutral MLS observer/blogger and enter fan mode for a few minutes. I think this is the best way to analyze the Ben Olsen hiring. As a DC United supporter, I am ecstatic that Ben Olsen is the new head coach of the club. His resume as a DC United player is exemplary and he has been with the Black and Red through good times and bad. He was there when RFK was a good soccer venue and now when it is a disgrace. He has won MLS Cups and seen the worst MLS club in history up-close. Throughout it all he has been a leader and a revered part of the organization. I spoke with a fellow DC United fan today and he was beyond happy for the hiring because he is a long-time Olsen fan. I thought it interesting that the reaction tends to be just that: "I love Ben Olsen." The emotional aspect of his hiring is that he is one of us, and he has achieved a dream job just a year after leaving the pitch as a player. In that aspect, this is a great hiring and one the fans ...

In a year when foreign players took him many of Major League Soccer's top awards, and grabbed more than half the spots on MLS Best XI, it's easy to forget that several American players enjoyed strong seasons. From Chris Wondolowski's Golden Boot-winning 18 goals, to Landon Donovan's latest stellar season, American players led the way for many of the top teams in the league this year, and while you could argue that foreign players are taking on a more prominent role in the league than ever thanks to the increased number of Designated Player slots, American players continue to play key roles. So who were the best American players in MLS this season?Here are SBI's choices for the MLS All-American Best XI: SBI All-American MLS Best XI 1st Team GK-Kevin Hartman D- Heath Pearce D- Omar Gonzalez D- Tim Ream D- Nat Borchers M- Landon Donovan M-Bobby Convey M- Daniel Hernandez M- Jeff Larentowicz F- Chris Wondolowski F- Edson Buddle 2nd Team GK- Nick Rimando D- Chad Marshall...

Rapid and Austria Vienna dont like each other. The two Viennese powerhouses faced on in horrendous wintry conditions on Sunday as the Austria capital held its 295th Vienna derby. Rapid ran out 1-nil winners, but the big post-match talking point surrounded the red card of Austrias Michael Liendl and the terrible play-acting of Rapids Andreas Dober. The incident occurred just after the hour mark, and began when Liendl handled the ball when trying to cut out a Rapid through-ball towards Dober. After the whistle blew for the infringement, Dober aggressively went into the back of the Liendl as he zealously attempted to wrestle back possession. Not liking that one bit, Liendl immediately spun around to face Dober and thrusted both hands across his opponents chest. Unquestionably Liendls reaction was over-the-top and in need of a caution. You cannot put your hands on another player like that. But the reaction of Dober was a pure deception and simulation as the strapping 24-year-old defender w...

The most anticipated match of the European club season will kick off later today when FC Barcelona takes on arch-rival Real Madrid at the Camp Nou. While millions of fans around the world watch, the easy question to ask right now is this. Who do you think will win? Will it be Lionel Messi and the reigning Spanish champions, or will Jose Mourinho's revamped Real Madrid side prove that its ready to take control of La Liga? Cast your vote (and find out my vote) after the jump): poll by twiigs.com Who do I see winning? As much as I enjoy watching Barcelona play, and as unstoppable as Lionel Messi looks these days, I'm giving the edge to Real Madrid. Look for Jose Mourinho to once again formulate a strategy to neutralize the Barcelona attack, only with a dangerous Real Madrid attack to go with a stingy defense. Lionel Messi is in top form, but right now Real Madrid is playing its best soccer in years and will come away with a 1-0 victory in Barcelona. Whether you will be watchin...

By JOHN BOSCHINI It might not have been easy, but the top seeds did enough to dispatch their competition and advance into the quarterfinals of the 2010 NCAA Tournament. Seven of the top eight seeds advanced to the quarters, with only No. 10 seed Michigan winning a match-up against a higher seed. Tournament favorites Akron and Maryland both registered victories, while No. 1 seed Louisville stayed undefeated. No. 4 North Carolina needed some late-game heroics and a shootout to overcome Michigan State. After a scoreless opening hour, the visiting Spartans took the lead in the 65th minute with a Cyrus Saydee goal from 12 yards out. The upset looked complete when North Carolina couldn't convert on one of its numerous chances. But with nine seconds left in regulation, Enzo Martinez took advantage when Michigan State failed to clear and blasted an equalizer from 20 yards out. Both overtime periods were scoreless and UNC was faced with its second consecutive penalty kick shootout and the ...

Photo by ISIPhotos.com By IAN HOLLIDAY The game of the weekend, and quite possibly the game of the year, takes place at Camp Nou Monday afternoon. But contrary to what the hype surrounding Barcelona v. Real Madrid might have you believe, there were other matches played in Europe this weekend, and some of them were quite entertaining. In England, Dimitar Berbatov turned in what may prove to be his signature performance in a Man United shirt, scoring five goals in the Red Devils' 7-1 rout of Blackburn. The win moved United to the top of the Premiership after Chelsea drew 1-1 at Newcastle. The Blues' three-match winless streak has left them stuck on 29 points, ahead of Arsenal only on goal differential after the Gunners' 4-2 victory over Aston Villa on Saturday. While Chelsea's winless streak continued, Inter Milan's finally ended on Sunday with a 5-2 win against Parma. Dejan Stankovic had a hat-trick for Inter, which climbed back into the Serie A top five with the vic...

You know the drill by now. The week is over and so its time to take stock of the golazos. And, as usual, weve been inundated by a silly amount of amazing strikes. Whittling the list down to ten will leave some people less than pleased. Of those most likely to be upset by our choices this week, Franco Niell, Marcos Senna and Caio probably have the most to grumble about. But thats enough about those who didnt make the cut. We begin with a goal made special not by the finish itself but, moreover, by the sublime backheel pass that set up the strike in the first place. The team aspect of goal one then contrasts with the superb solo nature of goal two, which saw one gung-ho, single-minded forward take on several defenders before thumping a beauty off the underside of the bar. We suspect few of you will have seen goal three, a tremendous thumper from distance, and that theme continues into number four which captures one of the best free-kicks of the week. Goal four has stern competition howev...

With the whole planet gearing up for El Clasico it will come as no surprise that there were plenty of Barcelona fans in attendance at El Prat airport yesterday for the arrival of the Real Madrid squad. Estimates in the Spanish press today claim there were 2,000 Barcelona fans at the airport and there were also Real Madrid supporters present to greet their heroes. Predictably, there was a chorus of boos as the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Jose Mourinho, Ricardo Carvalho and Xabi Alonso emerged but there were plenty of supporters looking to secure an autograph. The somewhat hysterical scenes, which should get the pulses racing for El Clasico, can be seen on this video. Reports have also claimed a window was smashed on the Real Madrid team bus and Alvaro Arbeloa tweeted of the awesome reception at Barcelona airport. Related links: Cristiano Ronaldo on El Clasico (with English voice over). All of Lionel Messis 150 goals for Barcelona: Part 1 & Part 2. Football Betting Tips, Odds, Asian ...

For the past 15 years or so, we have seen Portugal, a nation of little more than 11 million people, be very competitive on the global stage. They have had two consecutive "Golden Generations" -- one led by Luis Figo, and the current one, spearheaded by Cristiano Ronaldo. In the next few years, we may see a similar thing happen to Belgium, another nation of around 11 million. They have a very talented group of young players based both in their home league and abroad, including two potential world beaters. While Belgium currently sit fourth in their Euro 2012 qualifying group, the second spot looks to be up for grabs (Germany typically has first place locked down, but the two teams ahead of Belgium are Austria and a Guus Hiddink led Turkey). It wouldn't surprise me if this group of young players rose to the occasion and took it, although the youth of the team means anything could happen. Let's take a look at these players who could signal a Belgian football renaissance....

Comment & analysis round-up Quote of the day : These are definitely the two best teams in the world I like games that are decisive. We might play Barcelona in the Champions League, but in La Liga its a different way of understanding. After this game, no one will go home with the frustration of having lost the chance to win a big competition. There are so many matches left, but this is still a big game. I like that added pressure. I hope its not the last time I play against Barcelona. I hope to play more real Clasicos, for lots of years I know Ill get a hostile reception. Thats just football. I beat them with Chelsea and Inter and now Im coaching their rivals. Thats too much. But its the way it works. It will still be Tuesday the next day. There are all the conditions to be a great game and that is what I want. I am worried about the team as always. I dont change my way of working because its Barcelona or any other team. Barcelona are better than the o...