Ball in Net

World Cup USA vs England free streaming

2010-06-12T00:17:00.001-04:00

For those of you who want to support the red white and blue tomorrow online or want to watch and games for free head to univision.com (it's in spanish). ESPN3.com is another option if your ISP is an affiliate of ESPN.

The Streak Continues

2010-06-11T12:21:00.001-04:00

The host nation has never lost a World Cup Opener. South Africa will not be the first as they tied Mexico 1-1 at Soccer City. After playing a tense first half in which Mexico dominated possesion, the game opened up in the second. Siphewe Tshabalala opened the scoring in the 55th minute with a scorching shot from distance into the top right corner. A South African marking problem on the back post led to an easy goal by Rafael Marquez to draw level. All in all a dissapointing reult for both squads. Mexico came is as the clear favorite yet South Africa missed many opportunities in the second half.

In other news, I am a perfect 1-0 is my bold predictions with a 1 correct score. I should retire now.

Top 10 World Cup Goals

2010-06-10T22:32:00.001-04:00

On the eve of the opening game, we give tribute to the top 10 goals of past World Cups (according to the BBC).

Bold Predictions: Opening Day

2010-06-10T15:41:00.007-04:00

South Africa vs Mexico

In the opening match, we have El Tri playing the host nation of South Africa. Expect to hear a lot of what sound to be bee's on your set. The vuvuzela will be out in force as the organizers are giving them away for free outside of the stadium. The host nation has never lost an opener yet South Africa is ranked 83rd, the lowest of any host nation. Mexico will definitely recieve a boost from the return of centre back Rafael Marquez. This should be a very interesting match to watch as this is a must win game for both teams.

Prediction: 1-1 (tie)

Uruguay vs France

France has not looked good at all as of late. Without the Hand of Gaul, the French wouldn't be in South Africa. That being said they certainly have the talent to make another deep run. Uruguay shouldn't have a problem scoring led by striker Diego Forlan. Forlan and four teamates have accounted for 7 goals in Uruguay's last two friendlies. France will look better but it won't be enough.

Prediction: Uruguay 3-1

Nike World Cup ad

2010-06-09T22:55:00.007-04:00

Just one of the sickest commercials I've ever seen. Why didn't this air during the Super Bowl again?

The Wounded Cup

2010-06-09T22:29:00.004-04:00

At this rate Germany will still be able to field a squad of 11 by the end of group play?

David Beckham- England midfielder ruled out with ruptured Achilles tendon injury.

John Obi Mikel - Chelsea midfielder withdrew from the Nigeria squad because he did not want to aggravate a persistent knee injury.

Nani - the Manchester United player damaged his collar bone in training and was ruled out of the tournament. His absence will weaken Portugal's attacking options.

Arjen Robben - the Dutchman is fighting for fitness after tearing his hamstring needlessly during a warm-up match.

Michael Essien: Chelsea midfielder misses South Africa due to knee injury suffered while playing for Ghana in January’s Africa Cup of Nations.

Lassana Diarra - ruled out of the France squad after suffering from persistent stomach pains. Real Madrid later confirmed that he had a genetic disorder which affects his red blood cells which causes chronic fatigue.

Michael Owen: Manchester United forward suffered detached hamstring in February which ended World Cup hopes.

Michael Ballack: Germany captain ruled out of World Cup following ankle injury caused by late tackle by Portsmouth’s Kevin-Prince Boateng in FA Cup Final.

Charlie Davies: USA’s star forward suffered face, elbow, femur, tibia and fibula injuries in car accident in October. Returned to training with Sochaux, but failed to make US squad.

Rene Adler: Germany’s first-choice goalkeeper was ruled out last month after being forced to undergo surgery following serious rib injury.

Didier Drogba: Ivory Coast forward waiting to hear whether fractured elbow will keep him out of the World Cup.

Carlos Costly: The Honduras forward had been a key figure in qualifying rounds, but a foot injury sustained on club duty with Romania’s Vaslui cost him World Cup spot.

Jose Bosingwa: Chelsea full-back missed out on selection for Portugal squad due to long-term knee injury.

Salvador Cabanas: Paraguay forward is still recovering after being shot in the head during a botched robbery in January.

Tim Brown: New Zealand vice-captain suffered fractured right shoulder in friendly defeat against Australia last Monday. Named in squad, but unlikely to be fit to play.

Owen Hargreaves: England midfielder missed out after playing for less than a minute for Manchester United last season due to double knee surgery.

Rio Ferdininad: England skipper injured ligaments in his left knee during practice hours.

Benitez Blues

2010-04-05T20:24:00.005-04:00

Torres: "What the hell, Coach?"

This past weekend is the proverbial straw that should have broken the camel's back. In the tight race for a fourth place Premier League finish and lucrative Champions League spot, Rafa Benitez is managing with caution. In the 1-1 draw at Birmingham, the Spaniard replaced talisman forward Fernando Torres with understudy David N'Gog...with 25 minutes left. Torres was left the game looking as stunned as the fans, seeing his number on the substitution board. In post-game interviews, Benitez reasoned that Torres was tired and Liverpool needed fresh legs. I'm sorry but a 75% Torres is better than an 100% N'Gog any day of the week especially on days when you need a win.

The draw leaves Liverpool 4 points behind Manchester City, who have played one game less. As a mamager, it's time to go when you lose the confidence of your team. Plus, Jose Mourinho is just itching to get his hands on a talented Premier League side.

Let Xabi Go!

2009-07-30T08:30:00.013-04:00

Rafa Benitez doesn't want him to leave. Fernando Torres has said it would be ''a serious loss to Liverpool'' if Xabi Alonso completed the move from Liverpool to Real Madrid. I say good riddance.

The "will he go, will he stay" drama has gone on too long and it looks like Liverpool have finally given Real Madrid 48 hours to complete the signing of the Spanish midfielder. The midfielder's silence has done the talking for him with it becoming all too clear that he would like a move back to his homeland.

If I were Rafa, I would collect the £30m from the sale of Xabi and bring in a player such as David Silva fom cash-strapped Valencia for around £10-£15m. Silva like Alonso has a working relationship with Merseyside hitman Torres already from international play, would fit well in Rafa's system and is only 23 years old.

One another note, this second coming of the Galactacos is becoming a serious force to be reckoned with. I can't wait until the middle of the season to see how well they work together.

Ibra fo Eto'o deal a mistake (for Barca)

2009-07-29T09:40:00.000-04:00

It is reported that on top of sending Samuel Eto'o to Inter Milan , the Catalan side have paid $62 million and loaned out the services of Alexander Hleb (with a clause to make the loan permanent at the end of the season) for Swedish forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Eto'o, at the age of 27 and with only one year left on his contract, conservatively would have been valued at $40 million in the current market. This means that Inter effectively sold Ibra for around $102 million which is worth more than $90 million Real Madrid paid for Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.

What was Barca thinking? Samuel Eto'o, admittedly, isn't a manager's dream player. To be blunt, he is temperamental and refused to sign a new deal with Barca unless they considerably improved his weekly wages.

Here's the thing. Eto'o led the lethal Barca front line with 34 goals last season in all competitions including a spectacular opening goal in the Champions League final. He obviously has a great working relationship with the other 2 members of the media dubbed "tridente" or trident, Lionel Messi and Thierry Henry. The reason that these three are so effective is that the Cameroonian striker provides the perfect foil to the other two. Henry and Messi are more creative and have no problem setting up Eto'o in the box, where he is a clinical finisher. Ever heard "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"? I'm not sure Barca president Joan Laporta has.

This is no knock to Ibrahimovic, who was the top scorer in Serie A with 25 goals this last season, but are you kidding me? $102 million for someone that has yet to prove himself in the Champions League? I hope manager Pep Guardiola can figure out a way to make the Ibra Experiment work for Joan Laporta's sake.

Livorno Love

2009-07-28T14:46:00.001-04:00

It looks like Ricardo Clark could be the latest US international to move to Serie A. Corriere di Livorno have reported that the newly promoted Serie A side Livorno have agreed to terms with the Houston Dynamo so all that remains is for Clark to sign a contract. The Houston Dynamo midfielder impressed in last months Confederations Cup despite being red carded in a 3-1 loss to Italy.

This is the second American to be linked to the Tuscan side. They are reportedly also interested in LA Galaxy forward Landon Donovan.

Four Golden Lessons

2009-07-27T23:43:00.010-04:00

Last Sunday, the United States Men’s National Soccer team was thoroughly spanked in New Jersey. Many fans and sportswriters are quick to point out that this was our “C” squad. El Tri, fielding its own “B” team, made them look like a glorified little league all-star squad in the second half.

It started with a questionable penalty call in the box in which Giovani Dos Santos fell into defender Jay Heaps. Captain Gerrardo Torrado buried the ensuing PK and Mexico never looked back, beating keeper Troy Perkins four more times.

Here are four things we learned at this Gold Cup:

1. Stuart Holden. This Gold Cup team was a try-out of sorts for the last few spots on new years World Cup squad. Stuart Holden has most likely played himself onto that team though consistent play in the central midfield. He tallied two goals and three assists throughout the tournament, leading the team in both categories.

2. Late Subs. Coach Bob Bradley has a problem and it involves keeping an accurate pulse of the game. It came to light in the Confederation’s Cup last month and it was apart of the Americans undoing on Sunday. Bradley decided to replace ineffective duo of Logan Pause and Davy Arnaud only after El Tri were up 2-0 and in total control of the game.

3. Fitness is worth as much as skill in the weak CONACAF. The Americans won most of their games by simply outrunning their opponents. If they could actually settle play and convert in the final third, the outcome would have been different on Sunday.

4. The Red, White, and Blue are developing a nasty habit of losing “the big game.” The Confederations Cup final was huge for the Americans, not only because they beat Spain to advance to the finals but because of the number of non-soccer fans that tuned in at home. The Gold Cup finals brought the beautiful game to the fore once again and the American public saw our team demolished. Americans like winners and these last two performances aren’t going to convert these viewers into true fans.

I can't wait for the battle of the "A" squads on Aug 12 in Azteca.

Shaq calls out Beckham in soccer

2009-07-24T16:44:00.006-04:00

Shaq has thrown down the proverbial gauntlet, challenging David Beckham to score a goal against him. The self-dubbed "Big Aristotle" wrote on Twitter last night, "Dear david beckham, I kno u heard about my shaq vs show, anyway u will never score a goal on me, I challenge you lil man."

Shaq is of course referring to his new reality TV show on the ABC network, which pits the Cleveland Cavalier's center against star athletes - in their own court. The show debuts Tuesday, Aug. 18 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

Earlier today he issued another challenge to the LA Galaxy superstar, "David beckham I kno u hear me, dnt be scared, dnt make me call u out, u will never score a goal on me."

I'd like to see what nickname he gives himself if he actually pulls it off...."The Big Pele"?

Gerrard video in evidence

2009-07-24T14:16:00.000-04:00

England midfielder Steven Gerrard admitted to police that he punched a man in a bar room, according to testimony presented in court Wednesday.

The transcript from the Liverpool captain's police interview was read at his trial on affray charges after a bartender told the jury that the footballer was in a "huff" before launching uppercuts at businessman Marcus McGee.

Gerrard was with friends at a bar in Southport in the early hours of Dec. 29 last year, hours after scoring twice in Liverpool's 5-1 victory over Newcastle.

Gerrard told police he had bottles of Budweiser beer and a shot of spirits, and rated his level of intoxication as seven out of 10 when he confronted McGee in a row over the music being play in the Lounge Inn.

For the full story click here.

Below is a video of the incident.

5 reasons Landon should go

2009-07-24T14:07:00.006-04:00

Landon Donovan could sign up to a one year contract with newly promoted Serie A side Livorno. Livorno president Aldo Spinelli has been in talks with Donovan's agent and sponsors with a view to signing the 26-year-old American international.

"I think at this point it will be done for next season only, seeing as the sponsors don't want the player to leave America now," Spinelli told Tuttomercatoweb.

I like this move for 5 couple of reasons:

1. It's Serie A. Even though this team has just been promoted, he'll be playing against some of the best teams and defenders in the world.

2. This move keeps him in top form during the MLS offseason in preparation for the World Cup next summer.

3. He'll get playing time unlike his stint at Bayern Munich this year when he was used mainly as a super-sub because of their talent at the forward position.

4. He'll earn some serious looks from bigger clubs by playing well even if Livorno is relegated again.

5. He's playing with house money, even if he doesn't do well, it's only an one year deal and he has the Galaxy to return to.

US advance to meet Mexico in final

2009-07-24T03:14:00.006-04:00

The American "C" squad looked solid in its Gold Cup 2-0 semifinal win over Honduras. It was the third time that the American have defeated this particular Central American team over the span of two months.

Stuart Holden once again impressed setting up both goals and pushing up from his wide midfield position. Holden delivered the corner kick that Clarence Goodson headed to the back of the net in the 45th. He later found, a most likely offside, Kenny Cooper who sealed the game in the 89th. The Honduran side rarely threatened and Troy Perkins denied their best attempt from Carlos Costly near the end of the game. Heath Pearce also played exceptionally well on the back line.

The final against Mexico will be a preview of the game in Azteca on Aug 12th. The Mexicans needed penalties to see themselves move past Costa Rica into the finals. Guillermo Ochoa came up with the big save on the third penalty kick for Mexico to defeat Costa Rica 1(5)-1(3).

El Tri have only lost once in the six times that they have made it to the Gold Cup finals. That lost was two years ago to their bitter North American rival.

Stars to watch for the Americans: Stuart Holden, Troy Perkins, and Heath Pearce. El Tri's Giovani Dos Santos should provide great service into the box.

Lebron's infamous video (High Quality)

2009-07-23T09:50:00.004-04:00

I know this blog is devoted to soccer but I had to share. You can actually tell who is who in this video.

Inter Milano

2009-07-21T19:27:00.005-04:00

Inter Milan is on the verge of losing one of its stars, Zlatan Ibrahimović, but has acquired a suitable replacement in Alyssa Milano. The former Charmed star has been dubbed the official liaison of Inter Milan for the World Football Challenge according to her Twitter.

While there are doubts about her crossing abilities, she sure makes up for it in the intangible department.

"The Silent One"

2009-07-21T16:50:00.003-04:00

Inter Milan's coach Jose Mourinho, dubbed "The Special One" has begun a press silence leaving the duties to his assistant, Beppe Baresi. It has been a disappointing start to pre-season with one draw and one defeat. However, is this behind ‘The Special One’s’ recent silence?

With the 2-2 draw against UCLA and the recent penalty defeat to Club America, it certainly hasn’t been an emphatic start to pre-season for the Inter.

For more information check out Goal.com.

Beautiful Goal (Not on ESPN)

2009-07-20T23:25:00.002-04:00

This action comes from Saturday’s J-League match between Kawasaki Frontale and Vissel Kobe, and we pick up the action 20 minutes from time with the hosts leading two-one.

For the full story click here.

Truly Spectacular...

The Ball in Net Ipod Challenge

2009-07-20T11:57:00.003-04:00

My friend bet me $500 if I could gain 10,000 followers in 30 days since I'm new to Twitter. Well rather than lose, I've decided to share the money and publicize my site so register here and follow me on Twitter for a chance to win a 16 GB IPod Touch. This contest is open to anyone and everyone in the world as long as you have a valid e-mail address.

I will not sell or use your e-mail address for anything other than this contest but I do encourage you to check out my blog and subscribe to my RSS feed while you're here!

www.ballinnet.com/contest

Stanky Leg Demo by Team USA

2009-07-19T14:55:00.003-04:00

The boys just having some fun...

US downs Panama 2-1

2009-07-18T22:23:00.005-04:00

The United States has moved on to the semifinals of the Gold Cup, advancing on Kenny Cooper's penalty kick in extra time. Panama put up a good fight and Blas Perez gave them an early lead, putting away a cross with authority, in the dying minutes of the first half. Kyle Beckerman, equalized in the beginning of second half, by powering in an impressive shot from the top of the box.

There were some near chances for Team USA in the second half. Brian Ching saw a great header saved by keeper Jaime Penedo in the 86th. The game was decided in the first half of extra time, after Kenny Cooper slotted home a penalty kick resulting from an ill-advised kick by Roman Torres.

This MLS-heavy American squad showed a lot of heart tonight and were rewarded with a W. Next up Honduras.

For the full story click here.

Comment of the night: "I didn't know Bruce Lee played soccer!" in reference to the Roman Torres karate kick to Cooper's midsection.

Orlando Pirates stun Man. City 2-0

2009-07-18T14:52:00.003-04:00

Orlando Pirates new-look side scored a stunning 2-0 win over big spending English Premiership outfit Manchester City in an action packed Vodacom Challenge clash played at a jam packed Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

A sensational second goal by Bucs newcomer Phenyo Mongala in the 56th minute sealed the victory for the Buccaneers. It was the perfect debut for the Botswana born midfielder who was signed in the off-season and came on as a second half substitute.

Disappointing for the local fans was the absence of City's new striking partnership, Carlos Tevez and Roque Santa Cruz who manager Mark Hughes bought along with England international midfielder Gareth Barry who started on the bench. But neither Argentine star Tevez not Paraguay international Santa Cruz were on the team sheet but are expected to play when City face Chiefs in their second Challenge match at Durban's Absa Stadium on Tuesday night. For the full story click here.

It's a good thing Mark Hughes bought that new duo and has Adebayor on the way. I'm not trying to take anything away from the Orlando outfit but with the cream of their squad out, Man City's makeshift squad shouldn't have lost this game. They'll need to impress during the pre-season if they want to challenge for a top 4 finish this season.

FIFA 10

2009-07-18T11:16:00.004-04:00

This game cannot get here soon enough. I've logged too many hours to be proud of playing FIFA 09 on my X-Box 360 and....EA somehow improved it? YES! The one gripe that I had with the last edition was the difficulty in finishing a set-piece in scoring range. The newest iteration delivers with the edition of custom set pieces which seems downright awesome. The other major addition is the new practice arena in which the player can simulate game situations by altering the number of attackers and defenders. In stores Oct. 2nd.

Click here to read the IGN article....

US-Mexico Tilt broadcast issues

2009-07-18T00:39:00.003-04:00

Steven Goff of the Soccer Insider reports that the US-Mexico World Cup Qualifier on Aug. 12th in Azteca will not be carried by the ABC family, FSC or Univision. The game's English and Spanish broadcast rights have been bought by Telemundo and will be aired on that channel and mun2, a cable station geared toward young Latinos, that usually airs in English.

Great business move by Telemundo, not so great for the average US soccer fan. I will admit that I love watching games with Spanish commentators because of their reactions to goals. Three weeks and (hopefully) 3 more Gold Cup games...