Soccerphile BlogSoccerphile BlogSoccerphile Football blog is a team of global contributors commenting on the game. Our correspondents cover the World Cup, EuroCup, MLS, A-League, J-League, K-League, internationals and women's soccer. 
Articles
UEFA Cup semifinals preview
2008-04-12 05:24:00 UEFA Cup report">Adios Getafe, only big guns remainAfter all, the UEFA Cup semifinal setup will be worthy of the illustrious tradition of this competition. After the elimination of Getafe, whose best-ever Spanish league standing was last year's nineth, only the teams worthy of European glory have remained. The big hit of the current edition are the Russian champions Zenit, who kicked out Villarreal, Marseille and Bayer Leverkusen in the past three rounds. Led by the respectable Dutch coach in Dirk Advocaaat and a handful of Russian internationals, Zenit reached their first European semifinals, and it is possible that they have not said their last word although their next opposition are Bayern. The ease with which they demolished Leverkusen Bayern, by far the winningest team of the last four, had not seen a semifinal action since 2001, when they eliminated Real Madrid on the way to their fourth Champions League title. Despite a certain anonimity on the continental field after that a... More About: Preview , Uefa , Uefa cup
Champions L eague semifinals preview
2008-04-12 05:02:00 Champions League reportOld acquaintances meet again The semifinal clashes in this season's Champions League have joined old foes who have run against one another many times in the European competitions.Manchester United and Barcelona have played seven games in the UEFA's competitions while Liverpool and Chelsea have met on six occasions, all of them in the last three years.United and Barcelona have a very evenly balanced score with two wins for each team and three draws. The Red Devils have been a bit more successful as they achieved a better score on two occasions, with one tie and one loss. Their first encounter took place in the Cup Winners' Cup quarterfinals in 1983/84, when United performed a sensational comeback against total favorites that Barcelona were at the time with Diego Maradona and Bernd Schuster in their ranks. The first leg on Camp Nou ended 2-0 for the Catalans, but a young Mark Hughes helped United towards an unlikely 3-0 at Old Trafford in the return match.Aft... More About: Preview , Champions
World Soccer News
2008-04-11 10:11:00 World Soccer News for the week of 04/11/08Liverpool after "Croatian Cruyff", Luka ModricDinamo Zagreb have received the first formal offer for their star midfielderLuka Modric. The offer came from five time European champions, Liverpool, according to leading Croatian daily, Vecernji list.The Croatian press recently published reports that Newcastle, Tottenham,Chelsea and Arsenal all expressed interest in the 22-year-old midfield schemer,but Liverpool seems to have made the first concrete move to seize Modric. The player carries a 23 million euros price tag, but Dinamo may be willing to offload him for a mere 20 million. Should the prospective buyers wait until the end of the European Championship, the price could rise in accordance to Modric's performance.The youngster bearing an uncanny physical resemblance to Johan Cruyff is a creative, goal-scoring midfielder who has won so far two League titles, one FA Cup and one Croatian supercup, and a third consecutive league championship is... More About: World , Football , J-League
The cherry blossoms may be over, but the title race is just beginning
2008-04-11 09:52:00 The sixth round of the J. League throws up two significant clashes, with the eleventh Tokyo derby competing for headlines along with the eternal classic between Urawa Reds and Kashima Antlers.Fallen giants Tokyo Verdy host their Ajinomoto Stadium co-tenants FC Tokyo on April 12, with Verdy having only just registered their first win in the league since winning promotion back to the top flight. They won away at Vissel Kobe in Round 5 thanks to 18-year-old Hiroki Kawano's volley, but it is the return of striker Hulk that could prove key to Verdy's chances of maintaining their top flight status.The 21-year-old Brazilian propelled Tokyo Verdy to promotion by scoring 37 league goals in 42 appearances in J2 last season, but after failing to settle at Kawasaki Frontale, Hulk has made a permanent switch across the Tama River for a reputed fee of around 500 million yen.On Sunday the highlight clash of the day undoubtedly takes place at Saitama Stadium, when bitter rivals Urawa Reds host de... More About: Race , Cherry Blossoms , Cherry , Title
Red Bull ? It Gives You Wins
2008-04-10 12:54:00 I do enjoy a moral dilemma. An intellectual friend asked if I would kill a chicken to save a chicken?s life. I honestly replied that I?d happily slaughter a chicken if I missed breakfast.He went on to ask if I would ever use inside information to profit from gambling. I once again answered in all honesty that I have never been involved in such a practice; but then again, I don?t know Harry Redknapp.There is still uproar amongst the betting community whenever the controversial ?next Portsmouth manager? market is discussed. I must point out that there is no evidence to suggest that Harry Redknapp was involved in a scam, or in fact that a scam actually took place. I will just say that the 11/4 for a Newcastle win over Portsmouth should be investigated further.David Bentley has admitted to being a former gambling addict. ?Bents?, or to use his more familiar nickname, ?the vastly overrated David Bentley? has an addictive personality, and is currently obsessed with DIY. This did not come ... More About: Premiership , Football , Soccer , Bull , Red Bull
Seoul And Suwon Get Ready For The Big One
2008-04-10 08:04:00 Sunday sees the biggest regular fixture of the season ? the meeting between FC Seoul and Suwon Samsung Bluewings ? and if any extra spice was needed then the fact that the two teams occupy the top two spots in the K-League is more than enough.The corresponding 2007 match at Seoul World Cup Stadium, almost exactly a year ago, saw the K-league record attendance smashed as 55,000 people saw the Bluewings win 1-0 ? a new record could be set this Sunday.Winning is a big deal for both teams and supporters but losing can have consequences too. The result one year ago stopped a promising Seoul season in its tracks. At the time of the meeting, Seoul was sitting pretty at the top of the table but after the Suwon defeat, the capital club failed to win any of its following eight matches and slid down the table. For many fans, it is the first game that they look for when the K-league release the fixture list at the start of the season. Sure, the media hypes the game to the nth degree but nobody ... More About: Ready , Get Ready
FIFA World Rankings 2008
2008-04-09 12:22:00 The top seven teams are unchanged in this month's Fifa world rankings.Argentina are still top followed by Brazil, Italy and Spain. England remain in 11th place, despite a friendly defeat in France, Scotland drop one spot to 15th and the USA rise 7 places to 21st.With Euro 2008 to kick off in June, of the 16 teams taking part 15 are in the top 50, the only exception being co-hosts Austria way down in 102nd position.Italy are the highest ranked at 3rd, followed by Spain 4th, Germany 5th, Czech Republic 6th, France 7th, Greece 8th, Portugal 9th, Netherlands 10th, Romania 12th, Croatia 13th, Turkey 23rd, Sweden 24th, Russia 25th, Poland 28th, Switzerland 46th and poor old Austria 102nd.The closeness of the ranking shows what a tight tournament lays in store.1 Argentina2 Brazil3 Italy4 Spain5 Germany6 Czech Republic7 France8 Greece9 Portugal10 Netherlands11 England12 Romania13 Croatia14 Ghana15 Scotland16 Mexico17 Cameroon18 Bulgaria19 Colombia20 IsraelFull world rankingsLast month's F... More About: World , Football , Soccer
Shanghai Get Off To Winning Start
2008-04-08 11:20:00 It was the first game of the season and for Shanghai Shenhua it was a pretty good start. A comfortable 2-0 win against Shenzhen Shangyangin put the 2003 champions on the right track from the off.With the Chinese Super League expanded to 16 teams in 2008, there are another 29 games remaining for the club. It was a chilly Saturday night at the Hongkou Stadium but Shanghai attacked from the beginning. The breakthrough game midway through the first half when former Celtic loanee Du Wei headed home powerfully from a corner.Shenzhen did their best to get back into the match but the boys from the south are a shadow of the team that won the 2004 title. A lack of investment and problems off the pitch has seen Shenzhen struggle ever since that success.The game was over as a contest early in the second half as Shanghai added a second. The rest of the match petered out but Shenhua played some good stuff. There is a long way to go but everybody went home happy.The fans headed home on one of the ... More About: Start , Winning
J.League Results 6/04/08
2008-04-07 03:49:00 Sunday, 6 AprilReigning J-League champions Kashima Antlers stay unbeaten with maximum points, followed by Nagoya Grampus, and Gamba Osaka.The largest crowd of the weekend, 27,866, saw Urawa Reds, improving under new coach Gert Engels, defeat Jubilo away. Only 7,339 spectators were in attendance for Ardija's 2-0 win at home over visiting Trinita.J1Omiya Ardija 2 Oita Trinita 0Iwata Jubilo 1 Urawa Reds 2Kashima Antlers 4 JEF United 1FC Tokyo 1 Sapporo Consodole 0Nagoya Grampus 2 Yokohama F Marinos 0Gamba Osaka 2 Shimizu S-Pulse 0Vissel Kobe 0 Tokyo Verdy 1 Kawasaki Frontale 0 Kyoto Sanga 1Kashiwa Reysol 0 Niigata Albirex 0Leading PositionsAntlers P5 Pts 15Grampus P5 Pts 13Gamba P5 Pts 10J2Thespa 1 Bellmare 2Ehime FC 1 Sagan 2Yokohama FC 1 Sendai Vegalta 1Roasso 1 Montedio 2Ventforet 3 Cerezo 2FC Gigu 1 Sanfrecce Hiroshima 1Leading PositionsSanfrecce P5 Pts 11Sagan P5 Pts 11Yokohama P6 Pts 10Vegalta P6 Pts 10Last week's J.League results and standingsBet with Bet 365World Soccer NewsS... More About: Football , Results
Interview: Shanghai Shenhua Boss Wu Jingui
2008-04-07 03:48:00 With the Chinese season just kicking off, hopes are high among all the major contenders that this will be their year. This is certainly true of Shanghai Shenhua, one of the powerhouses of football in the Middle Kingdom..The team ended a turbulent 2007 in fourth place, not a bad achievement for a season that started with a controversial merger with Shanghai United. Coach Wu Jingui was coach of Shenhua before the merger, was shipped out fr a few months and then returned to his old job later in the season. At Shanghai Shenhua?s large training camp deep in the south of this sprawling city, he talked to John Duerden. How do you feel about the new season? Always before a new season, the feeling is the same. We are excited, a little bit nervous and we also have a vision about the season ahead. We will be stronger this last year. We have some new foreign players. We have bought three new overseas players and have kept one from last season. We had a good pre-season, we trained in Chin... More About: Interview , Boss , K-League
Lock Stock and Two Smoking Carols
2008-04-03 11:48:00 The adult film industry has many knockers, but I remain a fully-fledged supporter. My only possible critique would be that the storylines occasionally lack realism. I can?t begin to tell you how disappointed I was with my job as a photocopier repair man.My wife is a fierce critic of the genre as she incorrectly believes that the art form demeans women. Personally, I think it?s a positive when a hobby becomes an occupation; I would love to get paid for sending nude photographs of myself to Cheryl Tweedy. I?ll have to finance my pastime by backing Portsmouth at 10/11 to beat West Brom in their FA Cup semi-final.My favourite sub-genre of the adult entertainment industry is the one when two ladies take a spiritual road to self-discovery. There are things I?d rather not see though, and watching Barnsley play Cardiff is the equivalent of watching Lisa Riley tinker with Jade Goody. Cardiff will probably win their semi at 11/8, but I?d rather watch something a little more uplifting.Robbie S... More About: Premiership , Football , Soccer , Stock , Smoking
Mexico victims of the English malaise
2008-04-02 05:57:00 Five days after Mexico beat Ghana 2-1 in London, Hugo Sanchez was fired as Mexico's coach. How so? He had only been in charge a year and a half, so what went so badly wrong?Under his tenure, Mexico lost the Gold Cup final 2-1 to the USA in Chicago, but that should have been no reason for dismissal since the CONCACAF bragging rights definitively crossed the Rio Grande when the States downed El Tri 2-0 back in the 2002 World Cup.Mexico also thumped Paraguay 6-0 and beat Brazil, yes Brazil, 2-0 in last summer's Copa America in Venezuela, before finishing third overall; another reason not to sack him one would have thought.Expectations had been raised by the fact Mexico won the U17 World Cup in 2005 and reached the last eight of the U20 World Cup in 2007, and thus the recent failure of the U23s to qualify for the Beijing Olympics was the biggest casus belli for the Federation.Olympic soccer is roughtly on a par with five-a-side football for most European nations, but apparently not so... More About: English , Conor , Victims
J.League Results 30/03/08
2008-03-31 16:07:00 Sunday, 30 MarchThe Antlers continue to dominate the League . They won over Yokohama with a late goal. Urawa came back strong, crushing Albirex at home.J1Shimizu S-Pulse o Omiya Ardija 0Gamba Osaka 2 Tokyo Verdy 1FC Tokyo 3 Kyoto Sanga 3Kawasaki Frontale 2 JEF United 0Kashima Antlers 2 Yokohama F Marinos 1Urawa Reds 3 Niigata Albirex 0Kashiwa Reysol 1 Sapporo Consodole 2Nagoya Grampus 2 Oita Trinita 1Vissel Kobe 3 Iwata Jubilo 2J2Fukuoka Avispa 2 Ehime FC 0Sagan 1 Roasso 1Leading PositionsAntlers P3 Pts 9Vissel P3 Pts 7Grampus P3 Pts 7Trinita P3 Pts 6F Marinos P3 Pts 6FC Tokyo P3 Pts 5Kyoto Sanga P3 Pts 5Last week's J.League results and standingsBet with Bet 365World Soccer NewsSoccer betting tipsSoccer Books & DVDsTagsSoccer News soccer football J-League Betting More About: Results
Engels pilots humbled Reds to first win
2008-03-31 05:31:00 New Urawa Reds manager Gert Engels guided the Asian champions to their first win of the season on Sunday, snapping a four-game drought that included two losses in the J.League and a loss and a draw in the league Nabisco Cup.The Reds defeated Albirex Niigata 3-0 on goals from Takahito Soma, Marcus Tulio Tanaka and Yuichiro Nagai on a rainy afternoon at Saitama Stadium.Afterwards we caught up with Engels, the former assistant manager who was promoted after the firing of fellow German Holger Osieck two games into the 2008 season. Engels said the win meant a significant weight had been lifted from his and his team?s shoulders and added that he hoped the victory would lead to greater things to come this year as the Reds look to regain the league and Emperor?s Cup titles they lost to the Kashima Antlers last year.Q: You must be relieved to have won today ?A: Yes that?s the right word, relief. It was very important for us to win here and to win with such a goal difference is even better. 3... More About: Japan , Pilots , Williams
Sanchez still facing axe despite London victory
2008-03-28 02:38:00 Mexico came from behind to beat Ghana 2-1 at Craven Cottage and might possibly have saved Hugo Sanchez his job as national team coach.The former Real Madrid and Mexico legend had been on deathwatch all week, after the nation's U23 team, which Sanchez also coaches, failed to qualify for this summer's Olympic Games in Beijing, after losing to Guatemala and drawing with Canada earlier this month.On Monday, the Mexican federation meets to consider Sanchez's 18-month reign, and are widely expected to send him packing. If anything might have changed their mind however, it was El Tri snatching a win from the jaws of defeat at Fulham.John Mensah hauled back Mexican substitute Adolfo Bautista as he muscled his way into the box with a minute to play, and Pavel Pardo converted the penalty to send the Mexicans home victorious.The scoreline was harsh on a Ghana side who had dominated the majority of the second half and overpowered their CONCACAF opponents in the midfield exchanges. Michael Es... More About: Victory , London , Facing
Nowhere to go but up for Japan
2008-03-27 15:58:00 Disappointed Japan ese national team players were trying to stay positive Wednesday night in light of their surprising 1-0 loss to Bahrain in World Cup qualifying in Manama.It was the first loss in seven matches for the Asian giants under new manager Takeshi Okada, but it left the team three points adrift of Bahrain in Asian Group B of qualifying for South Africa 2010.Japan conceded in the 77th minute to an Ala?a Hubail header after goalkeeper Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi made a mess of an attempted punch of an Ismail Abdullatif cross. The ball fell kindly to Hubail, who nodded it over Kawaguchi as defender Yuji Nakazawa vainly attempted to prevent the shot from crossing the line.?In the dressing room after the game the talk was all about what we need to do in our next games. We have to stay positive,? said Nagoya Grampus striker Keiji Tamada. ?Of course, we can?t dismiss what happened today. We have to learn our lessons and correct them.?Japan struggled to find any kind of rhythm and looked... More About: Williams
My Big Fat Weak Wedding
2008-03-27 11:50:00 Marriage is like a chicken vindaloo, it?s something you have to try at least once, even though you know you?ll later regret it.I experienced my seven-year itch quite early, it was on the honeymoon. Fortunately, my wandering eye didn?t lead to an act of betrayal, although I put that down to the fact that the barmaid was almost certainly a button-flicker.If newspaper reports are to be believed, Paul Jewell has allegedly been getting his bread sliced at a different bakery. We can all come into a little dough when Fulham beat Derby at 7/5.Cristiano Ronaldo has also ?entertained? a string of women over the past year, which probably explains why Sir Alex is demanding extra protection. I?ve been told that Ronaldo also has a large gay following; I can only assume that Cheryl has been overdoing it with the chip pan. Man U have won their last 13 matches against Aston Villa, I?ll happily tuck into the 1/3 for another United win.Javier Mascherano will miss the Merseyside derby after a ridiculou... More About: Premiership , Football , Soccer , Wedding
UEFA Cup (p)review
2008-03-26 04:39:00 UEFA CupTottenham and Everton go out with a dramaThe English contingent in the UEFA Cup put up a good fight but still went out, albeit in the most dramatic fashion. Penalties, the disease that usually afflicts the national team, were fatal for Tottenham and Everton, who bravely equalized the aggregate score against PSV Eindhoven and Fiorentina in the return leg before it came to spot kicks. Bolton came tantalizingly close against the 2005 finalists Sporting Lisbon, but it will be the Portuguese who will take on Rangers, the last British representatives in the quarterfinals.Rangers, who have had a dream season so far, are chasing four trophies but the strain could prove too much in the final stage of the campaign against Sporting, who are now fully concentrated on the European stage. The last time that a Scottish club made a continental finals was in 2003 when Celtic lost to Porto by 2-3 in Seville. Elsewhere, Bayern will try and confirm their status of the team to beat when they fac... More About: Uefa , Review , Uefa cup , K-League
Champions League (p)review
2008-03-26 03:50:00 Champions League reviewEngland in extasy as Milan and Real fall It looks like three English teams will make it to the semifinals of the Champions League, just like they did last season. Arsenal or Liverpool are sure to be there while Manchester United and specially Chelsea are favourits against Roma and Fenerbahce, respectively. We may well see a repetition of last year's semifinals setup with Liverpool, United and Chelsea, with Barcelona instead of Milan this time. Well, last year Milan defeated the English competitions, United by a 5-3 aggregate in the semis and Liverpool by 2-1 in the finals, but Milan is out, after being well defeated by Arsenal in the eight-finals.Milan: End of an eraThe Gunners cut short the magnificent Milan's European run since the 2001/02 season. In the last six campaigns, Red and Blacks made it at least to the quarterfinals, in fact playing five times in the semifinals. Such balance made the Italians the most successful European side in the said period.S... More About: Champions League
All Set For Korea Derby In Shanghai
2008-03-25 07:38:00 Any meeting between the two Korea s on the football pitch is special but the fact that it is a qualifier for the 2010 World Cup adds a good deal of hot pepper sauce to an already unique dish of that old Korean favourite bibimbap.Temperatures were certainly rising recently as North Korea refused to play the Aegukka or fly the Taegukki at the massive Kim Sung-Il Stadium in Pyongyang. An offer of a rendition of Arirang and a joint flag didn?t fly at the Seoul offices of the Korean Football Association. The administrators opened FIFA?s rulebook and pointed to the relevant clause that requests all nations hosting World Cup qualifiers to provide both flags and anthems. The game?s global governing body decided to move the game to Shanghai .FIFA didn?t punish Pyongyang for its refusal to play by the rules but playing in China certainly takes away advantages from the ?hosts?. Instead of 100,000 partisan fans on the other side of the DMZ, the 35,000 capacity Hongkou Stadium in Shanghai is likel... More About: South Korea , Derby
Weekly Soccer News
2008-03-23 07:21:00 World Soccer News for week of 03/23Slaven Bilic vows to keep coaching CroatiaThe Croatian coach Slaven Bilic has said he will stay on the national team's bench beyond the European Championship in spite of a sweet offer from Germany's Hamburger SV.Bilic said that at a press conference putting an end to speculations caused by the Croatian FA's inertia. The FA inexplicably hesitated to renew the supremely popular coach after the momentous win at Wembley last November, fuelling the nation's concern Bilic could go to accept a financially more profitable offer abroad. "I'll stay as Croatia's coach. Salary doesn't matter to me.Let them give me a bianco contract and I'm going to sign it," said the former West Ham and Everton defender."I do want to work in a club, but it will not be before 2010," added Bilic.What the fans think of FA's slowness to tie the coach for at least two more years has been reflected in a poll conducted by Vecernji list dails. No less than 77% of the voters be... More About: Football , J-League , Weekly
Warm up or wash out?
2008-03-23 04:32:00 Australia coach Pim Verbeek will have received cold comfort from watching his hotchpotch Socceroos flail and flounder in Singapore .In a night of numbers in the humid and damp island nation, two would have jumped out at Verbeek: 0-0. Not exactly what the doctor ordered for a match primarily designed to prepare the national side for the gruelling World Cup qualifying clash with China at 1900m Kunming in thee days time.There's been much conjecture over why lowly Singapore was picked as the venue and opponent for this crucial warm-up. But one thought must have been the sterility of resistance the 131st-ranked FIFA nation might present.As it turned out, the Socceroos were befuddled as much by the awful conditions and their own naivety as the collection of naturalised foreigners fielded by Raddy Avramovic in a drab goalless draw.Confusion abounds for those tracing the comings and goings of Australia these days.Last week Verbeek selected two national team squads. The squad to face Singapo... More About: Australia , Wash
So Far, So Good
2008-03-22 17:46:00 So far, so good. The 2008 K-League is only two games old but it has already hinted at a fascinating season to come. The weather is warming, attendances are healthy, stars new and old are shining and the best part of all is that there are still another eight months to go.It is unlikely that Incheon United will still be top of the table in November but the west coast club is the only one of the 14 that boasts a 100% record. Incheon won 2-0 at Jeju United on the opening weekend and then managed to beat Chunnam Dragons 1-0 on Sunday with a goal after just 41 seconds. Over the next 89 minutes or so, the Dragons, defeated 2-0 by Melbourne Victory in midweek in the Asian Champions League and then 4-3 by Gamba Osaka, managed to miss a whole host of chances. It just wasn?t their day.With the league taking a break due to the small matter of a March 26 World Cup qualifier against North Korea in Shanghai, Incheon can enjoy the rest of the month safely perched on the top rung of the ladder. The ... More About: Good
Nabisco Cup First Round
2008-03-21 09:23:00 Gert Engel's first match in charge of Urawa Reds , following the sensational sacking of Holger Osieck, ended in defeat. Urawa's loss to Vissel Kobe 1-0 in the Nabisco League Cup was Urawa's third successive loss without scoring.Group ANagoya Grampus 0 Kyoto Sanga 1Urawa Reds 0 Vissel Kobe 1Group BShimizu S-Pulse 3 FC Tokyo 1Tokyo Verdy 0 Jubilo 2Group CKawasaki Frontale 0 JEF United 2Kashiwa Reysol 1 Sapporo Consadole 1Group DF Marinos 1 Oita Trinita 0Albirex Niigata 2 Omiya Ardija 2Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer NewsSoccer betting tipsSoccer Books & DVDsTagsSoccer News soccer football J-League Nabisco Cup Betting More About: Round
A Mini Weapon of Mass Destruction
2008-03-20 14:46:00 Even though I was brought up as a Catholic, I have never followed a spiritual path. I blame an over-zealous Priest for my descent into heresy; he was constantly on my back when I was young.If my memory serves me correctly, Easter is a time to reflect upon the resurrection of Christ. It?s believed that after three days, He rose again. I don?t want to diminish the significance, but I?d fancy Pele to beat that. The Geordies believe that King Keegan is the one true Messiah; it would be sacrilegious not to back Newcastle at 10/11 against Fulham.Jesus may have forgiven Robbie Keane for his petulant reaction to being substituted last weekend, but Juande Ramos was apoplectic. I have a lot of sympathy for Keane in this case; it?s an emotional time when you?re being pulled off. I?ll happily play with the even money for a Tottenham win over Portsmouth.John Carew may not be scoring regularly on the pitch, but if press reports are to be believed, he?s managed to bag ?Strictly Come Dancing? star ... More About: Premiership , Football , Soccer , Destruction , Mini
The League Cup takes centre stage with all eyes on Urawa
2008-03-20 04:43:00 After sensationally sacking coach Holger Osieck in the aftermath of Urawa's second successive league defeat of the season, all eyes will be on Saitama Stadium for the beginning of the Gert Engels era as Urawa Reds kick off their Nabisco League Cup campaign at home to Vissel Kobe.Club president Mitsunori Fujiguchi claimed that Osieck had lost the support of the players, and former assistant coach Engels will hope to win over players and fans alike with some positive results in Urawa's upcoming League Cup matches.In contrast to Holger Osieck, Nagoya Grampus coach Dragan Stojkovic was ecstatic with Nagoya's 2-0 win over Urawa last weekend, and the Toyota-backed club kick off their League Cup campaign when they face Kyoto Sanga FC for the second time in two weeks.The League Cup is comprised of a six-game group stage, with the four group winners and two best-placed runners-up joining AFC Champions League participants Kashima Antlers and Gamba Osaka in the quarter-finals.The fixture li... More About: Japan , Eyes , Stage , Centre
J.League Results 16/03/08
2008-03-17 06:05:00 Saturday 15 March / 16 SundayUrawa Reds 2-0 home defeat to Nagoya Grampus and the subsequent sacking of coach Holger Osieck is the big news in the J.League this weekend. Reds, under new coach Gert Engels, share bottom place on no points with Niigata Albirex and newcomers Consadole. Antlers, Trinita and F Marinos are the only three unbeaten teams with maximum points.In J2 Sanfrecce and Yokohama FC, both demoted from J1 last season, head the standings with maximum points from two fixtures.J1Albirex Niigata 2 FC Tokyo 3Oita Trinita 2 Kashiwa Reysol 0Urawa Reds 0 Nagoya Gampus 2Jubilo Iwata 3 Gamba Osaka 0Consadole 1 Yokohama F Marinos 2JEF United 1 Shimizu S-Pulse 2Vissel Kobe 4 Kawasaki Frontale 1Tokyo Verdy 0 Kashima Antlers 2Kyoto Sanga 2 Omiya Ardija 1Leading PositionsAntlers P2 Pts 6Trinita P2 Pts 6Marinos P2 Pts 6Vissel P2 Pts 4Grampus P2 Pts 4FC Tokyo P2 Pts 4Kyoto Sanga P2 Pts 4Last week's J.League results and standingsBet with Bet 365World Soccer NewsSoccer betting tipsSoccer... More About: Results , J-League
Osieck Sacked Engels New Coach At Urawa Reds
2008-03-17 05:50:00 After only two games, and two defeats, Urawa Reds have sacked their German coach Holger Osieck and replaced him with assistant coach and fellow countryman Gert Engels.Osieck's dismissal, the fastest in J-League history, came after the 2-0 home defeat to Nagoya Grampus on Saturday and an emergency meeting between club president Mitsunori Fujiguchi and general manager Shuzo Nakamura.Osieck's replacement, the affable Gert Engels was previously in charge of both Yokohama Flugels and Kyoto Sanga, teams he lead to Emperor's Cup success.Engels has been at Urawa since 2004 and his own dismissal as Sanga coach after failing to win any of his team's first five matches at the start of the 2003 J-League campaign.Engel's first game in charge will be the Nabisco Cup match at home to Vissel Kobe on Thursday.Bet with Bet 365World Soccer NewsSoccer betting tipsSoccer Books & DVDsTagsSoccer News soccer Holger Osieck J-League Gert Engels Urawa Reds More About: Coach , Sacked
Weekly Soccer News
2008-03-16 11:53:00 World Soccer News for the week of 03/15Brazil reconciles with Pele with 2014 World Cup in viewThe most famous Brazilian player of all time, Pelé, will be the mascot of the 2014 World Cup to be held in his country. A great choice of the Brazilian Football Federation (CBF), although Pelé is now 67 years old and will be 73 by the time of the tournament. Hopefully his good health will serve him well.The signing of the contract between Pelé and the CBF last week means the two have burried the hatchet after a lengthy dispute between The King and the CBF chairman Ricardo Teixeira. Last year Pelé even missed out on the host announcement ceremony in FIFA's headquarters in Zurich. Everything is fine between the two now."We are all going to work for Brazil's benefit. Ricardo Teixeira has asked me to take part in the country's international promotion. I am a Brazilian and I'll do my best to help the project succeed," said the all-time top scorer for the national team.Thierry Henry: "This i... More About: Weekly
Cameroon Fans African Cup of Nations
More articles from this author:2008-03-15 15:11:00 YouTube video from the African Cup of Nations held in Ghana earlier on this year.This time Cameroon fans get behind their team....Video by Ross CleggBet with Bet 365World Soccer NewsSoccer betting tipsSoccer Books & DVDsTagsSoccer News soccer football African soccer Cameroon Ghana More About: Fans 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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