Saturday, October 31, 2009

RSL Wins Series Opener Against Crew

At Sandy, Utah:

Robbie Findley scored the only goal of the match at 88 minutes as Real Salt Lake took the opening game of their two-match Eastern Conference semifinal series with the Columbus Crew 1-0 at home on Saturday in Major League Soccer playoff action.

Marco's The Man In Rossoneri Victory

At Milan, Italy:

Marco Borriello provided both goals (12', 90') in AC Milan's 2-0 home win over Parma Saturday in Serie A play.

Scoreless In Bordeaux

At Bordeaux, France:

In Saturday play in Ligue 1, a battle of the top two teams in the league standings heading into the day's action saw second-place AS Monaco battling league-leading hosts Bordeaux to a 0-0 deadlock.

Scoreless In Stuttgart

At Stuttgart, Germany:

VfB Stuttgart were held to a 0-0 home stalemate with Bayern Munich in German Bundesliga action on Saturday. With the draw, Stuttgart ended a five-game losing streak.

Jody Craddock Double Lifts Wolves To Road Draw With Potters

At Stoke-on-Trent, England:

Joey Craddock's second-half double (46', 64') enabled Wolverhampton to erase a two-goal halftime deficit and gain a 2-2 road draw with Stoke City in Saturday English Premier League action.


Thursday, October 29, 2009

MLS Playoffs: Scoreless In Seattle

The Major League Soccer playoffs commenced on Thursday.

At Seattle:

Seattle Sounders FC, playing their first playoff match, were held to a 0-0 draw by the Houston Dynamo in the opening match of a two-game total-goals Western Conference semifinal series, played in front of 35, 807 fans at Qwest Field. The series resumes November 8 in Houston. There is no away goals rule.

Tigers Chairman Quits

Is Hull City's embattled manager next?

Hoops Can GM

Well, what else can you expect from the only surviving original MLS franchise that has never reached the league's championship match?

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Rossoneri Blow Two-Goal Lead To Settle For Road Draw

At Naples:

In Wednesday Serie A action, Luca Gigarini and German Denis (both 90') scored at the death as Napoli erased a two-goal deficit to earn a 2-2 home draw with AC Milan. It appeared that the Rossoneri had enough after very early goals from Filippo Inzaghi (2') and Alexandre Pato (5') before the Azzurri's miracle comeback.

Toronto FC, Model MLS Franchise?

Here is a club, whose interim head coach has been let go, who still, after three years, have yet to make the playoffs, while the Seattle Sounders made that achievement in their very first season.

This club will probably have to make changes in the front office sooner rather than later.

Al-Ittihad And Pohang Steelers Reach AFC Champions League Final

The two-match series in the semifinal round of the AFC Champions League concluded on Wednesday.

At Nagoya, Japan:

Saleh Al-Saqri (43') and Amine Chermiti (59') each scored once as Al-Ittihad defeated Nagoya Grampus 2-1 on the road in game two and took the two-match series 8-3 on aggregate.

At Doha, Qatar:

Pohang Steelers defeated Umm-Salal 2-0 on the road in game two to win the two-match set 4-1 on aggregate. Stevica Ristic (55') and Byung Joon Noh (59') provided the scoring for the victorious South Korean club.

At-Ittihad and Pohang Steelers will play for the Asian club title on November 7 in a one-game championship match at Tokyo's national stadium. The winner would qualify for Decmeber's FIFA Club World Cup, which will take place in the United Arab Emirates.

Monday, October 26, 2009

O-League Already Under Way

The 2009-10 Oceania Football Confederation's Champions League, referred to as the O-League began group stage play back on October 17.

GROUP A:

At Auckland, New Zealand:

Daniel Koprivcic's second-half hat trick (69', 80', PK-90+1') completed an show of offensive firepower as defending tournament champions Auckland City FC blasted AS Manu-Ura from Tahiti 5-0 on October 17.

At Noumea, New Caledonia:

Aaron Scott's own goal at 78 minutes canceled out teammate Brent Fisher's tally (37') as AS Magenta came back to salvage a 1-1 home draw with Waitakere United FC from New Zealand this past Saturday.

GROUP A STANDINGS:

1. Auckland City FC (GP: 1; GD: +5; PTS: 3)
2. Waitakere United FC (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 10
3. AS Magenta (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)
4. AS Manu-Ura (GP: 1; GD: -5; PTS: 0)

Group B:

At Port Vila, Vanuatu:

In action from October 17, Papua New Guinea's PRK Hekari United managed to gain a 3-3 road stalemate with hosts Tafea FC. The visitors got goals from Kema Jack (40', 42') and Benjamin Mela (50'), while the hosts got their own tallies, courtesy of Silas Namatak (1'), Robert Tom (34'), and Francois Sakama (45').

At Honiara, Solomon Islands:

In action from October 18, Kamal Hassan (14'), Samuela Kautoga (20'), and Nahuel Arrart (90'+2) provided the goalpower that carried Lautoka FC from Fiji to defeat Marist FC on the road, 3-1.

GROUP B STANDINGS:

1. Lautoka FC (GP: 1; GD: +2; PTS: 3)
2. PRK Hekari United (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)
3. Tafea FC (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)
4. Marist FC (GP: 1; GD: -2; PTS: 0)

Group stage play will resume on November 7 and 8. The top team in each group, after six games, would advance to the two-legged final.

Horses Can Coach

This guy gets the boot just about one year after he got the boot from Tottenham Hotspur. Please don't snicker at the name of his replacement.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Revs Capture Final Available Playoff Berth; Dynamo Top Goats To Finish Second In West

The Major League Soccer regular season concluded Sunday with two games.

At Carson, California:

Goals from Andrew Hainault (26'), Dominic Oduro (29'), and Abe Thompson (52') enabled to Houston Dynamo to hold off Chivas USA 3-2 and clinch second place in the Western Conference. The Goats finished the season in fourth place in the West.

At Columbus, Ohio:

Jeff Lerentowicz scored the game's only goal at 79 minutes as the New England Revolution sealed the last remaining available playoff berth (and their eighth straight postseason appearance) with a 1-0 road win over the Columbus Crew.

FINAL MLS STANDINGS:

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

1. Columbus (GP: 30; GD: +10; PTS: 49)
2. Chicago (GP: 30; GD: +5; PTS: 45)
3. New England (GP: 30; GD: -4; PTS: 42)
4. DC United (GP: 30; GD: -1; PTS: 40)
5. Toronto FC (GP: 30; GD: -9; PTS: 39)
6. Kansas City (GP: 30; GD: -9; PTS: 42)
7. New York (GP: 30; GD: -20; PTS: 21)

WESTERN CONFERNECE:

1. Los Angeles (GP: 30; GD: +5; PTS: 48)
2. Houston (GP: 30; GD: +10; PTS: 48)
3. Seattle (GP: 30; GD: +9; PTS: 47)
4. Chivas USA (GP: 30; GD: +3; PTS: 45)
5. Real Salt Lake (GP: 30; GD: +8; PTS: 40)
6. Colorado (GP: 30; GD: +4; PTS: 40)
7. FC Dallas (GP: 30; GD: +4; PTS: 39)
8. San Jose (GP: 30; GD: -14; PTS: 30)

Five Western Confernece (Los Angeles, Houston, Seattle, Chivas USA, and Real Salt Lake) and three Eastern Conference (Columbus, Chicago, and New England) all qualified for the playoffs. The Crew won the Supporters' Shield for the second straight year for winding up with the league's best overall regular-season record. Seattle Sounders FC became only the third first-year expansion club (after the two 1998 entries, the Chicago Fire---who won the MLS Cup that year---and the now-defunct Miami Fusion [who lost in the Eastern Conference semifinals to DC United]) to make the playoffs in their first MLS season.

The playoffs will get underway this coming Thursday, when the Seattle Sounders host Houston in game one of their two-match home-and-away series, with the return match to take place on November 8 in Houston.

The other Western Conference semifinal series, involving the two Los Angeles area teams, will take place at Carson, California. Chivas USA will be the host team for game one on November 1, and the Los Angeles Galaxy will be the host team for game two the following Sunday.

As the fifth place team in the Western Conference, Real Salt Lake will be shifted into the Eastern Conference semifinals, hosting the Columbus Crew at Sandy, Utah in the opening match, with the return contest in Columbus, Ohio.

The other Eastern Conference semifinal series will see the New England Revolution host the Chicago Fire in match one at Foxborough, Massachusetts. The return game will take place at Bridgeview, Illinois. At this time, the dates of all Eastern Conference semifinal contests have yet to be announced.


Comeback Road Win For Rossoneri

At Verona, Italy:

Alessandro Nesta's late double (81', 90'+2) erased a one-goal deficit as AC Milan came from behind to defeat Chievo Verona 2-1 on the road Sunday in Serie A action.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

MLS Saturday: Red Bulls Stomp TFC In Giants Stadium Finale; RSL Overpower Rapids To Clinch Playoff Berth

Five Major League Soccer contests were played on Saturday.

At East Rutherford, New Jersey:

Macoumba Kandji (2' ,70') and Juan Pablo Angel (33', 62') each doubled as the New York Red Bulls, in the final soccer game played at Giants Stadium, ripped apart visiting Toronto FC 5-0.

At Sandy, Utah:

Robbie Findley provided a pair of goals (15', 33') and Yura Movsisyan (85') added one for good measure as Real Salt Lake overpowered the visiting Colorado Rapids 3-0 and locked up their second straight playoff berth.

At Kansas City, Kansas:

Carlos Lopez's successful penalty kick (90') lifted the Kansas City Wizards to a 2-2 home stalemate with DC United, effectively condemning the visitors to a second straight season without a playoff appearance.

At Carson, California:

Landon Donovan's insurance goal at 77 minutes sealed the Western Conference regular-season title for the Los Angeles Galaxy as they blanked the visiting San Jose Earthquakes 2-0.

At Seattle:

Nate Jaqua (61') and Brad Evans (84') provided the goalpower in the second half as Seattle Sounders FC erased a one-goal halftime deficit and defeated visiting FC Dallas 2-1. With that defeat, the Hoops were finally eliminated from playoff contention.

AS Monaco Top Boulogne On The Road

At Boulogne-sur-Mer, France:

Anderson Luiz de Carvalho Nene scored twice in the final minutes (86', 90') to lift AS Monaco to a 3-1 road win over Boulogne in Saturday Ligue 1 action.

Parakeets Hold Hosts To Scoreless Stalemate In Seville

At Seville, Spain:

Espanyol held hosts Sevilla to a 0-0 deadlock Saturday in La Liga play.

Bayern Back On Winning Track

At Munich, Germany:

Arjen Robben (69') and Daniel van Buyten (88') delivered the scoring that provided Bayern Munich a 2-1 come-from-behind home win over Eintracht Frankfurt in Saturday German Bundesliga action.

Successful Penalty Kick Gains Point For Wolves In West Midlands Derby With Villa

At Wolverhampton, England:

Sylvan Ebanks-Blake's successful penalty kick at 83 minutes enabled Wolverhampton to gain a 1-1 home draw with Aston Villa in the West Midlands Derby as part of Saturday play in the English Premier League. Gabreil Agbonlahor's goal at 79 minutes staked the Villans to what turned out to be a short-lived 1-0 lead.

Friday, October 23, 2009

Atletico Coach Canned

Well, if your team is having a rough time in Champions League play and a miserable start to your domestic league campaign, would your coach get the boot too?

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Marathon and Communicaciones Take Group Stage Finales; DC United and W Connection Eliminated

Group stage play in the CONCACAF Champions League concluded with two games on Thursday.

Group B:

At Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago:

Jerry Palacios' second-half hat trick (47', 69', 81') broke open a game that was deadlocked at halftime and paced CD Marathon to a 4-2 road win over San Juan Jabloteh which locked up a berth in the quarterfinal round for the hosts and eliminated DC United from the tournament.

FINAL GROUP B STANDINGS:

1. Toluca (GP: 6; GD: +11; PTS: 13)
2. CD Marathon (GP: 6; GD: -2; PTS: 12)
3. DC United (GP: 6; GD: +4; PTS: 10)
4. San Juan Jabloteh (GP: 6; GD: -13; PTS: 0)

Toluca and CD Marathon advanced to the quarterfinal round.

Group D:

At Guatemala City:

Fredy Thompson (5') and Transito Montepeque (22') provided the goalpower as Communicaciones clinched a berth in the quarterfinal round with a 2-1 home win over already-knockout-stage-bound UNAM Pumas. As a result, W Connection were eliminated from the tournament.

FINAL GROUP D STANDINGS:

1. UNAM Pumas (GP: 6; GD: +10; PTS: 13)
2. Communicaciones (GP: 6; GD: +1; PTS: 7)
3. W Connection (GP: 6; GD: -3; PTS: 6)
4. Real Espana (GP: 6; GD: -8; PTS: 6)

UNAM Pumas and Communicaciones advanced to the quarterfinal round.

The knockout stage will begin play during March of 2010.

Eduardo Lillington Becomes Goat As Own Goal Locks Up Playoff Berth For Fire

At Bridgeview, Illinois:

Eduardo Lillington's Own Goal off a Cuauhtemoc Blanco corner kick (68') lifted the Chicago Fire to a 1-0 home win over Chivas USA in Thursday's only Major League Soccer match, assuring the Fire of a playoff berth.

Europa League Group Stage Action Resumes: Toffees No Match For Dragons; AS Roma Gain Late Draw Against Cottagers

Group stage action in the Europa League resumed ---and reached the midway point---with two dozen--count 'em---two dozen games on Thursday.

Group A:

At Timisoara, Romania:

Visiting RSC Anderlecht and FC Timisoara battled to a 0-0 stalemate.

At Amsterdam, Netherlands:

Ajax Amsterdam
, with goals from Luis Suarez (PK-3') and Dennis Rommedahl (81'), held off visiting Dinamo Zagreb 2-1.

GROUP A STANDINGS:

1. Ajax (GP: 3; GD: +1; PTS: 5)
2. RSC Anderlecht (GP: 3; GD: +2; PTS: 5)
3. Dinamo Zagreb (GP: 3; GD: 0; PTS: 3)
4. FC Timisoara (GP: 3; GD: -3; PTS: 2)

Group B:

At Valencia, Spain:

David Navarro' s 63rd-minute equalizer enabled Valencia to salvage a 1-1 home draw with Slavia Prague. Riste Maumov put the visiting club from the Czech capital on the scoreboard in the 28th minute.

At Villeneuve d'Asca, France:

LOSC Lille Metropole, with Ludovic Obraniak (38'), Robert Vittek (63), and Eden Hazard (84') provided the goalpower, overpowered visiting Genoa 3-0.

GROUP B STANDINGS

1. Lille (GP: 3; GD: +7; PTS: 7)
2. Valencia (GP: 3; GD: +1; PTS: 5)
3. Genoa (GP: 3; GD: -2; PTS: 3)
4. Slavia Prague (GP: 3; GD: -6; PTS: 1)

Group C:

At Glasgow, Scotland:

Marcus Berg scored the only goal of the match (63') as visiting Hamburg downed Celtic 1-0.

At Tel-Aviv, Israel:

Zurab Menteshashvili (54'), Etey Shechter (59'), Gil Vermouth (69'), and Maaran Lala (90') each provided a tally as Hapoel Tel-Aviv erased a 1-0 halftime deficit and pounded visiting SK Rapid Vienna 4-1.

GROUP C STANDINGS:

1. Hamburg (GP: 3; GD: 0; PTS: 6)
2. Hapoel Tel-Aviv (GP: 3; GD: +3; PTS: 6)
3. Rapid Vienna (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS: 4)
4. Celtic (GP: 3; GD: -2; PTS: 1)

Group D:

At Riga, Latvia:

Miguel Veloso (6') and Joao Moutinho (85') each scored at opposite ends of the match as Sporting defeated hosts FK Ventspils 2-1.

At Berlin:

Hernan Losada provided all the scoring (36') as SC Heerenveen continued Hertha Berlin's problems (both in the Europa League and in Germany's Bundesliga)

GROUP D STANDINGS:

1. Sporting (GP: 3; GD: +3; PTS: 9)
2. SC Heerenveen (GP: 3; GD: 0; PTS: 4)
3. FK Ventspils (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS: 2)
4. Hertha Berlin (GP: 3; GD: -2; PTS: 1)


Group E:

At London:

Marco Andreolli's stoppage-time equalizer (90'+3) enabled AS Roma to steal a share of the points with their 1-1 road draw with Fulham. The Cottagers' goal came at 24 minutes from Brede Hangeland.

At Sofia, Bulgaria:

Alexander Frei provided both goals (20', 63') as FC Basel 1893 blanked CSKA Sofia 2-0 on the road.

GROUP E STANDINGS:

1. Basel (GP: 3; GD: +3; PTS: 6)
2. Fulham (GP: 3; GD: +1; PTS: 5)
3. AS Roma (GP: 3; GD: 0; PTS: 4)
4. CSKA Sofia (GP: 3; GD: -4; PTS: 1)

Group F:

At Istanbul, Turkey:

Shabani Nonda's double (42', 46') helped Galatasaray dominate visiting Dinamo Bucharest 4-1.

At Athens, Greece:

A Successful penalty kick from Dimitris Salpingidis at 60 minutes proved to be the only goal of the match which saw Panathinaikos down visiting SK Sturm Graz 1-0.

GROUP F STANDINGS:

1. Galatasaray (GP: 3; GD: +5; PTS: 7)
2. Panathinaikos (GP: 3; GD: 0; PTS: 6)
3. Dinamo Bucharest (GP: 3; GD: -3; PTS: 3)
4. SK Sturm Graz (GP: 3; GD: -2; PTS: 1)

Group G:

At Salzburg, Austria:

Dusan Svento scored the only goal of the match (45'+2) as FC Red Bull Salzburg defeated visiting Levski Sofia 1-0.

At Rome:

Tommaso Rocchi's game winner (90'+2) vaulted Lazio to a 2-1 home win over Villarreal.

GROUP G STANDINGS:

1. FC Red Bull Salzburg (GP: 3; GD: +4; PTS: 9)
2. Lazio (GP: 3; GD: +4; PTS: 6)
3. Villarreal (GP: 3; GD: -2; PTS: 3)
4. Levski Sofia (GP: 3; GD: -6; PTS: 0)

Group H:

At Tiraspol, Moldova:

Benjamin Balima (41') and Jymmy Franca (90'+4) provided the goals as FC Sheriff ended FC Twente's 17-match unbeaten streak in all competitins with their 2-0 home win.

At Bucharest, Romania:

Kazim Kazim scored the game's only goal at 59 minutes as Fenerbahce took one on the road 1-0 over Steaua Bucharest.

GROUP H STANDINGS:

1. Fenerbahce (GP: 3; GD: +1; PTS: 6)
2. FC Sheriff (GP: 3; GD: +1; PTS: 4)
3. FC Twente (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS: 4)
4. Steaua Bucharest (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS: 2)

Group I:

At Minsk, Belarus:

In a match played at Minsk because their home stadium did not meet UEFA standards, FC BATE Borisov, with goals from Aleksandr Pavlov (51') and Aleksandr Alumona (85'), defeated visiting AEK Athens 2-1.

At Lisbon, Portugal:

Doubles from Javier Saviola (14', 83') and Oscar Cardozo (47', 48') helped SL Benfica destroy visiting Everton 5-0.

GROUP I STANDINGS

1. SL Benfica (GP: 3; GD: +6; PTS: 6)
2. Everton (GP: 3; GD: 0; PTS: 6)
3. BATE Borisov (GP: 3; GD: -2; PTS: 3)
4. AEK Athens (GP: 3; GD: -4; PTS: 3)


Group J:

At Donetsk, Ukraine:

Luiz Adriano's double (24', 56') provided half the goalpower as Shakhtar Donetsk dismanted visiting Toulouse 4-0.

At Bruges, Belgium:

Ivan Perisic provided the winning goal (4') as Club Brugge defeated visiting Partizan Belgrade 2-0.

GROUP J STANDINGS:

1. Shakhtar Donetsk (GP: 3; GD: +10; PTS: 9)
2. Club Brugge (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS: 4)
3. Toulouse (GP: 3; GD: -3; PTS: 4)
4. Partizan Belgrade (GP: 3; GD: -6; PTS: 0)

Group K:

At Eindhoven, Netherlands:

Jonathan Reis scored the game's lone goal in the 72nd minute as PSV Eindhoven blanked visiting FC Copenhagen 1-0.

At Prague, Czech Republic:

Juraj Kucka (15') and Roman Hubnik (32') each provided a goal as Sparta Prague got the better of visiting CFR 1907 Cluj 2-0.

GROUP K STANDINGS:

1. PSV Eindhoven (GP: 3; GD: +2; PTS: 7)
2. Sparta Prague (GP: 3; GD: +1; PTS: 4)
3. CFR Cluj (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS: 3)
4. FC Copenhagen (GP: 3; GD: -2; PTS: 3)

Group L:

At Vienna, Austria:

Thanks to tallies courtesy of Ernin Sulimani (73') and Schumacher (87'), Austria Vienna erased a two-goal deficit to salvage a 2-2 home deadlock with Werder Bremen, canceling out Claudio Pizarro's double (19', 63') for last season's UEFA Cup runners-up in the process.

At Bilbao, Spain:

After trailing 1-0 at halftime, Joseba Exteberria (67') and Fernando Llorente (86') each scored a goal as Athletic Bilbao overtook visiting CD Nacional 2-1.

GROUP L STANDINGS:

1. Werder Bremen (GP: 3; GD: +3; PTS: 7)
2. Athletic Bilbao (GP: 3; GD: +2; PTS: 6)
3. Austria Vienna (GP: 3; GD: -3; PTS: 2)
4. CD Nacional (GP: 3; GD -2; PTS: 1)

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Dynamo Eliminated

Three games were played in group stage play in the CONCACAF Champions League on Wednesday.

Group A:

At Pachuca, Mexico:

Ulises Mendivil scored both goals (44', 55') as Pachuca blanked visiting Arabe Unido 2-0. Both clubs clinched berths in the knockout stage.

At Metapan, El Salvador:

Goals from Elias Montez (7'), Anel Canales (8'), and Emerson David Corleto Umana (57') lifted last-place Isidro Metapan to a 3-2 home win over the Houston Dynamo, eliminating the MLS club from the tournament.

FINAL GROUP A STANDINGS:

1. Pachuca (GP: 6; GD: +11; PTS: 15)
2. Arabe Unido (GP: 6; GD: +4; PTS: 10)
3. Houston Dynamo (GP: 6; GD: +1; PTS: 7)
4. Isidro Metapan (GP: 6; GD: -16; PTS: 3)

Pachuca and Arabe Unido advanced to the quarterfinal round.

Group D:


At Marabella, Trinidad and Tobago:

Goals courtesy of Jose Dias (6', 8') and Jose Luis Seabra-Filho (65') guided W Connection to a 3-2 home win over Real Espana, keeping the Trinidadian club's chances of reaching the quarterfinal round alive while eliminating the Honduran club from the tournament in the process.

Group stage play concludes on Thursday night.

UCL Group D: Blues And Dragons Post Home Wins



Group D play in the UEFA Champions League resumed Wednesday.

At Porto, Portugal:

Hulk's double (33', PK-48') enabled FC Porto to overcome Alvaro Pereira's own goal (22') to defeat visiting APOEL FC 2-1. Here's the Hulkster (middle) celebrating one of his goals.

At London:

Salomon Kal
ou's double (41', 52') and Frank Lampard's tally (69') helped Chelsea deliver a 4-0 home fistbeating---frontier style, of course---to Atletico Madrid. Here are the happy Blues celebrating their final goal---scored by Atletico's Luis Perea (90'+1).



Both Photos © Getty Images



GROUP D STANDINGS:

1. Chelsea (GP: 3; GD: +6; PTS: 9)
2. FC Porto (GP: 3; GD: +2; PTS: 6)
3. APOEL FC (GP: 3; GD: -2; PTS: 1)
4. Atletico Madrid (GP: 3; GD: -6; PTS: 1)

UCL Group C: Rossoneri Top Galacticos In Madrid; Marseille Top Zurich On Road

Wednesday play in Group C in the UEFA Champions League's group stage.

At Madrid:

Alexandre Pato's double (66', 88', he's seen here saluting the Rossoneri fans who trekked to the Spanish capital) along with Andrea Pirlo's score at 62 minutes lifted AC Milan to a 3-2 road win over Real Madrid.

At Zurich, Switzerland:

Gabriel Heinze scored the game's lone goal at 69 minutes (here he is being mobbed by happy teammates) as M
arseille defeated FC Zurich 1-0 on the road.



Both Photos © Getty Images



GROUP C STANDINGS:

1. AC Milan (GP: 3; GD: +1; PTS: 6)
2. Real Madrid (GP: 3; GD: +5; PTS: 6)
3. Marseille (GP: 3; GD: -3; PTS: 3)
4. FC Zurich (GP: 3; GD: -3; PTS: 3)

UCL Group B: Red Devils Top Horses In Moscow; Scoreless In VW Town


Wednesday action in UEFA Champions League Group B.

At Moscow:

Antonio Valencia scored the only goal of not only the batch, but in either of Wednesday's Group B contests at 66 minutes as Manchester United downed hosts CSKA Moscow 1-0.

At Wolfsburg, Germ
any:

Besiktas and hosts VfL Wolfsburg battled to a 0-0 stalemate. Here, we see Wolfsburg's Edin Dzeko's shot hitting the post after he left Besiktas goalkeeper Rustu Recber behind.




Both Photos © Getty Images



GROUP B STANDINGS:

1. Manchester United (GP: 3; GD: +3; PTS 9)
2. VfL Wolfsburg (GP: 3; GD: +1; PTS: 4)
3. CSKA Moscow (GP: 3; GD: -2; PTS: 3)
4. Besiktas (GP: 3; GD: -2; PTS: 1)

UCL Group A: Home Wins For Bordeux And Juve



Matchday #4 in UEFA Champions League group stage play concluded with eight games on Wednesday, including two in Group A.

At Bordeaux, France:

Michael Ciani scored twice----one for the wrong team (6') and once for his own team (27')-----and Marc Planus notched the game winner (40', that's him celebrating) as Bordeaux overcame visiting Bayern Munich 2-1.

At Turin, I
taly:

Giorgio Chiellini scored the lone goal of the match (47', here he is congratulated by teammates) as Juventus defeated visiting Maccabi Haifa 1-0.



Both Photos © Getty Images



GROUP A STANDINGS:

1. Bordeaux (GP: 3; GD: +2; PTS: 7)
2. Juventus (GP: 3; GD: +1; PTS: 5)
3. Bayern Munich (GP: 3; GD: +2; PTS: 4)
4. Maccabi Haifa (GP: 3; GD: -5; PTS: 0)

Pohang Steelers Capture Semifinal Opener

The semifinal round of the AFC Champions League commenced on Wednesday.

At Pohang, South Korea:

Hwang Jae-Won (45'+2) and Kim Jae-Sung (79') each scored once as the Pohang Steelers took the opening match of their two-game semifinal series with Umm-Salal 2-0 at home.

At Jeddah, Saudi Arabia:

Japan's Nagoya Grampus visited Al-Ittihad in match one of their two-game series----and got blown out 6-2---and this after leading 2-1 at halftime. Mohammed Noor's second-half hat trick (65', 76', 90'+1) was part of a five-goal second half barrage by the hosts.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Crew and Toluca Gain Final Eight Berths

The final week of group stage play in the CONCACAF Champions League got under way on Tuesday.

Group B:


At Toluca, Mexico:

A successful penalty kick from Israel Gomez (62') enabled Toluca to gain a 1-1 home draw with DC United and clinch a berth in the quarterfinal round. Chris Pontius scored at 6 minutes for the visiting MLS club.

Group C:

At Bayamon, Puerto Rico:

Emilio Renteria scored the equalizer at 74 minutes that sealed a quarterfinal round berth for the Columbus Crew as the MLS club gained a 1-1 road deadlock with the Puerto Rico Islanders.

At San Jose, Costa Rica:

Cruz Azul defeated Deportivo Saprissa 2-1 on the road. The Mexican club will play in the quarterfinals. Ramon Nunez (55') and Pablo Zeballos (82') each scored a goal for Azul.

FINAL GROUP C STANDINGS:

1. Cruz Azul (GP: 6; GD: +12; PTS: 16)
2. Columbus Crew (GP: 6; GD: -4; PTS: 8)
3. Deportivo Saprissa (GP: 6; GD: -2; PTS: 5)
4. Puerto Rico Islanders (GP: 6; GD: -6; PTS: 3)

Cruz Azul and the Columbus Crew will take part in the quarterfinal round.

UCL Group H: Late Draw Gain Home Draw For AZ; Legend Top Standard Liege At Home

Action in Group H play in the UEFA Champions League resumed on Tuesday.

At Alkmaar, Netherlands:

David Mendes da S
ilva's very late equalizer (90'+3) enabled AZ Alkmaar to salvage a 1-1 home stalemate with Arsenal. Cesc Fabregas scored for the Gunners at 36 minutes. Here, we see the Gunners' William Gallas being challenged by AZ's Bret Holman.

At Athens:

Ieroklis Stoltidis scored the late winning goal (90'+3) as Olympiacos defeated visiting Standard Liege 2-1. Here is the obvious reaction from the Legend players after
the winning goal was scored.



Both Photos © Getty Images



GROUP H STANDINGS:

1. Arsenal (GP: 3; GD: +3; PTS: 7)
2. Olympiacos (GP: 3; GD; 0; PTS: 6)
3. AZ Alkmaar (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS: 2)
4. Standard Liege (GP: 3; GD: -2; PTS: 1)

UCL Group G: Road Wins for Sevilla and Unirea Urziceni



Tuesday play in Group G in the UEFA Champions League.

At Stuttgart, Germany:

Sebastien Squillaci scored twice (22', 72', he's pictured here celebrating after his first goal) as Sevilla downed VfB Stuttgart 3-1 on the road.

At Glasgow, Scotland:

Goals courtesy of
Marius Ion Bilasco (32', he's pictured here celebrating with George Galamaz) and Pablo Brandan (65') helped FC Unirea Urziceni smother Rangers 4-1 on the road.



Both Photos © Getty Images



GROUP G STANDINGS:

1. Sevilla (GP: 3; GD: +7; PTS: 9)
2. FC Unirea Urziceni (GP: 3; GD: +1; PTS: 4)
3. VfB Stuttgart (GP: 3; GD: -2; PTS: 2)
4. Rangers (GP: 3; GD: -6; PTS: 1)

UCL Group F: Rubin Kazan Shock Barca On Road; Inter Salvage Home Draw

Tuesday action from Group F in the UEFA Champions League on Matchday #3.

At Barcelona:

FC Rubin Kazan, thanks to goals from
Aleksandr Ryazantsev (2', that's him celebrating) and Gokdeniz Karadeniz (73') knocked off defending champs FC Barcelona 2-1 on the road.

At Milan, Italy:

Inter Milan salvaged a 2-2 home draw with Dynamo Kiev. The hosts got goals from Dejan Stankovic (35') and Walter Samuel (47') while the visiting club from the Ukrainian cap
ital got their goals courtesy of Taras Mikhalik (5') and Lucio (OG-40'). Pictured here is Dynamo's Roman Eremenko vying with the Nerozzurri's Wesley Sneijder for the ball.



Both Photos © Getty Images



GROUP F STANDINGS:

1. Barcelona (GP: 3; GD: +1; PTS: 4)
2. Dynamo Kiev (GP: 3; GD: 0; PTS: 4)
3. FC Rubin Kazan (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS: 4)
4. Inter Milan (GP: 3; GD: 0; PTS: 3)

UCL Group E: Lyon Stun Liverpool On Road; Fiorentina Take One In Hungary

Group Stage play in the UEFA Champions League resumed Tuesday with eight games, including two in Group E:

At Liverpool, England:

Maxime Gonalons (72') and Cesar Delgado (90'+1, pictured here celebrating) provided the goals that lifted Lyon from a 1-0 halftime deficit to a 2-1 road win over Liverpool. The Reds have lost four games in a row in all competitions for the first time since 1987.

At Budapest, H
ungary:

Adrian Mutu's double (6', 20', he's pictured here celebrating) along with goals from Alberto Gilardino (10'), and Mario Santana (37')---all in the first half---proved necessary as Fiorentina held off Debreceni VSC for a 4-3 road win.



Both Photos © Getty Images



GROUP E STANDINGS:

1. Lyon (GP: 3; GD: +6; PTS: 9)
2. Fiorentina (GP: 3; GD: +2; PTS: 6)
3. Liverpool (GP: 3; GD: -2; PTS: 3)
4. Debreceni VSC (GP: 3; GD: -6; PTS: 0)

Monday, October 19, 2009

Draw For UEFA World Cup Playoffs; It's A Given Shay's Not Too Happy

Here are the results from Monday's draw for next month's European two-match playoffs for berths in next year's FIFA World Cup finals.

Republic of Ireland vs. France:

November 14 at Cork, Ireland for match one; rematch on November 18 at St. Denis, France.

Ireland goalkeeper Shay Given was none too thrilled about the result of that draw.

Portugal vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina:

Portugal will host the opener on November 14 with the Bosnians hosting the return match on November 18.

Greece vs. Ukraine:

The opening match will take place in Athens on November 14, with the return match four days later in Ukraine.

Russia vs. Slovenia:

The Russians will host the series opener on November 14, with the return match in Slovenia on November 18.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Scoreless Battle Of Playoff-Bound Teams In Houston

At Houston:

In the lone Sunday Major League Soccer contest, the visiting Los Angeles Galaxy and the Houston Dynamo battled to a 0-0 draw in a contest between two Western Conference clubs that had already locked up playoff berths.

MLS STANDINGS:

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

1. Columbus** (GP: 29; GD: +11; PTS: 49)
2. Chicago (GP: 29; GD: +4; PTS: 42)
3. Toronto FC (GP: 29; GD: -4; PTS: 39
4. New England (GP: 29; GD: -5; PTS: 39)
5. DC United (GP: 29; GD: -1; PTS: 39)
6. Kansas City# (GP: 29; GD: -9; PTS: 32)
7. New York# (GP: 29; GD: -25; PTS: 18)

WESTERN CONFERENCE:

1. Chivas USA* (GP: 28; GD: +5; PTS: 45)
2. Los Angeles* (GP: 29; GD: +3; PTS: 45)
3. Houston* (GP: 29; GD: +9; PTS: 45)
4. Seattle* (GP: 29; GD: +8; PTS: 44)
5. Colorado (GP: 29; GD: +7; PTS: 40)
6. FC Dallas (GP: 29; GD: +4; PTS: 39)
7. Real Salt Lake (GP: 29; GD: +5; PTS: 37)
8. San Jose# (GP: 29; GD: -25; PTS: 29)

**Clinched regular season conference title and playoff berth
*Clinched playoff berth
#Eliminated from playoff contention




Comeback Home Win For Rossoneri

At Milan, Italy:

Ronaldinho (PK-56') and Alexandre Pato (67') provided the goalpower that enabled AC Milan to erase a 1-0 halftime deficit and defeat visiting AS Roma 2-1 Sunday in Serie A play.

Despite 2-0 Home Loss In Game Two, TP Mazembe Reach CAF Champions League Final

At Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo:

Despite losing game two of their semifinal round series with Al-Hilal 2-0 on Sunday (with Edward Sadomba scoring both goals at 27 and 36 minutes), TP Mazembe still won their two-match set on aggregate 5-4. The Congolese club will take on Nigeria's Heartland FC in the two-match CAF Champions League final for the African club championship and a place in December's FIFA Club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates. The final will begin in Owerri, Nigeria in two weeks with the return match at Lubumbashi the following weekend.

Ivan Alonso Double Sparks Parakeets

At Barcelona:

Ivan Alonso scored twice (11', 60') as Espanyol defeated visiting Tenerife 2-1 Sunday in Spanish Premiera Division play.

Shutout Home Win For AS Monaco

At Fontvieille, Monaco:

Anderson Luiz de Carvalho provided both goals (9', PK-67') as AS Monaco blanked visiting Lens 2-0 Sunday in Ligue 1 play.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Saturday Six-Pack In MLS; Sounders Clinch Playoff Berth

Six games were contested Saturday in Major League Soccer.

At Toronto:

Jim Brennan scored the only goal of the match (47') as Toronto FC stayed alive in the race for a playoff berth with a 1-0 home win over Real Salt Lake.

At Foxborough, Massachusetts:

In a battle of Eastern Conference teams battling for playoff spots the Chicago Fire held the hosts New England Revolution to a 0-0 stalemate.

At Washington:

Luciano Emilio scored the game's only goal at 17 minutes as DC United remained alive in the race for a playoff berth with a 1-0 home win over the Columbus Crew.

At Frisco, Texas:

FC Dallas , thanks to goals courtesy of George John (4') and Ugo Ihemelu (66') kept their playoff hopes alive with a 2-1 home win over the Colorado Rapids.

At Kansas City, Kansas:

Tyrone Marshall (28'), Roger Levesque (69'), and Nate Jaqua (76') each scored a goal as Seattle Sounders FC came from behind to defeat the Kansas City Wizards 3-2 on the road and clinch a playoff berth in their first MLS season.

At Carson, California:

Goals from Maykel Galindo (7') and Justin Braun (66') enabled Chivas USA to salvage a 2-2 home draw with San Jose. The Earthquakes' goals came from Brandon McDonald (21') and Ryan Johnson (58').

Impact Captures USL-1 Crown

At Montreal:

Following up their 3-2 road win from last week in the series opener, the Montreal Impact defeated the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1 at home on Saturday in game two to win the United Soccer Leagues First Division championship 6-3 on aggregate.Tony Donatelli (PK-30') , Jody Gjertsen (40') , and Roberto Brown (42') provided the goals for the Impact, who captured their third USL-1 championship.

Toffees Salvage Late Home Draw Against Wolves

At Liverpool, England:

Diniyar Bilyaletdinov's equalizer at 88 minutes enabled Everton to salvage a 1-1 English Premier League home draw Saturday with Wolverhampton. Kevin Doyle had put Wolves ahead at 76 minutes.

Bayern Double Freiburg

At Freiburg, Germany:

Thomas Muller scored at 48 minutes and Du-Ri Cha scored an own goal at 68 minutes as Bayern Munich held off hosts SC Freiburg 2-1 as Bundesliga action resumed on Saturday in Germany.

Foul-Mouthed Diego

Sheeez, the guy can't even win for winning.

Ghana Wins Under-20 World Title

At Cairo, Egypt:

Ghana became the first African country to win the FIFA Under-20 World Cup title on Friday as they defeated Brazil in the penalty kick shootout 4-3 to decide the championship match which had gone 0-0 through 120 minutes. Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu converted the winning penalty kick in the shootout.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

2-0 Home Win Keeps RSL In Playoff Hunt

At Sandy, Utah:

In the lone Wednesday Major League Soccer match, Andy Williams (80') and Fabian Espindola (90') provided the scoring that lifted Real Salt Lake to a 2-0 home win over the New York Red Bulls to remain alive for a playoff berth.

Team USA Come Back To Gain Draw With Costa Rica; Honduras In WC Finals For First Time Since '82

Qualifying for next year's FIFA World Cup finals from the CONCACAF region concluded Wednesday.

At Washington:

Goals from Michael Bradley (71') and Jonathan Bornstein (90'+5) enabled the United States to erase a two-goal deficit and gain a 2-2 draw with Costa Rica which clinched first place in the final CONCACAF qualifying group for Team USA. Bryan Ruiz scored both Ticos goals (21', 24'). The Americans were playing without injured forward Charles Davies, who suffered multiple fractures in a one-car accident early Tuesday, which claimed the life of another passenger in the car. The draw, coupled with Honduras' 1-0 win at El Salvador placed the Ticos into a two-match home-and-away playoff with Uruguay for a place in South Africa.

At San Salvador, El Salvador:

Carlos Pavon scored the only goal of the match at 64 minutes as Honduras knocked off El Salvador 1-0 on the road to qualify for their first World Cup finals since 1982.

At Port-Of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago:

A double from Kerry Baptiste (PK-32', 61') enabled Trinidad and Tobago to gain a 2-2 home draw with Mexico, which prevented El Tri from overtaking the United States to cop first place in the final qualifying group. The Mexicans got goals from Enrique Esqueda (58') and Carlos Salcido (66')

FINAL CONCACAF STANDINGS:

1. United States (GP: 10; GD: +6; PTS: 20)
2. Mexico (GP: 10; GD: +6; PTS: 19)
3. Honduras (GP: 10; GD: +6; PTS: 16)
4. Costa Rica (GP: 10; GD: 0; PTS: 16)
5. El Salvador (GP: 10: GD: -6; PTS: 8)
6. Trinidad and Tobago (GP: 10; GD: -12; PTS: 6)

The United States, Mexico, and Honduras automatically qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, while Costa Rica will take part in a two-match home-and-away series with Uruguay, beginning November 14 in Costa Rica, with the return match on November 18 in Uruguay.

Argentina Makes It Through Again

At Montevideo, Uruguay:

Mario Bolatti scored the only goal of the match at 84 minutes as Argentina secured a spot in next year's FIFA World Cup finals in South Africa with a 1-0 road win over Uruguay. The Uruguayans will finish in fifth place in COMNEBOL qualifying thus qualifying them for a two-set match with the fifth-placed team from CONCACAF (Costa Rica) for the trip to South Africa.

Argentina will join Brazil, Paraguay, and Chile in the field of 32 for next year's World Cup.

WC Euro Qualifying: Swiss and Slovaks Book Tickets For South Africa

Qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup from the European region concluded on Wednesday.

Group Two:

At Basel, Switzerland:

Despite being held to a 0-0 stalemate at home by Israel, Switzerland locked up first place in Group Two and a berth in next year's World Cup finals.

Group Three:

At Chorzow, Poland:

Seweryn Gancarszyk's own goal at 3 minutes held up as Slovakia defeated Poland 1-0 on the road to lock up Group Three and their first-ever appearance in the World Cup finals.

European teams in 2010 World Cup finals:

Denmark
Switzerland
Slovakia
Germany
Spain
England
Serbia
Italy
Netherlands

Second-place teams that qualified for the playoffs

Russia
Greece
Ukraine
France
Slovenia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Portugal
Republic of Ireland

These eight teams will be squared into four two-match home-and-away playoff series with the winners advancing to the World Cup finals. The draw for these playoffs will take place on Monday with the contests scheduled for November 14 and 18.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

OUCH!!!

Cristiano Ronaldo was injured over the weekend playing in a World Cup qualifier for Portugal.

That'll learn him.

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Goats Clinch Playoff Berth; Quakes Gain Draw With TFC And Hurt Hosts' Playoff Chances; Crew Clinch East Title

Three games were played in Major League Soccer on Saturday.

At Toronto:

Cornell Glen equalizer (90') enabled the San Jose Earthquakes to gain a 1-1 road draw with Toronto FC. Nana Attakora-Gyan had put TFC in front at 47 minutes before the Quakes tied it during second-half stoppage time. The late goal that cost TFC two points delivered a crippling blow to Toronto's playoff chances.

At Foxborough, Massachusetts:

Gino Padula scored the only goal of the match at 34 minutes as the Columbus Crew locked up the Eastern Conference regular-season crown with a 1-0 road win over the New England Revolution.

At Carson, California:

Justin Braun (72') and Sacha Kljestan (74') provided the goals as Chivas USA locked up a playoff berth with a 2-0 home win over the Kansas City Wizards.

MLS STANDINGS:

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

1. Columbus** (GP: 28; GD: +12; PTS: 49)
2. Chicago (GP: 28; GD: +4; PTS: 41)
3. New England (GP: 28; GD: -5; PTS: 38)
4. DC United (GP: 28; GD: -2; PTS: 36)
5. Toronto FC (GP: 28; GD: -5; PTS: 36)
6. Kansas City ( GP: 28; GD: -5; PTS: 32)
7. New York# (GP: 28; GD: -23; PTS: 18)

WESTERN CONFERENCE:

1. Houston* (GP: 28; GD: +9; PTS: 44)
2. Chivas USA* (GP: 27; GD: +5; PTS: 44)
3. Los Angeles* (GP: 28; GD: +3; PTS: 44)
4. Seattle (GP: 28; GD: +7; PTS: 41)
5. Colorado (GP: 28; GD: +8; PTS: 40)
6. FC Dallas (GP: 28; GD: +3; PTS: 36)
7. Real Salt Lake (GP: 27; GD: +4; PTS: 34)
8. San Jose# (GP: 28; GD: -12; PTS: 29)

**Won Regular Season Conference Championship
*Clinched Playoff Berth
#Eliminated From Playoff Contention

Team USA and El Tri: South Africa-Bound; Ticos Crush T&T

Three games from the CONCACAF region in qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals were played on Saturday.

At Mexico City:

Goals from Cuauhtemoc Blanco (71'), Francisco Palencia (85'), and Carlos Vela (90'+1) guided Mexico to a 4-1 home win over El Salvador which booked El Tri's ticket for South Africa.

At San Jose, Costa Rica:

Alvaro Alberto Chacon Saborio scored twice in the second half (61', 63') as Costa Rica fortified their chances of qualifying for next year's World Cup finals by clobbering visiting Trinidad and Tobago 4-0.


At San Pedro Sula, Honduras:

Goals from Conor Casey (58', 65') and Landon Donovan (69') lifted the United States to a 3-2 comeback road victory over Honduras, sealing the Americans' sixth consecutive appearance in the World Cup finals.

STANDINGS:

1. United States* (GP: 9; GD: +6; PTS: 19)
2. Mexico* (GP: 9; GD: +6; PTS: 18)
3. Costa Rica (GP: 9; GD: 0; PTS: 15)
4. Honduras (GP: 9; GD: +5; PTS: 13)
5. El Salvador# (GP: 9; GD: -5; PTS: 8)
6. Trinidad and Tobago# (GP: 9; GD: -12; PTS: 5)

*Qualified for 2010 FIFA World Cup finals
#Eliminated

Qualifying for the World Cup from the CONCACAF region concludes on Wednesday as the United States host Costa Rica (at Washington), Honduras visit El Salvador (at San Salvador) and Mexico visit Trinidad and Tobago (at Port-of-Spain). A win for Costa Rica would punch the Ticos' ticket for South Africa. A Honduras win couple with a Costa Rica loss would put the Hondurans into the World Cup finals for the first time since 1982.

Chile Punch Ticket For South Africa

At Medillin, Colombia:

Chile joined Brazil and Paraguay from the South American region (COMNEBOL) in clinching a spot in next year's World Cup finals after their 4-2 road win Saturday over Colombia. Waldo Ponce (34'), Humberto Suazo (35'), Jorge Valvidia (71'), and Fabian Orellana (78') each tallied once for the guests.

Heartland Win On Road To Cement Berth In Finals

At Kano, Nigeria:

Heartland FC completed their two-match smothering of fellow Nigerian club Kano Pillars on Saturday with a 1-0 road win in game two and a 5-0 aggregate win for their two-game series. Uche Agba scored the only goal of game two in the final minute. Heartland advanced to the final of the CAF Champions League and will host the opening match against the winner of the Al-Hilal-TP Mazembe series (TP Mazembe lead the series 5-2 on aggregegate) in three weeks.

10-Man Germany Top Russia To Return To World Cup Finals; Italy, Denmark, Serbia Qualify, Too

Four teams from Europe qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals on Saturday.

At Moscow:

Miroslav Klose scored the only goal of the match at 35 minutes to lead 10-man Germany to a 1-0 road win over Russia to qualify for next year's World Cup Finals as they clinched first place in Group Four in European qualification.

At Dublin, Ireland:

Alberto Gilardino's equalizer at 90 minutes lifted Italy to a 2-2 road draw with the Republic of Ireland. The Azzurri locked up first place in Group Eight and will continue their defense of their World Cup championship next year in South Africa. Despite the draw, the Irish will take part in the playoffs involving the runners-up from eight of the nine qualifying groups for a berth in South Africa.


At Copenhagen, Denmark:

Denmark
booked their ticket for South Africa with a 1-0 home win over Sweden, as Jacob Poulsen scored the game's only goal at 78 minutes. The Danes will finish atop Group One.

At Belgrade, Serbia:

Milan Jovanovic's late double (87', 90') helped Serbia seal their 5-0 home fistbeating of Romania to lock up a berth in next year's World Cup as they lock up Group Seven.

Chelsea Superstar Lifts Ivory Coast Into WC Finals

At Blantyre, Malawi:

Chelsea star Didier Drogba's equalizer at 68 minutes lifted Ivory Coast to a 1-1 road draw with Malawi, securing the Ivorians' berth in next year's FIFA World Cup finals. It will be the African nation's second straight appearance. The draw also assured them of a berth in next year's African Nations Cup as well. Ivory Coast join Ghana and hosts South Africa as entrants from the African continent.

Thursday, October 08, 2009

As Lee Corso Might Say...

Not so fast, my friend!

Good Luck

To fans of the United States soccer team planning to watch Saturday's big World Cup qualifying match at Honduras.

Wednesday, October 07, 2009

Late Jeff Cunningham Goals Keeps Hoops Alive And Eliminates Quakes

At Santa Clara, California:

In Wednesday's lone Major League Soccer match, goals from David Ferreira (49') and Jeff Cunningham (81') lifted FC Dallas to a 2-1 road win over the San Jose Earthquakes that kept the Hoops' slim playoff hopes alive, while at the same time, eliminated the Quakes from playoff contention.

Tuesday, October 06, 2009

Sunday, October 04, 2009

Dynamo Lock Up Playoff Berth

At Houston:

The Houston Dynamo locked up a berth in the Major League Soccer playoffs as a result of a 1-1 home deadlock with the Kansas City Wizards in Sunday's lone MLS contest. Luis Angel Landin put Houston ahead at 26 minutes, and Zoltan Hercegfalvi equalized for KC at 73 minutes.



MLS STANDINGS:

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

1. Columbus* (GP: 27; GD: +11; PTS: 46)
2. Chicago (GP: 28; GD: +4; PTS: 41)
3. New England (GP: 27; GD: -4; PTS: 38)
4. DC United (GP: 28; GD: -2; PTS: 36)
5. Toronto FC (GP: 27; GD: -5; PTS: 35)
6. Kansas City (GP: 27; GD: -6; PTS: 32)
7. New York# (GP: 28; GD: -23; PTS: 18)

WESTERN CONFERENCE:

1. Houston* (GP: 28; GD: +9; PTS: 44)
2. Los Angeles* (GP: 28; GD: +3; PTS: 44)
3. Seattle (GP: 28; GD: +7; PTS: 41)
4. Chivas USA (GP: 26; GD: +3; PTS: 41)
5. Colorado (GP: 28; GD: +8; PTS: 40)
6. Real Salt Lake (GP: 27; GD: +4; PTS: 34)
7. FC Dallas (GP: 27; GD: +2; PTS: 33)
8. San Jose (GP: 26; GD: -11; PTS: 28)

*Clinched Playoff Berth
#Eliminated From Playoff Contention

Heartland and TP Mazembe Take Semifinal Openers

The semifinal round of the CAF Champions League got underway with two games on Sunday.

At Owerri:

In the opening contest of a two-set series involving two Nigerian clubs, Heartland FC proved heartless as they bashed visiting Kano Pillars FC 4-0.

At Odrurman, Sudan:

Doubles from Basisila Lusadisu (06', 89') and Kabangu Mulota (13', 72') paced TP Mazembe to a 5-2 road win over Al-Hilal in game one of their two-match semifinal series.

AS Monaco Stun Marseille On Road

At Marseille, France:

Goals from Anderson Luiz de Carvalho Nene (20') and Park Chu-Young (42') lifted AS Monaco to a surprise 2-1 road win over Marseille in Sunday Ligue 1 play.

Parakeets Hold Yellow Submarine To Scoreless Home Draw

At Villarreal, Spain:

Ten-man Espanyol held hosts Villarreal to a 0-0 stalemate in Sunday action in Spain's La Liga.

Rugged Ronny Gains Road Draw For Rossoneri

At Bergamo, Italy:

Ronaldinho's equalizer at 83 minutes lifted AC Milan to a 1-1 road draw with Atalanta in Sunday action in Serie A. Simone Tiribocchi scored for the hosts at 21 minutes.

Saturday, October 03, 2009

Goats Down United In DC; Sounders End Crew's Home Unbeaten Streak; Reds and Rapids Draw; Quakes Top Red Bulls

For games were on the Major League Soccer docket for Saturday.

At Washington:

Jesus Padilla scored an insurance goal at 53 minutes as Chivas USA delivered a potentially crippling blow to DC United's playoff chances with a 2-0 win on the road.

At Columbus, Ohio:

Roger Levesque scored his first career goal at 36 minutes as Seattle Sounders FC ended the Columbus Crew's league-record 24 game home unbeaten streak 1-0.

At Commerce City, Colorado:

Conor Casey's successful penatly kick at 58 minutes enabled the Colorado Rapids to salvage a 1-1 home stalemate with New England. The Revolution had a 1-0 halftime advantage, thanks to Kheli Dube's goal at 29 minutes.

At Santa Clara, California:

Ryan Johnson's penalty kick at 24 minutes proved to be all the scoring as the San Jose Earthquakes remained mathematically alive for a playoff berth following their 1-0 home win over the already-eliminated New York Red Bulls.


Scoreless In Munich

At Munich, Germany:

FC Cologne held hosts Bayern Munich to a 0-0 stalemate Saturday in German Bundesliga action.

Pompey Knock Off Wolves For First Win

At Wolverhampton, England:

Hassan Yebda's goal at 19 minutes lifted Portsmouth, who had lost their previous seven games in English Premier League play this season, to a 1-0 road win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.

Friday, October 02, 2009

Galaxy Inch Closer To Playoffs

At Carson, California:

In the lone Friday Major League Soccer contest, Landon Donovan scored the only goal of the match at 42 minutes as the Los Angeles Galaxy inched closer to making their first playoff appearance since 2005 with a 1-0 home win over the Chicago Fire.

Thursday, October 01, 2009

Marathon Blank Toluca To Stay Alive

One game was played in the CONCACAF Champions League on Thursday.

Group B:

At San Pedro Sula, Honduras:

Goals from Walter Martinez (PK-9') and Carlos Mejia (34') guided CD Marathon to a 2-0 home win over Toluca, preventing the Mexican club---and DC United---from locking up berths in the quarterfinal round.

GROUP B STANDINGS:

1. Toluca (GP: 5; GD: +11; PTS: 12)
2. DC United (GP: 5; GD; +4; PTS: 9)
3. CD Marathon (GP: 5; GD: -4; PTS: 9)
4. San Juan Jabloteh# (GP: 5; GD: -11; PTS: 0)

#Eliminated

UEFA Europa League Group Stage, Matchday #2

Group stage play in the Europa League resumed on Thursday with 24 games.

Group A:

At Brussels, Belgium:

Jonathan Legear provided the equalizer in the 85th minutes to enable RSC Anderlecht to salvage a 1-1 home stalemate with Ajax Amsterdam, whose goal came from Dennis Rommedahl at 72 minutes.

At Timisoara, Romania:

Dinamo Zagreb overpowered FC Timisoara 3-0 on the road. Milan Badelj(8'), Sammir (52'), and Pedro Morales (59') each provided a goal for the Blues.

GROUP A STANDINGS:

1. RSC Anderlecht (GP: 2; GD: +2; PTS: 4)
2. Dinamo Zagreb (GP: 2; GD: +1; PTS:3)
3. Ajax Amsterdam (GP: 2; GD: 0; PTS: 2)
4. FC Timisoara (GP: 2; GD: -3; PTS: 1)

Group B:

At Prague, Czech Republic:

Gervinho's double (85', 90'+1) was part of a five-goal second-half onslaught as LOSC Lille Metropole obliterated a 1-0 halftime deficit as they defeated Slavia Prague 5-1 on the road.

At Valencia, Spain:

Goals from David Silva (52'), Nikola Zigic (56'), and David Villa (PK-82') lifted Valencia to a 3-2 home win over Genoa.

GROUP B STANDINGS:

1. Lille (GP: 2; GD: +4; PTS: 4)
2. Valencia (GP: 2; GD: +1; PTS: 4)
3. Genoa (GP: 2; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
4. Slavia Prague (GP: 2; GD:-6; PTS: 0)

Group C:

At Hamburg, Germany:

Marcus Berg's double (5', 12') got the ball rolling as Hamburg held off visiting Hapoel Tel-Aviv 4-2.

At Glasgow, Scotland:

Scott McDonald's goal at 21 minutes enabled Celtic to salvage a 1-1 stalemate with Rapid Vienna at home. The Austrian club got their one tally from Nikica Jelavic at 4 minutes.

GROUP C STANDINGS:

1. Rapid Vienna (GP: 2; GD: +3; PTS: 4)
2. Hamburg (GP: 2; GD: -1; PTS: 3)
3. Hapoel Tel-Aviv (GP: 2; GD: -1; PTS: 3)
4. Celtic (GP: 2; GD: -1; PTS: 1)

Group D:

At Lisbon, Portugal:

Adrien Silva scored the only goal of the match (18')---in fact, the only goal scored by any of the four clubs in Group D on this Thursday as Sporting defeated visiting Hertha Berlin 1-0.

At Riga, Latvia:

SC Heerenveen held hosts FK Ventspils to a 0-0 stalemate.

GROUP D STANDINGS:

1. Sporting (GP: 2; GD: +2; PTS: 6)
2. FK Ventspils (GP: 2; GD: 0; PTS: 2)
3. SC Heerenveen (GP: 2; GD: -1; PTS: 1)
4. Hertha Berlin (GP: 2; GD: -1; PTS: 1)

Group E:

At Rome:

AS Roma blanked visiting CSKA Sofia 2-0 as Stefano Okaka Chuka (19') and Simone Perrotta (23') each tallied a goal.

At London:

Danny Murphy's goal (57') proved to be all the scoring as Fulham shut out visiting FC Basel 1893 1-0.

GROUP E STANDINGS:

1. Fulham (GP: 2; GD: +1; PTS: 4)
2. FC Basel 1893 (GP: 2; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
3. AS Roma (GP: 2; GD: 0; PTS: 3)
4. CSKA Sofia (GP: 2; GD: -2; PTS: 1)

Group F:

At Bucharest:

Giorgos Karagounis scored the only goal of the match (79') as Panathinaikos defeated Dinamo Bucharest 1-0 on the road.

At Istanbul, Turkey:

SK Sturm Graz and hosts Galatasaray battled to a 1-1 deadlock. Daniel Beichler scored for the Austrian club (45'+1) at the end of the first half, but the hosts got the second-half equalizer from Milan Baros (63').

GROUP F STANDINGS:

1. Galatasaray (GP: 2; GD: +2; PTS: 4)
2. Dinamo Bucharest (GP: 2; GD: 3)
3. Panathinaikos (GP: 2; GD: -1; PTS: 3)
4. SK Sturm Graz (GP: 2; GD: -1; PTS: 1)

Group G:

At Sofia, Bulgaria:

Goals from Matuzalem (22'), Mauro Zarate (45'+1), Mourad Meghni (67'), and Tommaso Rocchi (74') carried Lazio as the Italian club belted Levski Sofia 4-0 on the road.

At Salzburg, Austria:

Marc Janko (21') and Somen Tchoyi (84') provided the goalpower as FC Red Bull Salzburg sank visiting Villarreal 2-0.

GROUP G STANDINGS:

1. Red Bull Salzburg (GP: 2; GD:+3; PTS:6)
2. Lazio (GP:2; GD:+3; PTS: 3)
3. Villarreal (GP: 2; GD: -1; PTS: 3)
4. Levski Sofia (GP: 2; GD: -5; PTS: 0)

Group H:

At Enschede, Netherlands:

Steaua Bucharest held hosts FC Twente to a 0-0 stalemate.

At Tiraspol, Moldova:

Alex scored the only goal of the match as Fenerbache arrested hosts FC Sheriff 1-0.

GROUP H STANDINGS:

1. FC Twente (GP: 2; GD: +1; PTS:4)
2. Fenerbahce (GP: 2; GD: 0; PTS:3)
3. Steaua Bucharest (GP:2; GD: 0; PTS: 2)
4. FC Sheriff (GP: 2; GD: -1; PTS:1)

Group I:

At Minsk, Belarus:

Everton, thanks to goals from Marouane Fellaini (68') and Tim Cahill (77'), came from behind to defeat BATE Borisov 2-1 on the road.

At Athens:

Daniel Majstorovic scored the only goal of the match at 43 minutes as AEK Athens defeated visiting SL Benfica 1-0.

GROUP I STANDINGS:

1. Everton (GP: 2; GD: +5; PTS:6)
2. AEK Athens (GP: 2; GD: -3; PTS:3)
3. SL Benfica (GP: 2; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
4. BATE Borisov (GP:2; GD: -3; PTS:0)


Group J:

At Donetsk, Ukraine:

Luis Adriano (39'), Jadson (54'), and Yaroslav Rakitskiy (67') each provided a goal as Shakhtar Donetsk smothered visiting Partizan Belgrade 4-1.

At Toulouse, France:

Club Brugge, thanks to Ivan Perisic's equalizer (90'+4), gained a 2-2 road draw with Toulouse. The guests also got a goal at 52 minutes from Joseph Akpala. The hosts were represented on the scoreboard by Moussa Sissoko (54') and Andre-Pierre Gignac (84').

GROUP J STANDINGS:

1. Shakhtar Donetsk (GP: 2; GD: +6; PTS:6)
2. Toulouse (GP: 2; GD: +1; PTS:4)
3. Club Brugge (GP: 2; GD: -3; PTS: 1)
4. Partizan Belgrade (GP: 2; GD: -4; PTS: 0)


Group K:

At Eindhoven, Netherlands:

Otman Bakkar's goal at 9 minutes held up as PSV Eindhoven defeated visiting CFR 1907 Cluj 1-0.

At Copenhagen, Denmark:

Dame N'Doye's goal at 25 minutes provided all the scoring as FC Copenhagen downed visiting Spart Prague 1-0.

GROUP K STANDINGS:

1. PSV Eindhoven (GP: 2; GD: +1; PTS: 4)
2. CFR Cluj (GP:2; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
3. FC Copenhagen (GP: 2; GD: -1; PTS: 3)
4. Sparta Prague (GP: 2; GD: -1; PTS: 1)


Group L:

At Bremen, Germany:

Aaron Hunt (18'), Naldo (41'), and Torsten Frings (PK-90'+4) each tallied once as Werder Bremen downed visiting Athletic Bilbao 3-1.

At Vienna, Austria:

Schumacher's equalizer (76') enabled Austria Vienna to salvage a 1-1 home draw with CD Nacional, whose goal came Ruben Micael at 35 minutes.

GROUP L STANDINGS:

1. Werder Bremen (GP: 2; GD: +3; PTS: 6)
2. Athletic Bilbao (GP: 2; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
3. CD Nacional (GP: 2; GD: -1; PTS: 1)
4. Austria Vienna (GP: 2; GD: -3; PTS: 1)