(Soccer365.com) Manchester United have sold young striker Giuseppe Rossi to Spanish side Villarreal.

Rossi's future had been the subject of intense debate for most of the summer after an impressive loan spell at Parma at the end of last season.

The deal is subject to a medical but is expected to be completed before the end of the week, allowing Rossi to effectively replace another former United player, Diego Forlan, who enjoyed three productive seasons at Villarreal before leaving for Atletico Madrid last month.

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Posted by SoccerAdmin at 03:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

(Soccer365.com) Alan Smith is reported to be in talks with Sam Allardyce today about a £6m move to Newcastle.

The Manchester United footballer is said to have rejected the chance to join Middlesbrough, while Sunderland, Everton and West Ham have all been linked with a move.

But the Manchester Evening News claims that Smith will plump for Newcastle, despite the fact that he will have to fight Michael Owen, Obafemi Martins, Mark Viduka, Shola Ameobi, Albert Luque and Andy Carroll for a place in the team.

It certainly seems like a curious move for Newcastle, who desperately need reinforcements at the other end of the pitch but seem to have an embarrassment of riches up front.

That problem could at least be part-solved by the news that Martins is said to be available for transfer, with Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp his likeliest suitor.

Newcastle do apparently want Senegal defender Boukary Dramé (though reports suggest he will join Sochaux instead) for the problem left-back spot but still need at least one more central defender.

Kieron Dyer will leave Newcastle, with his departure hastened by the abuse he suffered from Toon fans after the weekend's friendly victory over Juventus.

West Ham are is most likely destination, although Tottenham and Manchester City are also said to be interested - though his £80,000-a-week wages would point to Upton Park.

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Posted by SoccerAdmin at 03:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

(Soccer365.com) Barcelona midfielder Deco has admitted he would be tempted by a reunion with Jose Mourinho at Chelsea.

The Portuguese playmaker was the creative lynchpin of Mourinho's all-conquering Porto side before moving to the Nou Camp, where after a scintillating start to career in Spain he appears to have fallen out of favour.

Summer speculation has linked the 29-year-old with a move away from Catalonia, and Deco has revealed that a move to Stamford Bridge would be tempting, telling The Sun: "The idea of working with Jose again appeals to me."

He added: "He was a huge influence on my career and he did so much for me. I've worked with him before and it would be good to work with him again.

"The Premier League is definitely on a par with La Liga -- and playing there absolutely appeals to me. The English league is a possibility and it would definitely be somewhere I'd like to play.

"There's no doubt that you can compare Manchester United and Chelsea to Barcelona. They are both huge clubs and playing for clubs like that would always be an attractive proposition."

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The power of sport was on display for at least one day in Iraq, as the war-torn nation celebrated an Asian Cup title.

(Soccer365.com) A 71st minute header from Younes Mahmoud earned Iraq a historic 1-0 win over Saudi Arabia and their first-ever AFC Asian Cup title at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium.

The 24-year-old striker converted Hawar Mulla Mohammed's corner to give the war-torn nation the trophy and end Saudi Arabia's hopes of a record-breaking fourth continental title.

The win is the pinnacle of a fairytale run to the title by the Iraqis, who were forced to prepare for the tournament outside their homeland as a result of the continuing security situation.

Iraq made the first foray towards goal in the sixth minute when Qusay Munir managed to fire a shot that was just wide of Yasser Al Mosailem's right post.

Two minutes later Mahmoud's overhead kick angled across the face of the Saudi goal, while Karrar Jassim's close control saw him beat two defenders before firing a shot that Al Mosailem had to steer around a post.

Despite going into the final as the less fancied of the two teams, the Iraqis always looked the more likely to score and Jorvan Vieira's team tried their luck again three minutes before the break when Jassim sent his effort wide from long range.

Yasser Al Qahtani threatened for the Saudis prior to the interval when he beat the Iraqi defence, only to see his shot deflected wide for a corner.

But that was a rare foray forward by a Saudi side pinned back in their own half for much of the first 45 minutes, and it was a similar story in the second half.

Nashat Akram's shot on the turn was blocked by defender Walid Abdrabh in the 57th minute, while five minutes later, Al Mosailem was forced into a double save to keep the scores level as Iraq hit on the break.

Mahmoud's effort was the first to be kept out by the Al Ahli goalkeeper when he parried away from goal only for the ball to fall at the feet of Akram, but his attempt was also blocked by Al Mosailem.

That came just seconds after Noor Sabri had dived at full stretch to his right to deny Taiseer Al Jassam from distance at the other end.

The Iraqi dominance continued, however, as Mohammed's inviting cross was headed narrowly wide by Mahmoud in the 66th minute.

But five minutes later the Al Gharafa striker made no mistake.

Mohammed sent over a corner from the Iraqi right, Al Mosailem miss-read the flight of the ball and Mahmoud appeared at the far post to head home.

With 13 minutes to go Iraq could have made the game safe when Akram released Mahmoud, only for Al Mosailem to redeem himself by saving with his feet.

But it proved to be insignificant as the tournament underdogs held on for victory and recorded a truly remarkable triumph against all the odds.

Posted by SoccerAdmin at 06:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

(Soccer365.com) Real Salt Lake have revealed that Benfica has agreed a fee for Freddy Adu. The U.S. Under-20 star will fly to Lisbon on Sunday to complete the transfer by signing a five-year contract with the Portuguese giants.

"Major League Soccer and Real Salt Lake have given permission to Freddy Adu to travel to Europe to continue discussions with Portuguese club Benfica," read a statement from RSL coach Jason Kreis. "We would like to thank Freddy for his time here and wish him the best of luck.

"Our organization will continue to focus and concentrate on the second half of the MLS season, with our recent success against Everton and Boca Juniors serving as a springboard towards a fresh start."

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(Soccer365.com) The U.S. Women’s National Team got a powerful header from Shannon Boxx in the first half, and second half strikes from Kristine Lilly and Abby Wambach to record a rousing 4-1 win over a feisty Japanese Women’s National Team on a gorgeous night at Spartan Stadium.

A crowd of more than 11,000 saw the USA improve its record to 11-0-2 in 2007 with just two games left in the team’s Send-Off Series before leaving for the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup in China. This year the USA is 9-0-2 against teams that will be playing in the Women’s World Cup.

“I was really happy with the performance,” said U.S. head coach Greg Ryan. “I thought we defended really well. Japan is very quick, skillful and creative, and broke us down in the second half, but overall I thought we defended very well. I was really happy with how aggressive we were in attacking and really going after them.”

The USA has now won three consecutive games against the Japanese after tying the three previous matches. The four goals were the most the U.S. team has scored against Japan in the last seven matches between the two countries dating back to 2000.

The tight dimensions of the Spartan Stadium field certainly impacted play, making for a very crowded midfield, but the Americans dealt well with the conditions, using the flanks despite the 68-yard width as outside backs Christie Rampone and Stephanie Lopez consistently got forward into the attack.

Lopez set up the first U.S. goal and Rampone the second. The USA got on the board through a corner kick in the 17th minute as Lopez swung a whistling cross in from the left side. Boxx lost her mark for a moment, and on the dead run but without leaving her feet, sent a bullet header into the right side of the net from just inside the six-yard box.

It was Boxx’s 15th career international goal, but first she returned from major surgery after suffering a knee injury in the middle of 2006. Boxx was forced to leave the game with five minutes left after cracking heads with a Japanese player and needed four stitches to close a gash above her right eye, but she was fine after the match.

Rampone’s cross from the right wing led to the second goal as the ball glanced off the head of Lindsay Tarpley, which wasn’t enough to send the shot on goal, but just enough to throw off recovering Japanese defender Yukari Kinga, who ran through the ball and inadvertently knocked it into her own net with her shin from a few yards out.

Japan put together a flurry in the middle of the first half, which produced several corner kicks and a well struck shot in the right side of the penalty area from Shinobu Ohno, but U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo easily gobbled it up at the near post.

The U.S. team created chances all night, putting nine of its 16 total shots on goal, and had several near misses. While the USA controlled most of the first half, the second saw the world’s top-ranked team quicken the pace and rhythm as they attacked the Japanese goal relentlessly, peppering goalkeeper Miho Fukumoto with numerous shots and crosses.

The U.S. got its third goal in the 55th minute after Leslie Osborne crossed from the right flank to Lori Chalupny, who was stationed in the middle of the penalty area. Chalupny brought the ball down beautifully with her back to goal, held off a defender and slipped a short pass to Lilly

The U.S. captain bent her first-time left-footed shot into the left side netting from nine yards out, giving Fukumoto no chance. It was Lilly’s 124th career goal and seventh of 2007.

“Each game we feel better,” said Lilly. “Obviously, there are moments we want to change and we don’t want to let in a goal like that. We get little lulls – 15 or 20 minutes – in a game that we want to clean up and end up keeping the ball, but for the most part if we’re scoring four goals, that’s good for us. That means we’re putting more numbers up there and it makes it harder for teams to come back. I thought overall this team did great tonight, all our subs stepping on the field tonight and making a difference, it was really awesome tonight for us.”

The USA went on to threaten with a point blank header off corner kick by Wambach that was cleared by defender, a wide open header that Lilly put over the top, a sneaky shot by Lilly that almost skipped into the near post if not for a Fukumoto smother and a shot from Cat Whitehill that was stuffed by the Japanese ‘keeper almost right on the goal line after the U.S. defender had ran onto lopping ball over the defense.

The final U.S. goal came in the 74th minute after Kinga, on a night she may like to forget, handled the ball in the penalty box after substitute Carli Lloyd had tried to flick the ball over hear head. Wambach sent Fukumoto the wrong way and blasted her shot into the left side of the net for her 75th career goal, tying Cindy Parlow for fifth on the all-time scoring list. Parlow scored 75 goals in 158 career games. Wambach’s 75th came in her 94th career match.

In the 74th minute, Japan came close to pulling one back when Nayuha Toyada dribbled down the left flank and then cut back towards the penalty area. With time, the defender teed up and ripped a shot that got past the outstretched hands of Solo only to find the top of the crossbar and skip out of bounds.

Japan finally found net five minutes later, ending the USA’s shutout streak at 398 minutes over the past four games. The goal was created by a series of nice one-touch passes, but a U.S. tackle pushed the ball right into the path of Yuki Nagasato and she hammered it past Solo from 12 yards out.

“I think a lot of Asian teams are very similar,” said Lilly in reference to how this match can help in the USA’s Women’s World Cup opener against North Korea. “They’re technical ability is probably the best in the world. They are very technical on the ball and they’re very quick. You saw their goal, it was three passes and boom. I believe that’s what North Korea is going to be like. We haven’t seen them in quite a while, but Japan is like that, China is like that, so that’s the kind of Asian technique that they have and it was good for us to see that. We played China, Brazil, Norway and Japan, all different looks and it gives us an opportunity for these players that haven’t had World Cup experience to experience World Cup teams beforehand and know what we’ll be up against this September.”

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(Soccer365.com) Chelsea winger Arjen Robben will complete a £20 million move to Real Madrid in the next week, according to reports in Spain.

Madrid-based daily Marca reports that Real expect to agree a fee of around 30 million Euros in the next few days, and the Dutchman could be presented as a Madrid player on Wednesday or Thursday.

Robben has reportedly already agreed personal terms with Real, and all that remains is for the two clubs to agree a fee.

Marca claims that this agreement is close, with only 'small details' holding the deal up.

Robben has missed much of Chelsea's pre-season schedule, which has fuelled speculation over a move, but the club maintain that he has been injured.

The paper also claims that fellow Dutch left-winger Royston Drenthe will join Real along with Robben.

Drenthe, who currently plays for Feyenoord in Holland, is also a reported Chelsea target, so a double swoop by the Spanish champions would be a major blow to Jose Mourinho's side.

New Madrid boss Bernd Schuster has identified the left flank as the one area of his team that he is not satisfied with, and move for Robben and Drenthe - who can also play at left-back - would certainly rectify that.

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(Soccer365.com) Monday, August 6 promises to be D-day in the Manchester United career of Gabriel Heinze.

The Argentina defender has taken the extraordinary step of seeking legal advice to see whether he has grounds for pursuing a complaint against his club over their refusal to sell him to Liverpool.

Heinze's action is staggering and will almost certainly signal the death knell on his time at Old Trafford.

Yet Sir Alex Ferguson has made it perfectly clear not only does he believe United have right on their side, he expects Heinze to honour his contract and turn up for training as planned.

"He is due back in training on August 6, which gives him three clear weeks' rest after the Copa America. And we expect him back," said the United boss.

The deadline effectively gives Heinze's lawyers a week to find out if the former Paris St Germain defender has a case, which revolves around whether a letter, signed by chief executive David Gill, confirming the figure United would be prepared to sell Heinze for, overrides the player's contract, which still has two years to run.

Gill claims he informed Heinze's agent verbally, prior to Liverpool revealing their interest, that United would not be prepared to sell him to any of their three major domestic rivals - a discussion which is thought was recorded and could, therefore, in theory, be used as part of any defence the Red Devils may wish to put forward in court.

Heinze has been the subject of interest from overseas, with Real Madrid and Inter Milan among the clubs to express an interest.

But the huge Spanish-speaking influence at Liverpool, plus an opportunity to remain in the north-west, appears to have an irresistible lure for the player.

And, after pinning much of the blame for the present situation on Heinze's agents, Ferguson must now accept the defender is also a prime mover.

"We are aware Gaby is taking legal advice," confirmed the United boss.

"That is good. I hope it is good advice because we are confident of our position."

At least Ferguson had other, more positive thoughts to occupy his mind as United headed back to England after a successful two-week trip to the Far East.

His £17million summer purchase from Sporting Lisbon, Nani, must be a source of considerable satisfaction.

The brilliant chip he produced in the 3-0 win over Shangzhou Pharmaceuticals was one of the highlights of the entire trip.

Having heeded Ferguson's advice to cut out the elaborate back-flip goal celebrations, Nani is clearly a quick learner.

And provided he soaks up a few lessons over the next fortnight, the 19-year-old could be an influential figure in United's pursuit of glory this term.

"We are trying to give him the football, mixed with a training programme that gets him up to our level," said Ferguson.

"He is nowhere near that at the moment. But there are good signs. Some of his skill and speed at times is quite impressive.

"Scoring two goals in two games is a good start but I do think you will see a different player in two weeks' time."

Wayne Rooney and Lee Martin were also on target but there was no goal on home soil for Dong Fangzhou, while Alan Smith did not make much impression either.

With United remaining confident Carlos Tevez will arrive before the August 31 transfer deadline, it is difficult to see Smith hanging around much longer as he falls further down the pecking order, and it appears just a question of time before he moves on.

Posted by SoccerAdmin at 02:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

(Soccer365.com) Sir Alex Ferguson admits he already considers Carlos Tevez to be a Manchester United player.

The Premier League champions are waiting to conclude a deal to sign the Argentine striker from West Ham United.

Fifa has recommended the Court of Arbitration for Sport rule on the matter, while Tevez's agent Kia Joorabchian has issued a High Court writ against The Hammers.

Ferguson concedes there is no 'going back' for his club and expects Tevez to finish up at Old Trafford.

"We've done all the work, (United lawyer) Maurice Watkins has been working overtime on it for the last two months now," Ferguson told Sky Sports News.

"We've gone so far it's pointless thinking of going back now, we're where we want to be.

"We feel he's our player, and we hope that's the case and it's going to be proven in the next few days."

The United manager also revealed that he has been encouraged by the fact that Joorabchian has taken the matter to the High Court.

He added: "I feel more confident about getting him now because the agent is confident enough to take it to the High Court.

"You can be embarrassed there if it is not right and lose everything. He must be very confident regarding the situation with West Ham.

"I would imagine it will be done before the deadline, and we will wait for him anyway if we have to.

"Last summer we didn't go for him because we weren't sure of the arrangement."

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(Soccer365.com) Martin Petrov has admitted the reason he joined Manchester City was because of manager Sven-Goran Eriksson's reputation as a top coach.

The Bulgaria winger, 28, sealed a three-year deal at Eastlands following a £4.7million move from Atletico Madrid.

City won the race to secure his signature ahead of a number of European clubs.

He looked set at one stage to link up with international team-mate Dimitar Berbatov at Tottenham.

Petrov gave his reasons for his choice after being unveiled at a press conference at the club's Carrington training ground.

"The Premier League is the best league in the world and the best competition," he said.

"But the main reason I have joined Manchester City is because of the manager. That's why I have made this decision."

City chief executive Alistair Mackintosh added on the club website: "Unsurprisingly given the calibre of the player, there were a significant number of clubs competing for Martin's signature.

"Having Sven-Goran Eriksson as our manager proved to be a major factor in the player's decision to move here."

Petrov is a regular for Bulgaria, with more than 60 caps to his name, and was allowed to leave the Vicente Calderon as Atletico line up Benfica winger Simao Sabrosa.

He is Eriksson's fourth signing since he took charge and follows £8.8million striker Rolando Bianchi, Gelson Fernandes and Geovanni to the club.

Former Barcelona and Benfica midfielder Geovanni was also presented to the media alongside Petrov and Eriksson said: "I am sure a lot of clubs wanted both players.

"But the board here have backed me and they will do very well for us.

"Both of them bring a lot of experience to the squad as between them they have played a lot of international matches. They are also very good technically.

"It is important we do not just buy players who are 19, 20 and 21. You need to balance it up."

Petrov has been compared to Bulgarian legend Hristo Stoichkov but Eriksson said: "I think we should only look at what Martin does himself.

"He will have a lot of chances to show the supporters what he can do. I am quite confident he will do well."

With Eriksson acting as his interpreter, Geovanni said: "I am impressed by the facilities here and hopefully the team can have a good season."

The Brazilian, who returned home to play for Cruzeiro last season, is set to make his debut for the club on Saturday against Charleroi in Belgium.

City struggled for goals in the last campaign and that is one area the former England coach has been quick to address. He wants to improve the line of supply to the strikers.

Eriksson said: "We are working every day on the training pitch and want to play good football.

"Wingers are also important in my mind. You need players who can dribble and cross.

"It is nothing new. You want balls to come into the area."

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(Soccer365.com) Arjen Robben's proposed move to Real Madrid took a further twist when Chelsea revealed the Dutch winger was omitted from the squad which drew 1-1 with Feyenoord because of a knee injury.

Just hours after Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon claimed the deal hinged on the London club's willingness to do business, Robben was left at home by the Blues as Frank Lampard's leveller enabled Chelsea to keep their unbeaten pre-season record intact.

The Barclays Premier League club, winners of the FA and Carling Cups last season, have shrugged off all previous attempts by Madrid to land the Holland international.

Now any proposed deal could be scuppered by the fitness of the 23-year-old winger.

Chelsea assistant boss Steve Clarke confirmed: "He's got a small problem with his knee. He stayed behind for treatment. It's not major - we've decided to rest him for a week to 10 days, and he'll be fine after that. He's still a Chelsea player."

Madrid have been closely linked with Robben throughout the summer but have failed to persuade Chelsea to part with the player - even after the Londoners added Lyon winger Florent Malouda to their squad.

Madrid now want to strengthen their own squad still further and have again identified Robben as their key acquisition.

Chelsea's billionaire owner Roman Abramovich recently insisted Robben would not be sold at any price, but negotiations over a new long-term deal with the player appear to have broken down.

The 23-year-old was in the process of negotiating a new four-year contract at Stamford Bridge, but there are increasingly ominous signs that it is now only a matter of time before Madrid finally get their man.

Calderon said: "We are advancing in the negotiations. Those responsible are doing it very well, and I hope that it comes to fruition. But until the agreement is closed, we cannot say anything.

"It has to be the selling club who first decides - and once that has happened, I don't suppose there will be any problems resolving the player's contract."

Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho wants Robben to stay and sign a new deal. But the Dutchman, whose personal affairs are conducted by his father Hans, will move on if the Blues decide it would be better to cut their losses.

Robben has two years remaining on his current deal with Chelsea, but their reluctance to increase his wages on a par with the likes of other stars at Stamford Bridge has frustrated him.

Chelsea remained unbeaten following their successful American tour, thanks to a late equaliser against Feyenoord and a penalty save from substitute goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini.

The Dutch side took the lead just before half-time with a header from defender Kevin Hofland - and after Lampard's leveller, Cudicini capped a fine second-half performance with a penalty save from Roy Makaay.

Clarke added: "Carlo made a couple of good saves. I think that was a bit of justice. It's always good when your goalkeepers are showing good form at this stage of the season."

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(Soccer365.com) Aston Villa defender Olof Mellberg says he could one day follow former teammate Juan Pablo Angel to MLS.

The Sweden captain, a good friend of Maple Leafs star Mats Sundin, has already discussed the basics with Toronto FC coach Mo Johnston.

"Yes, I have talked about the possibility of playing in North America," Mellberg told the Toronto Sun.

"I mean, since Beckham signed, lots of players have talked about the MLS as being a place to play."

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Posted by SoccerAdmin at 02:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

(Soccer365.com) Ronaldinho admits he would like to have Frank Lampard as a Barcelona team-mate, but boss Frank Rijkaard does not expect it to happen.

The Chelsea midfielder has been often linked with the Catalans but has two years remaining on his contract at Stamford Bridge, and Rijkaard stressed Barcelona are not planning to move for the 29-year-old.

Ronaldinho, in Scotland for friendlies against Dundee United and Hearts, nevertheless believes Lampard is of the standard required at the Catalan club.

He said: "He's a great player and he has shown that at Chelsea.

"Obviously I would like to have him at Barcelona, the same way that I would like any great player there."

Barcelona manager Frank Rijkaard agreed with Ronaldinho's assessment of Lampard but denied targeting the England international.

He said: "I won't go into it personally, but what Ronaldinho says makes sense and everybody would say that.

"But it is just a remark being made about a good player like Frank Lampard.

"I don't want to enter into details because we will have it all over the papers that we are working on Frank Lampard and that is not true.

"We are working right now with the players that we have and we have to respect other players and the teams that they are playing for at the moment.

"It is not my way to talk about other players but we all know that he is a great player."

Ronaldinho, who admitted he was flattered by reports that AC Milan are ready to buy out his contract for 125 million euros (£84million), claimed he made the correct decision to join Barcelona from Paris St Germain in 2003 when Manchester United were interested.

He said: "Before I moved to Barcelona I had the chance to go to Manchester United but I made a good decision and I am happy to be here."

However, the 27-year-old Brazilian looked nonplussed at the suggestion he had been offered the chance to join St Mirren after he left Brazilian side Gremio in 2001.

He said: "It was a long time ago and I can't exactly remember what was happening then but there were a lot of clubs interested in taking me on loan."

Ronaldinho, who has been entertaining the crowds who have turned up to watch him and his Barcelona team-mates train at St Andrews this week, insists he had no regrets about missing out on Brazil's recent Copa America triumph when they beat rivals Argentina in the final.

Ahead of Thursday's match against Dundee United, he said: "I'm happy that my country was playing in such a good competition.

"But I asked for time off to get ready for this season.

"I was tired but I'm really looking forward to the season starting again."

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Posted by SoccerAdmin at 02:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

(Soccer365.com) Peter Crouch believes the plethora of striking options available to manager Rafael Benitez will hold the key to Liverpool's bid for the Premier League title this season.

The manager has invested heavily over the summer to re-enforce the Reds' attacking corps, bringing in Fernando Torres, Ryan Babel and Andriy Voronin while recouping some of the outlay by offloading Craig Bellamy to West Ham and Djibril Cisse to Marseille, while Kop legend Robbie Fowler joined Cardiff.

While the signing of Spain star Torres may have proved the most eye-catching, Voronin has impressed during Liverpool's pre-season campaign and with Crouch and Kuyt, who scored 18 and 14 goals respectively last term, plus Holland international Babel also vying for a starting berth, Liverpool will boast one of the most potent attacking forces in the Premier League for the coming campaign.

And despite the fact competition for places at Anfield will now be fiercer than ever, Crouch insisted the situation will benefit the club and fit Benitez's policy of selecting his team according to the opposition.

"What is good is that I think that any of the strikers can play with each other," he said.

"There's no direct competition between any of us, we can play together.

"I think it will be crucial how the strikers combine but we've certainly got a mixture of pace and aerial ability with the new players and that is obviously good for the club."

Liverpool's title challenge has been hampered the last two seasons by slow starts as rivals Chelsea and Manchester United have fired on all cylinders from the opening whistle.

And with new players to be integrated into the squad, there are fears the Reds could once again be lagging behind their rivals come October.

But Crouch believes the new names have settled in well during a so far unbeaten pre-season.

"The new signings seemed to have gelled well," he added.

"They came early in the pre-season so they have had the same time as the rest of us to settle in, which has been good.

"We need to start the Premier League well. The other teams have been so consistent we need everybody to gel together and we need to start well so it's important."

The latest victory was a 3-1 win over resilient Hong Kong side South China to claim a place in the Barclays Asia Trophy against fellow Premier League club Portsmouth and proved a useful test according to the 26-year-old.

"It was hot, it was good a workout. I played an hour and a few of us played 90 minutes so that was good and kept our pre-season winning streak going," Crouch said.

Torres and Babel did not feature against South China as both are yet to receive international clearance to play.

With Steven Gerrard also sidelined with a slight abdominal strain, Benitez was forced to play Sami Hyypia in midfield for the final part of the game.

However, the Spaniard is hopeful his new acquisitions can face Pompey on Friday.

"There was a problem with the international clearance," confirmed Benitez.

"I do not know exactly what the problem is but hopefully we can find a solution so they can play on Friday."

Midfielder Xabi Alonso, meanwhile, believes Liverpool now have the strength in depth to challenge both United and Chelsea.

"I don't like to compare to previous seasons but I think at the moment we have a strong squad and hopefully we can win trophies this season," he said.

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Posted by SoccerAdmin at 02:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

(Soccer365.com) AC Milan playmaker Kaka has ended speculation over his future by declaring the "door is closed" on a move to Real Madrid, even though he has admitted to meeting with the Spanish champions.

The Brazil ace has reportedly been the target of a world-record bid from Madrid, but insists he sees his future with the Champions League winners.

"I have never asked to leave, terminate my contract or have any get-out clauses at Milan," he said.

"I see myself being a symbol of a great squad and I hope that this can be Milan."

The 25-year-old was instrumental in Milan's road to Athens glory last season and the fans - several thousand of whom arrived to greet him at the start of pre-season training on Monday - can look forward to seeing more of his magic in years to come.

He said: "They [the fans] don't have to worry. I have a contract until 2011 and the door to Real Madrid is closed.

"Only Milan can reopen it if they decide to sell me."

And Real would already be at an advanced stage with the player if the Milanese club did decide to take an offer seriously.

"Just like Milan look to strengthen by searching out other players, Real did so by searching me," admitted the South American.

"There was a meeting with Real Madrid, but the first to know about it was Milan.

"Real Madrid are a huge club but, as even Pele said, money is not everything. I have learned from friends who left Milan and are suffering away from this club."

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Posted by SoccerAdmin at 02:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

(Soccer365.com) According to the Chicago Tribune, the Fire are closing in on the capture of Costa Rica strike star Paulo Wanchope.

"We are in the final discussions to bring a striker in," claimed Chicago GM Steve Guppy, without naming anyone specifically.

The 30-year old former Manchester City and West Ham ace was most recently under contract with FC Tokyo.

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(Soccer365.com) After a couple years of struggle, Everton netminder Tim Howard says he is finally happy with the course his career is taking.

The U.S. star put on a swell Premiership show after coming over from Manchester United last season, then backstopped the ‘Nats to a Gold Cup crown.

"(My career) kind of where I had envisioned it," Howard admitted to the Salt Lake Tribune. "At the moment, I'm just happy about that."

"It's something that I've been working towards . . . as a goal and it's kind of just been going the right way."

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(Soccer365.com) Silvio Berlusconi fears the European champions have been priced out of a move to take Andriy Shevchenko back to the San Siro.

Berlusconi is keen to re-sign the Ukrainian, just 14 months after selling him to Chelsea for £30million.

But he does not believe the Rossoneri have the financial clout to prise him away from Stamford Bridge.

He told AC Milan's official television station: "I'm very tied to Sheva and I have always expressed my approval for his possible return.

"However, right now we don't feel able to make any offer which can please Chelsea.

"There are insurmountable obstacles tied to the player's value."

Berlusconi also reiterated that Brazil playmaker Kaka would not be leaving Milan despite being linked with Real Madrid.

"Kaka is really a stupid story," he added. "The player has never wanted to leave.

"What has been reported by the newspapers is not reality, it was all created to sell more newspapers.

"Kaka is a symbolic player for Milan and we hope that he can finish his career here."

One player who might be linking up with Milan in the near future is Kaka's compatriot Alexandre Pato, who plays for Internacional.

Berlusconi said: "He's a player we are following and we consider him of great value.

"Even though he is only 17 years old, we believe that we can invest in the player, like we did for example for (Yoann) Gourcuff who in France is considered the only real heir to Zidane."

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(Soccer365.com) Liverpool set up a Barclays Asia Trophy final clash with Portsmouth after seeing off a spirited South China outfit 3-1.

A side with skipper Steven Gerrard and summer signings Fernando Torres and Ryan Babel were given a testing examination as goals from John Arne Riise, Xabi Alonso and Daniel Agger finally saw off the hosts at Hong Kong Stadium.

Riise opened the scoring after nine minutes with a trademark blistering free-kick from the edge of the area that left keeper Zhang Chunhui with little chance as it arrowed its way into the top corner.

The home side fell further behind after 26 minutes when Alonso's cute through ball split the South China defence and Andriy Voronin was bundled over in the box. Alonso slotted home the spot kick low to Zhang's left.

However, South China halved the deficit just after the half hour mark when, after Mohammed Sissoko had been penalised for a foul near the right touchline, skipper Li Haiqiang curled a brilliant effort into the top corner of Scott Carson's net from 30 yards.

Agger rounded off a beautifully worked goal after 72 minutes, though, after Riise's cross picked out Dirk Kuyt and he teed up the Dane to drive the ball home from inside the box.

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(Soccer365.com) West Ham have completed the signing of Arsenal midfielder Freddie Ljungberg.

The Sweden international, 30, had been the Gunners' longest serving player after costing Arsene Wenger's side £3million in 1998 from Halmstads.

Ljungberg said he left Arsenal because he felt like "it was the end" for the club as he knew it following Thierry Henry's move to Barcelona, saying: "Two years ago when I signed my last contract we talked a lot about the future and about bringing great players to the club. But when Henry left this summer it felt like the end for me unfortunately."

He added: "Despite building the new stadium we wanted to stay top in England and do well in Europe. For me that didn't really happen.

"I felt like all the unbeaten players (from Arsenal's 'invincibles' of 2003/04) had left.

"I stayed because I wanted to stay loyal to Arsenal. I wanted to be loyal but I felt like it was the right time."

The midfielder played 325 times for Arsenal, scoring 72 goals, but lost his grip on a starting spot last season.

He now joins Julien Faubert, Scott Parker, Craig Bellamy and Richard Wright in moving to Upton Park since the Hammers' dramatic last-day survival last season.

But Ljungberg also insisted there were positive reasons behind his decision and insisted he shared owner Eggert Magnusson's vision.

"I'm coming here because I want to build a great team. And why I want to join is because of Magnusson. He wants to bring them forward to be top of the country. He's willing to go to the transfer market to buy top players and mix them with youth players. West Ham have a great academy."

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(Soccer365.com) Parma are playing a waiting game in their bid to lure Giuseppe Rossi back to the club from Manchester United.

Rossi had a successful second half of last season with Parma while on loan from United, and now the Italians are hoping to bring him back to the Stadio Ennio Tardini.

"We had a meeting at Folgaria with Rossi's agents," said Parma president Tommaso Ghirardi.

"We discussed the situation but we know we must wait for Manchester United to return from their tour of Asia before we know a little more about Giuseppe's future."

The 20-year-old, who was born in New Jersey, scored nine goals in 16 Serie A matches for Parma last season to lead them out of the relegation zone and to safety.

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(Soccer365.com) Fast Chicago favorite Cuauhtémoc Blanco insisted he felt no great pressure in starting his Fire tenure with a special goal to tie friendly foe Celtic on Sunday.

The Mexico star dribbled past two flummoxed defenders before rounding the keeper to put his side ahead at the half hour.

"I wasn't nervous," Blanco assured reporters. "If I was a nervous person, I wouldn't have played in World Cups."

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(Soccer365.com) Real Madrid forward Julio Baptista is being lined up for a £6million move to Newcastle, according to the Sunday Mirror.

The Brazilian spent last season at Arsenal on loan and Real sources have apparently claimed that the Magpies have now made their interest known.

Baptista is flattered by the interest from "a big club" but is waiting to hear if he has a future with the Spanish champions before deciding on any move.

He said: "I believe I showed at Arsenal last season that I can play in England, score goals and make goals.

"Newcastle is a big club but before I consider a move I need to know about my future with Real. I want the chance in pre-season to show our new coach Bernd Schuster I should be part of his plans.

"If things don't work out here I will have to look at other options in Spain and England."

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(Soccer365.com) David Beckham came off the bench for the final 13 minutes but his Los Angeles Galaxy debut was a losing one as Chelsea's pre-season campaign continued with a 1-0 win at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California.

Beckham brought the sell-out crowd of 27,000 to its feet as he slotted into central midfield but his contribution was limited to a handful of touches as Chelsea dominated possession to hold on to a lead they had held since the 49th minute when John Terry fired home from the edge of the area.

And there was a scare in stoppage time as Steve Sidwell brought Beckham down with a challenge that left the England star grimacing. Beckham, 32, has been struggling with ankle ligament damage he sustained on June 6 while playing for England against Estonia and aggravated the injury as Real Madrid beat Real Mallorca to win the Spanish La Liga title on June 17.

He had not taken a full part in training with his new team the Galaxy since arriving in Los Angeles nine days ago and has been receiving treatment from club physios all week, including deep tissue massage.

Beckham did not join his team-mates for the pre-match warm-up waiting to make his appearance with a solo walk around the perimeter of the pitch just before kick-off.

He took his seat at the end of the Galaxy bench to see his team-mates start with much more purpose than they had done in midweek when he watched them lose 3-0 to Mexican side Tigres from an executive box.

Coach Frank Yallop made just two changes to the team beaten so comprehensively by Tigres on Tuesday night, bringing in veteran midfielder Cobi Jones in Alan Gordon as a second striker alongside Carlos Pavon at the expense of midfielders Chris Klein, sent off against the Mexicans, and Peter Vagenas.

Yet for all their purpose and possession, the first chance fell to Chelsea and Florent Malouda in the 11th minute who met Paolo Ferreira's cross from the right with a side-footed volley that forced a save from Joe Cannon.

At the other end Peter Cech was brought into the action two minutes later when he cleared his lines from a Martino cross straight into the path of Cobi Jones whose shot he pushed wide at full stretch.

Cech was in command again on the quarter hour as he picked a Landon Donovan free-kick off the head of Gordon. Galaxy were warming to their task as Jones crossed from the right to the back post where Kyle Martino sent a diving header just past the post.

It was then that Chelsea took over, with Floren Malouda again looking sharp down the left, teeing up Salomon Kalou and Shaun Wright-Phillips for shots that both missed the target. Carvalho and Drogba followed suit as Chelsea failed to make the breakthrough.

Abel Xavier nearly put the Galaxy in front against the run of play when Donovan sent in a free-kick from the left in the 39th minute. The former Portugal defender's header from the penalty spot was on target, forcing Cech to tip over the bar to keep the game scoreless at half-time.

Jose Mourinho made only three changes at half-time, bringing on Joe Cole, Andriy Shevchenko and Carlo Cudicini, but he switched both Essien and Malouda into full-back roles.

Terry made the breakthrough four minutes after the restart, after Frank Lampard's corner ricocheted around the box before falling to the Chelsea and England captain, who drove through the crowded area and into the net. Kalou nearly doubled the lead a minute later but sent a free header straight at Cannon. And when Drogba found the net to finish off a slick move involving Kalou and Shevchenko, referee Brian Hall ruled it out for offside.

From the hour mark the attention was more on the Galaxy bench than the pitch as one of Yallop's assistants approached Beckham and the new Galaxy star started lacing up his boot. He began warming up six minutes later and then disappeared into the tunnel three minutes after that, not reappearing until the 75th minute.

When his tracksuit top came off in the 77th minute, it brought the biggest cheer of the night and he replaced Gordon to immediately take up a central midfield role.

His first touch came almost three minutes later as he sent a trademark cross-field pass from inside his own half to the head of fellow sub Quavas Kirk. A short pass followed but his third pass went astray.

Then Sidwell clipped him around the ankles as Beckham tried to find some space and there was concern as he seemed to stay down clutching his ankle. He got up quickly and appeared to hobble momentarily but was confident enough to take his first corner, again finding a Galaxy head in the dying moments.

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Posted by SoccerAdmin at 09:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

(Soccer365.com) First year revelations Juan Pablo Angel and Juan Carlos Toja netted first half goals to pace the MLS All-Star team to a 2-0 win over Scottish champs Celtic at Dick's Sporting Goods Park on Thursday night.

Angel made no mistake after being played in alone by Dwayne De Rosario nine minutes before halftime, and his countryman bagged a rebound shortly thereafter to complete the margin.

The Red Bulls star was honored as MVP, a designation MLS coach Steve Nicol had o qualms with. "Juan's goal was just a fantastic finish," said the Revs boss. "One-on-one with the goalie, keeps calm, goes around him and puts in the net - a superb finish."

The MLS All-Stars made good on an 8-2 shots on goal advantage in winning against foreign opposition for the fourth time in as many tries.

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(Soccer365.com) Arsene Wenger has reportedly told the Arsenal board that he wants to re-sign Nicolas Anelka.

The Gunners boss still wants to bring in another player to fill the void left by Thierry Henry's departure to Barcelona, and the Daily Express claims that Bolton striker Anelka is his first choice.

Wenger wanted to sign Anelka immediately after Henry's departure to Spain was confirmed, but this was met with heavy opposition from the Arsenal board, who were reluctant to sign a player with such a reputation for causing unrest.

Anelka was first signed by Wenger from Paris St-Germain for £500,000, but after two seasons at Highbury he virtually went on strike after demanding first a pay rise, then a move to Real Madrid.

He eventually did make the move to Spain for £22.3 million in 1999, and has since not managed to stay at a club for very long.

Despite the Gunners' board's initial reluctance, Wenger is keen to re-sign the forward, who would cost around £10 million.

The Express also reports that Anelka has an offer on the table from Valencia, and the lure of Champions League football is likely to be too strong to resist.

Wenger claims that his summer transfer plans have been completely changed by Henry's departure, who he expected to stay in London.

The Gunners boss said: "I said I would not buy unless I found a super player.

"But at that time Thierry was staying. Then the Thierry situation was raised.

"I could not go into the new season without a striker. When he was staying I was buying one super player. The problem became different when Thierry left. Then I had to buy a striker."

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(Soccer365.com) England midfielder Owen Hargreaves could be forced to sit out Manchester United's entire four-match Far East tour.

Hargreaves has been suffering from tendinitis in his knee, and will miss United's pre-season games as a precaution.

Having already missed the draw with Urawa Red Diamonds in Tokyo earlier this week, he will also sit out Friday's clash with K-League outfit FC Seoul.

While most of his team-mates, including Nani and Chris Eagles, were able to take part in training at Seoul's rain-drenched World Cup Stadium on Thursday morning, Hargreaves was restricted to only light jogging.

And Ferguson is now mulling over whether to keep his £18million summer signing on the sidelines until United return to England on July 28.

"Once we get home, we have half a dozen games to play before the season starts," said Ferguson.

"Ideally, I would like everyone on tour to have got at least two games under their belt by the time we get back.

"With the ones who are injured (Hargreaves, Darron Gibson and Lee Martin) we have to make an assessment about how they are progressing and they may have to wait until we get home."

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(Soccer365.com) John Terry has reportedly agreed a new contract with Chelsea worth around £131,000 a week.

The Sun reports that negotiations between the club and Terry's agent have been finalized, with the England skipper set to sign a new five-year contract that will earn him £6.8 million a year.

The deal will reportedly make Terry the highest paid player in England.

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has been keen to tie-up deals for Terry and England team-mate Frank Lampard as soon as possible this summer, and has flown out to the club's pre-season tour of America to shake hands on the deal.

The Russian is now keen to secure Lampard on an improved contract, and will try to hammer out a deal with the midfielder as soon as possible.

The pair reportedly had demanded to be put on a par with the top-earners at Chelsea, last season's summer signings Andriy Shevchenko and Michael Ballack, both on around £120,000 a week.

Meanwhile, Terry has reportedly suffered a broken toe during Chelsea's 1-0 win against the Suwon Bluewings in California.

The captain is said to have played on after picking up the injury and came off at half-time in the match against the Korean side at the Home Depot Center in Carson.

His substitution at the interval appeared to have been planned as manager Jose Mourinho used 22 players during the game in order to give them all 45 minutes each.

But, according to reports, the 26-year-old had a painkilling injection and underwent scans and will be looking to return for the game against the Los Angeles Galaxy on Saturday in which David Beckham could make his American debut.

Terry has suffered a number of injuries this year and his back injury at the turn of the year was key as Chelsea lost ground on Manchester United in the Barclays Premier League title race.

England manager Steve McClaren will be keeping an eye on Terry's progress ahead of the Euro 2008 qualifiers this autumn.

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(Soccer365.com) Jerzy Dudek is set to be unveiled as Real Madrid's latest signing on Friday, the Spanish giants have announced.

The Polish goalkeeper, who was released by previous club Liverpool this summer, is due to land in Madrid on Thursday night before undergoing a medical with the Primera Liga champions on Friday.

If all goes to plan, Madrid expect to present the player at 1300 (local time) on Friday, when he will become the fourth new arrival at the Bernabeu this summer following Pepe, Christoph Metzelder and Javier Saviola

The 34-year-old Dudek starred for Liverpool in their penalty shoot-out win over AC Milan in the 2005 Champions League final, but has had to play second-fiddle to Spaniard Jose Reina at Anfield for the last few years.

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(Soccer365.com) Michael Owen has admitted that he would love to captain Newcastle - but he might have to fight Joey Barton for the armband.

"I would love to skipper Newcastle United," said Owen in the Newcastle Evening Chronicle, before scoring for the Magpies against Hartlepool on Tuesday night.

Owen's main rival for the armband is thought to be Barton, who impressed with his powerful display in the victory.

Shay Given was captain against Hartlepool but the Chronicle believes that manager Sam Allardyce is not fond of having a goalkeeper as captain.

Last year's skipper was Scott Parker, who has since joined West Ham.

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Posted by SoccerAdmin at 03:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

(Soccer365.com) Roma have won the race to sign Barcelona winger Ludovic Giuly despite reported interest from the Premier League.