The Best Eleven

MLS $300,000 Players - 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Wed, 30 May 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Major League Soccer players whose guaranteed salary compensation for the 2012 MLS season is $300,000 or more.

DEFENDERS
$4,600,000 - Rafa Marquez (NY)
$390,000 - Richard Eckersley (TOR)
$350,000 - Jay Demerit (VAN)
$341,250 - Chad Marshall (CLB)
$326,667 - Marvell Wynne (COL)
$301,999 - Heath Pearce (NY)

MIDFIELDERS
$4,000,000 - David Beckham (LA)
$2,413,667 - Torsten Frings (TOR)
$1,910,746 - Julian de Guzman (TOR)
$705,000 - David Ferreira (DAL)
$663,191 - Dwayne DeRosario (DC)
$554,333 - Shalrie Joseph (NE)
$545,367 - Branko Boskovic (DC)
$519,000 - Freddy Adu (PHI)
$477,500 - Javier Morales (RSL)
$446,000 - Benny Feilhaber (NE)
$366,667 - Alvaro Fernandez (SEA)
$354,000 - Brek Shea (DAL)
$311,250 - Kyle Beckerman (RSL)
$308,063 - Brad Davis (HOU)
$300,000 - Davide Chiumiento (VAN)

FORWARDS
$5,600,000 - Thierry Henry (NY)
$3,417,243 - Robbie Keane (LA)
$2,400,000 - Landon Donovan (LA)
$1,563,323 - Danny Koevermans (TOR)
$1,515,000 - Kris Boyd (POR)
$790,000 - Eric Hassli (VAN)
$756,000 - Fredy Montero (SEA)
$600,000 - Juan Pablo Angel (CHV)
$487,460 - Hamdi Salihi (DC)
$405,625 - Alvaro Saborio (RSL)
$400,000 - Conor Casey (COL)
$356,250 - Danny Mwanga (PHI)
$309,250 - Blas Perez (DAL)
$300,000 - Chris Wondolowski (SJ)

The highest paid Goalkeepers are Michael Gspurning (SEA) and Donovan Ricketts (MTL) with a guaranteed compensation of $275,000 in 2012.

Oldest Euro 2012 Players

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Thu, 24 May 2012 12:14:00 +0000

Players that are 33+ years old in the Euro 2012 provisional squads.

Croatia
GK - Stipe Pletikosa (33) - Rostov
DF - Josip Šimunić (34) - Dinamo Zagreb

Denmark
GK - Thomas Sørensen (35) - Stoke City
FW - Dennis Rommedahl (33) - Brøndby

England
MF - Frank Lampard (33) - Chelsea

Germany
FW - Miroslav Klose (33) - Lazio

Greece
GK - Kostas Chalkias (38) - PAOK
MF - Giorgos Karagounis (35) - Panathinaikos
FW - Nikos Lyberopoulos (36) - AEK Athens

Italy
GK - Morgan De Sanctis (35) - Napoli
GK - Gianluigi Buffon (34) - Juventus
MF - Andrea Pirlo (33) - Juventus
FW - Antonio Di Natale (34) - Udinese

Netherlands
DF - Wilfred Bouma (33) - PSV
MF - Mark van Bommel (35) - PSV

Republic of Ireland
GK - Shay Given (36) - Aston Villa
MF - Damien Duff (33) - Fulham

Russia
GK - Vyacheslav Malafeev (33) - Zenit Saint Petersburg
DF - Roman Sharonov (35) - Rubin Kazan
MF - Igor Semshov (34) - Dynamo Moscow
MF - Konstantin Zyryanov (34) - Zenit Saint Petersburg

Sweden
DF - Olof Mellberg (34) - Olympiacos
MF - Anders Svensson (35) - Elfsborg

Ukraine
GK - Oleksandr Horyainov (36) - Metalist Kharkiv
DF - Vyacheslav Shevchuk (33) - Skakhtar Donetsk
MF - Anatoliy Tymoshchuk (33) - Bayern Munich
FW - Andriy Shevchenko (35) - Dynamo Kyiv

Youngest Euro 2012 Players

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Wed, 23 May 2012 12:13:00 +0000

Players that are 20 years old or younger in the Euro 2012 provisional squads.

Croatia
DF - Šime Vrsaljko (20) - Dinamo Zagreb

Denmark
MF - Christian Eriksen (20) - Ajax

England
DF - Phil Jones (20) - Manchester United
MF - Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (18) - Arsenal

Germany
GK - Marc-André ter Stegen (20) - Borussia Mönchengladbach
MF - Mario Götze (20) - Borussia Dortmund

Greece
DF - Kyriakos Papadopoulos (20) - Schalke 04
MF - Kostas Fortounis (19) - Kaiserslautern

Italy
MF - Marco Verratti (19) - Pescara

Netherlands
DF - Jetro Willems (18) - PSV
MF - Adam Maher (18) - AZ

Poland
DF - Marcin Kamiński (20) - Lech Poznań
MF - Rafał Wolski (19) - Legia Warsaw

Portugal
FW - Nélson Oliveira (20) - Benfica

Russia
MF - Magomed Ozdoev (19) - Lokomotiv Moscow

Spain
MF - Isco (20) - Málaga

Ukraine
GK - Maksym Koval (19) - Dynamo Kyiv

PSV and Netherlands player Jetro Willems, born on 30 March 1994, is the youngest player called up to the preliminary Euro 2012 squads.

Top Brazilian Scorers in Europe - 2011-2012

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Tue, 22 May 2012 12:24:00 +0000

Brazilian players with 10+ goals in a top division European league in 2011-2012.

Goals - Player - Club (Country)

27 - Wesley - Vaslui (Romania)
22 - Nathan Junior - Skonto (Latvia: 2011)
21 - Nenê - PSG (France)
20 - Lima - Sporting Braga (Portugal)

18 - Tarabai - Hibernians (Malta)
16 - Júnior Moraes - CSKA Sofia (Bulgaria)
16 - Hulk - Porto (Portugal)
14 - Clayton Soares - 07 Vestur (Faroe Islands: 2011)
14 - Danilo - Honvéd (Hungary)
14 - Alex - Fenerbahçe (Turkey)

13 - Cesar Santin - FC Copenhagen (Denmark)
13 - Maicon - Volyn (Ukraine)
12 - Juninho - Levski Sofia (Bulgaria)
12 - Andre Alves - Videoton (Hungary)
12 - Luiz Adriano - Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine)

11 - Bruno Furlan - Dinamo Minsk (Belarus: 2011)
11 - Gilberto Macena - Horsens (Denmark)
11 - Jorge Pereira - Qormi (Malta)
11 - Edgar Silva - Vitória Guimarães (Portugal)
11 - Cadu - Crvena Zvezda (Serbia)

10 - Tales Schütz - AZAL (Azerbaijan)
10 - Marcelo Nicácio - Lovech (Bulgaria)
10 - Lourival Assis - Chernomorets Burgas (Bulgaria)
10 - Chumbinho - Levadiakos (Greece)
10 - Claudemir - Nacional (Portugal)

10 - Bruno César - Benfica (Portugal)
10 - Marcos Tavares - Maribor (Slovenia)
10 - Diego Costa - Rayo Vallecano (Spain)
10 - Jonas - Valencia (Spain)
10 - Wanderson - GAIS (Sweden: 2011)

10 - Mert Nobre - Mersin İdmanyurdu (Turkey)
10 - Felipe Melo - Galatasaray (Turkey)
10 - Cleiton Xavier - Metalist (Ukraine)

Notes:
Only regular season league goals are included.

No Brazilian scored 10+ in the EPL, Bundesliga, or Serie A this season

Top Brazilian Scorers from England, Germany, and Italy
8 - Hernanes - Lazio (Italy)
7 - Roberto Firmino - Hoffenheim (Germany)
5 - Ramires - Chelsea (England)

EPL: Highest Club League Positions - 1992-2012

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:17:00 +0000

The best league position achieved by every EPL club that has finished in the top 10 in the Premier League era. 1992-2012.

1 - Arsenal
1 - Blackburn Rovers
1 - Chelsea
1 - Manchester City
1 - Manchester United

2 - Aston Villa
2 - Liverpool
2 - Newcastle United

3 - Leeds United
3 - Norwich City
3 - Nottingham Forest

4 - Everton
4 - Tottenham Hotspur

5 - Ipswich Town
5 - Queens Park Rangers
5 - West Ham United

6 - Bolton Wanderers
6 - Wimbledon

7 - Fulham
7 - Middlesbrough
7 - Sheffield Wednesday
7 - Sunderland

8 - Derby County
8 - Leicester City
8 - Portsmouth
8 - Reading
8 - Southampton

9 - Birmingham City

10 - Wigan Athletic

England 9th Division Club Logos

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Tue, 15 May 2012 13:08:00 +0000

Club logos from 9th division teams in the English Football League system.

AFC Blackpool - Blackpool, North West Counties League

AFC Liverpool - Liverpool, North West Counties League

Ascot United - Ascot, Hellenic Football League

Bedlington Terriers - Bedlington, Northern League

Biggleswade United - Biggleswade, Spartan South Midlands

Coventry Sphinx - Coventry, Midland Football Alliance

Diss Town FC - Diss, Eastern Counties League

Ely City FC - Ely, Eastern Counties League

Fisher FC - Bermondsey, Kent League

Guildford City FC - Guildford, Combined Counties League

Hamworthy United FC - Hamworthy, Wessex League

Horsham YMCA FC - Horsham, Sussex County League

Jarrow Roofing FC - Boldon Colliery, Northern League

Kidlington FC - Kidlington, Hellenic Football League

Kirkley & Pakefield FC - Kirkley, Eastern Counties League

Long Buckby AFC - Long Buckby, United Counties League

Retford United FC - Retford, Northern Counties East League

Stone Dominoes FC - Stone, North West Counties League

Walsham-le-Willows FC - Walsham-le-Willows, Eastern Counties League

Windsor FC - Windsor, Combined Counties League

Wivenhoe Town FC - Wivenhoe, Eastern Counties League

Dorking FC - Dorking, Combined Counties League

FIFA, ELO, and SPI World Rankings - May 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Mon, 14 May 2012 12:34:00 +0000

The top 20 nations in the FIFA, ELO, and SPI (ESPN) world rankings.

FIFA
1 - Spain
2 - Germany
3 - Uruguay
4 - Netherlands
5 - Portugal
6 - Brazil
7 - England
8 - Croatia
9 - Argentina
10 - Denmark
11 - Russia
12 - Italy
13 - Chile
14 - Greece
15 - Ivory Coast
16 - France
17 - Sweden
18 - Ireland
18 - Switzerland
20 - Mexico

29 - United States

ELO
1 - Spain
2 - Netherlands
3 - Brazil
4 - Germany
5 - Uruguay
6 - England
7 - Argentina
8 - Portugal
9 - Chile
10 - Sweden
11 - Croatia
11 - Italy
13 - Mexico
14 - France
15 - Ivory Coast
16 - Australia
17 - Russia
18 - Paraguay
19 - Denmark
20 - Ireland

29 - United States

SPI (ESPN)
1 - Spain
2 - Germany
3 - Brazil
4 - Netherlands
5 - Portugal
6 - Uruguay
7 - England
8 - Argentina
9 - Mexico
10 - Ivory Coast
11 - Sweden
12 - Chile
13 - France
14 - Croatia
15 - Russia
16 - Italy
17 - Australia
18 - Ecuador
19 - Czech Republic
20 - Bosnia-Herzegovina

35 - United States

TOP 15 AVERAGE
1.00 - Spain
2.66 - Germany
3.33 - Netherlands
4.00 - Brazil
4.66 - Uruguay
6.00 - Portugal
6.66 - England
8.00 - Argentina
11.00 - Croatia
11.33 - Chile
12.66 - Sweden
13.33 - Mexico
14.00 - Ivory Coast
14.33 - France
14.33 - Russia

31.00 - United States

20+ League Goals in Europe - 2011/2012

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Thu, 10 May 2012 12:57:00 +0000

Players that have scored 20+ league goals in top division European leagues in 2011/2012.

50 - Lionel Messi (Barcelona)

44 - Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)

32 - Bas Dost (SC Heerenveen)
32 - Burak Yilmaz (Trabzonspor)
30 - Robin Van Persie (Arsenal)

29 - Klaas Jan Huntelaar (Schalke 04)
28 - Zlatan Ibrahimovic (AC Milan)
26 - Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)
26 - Mario Gomez (Bayern Munich)
25 - Luuk De Jong (FC Twente)
25 - Sanharib Malki (Roda JC)
25 - David Lafata (Jablonec [Czech Republic])

24 - Wesley (FC Vaslui [Romania])
24 - Gary McCutcheon (Ballymena United [Northern Ireland])
23 - Radamel Falcao (Atletico Madrid)
23 - Edinson Cavani (Napoli)
23 - Diego Milito (Inter Milan)
23 - Alexander Frei (FC Basel)
23 - Seydou Doumbia (CSKA Moscow)

22 - Sergio Aguero (Manchester City)
22 - Gonzalo Higuain (Real Madrid)
22 - Antonio Di Natale (Udinese)
22 - Robert Lewandowski (Borussia Dortmund)
22 - Jeremy Perbet (Mons [Belgium])
22 - Artjoms Rudnevs (Lech Poznan)
22 - Dare Vršič (Olimpija [Slovenia])
22 - Omar Er Rafik (Differdange 03 [Luxembourg])

21 - Olivier Giroud (Montpellier)
21 - Dries Mertens (PSV Eindhoven)
21 - Filip Ivanovski (Vardar [Macedonia])

20 - Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)
20 - Kevin Mirallas (Olympiakos)
20 - John Guidetti (Feyenoord)
20 - Admir Adrović (Budućnost [Montenegro])
20 - Gary Liggett (Lisburn Distillery [Northern Ireland])
20 - Matthew Tipton (Portadown [Northern Ireland])
20 - Sanel Ibrahimovic (RM Hamm Benfica [Luxembourg])

Map: Nations Represented in MLS 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Tue, 08 May 2012 12:18:00 +0000

Birth nations of MLS players - 2012.

Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria
Bermuda, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Brazil
Cameroon, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba
Denmark, DR Congo
Ecuador, El Salvador, England, Estonia
Finland, France
Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala
Haiti, Honduras
Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy
Jamaica, Japan
Kenya
Liberia
Malta, Mexico, Montenegro, Morocco
Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Northern Ireland, Norway
Panama, Peru, Poland
Scotland, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South Korea, St. Kitts & Nevis, Sweden Switzerland
Trinidad & Tobago
Uruguay, USA
Venezuela
Zambia, Zimbabwe

Chart: Manchester City EPL Points - 2002-2012

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Mon, 07 May 2012 12:38:00 +0000

Manchester City's Premier League point totals in the last 10 EPL seasons.

Map: Bundesliga Top Scorer Birthplaces - 2011-2012

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Thu, 03 May 2012 12:54:00 +0000

The birthplaces of German Bundesliga players that have scored 10+ goals in the 2011-2012 season.

View Bundesliga Top Scorer Player Birthplace Map in a larger map

27 - Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (Schalke 04)
Drempt, Netherlands

26 - Mario Gómez (Bayern Munich)
Riedlingen, Germany

20 - Robert Lewandowski (Borussia Dortmund)
Warsaw, Poland

18 - Lukas Podolski (Köln)
Gliwice, Poland

17 - Martin Harnik (Stuttgart)
Hamburg, Germany

16 - Claudio Pizarro (Werder Bremen)
Callao, Peru

16 - Marco Reus (Borussia M'gladbach)
Dortmund, Germany

15 - Raúl (Schalke 04)
Madrid, Spain

13 - Vedad Ibišević (Stuttgart/Hoffenheim)
Vlasenica, Bosnia-Herzegovina

13 - Shinji Kagawa (Borussia Dortmund)
Hyogo, Japan

13 - Stefan Kießling (Bayer Leverkusen)
Lichtenfels, Germany

12 - Mario Mandžukić (Wolfsburg)
Slavonski Brod, Croatia

12 - Franck Ribéry (Bayern Munich)
Boulogne-sur_Mer, France

11 - Mohammed Abdellaoue (Hannover 96)
Løren, Norway

11 - Patrick Helmes (Wolfsburg)
Köln, Germany

11 - Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich)
Bedum, Netherlands

10 - Maxim Choupo-Moting (Mainz 05)
Hamburg, Germany

10 - Markus Rosenberg (Werder Bremen)
Malmö, Sweden

African Players with 10+ Goals in Europe - 2011-2012

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Tue, 01 May 2012 12:16:00 +0000

African Players with 10+ league goals in top division European Leagues in the 2011-2012 season.

23 - Seydou Doumbia (Côte d'Ivoire: CSKA Moscow)

20 - Papiss Demba Cissé (Senegal: Freiburg/Newcastle United)

18 - Wilfred Balima (Burkina Faso: Sheriff Tiraspol)
18 - Obinna Obiefule (Nigeria: Mosta [Malta])

17 - Omar Er Rafik (Morocco: Differdange 03 [Luxembourg])
17 - Freddy (Angola: Omonia Nicosia)

16 - Yakubu (Nigeria: Blackburn Rovers)
16 - Demba Ba (Senegal: Newcastle United)
16 - Dame N'Doye (Senegal: FC Copenhagen)

15 - Arouna Koné (Côte d'Ivoire: Levante)
15 - Hervé Tum (Cameroon: Gençlerbirliği)
15 - Teteh Bangura* (Sierra Leone: AIK)
15 - Kim Ojo* (Nigeria: Brann)
15 - Demba Savage* (Gambia: Honka [Finland])

14 - Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon: Saint-Étienne)
14 - Lacina Traoré (Côte d'Ivoire: Kuban Krasnodar)
14 - Babatunde Wusu* (Nigeria: JJK [Finland])

13 - Emmanuel Adebayor (Togo: Tottenham Hotspur)
13 - Diomansy Kamara (Senegal: Eskişehirspor)
13 - Pierre Webó (Cameroon: Istanbul BB)
13 - Joseph Akpala (Nigeria: Club Brugge)
13 - Anthony Ujah (Nigeria: Lillestrøm)

12 - Wilfried Bony (Côte d'Ivoire: Vitesse)
12 - Ideye Brown (Nigeria: Dynamo Kiev)
12 - Rafik Djebbour (Algeria: Olympiacos)
12 - Papa Pate Diouf* (Senegal: Molde)

11 - Younes Belhanda (Morocco: Montpellier)
11 - Baba Diawara (Senegal: Maritimo/Sevilla)
11 - Michael Eneramo (Nigeria: Sivasspor)
11 - Isaac Promise (Nigeria: Manisaspor)
11 - Leonard Kweuke (Cameroon: Sparta Praha)
11 - Papa Niang* (Senegal: Jaro [Finland])

10 - Peter Odemwingie (Nigeria: West Bromwich Albion)
10 - Maxim Choupo-Moting (Cameroon: Mainz 05)
10 - Dennis Oliech (Kenya: Auxerre)
10 - Lamine Diarra (Senegal: Partizan Belgrade)

* 2011 Season

Note:
These goal statistics only include Regular Season league goals. Playoff or Championship Group goals are not included.

Asian Goals in Top European Leagues - 2011-2012

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 13:13:00 +0000

Players from Asian Football Confederation nations that scored in the top 15 European Leagues (according to UEFA coefficient) in the 2011-2012 season.

23 - Sanharib Malki (Syria: Roda JC)
13 - Shinji Kagawa (Japan: Borussia Dortmund)
11 - Reza Ghoochannejhad (Iran: Sint-Truiden)
10 - James Troisi (Australia: Kayserispor)

7 - Shinji Okazaki (Japan: Stuttgart)
7 - Keisuke Honda (Japan: CSKA Moscow)
6 - Zhang Chengdong (China: Beira-Mar)
5 - Heung-Min Son (South Korea: Hamburger SV)
5 - Jevad Nekounam (Iran: Osasuna)
5 - Mike Havenaar (Japan: Vitesse)
5 - Brett Holman (Australia: AZ)
5 - Hyun-Jun Suk (South Korea: Groningen)
5 - Maya Yoshida (Japan: VVV)

4 - Ja-Cheol Koo (South Korea: Augsburg)
4 - Takayuki Morimoto (Japan: Novara)
3 - Hajime Hosogai (Japan: Augsburg)
3 - Ashkan Dejagah (Iran: Wolfsburg)
3 - Robert Cullen (Japan: VVV)
3 - Maksim Shatskikh (Uzbekistan: Arsenal Kiev)

2 - Tim Cahill (Australia: Everton)
2 - Dong-Won Ji (South Korea: Sunderland)
2 - Ji-Sung Park (South Korea: Manchester United)
2 - Yuto Nagatomo (Japan: Inter Milan)
2 - Jo-Gook Jung (South Korea: Nancy)
2 - Sanzhar Tursunov (Uzbekistan: Volga)
2 - Tommy Oar (Australia: Utrecht)

1 - Chris Herd (Australia: Aston Villa)
1 - Makoto Hasebe (Japan: Wolfsburg)
1 - Nikita Rukavytsya (Australia: Hertha BSC)
1 - Stefano Lilipaly (Indonesia: Utrecht)
1 - Brent McGrath (Australia: Brøndby)
1 - Kwang-Ryong Pak (North Korea: Basel)

CONCACAF Players with 10+ Goals in Europe - 2011-2012

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 13:05:00 +0000

CONCACAF players that have scored 10+ league goals in Europe this season.

Goals	Player	Nationality	Team	Division	League
17	Terrence Boyd	USA	Borussia Dortmund II	4	Germany Regionalliga West
17	Olivier Occean	Canada	Greuther Fürth	2	Germany 2.Bundesliga
16	Clint Dempsey	USA	Fulham	1	England Premier League
16	Marlon King	Jamaica	Birmingham City	2	England Championship
15	Louie Soares	Barbados	Hayes & Yeading/Grimsby Town	5	England Conference National
15	Jozy Altidore	USA	AZ	1	Netherlands Eredivisie
11	Carlos Vela	Mexico	Real Sociedad	1	Spain La Liga
11	Lester Peltier	Trinidad & Tobago	Trenčín	1	Slovakia Super Liga
11	Raily Ignacio	Curaçao	Spakenburg	3	Netherlands Topklasse
10	Javier Hernández	Mexico	Manchester United	1	England Premier League
10	Bradley Bubb	Grenada	Eastleigh	6	England Conference North
10	Orin de Waard	Curaçao	Lienden	3	Netherlands Topklasse
10	Benjamin Martha	Curaçao	Katwijk	3	Netherlands Topklasse

Players currently on 9 goals:
Iain Hume (Canada: Preston North End)
Nahki Wells (Bermuda: Bradford City)

Stats as of April 27, 2012.

La Liga: Top Scorer Player Birthplace Map

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 12:14:00 +0000

The birthplaces of players from Spain's La Liga that have scored 10+ league goals as of April 3, 2012. [UPDATED: April 26, 2012]

View Spain La Liga Top Scorer Player Birthplace Map in a larger map

42 - Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)
Funchal, Madeira, Portugal

41 - Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
Rosario, Argentina

22 - Radamel Falcao (Atlético Madrid)
Santa Marta, Colombia

21 - Gonzalo Higuaín (Real Madrid)
Brest, France

18 - Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)
Lyon, France

17 - Roberto Soldado (Valencia)
Valencia, Spain

16 - Fernando Llorente (Athletic Bilbao)
Pamplona, Spain

15 - Michu (Rayo Vallecano)
Oviedo, Spain

14 - Rubén Castro (Real Betis)
Las Palmas, Spain

14 - Arouna Koné (Levante)
Anyama, Côte d'Ivoire

12 - Álvaro Negredo (Sevilla)
Madrid, Spain

11 - Miku (Getafe)
Caracas, Venezuela

11 - Alexis Sánchez (Barcelona)
Tocopilla, Chile

11 - Carlos Vela (Real Sociedad)
Cancún, Quintana Roo, Mexico

10 - Manu (Sevilla)
Jaén, Spain

Thailand Club Logos

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 12:35:00 +0000

Top 20 MLS SuperDraft Picks to Europe - 2000-2007

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 12:05:00 +0000

MLS SuperDraft picks selected in the top 20 that have gone on to play for a first or second division European team. 2000-2007

2000
3 - Adin Brown (Aalesund)
4 - Carlos Bocanegra (Fulham, Rennes, Saint-Etienne, Rangers)
6 - Danny Califf (AaB, Midtjylland)
12 - Bobby Convey (Reading)

2001
4 - Ryan Nelsen (Blackburn Rovers, Tottenham Hotspur)
18 - Ali Gerba (GIF Sundsvall, IFK Gothenburg, Odd Grenland, AC Horsens, FC Ingolstadt 04, Milton Keynes Dons)
19 - Eddie Johnson (Fulham, Cardiff City, Aris, PNE)

2002
1 - Chris Gbandi (Haugesund)
6 - Luchi Gonzalez (Bodens BK)

2003
2 - Ricardo Clark (Eintracht Frankfurt, Stabæk)
3 - Nate Jaqua (SC Rheindorf Altach)
9 - Pat Noonan (Aalesund)
13 - Arturo Alvarez (Paços de Ferreira)
18 - Damani Ralph (FC Rubin Kazan)

2004
1 - Freddy Adu (Benfica, AS Monaco, Belenenses, Aris, Çaykur Rizespor)
3 - Joseph Ngwenya (Austria Kärnten, Antalyaspor)
4 - Matt Taylor (TuS Koblenz, FSV Frankfurt, Rot Weiss Ahlen, SC Paderborn 07)
5 - Ramón Núñez (Leeds United, Scunthorpe United)
6 - Clarence Goodson (IK Start, Brøndby)
7 - Clint Dempsey (Fulham)
16 - Adrian Cann (Esbjerg fB)
19 - Matt Pickens (QPR)

2005
2 - Brad Guzan (Aston Villa, Hull City)
7 - Hunter Freeman (IK Start)
9 - Michael Parkhurst (FC Nordsjælland)
11 - Scott Sealy (Maccabi Tel Aviv, Bnei Sakhnin)
18 - Will John (Randers FC, FK Čukarički Stankom, MŠK Žilina, NK Vinogradar)

2006
4 - Yura Movsisyan (Randers FC, Krasnodar)
5 - Sacha Kljestan (Anderlecht)
17 - Jozy Altidore (Villarreal, Xerez, Hull City, Bursaspor, AZ)

2007
1 - Maurice Edu (Rangers)
2 - Bakary Soumaré (US Boulogne, Karlsruher SC)
11 - Bryan Arguez (Hertha BSC)
16 - Robbie Findley (Nottingham Forest)

Central American National Team Logos

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 12:46:00 +0000

Belize

Costa Rica

El Salvador

Guatemala

Honduras

Nicaragua

Panama

Top 25 European Teams outside the Top 5 Leagues - Apr 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 13:16:00 +0000

The top 25 European clubs not including the top leagues in England, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain - according to the April 15, 2012 Euro Club Index

7 - FC Porto (Portugal)
12 - Benfica (Portugal)
13 - Zenit St. Petersburg (Russia)
14 - Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine)
17 - Ajax (Netherlands)

21 - PSV (Netherlands)
26 - Dynamo Kyiv (Ukraine)
27 - FC Twente (Netherlands)
30 - Olympiacos (Greece)
31 - FC Basel (Switzerland)

34 - CSKA Moscow (Russia)
35 - Sporting Braga (Portugal)
37 - Sporting CP (Portugal)
39 - Spartak Moscow (Russia)
40 - Rubin Kazan (Russia)

43 - Metalist Kharkiv (Ukraine)
45 - Fenerbahçe (Turkey)
46 - AZ (Netherlands)
47 - Anderlecht (Belgium)
50 - Sparta Praha (Czech Republic)

57 - Lokomotiv Moscow (Russia)
58 - Panathinaikos (Greece)
63 - Dinamo Moscow (Russia)
65 - Viktoria Plzen (Czech Republic)
67 - Celtic (Scotland)

2012 Seattle Sounders Personal Bios

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 13:21:00 +0000

Excerpts from the personal player bios in the official Seattle Sounders 2012 Media Guide.

Sigi Schmid - Born in Teubingin, Germany. Sigi is a Certified Public Accountant.

Osvaldo Alonso - His favorite sport other than soccer is baseball and his favorite player is retired Cuban third baseman Omar Linares.

Marc Burch - Grew up in Cincinnati and was a Bengals, University of Cincinnati and Ohio State
Buckeyes fan. Has a dog, Cody, and wrote a blog for Men’s Journal about Cody.

Servando Carrasco - Has dual-citizenship in USA and Mexico. Enjoys surfing, first learned to surf as an 8 year old in Baja, California

David Estrada - History major with a minor in Chicano Studies. Moved from Morelia, Mexico to Salinas, California at the age of four months. David's uncle nicknamed him Samuraie.

Brad Evans - Appeared in three cooking shows on the Columbus local news and held a cooking session with Seattle fans in 2011. An accomplished outdoorsman, enjoys fishing and hiking.

Alvaro Fernandez - Nickname "El Flaco" (the skinny) by his teammates in Uruguay. His favorite drink is Mate, a tea dring full of vitamins and minerals that he drinks before and after every game and training session.

Leo Gonzalez - As a child in Costa Rica, Leo used to collect little critters. His favorites were lizards and crickets.

Michael Gspurning - Speaks three languages, German, English and Greek. Was nicknamed "Cerberus" by the Greek media. Cerberus is the three-headed hound in Greek mythology.

Jhon Kennedy Hurtado - Named after John F. Kennedy and goes by the nickname "El Presidente"

Patrick Ianni - While at UCLA, Patrick was part of a backline that included curent MLS players Marvell Wynne, Jonathan Bornstein and Jordan Harvey.

Adam Johansson - Born and raised in Gothenburg, Sweden. Never lived outside the city.

Eddie Johnson - Played American football his freshman year of high school, making the team as a wide receiver.

Roger Levesque - Won three state basketball and two baseball titles in high school. Enjoys yoga.

Fredy Montero - Father was a policeman in Colombia and used to work local soccer matches where Fredy would help shag balls.

Jeff Parke - An avid golfer and would like to be on the PGA Tour if not for soccer. Favorite music includes Pearl Jam and Dave Matthews Band.

Mauro Rosales - Learned English while at Ajax where he was required to take English classes.

Andy Rose - Played tennis and table tennis throughout childhood. Has lived in Australia, England, Dubai, Chicago, and Los Angeles.

Amadou Sanyang - His older brother Bakary blays for Bakau United in Africa.

Zach Scott - Teammate of Houston Dynamo forward Brian Ching for two seasons at Gonzaga. Graduated from Maui High School in Kahului, Hawaii.

Michael Seamon - His sister Katie previously participated in The Amazing Race.

Christian Sivabaek - His father, John, played for Manchester United and scored the first goal under Sir Alex Ferguson. Christian lived in France and Italy before settling in Denmark.

Babayele Sodade - Played basketball for 10 years and was a power forward.

Michael Tetteh - When not playing soccer, he can be found at the gym or reading.

Andrew Weber - His first concert was seeing A Perfect Circle. Andrew and his twin brother, Elliot, participated in the 2012 edition of The Amazing Race.

Steve Zakuani - Older brother Gabriel plays for Peterborough United FC in League One. Enjoys reading, watching comedies, and writing and making music.

FIFA Confederation Ranking Comparison - April 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 13:12:00 +0000

Comparing FIFA Confederations using the average FIFA ranking of the top 5 teams from each region.

Top 5 Avg. - Confederation (+/- March)

3.8 - Europe (+/- 0.0)
1 - Spain
2 - Germany
4 - Netherlands
5 - Portugal
7 - England

11.0 - South America (+0.2)
3 - Uruguay
6 - Brazil
10 - Argentina
13 - Chile
23 - Colombia

30.8 - Africa (+0.4)
15 - Côte d'Ivoire
22 - Ghana
38 - Algeria
39 - Mali
40 - Zambia

39.8 - Asia (+0.4)
21 - Australia
30 - Japan
31 - South Korea
51 - Iran
66 - China PR

41.2 - CONCACAF (+1.0)
20 - Mexico
29 - USA
49 - El Salvador
52 - Panama
56 - Jamaica

154.2 - Oceania (-2.2)
130 - New Zealand
154 - New Caledonia
155 - Samoa
160 - Fiji
172 - Vanuatu

Video: Myanmar Match Day Experience

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 13:18:00 +0000

A few minutes of the match day experience at a Myanmar National League game between Kanbawza Football Club (KBZ FC) v Yangon United in 2010.

Bonus: Amazing Chinlone Skills (a traditional soccer related sport in Myanmar)

Philippines Club Logos

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 12:20:00 +0000

Logos from the first division of the United Football League in the Philippines.

Philippine Army FC

Global FC

Kaya FC

Loyola Meralco Sparks FC

Manila Nomads

Pasargad FC

Philippine Air Force FC

Philippine Navy FC

Green Archers United FC

Stallion FC

Europa League Quarterfinalists by Nation - 2002-2012

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 13:04:00 +0000

Quarterfinalists from the last 10 Europa League tournaments sorted by Nation. (formerly the UEFA Cup)

2011-2012
3 - Spain (Athletic Bilbao, Atlético Madrid, Valencia)
2 - Germany (Hannover 96, Schalke 04)
1 - Netherlands (AZ)
1 - Portugal (Sporting CP)
1 - Ukraine (Metalist Kharkiv)

2010-2011
3 - Portugal (Benfica, Braga, Porto)
2 - Netherlands (PSV, Twente)
1 - Russia (Spartak Moscow)
1 - Spain (Villarreal)
1 - Ukraine (Dynamo Kyiv)

2009-2010
2 - England (Fulham, Liverpool)
2 - Germany (Hamburg, Wolsfburg)
2 - Spain (Atlético Madrid, Valencia)
1 - Belgium (Standard Liège)
1 - Portugal (Benfica)

2008-2009
2 - France (Marseille, PSG)
2 - Germany (Hamburg, Werder Bremen)
2 - Ukraine (Dynamo Kyiv, Shakhtar Donetsk)
1 - England (Manchester City)
1 - Italy (Udinese)

2007-2008
2 - Germany (Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich)
1 - Italy (Fiorentina)
1 - Netherlands (PSV)
1 - Portugal (Sporting CP)
1 - Russia (Zenit St. Petersburg)
1 - Scotland (Rangers)
1 - Spain (Getafe)

2006-2007
3 - Spain (Espanyol, Osasuna, Sevilla)
2 - Germany (Bayer Leverkusen, Werder Bremen)
1 - England (Tottenham Hotspur)
1 - Netherlands (AZ)
1 - Portugal (Benfica)

2005-2006
2 - Romania (Rapid Bucureşti, Steaua Bucureşti)
1 - Bulgaria (Levski Sofia)
1 - England (Middlesbrough)
1 - Germany (Schalke 04)
1 - Russia (Zenit St. Petersburg)
1 - Spain (Sevilla)
1 - Switzerland (Basel)

2004-2005
1 - Austria (Austria Wien)
1 - England (Newcastle United)
1 - France (Auxerre)
1 - Italy (Parma)
1 - Netherlands (AZ)
1 - Portugal (Sporting CP)
1 - Russia (CSKA Moscow)
1 - Spain (Villarreal)

2003-2004
2 - France (Bordeaux, Marseille)
2 - Spain (Valencia, Villarreal)
1 - England (Newcastle United)
1 - Italy (Inter Milan)
1 - Netherlands (PSV)
1 - Scotland (Celtic)

2002-2003
2 - Portugal (Boavista, Porto)
1 - England (Liverpool)
1 - Greece (Panathinaikos)
1 - Italy (Lazio)
1 - Scotland (Celtic)
1 - Spain (Málaga)
1 - Turkey (Beşiktaş)

QF Appearances by Nation
15 - Spain
11 - Germany
10 - Portugal
8 - England
7 - Netherlands
5 - France
5 - Italy
4 - Russia
4 - Ukraine
3 - Scotland
2 - Romania
1 - Austria
1 - Belgium
1 - Bulgaria
1 - Greece
1 - Switzerland
1 - Turkey

Teams with the most QF Appearances
3 - AZ
3 - Benfica
3 - PSV
3 - Sporting CP
3 - Valencia
3 - Villarreal

Top Scoring Teams in Europe - 2011/2012

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 15:16:00 +0000

Top Division European teams that have scored 2+ goals per game in the 2011/2012 Regular Season.

GPG - CLUB (COUNTRY)

3.86 - UE Santa Coloma (Andorra)
3.64 - FC Santa Coloma (Andorra)
3.36 - Sant Julià (Andorra)
3.33 - Real Madrid (Spain)
2.87 - Barcelona (Spain)

2.86 - Lusitanos (Andorra)
2.71 - Ajax (Netherlands)
2.70 - F91 Dudelange (Luxembourg)
2.60 - Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine)
2.54 - Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia)

2.54 - FC Twente (Netherlands)
2.50 - Hibernians (Malta)
2.50 - PSV (Netherlands)
2.47 - Manchester United (England)
2.42 - Manchester City (England)

2.41 - Budućnost (Montenegro)
2.41 - Bangor City (Wales)
2.39 - Bayern Munich (Germany)
2.37 - Olympiakos (Greece)
2.36 - Viktoria Plzeň (Czech Republic)

2.36 - Valletta (Malta)
2.36 - The New Saints (Wales)
2.35 - Slovan Liberec (Czech Republic)
2.33 - Partizan (Serbia)
2.30 - Differdange 03 (Luxembourg)

2.30 - Sheriff (Moldova)
2.30 - Cliftonville (Northern Ireland)
2.29 - Ludogorets (Bulgaria)
2.29 - Heerenveen (Netherlands)
2.26 - Maribor (Slovenia)

2.25 - Borussia Dortmund (Germany)
2.24 - Linfield (Northern Ireland)
2.24 - Porto (Portugal)
2.24 - Benfica (Portugal)
2.19 - Tre Fiori (San Marino)

2.18 - Schalke 04 (Germany)
2.16 - Sporting Braga (Portugal)
2.16 - Basel (Switzerland)
2.14 - Debrecen (Hungary)
2.14 - Llanelli (Wales)

2.11 - Željezničar (Bosnia-Herzegovina)
2.10 - Gent (Belgium)
2.10 - Crvena Zvezda (Serbia)
2.09 - CSKA Sofia (Bulgaria)
2.06 - La Fiorita (San Marino)

2.06 - Celtic (Scotland)
2.05 - Neftçi (Azerbaijan)
2.05 - Zestafoni (Georgia)
2.04 - Feyenoord (Netherlands)
2.04 - Dynamo Kyiv (Ukraine)

2.03 - Anderlecht (Belgium)
2.00 - Genk (Belgium)
2.00 - Jablonec (Czech Republic)
2.00 - Arsenal (England)
2.00 - Dinamo Tbilisi (Georgia)

2.00 - AC Milan (Italy)
2.00 - Jeunesse d'Esch (Luxembourg)
2.00 - Grevenmacher (Luxembourg)
2.00 - Dacia (Moldova)
2.00 - AZ Alkmaar (Netherlands)
2.00 - Portadown (Northern Ireland)

As of April 1, 2012

Not including:
Armenia, Belarus, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, Iceland, Ireland Republic, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden