Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo is confident the team can win five trophies this season.

United have experienced a mini-slump recently losing their last two matches, but Ronaldo feels the Red Devils can come back from the international break and aim for the quintuple.

Ronaldo said: "All the guys have to continue playing like we know we can.

"We can't relax. I know I don't like to. I've a long road ahead of me and I want to be in this position, winning awards and trophies while I can.

"Every game is important because if we win, it improves our confidence. I'm at a club that guarantees trophies and that makes me happy. When we compete for a cup, we know we can win it.

"Last year we did the double of Premier League and Champions League and this year we have a chance to win five.

"We're doing well in all competitions and it would be incredible if we could win them all. We have to continue working as we have been."

(Soccer365.com)

Posted by SoccerAdmin at 02:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Frank Lampard believes Fabio Capello's contagious conviction has inspired a winning mentality into the England set-up.

The country's 4-0 demolition of Slovakia on Saturday, coupled with an unbeaten World Cup qualifying run (four wins from four), has the Chelsea midfielder, among others, singing the Italian's praises.

"Fabio Capello was exactly what we needed," Lampard said on the Sporting Life website.

"There is a very strong aura about Fabio. There is a bit of Jose Mourinho about him in the fact that he knows what he is doing. It is his way and we are all following it. There is probably a bit of that in every top manager. They have a confidence in their own ability."

He added: "It is very important with England because we all know what kind of microscope there is on us and you might be affected by the strong public opinion. But Fabio makes his own decisions in terms of the team, the substitutes and what they do on the training pitch".

(Soccer365.com)

Posted by SoccerAdmin at 12:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Giuseppe Rossi's agent has warned suitors of the Villarreal striker that he will cost them 40million euros.

The former Manchester United player has scored 12 goals in 21 Primera Liga games for Villarreal this season, earning the interest of Juventus among others.

But Federico Pastorello has warned that Villarreal will not sell on the cheap.

"Villarreal turned down 20million euros last summer," Pastorello said.

"His buy-out clause is of 40million. Therefore, his value is closer to the 40 mark than the 20 mark."

Rossi, who has also scored three goals in the Champions League this season, is under contract with the Spanish club until June 2013.

In the meantime, the 22-year-old from New Jersey is focusing on earning a place in the Italy squad.

Rossi is training with Marcello Lippi's side ahead of Wednesday's game against Ireland in Bari.

"I hope to play," said Rossi. "Although I didn't play in Podgorica against Montenegro over the weekend, I am calm and I don't feel left out.

"Lippi has confidence in me."

(Soccer365.com)

Posted by SoccerAdmin at 06:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Inter Milan boss Jose Mourinho says managing Manchester United is one of the biggest jobs in football.

Sir Alex Ferguson is tipped to step down in the next year or two and Mourinho is one of the favourites to take over at Old Trafford.

The Portuguese tactician says he would jump at the chance.

Mourinho said: "Which is the manager that says no? Nobody can say no!

"Manchester United belongs to a small group of clubs from around the world where nobody can say no.

"But first of all I don't believe in 2010 he is leaving - I don't believe.

"I think year after year he is the same, he's exactly the same person; healthy, happy... so I don't see a reason for him to quit.

"And in a very fair way, I hope he still goes, I hope he still goes on, because he's good."

(Soccer365.com)

Posted by SoccerAdmin at 09:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Spanish giants Barcelona have stated in no uncertain terms that star player Lionel Messi is not for sale, at any price, to anyone, in response to the Argentine being linked to Manchester City.

Messi, who joined Barca as a child, was linked to City in January and in an attempt to avoid any speculation in the summer Barca president Joan Laporta said: "Messi is not for sale and that's it.

"It's not a question of money. For me he's the best player in the world and he feels comfortable at Barcelona.

"For us, Messi reflects Barca in a perfect way that makes young players see how we develop talents.

"Leo Messi came to Barca when he was 12 years old. He has a natural talent but we created the player you know and we are very proud of this.

"I think Leo is very happy in our city and in our country and so is his family."

City have also been linked to striker Thierry Henry, but BArca have stated he is going nowehere. Henry signed a four-year deal in 2007 and has since been thought to extend the deal by three more years in the near future.

(Soccer365.com)

Posted by SoccerAdmin at 10:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Vancouver will be the home of Major League Soccer’s 17th team, Commissioner Don Garber announced today. The Vancouver MLS team will begin play in 2011 at the newly-renovated BC Place Stadium in the city’s downtown entertainment district.

The venue will undergo approximately $365 million CDN in improvements before the new MLS team takes to the field, and will have a seamless 20,000-seat soccer-specific configuration.

The Vancouver ownership group consists of Greg Kerfoot, Steve Luczo, Jeff Mallett, and Steve Nash. Kerfoot is the owner of Vancouver Whitecaps FC and former CEO of Crystal Decisions Software. Luczo is president, CEO, and chairman of the board for Seagate Technology and part owner of the National Basketball Association’s Boston Celtics. Mallett is part owner of Major League Baseball’s San Francisco Giants and is the former president and COO of Yahoo! Nash – a guard for the NBAs Phoenix Suns – is a two-time NBA MVP, and along with Mallett, is an investor in Women’s Professional Soccer.

Vancouver will have the second MLS team in Canada following the successful launch of Toronto FC in 2007. Toronto FC has sold out every home game, capped season tickets at 16,000, and has a season-ticket waiting list of over 14,000. Vancouver also has a proven track record of supporting soccer. In November 2007, the Whitecaps United Soccer Leagues First Division team played in front of over 48,000 fans at BC Place when they hosted the Los Angeles Galaxy.

The renovations to BC Place include new seating, concessions, washrooms, hospitality areas, field surface, improved access for persons with disabilities, the redevelopment of all common spaces, and a significant reduction in the building’s energy consumption. The defining features will include the first centrally-hung electronic scoreboard and retractable roof in MLS - an engineering marvel that uses the same technology found at Commerzbank Arena in Frankfurt, Germany, which is the home of Eintracht Frankfurt of the German Bundesliga.

(mlsnet.com)

Posted by SoccerAdmin at 02:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Manchester United look set to complete a permanent deal for Carlos Tevez after losing out on a move for Lyon striker Karim Benzema.

The GBP 30 million-rated French hitman was receiving interest from a number of top European clubs, with Red Devils manager Sir Alex Ferguson keen on his services, but the 21-year-old has now admitted he made a mistake in suggesting he could leave the Ligue 1 club.

Benzema declared: "I will stay at Lyon. I still have a lot of work to do, to make some steps forward.

"I'm very good here at Lyon. The club takes part in the Champions League each season, I'm well-integrated. I will stay at Lyon next season."

United are now expected to try and come to an agreement to keep 25-year-old Tevez with the club when his two-year loan deal expires at the end of the season.

(Soccer365.com)

Posted by SoccerAdmin at 05:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Reports have stated that Inter Milan star Zlatan Ibrahimovic is looking to transfer to FC Barcelona in the summer.

The Sweden international is reportedly looking for a fresh start, with the hopes of tasting Champions League glory at Camp Nou.

And with his manager Mino Raiola stating that nobody can tie Ibrahimovic to Inter, speculation has grown over a transfer away from the San Siro at the end of the season.

La Gazzetta Dello Sport said: "Mino Raiola has a clear idea of what could happen and has maintained contact with Barcelona. The first exchanges have been satisfactory."

But with a number of reports in Spain suggesting that Valencia star David Villa is the top priority for Barca, they have also not ruled out a possible transfer to Real Madrid.

"As an alternative, Ibrahimovic could team up with Carlo Ancelotti at Madrid, with Florentino Perez back as president," added the report.

(Soccer365.com)

Posted by SoccerAdmin at 02:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez believes they must win all of their remaining nine games, to have a genuine shot of beating Manchester United to the Premier League title.

The Reds hammered the table toppers 4-1 on Saturday, cutting United's lead to just four points, although Sir Alex Ferguson's men still have a game in hand.

Benitez says the result, coupled with the 4-0 drubbing of Real Madrid in midweek, has given his side the confidence to push United all the way in pursuit of league glory. "We have beaten Real Madrid and Manchester United in the same week," said Benitez.

"If we can beat them, we can beat anybody.

"Realistically, we have to win all of our games. But part of winning the war is winning football matches.

"We have more belief and more confidence now. It will be difficult but we can do it."

(Soccer365.com)

Posted by SoccerAdmin at 09:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Arsenal sneaked past Roma 6-7 on penalties in a dramatic Champions League last-16 encounter at the Stadio Olimpico on Wednesday.

The aggregate lead Arsenal took into the match was wiped out nine minutes into the clash thanks to Silveira Juan. A cross along the ground from Francesco Totti went through Rodrigo Taddei's legs and found Juan at the far post and he had no problem steering it past Manuel Almunia. The goal could have easily been avoided if Kolo Toure or William Gallas had cleared as the cross seemed to go straight past them.

The opening goal seemed to knock the stuffing out of the Gunners as they struggled to keep the ball and could not create opportunities with Roma dominating play in midfield.

Arsenal were living dangerously towards the end of the opening half, barely avoiding a penalty appeal against them. Gael Clichy brought Marco Motta down in the area but the referee decided not to award the Italian side with a penalty. It was a close call nonetheless and one the London outfit needed to go in their favor.

A corner provided Arsene Wenger's charges with a decent opportunity after the break but Abou Diaby, who made space for himself, shot the ball inches wide of the post keeping the tie locked at 1-1 on aggregate.

Neither side could score the decisive goal after 90 minutes sending the game into extra-time, where two tired looking sides struggled to break each other's defense down. Two hours of football failed to separate the sides as the teams started to prepare for the dreaded penalty shoot-out.

The penalties were immediately off to a bad start for Arsenal when Eduardo missed the first spot-kick and Claudio Pizarro slotted his. However, Almunia made a crucial save to put the teams on level pegging once again.

It eventually took eight penalties to separate the sides as the Gunners advanced to the Champions League quarter-finals, joining Premier League rivals Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United in the next round.

(soccer365.com)

Posted by SoccerAdmin at 11:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Barcelona stamped their ticket to the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals with a 5-2 win over Olympique Lyonnais at the Camp Nou on Wednesday evening. The home side took advantage of a four goal outburst over 18 minutes in the first half to seal the win.

Thierry Henry led the way for Barca opening the scoring in the 25th minute and doubling the margin two minutes later. The French international then set up Samuel Eto’o for the fourth goal.

Lyon did not throw the towel in, however, with Jean II Makoun drawing one back before halftime in the 44th minute and Juninho Pernambucano cutting the lead in half with his 48th minute strike. But Barcelona was too strong and refused to let the visitors get any closer while substitute Seydou Keita added a fifth and final goal for Barcelona in the 5th minute of injury time.

(Soccer365.com)

Posted by SoccerAdmin at 11:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Manchester United clinched a place in the Champions League quarter-finals with a comfortable 2-0 win against Inter Milan at Old Trafford on Wednesday.

The defending Champions League winners were out of the blocks in a flash scoring the opening goal in the fourth minute. A curling Michael Carrick corner-kick from the right found Nemanja Vidic who headed into the net with ease after escaping the lackluster marking of Patrick Vieira.

Inter came agonizingly close to scoring the crucial away goal when Zlatan Ibrahimovic connected with Maicon's free-kick, but the Swede's header from six yards out bounced off the turf and hit the bar before going over for a goal-kick.

United dominated most of the possession in the first-half, but the visitors were denied another chance of leveling when a powerful half-volley from Dejan Stankovic was brilliantly saved by Edwin Van der Sar's fingertips with the ball looking set for the top corner.

The Red Devils doubled their advantage four minutes after the break when Wayne Rooney evaded Maicon down the left and lofted a cross into the box where Cristiano Ronaldo confused his markers and reached the ball before goalkeeper Julio Cesar, heading it home.

The woodwork denied Inter once again in the second-half, this time it was Adriano's strike from eight yards that struck the inside of the post and rebounded harmlessly away.

United were able to deny Inter of a goal after the 90 minutes keeping their hunt for more trophies alive as they headed towards the Champions League quarter-finals.

(Soccer365.com)

Posted by SoccerAdmin at 10:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bayern Munich made easy work of Sporting Clube de Portugal in their 7-1 win at the Football Arena in Munich in the second league of UEFA Champions League action on Tuesday night.

The home side was under no pressure heading into the match having won the first match 5-0.

Lukas Podolski lead the way with two first half goals in the 7th and 34th minute. The German international would not have been in the lineup if it were not for an injury to Luca Toni and he certainly made the most of his opportunity.

Anderson Polga made matters worse for his team in the 39th minute when he knocked in an own goal giving Munich a 3-0 lead and enabled them to coast to the final whistle.

Bastian Schweinsteiger closed out the half with his lone effort of the match followed up by goals from Miroslav Klose from the penalty spot while youngster Thomas Müller opened his account in UEFA Champions League action.

(Soccer365.com)

Posted by SoccerAdmin at 11:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A late strike from Didier Drogba helped Chelsea squeeze past a determined Juventus side 3-2 on aggregate in their Champions League last-16 clash at the Stadio Olimpico on Tuesday.

The Italian outfit suffered an early setback when their playmaker Pavel Nedved was forced to leave the field with an injury, following a couple of hefty collisions in midfield.

However, the Bianconeri was unfazed as they wiped out Chelsea's aggregate advantage through Vincenzo Iaquinta in the 19th minute. The goal was set up by striker David Trezeguet who chested the ball down before playing it on for Iaquinta to run onto the pass and slot it past Petr Cech in goal.

Juventus looked to be bossing the game for large periods of the first-half as Chelsea found it difficult to keep possession, but the hosts failed to create decent goal-scoring chances.

In first-half stoppage time the West London outfit leveled matters thanks to Michael Essien. Frank Lampard shot a volley at Gianluigi Buffon and the Juve 'keeper pushed it onto the bar before the rebound was steered home by the Ghana international, his first goal in 11 months.

Alessandro Del Piero re-took the lead for his side slotting a penalty past Cech after Juliano Belleti was penalized for a hand-ball when he jumped in the Chelsea wall both arms flailing with the free-kick from outside the box striking him.

With the score at 2-1 the Blues was still on their way to the quarter-finals, but a goal from Juve would secure them a place leaving the visitors with a nervy 15 minutes to see out.

However, Chelsea's nerves were settled in the 84th minute thanks to the timely strike of Drogba taking the aggregate score to 3-2 in the Premier League side's favor. The Ivory Coast international slid the ball past Buffon after Belletti and Michael Ballack linked-up well to provide the striker with decisive pass.

(Soccer365.com)

Posted by SoccerAdmin at 11:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Liverpool coasted into the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals with a resounding 4-0 win over Real Madrid at Anfield on Tuesday night. Stephen Gerrard lead the way for the home side on a brace with goals on either side of the halftime break.

The outcome in the match mirrors the teams’ recent form in the UEFA Champions League with Liverpool advancing to the quarterfinals in the last three seasons while Real Madrid has failed to make it out of the Round of 16 in their last five tournaments. TO make the result even more difficult for Los Merengues to swallow, this was the greatest margin of defeat for the La Liga side in this competition.

Liverpool started fast and could have easily been up in the first five minutes if it were not for Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas. Casillas made two great saves to deny Fernando Torres and Javier Mascherano in the opening moments.

Torres finally broke through for the opening goal in the 16th minute. The Spanish international combined with Dutch international Dirk Kuyt before slotting home.

The Reds kept the pressure on and it paid off in the 28th minute when Gabriel Heinze was called for a hand ball in the box setting up Gerrard’s first goal of the match from the penalty spot.

The halftime break did not slow down the attack and the home side was up by 3 less than two minutes into the second period. Real Madrid’s defense broke down allowing Gerrard to half volley in a Ryan Babel cross.

Andrea Dossena finished off Real while opening his Liverpool account with his 88th minute goal.

(soccer365.com)

Posted by SoccerAdmin at 11:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

According to reports, England midfielder David Beckham has won his battle to stay at AC Milan.

Under a unique 'timeshare' agreement, Beckham will stay at Milan until the end of the season, return to the Los Angeles Galaxy from July to October and then rejoin the Serie A club for the rest of the campaign.

According to sources, Beckham has been so determined to stay at Milan that he has agreed to fund the majority of the loan fee being paid to Galaxy himself.

The deal means Beckham has the opportunity to cement his position in Fabio Capello's England squad for the World Cup qualifiers and the finals in South Africa next year.

The deal is expected to be officially confirmed by the clubs later on Friday or over the weekend.

It follows weeks of negotiations between the two clubs, during which Milan balked at the size of the transfer fee Galaxy were demanding - thought to be around £12million.

Beckham was an instant success at Milan after moving on loan after Christmas, and his desire to stay there led the 33-year-old to effectively fund the unique loan deal himself.

The only issue that has yet to be settled is Beckham's position at the end of next season - under the arrangement he will only be on loan at Milan until then.

Beckham will not have the sort of long break most players in Europe enjoy in the summer but he will have several shorter breaks instead.

He will have some time off before rejoining Galaxy once the international transfer window opens on July 15, and then another break before returning to Milan in November.

He will also benefit from the winter break in Serie A and believes that will make him at least as fresh as any Premier League player when the World Cup comes around.

Asked if Beckham would remain at AC Milan for the remainder of the campaign, club sporting director Ariedo Braida said: "I believe he will, but it's not official yet."

Beckham moved to the Galaxy in 2007, signing a five-year deal. He does have an escape clause in that contract -which comes into effect in November, halfway through the term - but he would have to pay hefty compensation to exercise it.

The 'timeshare' agreement means he will miss at least 17 games of this year's Major League Soccer season, which has a total of 30 matches per club. His return to the USA now looks set to be on July 18 at the New York Red Bulls.

Posted by SoccerAdmin at 11:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Lionel Messi has dismissed talk of him joining big-spending Manchester City and ensured Barcelona that he wants to play at the Camp Nou for as long as possible.

The Argentine striker is committed to Barcelona and has no desire to move to City or Real Madrid, which speculation also suggested is a possibility.

"If it depended only on me then I will stay at Barcelona for the rest of my career and no other club will convince me otherwise," he said in an interview with Publico.

"The rumors are pure fantasy."

Despite reports of unrest on the field at Bacelona, Messi remains focused on achieving the club's aims, especially winning the Champions League.

"The Champions League is the most difficult and we are thinking more game-to-game," he said.

"But we will have to be able to beat anyone if we want to win it.

"But we can beat anyone with the players we have. With players like Xavi, Iniesta and Dani Alves all assisting, it is natural that we will score goals."

(Soccer365.com)

Posted by SoccerAdmin at 10:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Major League Soccer, FC Barcelona, and Marcelo Claure have jointly agreed that Miami is no longer a candidate to be one of the next two MLS expansion teams.

After extensive discussions and collaborative evaluation a decision was made that at this time because it was determined that it was not feasible to launch a Major League Soccer team in South Florida in 2010 due to adverse market conditions.

Notwithstanding, FC Barcelona remains committed to Major League Soccer and the U.S. market and will continue to work with MLS and Marcelo Claure on other soccer-related projects.

"I want to thank both FC Barcelona and Marcelo Claure for the tremendous effort to bring an MLS expansion team to Miami," said MLS Commissioner Don Garber. "FC Barcelona is one of the best managed and strategically operated sporting clubs in any sport in the World and I appreciate the opportunity that we have had to work with them and Marcelo Claure over the last few months."

"The U.S market continues to be a priority for FC Barcelona," said FC Barcelona CEO Joan Oliver. "We will continue our comprehensive game promotion and marketing agreement with Soccer United Marketing and will look for additional ways to strengthen our relationship with MLS and America's soccer fans."

"I remain a believer in MLS and the future of professional soccer in America... particularly in South Florida," said Marcelo Claure. "Although we have not been able to move forward at this time for a wide variety of reasons, I will work with FC Barcelona on other soccer projects in South Florida."

(Soccer365.com)

Posted by SoccerAdmin at 09:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Atletico Madrid did arch rivals Real Madrid a huge favor with a stunning 4-3 comeback victory over Primera Liga leaders Barcelona at the Vicente Calderon on Sunday night.

Atletico fought back from deficits of 2-0 and 3-2, before Sergio Aguero pounced in the 89th minute to earn an unlikely victory and leave Barca with just a four-point advantage at the top after a second successive league loss.

Barca took an 18th-minute lead through Thierry Henry, and on the half-hour Lionel Messi made it 2-0.

But a stunning 25-yard strike from Diego Forlan two minutes later reduced the arrears, and Atletico were level early in the second half when Aguero fired a low shot past Valdes.

Barca were back in front in the 72nd minute through Henry. But the hosts were awarded a penalty after Florent Sinama Pongolle was fouled and Forlan converted, before Aguero drilled in his late winner.

(Soccer365.com)

Posted by SoccerAdmin at 11:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Alain Migliaccio, the agent of Franck Ribery, believes his client could join Manchester United in the summer to replace Cristiano Ronaldo if the winger decides to move to Real Madrid.

Ronaldo's link with Real has been widely speculated over and Migliaccio is confident that United will target Bayern Munich's Ribery if their current star jumps ship.

"If Manchester United sells Cristiano Ronaldo, Sir Alex Ferguson would like to cover that transfer with Ribery's signature," Migliaccio told Bild.

The 25-year-old has recently been linked with a summer transfer to Spanish giants Barcelona, but the club's president Joan Laporta has denied rumours of a deal already being in play.

"We didn't speak with his representative nor with the player's entourage," he told L'Equipe.

"If one day we were to plan it, we would speak directly with his club."

(Soccer365.com)

Posted by SoccerAdmin at 11:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Manchester United have a quintuple in their sights after Ben Foster's penalty shoot-out heroics helped them beat Tottenham and win the Carling Cup 4-1 on penalties at Wembley.

Sir Alex Ferguson's men remain in the hunt for five trophies this season, including the Club World Cup they had already won in December, after Foster saved from Jamie O'Hara in the shoot-out following 120 goalless minutes.David Bentley also went wide with his penalty, and Anderson tucked away the winning spot-kick.

Afterwards, Ferguson told Sky Sports: "They took their penalties very confidently. Ben Foster did a fantastic save and that gave us a big lift."

The United manager admitted he would have preferred to win the match in normal time as United continue to pursue an unprecedented quintuple.

"We could have done without extra time to be honest and I suppose Tottenham will be saying the same.

"There'll be some tired legs and I need them to freshen up.

"The league's a priority and the Champions League as well."

Spurs manager Harry Redknapp praised his players and urged them to get over their disappointment quickly ahead of the crucial league game at Middlesbrough next week

"I thought we were super," he said. "It was a great performance and it came down to a lottery in the end.

"I have to be honest, we were not that confident with our penalty takers really and you looked over there and they had very confident penalty takers.

"But overall they couldn't beat us in 90 minutes plus extra time so we didn't deserve to lose and I thought we were fantastic."

(Soccer365.com)

Posted by SoccerAdmin at 11:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)