Thursday's Champions League draw set up a few interesting reunion match-ups in Group Play. Real Madrid's new star Kaka will return to Milan, while Eto'o and Zlatan Ibrahimovic will revisit their old clubs in Group F's Barcelona-Inter match-up. Full group listings below...

GROUP A- Bayern Munich, Juventus, Bordeaux, Maccabi Haifa

GROUP B- Manchester United, CSKA Moscow, Besiktas, VFL Wolfsburg

GROUP C- AC Milan, Real Madrid, Marseille, FC Zurich

GROUP D- Chelsea, Porto, Atletico Madrid, APOEL (Cyprus)

GROUP E- Liverpool, Lyon, Fiorentina, Debreceni (Hungary)

GROUP F- Barcelona, Inter Milan, Dynamo Kiev, Rubin Kazan (Russia)

GROUP G- Sevilla, Rangers, VFB Stuttgart, Uniera Urziceni (Romania)

GROUP H- Arsenal, AZ Alkmaar, Olympiakos, Standard Liege

Posted by SoccerAdmin at 02:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Jozy Altidore is hungry for more after making an instant impression in Hull colors at the weekend and hopes to start against Southend.

The 19-year-old USA striker shrugged off the effects of jetlag to come off the bench and set up the winning goal in Saturday's Premier League victory over Bolton at the KC Stadium.

Altidore had only flown into the country to begin his Hull career the previous morning after his arrival on a season-long loan from Villarreal was held up by red tape.

Altidore had been back in the States for international duty but was delayed on his return to England by visa and passport difficulties and a further complication concerning swine flu.

But he is determined to put all that behind him and wants to start Tuesday's Carling Cup second-round tie at home to Steve Tilson's Shrimpers.

Altidore said: "If I'm called upon by the gaffer, I'm going to go out there and play 100%.

"I'll go out there and use that game. I need games, that's what I haven't had in the past year.

"This is why I came to Hull, to get games and repay the faith that has been shown on me.

"I fancy 97 minutes or however long stoppage time they give.

"I just want to play and be here and prove I belong. I want to play as much as possible and improve."

Altidore could get his wish as manager Phil Brown considers a number of changes to the side which secured a first win of the season against Bolton.

Nathan Doyle is likely to get a chance to stake a claim for the problematic right-back slot while youngster Tom Cairney could make his first start.

Assistant manager Brian Horton said: "We are going to play a mixture.

"Some of the young ones may get a taste but there will still be a lot of experienced players in there.

"It is a chance for people to show. If I was 18 or 19 I would be wanting to get in that team no matter what age or experience.

"We expect to win but it will be tough. They will come and make it very difficult for us.

"We will treat them with the utmost respect, they deserve that. We are taking it very seriously."

Saturday's victory was Hull's first in 13 Premier League games and their first at home in the competition since last December.

Horton feels the cup tie now gives the Tigers the chance to build momentum ahead of this weekend's trip to Wolves.

He said: "It was important to get that win on Saturday, no matter how we did it.

"There was a bit of apprehension but we have had the win now. We have got to move on.

"Nothing gives you more confidence than winning games."

Hull are keen to strengthen their squad ahead of the closure of the transfer window on September 1.

Brown is currently in discussions with two unnamed players, thought to be a striker and a right-back.

Bosnian right-back Sanel Jahic is also to be given a further trial in a midweek reserve game against Manchester City.

Horton said: "We're still trying. It has been more successful in the last few weeks and no doubt over the next week it is going to go ballistic.

"I think there will be a lot more movement now."

(Soccer365.com)

Posted by SoccerAdmin at 04:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Aston Villa ended Liverpool's 31-match unbeaten home Premier League record with a deserved 3-1 victory at Anfield on Monday night. The Reds slumped to their second league defeat in nine days to put their title credentials firmly on the line.

Villa produced a defiant, organized display and fully merited their first win at Anfield since 2001.

Liverpool had not been beaten on home soil in the league since December 2007, when Manchester United were the last winners at Anfield.

Adn the spotlight will now be on the Merseysiders, who only lost twice in the league last season and still did not win the title.

The margin for error is now very fine. Teams rarely win the crown by losing more than five games in a season, and Liverpool's hopes could already have suffered a mortal blow.

A Lucas own goal and a Curtis Davies header saw Villa 2-0 up at the break. Fernando Torres pulled one back but an Ashley Young penalty settled the points.

Martin Skrtel returned to Liverpool's defence in place of teenager Daniel Ayala, having recovered sufficiently from a jaw injury to be risked.

This was the only change in the Liverpool side from the one that beat Stoke at home last week, with new Greek defender Sotirios Kyrgiakos not included in the squad.

Villa included Curtis Davies, who had recovered from a shoulder injury. Brad Friedel, Gabriel Agbonlahor and Stiliyan Petrov all returned to the side after being rested in the Europa League defeat away to Rapid Vienna last week.

Liverpool produced a busy start, but found themselves frustrated by the quick-tackling, quick-thinking Villa midfield.

The hosts could have been ahead in the first minute when Yossi Benayoun's back-header from Torres' chip into the area, beat Friedel but dropped inches wide.

A taste of what was to follow came from Villa's first chance came when Davies met a Nicky Shorey cross with a strong header, but it went straight at Jose Reina.

Torres and Steven Gerrard both saw shots blocked in the six-yard box, before Young was booked after 12 minutes for halting a Dirk Kuyt run.

Then Gerrard struck a first-timer from 20 yards just over from Kuyt's touched pass.

But Liverpool's problems were beginning to mount in a midfield that they were unable to dominate.

Javier Mascherano and Lucas were both fortunate not to be cautioned for fouls on Petrov and Agbonlahor in quick succession.

Torres was also coming in for some rough treatment from Carlos Cuellar, two tackles from behind going unpunished by referee Martin Atkinson.

By now Nigel Reo-Coker and Steve Sidwell were successfully breaking up Gerrard's flow in midfield, and Villa were soon to take the lead.

It came after 34 minutes when Lucas gave away a needless free-kick in midfield. Young swung the set-piece towards the near post, and it was the unfortunate Lucas who rose to head the ball past Reina for an own-goal.

Liverpool's play was sloppy and far too much possession was being conceded with ill-directed passes.

Further calamity came after Reina was booked in first-half injury time for kicking the ball away in annoyance when referee Atkinson awarded a disputed corner, Sidwell's shot looking to have clipped Skrtel.

And from that disputed corner, Villa found themselves two up. Shorey's corner swung into the near post and was headed home by Davies.

The hosts have staged some amazing comebacks in this stadium over the years, and they were going to need another massive performance to salvage anything from this situation.

Villa defended with organization and desire. Roe-Coker was booked for kicking the ball away, and Friedel produced a fine save from a Kuyt header.

Kuyt then saw another header hit a post from a Gerrard corner from the left.

But Villa were still showing great resilience, and breaking quickly to cause Liverpool all sorts of problems at the back, Agbonlahor being only inches away from a third with one sliding attempt.

Liverpool sent on Andriy Voronin for Lucas after 66 minutes, with Friedel producing another fine stop from a Gerrard drive soon after.

But after 72 minutes, Liverpool finally gave themselves some hope when Emiliano Insua got down the left and rolled the ball into the six-yard box for Torres to score.

Three minutes later though, Liverpool were back in despair and Villa celebrating. Shorey's pass into the path of Reo-Coker saw the midfielder surge into the box only to be felled by Gerrard's desperate tackle.

It was a clear penalty and Young stepped up to restore Villa's two-goal lead.

Liverpool's frustration was obvious. Torres was booked for dissent when Young went down injured and asked for treatment. He was eventually replaced by Heskey.

Ryan Babel came on for Benayoun, Liverpool still coming forward. Friedel again made a fine save from a Torres flick, before Kuyt sent a close range effort wide of the far post.

The outstanding Friedel, against his former club, saved from Torres and Glen Johnson, with Skrtel booked in the dying minutes, but Villa held on for a famous victory.

(Soccer365.com)

Posted by SoccerAdmin at 11:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Sky Blue FC's fairy tale run through the Women's Professional Soccer Playoffs finished with a happy ending. Heather O'Reilly scored the only goal of the game as Sky Blue FC captured the inaugural WPS Championship presented by MedImmune with a 1-0 win over the Los Angeles Sol.

The victory capped a worst-to-first transformation for Sky Blue FC, which didn't clinch a spot in the playoffs until the final day of the regular season.

O'Reilly earned WPS Championship MVP honors for scoring the game-winning goal.

Jenni Branam recorded four saves to notch the shutout for the Sky Blue FC. Branam allowed just one goal in three playoff matches behind the strong effort from the back four of Christie Rampone, Keeley Dowling, Meghan Schnur, and Jen Buczkowski.

"I think it's an exceptional team we have here with Sky Blue FC," said Rampone, Sky Blue FC's Interim Player/Coach. "It was a great run for us, battling back to make it into the playoffs and winning three games in eight days. We came out strong, the adrenaline was definitely kicking with us and we went after them and had our legs. Then we got ahead with a goal and we just settled in and tried to finish off the game. We struggled a little bit in the second half but we still had the heart and desire to try to fight them off to get that victory."

When Sky Blue FC started the season at 1-4-2, few people outside the state of New Jersey gave the team any chance to make the playoffs let alone capture the WPS Championship. Ironically, Sky Blue FC wouldn't have qualified for the playoffs if not for the effort of Los Angeles, which needed to win or draw against Boston on the final day of the regular season for Sky Blue FC to finish fourth. The Sol came through with a 2-1 win.

Sky Blue FC grasped the opportunity and made the best of it winning three straight playoff matches on the road to capture the title. After a 2-1 win over the Washington Freedom in the first round, Sky Blue FC added a 1-0 victory over Saint Louis Athletica in the Super Semifinal to set the stage for its improbable championship victory over the Sol, which was dominant during the season earning the league's regular season title.

With Sky Blue FC playing its third match in eight days, a strong start was crucial and O'Reilly provided just that when she buried a shot in the 16th minute. Keeley Dowling sent in a cross from the right side that Natasha Kai flicked toward the far post. O'Reilly, who also scored Sky Blue FC's opening goal of the season - the franchise's first-ever, stepped into the ball and nailed a right-footed shot that deflected off Sol goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc and into the far side netting.

"[The play] was going down the right side and I think Keeley Dowling got a solid cross in the box and I was kind of hanging out back post," O'Reilly said. "Natasha Kai is more well known for headers in the box so I was hanging back post and seeing if Tash was going to get anything on it. She got up well and got a good flick on it and then the ball landed to me in front of the goal. At that point, I was just focusing on keeping it low and getting it on frame and good thing it happened."

The game took a critical turn in the 27th minute when a great run by Kai led to referee Kari Seitz issuing a red card to the Sol's Allison Falk, leaving Los Angeles with 10 men the rest of the way. Kai carried the ball forward and cut between two defenders leaving Falk on the wrong side of the Sky Blue FC striker. Falk appeared to make contact, sending Kai tumbling and denying a goal-scoring opportunity.

In the second half, Sky Blue FC had the first good chance as LeBlanc had to come out to stuff O'Reilly in the 50th minute. Los Angeles had the better chances the rest of the way but only produced a couple good chances. In the 72nd minute, Shannon Boxx forced Branam into a diving save off a feed from Marta and in the 84th minute, Branam punched away a free kick from Marta and then grabbed a shot from Boxx on the ensuing corner kick.

(soccer365.com)

Posted by SoccerAdmin at 01:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Burnley defeated Manchester United 1-0 at Turf Moor, while Liverpool, Tottenham and Birmingham all recorded Premier League victories.

Brian Jensen saved a penalty as Burnley repelled the threat of the champions to record a shock win on their first home game in the top flight since 1976.

Robbie Blake had put the hosts in front with a superb near-post volley, only to upend Patrice Evra at the other end just before the break.

Michael Carrick took responsibility ahead of Michael Owen. But Jensen denied him, making a fine stop to allow Burnley to celebrate an amazing night.

Jermain Defoe grabbed a hat-trick as Tottenham went top of the Barclays Premier League with a 5-1 win at Hull.

Defoe and Wilson Palacios struck in the opening 14 minutes as Spurs raced out of the blocks at the KC Stadium.

Stephen Hunt gave Hull hope when his cross from a free-kick bounced in but Defoe scored again on the stroke of half-time and made sure in the last minute after a Robbie Keane header.

Liverpool got their season up and running with a convincing 4-0 victory over Stoke at Anfield.

Steven Gerrard created the first goal of the season for Fernando Torres, the Spaniard drilling home from 12-yards early on.

Glen Johnson, on his home debut, hooked in the second a minute from the break, Dirk Kuyt stabbed home the third from a Gerrard pass after 78 minutes, with David Ngog heading the fourth in injury-time.

James McFadden scored an injury-time penalty to earn Birmingham a dramatic 1-0 home victory over Portsmouth.

Referee Lee Probert pointed to the spot after England goalkeeper David James had clattered into Blues midfielder Sebastian Larsson.

Up stepped McFadden to drill the ball past the 39-year-old who had earlier denied the home side with fine saves from Larsson and veteran striker Kevin Phillips.

(Soccer365.com)

Posted by SoccerAdmin at 09:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

England and Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder David Beckham insists he has given little thought to a much-touted return to Europe in January.

Beckham is adamant that his sole focus at present remains on helping the Galaxy enjoy a productive end to the MLS season.

He did take in a successful loan spell at AC Milan during the American off-season last term, with England boss Fabio Capello keen for the experienced midfielder to play as much competitive football as possible.

With attention already starting to drift towards next summer's World Cup in South Africa, Beckham knows a similar deal in 2010 will be required if he is to make the final cut.

The former Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder is confident a short-term deal can be put in place, but claims he will put the issue to one side until the Galaxy's current campaign comes to a close.

"At the moment all I am concentrating on is the MLS," he told Sky Sports News following England's 2-2 draw with Holland on Wednesday.

"When you are back with the England squad, of course you concentrate on that and what game is coming up, but I am going to concentrate on the rest of the MLS season with the Galaxy and then after that finishes, in a few months, I will make plans. But that is news that I already knew.

"I'm 95-99 per cent certain that it will happen. It's important that I concentrate on the season with the Galaxy, and when that's over there will be a decision by myself and the club that I will be going to. But it's important I concentrate over there first."

Speculation continues to suggest that Beckham could make an eagerly-anticipated return to the Premier League, but the 34-year-old believes Italy remains his most likely destination.

"I'm not sure. You never know," he said on the English links.

"I'm not going to say it will never happen, but I enjoyed my time in Milan and they have expressed that they would like to take me back. AC Milan are one of the best clubs in the world, but I have quite a few months to decide on that."

(Soccer365.com)

Posted by SoccerAdmin at 10:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Charlie Davies gave the U.S. a dream start when he got behind the defense off a Landon Donovan pass and finished in the 9th minute. But the home side controlled possession and fought back with Israel Castro knocking in a cracker from 25 yards in the 19th minute. And Miguel Sabah hitting the winner in the 81st minute. More details coming soon...

Posted by SoccerAdmin at 07:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Fulham boss Roy Hodgson has praised American star Clint Dempsey for becoming a better player since he took charge at Craven Cottage.

Dempsey played a major part in helping Fulham finish seventh last season to earn them a place in the inaugural Europa League.

But the United States star hardly had time to catch his breath before being involved in the Confederations Cup with his home nation during the summer.

Despite making a shaky start to the group stages with defeats to Italy and Brazil, the States were able to dramatically qualify for the knockout rounds courtesy of a 3-0 win over Egypt, a game in which Dempsey scored.

A win against Spain in the semi-final, and another goal from Dempsey, set up the final against Brazil.

The Fulham striker found the net again but despite helping his side to a 2-0 lead, Brazil somehow clawed their way back into the game to win 3-2.

But Dempsey's performances for both Fulham and the States has earned him much praise from Hodgson, who has been impressed with the player's progress and was keen to give him as much rest as possible following a marathon year.

"The element of fatigue we can't write off," explained Hodgson. "We gave him three complete weeks of rest between the Confederations Cup and pre-season training. He didn't come to Australia with us.

"Is three weeks enough between a really demanding Premier League season, a demanding Confederations Cup and then kicking off again in Europe and the league? I don't think so. I think in an ideal world a player should get five to six weeks complete break.

"During the 18 months I've been at the Club he's got better and better. Of course his performances in the Confederations Cup and not least his performances for Fulham in helping us get to seventh place are proof that he's actually becoming a better footballer."

Posted by SoccerAdmin at 04:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The transfer saga of American forward Jozy Altidore has come to its end as the 19-year-old has signed a one year loan deal to play for Hull City in the English Premier League.

Altidore agent Lyle Yorks informed Soccer365 this morning that the Home Office work permit hearing will be on Monday.

Fulham and Everton were also in the mix for the teenage sensation, but Hull City had the most need for a striker with midfielder Geovanni leading the scoring for the Tigers in the 2008/09 season. Jozy will be joining fellow countrymen Clint Dempsey (Fulham) as the second American attacker in the Premiership this season.

There were rumors of Altidore being loaned to another club in Spain or to Greek club Olympiakos, but Hull City might actually be the best place for the former New York Red Bulls striker to see field even though the club plays in one of the world’s top leagues.

Hull City was promoted to the top tier of English football last season where they barely escaped regulation to England’s second tier league, the Championship. Five years ago Hull City was in the lowest tier of English football with the club in steady decline. New ownership breathed life back into the club and from 2005 to 2006 Hull City moved from Division Three to League One to the Championship. The 2007-08 campaign saw Hull City promoted to the English Premier League making Hull club’s move to the Premiership the third fastest of all time.

Hull City is in the process of signing South African midfielder Seyi Olofinjana and is after another striker in Cardiff’s Ross McCormack. Currently, Altidore will have to compete against Craig Fagan (3 goals in 22 appearances in 2008) and Caleb Folan (9 goals in 44 appearances since 2007) for playing time. We shall see if young Jozy can become the goal scorer his new club Hull City so desperately needs as well prepare himself for the World Cup next summer with the United States National Team.

(Soccer365.com)

Posted by SoccerAdmin at 12:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The new German Bundesliga season begins on Friday, with reigning champions Wolfsburg likely to face a renewed challenge from Bayern Munich.

The Wolves' unexpected title triumph last season has reinforced the Bundesliga's unpredictable reputation.

Few would have had Wolfsburg down as serious title candidates last August and not many would have predicted their glory at the midway stage of the campaign in December when they were lying ninth.

But a phenomenal haul of 43 points in 17 games earned the Lower Saxony club their first ever Bundesliga crown and coach Felix Magath his third just two years after taking over.

Bayern's presumed superiority and expected dominance failed to materialize in a year which Jupp Heynckes only just managed to save with qualification for the Champions League after Jurgen Klinsmann had failed to latch onto Ottmar Hitzfeld's double-winning triumph in 2008.

However, under the experienced guidance of Louis van Gaal, Bayern are expected to return to the forefront of German football once again this season.

They have strengthened their squad with over 70million euros' worth of new talent, which includes Anatoliy Tymoschuk from Zenit St Petersburg, Mario Gomez from Stuttgart and Ivica Olic from Hamburg, and only the title can justify such a shopping spree.

But as Stuttgart in 2007 and Wolfsburg last year proved, nothing can be taken for granted in the Bundesliga.

Those two sides will open the 2009/10 season on Friday night when they meet at the VW-Arena, and both will be among the leading title candidates.

Although the Wolves have lost their inspirational manager, who opted to join Schalke after having "achieved too much too quickly", they have managed to keep their championship-winning squad intact.

Their new coach, Armin Veh, the mastermind of Stuttgart's equally surprising success in 2007, has even added more strength to last season's record-breaking 54-goal strike-partnership of Edin Dzeko and Grafite.

Obafemi Martins' arrival from Newcastle means Wolfsburg are largely regarded as Bayern's closest challengers for silverware.

But Stuttgart are expected to push them both close. They picked up 39 points in the second half of last season, losing only two games under new coach Markus Babbel.

Despite losing top-scorer Gomez to Bayern, they have picked up Alexander Hleb on loan from Barcelona and Pavel Pogrebnyak from Zenit to aid their assault on glory.

Last season's top three should therefore be the teams to beat this year, but there promises to be a keen battle for places in Europe next season.

Magath's arrival at Schalke should spur them back up the table while Hamburg and northern Germany rivals Werder Bremen will fancy their chances too.

Hoffenheim, who led the league at the midway stage of the season, have added further strength to their squad while Vedad Ibisevic is back from a serious knee injury, meaning they too should be aiming to finish higher than the seventh place they managed in their debut season.

Meanwhile, Cologne have made two of the summer's most spectacular transfers in Lukas Podolski and Maniche, fuelling a new-found optimism in the city.

They will expect to provide serious competition to local rivals Bayer Leverkusen for a place in Europe next season, while Borussia Dortmund, in their second year under Jurgen Klopp, will be dreaming of a return to the dizzy heights after years of under-achievement.

Hertha Berlin exceeded the expectations by finishing fourth last term and they will have to adequately compensate for the losses of Marco Pantelic, Andrej Voronin and Josip Simunic if they are to repeat that feat.

The rest of the Bundesliga will be aiming to remain in the top flight next season.

Borussia Monchengladbach only just avoided relegation last year with Bochum and Eintracht Frankfurt struggling for most of the campaign.

Hannover were knocked out of the DFB-Pokal in the first round by a fourth-division side at the weekend while their pre-season form hardly inspires optimism in Lower Saxony.

Of the three clubs promoted from the second division, Nurnberg and Freiburg will be looking to establish themselves back in the top flight, but Mainz, who also made an early exit from the cup, will be expecting a long, hard slog.

Their preparations have been less than ideal with the untested Thomas Tuchel replacing Jorn Andersen as coach just a week before the start of the campaign.

Yet however unpredictable the Bundesliga season may be, a further increase in attendance figures is practically guaranteed.

The crowds have been flocking to German matches in recent years, making the Bundesliga the most followed league in Europe.

With a larger capacity in Leverkusen combined with the loss of some of the division's less-supported sides such as Arminia Bielefeld and Energie Cottbus - as well as the arrival of Nurnberg - the 2009/10 season should be another record-breaking year.

(Soccer365.com)

Posted by SoccerAdmin at 07:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Villarreal striker Jozy Altidore is yet to discover whether he will be on his way out of the club this summer.

The United States international was widely tipped to be on the move during the transfer window, with a loan deal seemingly on the cards.

The 19-year-old has struggled to make an impact in Spain following a switch to El Madrigal last year.

He does, however, still have time on his side and is believed to be highly-rated at Villarreal.

He was shipped out to Xerez for the second half of last season, but a toe injury prevented him from making an appearance in their successful promotion-winning campaign.

Altidore is said to have attracted interest from Greece, France and England, but no official approach has been lodged as yet.

A Villarreal official has admitted that Altidore looks likely to be on the move in the coming weeks, but insists the destination of the youngster remains unclear.

"It is still not decided where Altidore will go," the official told skysports.com.

"We have some propositions and it is possible something will be decided by the end of the week."

(Soccer365.com)

Posted by SoccerAdmin at 01:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)