The Best Eleven

Flashback Video: 10 Goal European Cup Final

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:12:00 +0000

1960 European Cup Final
Real Madrid v Eintracht Frankfurt

In this fifth ever European Cup Final, there were 10 combined goals and a pair of hat tricks for two of the all time greats, Alfredo Di Stéfano and Ferenc Puskás.

Lineups (from Wikipedia)

Real Madrid

GK	1	Rogelio Domínguez
RB	2	Marquitos
CD	5	José Santamaría
LB	3	Pachín
MF	4	José María Vidal
MF	6	José María Zárraga (c)
RW	7	Canário
FW	8	Luis del Sol
FW	9	Alfredo Di Stéfano
FW	10	Ferenc Puskás
LW	11	Francisco Gento

Eintracht Frankfurt

GK	1	Egon Loy
DF	2	Friedel Lutz
DF	3	Hermann Höfer
MF	4	Hans Weilbächer
DF	5	Hans-Walter Eigenbrodt
MF	6	Dieter Stinka
FW	7	Richard Kress
FW	8	Dieter Lindner
FW	9	Erwin Stein
FW	10	Alfred Pfaff (c)
FW	11	Erich Meier

Scoring Summary

Real Madrid
Di Stefano (27', 30', 73')
Puskas (46', 56'pen, 60', 71')

Eintracht Frankfurt
Kress (18')
Stein (72', 75')

2009/10 UEFA Europa League Blowouts

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:06:00 +0000

This is a list of 2009-2010 UEFA Europa League blowouts (games won by 4 goals or more).

Score -- Winning Team -- Losing Team

First Qualifying Round
6:0 -- Zestaponi (Georgia) -- Lisburn Distillery (Northern Ireland)
5:0 -- Anorthosis (Cyprus) -- Käerjéng (Luxembourg)
5:1 -- Zestaponi (Georgia) -- Lisburn Distillery (Northern Ireland)
4:0 -- Randers (Denmark) -- Linfield (Northern Ireland)

Second Qualifying Round
8:1 -- Motherwell (Scotland) -- Flamurtari Vlorë (Albania)
8:2 -- Slaven Belupo (Croatia) -- Milano (Macedonia)
6:0 -- NAC Breda (Netherlands) -- Gandzasar (Armenia)
5:0 -- Rapid Wien (Austria) -- Vllaznia (Albania)
5:0 -- Bnei Yehuda (Israel) -- Dinaburg (Latvia)
4:0 -- Polonia Warsaw (Poland) -- Juvenes/Dogana (San Marino)
4:0 -- Omonia (Cyprus) -- HB (Faroe Islands)
4:0 -- Slaven Belupo (Croatia) -- Milano (Macedonia)
4:0 -- Red Star Belgrade (Serbia) -- Rudar Velenje (Slovenia)

Third Qualifying Round
7:1 -- AS Roma (Italy) -- Gent (Belgium)
6:0 -- Galatasaray (Turkey) -- Maccabi Netanya (Israel)
6:1 -- Lech Poznań (Poland) -- Fredrikstad (Norway)
5:0 -- Sturm Graz (Austria) -- Petrovac (Montenegro)
5:1 -- Sigma Olomouc (Czech) -- Aberdeen (Scotland)
5:1 -- Fenerbahçe (Turkey) -- Budapest Honvéd (Hungary)
4:0 -- Hamburg (Germany) -- Randers (Denmark)

Play Off Round
7:1 -- AS Roma (Italy) -- Košice (Slovakia)
6:1 -- Villarreal (Spain) -- NAC Breda (Netherlands)
5:0 -- Galatasaray (Turkey) -- Levadia (Estonia)
5:0 -- Ajax (Netherlands) -- Solvan Bratislava (Slovakia)
5:1 -- Basel (Switzerland) -- FK Baku (Azerbaijan)
4:0 -- Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia) -- Hearts (Scotland)
4:0 -- Everton (England) -- Sigma Olomouc (Czech)
4:0 -- FC BATE (Belarus) -- Litex Lovech (Bulgaria)
4:0 -- Benfica (Portugal) -- Vorskla Poltava (Ukraine)

Group Stage
5:0 -- Benfica (Portugal) -- Everton (England)
5:1 -- Lille (France) -- Slavia Prague (Czech)
5:1 -- Hapoel Tel Aviv (Israel) -- Rapid Wien (Austria)
4:0 -- Lazio (Italy) -- Levski Sofia (Bulgaria)
4:0 -- Everton (England) -- AEK Athens (Greece)
4:0 -- Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine) -- Toulouse (France)

Videos: Child Soccer Prodigies

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:00:00 +0000

Who's the next Zidane, Ronaldo, Messi, Pele, Maradona, Henry, etc?? In all honesty, I'd be surprised if it's any of these kids, but they are exceptionally good players at just 5-9 years old (and it's entertaining to watch).

2009 MLS Regular Season Goal Statistics

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:30:00 +0000

Goals Scored

17 - Jeff Cunningham
16 - Conor Casey
12 - Juan Pablo Angel
12 - Guillermo Barros Schelotto
12 - Landon Donovan
12 - Robbie Findley
12 - Fredy Montero
11 - Dwayne De Rosario
11 - Ryan Johnson
11 - Josh Wolff
10 - Luciano Emilio

Goals Per Game Average (Minimum 10 Goals scored)

0.67 - Conor Casey (COL)
0.61 - Jeff Cunningham (DAL)
0.50 - Guillermo Barros Schelotto (CLB)
0.48 - Juan Pablo Angel (NY)
0.48 - Landon Donovan (LA)
0.44 - Robbie Findley (RSL)
0.44 - Fredy Montero (SEA)
0.41 - Josh Wolff (KC)
0.39 - Dwayne De Rosario (TOR)
0.37 - Ryan Johnson (SJ)
0.37 - Luciano Emilio (DC)

Shots on Goal (Minimum 30)

38 - Jeff Cunningham (DAL)
37 - Juan Pablo Angel (NY)
36 - Dwayne De Rosario (TOR)
35 - Ryan Johnson (SJ)
35 - Claudio Lopez (KC)
34 - Omar Cummings (COL)
32 - Fredy Montero (SEA)
31 - Conor Casey (COL)
30 - Josh Wolff (KC)

Game Winning Goals (Minimum 3)

7 - Jeff Cunningham (DAL)
5 - Stuart Holden (HOU)
4 - Kheli Dube (NE)
4 - Fredy Montero (SEA)
3 - Chris Rolfe (CHI)
3 - Eduardo Lillingston (CHV)
3 - Guillermo Barros Schelotto (CLB)
3 - Eddie Gaven (CLB)
3 - Chad Marshall (CLB)
3 - Luciano Emilio (DC)
3 - Kei Kamara (HOU)
3 - Josh Wolff (KC)
3 - Landon Donovan (LA)
3 - Robbie Findley (RSL)
3 - Ryan Johnson (SJ)

PK Goals Made (Minimum 2)

6 - Jaime Moreno (DC)
4 - Conor Casey (COL)
4 - Steve Ralston (NE)
3 - Cuauhtemoc Blanco (CHI)
3 - Guillermo Barros Schelotto (CLB)
3 - Landon Donovan (LA)
2 - Christian Gomez (DC)
2 - Kenny Cooper (DAL)
2 - Stuart Holden (HOU)
2 - Claudio Lopez (KC)
2 - Juan Pablo Angel (NY)

Hat Tricks

2 - Conor Casey (COL)
1 - Jeff Cunningham (DAL)
1 - Kheli Dube (NE)
1 - Robbie Findley (RSL)

Multi Goal Games (Minimum 2)

4 - Jeff Cunningham (DAL)
3 - Guillermo Barros Schelotto (CLB)
3 - Conor Casey (COL)
3 - Robbie Findley (RSL)
3 - Josh Wolff (KC)
2 - Juan Pablo Angel (NY)
2 - Omar Cummings (COL)
2 - Amado Guevara (TOR)

Consecutive Games With Goals (Minimum 4)

6 - Jeff Cunningham (DAL)
5 - Fredy Montero (SEA)
4 - Conor Casey (COL)
4 - Dwayne De Rosario (TOR)

Own Goals

2 - Jay Heaps
1 - Gino Padula, James Riley, CJ Brown, Pablo Ricchetti, Jeff Larentowicz, Tyrone Marshall, Chris Leitch, Bryan Namoff, Daniel Torres, Osvaldo Alonso, Darrius Barnes, Jair Benitez, Nick Garcia, Milos Kocic, Eduardo Lillingston, Bobby Burling

TEAM GOAL STATISTICS

Team Goals Per Game Average

1.67 - FC Dallas
1.43 - DC United
1.43 - Real Salt Lake
1.40 - Colorado Rapids
1.37 - Columbus Crew
1.30 - Chicago Fire
1.30 - Houston Dynamo
1.27 - Seattle Sounders FC
1.23 - Toronto FC
1.20 - Los Angeles Galaxy
1.20 - San Jose Earthquakes
1.13 - Chivas USA
1.10 - Kansas City Wizards
1.10 - New England Revolution
0.90 - New York Red Bulls

Team Goals Scored Interval Leaders

Minutes 1-15
9 - FC Dallas

Minutes 16-30
10 - Houston Dynamo

Minutes 31-45
11 - Columbus Crew

Minutes 46-60
14 - Colorado Rapids

Minutes 61-75
10 - Toronto FC

Minutes 76-90
18 - Real Salt Lake

Top 5 Home Goal Scoring Teams

34 - Real Salt Lake
28 - FC Dallas
25 - Chivas USA
25 - Colorado Rapids
25 - Columbus Crew

Top 5 Road Goal Scoring Teams

24 - DC United
23 - Chicago Fire
22 - FC Dallas
18 - Los Angeles Galaxy
17 - Toronto FC, Seattle Sounders, Colorado Rapids

Top 5 Team Records When Scoring the First Goal

12-0-1 - Los Angeles Galaxy (.962%)
9-0-3 - Real Salt Lake (.875%)
5-0-2 - New York Red Bulls (.857%)
8-0-4 - Kansas City Wizards (.833%)
13-1-4 - Houston Dynamo (.833%)

Top 5 Team Records in One Goal Games

8-2-0 - Los Angeles Galaxy (.800%)
8-4-0 - New England Revolution (.667%)
6-4-0 - Toronto FC (.600%)
7-5-0 - Chicago Fire (.584%)
7-5-0 - DC United (.584%)

Famous English Club Anthems

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:21:00 +0000

Here is a video list of just a few of the famous anthems that are associated with clubs in England.

WEST HAM UNITED - I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles

MANCHESTER CITY - Blue Moon

PORTSMOUTH FC - Play Up Pompey

LEEDS UNITED - Marching On Together

NOTTINGHAM FOREST - Whole World in our Hands

LIVERPOOL - You'll Never Walk Alone

MANCHESTER UNITED - Glory, Glory, Man United

CHELSEA FC - Blue is the Colour

Highest and Lowest FIFA Rankings in 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:43:00 +0000

This list shows the nations that have had their highest or lowest ever FIFA rankings in the 2009 calendar year. (Current October Highest/Lowest Ranks in BOLD)

BEST ALL-TIME FIFA RANKING in 2009

13 - Serbia (September)
14 - Australia (September)
15 - Egypt (January)
18 - Cote D'Ivoire (July-August)
27 - Northern Ireland (April-June)
29 - Algeria (October)
30 - Gabon (July)
47 - Latvia (October)
50 - Burkina Faso (June)
50 - Panama (February)
65 - Gambia (June)
67 - Benin (October)
75 - Montenegro (October)
88 - Granada (July)
92 - Barbados (October)
105 - Antigua and Barbuda (July)
118 - Chad (January)
132 - Nicaragua (February)
155 - Philippines (October)
172 - Mongolia (October)

WORST ALL-TIME FIFA RANKING in 2009

33 - Mexico (July)
36 - Romania (October)
38 - Denmark (March)
42 - Sweden (July)
51 - Colombia (February)
63 - Morocco (October)
91 - Peru (September)
96 - Zambia (October)
108 - China (July)
118 - Congo DR (September)
124 - United Arab Emirates (August)
131 - Zimbabwe (October)
154 - Malta (February)
160 - Liberia (October)
180 - Chinese Taipei (April)
183 - Mauritius (August)
191 - St. Lucia (July)
193 - British Virgin Islands (April-October)
193 - Tonga (September)
194 - Tahiti (October)
197 - Macau (January-March)
198 - Dominica (July)
201 - Andorra (October)
202 - Central African Republic (July)
202 - Cook Islands (April)
203 - Papua New Guinea (July)
203 - San Marino (July)

Tallest Soccer Players in the World

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:05:00 +0000

This is a list of the tallest players currently playing professional soccer around the world.

Kristof van Hout - 2.08m - (6ft10)
Belgian Goalkeeper who plays for the Belgium Jupiler League club, Standard Liege.

Yang Changpeng - 2.05m - (6ft8½)
Chinese striker (pictured above) who currently plays for the club Three Gorges Kangtian in China. He had a one month trial with Bolton Wanderers in 2006.

Vanja Iveša - 2.05m - (6ft8½)
Croatian goalkeeper playing with Turkcell Super Lig club Eskişehirspor

Tor Hogne Aarøy - 2.04m - (6ft8)
Norwegian Striker who plays with Aalesund FK in the Norwegian Tippeligaen.

Øyvind Hoås - 2.03m - (6ft8)
The Norwegian striker plays in the second tier in Norway with Sarpsborg Sparta FK. He is also a former Norway U21 player and has been linked to Norwich City.

Kjell Petter Opheim (GK) 2.03m - (6ft8)
The Norwegian keeper plays for FC Lyn Oslo in the Norwegian Tippeligaen.

Even Iversen - 2.03m - (6ft8)
The 26 year old Norwegain Defender plays way up in the Arctic Circle with Norwegian Tippeligaen club, Bodø/Glimt.

Jan Koller - 2.02m - (6ft7½)
The Czech Striker is currently playing in Russia with Krylya Sovetov Samara after recent years at 1. FC Nuremberg, AS Monaco and Borussia Dortmund.

Nikola Žigić - 2.02m - (6ft7½)
Serbian striker who is currently playing for Valencia in Spain. Many clubs have reportedly gone after the big man, including Tottenham Hotspur, Fenerbahçe, Man City, Werder Bremen, Barcelona and Juventus.

Paolo Acerbis - 2.02m - (6ft7½)
Italian Goalkeeper currently playing with Grosseto in Serie B after a short spell with Livorno in Serie A.

Zeljko Kalac - 2.02m - (6ft7½)
Australian Goalkeeper who was up until last season, with AC Milan in Serie A. He now plays for recently promoted Kavala in the Greek Super League. Kalac made three appearances in 1996 for Leicester City in England while playing for current Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill.

Stefan Maierhofer - 2.02 m (6ft7½)
Maierhofer is a striker currently with Wolverhampton Wanderers in the EPL after a successful time at Rapid Wien in the Austrian Bundesliga. In 2007, Stefan was with Bayern Munich but he only managed two sub appearances before moving on.

Lazar Jovisić - 2.02m (6ft7½)
The 20 year old Serbian goalkeeper transferred to CD Nacional in Portugal in 2008.

Kevin Vink - 2.02m (6ft7½)
The 25 year old Dutch Striker plays for RKC Waalwijk in the Netherlands

Jurgen Wevers - 2.02m (6ft7½)
Jurgen is a Goalkeeper who also plays for RKC Waalwijk in the Netherlands

Peter Crouch - 2.01m - (6ft7)
Random Fact: The Tottenham striker and his family moved to Singapore when he was 4 and lived there for a year. Early in his career he played for IFK Hässleholm in Sweden.

Dennis Lawrence - 2.01m - (6ft7)
After many years in England at Wrexham, Swansea City, and Crewe Alexandra, Dennis has moved back to his native Trinidad to play for San Juan Jabloteh.

Rob Jones - 2.01m - (6ft7)
English born Defender who recently transferred to Championship side, Scunthorpe United, after most recently playing for Hibernian in the Scottish Premier League.

Morike Sako - 2.01m (6ft7)
Sako is with 2.Bundesliga club FC St. Pauli in Germany after short stints in the lower divisions of England at Torquay United and Rochdale.

Stefan Postma - 2.01m - (6ft7)
Dutch Goalkeeper currently with AGOVV Apeldoorn in the Dutch Second Division. He had previous stints with Aston Villa and Wolves in England.

Ben Futcher - 2.01m - (6ft7)
The 27 year old Englishman made over 100 appearances for Lincoln City before moving around to various lower league clubs. He is current playing with League Two club Bury FC.

Bertrand Bossu - 2.01m - (6ft7)
The French-born keeper has played in the lower leagues in England for many years. He signed with Scottish club Aberdeen in 2008 and has signed with Crewe Alexandra for this season.

Robert Egbeta - 2.00m - (6ft7)
U20 Nigerian Defender who is playing with Dolphins F.C. (Port Harcourt) (I Think?) in the Nigerian Premier League

Lungisani Ndlela - 2.00m - (6ft7)
Ndlela is a South African International (9 caps) who plays in the South African Premier Soccer League with Moroka Swallows.

Marcin Krzywicki - 2.00 m - (6ft7)
Krzywicki recently move to Flota Świnoujście in Polish second division.

Jakub Dziółka - 2.00m - (6ft7)
The big defender plays with Polonia Bytom in Poland's Orange Ekstraklasa.

Adrian Rolko - 2.00m - (6ft7)
The 30 year old Central Defender plays with Czech Gambrinus Liga club FK Mlada Boleslav.

It was tough to find a good source for this list so, once again, feel free to let me know if there are any current professional players that should be included (2.00m or taller).

Original Post: 3/30/08
UPDATE 1/01/09: Kristof van Hout added; THANKS to commenter NKANU
UPDATE 1/07/09: Krzywicki, Maierhofer, and Sako added; THANKS to commenter NKANU
UPDATE 3/10/09: Rolko, Opheim, Iversen, Ndlela, Bossu added; THANKS to commenters NKANU and ANONYMOUS
UPDATE 10/29/09: Vink, Wevers; THANKS to commenter HEGGERS, Also updated current clubs

Video: Asian Champions League Overhead Goal

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:02:00 +0000

Unfortunately, the Asian club team I support (Japan's Nagoya Grampus) crashed out in the semi-finals of the Asian Champions League against Al-Ittihad of Saudi Arabia this morning (they didn't stand a chance anyways after losing the first leg 6-2 a few days ago). Nagoya striker, Keita Sugimoto, did pull off this excellent overhead goal for the home fans though. Congrats to Al-Ittihad, good luck in the final. As for Nagoya, maybe next year...

Big Names from the U17 World Cup (2001-2005)

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:01:00 +0000

When you consider the fact that there are 288 players in every U-17 tournament, it comes as a bit of a surprise that more players don't "make it" at a big club or as a full international later in their career. In this list, I've pulled together the players from the '01, '03', and '05 U17 World Cups who have gone on to be, at minimum, fairly important club players or members of their full international team.

I may have left a couple of deserving players off or included some that I shouldn't have, but it was a judgment call on whether a player has "made it" or not. Many of the excluded players have had excellent domestic careers in the 'smaller' leagues around the world since their U17 appearance (including a couple dozen MLS players). I chose not to include them here just to keep the list a reasonable length.

I find tournaments like the U17 World Cup very exciting (The '09 version is going on right now in Nigeria, in case you weren't aware). During any game, you could be watching the next: Fernando Torres, Andres Iniesta, Carlos Tevez, Marcelo, Denilson, Fernando Gago, John Obi Mikel, Cesc Fabregas, David Silva, Diego, Javier Mascherano, etc.

2005
Carlos Zambrano - (Peru; Schalke 04)
Daniel Chavez - (Peru; Club Brugge)
Jonathan Quartey - (Ghana; OGC Nice)
Celso Borges - (Costa Rica; Fredrikstad FK)
Hector Moreno - (Mexico; AZ Alkmaar)
Giovanni Dos Santos - (Mexico; Ipswich Town)
Carlos Vela - (Mexico; Arsenal)
Nuri Şahin - (Turkey; Borussia Dortmund)
Lorenzo De Silvestri (Italy; Fiorentina)
Jozy Altidore - (USA; Hull City)
Neven Subotić - (USA [now with Serbia]; Borussia Dortmund)
Dirk Marcellis - (Netherlands; PSV Eindhoven)
Marvin Emnes - (Netherlands; Middlesbrough)
Marcelo - (Brazil; Real Madrid)
Denilson - (Brazil; Arsenal)
Anderson - (Brazil; Manchester United)
Renato Augusto - (Brazil; Bayer Leverkusen)

2003
Cristián Zapata - (Colombia; Udinese)
Freddy Guarín - (Colombia; FC Porto)
Adrián Ramos - (Colombia; Hertha Berlin)
Fernando Gago - (Argentina; Real Madrid)
Ezequiel Garay - (Argentina; Real Madrid)
John Obi Mikel - (Nigeria; Chelsea)
João Moutinho - (Portugal; Sporting CP)
Manuel Fernandes - (Portugal; Valencia CF)
Miguel Veloso - (Portugal; Sporting CP)
Alex Song - (Cameroon; Arsenal)
Stephane Mbia - (Cameroon; Olympique Marseille)
Ederson - (Brazil; Olympique Lyonnais)
Jonathan Spector - (USA; West Ham United)
Freddy Adu - (USA; Benfica, loaned to Belenenses)
David Silva - (Spain; Valencia CF)
Cesc Fàbregas - (Spain; Arsenal)

2001
Kenwyne Jones - (Trinidad and Tobago; Sunderland)
Niko Kranjčar - (Croatia; Tottenham Hotspur)
Brett Holman - (Australia; AZ Alkmaar)
Diego - (Brazil; Juventus)
Eddie Johnson - (USA; Fulham)
Hassan Yebda - (France; Portsmouth, loan from Benfica)
Florent Sinama Pongolle - (France; Atletico Madrid)
Mourad Meghni - (France [now with Algeria]; Lazio)
Chaouki Ben Saada - (France [now with Tunisia]; OGC Nice)
Emerse Faé - (France [now with Cote d'Ivoire]; OGC Nice)
Guillem Bauzà - (Spain; Swansea City)
Andrés Iniesta - (Spain; Barcelona)
Fernando Torres - (Spain; Liverpool)
Javier Mascherano - (Argentina; Liverpool)
Carlos Tevez - (Argentina; Manchester City)
Gonzalo Rodríguez - (Argentina; Villarreal)
Pablo Javier Zabaleta - (Argentina; Manchester City)
Wilfried Sanou - (Burkina Faso; Köln)
Victor Hugo Mareco - (Paraguay; Brescia)
Edgar Barreto - (Paraguay; Atalanta)
Rándall Azofeifa - (Costa Rica; KAA Gent)
Cristian Bolaños - (Costa Rica; IK Start)

Videos: Soccer Animal Intruders

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:56:00 +0000

Biggest Movers in the October 2009 FIFA Rankings

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:41:00 +0000

These are the nations that moved up at least 15 places or down at least 20 places in the latest FIFA rankings. I've included the important results that have affected these rankings one way or the other in the last month. (I'm not sure what Haiti did to deserve it, but they got themselves into the top 100)

POSITIVE MOVERS

+41 - Faroe Islands (122)
Results: Win over Lithuania

+25 - Armenia (100)
Results: Win over Belarus

+23 - Haiti (86)
Results: No matches played

+18 - Colombia (30)
Results: Wins over Ecuador, Paraguay, Mexico (Friendly)

+17 - Peru (74)
Results: Wins over Uruguay, Bolivia

+17 - New Zealand (83)
Results: Win over Jordan (Friendly), Draw with Bahrain

+15 - Algeria (29)
Results: Wins over Rwanda, Zambia

+15 - Cameroon (14)
Results: Wins over Gabon, Gabon, Togo

+15 - Malawi (90)
Results: Win over Guinea, Draw with Ivory Coast

NEGATIVE MOVERS

-38 - Libya (120)
Results: Draw with Kuwait (Friendly)

-31 - Sierra Leone (152)
Results: No Matches Played

-28 - Congo (107)
Results: Draw with Korea DPR (Friendly)

-28 - Niger (163)
Results: No Matches Played

-23 - Chad (147)
Results: No Matches Played

-23 - Gambia (122)
Results: No Matches Played

-23 - Madagascar (154)
Results: Loss to South Africa

-21 - Vanuatu (159)
Results: No Matches Played

-20 - Poland (56)
Results: Losses to Slovakia, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Draw with Northern Ireland

Videos: FIFA 10 Advanced Skill Tutorials and Review

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:36:00 +0000

All-Time Unique Internationals in the Premiership (2009-10)

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:37:00 +0000

In this post I've listed the All-Time 'Unique Internationals' since the Premiership began in it's current format in 1992. These players are the only ones from their home nation to ever play in the Premier League.

Jamie Moreno - Pic from BBC

Albania
Lorik Cana - Sunderland (2009)

Angola
Manucho - Manchester United, Hull City (2008-09)

Belarus
Aliaksandr Hleb - Arsenal (2005-08)

Bolivia
Jaime Moreno - Middlesbrough FC (1995-96)

Cape Verde
Pedro Pelé - West Bromwich Albion (2008-09)

Congo
Christopher Samba - Blackburn Rovers (2006-09)

Estonia
Mart Poom – Derby County, Sunderland, Arsenal (1996-03, 2006-07)

Gabon
Daniel Cousin - Hull City (2008-09)

Lithuania
Tomas Danilevicius – Arsenal (2000-01)

Montserrat
Ruel Fox – Norwich City, Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur (1992-00)

Oman
Ali Al Habsi – Bolton Wanderers (2007-08)

Pakistan
Zesh Rehman – Fulham F.C. (2003-06)

Zambia
Collins Mbesuma – Portsmouth (2005-06)

Almost.... Nations with only Two Players All-Time in the Premiership

Bosnia and Herzegovina - Muhamed Konjic, Asmir Begovic
Costa Rica - Mauricio Solis, Paulo Wanchope
Cyprus - Alexis Nicolas, Nicos Papavasiliou
Grenada - Jason Roberts, Delroy Facey
Iran - Karim Bagheri, Andranik Teymourian
Liberia - George Weah, Christopher Wreh
Sierra Leone - Al Bangura, Albert Jarrett
Togo - Emmanuel Adebayor, Moustapha Salifou

Map: 2009 MLS Goal Scorers by Birth State

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:25:00 +0000

It's been a while since I've whipped up a "data" map around here. The computer I used to do this with fried long ago. But now, with the help of Inkscape and Linux, my merry map making has resumed, yay!

This map shows the birth states of all the American Born players that scored a goal in the 2009 MLS season.

Click image to enlarge

U20 WC Finals Goal Scorers: Career After the Goal

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:23:00 +0000

Today is the final of the U20 World Cup between Ghana and Brazil. I was curious about goal scorers in the U20 final and what their career has been like since their goals.

In this post, I've listed the finals goal scorers and the clubs they've played for since. I've also listed senior national team caps and goals. Interestingly, 7 of the 17 U20 Final goal scorers since 1995 have not gone on to play for their full International team.

2007
ARGENTINA
Mauro Zarate (Al-Sadd, Birmingham City, Lazio, 0 Caps)
Sergio Aguero (Atletico Madrid, 20 Caps, 7 Goals)

CZECH REPUBLIC
Martin Fenin (Eintracht Frankfurt, Galatasaray, 10 Caps, 1 Goal)

2005
ARGENTINA
(2) Lionel Messi (Barcelona, 40 Caps, 14 Goals)

NIGERIA
Chinedu Ogbuke Obasi "Edu" (Lyn Oslo, 1899 Hoffenheim, 15 Caps, 2 Goals)

2003
BRAZIL
Fernandinho (Shakhtar Donetsk, 0 Caps)
Shakhtar Donetsk Player of the Season 2007/08

2001
ARGENTINA
Diego Colotto (Estudiantes, Tecos UAG, Atlas, Deportivo La Coruna, 0 Caps)
Javier Saviola (Barcelona, Monaco, Sevilla, Real Madrid, Benfica, 44 Caps, 12 Goals)
Maxi Rodriguez (Espanyol, Atletico Madrid, 29 Caps, 9 Goals)

1999
SPAIN
(2) Pablo Couñago (Ipswich Town, Malaga, 0 caps)
Barkero (Real Sociedad, Toulouse, SD Eibar, Poli Ejido, Albacete, Numacia, 0 caps)
Gabri (Barcelona, Ajax, 3 Caps)

1997
ARGENTINA
Esteban Cambiasso (Independiente, River Plate, Real Madrid, Inter, 44 caps, 4 goals)
Diego Quintana (Newells Old Boys, Real Murcia, Cordoba, Barcelona SC, Skoda Xanthi, 0 caps)

URUGUAY
Pablo Garcia (Penarol, Atletico Madrid, AC Milan, Osasuna, Real Madrid, PAOK FC, 68 Caps, 3 goals)

1995
ARGENTINA
Leonardo Biagini (Atletico Madrid, CP Merida, Mallorca, Rayo Vallecano, Sporting Gijon, Albacete, Arsenal Sarandi, 0 Caps)
Francisci Guerrero (Independiente, Zurich, Estudiantes DLP, Hurucan, YF Juventus, FC Aarau, APEP Pitsilia, 0 Caps)

World Cup Qualifiers: Major Upset Wins

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:05:00 +0000

This is a list of upset wins by nations that were FIFA ranked at least 25 places lower than their defeated competition at the time the WCQ game took place. I will be updating this list as the qualifying games continue so stay tuned for more upsets. Most recent upsets in Red.

South America
06/15/08 - Paraguay (28) 2:0 Brazil (2)
06/18/08 - Bolivia (90) 4:2 Paraguay (28)
10/15/08 - Chile (36) 1:0 Argentina (7)
04/01/09 - Bolivia (56) 6:1 Argentina (6)
06/10/09 - Ecuador (44) 2:0 Argentina (7)
09/05/09 - Peru (91) 1:0 Uruguay (28)
10/10/09 - Bolivia (59) 2:1 Brazil (1)
10/14/09 - Colombia (48) 2:0 Paraguay (23)
10/14/09 - Peru (91) 1:0 Bolivia (59)

Africa
06/01/08 - Burkina Faso (111) 2:1 Tunisia (50)
06/07/08 - Kenya (115) 2:0 Guinea (41)
06/14/08 - Sierra Leone (163) 1:0 South Africa (68)
06/14/08 - Kenya (115) 2:0 Zimbabwe (85)
06/14/08 - Uganda (99) 3:1 Angola (55)
06/14/08 - Gabon (94) 2:0 Ghana (46)
06/14/08 - Malawi (126) 1:0 Egypt (23)
06/14/08 - Rwanda (106) 3:1 Morocco (40)
09/05/08 - Algeria (76) 3:2 Senegal (45)
09/06/08 - Sierra Leone (145) 2:1 Equitorial Guinea (87)
09/06/08 - Libya (90) 1:0 Ghana (20)
09/07/08 - Madagascar (141) 1:0 Botswana (115)
09/07/08 - Congo (100) 1:0 Mali (47)
09/07/08 - Benin (104) 3:2 Angola (58)
09/07/08 - Niger (171) 3:1 Uganda (87)
10/11/08 - Sudan(106) 2:0 Congo (57)
10/11/08 - Namibia (126) 4:2 Zimbabwe (91)
03/29/09 - Togo (91) 1:0 Cameroon (16)
06/07/09 - Algeria (66) 3:1 Egypt (40)
09/05/09 - Malawi (105) 2:1 Guinea (55)
10/10/09 - Benin (78) 1:0 Ghana (32)

ASIA
03/26/08 - Bahrain (82) 1:0 Japan (36)
06/07/08 - Iraq (73) 1:0 Australia (35)
06/22/08 - China (79) 1:0 Australia (35)
02/11/09 - Korea DPR (119) 1:0 Saudi Arabia (55)

CONCACAF
06/15/08 - Bermuda (139) 2:1 Trinidad and Tobago (87)
06/15/08 - Suriname (145) 1:0 Guyana (108)
06/22/08 - Suriname (145) 2:1 Guyana (108)
06/22/08 - El Salvador (120) 3:1 Panama (60)
10/11/08 - Jamaica (116) 1:0 Mexico (24)
10/15/08 - Jamaica (116) 1:0 Honduras (50)
10/15/08 - Trinidad and Tobago (88) 2:1 USA (21)
06/03/09 - Costa Rica (41) 3:1 USA (14)
06/06/09 - El Salvador (100) 2:1 Mexico (26)
09/09/09 - El Salvador (85) 1:0 Costa Rica (39)

UEFA
09/06/08 - Lithuania (54) 3:0 Romania (11)
09/06/08 - Austria (101) 3:1 France (11)
09/06/08 - Slovakia (67) 2:1 Northern Ireland (32)
09/06/08 - Macedonia (56) 1:0 Scotland (16)
09/10/08 - Luxembourg (152) 2:1 Switzerland (43)
09/10/08 - Denmark (36) 3:2 Portugal (9)
10/11/08 - Slovenia (73) 2:0 Northern Ireland (35)
10/15/08 - Switzerland (45) 2:1 Greece (17)
10/15/08 - Slovakia (60) 2:1 Poland (30)
10/15/08 - Iceland (103) 1:0 Macedonia (46)
04/01/09 - Slovakia (53) 2:1 Czech Republic (13)
04/01/09 - Austria (88) 2:1 Romania (20)
08/12/09 - Norway (50) 4:0 Scotland (24)
09/05/09 - Latvia (58) 1:0 Israel (22)
09/09/09 - Armenia (125) 2:1 Belgium (68)
09/09/09 - Faroe Islands (163) 2:1 Lithuania (62)
10/10/09 - Cyprus (76) 4:1 Bulgaria (19)
10/10/09 - Belgium (68) 2:0 Turkey (27)
10/14/09 - Estonia (114) 2:0 Belgium (68)
10/14/09 - Lithuania (62) 2:1 Serbia (13)
10/14/09 - Hungary (47) 1:0 Denmark (16)

OCEANIA
11/19/08 - Fiji (137) 2:0 New Zealand (60)

Biggest WCQ Upset So Far:

Luxembourg over Switzerland - (rank difference: 109)

Top 10 WCQ Upsets So Far: (rank difference)

Luxembourg over Switzerland (109)
Malawi over Egypt (103)
Faroe Islands over Lithuania (101)
Sierra Leone over South Africa (95)
Jamaica over Mexico (92)
Austria over France (90)
Niger over Uganda (84)
Fiji over New Zealand (77)
Togo over Cameroon (75)
Kenya over Guinea (74)
El Salvador over Mexico (74)

BIGGEST UPSET BY CONFEDERATION: (rank difference)

CONMEBOL
Peru over Uruguay (63)
AFRICA
Malawi over Egypt (103)
EUROPE
Luxembourg over Switzerland (109)
CONCACAF
Jamaica over Mexico (92)
OCEANIA
Fiji over New Zealand (77)
ASIA
Korea DPR over Saudi Arabia (64)

Notes:
09/09/09 was a good day for many of the smaller soccer nations in Europe. Faroe Islands (163) beat Lithuania (62). Armenia (125) beat Belgium (68). Latvia (58) tied Switzerland (15). Moldova (88) tied Greece (12). Albania (93) tied Denmark (16). Liechtenstein (151) tied Finland (61). Malta (140) very nearly tied Sweden (41).

Video: Double Bicycle Kick Goal

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 13:18:00 +0000

Check out this unique goal from a cup game in Brazil (Caio (Rio Branco) vs Serra) last weekend.

via (101 Great Goals)

World Cup Semi-Finalists by Region

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 13:04:00 +0000

I think it's interesting that the 2009 U20 World Cup has a representative from four different regions in the semi-finals (it happened at the '89, '93, '99 U20's also). It gave me the idea for this post, where I've broken down the regions of the semi-finalists in all of the knockout stage format World Cups and all of the U20 World Cups since that tournament began in 1977.

WORLD CUP SEMI-FINALISTS

2006
4 - Europe (Germany, Italy, Portugal, France)

2002
2 - Europe (Germany, Turkey)
1 - Asia (Korea Republic)
1 - South America (Brazil)

1998
3 - Europe (Croatia, Netherlands, France)
1 - South America (Brazil)

1994
3 - Europe (Sweden, Bulgaria, Italy)
1 - South America (Brazil)

1990
3 - Europe (Italy, Germany, England)
1 - South America (Argentina)

1986
3 - Europe (France, Germany, Belgium)
1 - South America (Argentina)

1982
4 - Europe (Poland, Italy, Germany, France)

1970
2 - Europe (Italy, West Germany)
2 - South America (Brazil, Uruguay)

1966
4 - Europe (England, Portugal, USSR, West Germany)

1962
2 - Europe (Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia)
2 - South America (Brazil, Chile)

1958
3 - Europe (France, Sweden, West Germany)
1 - South America (Brazil)

1954
3 - Europe (Austria, Hungary, West Germany)
1 - South America (Uruguay)

1938
3 - Europe (Hungary, Italy, Sweden)
1 - South America (Brazil)

1934
4 - Europe (Austria, Czechoslovakia, Italy, Germany)

1930
2 - South America (Argentina, Uruguay)
1 - CONCACAF (USA)
1 - Europe (Yugoslavia)

U20 WORLD CUP SEMI-FINALISTS

2009
1 - Africa (Ghana)
1 - Europe (Hungary)
1 - South America (Brazil)
1 - CONCACAF (Costa Rica)

2007
2 - Europe (Austria, Czech Republic)
2 - South America (Chile, Argentina)

2005
2 - Africa (Morocco, Nigeria)
2 - South America (Argentina, Brazil)

2003
3 - South America (Argentina, Brazil, Colombia)
1 - Europe (Spain)

2001
2 - Africa (Egypt, Ghana)
2 - South America (Argentina, Paraguay)

1999
1 - Africa (Mali)
1 - Europe (Spain)
1 - South America (Uruguay)
1 - Asia (Japan)

1997
2 - South America (Argentina, Uruguay)
1 - Africa (Ghana)
1 - Europe (Republic of Ireland)

1995
2 - Europe (Portugal, Spain)
2 - South America (Argentina, Brazil)

1993
1 - Africa (Ghana)
1 - Europe (England)
1 - Oceania (Australia)
1 - South America (Brazil)

1991
2 - Europe (Portugal, USSR)
1 - Oceania (Australia)
1 - South America (Brazil)

1989
1 - Africa (Nigeria)
1 - CONCACAF (USA)
1 - Europe (Portugal)
1 - South America (Brazil)

1987
3 - Europe (East Germany, West Germany, Yugoslavia)
1 - South America (Chile)

1985
2 - Europe (Spain, USSR)
1 - Africa (Nigeria)
1 - South America (Brazil)

1983
2 - South America (Argentina, Brazil)
1 - Asia (South Korea)
1 - Europe (Poland)

1981
3 - Europe (England, Romania, West Germany)
1 - Asia (Qatar)

1979
2 - Europe (Poland, USSR)
2 - South America (Argentina, Uruguay)

1977
2 - South America (Brazil, Uruguay)
1 - CONCACAF (Mexico)
1 - Europe (USSR)

Africa has obviously had much more success at the youth level with 7 different semi-finalists in the last 7 U20's.

South Korea's semi-final appearance in Korea/Japan '02 broke the 72 year European/South American stranglehold on the final four of the World Cup.

Argentina and Brazil have been semi-finalists together in the same year 4 different times at the U20's ('83, '95, '03, '05)

I'd like to see a CONCACAF or African (more likely) team sneak into the semis in 2010! The final draw on December 4 will have much to say about that possibility.

Fahrenheit 2010 Movie Trailer

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 12:00:00 +0000

This is a just released movie trailer for the upcoming "Fahrenheit 2010" about the World Cup in South Africa.

Product Review: Adidas Teamgeist II MLS competition ball

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:28:00 +0000

So, my daughter (almost 4) has caught the soccer bug and wants to go out in the yard and 'kick it around' all the time. Hey, that's great! The problem is, the few soccer balls I have laying around are destroyed, less than round, and were el-cheapo in the first place.

A solution arrived in my inbox the other day when the good people at Soccerpro.com asked me if I'd like to review an item from their site here at TB11.

I actually have a MLS mini ball that I won from the MLS Fantasy Challenge a couple years back, so I decided to have SoccerPro send out an Adidas Teamgeist II MLS competition ball. Now my daughter and I have matching MLS Adidas soccer balls to kick around the yard (one big/one small).

As for reviewing the actual ball - It's great. It's been a great change for me as I've never had a premium/competition ball around the house with a seamless surface. I'm definitely a 'basic' rec player (I'm not very good is what I'm trying to say), but I honestly feel like I have much better touch and skill when using this ball compared to the bargain bin balls I've always had before. I'm really excited to take it out to the actual field and knock it around a bit (if it ever stops pouring down raining around here).

All in all, it's a very nice "premium" ball that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend, especially considering the reasonable price for a FIFA approved, competition replica ball. Did I mention it has Don Garber's replica autograph, what could be better than that?

Now if I can just get my daughter to be the next Mia Hamm...

Video: 1970 World Cup Final - Full Game

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 16:56:00 +0000

Here are 9 videos (10 minutes each) of the full 1970 World Cup Final game between Italy and Brazil.

Lineups:

Brazil

GK 1 Félix
DF 2 Hércules Brito
DF 3 Wilson Piazza
DF 4 Carlos Alberto (c)
DF 16 Everaldo
MF 5 Clodoaldo
MF 8 Gérson
FW 7 Jairzinho
FW 9 Tostão
MF 10 Pelé
MF 11 Roberto Rivelino

Manager:
Mário Zagallo

ITALY:

GK 1 Enrico Albertosi
DF 2 Tarcisio Burgnich
DF 3 Giacinto Facchetti (c)
DF 5 Pierluigi Cera
DF 8 Roberto Rosato
MF 10 Mario Bertini Substituted off in the 75th minute 75'
MF 16 Giancarlo De Sisti
FW 11 Luigi Riva
FW 13 Angelo Domenghini
MF 15 Sandro Mazzola
FW 20 Roberto Boninsegna Substituted off in the 84th minute 84'

Substitutions:
MF 14 Gianni Rivera Substituted on in the 84th minute 84'
MF 18 Antonio Juliano Substituted on in the 75th minute 75'

Manager:
Ferruccio Valcareggi

Soccer Links of the Day

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:10:00 +0000

I'm running a bit short on time lately (you may have noticed I've missed a couple of days). Sorry about that. I think I'll start posting a few links when I'm short on time instead of skipping the day. So, here we go, my first TB11 link list.

MLS alum: Weekly Roundup (MLSnet)

Kiwis prepare for a date with destiny (FIFA.com)

Who is this Lakshmi Mittal bloke? (FourFourTwo)

Notts County owners 'demoralized' (BBC)

South Africa's Domestic Air Traffic to increase 30% during World Cup (Engineering News)

Rev's Paul Mariner backs Plymouth England as World Cup Host City (This is Devon UK)

Ten San Juan Jabloteh (T&T) players contracted H1N1 in Mexico? (T&T Newsday)

Roberto Carlos says he would play for Real Madrid for free (FourFourTwo)

French Born Players on African National Teams

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 13:44:00 +0000

Every player on this list was born in France but plays for a national team in Africa. Some very impressive players have "defected" from their birth nation including Kanoute, Ba, Sissoko, Chamakh, and Premier League players, Belhadj, Ghilas, Assou-Ekoto, Bassong, El Zhar, Samba, Beye, and Kamara.

Of course, France shouldn't feel too bad since they benefit from the reverse with excellent African-born players like Mandanda, Evra, Boumsong, Vieira, and Desailly playing for them over the years. France can also be glad that Zinedine Zidane didn't 'defect' to the Algerian National Team at a young age.

There are many more French born players with African National Teams out there but I've only included current players at top division clubs in Europe (plus English 2nd division) on this list.

Algeria
* Nadir Belhadj (Portsmouth, England)
* Madjid Bougherra (Rangers, Scotland)
* Anthar Yahia (VfL Bochum, Germany)
* Yazid Mansouri (Lorient, France)
* Karim Ziani (VfL Wolfsburg, Germany)
* Kamel Fathi Ghilas (Hull City, England)
* Abdelkader Ghezzal (Siena, Italy)
* Karim Matmour (Borussia Mönchengladbach, Germany)
* Hameur Bouazza (Blackpool, England)
* Mansour Boutabout (KV Kortrijk, Belgium)
* Abdelnasser Ouadah (Montpellier, France)
* Fadel Brahami (AE Paphos, Cyprus)
* Nassim Akrour (Grenoble Foot 38, France)
* Ismaël Bouzid (Hearts, Scotland)
* Salah Bakour (KV Kortrijk, Belgium)
* Chadli Amri (Mainz 05, Germany)
* Rafik Djebbour (AEK Athens, Greece)
* Yacine Hima (AC Bellinzona, Switzerland)
* Mehdi Sennaoui (Marseille, France)
* Mourad Meghni (Lazio, Italy)

Benin
* Mickaël Poté (OGC Nice, France)
* Romuald Boco (Sligo Rovers, Ireland)

Cameroon
* Joseph-Désiré Job (Diyarbakırspor, Turkey)
* Benoît Assou-Ekotto (Tottenham, England)
* Sébastien Bassong (Tottenham, England)

Chad
* Azrack Mahamat (Halmstads BK, Sweden)

Democratic Republic of the Congo
* Larrys Mabiala (OGC Nice, France)
* Joël Sami (AS Nancy, France)

Ivory Coast
* Abdoulaye Méïté (West Brom, England)
* Emerse Faé (OGC Nice, France)
* Guy Demel (Hamburg, Germany)

Gabon
* Ernest Akouassaga (FC Nantes, France)
* Willy Aubameyang (AC Milan, loaned to Eupen, Belgium)
* Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (AC Milan, loaned to Lille, France)

Ghana
* André Ayew (Marseille, loaned to AC Aries, France)

Guinea
* Larsen Touré (Lille, loaned to Grenoble, France)

Madagascar
* Anicet Andrianantenaina (Auxerre, France)

Mali
* Oumar Sissoko (Metz, France)
* Cédric Kanté (Panathinaikos, Greece)
* Sammy Traoré (PSG, France)
* Mohamed Lamine Sissoko (Juventus, Italy)
* Frédéric Kanouté (Sevilla, Spain)
* Djimi Traoré (AS Monaco, France)
* Kalifa Cissé (Reading, England)
* Sigamary Diarra (FC Lorient, France)
* Jimmy Kébé (Reading, England)
* Bakaye Traoré (Nancy, France)
* Mamadou Samassa (Marseille, loaned to Valenciennes, France)

Morocco
* Houssine Kharja (Genoa, Italy)
* Yacine Abdessadki (SC Freiburg, Germany)
* Marouane Chamakh (Bordeaux, France)
* Nabil Baha (Malaga, Spain)
* Michaël Chrétien (Nancy, France)
* Moncef Zerka (Nantes, France)
* Nabil El Zhar (Liverpool, England)
* Walid Regragui (Grenoble Foot 38, France)
* Kamel Chafni (Auxerre, France)
* Adil Hermach (Lens, France)
* Mehdi Taouil (Kilmarnock, Scotland)
* Jamal Alioui (FC Sion, Switzerland)

Republic of the Congo
* Christopher Samba (Blackburn Rovers, England)
* Chris Malonga (AS Nancy, France)
* Prince Oniangue (Stade Rennais, France)

Rwanda
* Fritz Emeran (Levadiakos FC, Greece)

Senegal
* Habib Beye (Aston Villa, England)
* Diomansy Kamara (Fulham, England)
* Issiar Dia (AS Nancy, France)
* Rémi Gomis (Valenciennes, France)
* Demba Ba (1899 Hoffenheim, Germany)
* Boukary Dramé (Sochaux, France)
* Ibrahim Tall (FC Nantes, France)
* Moussa Sow (Stade Rennais, France)
* Mickaël Tavares (Hamburg SV, Germany)

Togo
* Alaixys Romao (Grenoble Foot 38, France)
* Thomas Dossevi (FC Nantes, France)
* Yoann Folly (Plymouth Argyle, England)
* Floyd Ayité (Bordeaux, loaned to Nancy, France)

Tunisia
* Tijani Belaïd (Slavia Prague, Czech Republic)
* Mehdi Nafti (Aris Thessaloniki FC, Greece)
* Fahid Ben Khalfallah (Valenciennes, France)
* Jamel Saihi (Montpellier, France)
* Chaouki Ben Saada (OGC Nice, France)
* David Jemmali (Grenoble Foot 38, France)
* Selim Benachour (Malaga, Spain)
* Hocine Ragued (Slavia Prague, Czech Republic)
* Karim Essediri (Lillestrøm SK, Norway)
* Alaeddine Yahia (Lens, France)
* Fabien Camus (Racing Genk, Belgium)

Videos: Top World Cup Goals by Appearance

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 12:46:00 +0000

This is a video list of World Cup goals that have something to do with player appearance. Starting out are the top 5 bald player goals, followed by Bad Haircut, Baby-Faced Assassin, and Mustachioed Goals. For more goals from this program, check out the YouTube channel by WorldCupGoalsGalore.

MLS: $20,000 Player Statistics

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 13:17:00 +0000

This is a list of currently active MLS players that have made at least one appearance during the 2009 season. What's the one thing they all have in common? They are all making the minimum salary of $20,100 for the 2009 season.

Dallas, Kansas City, Los Angeles, and New England do not currently have any $20K players that have made an appearance this season.

CHICAGO FIRE
Peter Lowry -- 8 GP, 595 min, 3 Goals
Austin Washington -- 8 GP, 360 min

CHIVAS USA
Justin Braun -- 10 GP, 815 min, 1 Goal, 1 Assist
Chukwudi Chijindu -- 11 GP, 420 min, 1 Goal, 1 Assist
Gerson Mayen -- 11 GP, 366 min, 4 Assist

COLUMBUS CREW
Kevin Burns -- 5 GP, 122 min
Cory Elenio -- 1 GP, 17 min
Alex Grendi -- 3 GP, 127 min, 1 Assist

COLORADO RAPIDS
Ross Schunk -- 2 GP, 7 min,

DC UNITED
Brandon Barklage -- 4 GP, 98 min
John DiRaimondo -- 1 GP, 45 min
Milos Kocic -- 3 GP, 218 min, 2.48 GAA

HOUSTON DYNAMO
Erik Ustruck -- 2GP, 40 min

NEW YORK RED BULLS
Danleigh Borman -- 21 GP, 1231 min, 1 Goal, 1 Assist
Matthew M'Buta -- 7 GP, 263 min
Nick Zimmerman -- 11 GP, 757 min

REAL SALT LAKE
Tino Nunez -- 3 GP, 18 min

SEATTLE SOUNDERS
Sanna Nyassi -- 14 GP, 305 min

SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES
Brandon McDonald -- 13 GP, 1170 min, 1 Assist
Michael Zaher -- 9 GP, 670 min, 2 Assists

TORONTO FC
Gabe Gala -- 1 GP, 3 min

$20K Goal Leaders
3 - Peter Lowry (CHI)
1 - Justin Braun (CHV)
1 - Chukwudi Chijindu (CHV)
1 - Danleigh Borman (NY)

$20K Assist Leaders
4 - Gerson Mayen (CHV)
2 - Michael Zaher (SJ)
1 - Justin Braun (CHV)
1 - Chukwudi Chijindu (CHV)
1 - Alex Grendi (CLB)
1 - Danleigh Borman (NY)
1 - Brandon McDonald (SJ)

$20K Minutes Leaders
1231 - Danleigh Borman (NY)
1170 - Brandon McDonald (SJ)
815 - Justin Braun (CHV)
757 - Nick Zimmerman (NY)
670 - Michael Zaher (SJ)