Bleacher Report - Articles by Andrew Jordan

Why the United States Should Be Wary of Their Group Draw

Andrew Jordan — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 23:50:38 -0500

After the group draws were made on December 4, all 32 nations now have half a year to learn about the teams in their group stage, and what is needed for advancement.

Some of these nations such as Italy and Spain have easy draws and have their eyes locked on the knockout stage while other nations such as South Africa and Portugal will look at their draw and wonder how they will advance.

For the United States, they got an easier draw than in 2006 when they had Italy, Ghana, and the Czech Republic all in the Group of Death with themselves, as they got England, Algeria, and Slovenia.

After looking at the draw, one could say that the United States could build upon their South African luck from the previous summer's Confederation Cup, as they will have England in their first game, and will have Slovenia and Algeria in their final two games of the Group stage.

However, the fans/skeptics of the United States must not put their first match against England as their most important match-up, and this should also go for US coach Bob Bradley, as the United States must not over prepare for this game.

Even if the United States could manage to beat England, they will only get three points, which will clearly not be enough for advancement into the knockout stage.

If the United States over prepare against England, it could possibly cause the US team's chances of advancing to flush away, especially against two sides in Algeria and Slovenia that could beat the United States.

The match-up with England is indeed mouthwatering, but Algeria are a side that will have more support due to the fact that they are an African nation, and Slovenia were able to beat Russia in their UEFA World Cup playoff, and could surprise anyone on any given day.

Finally, if this is the year for the United States to make a deep run in the World Cup, they must look beyond their match-up with England and focus on Algeria and Slovenia, which both hold the key for the United States advancement.

Winners and Losers From the World Cup Group Draw

Andrew Jordan — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 14:48:29 -0500

After weeks of hype and suspense, the groups were revealed Friday for the 32 nations that have qualified for next year's World Cup in South Africa.

Some are located inside of the Group of Death while others will most likely have an easy ride onto the knockout stages of the World Cup.

For a recap of what countries are in which group, here is a list of the four nations in each of the eight groups, listed in the order of each of the pots.

Group A: South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay, France

Group B: Argentina, Nigeria, South Korea, Greece

Group C: England, United States, Algeria, Slovenia

Group D: Germany, Australia, Serbia, Ghana

Group E: Netherlands, Denmark, Japan, Cameroon

Group F: Italy, Paraguay, New Zealand, Slovakia

Group G: Brazil, North Korea, Ivory Coast, Portugal

Group H: Spain, Switzerland, Honduras, Chile

Now that you know who is in what group, here is my list of the winners and losers from each group, and why I rank each country as a winner or loser.

Group A:

Winner: France

After getting into the World Cup on a handball by Thierry Henry, France will get "rewarded" for what happened by getting an easy draw in the World Cup.

Loser: South Africa

The hosts appeared that they could have had a group that they could manage their way through to get onto the knockout stage, but have Mexico and France in their way from doing that.

Group B:

Winner: Argentina

After barely qualifying for the World Cup, Diego Maradona's men will be rewarded with an easier draw then expected.

Loser: South Korea

After a fourth place finish in the 2002 World Cup and barely failing to advance in the 2006 World Cup, South Korea could find themselves in trouble with Greece or Nigeria.

Group C:

Winners: England and the United States

The United States were expected to be a team that could be in a Group of Death but they should be able to make it through to the knockout stages.

England were dominant in qualifying and they shouldn't have a serious problem with any side except for the Americans.

Loser: Algeria

Considered by many to be an emerging power in Africa, Algeria find themselves against two clear opponents that should beat them, and Algeria could also have problems with Slovenia.

Group D:

Winner: Germany

Without question, they have an easy draw and as long as they handle Australia, they will finish in first.

Loser: Serbia

After winning their group in qualifying, Serbia now have another uphill task in order to make it to the knockout stages.

Group E:

Winner: Netherlands

It will be a tough group for the Dutch, but they should be able to advance onto the next round as one of the top countries in the world.

Losers: Cameroon

After winning their qualifying group, Cameroon now have to deal with Denmark and Japan, both of which could beat Cameroon, along with the Dutch.

Group F:

Winner: Italy

The defending World Cup Champions were given an easy draw, and appear to be all but through onto the knockout stages.

Loser: New Zealand

Despite making their first World Cup appearance since 1982, New Zealand will have to deal with Italy and the potentially dangerous Paraguay in this group stage.

Group G: Group of Death

Winners: The Viewers

With the depth of these sides, it will be a very intriguing group to watch but no one but the viewer wins this.

Losers: North Korea

The North Koreans will have to face the Ivory Coast, Brazil, and Portugal in the World Cup, making advancement extremely hard.

Group H:

Winner: Spain

The popular favorites in this World Cup, Spain will have an easy draw with their eyes already on the knockout stages.

Losers: Honduras

After finally making the World Cup, Honduras now has to deal with Spain along with quality sides in Chile and Switzerland.

Biggest Winners: Germany, Italy, and Spain

All three sides have easy draws and with their great football, expect a deep run in the World Cup from these three countries.

Biggest Losers: South Africa and North Korea

Both now find themselves in sticky situations from their group draw, and South Africa must produce now that they have to deal with Mexico and France, both of which could eliminate the host.

Finally, I will want to wish all 32 countries that have made it to the World Cup good luck next summer, as some nations will have a great run in the World Cup, some nations will be bitterly disappointed and one nation will win the ultimate prize in sports: the FIFA World Cup trophy.

Ten Biggest Misses Ever During a Penalty Shootout

Andrew Jordan — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 09:07:14 -0500

Throughout the history of football, there have been many great matches that have ended during penalty shootouts. During the penalty shootout, many heroes have been born for great saves that have gotten their side a trophy or advancement onto the next round, or missed to ruin their sides chances of advancing or preventing your side from winning. This is a list of the players who missed and ruined their sides chances of winning. So here is a list of the ten players who cost their side in the ultimate battle of nerves: a penalty shootout.

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Will Charlie Davies Be on the United States 2010 World Cup Squad?

Andrew Jordan — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 09:08:42 -0500

With the group draw for the World Cup coming up on Dec. 4, all nations involved will wonder where they will land and hope that they don't land in the dreaded Group of Death.

However for the United States national side, they will also wonder about one player in particular: Charlie Davies, who was severely injured in a car accident on Oct. 13 that also killed a female passenger who was in the car.

In the accident, Davies suffered multiple broken bones in his right leg, a lacerated bladder and a broken elbow.

Since Davies has suffered these injuries, the United States national side has earned a hard-fought draw with Costa Rica in their final World Cup qualifier, and have suffered losses in friendlies to Slovenia and Denmark while the United States continue to look for a replacement at the striker position that Davies held before the accident.

However, Davies left the hospital on Nov. 11 and has been rehabilitating in Delaware with teammate Oguchi Onyewu since then, and he still believes that he will be a part of the American side at the World Cup.

According to the doctors who have been working with Davies, they have said that Davies progress has been fantastic since he has come their, and Davies has said that he will remain in Delaware until the beginning of 2010.

Davies also has given an interview with ESPN's Jeremy Schaap that is to air on Dec. 4, in which Davies supposedly says that he will make a full recovery from the injuries and he should be ready by the World Cup

Since Davies started to become a major contributor for the United States in this summer's Confederations Cup, Davies has been a key factor for the United States as they went to the Confederations Cup Final and Davies also gave their the United States their first ever lead in Mexico's famed Estadio Azteca in a World Cup qualifier against Mexico in August.

Also, the United States are no where as good as they used to be without Davies which will lead me into a question for you the reader: Do you think that Charlie Davies will recover in time for the 2010 FIFA World Cup?

Lionel Messi Wins Ballon D'Or

Andrew Jordan — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 11:30:56 -0500

After a great season in European football, we finally have found out who is the European footballer of the year and in a surprise to almost nobody, FC Barcelona's Lionel Messi has captured for the first time in his career.

During the last year, Messi was a key member of FC Barcelona scoring over 40 goals and led the Spanish giants to an unprecedented Spanish treble of La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the UEFA Champions League, the final of which Messi scored in the final in Rome.

Messi has now become the first ever Argentine to win the award and the first member from FC Barcelona to win the award since Ronaldinho did back in 2005.

In the voting, Messi got 473 out 480 potential votes, making it nearly a unanimous decision over Messi becoming European footballer of the year.

In second place was Cristiano Ronaldo, who got 233 votes in a record 240 point difference between first and second in Ballon D'Or voting.

After Ronaldo were Messi's Barcelona teammates Xavi and Andres Iniesta with 170 and 149 points respectively, former teammate Samuel Eto'o with 75.

Kaka (58), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (50), Wayne Rooney, Didier Drogba and Steven Gerrard rounded out the rest of the top ten finalists for the Ballon D'Or, which is voted for by French magazine French Football.

Now, the next major individual award up for grabs will be FIFA World Footballer of the Year, which will be up for grabs on December 21.

Ibrahimovic's Strike Gives Barcelona a 1-0 Win Over Real Madrid

Andrew Jordan — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 16:03:04 -0500

In the most hyped game in La Liga this weekend, defending La Liga Champions FC Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 1-0 at the Camp Nou in Barcelona to retake the lead in La Liga and defeated a Galactico team consisting of players such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, and Karim Benzema.

There was also emphasis put into the matchup between Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Ronaldo, as both players are considered the best in the world.

This would be the first time they faced each other since Ronaldo was on Manchester United during May's Champions League final, which Barcelona won 2-0.

The atmosphere at the Camp Nou was incredible before the match even begun between these two giants, as both sides were looking to win, but only one side would come out of the Camp Nou victorious.

Early in the first half, Real Madrid and Ronaldo had the best chance, as Kaka delivered the ball to Ronaldo in a great shooting opportunity, but Ronaldo's shot was kick-saved away by Barcelona keeper Victor Valdes, which completely stunned Ronaldo.

Throughout the rest of the first half, both sides had their chances, but neither side was able to get past the opposing keeper and at the half, the game was scoreless, which was surprising due to the offensive qualities of both sides.

Early on in the second half, Pep Guardiola replaced the inefficient Thierry Henry with Zlatan Ibrahimovic hoping that it would provide dividends, and Guardiola's move worked to perfection in the 56th minute.

Ibrahimovic was able to capitalize on a pass from Dani Alves by volleying it to the far post past Real keeper Iker Casillas, giving Barcelona a 1-0 lead.

However, shortly after the goal, Barcelona's Sergi Busquets got his second yellow card for a handball, which got him sent off for the final half hour of El Clasico.

After Busquets' red card, Ronaldo got one more chance before getting substituted for Karim Benzema, who got several great chances after coming on, but he too could not beat the Barcelona defense.

And even after the addition of Raul for Alvaro Arbeloa, Real were still unable to get anything done against the Barcelona defense, which was rock solid all night long.

At the ending of the match, Messi should have been able to score on Casillas on a one on one, but his shot was right at Casillas, who ricocheted it away from the goal.

Right before the final whistle, Lassana Diarra got his second yellow card for a tackle on Xavi, which sent him off.

But despite what Diarra did, the game didn't change anymore after that, and the 159th edition of El Clasico ended with a 1-0 win for FC Barcelona.

With the win, Barcelona will take a two-point lead in La Liga, and we will now have to wait until April 11 at the Bernabeu for the rematch between these two Spanish giants.

Barcelona Host Real Madrid in First Round of El Clasico

Andrew Jordan — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 10:14:19 -0500

After several great months in Spanish football and with some of the best players in the world joining La Liga, Barcelona will host Real Madrid in what will arguably be the biggest match of the year in La Liga today at the Camp Nou.

Last season, FC Barcelona had a dream season in which they became the first Spanish side to win the Spanish treble, consisting of La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the UEFA Champions League, and also dominated against Real Madrid by beating them by a 2-0 score at the Camp Nou, and a 6-2 thrashing at the Bernabeu.

However, Fiorentino Perez became the President of Real Madrid after resigning in 2006, and ushered in a new Galactico's era by signing some of the best players in the world such as Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo, and promised that Real Madrid would once again become one of the best sides in the world.

Since then, much emphasis has been put on this match at the Camp Nou in Barcelona, as we will now get a better understanding of which side is not only the best in La Liga, but could be the best side in the world.

For Barcelona at the Camp Nou, the main question for them will be the fitness of players such as Lionel Messi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who are both fighting against the clock to be fit for El Clasico after picking up injuries over the last week, and both did not feature in their Champions League home match against Inter Milan during the week, even though both were available as substitutes.

Barcelona also find themselves just one point behind Real here and will be looking to preserve their perfect La Liga record at the Camp Nou here.

But, if there is one thing that Barcelona need to stop here more than anything else, it must be how are they going to stop the attack of Real Madrid here, which will be attacking the Barcelona defense as much as possible here.

Meanwhile for Real Madrid, they will be looking to continue to play strong football knowing that they will have Cristiano Ronaldo available after his 20 minute appearance during the Champions League this week against FC Zurich at the Bernabeu.

Also, Real will have the pressure of the Galactico era on their shoulders here, as the success of Barcelona was part of the reason why it was re-implemented by Perez this summer.

And of course, Real Madrid will continue to attack all game long and it will be interesting to see how well they will do against the Barcelona defense here.

Finally, this El Clasico match will be very intriguing to watch today, as these are two of the most entertaining sides to watch in the world and both of these sides need to win here to prove to the other that they are the best side in La Liga.

Ten Greatest Comebacks in European Football History

Andrew Jordan — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 07:58:07 -0500

Throughout the history of european football, there have been many great comebacks that have changed seasons, careers, and the fate of clubs and/or countries in the process. From a multiple goal comeback to a comeback in stoppage time, these moments are incredible for the fan who is watching the game, and is always a great moment whenever your team wins. With this in mind, I created a list of the ten greatest comebacks in european football history, all of which were incredible wins and will be remembered by fans everywhere for years to come.

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Champions League Matchday Five Preview

Andrew Jordan — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 07:36:10 -0500

After a thrilling Matchday Four of the Champions League in which five teams advanced onto the knockout stages, and we also got to see several great games that have major advancement implications on the line for the teams involved.

From great comebacks draws by Manchester United over CSKA Moscow and by Atletico Madrid over Chelsea, to games that might have eliminated a big contender such as Bordeaux winning 2-0 in Munich over Bayern Munich, Lyon tying Liverpool at the end of regulation at the Stade de Gerland, and Rubin Kazan and Barcelona in a scoreless draw, many big European teams will be fighting for the chance to advance onto the knockout stage of the Champions League.

Here is a preview of Matchday Five of the Champions League, which truly is the biggest weak in the Champions League so far this year.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Group E

Debreceni v Liverpool

After a 1-1 loss in France during Matchday Four, Liverpool now find themselves in dire need of a win in Budapest against Debreceni, as a loss here would eliminate Liverpool from the Champions League.

However, Liverpool will have to do this without Fernando Torres and Ryan Babel, who will both miss the match due to injury.

Meanwhile for Debreceni, they have yet to gain a point so far in the Champions League, and they will need to beat Liverpool here if they have any chance of qualifying for the UEFA Cup.

Fiorentina v Lyon

After getting the first knockout birth at home during Matchday Four at the expense of Liverpool, Lyon will now travel to Italy to take on Fiorentina, who will qualify for the knockout stages with a win here.

There will be a lot of pressure on Fiorentina to win this match, even against a Lyon squad that will probably rest most of their regulars because failure to win here will most likely mean that Fiorentina must win at Anfield during Matchday Six.

Group F

Rubin Kazan v Dynamo Kiev

The recently crowned Russian Premier League champions for a second year in a row, Rubin Kazan will look to get into a prime position to advance at home against Dynamo Kiev, who beat Rubin 3-1 during Matchday One.

Rubin could advance onto the knockout round with a win here and a Barcelona loss to Inter Milan while Dynamo Kiev are currently last in Group F, but are only two points behind leader Inter Milan from going into first in Group F.

FC Barcelona v Inter Milan

In one of the premier matches of Matchday Five, Inter Milan will travel to the Camp Nou in a battle that could cause one of these two giants to be eliminated from the Champions League.

This will be the return trip for former Barcelona star Samuel Eto'o and former assistant Barcelona assistant and current Inter manager Jose Mourinho to their old haunting grounds.

But Barcelona will have to keep their streak of not losing consecutive home Champions League matches and getting into prime position to qualify for the knockout round without superstar Lionel Messi due to a thigh injury for this match.

Group G

Rangers v VfB Stuttgart

Despite being in last place in Group G, Rangers find themselves in a must-win game at Ibrox against Stuttgart with a UEFA Cup spot on the line, and possibly a knockout stage spot could be on the line between the two bottom sides in Group G.

Meanwhile for Stuttgart, they could find themselves in last place with a loss here but they could still sneak into the knockout stage with a win on Matchday Six and a Rangers loss.

Unirea Urziceni v Sevilla

After getting four points in their last two matches over Rangers, Urziceni will be looking to advance onto the knockout stage with a win in Romania.

Meanwhile for Sevilla, they could be advancing onto the knockout stage with only a draw, as they are in complete control of Group G with ten points through their first four matches.

Group H

AZ Alkmaar v Olympiakos

After a 4-1 loss in London during Matchday Four, Alkmaar find themselves down by four points with two matches left to play, and will have to face Olympiakos, who are currently in second place.

Olympiakos will be looking to get that knockout stage spot here, needing only a draw to get them through to the knockout stage.

Arsenal v Standard de Liege

After a 4-1 home win during Matchday Four, Arsenal will look to go onto the knockout stage, needing only a home draw against Standard de Liege to advance.

Standard will be fighting for their Champions League lives in London, but will have to do so without Milan Jovanovic and Igor de Camargo due to injury.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Group A

Bordeaux v Juventus

After qualifying for the knockout round in Matchday Four, Bordeaux will now have to take on Italian giant Juventus, which needs a win in order to qualify for the knockout stages.

Bordeaux currently find themselves just needing a win here in order to gain the top spot in Group A while Juventus know a loss here means that they will have to face Bayern Munich in a winner-take all match in Italy during Matchday Six.

Bayern Munich v Maccabi Haifa

After losing during Matchday Four at home, Bayern Munich now find themselves in a must-win situation, as a loss would eliminate them from the Champions League.

Meanwhile for Maccabi Haifa, they are all but eliminated from all European competition, so all that they are playing for is pride, but they could be a spoiler by winning in Germany.

Group B

CSKA Moscow v VfL Wolfsburg

After nearly winning at Old Trafford in Matchday Four, CSKA Moscow will head back home to the Luzhniki Stadium to take on VfL Wolfsburg in a must-win match for both sides.

Despite a change of manager and barely clinging onto a spot in Europe next year, CSKA Moscow find themselves in a position in which they could get into the knockout stages.

Meanwhile for VfL Wolfsburg, if they win, they are onto the knockout stage for the first time in their history but they will have to do so in the frigid weather in Moscow.

Manchester United v Besiktas

After an unbelievable comeback draw with CSKA Moscow last time out that earned them a birth in the knockout stages, Manchester United will look to clinch the top spot in Group B with a win at Old Trafford.

Meanwhile for Besiktas, they did hold United to one goal in Turkey during Matchday One, but still lost and are just playing for pride with the one point that they have earned in the Champions League this year.

Group C

Real Madrid v FC Zurich

After earning a draw at the San Siro against AC Milan during Matchday Four, Real Madrid will look to bolster a spot into the knockout stages of the Champions League at the Bernabeu.

Real will most likely be without Cristiano Ronaldo here, but will have to face FC Barcelona in "El Classico" next weekend, which will clearly be on their mind.

Meanwhile for Zurich, they are looking to get some more points in the Champions League, as they have already beaten AC Milan at the San Siro, and they could also win at the Bernabeu.

AC Milan v Marseille

After a draw against Real Madrid during Matchday Four, AC Milan will look to clinch a spot in the knockout stages with a win over Marseille.

Meanwhile, Marseille have sneaked up on the leaders with wins in their last two matches, and a win here could be the deciding factor in them making the knockout stages of the Champions League.

Group D

FC Porto v Chelsea

After both sides qualified for the Champions League knockout stages during Matchday Four, Porto and Chelsea will meet at the Estadio de Dragao in Porto in what will be the deciding factor in who will finish first in Group D.

These two sides met during Matchday One at Stamford Bridge, in which Chelsea won 1-0, but this match will be even more important with the huge Group D winner implications on the line here.

APOEL v Atletico Madrid

The only matchup of Matchday Five in which both sides were already eliminated, APOEL and Atletico Madrid meet in Matchday Five with a Europa League spot now on the line between these two sides.

On Matchday One, APOEL and Atletico Madrid had a 1-1 draw at the Vicente Calderon Stadium in Madrid, but this match in Cyprus could cause Atletico's already bad season to get even worse if they lose to APOEL.

LA-Salt Lake: David Beckham, Landon Donovan Lead Galaxy into MLS Cup Final

Andrew Jordan — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 13:14:47 -0500

In the final match of what has been a roller coaster season for Los Angeles, the Galaxy will head to Qwest Field in Seattle to face Real Salt Lake in what will be David Beckham's first MLS final since joining the league in 2007.

Beckham began the season by going on loan to AC Milan, but ultimately returned to MLS after his requests to remain in Europe were denied by Galaxy management.

Shortly after his return to Los Angeles, Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl released The Beckham Experiment, a book that detailed, among other things, Donovan's perception of Beckham as a bad teammate.

During his first game back in the States—a friendly against AC Milan—fans at the Home Depot Center continuously heckled Beckham, leading to an altercation between Beckham and a fan that included Beckham telling the fan to come down onto the field. Fortunately, police escorted the fan away before things escalated further.

Since the publication of the controversial book back in July, Donovan and Beckham have been able to repair their relationship, and the Galaxy have become the best team in the Western Conference. They finished their season in first place in the Western Conference, defeated Chivas USA and Houston in the playoffs, and now head to their first MLS Cup final since 2005.

As for Real Salt Lake, their season got off to a bad start after posting a great year in 2008 when they reached the Western Conference Finals. Even though Salt Lake wasn't able to win that match—losing 1-0 to the New York Red Bulls at Rio Tinto Stadium—they had high hopes for this season.

After a rocky start, Salt Lake was able to get key wins down the stretch and eventually qualify for the fourth—and final—seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Even though Salt Lake is in the Western Conference, the MLS playoff system requires that the four best teams outside of the top two seeds in each division earn a playoff spot regardless of where they play. This explains why Real Salt Lake are playing their Western Conference rivals in the MLS Cup final.

To start the playoffs, Salt Lake was paired up with the defending MLS Cup Champion Columbus Crew. Salt Lake was able to win both the home and away games by a combined score of 4-2, and advance to the Eastern Conference Final.

In that final—a matchup against the Chicago Fire at Toyota Park—the two teams went scoreless for the entire 120 minutes and were forced to decide the match on penalty kicks. Salt Lake prevailed 5-4 to advance to their first-ever MLS Cup final.

During the regular season, the teams met twice, with the first matchup—at Rio Tinto Stadium—ending in a 2-2 draw after both sides combined for three goals during stoppage time. The second contest, which was played in Los Angeles, ended with a Real Salt Lake victory that halted the Galaxy's 10-game unbeaten streak. The 2-0 victory was the result of goals by Yura Movsisyan and Nat Brochers.

The expected weather in Seattle for the MLS Cup final will be 42ºF with a 30 percent chance of rain. The game kicks off at 5 PM PST (8 PM EST).

This will mark the first MLS final played at Qwest Field—a notoriously loud stadium for the Seattle Sounders—and the eighth different venue to host the event.

Much attention will be focused on Beckham's health, with reports that he is suffering from a bone bruise in his right ankle. However, there is little doubt that he—or any of the other major players—will miss the biggest MLS game of the season.

This match will come down to one question: Can the Galaxy, behind stars David Beckham and Landon Donovan, win their first MLS Cup since 2005 over a Real Salt Lake squad led by a group of relative unknowns looking for their first-ever MLS championship?

No matter what, the answer will be exciting.

Everton Head to Old Trafford to Face Manchester United

Andrew Jordan — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:30:46 -0500

Now that the international break is over and 32 nations have qualified for next years World Cup, players will now head back to their clubs in the English Premier League as the season gets back underway.

This weekend, one of the biggest games in the Premier League is happening at Old Trafford in Manchester, as Manchester United will host Everton in a battle of two sides that finished in the top five of the Premier League table over the last two seasons.

Last year, these teams met three times: twice in the Premier League (1-1 draw at Goodison Park, 1-0 win for Man United at Old Trafford) and in the FA Cup semifinal, which went to penalties in which Everton won 4-2 as they went onto their first FA Cup final in 14 years.

This will be Manchester United's final game for manager Sir Alex Ferguson before he starts his two match ban over his comments of Alan Wiley after a 2-2 draw with Sunderland back in October, and will instead have to watch the game from the crowd.

But Fergie will be trying to get back on track after a 1-0 loss at Stamford Bridge during the last night before the international break, in which Fergie has claimed that Man United were the better team, and the goal by John Terry shouldn't have counted due to a foul inside of the penalty area by Didier Drogba on the free kick.

However, Man United will have no Jonny Evans, Fabio, Michael Carrick and John O'Shea all out due to injury, and news has come out in the last week that Rio Ferdinand will be out until 2010 due to his mysterious back injury.

But United will have the services of Nemanja Vidic, as his calf injury has healed and he played in Serbia's friendly against South Korea earlier in the week.

Victory will be huge for the Red Devils here, as they will most likely find themselves behind by eight points in the table by the time this match kicks off; but with just one loss in their last 28 league matches against Everton, United could definitely make it one loss in 29 if they come out and play strong despite their injuries.

After a 2-1 win at Upton Park during the last week before the international break, Everton will look to build on that win with another great result at Old Trafford.

However, Everton also have many injury concerns, as Tim Cahill, Louis Saha, Phil Neville, Leon Osman, and Steven Pienaar all have injury concerns and Diniyar Bilyaledinov will be out due to suspension.

Everton also have had a slow start to the season, as they are currently just five points away from the relegation zone, so getting a win here is key for the Toffee's.

And finally, Everton know that this game is completely winnable with United struggling against teams such as Birmingham City, Manchester City, Sunderland, and Bolton at the Theatre of Dreams this year; and Everton know that they could stick with Manchester United for a full 90 minutes.

Finally, this matchup between Manchester United and Everton is an intriguing matchup for both sides, as both these clubs need points for totally different reasons, but only one side will leave Old Trafford with a sense of accomplishment from a positive result.

Why Football Needs Replay Now and How It Could Be Used

Andrew Jordan — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:07:43 -0500

The year of 2009 has been a year of greatness on the football pitch, but there has been many problems that have arisen within the last six months that have made the call for video replay for the beautiful game.

In the second leg of the Champions League semifinal between Chelsea and FC Barcelona at Stamford Bridge, referee Tom Øverbø denied Chelsea five potential penalties, creating buzz throughout the football world if replay should be instituted.

Then in the FIFA Confederations Cup in June, American Jozy Altidore shot got stopped by Egyptian defender Hani Said on the goal line by his hand but referee Michael Hester ruled that the ball didn't strike his arm, which nearly cost the United States a chance to go onto the semifinals.

And more recently, dives by Eduardo in a Champions League qualifier against Celtic and with controversial penalties given to dives such as Liverpool's David N'gog against Birmingham City, more and more people have been calling for replay.

However, we have now seen a country get denied of going to the World Cup due to handball inside of the box, as France's Thierry Henry committed a handball inside of the penalty box during extra time before making a cross to William Gallas, who was able to score on a header against an Ireland team that was appealing to referee Martin Hannson over the Henry handball.

Gallas' goal gave France a 1-1 draw with Ireland, but advanced onto the World Cup on aggregate over an Irish squad that played their hearts out for 120 minutes, and deserved to go onto the World Cup.

But now more than ever, the need for replay has risen to such a point that it must be implemented as soon as possible.

The last thing that football needs is for an incident such as the Henry incident to happen during next year's World Cup, as a team such as an Ireland could be denied of advancement in the World Cup or potentially a World Cup title due to the fact that there is no video replay.

Despite the fact that football has been a game that has been reluctant to implement replay, they now have no choice as countries such as Ireland and teams such as Chelsea have been denied a chance to advance onto a major stage due to a terrible referee decision and the decision could be fixed by video replay.

Even sports such as baseball and tennis, two sports that have had long histories in which replay was never in existence, have switched to replay and the replay system has gotten great reviews that have overturned wrong decisions by umpires.

Neither of these sports have been taken over by replay, and if football implemented replay, we wouldn't have problems within the goal area.

There would be no human error on making the right decision based of off replay, and there would be no more incidents such as Michael Ballack running after Øverbø and screaming at him after his appeal for a penalty got denied at the end of the Chelsea Barcelona game.

And with the complain that it would take more time for replay, a certain amount of stoppage time could be added on for each review of something inside of the penalty box and a camera could be on the inside of the crossbar, which would give a referee an eagle-eyed view of what just happened and would make the call a lot easier.

Mangers such as Arsene Wegner, Rafa Benitez and Guus Hiddick have all campaigned for replay in football, and quite frankly they are right as they want the right call to be made in the beautiful game.

And despite all of what FIFA has said about ruining the flow of the game, I think that the time has come for football to move into the 21st century and implement video replay inside of the penalty area.

France Is on To World Cup After 1-1 Extratime Draw Against Ireland

Andrew Jordan — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:02:54 -0500

After a 1-0 loss at Croke Park during the first leg of the UEFA World Cup qualifying playoff, Ireland traveled to France to take on the French National team in a match in which one of the two countries would advance onto the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Going into this match, the Irish were looking to get back into this playoff after allowing that away goal, while France, who were in the World Cup finals in 2006, were looking to get back to the greatest tournament in world football by qualifying at home in the Stade de France.

Early on, the French came out of the gate on the offensive, as they continued to pepper the Irish goal with shots, but Ireland's keeper Shay Given was equal to the challenge, as he was stopping everything that came his way.

And in the 33rd minute, Ireland were able to finally score, as it was Robbie Keane who was able to get the Irish on the board with a low shot into the right corner off a pass from Damien Duff, giving Ireland a 1-0 lead and tying up the playoff at one on aggregate.

After the goal, the French continued to attack the Irish goal, but Given and the Irish defense were able to prevent any goals and as the first half ended, Ireland held a 1-0 lead.

As the second half begun, the Irish were able to get some offensive pressure on the French net, but France quickly turned the tables and started to attack the Irish net.

However, they weren't able to score on the Irish net and the Irish defense was able to keep the French attack at bay.

After Ireland replaced Glenn Whelan with Daniel Gibson and John O'Shea with Paul McShane, the French continued their assault on the Irish net, but they were still unable to score.

In the final 10 minutes of play, both sides were still unable to score, which meant that Ireland and France now had to play each other for at least 30 more minutes, with one of these countries heading onto the World Cup.

In the first period of extra time, no team was able to get any good scoring opportunities until the 104th minute, which completely changed the entire complection of the game changed.

On that play, French legend Thierry Henry crossed the ball into the box, where William Gallas was able to head in the cross, tying the game at one and gave France a 2-1 lead on aggregate, which France held at the end of the first period of extra time.

However, it appeared that Henry did handle the football with his hand before providing that cross, but Swedish referee Martin Hannson and his assistants saw nothing wrong with the play, and the goal stood.

In the second period of extra time, the French once again dominated possession, and Ireland were unable to score, ending the game with a 1-1 draw and the French are now onto the World Cup once again.

With the win, France have joined Greece, Slovenia, and Portugal out of UEFA as countries that have now qualified for the World Cup through this playoff while Ireland will head back home, knowing that they were so close to going back to the World Cup for the first time since 2002.

France-Ireland: UEFA World Cup Qualifying Playoff Second Leg Preview

Andrew Jordan — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 07:31:56 -0500

After a 1-0 win away at Croke Park during the first leg of the playoffs, France will now travel back home to the Stade de France to take on Ireland, with one of the two countries advancing to the World Cup.

In the first leg, Ireland was in control of the first half, while the French controlled the second half and got its game-winning goal.

Here is a preview of the match for both countries in the second leg of this important World Cup playoff.

France

For the French, they will head back home with an all important away goal and are also ahead on aggregate 1-0.

Despite not having a great start, they were able to make up for it with great play in the second half, and thanks to a Nicholas Anelka goal, they might have all of the offense they need in order to go on to the World Cup.

However, the French know that this journey is still not over, and they need to achieve a strong performance here in order to get into the World Cup.

They could do this by making sure that they do not concede an early away goal, as that would put an immense amount of pressure on the French to score.

Also, the French must not allow the Irish to get into that position to score, so they must take control of the match as early as they can.

And finally, France must come out and play to win, as it knows failing to qualify for the World Cup in France would be embarrassing to the same country that went to the World Cup final and nearly won over Italy in 2006.

If France can do all of this, they will have a great chance of qualifying for the World Cup on their own home soil.

Ireland

After a disappointing first-leg loss, Ireland will now travel to France hoping to clinch a spot in the World Cup.

In that first leg, there was no luck for the Irish at all, as Liam Lawrence missed a wide-open net off of a shot by Robbie Keane.

The only goal the French scored came off a deflection by Irish defender Sean St. Ledger and past Irish keeper Shay Given, giving France their precious away goal.

The Irish know that they should have been able to beat French keeper Hugo Lloris at least once, but they weren't able to and find themselves down by a huge away goal.

In this match, you can expect the Irish to be attack-oriented, as they need to get a precious away goal to keep them in this playoff. However, the Irish cannot let up on their defense, and need to keep a clean sheet here to make qualifying a lot easier.

Finally, the Irish must get the French crowd out of the game early to keep themselves in this playoff.

If Ireland could do all of this, they will have a great chance of advancing to their first World Cup since 2002.

This matchup between France and Ireland will be a great game to watch for fans of both countries and for any football fan, as both of these countries are extremely close to qualifying for next year's World Cup in South Africa, but only one nation will make it.

Why Brad "The Human Wall" Friedel Is My All-Time Favorite Goalkeeper

Andrew Jordan — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:19:57 -0500

Throughout the history of football, there have been many great goalkeepers. From Gordon Banks and Lev Yashin to Peter Schmeichel and Gianluigi Buffon, the world has been lucky to see many great keepers lead their team to victories.

However, my favorite keeper is not considered to be as great as these other keepers, but to me, Brad Friedel is my favorite keeper.

For those of you who don't know much about Friedel, here is a lookback of his career and what has made him such a great player to me.

Brad Friedel was born on May 18, 1971 in Lakewood, OH and excelled in basketball, tennis, and soccer while in High School before he went to UCLA to play soccer.

While at UCLA, he led them to a National Championship in 1990 and he was selected as the first team All-American goalkeeper in 1991 and 1992 and won the Herrman Trophy in 1992 as the top collegiate soccer player.

After college, Friedel applied to play for both Nottingham Forest and for Newcastle, but he was denied a British work permit to play for both clubs, and he left England for Denmark to play for Brøndby.

After failing to join Sunderland once again due to a Work Permit issue, Friedel joined Galatasaray for one year before moving to Major League Soccer to play for the Columbus Crew.

After a year with the crew, Liverpool came calling for the young American keeper and were able to gain Friedel a work permit as Friedel joined Liverpool.

However with Liverpool, Friedel wasn't able to get enough playing time to keep him satisfied and he moved to Blackburn Rovers in 2001.

In his first full year with Blackburn, Friedel was incredible, as he was able to keep the Rovers in the Premier League, and was also man of the match in the English League Cup final, in which Blackburn beat Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 to win the cup.

After the season concluded, Friedel joined the United States national team in the FIFA World Cup, which was located in Japan and South Korea.

During this World Cup, Friedel was the starting keeper for the Americans.

In the first game, Friedel was able to back the United States in an incredible 2-1 win over Portugal.

In the second game, the United States played against South Korea, who were the hosts of the tournament and in the first half, South Korea were awarded a penalty, but Lee Eul-Young's shot went right into Friedel, and South Korea were only able to get a late goal against Friedel.

In the next game against Poland, Poland won 3-1 but were once again got denied on a penalty by Friedel, as Maciej Zurawski's penalty was stopped by Friedel, making the American the first keeper in the World Cup since 1974 to stop two penalties in the World Cup.

With Friedel's performance and the United States going onto the next round, I found myself amazed with Friedel's great play, and he unofficially became my all-time favorite keeper.

With Friedel's great performance, he was given the nickname "The Human Wall" and was the main reason why the United States were advancing onto the Round of 16 to take on our arch rival Mexico.

Against Mexico, the United States were fantastic to say the least, and Friedel was a huge part of that, as he registered the first United States clean sheet in the World Cup since 1950, and we were able to win 2-0.

Despite a hard-fought 1-0 loss to Germany in the Quarterfinals, Friedel and the American side came out of the World Cup as nation that showed that they are an emerging country on the world stage, and Friedel was a huge reason behind this.

After the World Cup, Friedel kept up his great performance in the Premier League, as he was huge for Blackburn during the season, even getting called Superman by Gordon Strachan for his heroics against Southampton.

Overall during the season, Friedel kept 15 clean sheets, and was named to the Premiership Starting XI for his great play.

After his incredible season, Friedel continued to play for Rovers, keeping them in the Premier League every season before leaving to Aston Villa in the summer of 2008.

In his first year with Aston Villa, Friedel nearly got the Villains a spot in the UEFA Champions League before Villa's hot streak ended, and found themselves in sixth place.

And, Friedel is also able to tutor another American keeper, Villa backup Brad Guzan, to make him yet another American international keeper who has played in the English Premier League.

Despite being 38 years old, Friedel is able to continue to be an effective force in the Premier League, as he has started 201 consecutive Premier League matches, which is the longest streak in the history of the Premier League.

Finally, despite other great American keepers such as Kasey Keller and Tim Howard and other greats such as Peter Schmeichel and Lev Yashi, Brad Friedel will always be my favorite keeper of all time, and it is great to see him play this well and have such a great career.

Who Will the Knicks Get in Free Agency in 2010?

Andrew Jordan — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:13:56 -0500

For the last several years, teams, players and fans have all looked forward to one day: July 1, 2010, the start of free agency in the NBA for that offseason. But this upcoming offseason will be bigger than any other year, as many different stars will now be eligible to join a new team, which could bolster that team on their way towards an NBA Championship. The most high-profile team leading up to this free agency has been the New York Knicks, as there has been much speculation on who the Knickerbockers might pick up as they will attempt to win their first NBA title since 1973. Since the Knicks management has replaced Isiah Thomas for Donnie Walsh and Mike D'Antoni, the Knicks have started to dump players and their salaries in order to make cap room for the 2010 Free Agency. In this article, I will name the players that could be pursued by the Knicks in the free agent market, why they will or will not join the Knicks and if they will play their home games at Madison Square Garden next year.

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Ireland-France: UEFA World Cup Playoff First Leg Preview

Andrew Jordan — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 08:40:41 -0500

On Nov. 14, France will travel to Croke Park in Dublin to take on the Irish National team in the most hyped UEFA World Cup playoff.

In group qualifying, Ireland finished second in Group Eight behind Italy with 18 points, while France barely missed getting the automatic bid in Group Seven, finishing just one point behind Serbia in getting an automatic spot in next year's World Cup.

This game will be the first matchup between both of these teams since 2005, in which France won their first game in Ireland in 52 years on a goal by Thierry Henry.

Here is a preview of this extremely hyped World Cup qualifier for both Ireland and France, and what each side must do in order to succeed.

Ireland

After a great qualifying campaign, Ireland will look to finish the job as now only France are in the way of Ireland going to their first World Cup since 2002.

And in the first match of this playoff, they are at home at Croke Park, where they have only lost once during this round of World Cup qualifying. It is an extremely hard place for opposing countries to win at.

And Croke Park will be a major key in this playoff, as Ireland will look to use their home-field advantage to get a victory before heading out to Paris during the second leg.

Also, the Irish will want to prove the French and their under-fire manager Raymond Domenech wrong after Domenech stated that the Irish national team are the equivalent of England's B team.

And finally, Ireland know that they will need a win at Croke Park in order to make it easier for them to qualify for next year's World Cup.

Finally, if Ireland could do all of this, they will have a great chance of qualifying for next year's World Cup.

France

After barely missing out of an automatic qualification spot in Group Seven, France will look to qualify for next year's World Cup by getting past Ireland in this playoff.

Because they failed to qualify in what was considered to be one of Europe's weaker groups, pressure has been building on French manager Raymond Domenech, and failure to reach the World Cup would be a major disappointment for the French.

So with all of this in mind, the French must come out of the gate and get the Croke Park crowd out of the game as soon as possible, as an early away goal will be crucial if the French are going to go to the World Cup.

Also, the French must also take out any momentum that the Irish have and cannot concede a goal, as the French cannot allow Ireland to have any goals heading into France on Nov. 18.

And finally, France must play with lots of heart and they know that they must get back to the World Cup.

Finally, you can definitely expect a great World Cup qualifier between Ireland and France on Nov. 14, as both of these countries want to make it to the World Cup next year, but only one country will complete the journey and get to South Africa.

Ten Greatest Comeback Wins Ever for Manchester United

Andrew Jordan — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:14:29 -0500

Throughout the history of Manchester United, there have been many memorable matches. From cup titles to games against rival sides, the Red Devils have been a team that have experienced many great moments. But throughout the years, they also have had many matches in which they have found themselves behind, but found a way to come back and win. That is what this slideshow is about, as we will now go back in time to see the ten greatest comeback wins in the history of Manchester United.

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World Football Community Writers Predict UEFA Qualifying

Andrew Jordan — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:09:22 -0500

With the nine automatic World Cup spots out of UEFA clinched by Denmark, Switzerland, Slovakia, Germany, Spain, England, Serbia, Italy and the Netherlands, it is now time for the remaining eight of the nine runners-up to play a two-legged playoff to qualify for next year's World Cup.

In the playoff, the following teams will play each other with the winner of each playoff advancing to South Africa next year.

The matchups are as follows: Russia-Slovenia, Greece-Ukraine, Portugal-Bosnia and Ireland-France.

Five writers in the World Football Community have given their input on the UEFA playoff: Keith Griffin (KG), Salomon Gonzales (SG), Matt S (MS), Salaar Shamsi (SS) and Sergey Zikov (SZ).

As moderator, I (AJ) asked the following questions to each of the participants.

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(AJ) Okay, the first question for the roundtable: Which playoff matchup intrigues you the most and why?

(KG) The matchup that intrigues me the most will be Ireland vs. France. Not only because they [Ireland] are my country, but also it will be interesting to see how the refereeing is performed. Let's see if there is any bias/corruption/pressure that will result in Ireland going out unfairly.

I almost guarantee that there will be.

Don't mind the Irish going out if we are beaten fairly, but the pressure on refs from that toad [current manager and UEFA president Michel] Platini is so great, I can see the French getting a penalty because Kevin Doyle had spuds for dinner…or something along those lines.

(SG) The playoff that intrigues me the most is the French vs the Irish. Quite simply because either one is strong enough to beat the other, and both countries possess enough quality to [do] some damage at the World Cup.

(MS) France is becoming more and more of an enigma, and Ireland obviously generates a lot of attention in the British press, but I’m going to go for Portugal-Bosnia. Portugal are favorites and dug itself out of a hole to beat Sweden to the playoff place behind Denmark but with Cristiano Ronaldo set to be ruled out, they will be missing their captain and you feel they could struggle, as most teams would without the FIFA World Player of the Year.

Bosnia was smashed by Spain last time out, losing 5-2 at home in a result which flattered them as they scored both of their goals in injury time. However, Portugal is a million miles away [in team ability] from their Iberian neighbors, and Bosnia will hope not to encounter such clinical finishing as Portugal certainly [doesn’t] have a David Villa or Fernando Torres. Bosnia will play to its strengths and attack, but you feel that this might just be playing into Portugal’s hands as they do struggle to break teams down when they defend deep and in numbers, so an open game might help them in creating clearer chances.

(SS) France vs Republic of Ireland is set to be the most intriguing contest. I can see France going through, but the Irish are set to give them a hard time.

Giovanni Trapattoni’s men have been in fine form of late and have showed the kind of determination needed to go to South Africa, and let's not forget they have Shay Given in goal.

(SZ) For me, my bias would push towards Russia and Slovenia. But here, it is Portugal vs. Bosnia & Herzegovina. The Bosnians have never qualified for the World Cup, while Portugal has qualified several times this decade. Both teams pride themselves on their different styles. Talented individuals and excellent team play. And possibly the most difficult playoff to pick.

(AJ) Okay, who do you have winning in the Russia v Slovenia matchup and who are the key players in this matchup?

(KG) Of the four contests taking place in the World Cup Qualifiers, the first team that looks most likely to progress to the finals is most definitely Russia. Guus Hiddink is running a tight ship, and they are almost mechanical in their destruction of teams. Andrei Arshavin is finding great form in the Premier League, and I'm sure he will continue this rich vein of form against Slovenia. Unlikely to make much of an impact in the actual World Cup, but they will dispose of the Slovenians who lack real quality.

The key player will be Andrei Arshavin, he could score goals, make goals, pull stupid faces and use the same old celebrations.

(SG) I picked Russia simply because I just don't see where Slovenia would get past them. I expect a spanking in Russia followed by a close win or a draw in Slovenia.

The key player will be Andrei Arshavin. ’Nuff said…

(MS) Slovenia took four points off Russia when they both qualified for the 2002 World Cup, but Russia has come on a lot since then. They also have a great coach in Hiddink, and I can’t see him or Russia slipping up in this one. They reached the semi-finals of Euro 2008 and assuming they overcome this test I can see them being a dark horse contender in South Africa next summer.

I’m going to go with a manager here on the key player: Guus Hiddink. Russia couldn’t really ask for a better manager in this kind of situation. The Dutchman has so much experience and got Australia through a tougher playoff assignment against Uruguay in qualifying for 2006. Russia has the edge both on and off the pitch, and I don’t see them slipping up.

(SS) Guus Hiddink’s Russia should cruise over Slovenia for me; they just appear to be too strong.

The likes of Arshavin will too much too handle for the Slovenians.

(SZ) Despite Russia being my home nation, I will try not to be biased. However, Russia will advance to the World Cup. There is no doubt that Slovenia has utterly suffocated their opponents, allowing a minuscule four goals in their 10 qualifying matches. But they are also quietly efficient offensively, as 10 different players have scored goals. However, they have not seen a team with the talent and drive as Russia. It could be argued that Guus Hiddink's men even outplayed Germany at home, but were unlucky to not emerge with at least a draw. While other "powerhouse nations" have struggled in qualifying, Russia has not, only suffering setbacks against the three-time World Cup winners. With a healthy roster, Hiddink's depth is too much to not advance.

In this playoff, home-field advantage will be the major key for the Russians. No team in Europe has a home-field advantage like Russia. Luzhniki Stadium has claimed many proud opponents in the past, as Russia has only lost once at home in the past 12 years. Coupled with the passionate crowd of 85,000 and freezing November conditions, it is an atmosphere that the Slovenians have never seen.

(AJ) In the next playoff matchup, we have Greece and Ukraine facing off against each other. In this playoff, which country do you see advancing to the World Cup, and who will be the reason in that country advancing?

(KG) Greece and Ukraine is not the most exciting match of the playoffs, but it is a hard one to call. I’ll stick my neck out and say Ukraine, who looked a decent side against England in the recent qualifier and with the home leg—the second leg of the matchup—for the Ukrainians, the odds look favorable for Andrei Shevchenko and Co.

The reason why I have Ukraine going through is that Ukraine has much more quality, and Greece lacks the ability to score the goals needed to put these games to bed.

If by some chance Slovenia does beat Russia, and we don't have Arshavin at the WC, I’ll personally start a hate campaign against them.

(SG) Ukraine vs Greece could go either way and I'm simply just picking one for the sake of it. Both countries have [done] reasonably well in the Qualifying rounds with extremely average players. I'm picking Ukraine simply because they came out of a slightly harder group… And they beat England ;)

The key player will be Andrei Shevchenko for Ukraine, and he will lead them to the World Cup.

(MS) Greece is the seeded team in their matchup with Ukraine, but in reality I don’t see too much between the two sides and, in fact, they are only six places apart in the FIFA World Rankings that they used to decide the seedings for the playoff draw (Greece, 16th and Ukraine, 22nd). Therefore, this should perhaps be the closest of the four ties.

Ukraine was the only team to beat England during qualifying and gave Fabio Capello’s side their toughest two games in qualification by some distance. I was particularly impressed when I saw them at Wembley, and England was fortunate to grab a late winner even though they enjoyed the majority of the possession. So I’m going for Ukraine in this one, but it should be close.

The reason why Ukraine will go to the World Cup is that Shevchenko seems rejuvenated having finally ended his Chelsea nightmare, and Gekas shouldn’t be overlooked after finishing as top scorer in European qualifying for Greece with ten goals. However, both sides are strong from set pieces, and I would pinpoint these as the key to the tie – whoever comes out on top in these battles should book their tickets to South Africa.

(SS) Greece and Ukraine together might provide us with the most competitive playoff match.

The teams are relatively balanced, but Ukraine’s goal scoring abilities are slightly better than the Euro 2004 Champions, and hence, I’m backing them to get to South Africa.

(SZ) I see Ukraine advancing past Greece. Andriy Pyatov is one of the most efficient national team keepers in Europe and with his Shakhtar Donetsk teammates in front of him, they play at a very high defensive level. The midfield, patrolled by Bayern Munich defensive specialist Anatoliy Tymoschuk, is also a respectable unit. On the other side, the Greeks have not been able to conjure the same magic as they did in Euro 2004. While many players are aging, the Ukraine also has two gaping holes up front that could slow them down—Liverpool's Andriy Voronin was omitted from the squad and second-leading scorer in qualification Serhiy Nazarenko is injured.

A matchup to look out for will be Shevchenko vs. Gekas. The two veterans have been the focal point of their respective nations on offense. Theofanis Gekas has 10 goals, Andriy Shevchenko has 6. Whoever has a greater impact should lead their country to South Africa.

(AJ) Okay, in the next matchup, we have Bosnia squaring off against Portugal. Gentlemen, who do you see advancing on to the World Cup, and what will be the deciding factor here?

(KG) Portugal’s hopes hang in the balance and with the loss of Cristiano Ronaldo with an ankle injury, their real goalscoring bite is missing. Nani and the rest lack any real threat and for that matter, any brains also. Carlos Queiroz continues to show that he can't enjoy much success out of Alex Ferguson’s shadow, and against a tough side like Bosnia, led by the lethal Edin Dzeko and Prajnic, things look like they could get a whole lot worse for the Portuguese. I'm backing Bosnia to snatch it.

For Bosnia, the key players will be Edin Dzeko and Prajnic: Scorer and playmaker.

(SG) I think anybody who picks Bosnia to beat Portugal over two legs is a fool. Despite struggling through the Qualifying rounds, they have way too much quality and experience to let this one go. Of all the playoffs being played, this one is the most clear cut.

The key player will be Cristiano Ronaldo, as he alone is the most important player in this matchup.

(MS) With or without Cristiano Ronaldo I think Portugal should edge out Bosnia, although they could prove to be a dark horse. Bosnia seems to be a bit top-heavy insomuch as their attack is a lot stronger than their defence so we could see a high-scoring tie here as I’d be surprised if they reigned in their attacking style too much seeing as it has brought them this far.

Portugal seems to have, by hook or by crook, finally found themselves a striker in Liédson who can finish the chances that their talented midfield creates. He scored the crucial equalizer in Copenhagen, and I can see him propelling his adopted nation towards South Africa in this tie.

(SS) Bosnia has done exceptionally well to get to the playoffs, but here’s where they hit a dead end, Ronaldo or no Ronaldo, Portugal should pick up comfortable victories in both legs.

The major key here will be how effective Ronaldo will be due to his injured ankle.

(SZ) Portugal, despite a moderately disappointing qualification, should advance to South Africa. Although Carlos Queiroz may not get much out of Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese have many other high caliber offensively-skilled players. They have also been finding their fire in the last few matches of the qualifying campaign. Both teams can certainly score nearly at will, and this may very well end up as a "last shot wins it" playoff. Edin Dzeko can certainly fill the net, but the Portuguese simply have more depth.

In this matchup, defense will be the major key to victory. Both of these teams are going to score. The question is who can slow the other down first? While the multitude of star strikers will take all the headlines, defense will win the day.

(AJ) And now we are onto the final playoff. Who will advance onto the World Cup: Ireland or France?

(KG) This match up between Ireland and France is of course of special interest to me, being Irish. Lots has been made of Giovanni Trapatonni’s selections, but I think the only one that riled me was the exclusion of Steven Reid who I felt could easily added that bit more to our midfield, without sacrificing work rate. No matter who the French are missing, they stil look as if they could rip the Irish apart. Karim Benzema, Theirry Henry, Sidney Govou and Yohann Gourcoff would make any defense tremble, but when your defense includes a stalwart such as Kevin Kilbane, you just know it could be time to put on your green jersey and tell Trap that you can do better than the English-born journey man.

Here, France to go through…easily, mainly due to the fact that France contains too much quality to not unlock Ireland's concentration-lacking defence.

Also, Sidney Govou, Karim Benzema and of course, Theirry Henry. Score a goal or two, and Irish heads will drop. If I was Domenech, I'd be putting the Irish to the sword as soon as the whistle blows to start the game.

(SG) Picking France over Ireland was hard, but I see the French just about shading this one. I could be wrong and Ireland may well come out of this, but my head just tells me France possesses too much firepower up front.

The reason why France will advance will be due to that French strike force.

(MS) On paper France has far too much talent for the Republic of Ireland but have been stuttering under Domenech for about five years now, even though they did of course get within a penalty kick or two of winning the World Cup last time out.

Trappatoni will have his side well drilled, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him settle for a scoreless first leg in Dublin and then look to take his chances with an away-goal in the return leg in Paris. However, even without Franck Ribéry, who’s out with injury, they have enough up front to trouble the Irish—and crucially—have finally started scoring again. Their options up front are plentiful with Henry, Anelka, Benzema and Gignac, not to mention Yoann Gourcuff pulling the strings in behind them.

In this matchup, I’m tempted to go for Shay Given as Ireland’s best player will almost certainly need to be on top form over the two legs if they are to progress. However, I’m going to go for our old friend Raymond Domenech. His defensive tendencies of forever operating with two holding midfielders will be matched or outdone by Trappatoni so it will be key to see who he names in attack.

Andre-Pierre Gignac of Toulouse came up with the goals late in the campaign, but it will be interesting to see if he keeps his place in the team as well as Henry and Anelka or whether Domenech opts for the big name in Karim Benzema, who himself has something of a point to prove having been recently outspoken about his lack of effort and desire when representing the national side.

(SS) France has immense quality and even though they are quite shaky in defense of late, I’d back them to get the better of Ireland.

More importantly, with the second leg at home, Les Blues shouldn’t have too much to worry about.

(SZ) No matchup has been more discussed than Ireland vs. France. The Irish hate the thought of a seeded playoff. The French can't put it together, and a number of players are out (Clichy, Viera, Ribery, and Nasri). But on paper, there is no doubt that France is the superior team. Raymond Domench just has so many options to choose from up front. But on the opposite side of the French, the Irish play incredible football as a unit and have not lost in qualifying. And as we've all seen in the Champions League, an inspired defense can stifle a potent offense. The Irish advance.

A failure to reach the World Cup could be the final knockout punch in Raymond Domench's tenure as manager. As the runner-up from 2006, the expectations on the French is astronomical. And if the team is not playing up to its potential, the home crowd will not hesitate to let Domench hear about it.

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I would like to thank all five of our writers, who have taken the time to help contribute to this roundtable, as I deeply appreciate what they have done.

Now that you have heard what these writers have predicted, what do you, the reader, think about these predictions? Please do not hesitate to comment on what you think will happen.

And finally, let the playoffs begin!

Man United and Chelsea Meet at Stamford Bridge in Battle of EPL's Best

Andrew Jordan — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 14:19:30 -0500

In the biggest matchup in the English Premier League so far this year, three-time defending EPL champion Manchester United travel to Stamford Bridge to take the current leaders of the EPL in Chelsea.

Heading into this match, Man United and Chelsea have developed a huge rivalry in recent years, as they have met each other in a memorable 2007 FA Cup final (in which Chelsea won on penalties), have faced each other twice a year in the Premier League in hotly contested matches, and in the 2008 UEFA Champions League final, where John Terry slipped and fell on a game winning penalty during the fifth round of the penalty shootout, in which Man United came back and won 6-5 to win the 2008 Champions League final.

And last year, Man United and Chelsea drew one all at Stamford Bridge early in the Premier League season, and met at Old Trafford in January, in which United thrashed Chelsea 3-0 on their way to win their third consecutive Premier League title.

However since then, Chelsea have won the 2009 FA Cup and have gotten off to a great start with new manager Carlo Ancelotti, as they currently are the leaders in the English Premier League table.

These two sides have also already met each other this year in the FA Community Shield, in which Michael Ballack elbowed Patrice Evra on the head and got away without a booking, causing the tempers to rise in a match that is considered by many to be a friendly.

So with all of this hype from what has happened to these two sides over the last several years, here is a preview of the match for both the Manchester United and Chelsea sides.

Chelsea

The current leaders of the English Premier League by two points over Manchester United, Chelsea head into this home match looking to increase their lead in the Premier League table to five points.

Chelsea have had mixed results within the last month in the Premier League, as they have gained the lead but still lost at Wigan and Aston Villa within the last month.

But due to their recent success, Chelsea have tremendous confidence going into this match, which could be a major advantage for the Blues over the Red Devils.

Also, Carlo Ancelotti has stated that this will be a huge win for Chelsea, and they will need Didier Drogba to play his best and to add on to his great recent form of 12 goals in his last 13 games.

And Chelsea know that Drogba and Anelka must play strong in order to win, as Chelsea have scored 19 goals in their last five matches.

And the final major factor to watch is that this match is taking place in Stamford Bridge, where Chelsea are undefeated so far this year and have not lost to United since April of 2002.

Manchester United

After beating Blackburn Rovers 2-0 last weekend and coming from behind on Nov. 3 to draw with CSKA Moscow 3-3 at Old Trafford, Manchester United will head to Stamford Bridge looking to build their title credentials for this year.

However against CSKA Moscow, United's defense was porous at times and continued to allow CSKA to get great scoring opportunities when they decided to attack.

And with Rio Ferdinand and possibly Nemanja Vidic both out due to injury, major questions over Wes Brown and Jonny Evans defensive play will need to be answered if United are to win, as Drogba and Nicolas Anelka have become a dynamic duo, and their offensive play contributes to most of Chelsea's goals.

Adding to these injury woes are the absence of Darren Fletcher and Dimitar Berbatov in this match due to prior injury problems.

But despite all of this, United will have Wayne Rooney ready to start for the Red Devils after the birth of his son on Oct. 3 and by having him back, United will still have a strong attack on the Chelsea goal.

And United know that this is a must-win match for them, as a loss here could Chelsea to control the Premier League title race, as Patrice Evra has already called this the biggest match of the season for United, and Sir Alex Ferguson has made it known to his players that losing cannot be an option.

Finally, expect a great match here in the "Battle of England" as both Chelsea and Manchester United will want to win here to establish themselves as the team to beat in the Premier League, but only one side will leave the Bridge with that task accomplished.

Rubin Kazan Holds Barcelona at Bay Again, Move into First in Group F

Andrew Jordan — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:36:40 -0500

After a shocking 2-1 loss at the Camp Nou to Rubin Kazan during Matchday Three, FC Barcelona traveled to Kazan to once again take on the champions of the Russian Premier League in an important fixture in Group F.

Meanwhile for Rubin Kazan, they went into this fixture looking to once again beat the winners of the 2009 UEFA Champions League, and to advance onto the knockout stages for the first time in their history.

The conditions in Russia were extremely cold and caused the pitch to be very rough before the match even begun, but the game wasn't delayed and the first Champions League match of the day was now underway!

Early on, Barcelona showed that they weren't going to get beaten once again, as they drew two corners and Zlatan Ibrahimovic took a header in the third minute that beat Kazan keeper Sergei Ryzhikov, but the crossbar denied the goal and the game went on.

After the Ibrahimovic header, Barcelona continued to be on the attack, but Ryzhikov continued to stop Barcelona, and Kazan blew their best chance of the first half when Aleksandr Ryazantsev got a breakaway toward Barcelona keeper Victor Valdes, but Valdes stopped the shot and the game went into the half goalless.

As the second half begun, Barcelona once again went onto the offensive, but they clearly showed no inspiration while attacking, and were not able to take a difficult shot at Ryzhikov.

But Kazan showed heart, as Alejandro Dominquez got a great chance and passed to Aleksandr Bukharov, who decided to chest the ball instead of shooting it, which allowed Valdes to scoop up the danger.

And shortly afterwards, Bukharov got another great chance, as he got Valdes completely out of position outside of the penalty box, but Barcelona defender Carlos Puyol cleared the danger.

After the Kazan chances late in the match, Barcelona were still not able to get any more great chances, and the game ended with a scoreless draw.

With the draw, Kazan have temporarily moved into first in Group F with five points, and own the tiebreaker over Barcelona due to their win in the Camp Nou during Matchday Three.

Kazan will now host Dynamo Kiev in an extremely important fixture in Matchday Five, as knockout stage spots will certainly be on the line in Kazan on November 24.

Meanwhile for Barcelona, they too will have an extremely important match during Matchday Five, as they will host Serie A champions Inter Milan at the San Siro, which will also have major knockout stage implications on the line.

Shennikov's Late Own Goal Earns Man United a 3-3 Draw With CSKA Moscow

Andrew Jordan — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:21:18 -0500

After defeating CSKA Moscow 1-0 in the Luzhniki Stadium on Oct. 21, Manchester United hosted CSKA at Old Trafford in their second matchup in the UEFA Champions League on Nov. 3.

United went into this match just needing a draw to get into the knockout stages of the Champions League, while CSKA went into Old Trafford needing a victory to get them into second place in Group B, and contend for the second knockout position out of Group B.

This also was CSKA's Champions League match with Leonid Slutsky as manager, as he replaced the recently sacked Juande Ramos.

Early on, CSKA came out firing several shots at the United goal, and started to take control of the game in the offensive end, and in the 25th minute, CSKA got rewarded for their hard work with a goal.

The goal was scored by Alan Dzagoev, as he was able to shoot the ball into the net past United keeper Edwin Van de Sar on a very acute angle on the left hand side, and was able to put the ball into the far right corner to give CSKA a 1-0 lead.

However, Man United responded very quickly to this goal as just four minutes later, Michael Owen was able to put away a shot from the center of the box to tie up the game at one.

But just one minute later, CSKA took the lead 2-1 on more beautiful football, as this time Tomas Necid fed a through ball to an unmarked Milos Krasic, who pivoted past Van de Sar and desposed of the ball into the empty net, giving CSKA the lead.

And as the first half headed toward a conclusion, United went on the offensive, but they weren't able to beat CSKA keeper Igor Akinfeev and CSKA Moscow went into the half at Old Trafford with a 2-1 lead over Manchester United.

And at the beginning of the second half, CSKA Moscow took a 3-1 lead as Dzagoev fed Vassill Berezoutski on a free kick, who headed the ball past Van de Sar to give CSKA the third goal.

But after the goal, Darren Fletcher was moving the ball into the CSKA box, where he was tripped by Berezouski on a play that should have been a penalty, but Fletcher was instead shown a yellow card for diving by referee Olegario Benquerenca.

After the Fletcher incident, Man United manager Sir Alex Ferguson replaced Nani with new father Wayne Rooney, as his wife Coleen gave birth to Kai Wayne Rooney on Nov. 2.

After Rooney came in, United's attack continued to take shots at Akinfeev, but the Russian keeper was marvelous in the goal, as he was preventing anything from getting in.

But in the 84th minute, United started another incredible rally as Paul Scholes was able to head in the ball of a pass from Gary Neville, and the game was now 3-2.

And United continued to pepper the CSKA defense after the goal, and they were able to capitalize on a bizarre play.

Man United's Antonio Valencia took a shot from about 25 yards out, but his shot deflected off of CSKA defender's Georgy Shennikov leg and past Akinfeev, tying the game at three.

And after the goal, Rooney had one more chance to win the match, but his shot went over the bar and the game ended with the score tied at three.

With the draw, Manchester United have ensured themselves passage into the knockout stages of the Champions League, and will face Besiktas at home on Nov. 25 on Matchday Five.

Meanwhile for CSKA, this result will drop them further back in the Group B standings, as Wolfsburg was able to win at Besiktas 3-0, which increased the gap between Wolfsburg and CSKA Moscow to three points, with both sides meeting on Matchday Five on Nov. 25.

Champions League Matchday Four Preview

Andrew Jordan — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 07:31:34 -0500

Despite being halfway through the Champions League this season, we have seen many amazing moments and games from the first three matchdays to keep anybody excited.

During Matchday Three, we once again saw many incredible moments, such as Barcelona's stunning 2-1 loss at home to Russian champion Rubin Kazan, a late goal by Cesar Delgado at Anfield gave Lyon a 2-1 come-from-behind win over Liverpool, and a late goal by Alexandre Pato gave AC Milan a stunning 3-2 victory at the Bernabeu over Real Madrid.

Now as we enter Matchday Four, we will once again be treated to many amazing matches, as each side that met in Matchday Three will once again meet their opponent during Matchday Four, and here is a quick preview of each match for both teams during Matchday Four of the UEFA Champions League.

Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2009

Group A

Bordeaux v Bayern Munich

After winning 2-1 at the Stade Chaban-Delma over Bayern Munich during Matchday Three, Bordeaux will now travel to the Fußball Arena Munich to compete with Bayern Munich for the second and final time in the group stage.

Currently, Bordeaux are first in Group A with seven points and will look to strengthen their position for the knockout stage with a win in Munich, while Bayern (who are third in the group with four points) will be without the services of Daniel van Buyten and Thomas Mueller due to red cards suffered in France during Matchday Three.

Maccabi Haifa v Juventus

After a 1-0 win in Italy during Matchday three, Juventus will now travel to Israel to take on Maccabi Haifa in Matchday three in their second straight matchup in Champions League group play.

In this match, Juventus will be without Mohamed Sissoko due to a thigh strain, and there also is a possibility that the Zebra's will also be without Alexander Del Piero and Vincenzo Iaquinta due to injury

Meanwhile, Haifa will be looking to get their first points of this year's Champions League group stage and will have some confidence due to a solid performance in Italy during Matchday Three.

Group B

Manchester United v CSKA Moscow

After a late Antonio Valencia goal gave them a 1-0 in Moscow during their first matchup, Manchester United will now host CSKA Moscow in their second straight Champions League matchup at Old Trafford.

Man United are currently the leaders of Group B with nine points, and have beaten every team in their group at least once, and appear to be a lock to get into the knockout round again, while CSKA Moscow will try to get into second place in Group B with a win at Old Trafford.

However, United will be without Rio Ferdinand, Ryan Giggs and Darren Fletcher due to injury, while Moscow will be playing their first Champions League match since old manager Juande Ramos got sacked on October 26 following a loss to FC Moscow, and has been replaced temporarily by Leonid Slutsky.

Besiktas v Wolfsburg

After a scoreless draw in Wolfsburg during Matchday Three, Besiktas and Wolfsburg will now travel to Istanbul for the second time in consecutive Champions League matchdays.

In this matchup, Wolfsburg will be looking to solidify their first ever trip to the Champions League knockout stage, but will have do so without highly rated Brazilian striker Grafite for the next two matches due to his ridiculous actions against a Besiktas player during Matchday Three.

Meanwhile, Besiktas will be looking to get their first win of the Champions League group stage and keep their chances alive for advancing onto the Champions League knockout stage.

Group C

AC Milan v Real Madrid

After the most entertaining matchup during Matchday Three in which Alexandre Pato gave Milan a 3-2 win at the Bernabeu over Real Madrid, the two European powers will now travel to the San Siro in Milan for their second matchup in Champions League group play.

For Milan, this matchup will come at a great time for them, as they have played very well lately and have now found themselves in fourth in the Serie A table. And a win at home in this match will be a major help if the Rossoneri are to advance onto the knockout stage.

Meanwhile, for Real Madrid, this will be Kaka's first match at the San Siro after leaving AC Milan last summer, and Real will also be without superstar Cristiano Ronaldo again in the Champions League due to an ankle injury.

However, with Real's recent bad form, some have started to wonder if they will be able to advance onto the knockout round of the Champions League, and many more have wondered if Real manager Manuel Pellegrini will be sacked.

Olympique Marseille v FC Zurich

Despite a thrilling 1-0 win in the San Siro over AC Milan during Matchday Two, FC Zurich still have two losses, but they will be looking to turn that around when they travel to the Velodrome to take on Marseille.

However, Marseille will be weakened without the services of playmaker Lucio Gonzalez due to a twisted ankle, but they will be looking to gain points with either Real Madrid or AC Milan not being able to gain a maximum three points during their match.

Group D

APOEL v FC Porto

After being powered by two goals by Hulk in Porto during Matchday Three when these two sides met, Porto will now travel to Cyprus to take on APOEL for the second consecutive game in Champions League play.

Currently, Porto are in second in Group D with six points, and a win here would all but clinch a spot for them in the knockout stage while APOEL will be looking to get their first ever win in the Champions League play at the GSP Stadium, and will need to win to keep their hopes to advance further in the Champions League.

Atletico Madrid v Chelsea

After destroying Atletico 4-0 during their last Champions League match, Chelsea will travel to the Vicente Calderon Stadium to take on Atletico in their second matchup of this season's Champions League campaign.

After their last loss, Atletico fired manager Abel Resino for Quique Flores, and hope that with this change, they will somehow find a way to advance further in Europe.

Meanwhile, for Chelsea, a win here would clinch their spot in the knockout stage of the Champions League in their fifth consecutive season playing in the Champions League at some time in their European campaign.

Wednesday, Nov. 4,

Group E

Fiorentina v Debreceni

After a thrilling 4-3 victory in Hungary during Matchday Three, Fiorentina will head back to Italy in a rematch against Debreceni with a chance to get into the knockout stages of the Champions League on the line.

Meanwhile, Debreceni will be looking to get their first ever points in the Champions League during this match and get out of last place in the Group E table.

Lyon v Liverpool

After a thrilling second half at Anfield capped off by a Cesar Delgado goal in stoppage time gave Lyon a thrilling Champions League win, Lyon will travel back home to France where they will face off against ice-cold Liverpool.

Despite their win two weeks ago over Manchester United at Anfield, Liverpool have lost six of their last seven matches, and the pressure on Rafa Benitez to keep his job has continued to rise.

And Rafa got even more bad news on Monday, as he learned that both Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres could both face surgery due to their injuries that they have received.

Also, even former LFC managers such as Ronnie Whelan have stated that Rafa is only managing to win the Champions League title but a loss in Lyon would all but eliminate Liverpool's dream of winning a sixth Champions League title.

Meanwhile, for Lyon, a win here would all but clinch a spot into the knockout stages of the Champions League.

Group F

Rubin Kazan v FC Barcelona

After a stunning 2-1 in the Camp Nou during Matchday Three, Russian champions Rubin Kazan will head back to Kazan to face the winners of the 2009 Champions League final in FC Barcelona one more time.

Kazan currently are in third place in Group F with four points, but they are just one point behind Barcelona and Dynamo Kiev for first place in the group, and a win here could get the Russian champions into the Champions League knockout stages for the first time in their history.

Meanwhile for Barcelona, they will try to rebound from this loss in Kazan, and will have Dani Alves back for this match after recovering from his right thigh injury this weekend, and they will also look for revenge with a win here.

Dynamo Kiev v Inter Milan

After a 2-2 draw at the San Siro during Matchday Three, Inter will travel to Ukraine to take on Dynamo Kiev in their second meeting in the Champions League this year.

In this match, Kiev will try to solidify a berth into the knockout stage with a huge win here, but will have do so with the threat of Swine Flu potentially postponing the match.

Meanwhile for Inter, Jose Mourinho's men will be without Sulley Muntari, Thiago Motta, Wesley Sneijde and possibly Marco Balotelli, all due to injury, and the Italian champions will try to get out of last place in Group F with a win in Kiev.

Group G

Unirea Urziceni v Rangers

After an embarrassing 4-1 loss at Ibrox in Unirea Urziceni's first ever Champions League win, Rangers will now head to Romania to once again take on Urziceni in a must-win game if they are to advance in Europe.

Meanwhile, Urziceni will head back to Romania knowing that they got this 4-1 win due to hard work after conceding an early own goal, and a win here could get them into the Champions League knockout stages for the first time in their history.

Sevilla v VfB Stuttgart

Already five points clear of everyone in the Group G table, Sevilla will now head back to Spain looking to clinch a spot in the knockout stage by just needing a draw to qualify for the knockout stage of the Champions League.

Meanwhile, Stuttgart are currently in third in the Group G standings with two points, and will need a win in order to get back on track and make an attempt to qualify for the knockout stages.

Group H

Arsenal v AZ Alkmaar

After a one-all draw in the Netherlands during Matchday Three, Arsenal will now host AZ Alkmaar at the Arsenal Stadium in an important Champions League match for both sides.

Arsenal are currently in first in Group H with seven points, and a win here would all but clinch a spot for the Gunners in the knockout stages of the Champions League, as they will get Samir Nasri back after returning on Saturday against Tottenham, a game in which the Gunners won by a 3-0 score.

Meanwhile, for Alkmaar, they will look to move up the table with a win in London in their inaugural Champions League season, and will need a win to help get them into the knockout stages of the Champions League, but the Dutch champions will have do so without leading scorer Mounir El Hamdaoui due to a torn muscle in his leg.

Standard de Liege v Olympiacos

After a 2-1 loss in Greece, Standard de Liege are in desperate need of a first Champions League win this year if they are to advance in Europe as they will now head back to Belgium to take on Olympiacos.

Meanwhile for Olympiacos, they will be looking to advance into the knockout stages in Europe with a win here, but will have do so without Diogo, who is once again out due to injury.

Should Wayne Rooney Join Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid?

Andrew Jordan — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 11:32:38 -0400

In an article in the Sun on October 31, Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo told the British paper that he thinks that his former teammate at Manchester United, Wayne Rooney, should join Ronaldo at Real Madrid.

In his interview, Ronaldo stated that Rooney should join the league that has players such as Ronaldo, Kaka, and Lionel Messi in La Liga, where Ronaldo believes that Rooney will succeed tremendously in.

Ronaldo also stated that Rooney has shown the world how good of a player he truly is over the last several seasons, and he hopes that Rooney will one day join him at the Bernabeu.

However, Ronaldo also stated that he knows that it would take a lot to move Rooney away from Manchester Untied, where he loves to play, and he is from the Liverpool area, but hopes that Rooney will join him someday.

Over the years when both stars played at the same time for Man United, Manchester United won 69 percent of all of the matches that they played together in, and the two also combined for 124 goals when they played together in just 140 matches.

With this statement, Ronaldo wants Rooney to join the group of Manchester United stars that left Old Trafford for the Bernabeu, which includes players such as David Beckham and Ruud van Nistelrooy.

So after this statement by Cristiano Ronaldo, do you the reader agree with him?

Should Wayne Rooney leave Manchester United for Real Madrid?

Manchester United-Blackburn Preview

Andrew Jordan — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:16:48 -0400

After a disappointing 2-0 defeat over rival Liverpool at Anfield on October 25 and a 2-0 win at Barnsley on October 27, Manchester United will finally head back to Old Trafford on Halloween, October 31, to take on the Blackburn Rovers.

Meanwhile, Blackburn will come to Old Trafford looking to rebound from a disappointing 5-0 loss at Stamford Bridge, and will try to get themselves away from the dreaded relegation zone.

Last year, Man United beat Blackburn twice at Old Trafford, including a Carling Cup match in which Carlos Tevez scored four goals against Blackburn in a 5-3 win.

Here is a preview of the match for both Manchester United and Blackburn, and what each side needs to do in order to succeed.

Manchester United

Currently in second place in the English Premier League, Manchester United have so far had a great season despite losing Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez last summer, as players such as Wayne Rooney and Ryan Giggs have helped United get off to this great start.

Despite all of this, the Manchester United defense has looked terrible so far this season, and the first major key in this match is to prevent defensive turnovers in their own zone that could lead to scoring opportunities for Blackburn.

Also, United will need to forget about that game in Anfield on Sunday and get back on track in the English Premier League.

Finally, Manchester will need to get Wayne Rooney back on the scoresheet, as he hasn't scored a goal in over a month. If he can start scoring, his team will become nearly impossible to beat.

Blackburn

The Blackburn Rovers are currently just two points out of the relegation zone and are looking to get back on track against Man United.

However, the Rovers have only one win in their Premier League history at Old Trafford, and have lost 11 out of the 15 Premier League games they played there.

Blackburn's defense has been terrible this year, conceding a Premier League-leading 22 goals. They have lost two of their last three matches by the scores of 6-2 at Arsenal and 5-0 at Chelsea, so maintaining a strong defense against United is a major key.

Also, Blackburn are going to have to get Franco Di Santo to attack on the United goal, as he has been touted as a star of the future and scored two goals against Burnley two weeks ago.

Finally, Blackburn must get great goalkeeping from Paul Robinson, as the United attack will probably pepper him with shots throughout the match.

Expect a great Premier League match between Manchester United and Blackburn, as both of these teams will look for success, but only one club will leave Old Trafford with the real feeling of accomplishment achieved.

Why Randy Johnson, Not Derek Jeter, Is Mr. November

Andrew Jordan — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:19:37 -0400

Now with the World Series set to begin, people have started to talk about the Yankees winning their 27th World Championship and "Mr. November", Derek Jeter, will help the team once the World Series gets that far.

However, I completely disagree with the term "Mr. November" for Derek Jeter and I argue that Randy Johnson should instead be called Mr. November.

To tell you about my argument, I will turn back the clocks to 2001 and how this entire event concerning Mr. November unfolded.

After the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, Major League Baseball took a break from their season to honor the 2,974 people who died on 9-11.

After the week was over, baseball became a tool that helped heal America from the terrorist attacks, and the baseball world was treated to many great moments such as Mike Piazza's home run to win the Mets the first baseball game in New York after the terrorist attacks, and Derek Jeter's famous flip to Jorge Posada to tag out Jeremy Giambi to help the Yankees win the ALDS and eventually the pennant.

But as the World Series begun, the New York Yankees had a fierce fight ahead of them, as they had to face the Arizona Diamondbacks, who won the National League pennant.

After Arizona convincingly won the first two games behind gems thrown by Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson at Bank One Ballpark, the World Series shifted to Yankee Stadium in New York (where the Twin Towers crumbled to the ground less than two months ago), where President George Bush threw out the first pitch, and the Yankees won 2-1 to reduce the deficit to two game to one in favor of Arizona.

As Game Four started, viewers knew that the game was going to become another classic game from this series, as Curt Schilling pitched a gem, and with the tying run on base with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, the game went down to the wire.

But for the Diamondbacks, the worst possible scenario happened, as Tino Martinez tied the game with a two run home run with two outs in the ninth, causing Yankee Stadium to go nuts.

And as the game went into the 10th inning, the Yankee Stadium scoreboard clock changed to midnight, signaling the start of November, and making this game the first ever MLB game to be played in November.

Right after that, in came in Yankee Shortstop Derek Jeter, who up to that point was not having a great World Series, as he had only one hit in 15 at bats so far in the series, but Jeter made up for those stats on a 3-2 pitch by Arizona closer Byung-Hyun-Kim, as he hit a home run into the Yankee Stadium right field porch, giving the Yankees a 4-3 win in a dramatic Game Four.

After the dramatic home run, the media and the fans called Jeter Mr. November for his heroics, and the name quickly stuck.

After the win, the Yankees once again dramatically beat Arizona on a game winning hit, and as the series shifted back to Arizona, the Yankees held a three games to two advantage over the Diamondbacks, and needed only one win to win their 27th World Series.

But, Arizona ace Randy Johnson was on the mound for Game Six, and the Diamondbacks blew apart the Yankees by a ridiculous 15-2 scoreline, in which Johnson pitched seven innings and only allowed two runs.

Along with that, Johnson also got an RBI single in the Arizona third (an inning in which the Diamondbacks scored eight runs), and eventually came around to score.

But, Jeter was shut down to no hits and no runs in Game Six and with that coupled with a Game Five in which Jeter had one hit in five at bats, Jeter now had two hits in seven at bats in the World Series.

And with this win, the Diamondbacks and the Yankees met in the first Game Seven of the World Series since 1997.

In that game, Roger Clemens and Curt Schilling both pitched gems for their teams, but after Schilling gave up the go-ahead home run to Alfonso Soriano and got taken out for Miquel Batista (who got Jeter to ground out into a fielder's choice), Arizona manager Bob Brenly brought in his ace Johnson (who just pitched seven innings the night before).

And Johnson delivered, as he got the next four batters with ease, and the game headed toward the bottom of the ninth inning with the Yankees beating the Diamondbacks by a 2-1 score.

But the Diamondbacks pulled out a rally for the ages, as they were able to score two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning off the greatest closer in baseball history in Mariano Rivera, capped off with a walk-off bloop single by Arizona's Luis Gonzalez over Jeter's head, and the Diamondbacks won their first World Series by a 3-2 score, and Johnson got his third victory of that World Series.

And the World Series MVP was announced, with both Johnson and Schilling sharing the honors in both players first ever World Series title.

After recapping that incredible World Series and with the focus now being put on the upcoming World Series between the Yankees and Phillies becoming the first World Series since 2001 to take place in November, I hope you decided to that Randy Johnson truly is Mr. November

And after rereading and putting some research into this topic, here are the results that will back up my claim for Randy Johnson being Mr. November:

In November of 2001, Jeter won one game for the Yankees, while Johnson won two games for the Diamondbacks.

Along with that, Johnson truly won the Diamondbacks that World Series and ended the Yankees dynasty with his left arm, while Jeter and the rest of the Yankee team had to watch the Diamondbacks win this World Series.

And finally, how could a player such as Jeter, with a .273 batting average with one home run and one RBI along with two runs scored, be Mr. November over Johnson, who won two games, have an ERA of 2.22, and also scored two runs and had an RBI single, all in the month of November.

The truth is that the next time before you call Derek Jeter Mr. November for his home run, you should reconsider and realize that Randy Johnson, not Derek Jeter, is truly Mr. November.

Should Fighting Stay in the NHL?

Andrew Jordan — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:08:18 -0400

With the NHL back after a great 2008-2009 season, a major topic still looms over the popularity of the National Hockey League; should fighting be banned?

During the 2008-2009 regular season, their were 805 fights for an average of .65 fights per game, which is up from the 731 fights and average of .59 fights per game average from the 2007-2008 season.

However, as the NHL continues to make its way back as one of the top four sports leagues in America after the 2004-2005 players strike that canceled that season, many fair-weathered fans have started to complain that the NHL shouldn't allow fighting.

MLB, the NFL and the NBA all take a strong stand against fighting with suspensions coming to the guilty parties involved, but in the NHL, a player gets five minutes for fighting before they reenter the game, and could fight another player.

Because of this, the NHL have found themselves in a very difficult position; do they limit or remove fighting from their game in order to get the casual sports fan to become bigger hockey fans, or do they remain loyal to their fan base that has always supported the NHL, and consider fighting to be a major part of the game.

With this in mind, here are some Pros (for keeping fighting) and Cons (to severely limit or eliminate fighting altogether).

Why to keep Fighting

Reason One: Players need to defend each other

In one of the most physical games in all of sports, hockey is a game in which players hit each other throughout the course of a game, and players are always quick to defend their teammates whenever something happens.

So if an opposing player comes up and has ice come up into the goalie's face mask while stopping, players on the goalie's team will come up and protect their goalie as an act of self-defense.

Reason Two: It makes the game more interesting

In a game, a fight could also be used to inspire a team to play better after conceding a goal, a big hit or any other event that caused a team to lose momentum.

After this happens, the team that caused the fight could start to play better and make an attempt to win the game, which makes the game more exciting.

Reason Three: The fans love it

NHL fans are among the most loyal fan bases in all of sports, and the biggest hockey fans always love fights.

These fans love their teams, and when a player on their team gets into a fight, they and their fellow fans go crazy, which always makes the game more intense.

After a fight ends, the fans continue to stay loud, and these fans know how important fighting is for their team's success.

Reason Four: It's an important part of the game

Throughout the history of hockey, fighting has always existed and is one of the most important factors of the game.

Every team from the beginning of the NHL have always had an enforcer, and hockey players have known to fight and protect their teammates from a young age.

Because of this, a game of hockey must have fighting due to its history and actual impact on the game.

Reason Five: More violence will break out without it

I know you are probably doing a double take after reading this reason, but let me explain this.

The truth is, without fighting in hockey, violence is most likely going to break out due to the fact that there will be no players there to "police" the game and pick fights with the opposing team.

Without fighting, players will start to take more cheap shots on opposing players, which will cause even more violence and even more brawling, despite the fact that fighting is now illegal in the NHL.

Now that you have read the reasons why to keep fighting in the National Hockey League, here is a list of why to ban fighting from the NHL.

Why to ban Fighting

Reason One: Fighting isn't allowed in any other major sport

When fans go to see most sporting event, they usually go to see a big name or a big team play and in most of these games, fighting is not tolerated at all.

However in the NHL, fighting is allowed, which angers many of these fans in the way that these players do not get suspended for their actions, and in most cases, they are allowed back onto the ice after a five-minute fighting major.

Reason Two: It just lengthens the game for no real reason at all.

For some fans who go to an NHL game or watch a game on TV, they usually watch to see players such as Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin show what they could do on the ice.

However, these fans don't appreciate the fact that there is fighting in the game, despite the physicality involved, which causes some fans to dislike fighting.

Reason Three: By getting rid of fighting, you will gain more fans.

Since the 1990's, the NHL has moved more into the spotlight as a major sport in the United States, and they have been able to get more fans.

They moved franchises from places such as Winnipeg, Quebec, and Hartford for Phoenix, Denver, and Raleigh, N.C., in order to attract new NHL fans.

However, their image took a blow after the 2004-2005 players strike cancelled the entire season but since then, fair-weathered fans have started return their interest into the NHL.

But now, the league is facing pressure over their image from these potential fans: do they eliminate or severely limit fighting in order to get these fans into their league, which is a major reason why I am writing this article.

Reason Four: A player could get severally injured from a fight.

On Jan. 3, 2009, 23-year-old Don Sanderson of the Whitby Dulops, (a top senior amateur team) became the first known player to die due to injuries sustained during a fight.

On December 12, Sanderson was involved in a fight in which his helmet got knocked off before he fell to the ice, which caused him to get severe head injuries after his head fell to the ice.

After this happened, more resentment to fighting became more apparent in the media, and more people put pressure on the NHL to limit or ban fighting.

Because of the risks of players fighting on ice, there always is a great chance of injury from a fight, which will hurt hockey's image.

Reason Five: They don't have fighting in the Olympics or in the World Juniors Tournament.

Despite all of the fighting that exists, fighting still doesn't exist in the Olympics or in the World Junior Championships, and the game of hockey is still able to exist without any problems.

With the success of hockey without fighting in these competitions, people start to question why fighting is still part of hockey, as it shows that hockey could be played without fighting.

Finally, fighting is a major part of the game of hockey, and the debate over whether it should continue to be part of the game continue, but what do you the reader think: should fighting be banned and/or limited, or should fighting keep its current position in the game of hockey as a major part of the game?

Ten Greatest Wins in United States Soccer History

Andrew Jordan — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 09:10:17 -0400

Throughout the years, the United States National team have had many great games that they have participated in. From the World Cup to cup finals, the United States have been able to become a strong international team within the last 20 years, and the sport continues to grow in America. Now that they have been able to qualify for their sixth straight World Cup, I decided to recap the ten greatest wins by the United States National team during their history.

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Thierry Henry to Leave FC Barcelona For New York Red Bulls?

Andrew Jordan — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 19:48:50 -0400

On October 23, it was reported by Spanish paper that FC Barcelona and French star Thierry Henry wants to move to MLS to play for the New York Red Bulls next summer.

Currently at the age of 32, Henry's contract ends after the 2010 season, and has previously stated that he wants to play his football in America, where his fellow countryman and friend NBA star Tony Parker plays.

Henry's current club FC Barcelona, have already stated that they will not resign Henry after his contract ends at the end of the season, and already attempted to sign five different players during last summer's transfer window.

Henry has always been fond of New York, and wants to help spread football further in the United States.

However, he will not be the first famous footballer to try to help spread football to play for a New York football franchise, as Pelé famously came to New York to play for the New York Cosmos from 1975-1977.

The team that Henry is rumored to join, the New York Red Bulls, finished last in Major League Soccer this season with 21 points in 30 matches and failed to win a single match away from Giants Stadium.

However, the Red Bulls will be moving into Red Bull Arena next year, and a player such as Henry will help the club become stronger in the New York sports market.

Liverpool-Manchester United: English Premier League Preview

Andrew Jordan — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 13:15:09 -0400

On Oct. 25, Manchester United will travel to Anfield to take on rival Liverpool in which will be an important match for both sides.

For Liverpool, they will be trying to break out of their two game losing streak in the English Premier League, and will try to get their season back on track after suffering four losses in their first nine Premier League matches.

However, Liverpool will need to accomplish this task without Steven Gerrard, who has been ruled out of this match due to injury.

Meanwhile for Manchester United, they will be looking to build off of what has so far been a great year for the current Premier League leaders.

Despite not having Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez this year, United's attack has been just as good thanks to great work by the likes of Wayne Rooney and Ryan Giggs.

Here is a preview of this important match between these two English giants, and what each side must do in order to succeed at Anfield on Oct. 25.

Liverpool

After losing their last match 1-0 at the Stadium of Light against Sunderland due to a beach ball that was on the pitch caused a shot by Sunderland's Darren Bent to ricochet past Pepe Reina to give Sunderland the win, Liverpool found themselves in eighth in the table and already suffered four losses, twice as much as they had all of the 2008-2009 Premier League season.

It has gotten even worse for LFC after they lost late to Lyon 2-1 at Anfield on Oct. 20, which now is their fourth straight loss in all competition, and has more people calling for Rafa Benitez to be sacked.

Despite all of this commotion, Liverpool still need to take on their rival Manchester United at Anfield on Oct. 25, and the first key for their success is to forget all of what has happened, and just play a strong game of football.

Liverpool are also going to need to find an effective way to attack the Man United goal, as they will likely be with Steven Gerrard in this match, but they will benefit in having both Fernando Torres and Glen Johnson back in time for this match.

And finally, Liverpool must play their hearts out here, as a loss here could mean the end of their season in terms of contending for a Champions League spot, and it could cost Rafa Benitez his job.

But if Liverpool could do all of this, they will have a great chance of reviving their season by beating Manchester United.

Manchester United

The current leaders in the Barclays Premier League, Manchester United will head into Anfield looking to get revenge after losing twice to Liverpool last season, including a heartbreaking 2-1 loss at Anfield on Sept. 13, 2008.

But despite losing to the Reds twice last season, along with nearly giving Liverpool the league title, Man United came back and won their third consecutive Premier League title, and their 11th overall since Liverpool last won their last top division domestic league title in 1990.

But despite all of this, Manchester United will have to go out to Anfield looking to get their win, and a major key for them here will to be ready for a Liverpool team will play with their season on the line.

Man United will also be without the services of star striker Wayne Rooney, who will miss this match due to a calf injury, which means Man United will have to find offense from players who haven't contributed much lately.

And finally, Manchester United must continue their great recent form and have to prevent Liverpool from gaining any momentum, as that could be the deciding factor in this match.

Finally, if Manchester United could do all of this, they will have a great chance of succeeding at Anfield and return to Old Trafford with three points against their rivals.

With all of this in mind, expect a great match at Anfield on Oct. 25, as these two English giants will each be fighting for something important in what will be the most important match for each side so far this season.