CAF Champions League: Lopsided Wins For ASEC And TP Mazembe

Group stage play in the CAF Champions League continued Sunday:

At Abidjan, Ivory Coast:

ASEC Mimosas moved into second place in Group A with their convincing 3-0 home plastering of Egypt's El Zamalek.

GROUP A STANDINGS:

1. Al Ahly (GP: 4; GD: +3; PTS: 10)
2. ASEC Mimosas (GP: 4; GD: +2; PTS: 5)
3. El Zamalek (GP: 4; GD: -3; PTS: 4)
4. Dynamos (GP: 4; GD: -2; PTS: 3)

At Lumbumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo:

Homestanding TP Mazembe stayed very much alive in the race for a semifinal berth out of Group B with their 3-0 home blanking of Nigeria's Enyimba International FC.

GROUP B STANDINGS:

1. Cotonsport Garoua (GP: 4; GD: 0; PTS: 7)
2. Enyimba FC (GP: 4; GD: 0; PTS: 6)
3. Al Kalil (GP: 4; GD: 0; PTS: 5)
4. TP Mazembe (GP: 4; GD: 0; PTS: 4)

CAF Champions League: Two 1-0 Decisions

One game from each group was contested Saturday in the CAF Champions League:

At Harare, Zimbabwe:

Egypt's Al Ahly have all but locked up a berth in the semifinal round with their 1-0 road win over Dynamos in Group A play. Mohamed Barakat scored the game's only goal at 10 minutes.

At Garoua, Cameroon:

Cotonsport Garoua defeated visiting Sudanese club Al Hilal 1-0.

Danny's Game Winner Leads Zenit Over Red Devils For UEFA Super Cup

At Fontveille, Monaco

Goals from Pavel Pogrebnyak (44') and Danny (59') enabled Zenit Saint Petersburg to hold off Manchester United 2-1 to become the first Russian club to win the UEFA Super Cup on Friday night. The UEFA Super Cup is the annual match between the winners of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup. Here, we see a group of happy Zenit players with the prize.




Photo © Sportsfile

Pumas-Harbour View Match Cancelled; Series Now Down To One Game In Mexico

Because of the consequences associated with Hurricane Gustav, the match at Kingston, Jamaica between Mexico's UNAM Pumas and Harbour View FC, the opener in the two-match set between the two clubs in the preliminary round of the CONCACAF Champions League, originally set for Thursday, then postponed to Friday, has been cancelled. The series will now consist of one game, scheduled for next Thursday in Mexico City.

UEFA Cup Draw Results

You didn't think we'd forget the draw that took place on Friday at Monte Carlo, Monaco for the first round of the 2008-09 UEFA Cup?

Here goes (with the host club of the first contest listed first):

AC Milan (Italy) vs. FC Zurich (Switzerland)
FC Timisoara (Romania) vs. Partizan Belgrade (Serbia)
Hertha BSC Berlin (Germany) vs. St. Patrick's Athletic (Ireland)
FC Banik Ostrava (Czech Republic) vs. Spartak Moscow (Russia)
FC Metalist Kharkiv (Ukraine) vs. Besiktas (Turkey)
Portsmouth (England) vs. Vitoria SC Guimaraes (Portugal)
Kayserispor (Turkey) vs. PSG (France)
Sevilla (Spain) vs. Red Bull Salzburg (Austria)
VfL Wolfsburg (Germany) vs. FC Rapid Bucharest (Romania)
Sampdoria (Italy) vs. FBK Kaunas (Lithuania)
Maritimo (Portugal) vs. Valencia (Spain)
Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia) vs. Sparta Prague (Czech Republic)
Manchester City (England) vs. AC Omonia (Cyprus)
BSC Young Boys (Switzerland) vs. Club Brugge (Belgium)
AS Nancy-Lorraine (France) vs. Motherwell (Scotland)
Everton (England) vs. Standard de Liege (Belgium)
Napoli (Italy) vs. SL Benfica (Portugal)
AC Bellinzona (Switzerland) vs. Galatasaray (Turkey)
NEC Nijmegen (Netherlands) vs. Dinamo Bucharest (Romania)
Racing Santander (Spain) vs. FC Honka Espoo (Finland)
APOEL FC (Cyprus) vs. FC Schalke 04 (Germany)
PFC Litex Lovech (Bulgaria) vs. Aston Villa (England)
Austria Vienna (Austria) vs. KKS Lech Poznan (Poland)
Vitoria FC (Portugal) vs. SC Heerenveen (Netherlands)
SK Brann (Norway) vs. Deportivo La Coruna (Spain)
Slavia Prague (Czech Republic) vs. SC Vaslui (Romania)
NK Slaven Koprivnica (Croatia) vs. CSKA Moscow (Russia)
Brondby IF (Denmark) vs. Rosenborg (Norway)
PFC Cherno More Varna (Bulgaria) vs. VfB Stuttgart (Germany)
Rennes (France) vs. FC Twente (Netherlands)
Ajax (Netherlands) vs. FK Borac (Serbia)
Tottenham Hotspur (England) vs. Wisla Krakow (Poland)
FC Copenhagen (Denmark) vs. FC Moscow (Russia)
MSK Zilina (Slovakia) vs. Levski Sofia (Bulgaria)
Borussia Dortmund (Germany) vs. Udinese (Italy)
Sporting Braga (Portugal) vs. FC Artmedia Petrzalka (Slovakia)
Feyenoord (Netherlands) vs. Kalmar FF (Sweden)
Hamburg (Germany) vs. AFC Unirea Urziceni (Romania)
Hapoel Tel-Aviv (Israel) vs. Saint-Etienne (France)
FC Nordsjaelland (Denmark) vs. Olympiacos (Greece)

The two-match home-and-away series will begin on September 18 with the return matches to be played on October 2.

CONCACAF Champions League: Guatemalan Club Takes Opener; Pumas-Harbour View Match Postponed

At Jalapa, Guatemala:

Deportivo Jalapa , thanks to Juan Castillo's 16th-minute tally, took the opening match of their two-game set in the preliminary round of the CONCACAF Champions League on Thursday, taking a 1-0 home decision over Panama's San Francisco FC.

Note:

Due to bad weather concerns resulting from the hurricane, Thursday's scheduled match in Kingston, Jamaica between Mexico's UNAM Pumas and Harbour View FC was postponed until Friday.

UEFA Cup Qualifying Concludes

The second and final qualifying round for the 2008-09 UEFA Cup concluded Thursday:

SOUTHERN-MEDITERRANEAN REGION:

At Nicosia, Cyprus:

A 2-2 home draw in game two of their two-match set against AEK Athens enabled AC Omonia to win their set 3-2 on aggregate. Klodian Duro scored both goals for the hosts.

At Split, Croatia:

Riki and Joan Verdu (with his late penalty kick) provided the scoring as Spain's Deportivo La Coruna blanked HNK Hajduk Split in game two on the road 2-0 to capture their two-match set 2-0 on aggregate.

For those achin' for info on the other matches in this region, lookie here.

CENTRAL-EAST REGION:

At Gyor, Hungary:

Mario Gomez' double helped VfB Stuttgart rack up a 4-1 road win over Gyori ETO FC, enabling the German club to win their two-match set 6-2 on aggregate.

Right here, you will find a roundup of the other ten contests from this region.

NORTHERN REGION:

At Herning, Denmark:

Ched Evans' glancing header deflected off Danny Califf for an own goal in the final minute of regulation time forced what would be a scoreless 30 minutes of overtime. In the penalty kick shootout, Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart saved two FC Midtjylland shots to help the Citizens win the shootout 4-2 on the road after the two-match set had been deadlocked 1-1 after 210 minutes.

At Rennes, France:

Thanks to Jerome Leroy's double, Rennes overturned their 2-1 road defeat as they defeated visiting Stabaek IF (Norway) 2-0 to capture their two-game series 3-2 on aggregate.

For scores and details from other Thursday contests from this region, look here.

Here Are The Eight UEFA Champions League Groups

The draw was held on Thursday at Monte Carlo, Monaco.

Read it and weep:

GROUP A
Chelsea (England)
AS Roma (Italy)
Bordeaux (France)
CFR 1907 Cluj (Romania)

GROUP B
Inter Milan (Italy)
Werder Bremen (Germany)
Panathinaikos (Greece)
Anorthosis Famagusta FC (Cyprus)

GROUP C
FC Barcelona (Spain)
Sporting (Portugal)
FC Basel 1893 (Switzerland)
Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine)

GROUP D
Liverpool (England)
PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands)
Marseille (France)
Atletico Madrid (Spain)

GROUP E
Manchester United (England, Defending Champions)
Villarreal (Spain)
Celtic (Scotland)
Aalborg BK (Denmark)

GROUP F
Olympique Lyonnais (France)
Bayern Munich (Germany)
Steaua Bucharest (Romania)
Fiorentina (Italy)

GROUP G
Arsenal (England)
FC Porto (Portugal)
Fenerbahce SK (Turkey)
Dynamo Kiev (Ukraine)

GROUP H
Real Madrid (Spain)
Juventus (Italy)
Zenit Saint Petersburg (Russia)
FC BATE Borisov (Belarus)

The action starts on September 16 and 17.

Montreal Impact Take Opening Match Of CONCACAF Champions League Preliminary Series

Three games were played on Wednesday as the preliminary round of the 2008-09 CONCACAF Champions League continued.

At Montreal:

Joey Gjertsen scored the only goal of the match (43') to lead the Montreal Impact to a 1-0 home win over Real Esteli (Nicaragua) in game one of their two-match set.

At Alajuela, Costa Rica:

The Puerto Rico Islanders came from behind to gain a 1-1 road draw in game one of their two-game set with LD Alajuelense. Argenis Fernandez opened the scoring for the hosts at 42 minutes, before the Islanders' Osei Telesford eqaualized at 64 minutes.

At Metapan, El Salvador:

Visiting Marathon (Honduras) gained a 2-2 road draw with Metapan in the opening match of their two-game set. William Reyes knocked in the equalizer at 61 minutes to salvage the home draw for Metapan.

Historic Firsts For Cypriot and Belorussian Clubs; Gunners Punish FC Twente; Reds Survive Standard Scare

Qualifying for the 2008-09 UEFA Champions League concluded on Wednesday:

At Borisov, Belarus:

A 1-1 home draw in game two against Bulgaria's Levski Sofia enabled FC BATE Borisov to win their two-match set 2-1 on aggregate and become the first club from Belarus ever to qualify for the UEFA Champions League's group stage. Sergei Sosnovski scored what would be the series-clinching goal for BATE at 14 minutes.

At Kiev, Ukraine:

Dynamo Kiev delivered a second 4-1 pasting of Spartak Moscow for the second time in as many meetings in their two-match set, the second game at home, to wrap up their two-game series 8-2 on aggregate and return to the group stage. Artem Milevskiy doubled for the club from the Ukrainian capital while Olexandr Aliyev and Ismael Bangoura each contributed a tally to the Dynamo cause.

At Kaunas, Lithuania:

Denmark's Aalborg BK advanced to the group stage as they delivered a second 2-0 victory over homestanding FBK Kaunas in game two, enabling AaB to win their two-game set 4-0 on aggregate. Kasper Risgard scored both goals for the reigning Danish champions.

At London:

Arsenal delivered a 4-0 frontier-styled fistbeating on FC Twente in game two before the home fans as the Gunners finished off the Dutch club 6-0 on aggregate. In the second match, the Gunners were powered by goals courtesy of Samir Nasri, William Gallas, Theo Walcott, and Nicklas Bendtner.

At Istanbul, Turkey:

Fenerbahce advanced to the group stage with their 2-1 home win over Serbia's Partizan Belgrade as they won their two-match set 4-3 on aggregate. Semih Senturk and Alex provided the decisive goals for the Yellow Canaries.

At Liverpool, England:

Dirk Kuyt scored the only goal of both the game and series in the 28th minute of overtime as Liverpool took game two of their series with Belgian club Standard de Liege 1-0 and the two-game set 1-0 on aggregate.

At Zagreb, Croatia:

Luiz Adriano (42'), Brandao (59'), and Willian (70') each delivered a goal as Sao Paulo-----errr----Shakhtar Donetsk punched their ticket for their return to the group stage with their 3-1 road win in game two, enabling the Ukranian club to win their two-match set with Dinamo Zagreb 5-1 on aggregate.

At Marseille, France:

Mamadou Diang's second-half double (65',90') provided the goalpower for Marseille as they defeated visiting SK Brann of Norway in game two 2-1 and took their two-match series 3-1 on aggregate. This will mark OM's first appearance in back-to-back UEFA Champions League group stage campaings.

At Madrid:

Atletico Madrid overturned their game one 1-0 road defeat big time as they throttled visiting FC Schalke 04 4-0 in game two at home to take their two-match set 4-1 on aggregate. Sergio Aguero (22'), Diego Forlan (54'), Luis Garcia (82'), and Maxi Rodriguez (PK-86') provided the scoring punch for Atletico.

At Basel, Switzerland:

Goals from Valentin Stocker (11') and Eren Derdiyok (54') lifted FC Basel to a 2-1 home win in game two to take their two-match set with Portugal's Vitoria SC Guimaraes 2-1 on aggregate.

At Prague, Czech Republic:

A 0-0 deadlock on the road in game two sealed Fiorentina's berth in the group stage as the Italian club took their two-match set with Slavia Prague 2-0 on aggregate.

At Athens, Greece:

Despite dropping game two 1-0 on the road, Anothosis Famagusta FC became the first Cypriot club to advance to the group stage of the UEFA Champions League as they defeated Olympiacos 3-1 on aggregate.

At Bucharest, Romania:

With their 1-0 home win in game two, Steaua Bucharest advanced to the group stage by winning their two-match set with Turkish club Galatasaray on aggregate 3-2. Banel Nicolita scored the game's only tally at 57 minutes.

All the teams that lost their two-match series still qualify for the first round proper of the 2008-09 UEFA Cup.

The drawing for the Champions League's group stage will take place on Thursday.

CONCACAF Champions League: Rough Night For MLS Clubs; Cruz Azul Crush Visitors From Belize

The preliminary round for berths in the group stage in the 2008-09 CONCACAF Champions League commenced Tuesday:

At Tunapuna, Trinidad and Tobago:

Goals from Gregory Richardson (51') and Jamal Gay (70') powered Joe Public FC to a 2-1 home win in game one of their two-match series with the New England Revolution. Mauricio Castro provided the Revs' lone goal with his successful penalty kick.

At Panama City, Panama:

Edwin Aguilar provided both goals (5', 65') as Tauro FC blanked visiting Chivas USA in game one of their two-match set.

At Mexico City:

By scoring three goals in each half, Cruz Azul put on a dominating performance in the opening contest of their two-match set as they handed visiting Hankook Verdes (Belize) a 6-0 brassknuckling. Edgar Andrade doubled (19', 72') and Javier Orozco tripled (39', 67', 87') for La Maquina Celeste.

Borac and Nordsjaelland Punch Tickets For UEFA Cup First Round

Two two-match sets in the second round of qualifying for the 2008-09 UEFA Cup concluded Tuesday with the winners advancing to the first round proper:

SOUTHERN-MEDITERRANEAN REGION:

At Sofia, Bulgaria:

Boban Stojanovic scored the series-winning goal in the 36th minute to lift Serbian club FK Borac Cacak to a 1-1 game two road draw against Lokomotiv Sofia, enabling the guests to win the two-game series 2-1 on aggregate.

NORTHERN REGION:

At Farum, Denmark:

Martin Bernburg's second-half double lifted FC Nordsjaelland to a 2-1 home win over Scotland's Queen of the South in game two, thus allowing the Danish club to advance to the first round proper, winning their two-match set 4-2 on aggregate.

Barca, Juve, Panathinaikos Reach Group Stage

Three two-game sets from the third round of qualifying for the 2008-09 UEFA Champions League concluded Tuesday with the winners advancing to the group stage:

At Athens:

Rodrigo Souza scored the only goal of the match (90'+4) to lift Panathinaikos to a 1-0 game two home win over Sparta Prague, enabling the hosts to win their two-match set 3-1 on aggregate.

At Krakow, Poland:

Despite dropping game two on the road 1-0 (with Cleber scoring the game's lone goal at 52 minutes), Barcelona still advanced to the group stage by winning their two-match set with Wisla Krakow 4-1 on aggregate.

At Bratislava, Slovakia:

Their 1-1 road draw in game two with Artmedia Petrzalka was more than good enough for Juventus as the Italian powers easily took their two-match set 5-1 on aggregate. Amuria scored for the Old Lady at 25 minutes. Branislav Fodrek scored the only goal of the game and series for Artmedia at 14 minutes.

Cleveland City Stars Hold Off Charlotte For USL-2 Crown

At Cleveland:

The Cleveland City Stars held off the Charlotte Eagles 2-1 to win the championship of the Second Division of the United Soccer Leagues on Saturday night.

World Cup Qualifying: Team USA Finally Wins One In Guatemala

The third stage of qualifying from the CONCACAF region for the 2010 FIFA World Cup commenced Wednesday:

Group A Play:

At Havana, Cuba:

Goals from Keon Daniel (27', 61') and Cornell Glen (66') led Trinidad and Tobago to a 3-1 road win over Cuba.

At Guatemala City:

In a match that ended with both teams down to 10 men because of red-card ejections, the United States, for the first time ever, won a World Cup qualifying match in Guatemala, defeating the hosts 1-0 as Carlos Bocanegra scored the game's only goal in the 69th minute.

GROUP A STANDINGS:

1. Trinidad and Tobago (GP:1; GD: +2; PTS: 3)
2. United States (GP: 1; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
3. Guatemala (GP: 1; GD: -1; PTS: 0)
4. Cuba (GP: 1; GD: -2; PTS: 0)

In Group B play:

At Toronto:

Canadian goalkeeper's Pat Onstad's own goal at 52 minutes enabled visiting Jamaica to gain a 1-1 road draw versus Canada. Julian de Guzman provided the lone Canadian goal at 47 minutes.

At Mexico City:

Pavel Pardo's double (73', 75') lifted Mexico to a come-from-behind 2-1 home win over Honduras.

GROUP B STANDINGS:

1. Mexico (GP: 1; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
2. Canada (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)
Jamaica (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)
4. Honduras (GP: 1; GD: -1; PTS: 0)

Group C play:

At Port-Au-Prince, Haiti:

Late, and I do mean late, goals from Frantz Gilles (90') and Fucien Brunel (90'+5) propelled Haiti to come back from two goals down to gain a 2-2 home deadlock with Suriname, whose goals came from Wensley Christoph (31', 45'+1)

At San Jose, Costa Rica:

Alvaro Saborio scored the game's only goal (49') as Costa Rica defeated El Salvador 1-0 at home.

GROUP C STANDINGS:

1. Costa Rica (GP: 1; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
2. Suriname (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)
Haiti (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)
4. El Salvador (GP: 1; GD: -1; PTS: 0)

The top two finishing teams in each group would advance to the fourth and final stage of qualifying.

Maurice Edu Signs Deal To Join 'Gers

US midfielder Maurice Edu leaves Toronto FC as he agreed to a five year deal with Scottish Premiership club Rangers FC.

Los Angeles Galaxy: It's Bruce's Club Now

Well, it became official on Monday, as the Los Angeles Galaxy named former DC United, US National Team, and New York Red Bulls head coach Bruce Arena to become their new head coach and general manager.

Home Wins For Al Ahly and Enyimba

Sunday marked the midway point in group stage play in the 2008 CAF Champions League.

At Cairo, Egypt:

Mohamed Abutreika's game-winning tally (90'+3) lifted Al Ahly to a 2-1 home win over Dynamos of Zimbabwe in Group A play.

At Aba, Nigeria:

In action from Group B, Enyimba International FC blanked visiting TP Mazembe of DR Congo 2-0. The hosts were powered by tallies courtesy of Ezenwa Otorogu (70') and Stephen Worgu (90')

GROUP A STANDINGS:

1. Al Ahly (GP: 3; GD: +2; PTS: 7)
2. Zamalek (GP: 3; GD: 0; PTS: 4)
3. Dynamos (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS: 3)
4. ASEC Mimosas (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS: 2)

GROUP B STANDINGS:
1. Enyimba (GP: 3; GD: +3; PTS: 6)
2. Al Hilal (GP: 3; GD:+1; PTS: 5)
3. Cotonsport Garoua (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS: 4)
4. TP Mazembe (GP: 3; GD: -3; PTS: 1)

The top two finishing clubs in each group would qualify for the semifinals.

Goose Eggs In Cairo

At Cairo, Egypt:

In Group A action in the CAF Champions League, visiting ASEC Mimosas (Ivory Coast) held El Zamalek to a 0-0 stalemate on Saturday.

Cotonsport Garoua and Al Hilal Battle To 1-1 In CAF CL Play

One game was played Friday in Group B play in the CAF Champions League:

At Omdurman, Sudan:

Visiting Cotonsport Garoua (Cameroon) held Al Hilal to a 1-1 draw. Kelechi Osunwa opened the scoring for the hosts at 25 minutes, but Cotonsport's Baba Osmaila eqaulized in the 76th minute.

UEFA Cup Qualifying: Napoli, Villa Take Openers

The second round of qualifying for the 2008-09 UEFA Cup commenced on Thursday:

SOUTHERN MEDITERRANEAN REGION:

At Shkoder, Albania:

Inacio Pia scored twice and German Denis tallied once as Napoli dominated KS Vllaznia 3-0 on the road in the opening match of their two-game set for the right to reach the first round proper of the UEFA Cup.

At La Coruna, Spain:

Visiting Hajduk Split of Croatia held Deportivo La Coruna to a 0-0 deadlock in game one.

For those who are jonesing for results from the other series openers in this region, take a peek over here.

CENTRAL-EAST REGION:

At Stuttgart, Germany:

Serdar Tasci and Ciprian Marica each scored once as VfB Stuttgart took the opening match at home 2-1 over Gyori ETO FC. The Hungarian club did get a key away goal from Zoltan Boor.

Scores from the other ten series openers can be found here.



NORTHERN REGION:

At Reykjavik, Iceland:

Gareth Barry, Ashley Young, Gabriel Agbonlahor, and Martin Laursen scored a goal each as Aston Villa put the hurt on FH Hafnarfjador 4-1 on the road in the series opener.

At Bekkestua, Norway:

Mike Kjolo's double paced Stabaek to a 2-1 home win in game one with Rennes. Moussa Sow's goal, however, kept the French club very much alive in the two-match series.

You want scores from the other series-opening matches in this region, look here.

Champions League Qualifying(3rd Round): Anorthosis Stun Olympiacos In Opener; No Problems For Barca Versus Wisla Krakow; BATE Top Levski In Game One

The opening matches of fifteen two-match series in the third round of qualifying for the 2008-09 UEFA Champions League took place on Wednesday:

At Larnaca, Cyprus:

Goals courtesy of Vasilis Torosidis (scoring an own goal), Lukasz Sosin, and Vincent Laban propelled Anorthosis Famagusta to a 3-0 home win in game one of their two-match set with Greek champions (and round-of-16 entry from last season) Olympiacos.

At Turin, Italy:

A goal each from Mauro Camoranesi (7'), Alessandro Del Piero (26'), Giorgio Chiellini (39'), and Nicola Legrottaglie (90') helped power Jeventus to a 4-0 home fistbeating of Slovakian club Artmedia Petrzalka in the opening match of their two-game set.

At Sofia, Bulgaria:

Vladimir Rzveksiy scored the only goal (60') of game one, which saw Belorussian club BATE Borisov blank Levski Sofia 1-0 on the road. After the match, Levski coach Velislav Vutsov immediately resigned.

At Moscow:

Two goals each from Ismael Bangoura (28', 46') and Artem Milevskiy (45', 85') propelled Dynamo Kiev to a 4-1 road hammering of Spartak Moscow in the opening match of their two-game series.

At Istanbul, Turkey:

Galatasaray, thanks to Shabani Nonda's double (18', 47'), came back from a two-goal deficit to gain a 2-2 home draw in the opening game with Steaua Bucharest. Steaua, though, will be heading back to the Romanian capital for game two with the advantage because of two away goals, scored by Dairo Moreno (4') and Banel Nicolita (12').

At Liege, Belgium:

The opening match between visiting five-time European champs Liverpool and Standard de Liege ended up as a 0-0 stalemate.

At Prague, Czech Republic:

Simao scored the game-winning goal at 60 minutes, to lift Panathinaikos to a 2-1 road win over Sparta Prague in game one of their two-match set.

At Bergen, Norway:

Benoit Cheyrou scored the only goal of the match (40') as Marseille took game one on the road 1-0 over SK Brann.

At Arnhem, Netherlands:

William Gallas (63') and Emmanuel Adebayor (82') provided the second-half scoring punch that paced Arsenal to a 2-0 road win over FC Twente in game one of the two-match set.

At Aalborg, Denmark:

Caca (71') and Jeppe Curth (86') used their noggins as each scored with a second-half header to lead Aalborg BK to a 2-0 game one home win over Lithuanian club FBK Kaunas.

At Donetsk, Ukraine:

Darijo Srna (PK-3') and Jadson (31') provided the first-half tallies that lifted Shakhtar Donetsk to a series-opening 2-0 home win over Dinamo Zagreb.

At Gelsenkirchen, Germany:

Christian Pander provided the only goal of the match with a successful free kick at 30 minutes to lead FC Schalke 04 to a 1-0 home win in game one over Atletico Madrid.

At Guimaraes, Portugal:

Swiss club FC Basel 1893 held Vitoria de Guimaraes to a 0-0 deadlock in game one.

At Belgrade, Serbia:

Thanks to goals from Alex (PK-45') and Daniel Guiza (50'), Fenerbahce came back from a two-goal deficit to gain a 2-2 road draw in game one of their series with Partizan Belgrade. Veljko Paunovic (11') and Milos Bugonovic (14') each tallied once to give Partizan the early advantage.

At Barcelona:

Samuel Eto'o scored twice (17', 83') and Xavi Hernandez (24') and Thierry Henry (49') each tallied once as Barcelona delivered a 4-0 game one frontier-styled fistbeating to Wisla Krakow before the home fans.

UEFA Cup Qualifying: It's A One-Game Series, Now

Because of the continued fighting between Russia and Georgia, Thursday's originally scheduled opening match of the two-game set in the second round of qualifying for the UEFA Cup between SK Austria Vienna and WIT Georgia, to take place in the Georgian capital city of Tbilisi, was cancelled on Tuesday. It will now be a one-match series, with the contest on August 28 in Vienna.

DC United vs. Charleston Battery For US Open Cup Crown

Both matches in the semifinal round of the 2008 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup tournament were played on Tuesday night.

At Washington:

Luciano Emilio's double (4', 81') as well as Santino Quaranta's tally (48') powered DC United to a 3-1 victory over the New England Revolution at home.

At Charleston, South Carolina:

After a 1-1 deadlock through 120 minutes, in a battle of teams from the first division of the United Soccer Leagues, the Charleston Battery won the penalty-kick shootout 4-3 at home over the Seattle Sounders.

DC United will host Charleston in the US Open Cup final on September 3 at RFK Stadium.

Fiorentina 45 Minutes From UEFA Champions League Group Stage

At Florence, Italy:

In Tuesday lone match from the third round of qualifying for the 2008-09 UEFA Champions League, Adrian Mutu (3') and Alberto Gilardino (57') each scored once to lead Fiorentina to a 2-0 home win in game one of their two-match set with Czech club Slavia Prague.

The other fifteen two-match sets for the right to play in the group stage will open on Wednesday.

The Los Angeles Galaxy: It's Cobi's Club Now (For The Time Being)

Citing personal reasons, Major League Soccer's Los Angeles Galaxy head coach Ruud Gullit resigned Monday. He's been replaced on an interim basis by former long-time Galaxy player Cobi Jones.

The Galaxy, led by English star David Beckham and Landon Donovan, are on a seven-match winless streak as they play Chivas USA on Thursday night.

"There are two good people that for different reasons aren't part of this organization today, and that's a shame," Leiweke said. "The fact is, the players have to look deep inside themselves and understand they have to be responsible for some of this.

"Am I angry we find ourselves in the situation we find ourselves in? Yes. This is not a fun week. The Galaxy hasn't made the playoffs for a couple years. Punting on this season is not acceptable. It starts Thursday."

Much was expected when Beckham joined the Galaxy last season. But he was limited to five games because of injuries and the Galaxy went 9-14-7 for 34 points, and were eliminated from playoff contention on the season's final day.

The Galaxy were in pretty good shape this season before the recent winless streak left them at 6-8-5 with just 23 points.

Also gone is President/General Manager Alexi Lalas.

Red Devils Win Shootout With Pompey To Keep FA Community Shield

At London:

After a scoreless 90 minutes, two-time defending Premiership champions Manchester United won the penalty kick shootout with FA cupholders Portsmouth 3-1 to retain the FA Community Shield on Sunday. Carlos Tevez, Ryan Giggs, and Michael Carrick each successfully made his spot kick for the Red Devils. Pictured here is ManU Captain Gary Neville with the Community Shield trophy after the game.

Graham Hughes Photo/Times of London

Thunder Bay Chills Laredo For PDL Crown

At Laredo, Texas:

The Thunder Bay Chill, after finishing 120 minutes deadlocked at 1-1 with the Laredo Heat (and playing most of the second half and overtime with only ten men) won the penalty kick shootout 3-1 to win the Premier Development League championship Saturday night. The PDL is the third tier within the United Soccer Leagues, and forth overall in the US soccer pyramid.

UEFA Champions League: Second Qualifying Round Concludes

Twelve more clubs saw their European campaigns end as the second round of qualifying for the 2008-09 UEFA Champions League concluded Wednesday:

At Tbilisi, Georgia:

A scoreless draw on the road against Dinamo Tbilisi was more than good enough for Panathinaikos as the Greek club took their two-match set on aggregate 3-0.

At Kiev, Ukraine:

A 2-2 home deadlock enabled Dynamo Kiev to win their two-match set with Ireland's Drogheda United 4-3 on aggregate. Dynamo will next take on Spartak Moscow in the third qualifying round with the opening match next week in the Russian capital.

At Zenica, Bosnia-Herzegovina:

Aalborg BK finished their elimination of FK Modrica with a 2-1 road win, enabling the Danish club to win their two-match set 7-1 on aggregate. Anders Due and Casper Rizart each tallied once for AaB. Next up for AaB, a two-match set with Lithuania's FBK Kaunas with the opener next week at home.

At Basel, Switzerland:

FC Basel 1893 defeated Sweden's IFK Gothenburg in game two 4-2 at home to win their two-match set 5-3 on aggregate. Goals from Benjamin Huggel, Scott Chipperfield, Ivan Ergic (twice, at 84 and 90 minues) enabled the hosts to advance. Portugal's Vitoria SC Guimares will battle FCB in the third qualifying round, starting next Wednesday in Portugal.

At Prague, Czech Republic:

Sparta Prague, thanks to goals courtesy of Petr Vorisek and Miroslav Slepicka, finished off Moldova's FC Sheriff Tiraspol by winning game two at home 2-0, enabling them to win their two-game series 3-0 on aggregate. Sparta will next take on Panathinaikos with the opening match next week in Athens.

At Borisov, Belarus:

BATE's 2-2 home draw with RSC Anderlecht of Belgium enabled the hosts to win their two-match set 4-3 on aggregate. Levski Sofia from Bulgaria is next on BATE's agenda in the third qualifying round with the opening match next Wednesday in the Bulgarian capital.

At Vienna:

Despite dropping a 3-1 game two decision on the road against SK Rapid Vienna, Cypriot club Anorthosis Famagusta still captured their two-game set on aggregate 4-3, earning them the right to face Greek club Olympiacos in the third qualifying round with the opening leg at home next week. Vincent Laban scored what turned out to be the series-clinching goal for Anorthosis at 13 minutes.

At Belgrade, Serbia:

Following last week's 1-1 draw in Azerbaijan, Partizan Belgrade took advantage of some home cooking to ring up a 2-0 over Inter Baku to take their two-game set 3-1 on aggregate.

At Budapest:

Fenerbahce , thanks to Semih Senturk's quadruple, anihilated MTK Hungaria 5-0 on the road in game two to win their two-match set 7-0 on aggregate.

The Turkish club will take on Partizan Belgrade in a third qualifying round two-match set that begins next week in the Serbian capital.

At Senec, Slovakia:

FC Artmedia Petrzalka did not let up in their series with Finland's Tampere United as they captured game two 4-2 to win their two-game set 7-3 on aggregate. Next up for Artmedia: Italian giants Juventus with game one next week in Turin.

At Zagreb, Croatia:

A 3-2 home win in game two against Slovenia's NK Domzale was more than good enough for Dinamo Zagreb as the club from the Croatian capital easily took their two-match set 6-2 on aggregate. Next up for Dinamo is Shakhtar Donetsk, with the opening match of the upcoming two-match set scheduled for next week in Ukraine.

At Krakow, Poland:

Wisla Krakow overturned their 2-1 road setback in Israel from last week. Big time. They smashed Beitar Jerusalem 5-0 at home to take their two-match set 6-2 on aggregate. They will need plenty of home cooking for the third qualifying round. They get Barcelona next, staring next Wednesday in Catalonia.

Also scheduled for next week in the third qualifying round:

Atletico Madrid taveling to Gelsenkirchen, Germany for game one against FC Schalke 04; Liverpool heading to Belgium for game one against Standard de Liege; Arsenal facing FC Twente at Enschede, Netherlands. All three games are scheduled for next Wednesday, as will the opening match between Marseille and SK Brann from Bergen, Norway.

North American SuperLiga Final: Revs Finally Find Way To Beat Dynamo

At Foxboro, Massachusetts:

The New England Revolution won the championship of the 2008 North Amercican SuperLiga by defeating the Houston Dynamo 3-2 after winning an eight-round penalty kick shootout 6-5. Chris Albright scored what turned out to be the game winning goal in the eighth round of the shootout, then Revs goalkeeper Matt Reis tipped the Dynamo's Corey Ashe's penalty kick to preserve the win. The score was deadlocked at 1-1 after regulation time, then 2-2 after two overtime periods.

Champions League Qualifying (2nd Round): Rangers Stunned By Kaunas; Brann To Face Marseille

Two series in the second qualifying round of the 2008-09 UEFA Champions League concluded Tuesday:

At Ventspils, Latvia:

Despite dropping game two on the road 2-1 against FK Ventspils, Norwegian club SK Brann advanced to the third qualifying round because that one goal they scored was the only away goal in the series, that, with the series squared on aggregate 2-2. Armann Bjornsson scored the critical away goal for Brann.

Brann will take on French third-place finishers Marseille in the third qualifying round, beginning next week in Bergen, Norway. The winner will advance to the group stage.

At Kaunas, Lithuania:

Linas Pilibaitas scored the late game---and series---winner to lift FBK Kaunas to a 2-1 game two home (and series on aggregate) win over Rangers.

The Lithuanians will face the winner of the Aalborg BK (Denmark)-FK Modrica (Bosnia-Herzegovina) series (which concludes Wednesday with the Danish side up 5-0 on aggregate) in the third qualifying round which begins next week.

CAF Champions League: Home Wins For Zamalek and Enyimba

CAF Champions League group stage Matchday #2 action concluded Sunday.

GROUP A:

At Cairo, Egypt:

Amr Al-Safti scored the only goal of the match in the fourth minute as Zamelek defeated visiting Dynamos (Zimbabwe) 1-0.

GROUP A STANDINGS:

1. Al Ahly (GP: 2; GD: +1; PTS: 4)
2. Zamalek (GP: 2; GD: 0; PTS: 3)
3. Dynamos (GP: 2; GD: 0; PTS: 3)
4. ASEC Mimosas (GP: 2; GD: -1; PTS: 1)

GROUP B:

At Aba, Nigeria:

Goals from Ezenwa Otorogu and Stephen Worgu paced Enyimba International FC to a 2-0 home win over Cameroon's Cotonsport Garoua.

GROUP B STANDINGS:

1. Al Hilal (GP: 2; GD: +1; PTS: 4)
2. Enyimba (GP: 2; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
3. Cotonsport Garoua (GP: 2; GD: -1; PTS: 3)
4. TP Mazembe (GP: 2; GD: -1; PTS: 1)

CAF Champions League: Nothin' But Goose Eggs

Group stage play continued Saturday in the CAF Champions League:

GROUP A:

At Abidjan, Ivory Coast:

Visiting Egyptian (and continental) powerhouse Al Ahly and ASEC Mimosas battled to a 0-0 stalemate.

GROUP B:

At Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo:

Homestanding TP Mazembe was held to a 0-0 deadlock by Sudan's Al Hilal.

From The WTF Department: What?! No GOL TV On Dish Network?!

Siting what they said were unreasonable demands from GOL TV, Dish Network, as of Friday, took GOL TV off their network lineup. I, for one, am not too pleased. I usually watch FIFA Football Mundial, Kings of Clubs, Spanish La Liga and German Bundesliga soccer.

UEFA Cup Draw

At Nyon, Switzerland:

The draw for the second qualifying round for the 2008-09 UEFA Cup was held on Friday:

2008/09 UEFA Cup second qualifying round draw First leg: 14 August Second leg: 28 August
NK Široki Brijeg (BIH)	v	Beşiktaş JK (TUR)
SC Braga (POR)	v	NK Zrinjski (BIH)
PFC Lokomotiv Sofia (BUL)	v	FK Borac (SRB)
FK Vojvodina (SRB)	v	Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC (ISR)
Aris Thessaloniki FC (GRE)	v	NK Slaven Koprivnica (CRO)
PFC Litex Lovech (BUL)	v	Hapoel Ironi Kiryat Shmona FC (ISR)
RC Deportivo La Coruña (ESP)	v	HNK Hajduk Split (CRO)
APOEL FC (CYP)	v	FK Crvena Zvezda (SRB)
KS Vllaznia (ALB)	v	SSC Napoli (ITA)
Maccabi Netanya FC (ISR)	v	PFC Cherno More Varna (BUL)
AC Omonia (CYP)	v	AEK Athens FC (GRE)
SK Liepájas Metalurgs (LVA)	v	SC Vaslui (ROU)
FC Zürich (SUI)	v	SK Sturm Graz (AUT)
VfB Stuttgart (GER)	v	Győri ETO FC (HUN)
KKS Lech Poznań (POL)	v	Grasshopper-Club (SUI)
FC Slovan Liberec (CZE)	v	MŠK Žilina (SVK)
FC WIT Georgia (GEO)	v	FK Austria Wien (AUT)
BSC Young Boys (SUI)	v	Debreceni VSC (HUN)
Legia Warszawa (POL)	v	FC Moskva (RUS)
FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk (UKR)	v	AC Bellinzona (SUI)
NK IB Ljubljana (SVN)	v	Hertha BSC Berlin (GER)
FK Sūduva (LTU)	v	FC Salzburg (AUT)
Djurgårdens IF FF (SWE)	v	Rosenborg BK (NOR)
Queen of the South FC (SCO)	v	FC Nordsjælland (DEN)
KAA Gent (BEL)	v	Kalmar FF (SWE)
Manchester City FC (ENG)	v	FC Midtjylland (DEN)
FC Honka Espoo (FIN)	v	Viking FK (NOR)
FC Haka (FIN)	v	Brøndby IF (DEN)
Stabæk IF (NOR)	v	Stade Rennais FC (FRA)
FC København (DEN)	v	Lillestrøm SK (NOR)
IF Elfsborg (SWE)	v	Saint Patrick's Athletic FC (IRL)
Aston Villa FC (ENG)	v	FH Hafnarfjördur (ISL)

Champions League Draw

At Nyon, Switzerland:

The draw for the third qualifying round for the 2008-09 UEFA Champions League was held Friday:

2008/09 UEFA Champions League Third qualifying round draw First leg: 12/13 August Second leg: 26/27 August
Anorthosis Famagusta FC (CYP) / SK Rapid Wien (AUT)	v	Olympiacos CFP (GRE)
Vitória SC (POR)	v	IFK Göteborg (SWE) / FC Basel 1893 (SUI)
FC Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR)	v	NK Domžale (SVN) / NK Dinamo Zagreb (CRO)
FC Schalke 04 (GER)	v	Club Atlético de Madrid (ESP)
Aalborg BK (DEN) / FK Modriča (BIH)	v	Rangers FC (SCO) / FBK Kaunas (LTU)
FC Barcelona (ESP)	v	Beitar Jerusalem FC (ISR) / Wisla Kraków (POL)
PFC Levski Sofia (BUL)	v	RSC Anderlecht (BEL) / FC BATE Borisov (BLR)
R. Standard de Liège (BEL)	v	Liverpool FC (ENG)
FC İnter Bakı (AZE) / FK Partizan (SRB)	v	Fenerbahçe SK (TUR) / MTK Budapest (HUN)
FC Twente (NED)	v	Arsenal FC (ENG)
FC Spartak Moskva (RUS)	v	Drogheda United FC (IRL) / FC Dynamo Kyiv (UKR)
Juventus (ITA)	v	Tampere United (FIN) / FC Artmedia Petržalka (SVK)
SK Brann (NOR) / FK Ventspils (LVA)	v	Olympique de Marseille (FRA)
ACF Fiorentina (ITA)	v	SK Slavia Praha (CZE)
Galatasaray AS (TUR)	v	FC Steaua Bucureşti (ROU)
Panathinaikos FC (GRE) / FC Dinamo Tbilisi (GEO)	v	FC Sheriff (MDA) / AC Sparta Praha (CZE)