And just like that, the Club World Cup is over for Pachuca. Unable to answer a first half TP Mazembe goal, the CONCACAF representative was ousted at the first obstacle, falling by a 1-0 scoreline. Mbeza Beli scored for the African side in the 21st minute, just after Alejandro Manso nearly opened the scoring for the Mexican club. He crept in behind Pachuca's back line, and got on the end of a through ball from Mulota Kabangu, before lashing it home from just inside the six-yard box over goalie Miguel Calero. Pachuca's response was disjointed and lacked a cutting edge... Continue reading

Jose and the Special1 TV crew are back, with some revelations of the FIFA World Cup bids and what Wikileaks revealed about the show. Enjoy: Continue reading

By TRAVIS CLARK For the first time in Barcelona's history, the Catalan club's jerseys will bear a sponsor on its front. Putting an end to 111 years without a sponsor, Barca announced an agreement with the Qatar Foundation in a deal valued at £125 million. Barcelona has previously paid to bear the logo of UNICEF in recent seasons, and will keep that logo as well. The agreement is for five years, and is scheduled to run through 2016 -- Barceolina will receive £25 million per year. The non-profit foundation promotes education in the Middle East, and is chaired by Sheikha... Continue reading

The U.S. national team might be heading to the Middle East in February. A report from Egypt suggests that both the USSF and Egypt's FA are in the final stages of negogiations to play a friendly in Cairo on February 9, the first FIFA friendly date of next year. The game would be a rematch of the 2009 Confederations Cup group match that the U.S. won 3-0 that secured passage through to the semifinal matchup against Spain. Egypt needed to avoid a loss by two goals or less to advance, and failed to secure the result. It would be the... Continue reading

Goals from Dilly Duka (Columbus Crew) and Teal Bunbury (Sporting Kansas City) led the way as the MLS Generation adidas side won 2-1 over Real Madrid's reserve side on Thursday. Duka and Bunbury tallied in the first half to open up a 2-0 lead. Real Madrid Castilla then pulled a goal back in the 68th minute. Despite a team that only brought two listed defenders, the MLS side was able to hang on for the win. Starters for the Generation adidas squad included Duka, Bunbury, Juan Agudelo, Ike Opara and Stefan Frei. Rising star and Real Salt Lake midfielder Luis... Continue reading

Shortly after both Russia and Qatar were announced as the 2018 and 2022 World Cup host nations, FIFA released how the vote for each event took place. It was revealed that England didn't progress past the first round of voting for 2018, coming up with only two votes, while the likes of Netherlands/Belgium and Spain/Portugal progressed, only to be defeated by Russia in the second round of voting. For the U.S. bid, while they progressed through four rounds of voting, it was never very close. Australia came up with just a single vote -- the low for the day, while... Continue reading

Heading into the offseason, one of the biggest items on Real Salt Lake's to do list was to retain the services of on loan striker and Costa Rican international Alvaro Saborio. On Wednesday, that iten can now be checked off. The Salt Lake Tribune is reporting that RSL has come to an agreement with Saborio, and the clubs that formerly held his rights, Sion in Switzerland, and Sarpissa in Costa Rica, in order to sign Saborio and add him as the club's first Designated Player. The 28-year-old striker joined RSL on loan prior to the 2010 season, playing a big... Continue reading

By TRAVIS CLARK The offseason may have begun for Landon Donovan in November, but that doesn't mean the Los Angeles Galaxy attacker gets a break. After last week's friendly in Australia, Donovan is a part of the USA World Cup Bid presentation scheduled for today. Rumors of another January loan move for Donovan also persist, with a return to Everton listed as a possibility. However, Donovan insists he isn't sure what he'll do, indicating that he's going to take his time to make a decision. Donovan has played soccer for almost two years non-stop, and an actual break during the... Continue reading

It came in atypical fashion, but the U.S. women's national team qualified for the 2011 Women's World Cup thanks to a 1-0 second leg victory over Italy Saturday afternoon. A 40th minute goal by Amy Rodriguez was all the scoring the U.S. would need, as they won the two-game aggregate 2-0. The U.S. outshot Italy on the day 13-5, shutting out the Azzurri for the second game in a row. The draw for the Women's World Cup will be held Monday in Germany, where the U.S. will learn their group opponents for next summer. Here is the video of Rodriguez's... Continue reading

By TRAVIS CLARK Two late red cards are unusual in the late stages of any match, but in Tuesday's Champions League game, Real Madrid players Xabi Alonso and Sergio Ramos were both sent off for time wasting, earning second yellow cards. Wednesday morning, UEFA announced that they are investigating both dismissals, under the idea that both Alonso and Ramos intentionally earned the cards. Real Madrid has already qualified for the knockout rounds and will miss the meaningless final group game against Auxerre. By earning red cards in the fifth match, Alonso and Ramos would enter the knockout stages with a... Continue reading

By TRAVIS CLARK Just a few days after blowing a 2-0 lead at home and losing to bitter rivals Tottenham, Arsenal took to the road in hopes of quickly erasing the memories of that loss. However, Aresnal couldn't break down Sporting Braga, and two late goals from Brazilian forward Matheus earned the home side an unlikely victory -- handing Arsenal their second straight Champions League defeat, when they only needed a draw to qualify for the next round. AC Milan secured a trip to the next round, thanks to a 2-0 win over Auxerre, with second-half goals from Zlatan Ibrahimovic... Continue reading

Photo by ISIphotos.com The U.S. women left it late, but in the end got a win and a valuable away goal, defeating Italy 1-0 in Padova. Alex Morgan scored in stoppage time to send the U.S. back to Chicago with the edge. While the U.S. did well to limit Italy's chances on the offensive end -- the Azzurri registered no shots on goal for the game -- they were inefficient in creating good scoring opportunities of their own, save for Morgan's last-gasp winner. Still, the U.S. women are now just one game from securing the last berth to the Woman's... Continue reading

Jay DeMerit finally has a team again. Four months after starting all four games for the U.S. national team in South Africa, the former Watford defender was introduced at a press conference today as the first MLS signing by the Vancouver Whitecaps. There was no indication if DeMerit signed as a Designated Player. Since parting ways with Watford at the end of the 2009-10 club season, DeMerit hasn't played on a regular, save for his World Cup appearances He'll be the first piece of the building process of expansion side Vancouver as they continue their preparations for their 2011 debut.... Continue reading

The Special One's return to Italy is the marquee matchup of Wednesday's UEFA Champions League group stage action. Milan welcomes back Jose Mourinho to the San Siro, though he'll lead Real Madrid against AC Milan. Arsenal and Chelsea will also look to seal passage through to the knockout stages as well. Here is today's schedule: 3:45pm- Fox Soccer Channel- AC Milan vs. Real Madrid 3:45pm- Fox Soccer Plus/FoxSoccer.tv- Chelsea vs. Spartak Moscow 3:45pm- DirecTV/FoxSoccer.tv- Zilina vs. Marseille 3:45pm- DirecTV/FoxSoccer.tv- Basel vs. AS Roma 3:45pm- DirecTV/FoxSoccer.tv- CFR Cluj vs. Bayern Munich 3:45pm- DirecTV/FoxSoccer.tv- Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Arsenal 3:45pm- DirecTV/FoxSoccer.tv- Partizan vs.... Continue reading

As FC Dallas looks to hang on to a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference Semifinals, they'll have to achieve a result at Rio Tinto without the services of Heath Pearce and Milton Rodriguez. According to 3rd Degree, neither Pearce or Rodriguez will travel with the team to Salt Lake City. Pearce injured his hamstring prior to last weekend's first leg, and didn't make the 18 in FCD's 2-1 win. FC Dallas and Real Salt Lake play the second leg on Saturday night at 9 p.m. What do you think of the injury news for Dallas? Can they overcome the... Continue reading

Photo by ISIphotos.com By TRAVIS CLARK Jurgen Klinsmann is now the man to help reorganize Toronto FC. The former German international was officially hired as a consultant to help the club through the hiring process of a coach and general manager. Klinsmann and his company, SoccerSolutions, will serve as advisers to Toronto FC, working closely with Assistant General Manager Jim Brennan, and interim Director of Soccer Earl Cochrane, as the club tries to shake things up ahead of the 2011 season. The former coach of the German national team has served in an advising role to the Los Angeles Galaxy... Continue reading

By TRAVIS CLARK English starlet Jack Wilshere has been rewarded for a promising start to the 2010-11 Premier League season, signing a new long term deal with Arsenal on Monday. The 18-year-old, who has started eight times in the Premier League this season, has been at the club since he was nine years old, and has matured into a fixture with the second-place team in the English Premier League. His development has also earned the attention of Fabio Capello, and Wilshere earned his first England cap on August 11 against Hungary earlier this year. After spending part of last season... Continue reading

By TRAVIS CLARK The 2010 MLS Playoffs are off the mark. After Thursday night's Colorado-Columbus opener, three more first legs highlight the slate of action. All three MLS matches should provide an entertaining spectacle, with the strong crowd out in Seattle one of many reasons to tune in Sunday night. Across the Atlantic, top of the table clashes in France and Germany should provide an entertaining spectacle -- surprise Rennes takes on Marseille, while in Germany, Mainz and Borussia Dortmund square off, while fourth place Hoffenheim hosts third place Hannover 96. Italy and England action gives ample reason for attention... Continue reading

By JOHN BOSCHINI It’s a weekend on the road for many of the nation’s top teams as college soccer enters its penultimate weekend before conference tournaments begin. The game of the week kicks off tonight as No. 3 Maryland travels to No. 11 Virginia in an explosive ACC matchup. Maryland is looking to secure the second seed in the upcoming ACC tournament against the defending national champions. The Terps are riding a seven-game winning streak, averaging three goals a game during that span. The Cavaliers are looking to rebound after dropping out of the top 10 for the first time... Continue reading

Photo by ISIphotos.com Jurgen Klinsmann is heading to MLS, but it won't be as a coach. The Globe and Mail is reporting that Klinsmann is in talks with Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment to join in a consultant role with Toronto FC -- specifically assisting in the process of hiring a head coach and general manager. Klinsmann, and his company Soccer Solutions, will also take a look at the organization of the club as a whole, and make recommendations as to who can oversee renovations at the club. An official announcement is expected to come next week, and will mark... Continue reading

Photo by ISIphotos.com A hat trick from striker Abby Wambach led the U.S. women's national team to an easy 5-0 win over Haiti Thursday night. The USWNT were too much for Haiti to handle, jumping out to an early lead in the ninth minute. Carli Lloyd blasted a free kick that the keeper saved, but the rebound spilled in front of the goal mouth, and Rachel Buehler finished. By halftime, the score was 4-0. Wambach scored twice, in the 15th and 45th minutes, with an Amy Rodriguez goal sandwiched in between at the 40th-minute mark. With the result already known,... Continue reading

By TRAVIS CLARK A Pablo Mastroeni goal was all that a domintant Colorado could muster, but the Rapids held on for the shutout and took a 1-0 advantage as the MLS playoffs opened Thursday night. One year after losing on the road against a Western Conference team, Columbus opened up strong, taking the attacking initiative from the kickoff. But after the first ten minutes of the game, the Crew came apart. The lackluster midfield was unable to string together decent possession, and the defense carelessly turned the ball over. Colorado's attacked, spurred by Omar Cummings, Conor Casey and Brian Mullan,... Continue reading

The road to Toronto begins tonight, as the 2010 MLS Cup Playoffs get underway out in Colorado with the Rapids hosting the Columbus Crew (9 p.m., ESPN2/ESPN3.com). Colorado will look to take advantage of playing at home at altitude, as the Crew visit Dick's Sporting Goods Park. Prolific strike duo Conor Casey and Omar Cummings will test the Crew's defense frequently, in the aims of providing a cushion heading into next weekend's second leg. Columbus will be missing starting goalie Will Hesmer, who is out for the duration of the playoffs after getting injured in the Crew's 3-1 win over... Continue reading

By TRAVIS CLARK Real Salt Lake's reward for finishing with the second-best point total in MLS? An opening playoff series against FC Dallas, one of the hardest teams to beat in MLS this season. It's a matchup of two similar teams -- both favor a possession-oriented game, aiming to dominate the ball in search of that killer pass that unlocks the opposing defense. Each side boasts a South American playmaker (Javier Morales and David Ferreira), a top goalkeeper (Kevin Hartman and Nick Rimando) and an industrious defensive midfielder (Kyle Beckerman and Daniel Hernandez). Two meetings this year produced mirroring results... Continue reading

Photo by ISIphotos.com By TRAVIS CLARK Thursday night marks the beginning of the U.S. Women's National Team's quest for a sixth conescutive appearance at the Women's World Cup. The USWNT begin play in Group B of the CONCACAF Women's World Cup qualifying tournament in Cancun, Mexico. Grouped with Haiti, Guatemala and Costa Rica, the U.S. are once again favorites to advance to the semifinals, where they are likely to face either Canada or Mexico, both in Group A. The entire tournament will be broadcast in Spanish at CONCACAF.com. They aim to achieve qualification with a somewhat inexperienced roster -- at... Continue reading