The lineup for the 2009/10 UEFA Champions League group stage has been completed with the final five qualifiers earning their places on Wednesday night. This week’s ten play-off winners join the 22 automatic entrants in Thursday’s group-stage draw. VfL Wolfsburg, Rubin Kazan, AZ Alkmaar, Standard Liège, Unirea Urziceni, Debreceni, APOEL and FC Zürich will all […]
Premier League
In case you wondered why making the Champions League group stages is so important, consider the huge revenue windfall for teams that make the competition. The Champions League will generate a record $1.55 billion in marketing and television revenues for clubs and organizer UEFA this season, that is a 33% increase from last year. The […]
Trouble at Anfield as Rafa Benitez pointed an accusing finger at Steven Gerrard and his senior players after Liverpool lost 3-1 at home to Aston Villa. An own goal by Lucas Leiva and a glancing header from Curtis Davies gave Villa a 2-0 interval lead before Fernando Torres pulled one back for Liverpool in the […]
A look at the winners and losers in the second weekend of Premier League action Winners Arsenal What crisis at Arsenal? Two games and 10 goals have silenced the critics. Next up in the league is the first big four game of the season as Arsenal go to Manchester United this weekend. The only cloud […]
Wayne Rooney scored his 100th goal and Michael Owen his first for Manchester United as they beat Wigan Athletic 5-0 while Manchester City and Arsenal maintained their 100 per cent starts with home victories. United suffered a shock 1-0 loss at Burnley in midweek but Sir Alex Ferguson’s side were back to their devastating best […]
Earlier this week the Houston Dynamo filled its designated player spot when it acquired striker Luis Ángel Landín on loan from the Mexican club Cruz Azul. The loan is scheduled to run through the end of the 2010 season, at which time the Dynamo can purchase Landin. What makes this deal noteworthy, is that Landín […]
Interesting post on Serie A Tickets about some recent comments from Italian Premier and AC Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi about why football needs a salary cap. “Footballers’ salaries are outside reality. It is necessary to introduce a salary cap,” Berlusconi was quoted as saying by Italian media on Tuesday. “They are unacceptable, distant from the […]
Burnley had the first big shock of the new Premier League season as they beat Manchester United for the first time in 41 years 1-0. Robbie Blake scored for newly promoted Burnley in the 19th minute with a volley to the near post that beat goalkeeper Ben Foster. Manchester United missed a host of chances […]