New Year's Eve Roundup

Happy 2010! Let me be the first to wish you a safe and happy new year.

2009 was full of some amazing games and goals in the world of soccer. I was going to do a year review but I haven't had the time. I will try to do one in the next few days!

I'm about to head out of town for the evening, so let me share with you some quick bits that have transpired recently:

-Liverpool defender and England international Glen Johnson suffered a knee injury on Tuesday that will put him out of action for up to four weeks. It's too early to tell if this might become a lingering problem heading into June's World Cup.

-Arsenal defeated Portsmouth 4-1 yesterday, officially making the FA Premier League a three-horse race entering 2010. The Gunners sit in third while Manchester United is in second after beating Wigan 5-0 on Wednesday.

-And finally, the transfer rumor mill is working overtime: the latest reports indicate that Real Madrid want Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery. The Madrid side are reportedly offering in the region of $60 million for the French international.

I hope that everyone has a great night and may 2010 be a great year for all!

Real Takeover Rumor Squashed

It seems that in recent days this blog has contained a lot of news surrounding Manchester City and its business on and off the football pitch. Continuing this pattern, here's another story about the Eastlands club. Except this time, it might be better to dismiss this report as false and just a product of the media machine in Europe trying to sell papers.

Rumor has it that owner of Manchester City and member of the ruling family of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has approached Real Madrid with a $1.4 billion offer to buyout the Spanish club.

On Tuesday, Madrid issued a statement dispelling these rumors. Club President Florentino Perez stated that he and Sheikh Mansour have been friends for years and that his interest in Madrid was fabricated.

An audacious move such as this from Manchester City's owner does not seem so surprising when you consider the waves the club has already made in the transfer market. Targeting the best players in the world is now a reality for City, after signing the likes of Robinho and Carlos Tevez.

And Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan has already shown he isn't afraid to make controversial business moves (i.e. firing of Mark Hughes).

Who's to say that world domination in soccer isn't far behind? Maybe Real Madrid will become a feeder club for Manchester City.

But seriously: this buyout will NEVER happen!

Cesc Bags Brace As Arsenal Stay In Hunt

Cesc Fabregas started Sunday's game vs. Aston Villa on the Gunners' bench. Manager Arsene Wenger was keeping an eye on the fitness of the Spaniard who picked up a hamstring injury last week.

In a game that could ultimately end up defining Arsenal's season, Wenger was forced to put Fabregas into the fray just after the interval. It was the 57th minute, and Arsenal had yet to unlock Aston Villa's defense.

The 0-0 scoreline changed after Arsenal was awarded a free kick in the 65th minute. Fabregas calmly stood over the ball before bending it past the outstretched fingertips of Villa goalkeeper Brad Friedel.

Fabregas put the game away 16 minutes later when he beat Friedel on a breakaway after a nice through ball from midfielder Theo Walcott. The Spaniard limped off to a standing ovation as he was substituted for precautionary measures after the goal.

Abou Diaby added insult to injury for Aston Villa by making 3-0 in injury time. But the real story was Fabregas and how influential he is in his side's success.

In just under 30 minutes of play, Fabregas scored two goals. His creativity led to many other chances. Arsenal had a spark while he was on the pitch, something they had been missing in the first half.

The great ones step up when their teams need it most. Today Fabregas showed why he continues to be Arsenal's talisman.

The victory for the Gunners was crucial in keeping them in the hunt for the Premier League title. They now sit third in the table, four points behind leaders Chelsea with a game in-hand. Aston Villa now sit in fourth, three points behind Arsenal.

Here are the highlights from the game:

Merry Xmas From Xtra Time!

Well, Santa Claus has come and gone once again. Only 365 more days until his next visit.

Here's wishing a happy holidays and a merry Christmas to everyone out there. I hope it was a great one.

-Pete

City Feeling Heat Over Hughes Departure

I must admit, the way Manchester City have gone about removing Mark Hughes from his managerial post was a bit slimy.

It appears that those in control at the Eastlands have a certain agenda to fulfill. Part of this seems to be that they don't mind treating other human beings poorly.

City sit sixth in the FA Premier League, only six points behind Aston Villa for a Champions League spot with a game in-hand. There is still a lot of soccer to be played, and I fear that this manager swap may prove to do more harm than good.

Already there are reports that the players are "confused" after new manager Roberto Mancini's first speech to the team. Add that with a report that controversial striker Craig Bellamy has already had a row with Mancini after the team's first training session.

Talk about starting off on the right foot.

There are also peers of Hughes' who are speaking out on the matter.

Manager Sir Alex Ferguson of intra-city rivals Manchester United has come out stating that City's behavior has been "unacceptable." Hughes was a player under Ferguson at United and helped lead the Red Devils to a double in 1994.

While this is not surprising, seeing how Hughes and Ferguson have a relationship that goes back more than 15 years, it is worth taking into consideration because of Ferguson's status within the game. He is a managerial legend and his opinion does carry significant weight: eleven Premier League titles and two Champions League trophies gives one some sense of credibility.

While the new ownership at Manchester City has allowed an influx of cash to bring in more top-end talent, City still cannot be considered an elite club because of the way they handle their business. The messy departure of Mark Hughes is just the latest example of this.

Here's a clip of Manchester City Chief Executive Garry Cook responding to the sacking of Mark Hughes at a press conference on Dec. 22:

Transfer Market Starting To Heat Up

(Roberto Mancini being introduced at Manchester City)

As January gets nearer and nearer, start expecting more hints about what players may change squads during the winter transfer window.

One rumor has already been snuffed out; one involving Robinho moving from Manchester City to Barcelona. The Catalan giants reportedly had an offer turned down by the Manchester club. I made a post in October about this rumor; look back in the blog archives if you want to read all about it.

Speaking of Manchester City, the club recently sacked manager Mark Hughes after a string of disappointing results in the eyes of the directors. Former Inter Milan boss Roberto Mancini has succeeded Hughes at the Eastlands. Mancini has pledged to address City's defensive woes during the transfer period.

Start predicting who Manchester City will shell out big bucks for. Maybe an audacious move for Bolton's Gary Cahill will be in the works?

For an update on all current transfer news, visit Goal.com's Transfer Zone.

Stay tuned readers, because in a few days I will detail the year's best from around the world of soccer.

Third Time Is The Charm

During Sunday's 1-1 draw between Chelsea and West Ham at Upton Park, Blues midfielder Frank Lampard completed the unusual feat of successfully making three straight penalty kicks.

But only one goal was counted. Why you ask?

Lampard ran up and buried his first spot kick, but head referee Mike Dean whistled for encroachment in the box and asked for the penalty to be redone.

Lampard beat the goalkeeper again, only for Dean to demand ANOTHER kick be taken for ANOTHER encroachment offense!

Full of disbelief, Lampard put his head down and made it three in a row. Only this time Dean let it stand.

After all this, I say shame on Mike Dean for letting this weird occurence happen. There are at least one or two players running into the box before every penalty is taken.

On another note, how bad must West Ham keeper Robert Green feel?

A video of the penalty kicks is below:

Zamora Inspires Man U. Thrashing

Fulham's Bobby Zamora scored his fifth goal in four games as the Cottagers ran rampant over an overwhelmed Manchester United side 3-0.

United's defense was missing Nemanja Vidic, Jonny Evans, John O'Shea, Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand and Wes Brown, all of whom are suffering from injuries. It's safe to say that their replacements fared none to well.

United States international Clint Dempsey also had a great afternoon for Fulham, continuing his superb campaign.

Fulham won its second straight game versus the Red Devils as Man U. wasted a chance to draw level with FA Premier League leaders Chelsea.

Highlights from the contest are below:

A full recap of all the day's activity in the FA Premier League can be found by clicking here.

Milan Draws United; Beckham Back At Old Trafford

The draw for the knockout stages of the Champions League unfolded today, and among the more notable matchups is the one involving giants AC Milan and Manchester United.

Besides the obvious display of talent that will take the field, the Milan-United contest also boasts the storyline of David Beckham's return to play competitively at Old Trafford. The Englishman, who has patched up the rift with his former manager Sir Alex Ferguson, is sure to recieve a mostly warm welcome when he visits Manchester with the Italian side.

United fans should not forget all Beckham gave to the club before he left for Real Madrid in 2003, including a Champions League title.

Current United full back Patrice Evra has stated that Beckham will have a welcome mat rolled out for him upon his arrival. But as soon as play begins I'm sure all that kindness will be forgotten.

The Chelsea-Inter Milan showdown sees former Chelsea caretaker Jose Mourinho guide the Serie A leaders into Stamford Bridge. This reunion may be just as festive as Beckham's. Under the watch of Mourinho, Chelsea became a European power and won two FA Premier League titles. Chelsea supporters won't soon forget that-----

Here's a video clip of ESPN soccer analyst Tommy Smyth breaking down the draw. Watch it here.

The first round of the home-and-home series starts Feb. 16. You can view the entire draw by clicking here.

Highlight Video: Total Skills Volume 13

It's one of those boring December days outside, so I think it best to post something that will liven up everyone's mood.

Here is a compilation of some of the best moves and tricks in the world of soccer from the past few months. Big up to Fuentesquatre for the video:

Donovan Close To Joining Everton

(Landon Donovan with Bayern Munich in early 2009)

Los Angeles Galaxy forward Landon Donovan is close to securing a loan move to Everton in the FA Premier League, sources say.

Donovan, the all-time leader in scoring and assists for the U.S. National Team, is looking to stay fit before the 2010 World Cup Finals in South Africa that start in June. The supposed loan move is similar to last season, when Donovan joined Bayern Munich for the first few months of 2009.

Donovan, 27, has had some bad experiences trying to make it in Europe before. In 1999, he signed for German club Bayern Leverkusen at the age of 17. After an unhappy and unsuccessful spell at the club, he was loaned out the MLS side San Jose Earthquakes in 2001 where he spent four years taking the MLS by storm. In 2005, he returned to Leverkusen, played seven games then stated his desire to return to America where he has been with the LA Galaxy ever since.

Soccer writer Andrea Canales has a great article about why Everton would be the right fit for Donovan.

Donovan's international teammate, goalkeeper Tim Howard, also plays for the Merseyside club. In an article on ESPN Soccernet, Howard said that Donovan could be "a star" for Everton.

The opportunity to play in arguably the world's best league is a great chance for Donovan ahead of the 2010 World Cup. Let's just hope it pans out better than his previous attempts in Europe.

Figueroa Produces Wonder Strike vs. Stoke

I apologize for not updating more over the past two days but final exam week has begun at Michigan State University. I have been sloshing through political science and marketing for what seems like ages.

But let me take a study break to show you one of the most amazing strikes I have ever seen:


Wow.

That's the only word I could utter after watching this goal from Wigan's Maynor Figueroa vs. Stoke City on Saturday.

What really is amazing here is the pace the Honduran struck the ball. We have seen these halfway- type goals before; lobs that carry over the keepers head when he has been caught dozing off by his own 18-yard box.

But Figueroa unleashed a cracker when Stoke's Thomas Sorenson was just a few feet from his six-yard box! His shot had the right amount of power and dip from an almost impossible location.

Click here to view more of the FA Premier League's best-ever goals. I'm sure Figueroa 's will be near the top for years to come.

Lehmann Relieved During CL Match

Judging by the headline, you probably are guessing that Jens Lehmann's club, VFB Stuttgart, substituted the German during a hard-fought Champions League victory over Unirea Urziceni on Wednesday night.

But that wouldn't be news now would it? No. What I'm actually telling you is that Lehmann is guilty of urinating on the pitch against Unirea.

Funny how that has a ring to it, right?

Yep. The Stuttgart keeper hopped over an advertising sign, went down to one knee, and started peeing before the Romanian club forced him to return to his goal. I have the video to prove it:




These wacky events transpired before nearly 40,000 people. Stuttgart's director of sport Horst Heldt was quoted in England's The Guardian praising Lehmann for his handling of the sticky situation.

"I thought he handled it very expertly," he said.

Just another reason why soccer can be so unpredictable.

Beckham Looks To Boost England Bid

(Beckham, right, meeting Nelson Mandela in 2003.)

Last Friday, David Beckham was one of the guests invited to participate during the 2010 World Cup Group Draw. He helped the gorgeous Charlize Theron present the selection show that was beamed to millions across the world.

While in South Africa, Beckham had a chance to speak to reporters about helping to secure the 2018 World Cup bid for England. Check out the video of him speaking at the Football Project Development in Cape Town sponsored by the English Football Association:

U.S. National Team Injury Update

Charlie Davies and Oguchi Onyewu, two of the United States' best soccer players, have both been trying to recover from serious injuries.

In Davies' case, his were almost life-changing. If you don't remember, the American striker was injured in a single car accident in early October that left the driver of his vehicle dead. Davies suffered a broken femur, a lacerated bladder and facial fractures.

Onyewu tore his left patella tendon in a World Cup Qualifier against Costa Rica in October. The defender has missed significant time with his club, AC Milan.

Both are now rehabbing in Deleware under the watchful eye of James Hashimoto, head athletic trainer for the U.S. Soccer Federation.

For Davies, the original timeframe for his injury was anywhere from 6-12 months out. The 2010 Cup in South Africa was viewed as a pipe dream and it was originally thought he would need a miracle to be fit in time. But in a preview of an interview conducted by ESPN's Jeremy Schaap, Davies lets the public know that South Africa may be a realistic goal after all.



Onyewu also was interviewed to update his condition. CNN's Richard Roth met "Gooch" while rehabbing in California. His timeframe is around four to five months out of action.



Best of luck to both players as they try to return to full fitness. It's great to hear that they're making good progress.

World Starting Eleven; Record Signing C. Ronaldo Misses Cut

It's that time of year folks: the cold weather has started to set in. Across the stadiums in Europe, long-sleeve jerseys are being donned by players. This is a sign that the season has hit close to its halfway point.

What players have had outstanding form so far this year? While there are many contenders, I have tried to narrow it down to the best eleven that have been on the pitch this season. While players like Cristiano Ronaldo have the potential to make world-class plays at any moment, this eleven has been the most consistent to start the 09/10 season.

Hope you like it. Let me know if you agree or disagree.

From the back:

GK

Mark Schwarzer

(Fulham)

Dani Alves - Nemanja Vidic - Gerard Pique - Ashley Cole

(Barcelona) - (Man U.) - ( Barcelona) - (Chelsea)

Andres Iniesta - Lassana Diarra - Darren Fletcher - Lionel Messi

(Barcelona) - (Real Madrid) - (Man U.) - (Barcelona)

Zlatan Ibrahimovic - Jermaine Defoe

(Barcelona) - (Tottenham)

World Cup Draw To Be Announced Today!

At noon ET on ESPN2, the draw for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa will commence. In three pots sit 32 teams ready to be placed into their groups. They are as follows:

-Pot 1: Argentina, Brazil, England, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, South Africa and Spain

-Pot 2: Australia, Honduras, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, North Korea, South Korea and the United States

-Pot 3: Algeria, Cameroon, Chile, Ghana, the Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Paraguay and Uruguay

-Pot 4: Denmark, France, Greece, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland

The seeded teams from Pot 1 will each be first placed into one of the eight groups. After that, a team from Pot 2 will be drawn and put into Group A, another in Group B, another in Group C all the way to Group H. When that pot has been emptied, nations will be selected from Pot 3, Pot 4 etc.

In 2006, the United States was placed in the "Group Of Death" which is a name given to the tournament's toughest pairings. The U.S. was faced with games against Czech Republic, Italy and Ghana. The Americans scored two goals over three games and finished with a 0-2-1 record that sent them home early.

So who will America have to face this year? And where will goliaths Brazil and Argentina be placed? All of this and more will be determined in less than a half an hour!

Nike Joins (RED) Campaign

Sports apparel giants Nike have joined forces with Product Red to support the Global Fund to Fight AIDS. The latest company to join, Nike will begin to sell laces for its soccer cleats with the (RED) logo. Portions of the profit from the laces will go toward this AIDS fund.

Product Red was an initiative started in 2006 with help from U2 frontman Bono. Select companies have created products with the (RED) logo to increase global awareness and help those who are living with AIDS in Africa. Visit the Product Red Web site here.

Here is a video of the Nike/Product Red media event in London featuring some of the world's best soccer players:

Henry To Face FIFA Investigation

Since Ireland's plea to be included in the 2010 World Cup has been ignored, I guess FIFA thinks it must find a scapegoat for the absurd events that transpired in the Nov. 18 qualifier between France and Ireland.

It now looks as if Thierry Henry will shoulder the brunt of FIFA's wrath for his handball. On Wednesday, the international governing body of soccer released a statement saying that the Frenchman will be "investigated" by FIFA's disciplinary committee. FIFA President Sepp Blatter has stated that it is an investigation, not a punishment, that will be carried out.

Henry has openly admitted using his hand.

"I will be honest, it was a handball. But I’m not the ref,” Henry was quoted as saying in a Nov. 18 story in The Globe and Mail. “I played it. The ref allowed it. That’s a question you should ask him.”

Not much more can be expected. Just like any player, he was trying to do everything he could to help his team win. More blame should fall on the match officials.

I'm getting tired of hearing FIFA's excuses for the handball incident. Just let it go. Forget it. If you aren't willing to let France and Ireland replay their match then just say the officials screwed up and move on. Why would Henry be punished? His handball was blatant, yet he never tried to cover it up. He issued multiple statements apologizing for his actions. FIFA's attempts at justice are dragging on. I just hope a decision on Henry's investigation can be made soon so the world of soccer can put this on the back burner.