HAPPY NEW YEAR 2014

As We Say Goodbye they year 2013

We Are Left With The Memories Of The Year That Was.

We Now Joyfully Welcome

The Brand New Year 2014

As We Look Forward

To An Even Better Year Full Of Promises and Love.

Merry Christmas

Christmas is a Blessed season of hope that engages the whole world
with love!

Pedro's Hat-Trick Help Barcelona Win

A swift hat-trick from Pedro help Barcelona win against Getafe 5-2. In the first 15 minutes of the game Barcelona were down 2-0 from Sergio Escudero and Lisandro Lopez's goals. With Lionel Messi and Neymar sidelined from injury, Pedro took the oppurtunity to shine giving Barcelona three goals in 8 minutes.

Barcelona defeated Villarreal 2-1

Brazilian Neymar accumulated 5 goals in two games and helped Barcelona move up five points away of Real Madrid.

While Leo Messi is sidelined, Neymar continues to fill the the four times Balon d’Or winners golden boots.

Brazilian league match Violence

Violence sparked during a game between Atletico Paranaense and Vasco da Gama on the final day of the Brasileiro season. The game was stopped due to violence. It left three fans seriously injured.

Both of the supporters of Atletico Paranaense and Vasco da Gama charged against each other and it took several hours for police to control the situation in the southern city of Joinville. They punched and kicked each other several times until police arrived and fired rubber bullets to clear the crowd.

Those who are injured were hospitalized but none of their injuries were life-threatening, doctors of Hospital Sao Jose said.

Cardiff City vs Manchester United 2-2 Highlights

Kim Bo-Kyung goal for a draw 2-2 denied Manchester United 4th straight win at Cardiff City Stadium.

Wayne Rooney and Patrice Evra goals gave Manchester United the lead, but the Korean substitute had other plans he snuck up to get a free header on a corner past David de Gea.

Honduras routed by Brazil 5-0

Maicon, Willian and Hulk all scored within a seven minute span to gave Brazil a 5-0 win at Sun Life Stadium. 71,124 wathced the game and it was the highest for a soccer match in the Miami Dolphins' stadium.

Lionel Messi Out for Two Months

Lionel Messi will be out for at least two months because of hamstring injury. This is a huge predicament for Barcelona. Messi is the current World Player of the Year and won the award for four years in a row. The Argentinian superstar left the field limping in a hurry after only 20 minutes of Barcelona's La Liga match at Real Betis Sunday win. The medical tests results said that Messi has a torn muscle in his hamstring.

Los Angeles Galaxy Downs Real Salt Lake 1-0

The Los Angeles Galaxy didn't take advantage of the first leg of the Western Conference semifinal series against Real Salt Lake, but it's still a win. Sean Franklin hit a goal from 30 yards in the second half to score the only goal of the game as the Galaxy defeated Real Salt Lake 1-0.

Seattle Sounders and Los Angeles Galaxy Game Ended in a Draw 1-1

Seattle Sounders' Clint Dempsey finally got a goal but they failed to keep their lead as Galaxy's striker Robbie Keane equalized the game with his goal that ended the game in a draw 1-1 on Sunday night in the MLS regular-season finale.

Dempsey scored off a cross from Lamar Neagle in the 30th minute, however Keane's half-volley in the 78th minute gave the Galaxy.

The Galaxy are now in third in the Western Conference and Seattle Sounders in fourth.

United vs Southampton Resulted to a Draw

London  - Manchester United continues their disappointing start in the Premier League season as the champions were held to a 1-1 draw at home to high-flying Southampton on Saturday.

Adnan Januzaj United's winger had the game's opening goal in the 26th minute with a superb through ball for Wayne Rooney.

Southampton goalkeeper Artur Boruc block England striker's shot but Robin van Persie was near to sweep the rebound home.

The draw put United in eighth place in the standings, eight points below of Arsenal.

In another news, Arsenal returned to the summit with an overwhelming 4-1 win at home against Norwich City. Jack Wilshere scored his second goal in two games that gave Arsenal an 18th-minute lead.

Mesut Ozil had his first league goal for the club through a header from a Giroud cross in the 58th minute and although Norwich midfielder Jonathan Howson replied for the visitors, Aaron Ramsey came off the bench to make sure of victory before Ozil added a fourth.

"A few weeks ago we lost our first home game here (against Aston Villa) and it was a difficult time, but we responded well and since then we have been consistent," said Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger.

"I like the solidarity in the team. Of course we have quality, but it's how much we maintain that and sustain that that will decide our future."

Arsenal is leading on the standings by two points from Chelsea, who leapfrogged Liverpool into second place after coming from behind to win 4-1 at home to Cardiff City.

Chicago Fire 3-2 Win over FC Dallas Highlights

FRISCO, Texas - Mike Magee Chicago Fire striker has tied the MLS goal-scoring lead last Saturday's game with his 19th goal. Alex shot was deflected off Mike's ribs that went straight to the goal that resulted to a Chicago Fire 3-1 win over FC Dallas.

Magee called it the goal "the strangest goal I've ever scored."

"I wasn't even surprised because I didn't see anything," Magee said. "I was trying to protect myself. And then it hit me in the rib cage."

Magee has tied the scoring lead with Montreal's Marco Di Vaio.

The victory moved the Fire (13-12-7) into a three-way tie with Montreal and Philadelphia for fourth place in the Eastern Conference with two matches remaining.

Manchester United use late rally to beat Sunderland 2-1

Belgian Adnan Januzaj had two goals in his first start for Manchester United to lead them for a 2-1 win against Sunderland on Saturday. The win help them avoid their first three-game Premier League losing streak since December 2001.

Urruti goal help Portland against LA 1-0

Portland Timbers planted itself in third place in the Western Conference (12-5-13). They have been undefeated in four matches.

Maximiliano Urruti single goal secured Portland the win against LA Galaxy, he outsmarted Los Angeles goalkeeper Jaime Penedo with his well executed flick in the 52nd minute.

Manchester City rout Manchester United 4-1

MANCHESTER, England -- Manchester City displayed their attacking dominance by routing Manchester United 4-1 in the Premier League on Sunday, it is the first derby between the rivals since the retirement of United manager Alex Ferguson.

Sergio Aguero volleyed home an acrobatic goal in the 16th minute, Yaya Toure doubled the lead in the 45th minute and Aguero scored his second goal in the 47th. Samir Nasri's 50th-minute goal completed the burst at the start of the second half.

Wayne Rooney scored United's goal on a curling free kick in the 87th

"It's horrible to lose the derby - it's always horrible. It's worse when you lose in this way," United captain Nemanja Vidic said.

Soccer-Ligue 1 results and standings

Sept 15 (Infostrada Sports) - Results and standings from the Ligue 1 matches on Sunday

Sunday, September 15

Monaco 1 FC Lorient 0

Lille 0 Nice 2

Olympique Lyon 0 Stade Rennes 0

Saturday, September 14

Ajaccio 2 Evian Thonon Gaillard FC 3

En Avant Guingamp 1 Bastia 1

Nantes 1 Sochaux 0

Montpellier HSC 0 Stade de Reims 0

Toulouse 1 Olympique Marseille 1

Valenciennes 1 St Etienne 3

Friday, September 13

Girondins Bordeaux 0 Paris St Germain 2

Standings P W D L F A Pts

1 Monaco 5 4 1 0 9 2 13

2 St Etienne 5 4 0 1 7 3 12

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3 Paris St Germain 5 3 2 0 8 3 11

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4 Olympique Marseille 5 3 1 1 8 4 10

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Fantasy Football Signup

5 Stade Rennes 5 2 2 1 5 4 8

6 Stade de Reims 5 2 2 1 4 3 8

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7 Nice 5 2 2 1 6 7 8

8 Olympique Lyon 5 2 1 2 8 4 7

9 Nantes 5 2 1 2 5 4 7

10 Bastia 5 2 1 2 5 5 7

11 Evian Thonon Gaillard FC 5 2 1 2 7 8 7

12 Lille 5 2 1 2 3 4 7

13 Montpellier HSC 5 1 3 1 6 8 6

14 FC Lorient 5 2 0 3 3 5 6

15 En Avant Guingamp 5 1 1 3 4 7 4

16 Girondins Bordeaux 5 1 1 3 3 7 4

17 Ajaccio 5 0 3 2 3 5 3

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18 Valenciennes 5 1 0 4 4 7 3

19 Toulouse 5 0 3 2 3 7 3

20 Sochaux 5 0 2 3 3 7 2

1-2: Champions League / EC I

3: Champions League preliminary round

4: Europa League

5-6: Europa League depending on domestic cup

18-20: Relegation

Soccer-Serie A results and standings

Sept 15 (Infostrada Sports) - Results and standings from the Serie A matches on Sunday

Sunday, September 15

Fiorentina 1 Cagliari 1

Lazio 3 Chievo Verona 0

Livorno 2 Catania 0

Sampdoria 0 Genoa 3

Udinese 1 Bologna 1

Verona 2 Sassuolo 0

Saturday, September 14

Inter Milan 1 Juventus 1

Napoli 2 Atalanta Bergamo 0

Torino 2 AC Milan 2

Standings P W D L F A Pts

1 Napoli 3 3 0 0 9 2 9

2 Inter Milan 3 2 1 0 6 1 7

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3 Fiorentina 3 2 1 0 8 4 7

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4 Juventus 3 2 1 0 6 2 7

5 AS Roma 2 2 0 0 5 0 6

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6 Livorno 3 2 0 1 6 3 6

7 Lazio 3 2 0 1 6 5 6

8 Verona 3 2 0 1 4 4 6

9 AC Milan 3 1 1 1 6 5 4

10 Udinese 3 1 1 1 5 4 4

11 Torino 3 1 1 1 4 4 4

12 Cagliari 3 1 1 1 4 5 4

13 Atalanta Bergamo 3 1 0 2 3 4 3

14 Genoa 3 1 0 2 5 7 3

15 Bologna 3 0 2 1 3 6 2

16 Parma 2 0 1 1 1 3 1

17 Sampdoria 3 0 1 2 2 6 1

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18 Chievo Verona 3 0 1 2 2 7 1

19 Catania 3 0 0 3 1 7 0

20 Sassuolo 3 0 0 3 1 8 0

1-2: Champions League / EC I

3: Champions League preliminary round

4-5: Europa League

6: Europa League depending on domestic cup

18-20: Relegation

Next Fixtures (GMT):

Monday, September 16

Parma v AS Roma (1845)

Man and a woman stabbed after Seattle soccer game

SEATTLE (AP) -- Troy Wolff 46, a college English professor died Saturday following an unprovoked and random stabbing attack in downtown Seattle after leaving a soccer game. He was stabbed in the neck and torso as he tried to defend his 30-year-old partner, who was also attacked Friday night as thousands of people left the Sounders game at CenturyLink Field.

The suspect is a 44 year old male and was arrested on the scene of the stabbing, where he was standing near the victims and holding a knife when police arrived. He dropped the knife and was taken into custody without further incident, Seattle police spokesman Jeff Kappel said.

The suspect was booked into King County Jail on investigation of murder.

"There are indications that the suspect was operating at a diminished mental capacity," Kappel said.

Wolff was the chair of the English department at Shoreline Community College. Wolff's partner, Kristin Ito, was in serious condition at Harborview Medical Center late Saturday afternoon, The Seattle Times reported Sunday.

Wolff and Ito had attended the soccer game at CenturyLink Field and were attacked near Third Avenue South and South Jackson Street, close to the King Street railway station and a few blocks from the field.

At about 10:32 p.m. Friday, Seattle police said SWAT and gang-unit officers responded to a 911 call about the stabbing.

Police said the preliminary investigation indicates that Wolff and Ito were walking together when a man suddenly confronted them with a small knife and began stabbing Ito repeatedly in the torso.

Wolff ''attempted to intervene and the suspect turned on him and began stabbing the male victim repeatedly in the neck and torso,'' the police report states.

Fire Department medics transported both victims to Harborview Medical Center. Wolff died Saturday afternoon.

The Harborview nursing supervisor said then that Ito remained in serious condition. A college news release said she was stable.

During the Friday-night soccer game, Wolff posted a message on his Facebook page celebrating his evening out.

''Cheap seats, great match! Sounders v salt lake for first place. - with Kristin Ito at CenturyLink Field,'' Wolff posted.

---

News from: The Seattle Times, http://www.seattletimes.com

Brazil Football Team Masseur "Saves" Goal

Brazil Football Team Masseur ran to the goal to save the ball from going in and secure his team a place in the play-off semi-final of Brazil's fourth division. It was funny, check out the clip above as he ran from kicks from players of the other team.

The Aparecidence employee sneaked on to the field with the score locked at 2-2 and opponents Tupi looking sure to score a last-minute winner.

He appeared to prevent two goal-bound shots crossing the line, before clearing the ball from danger.

Match officials apparently took no action and the masseur could be seen sprinting away as furious Tupi players aimed kicks at him, before escaping through a door into the stands.

His team look set to benefit from his intervention, as the rules mean they go through to the semi-finals despite the 2-2 draw because they were the away team.

But local media reported that Tupi officials planned to take the matter to court in an effort to get the result overturned.

Edson Buddle lead Rapids to beat Galaxy

CARSON, Calif. (AP) - Edson Buddle scored a goal late in the 75th minute as the Colorado Rapids beat the Los Angeles Galaxy 1-0 on Saturday night.

Buddle kicked a shot aiming to the upper-left corner after Vicente Sanchez stripped Galaxy defender Todd Dunivant of the ball on Los Angeles' left wing. The win kept Colorado (11-8-9) in fourth place in the Western Conference.

The Galaxy (13-10-4) lost at home for the first time since early May, dropping from second to third in the West - two points behind second-place Seattle.

Los Angeles Galaxy was without their four starters: forwards Robbie Keane and Landon Donovan, defender Omar Gonzalez and goalkeeper Jaime Penedo they are away with their national teams for World Cup qualifying. Colorado was without Gabriel Torres, Penedo's Panama teammate.

Portland Timbers demolishes Toronto FC 4-0

Toronto FC is having a disappointing season and was evident in the game as the Reds were thoroughly demolished by the Portland Timbers, 4-0 at Jeld-Wen Field.

Kalif Alhassan scored a goal for Portland in first-half stoppage time, collecting a blocked free kick on the edge of the box and slamming a volley home.

Offensive blitz late in the game gave Timbers three goals to humble Toronto.

Rodney Wallce scored the game's second in the 83rd minute. A poor touch afrom Gale Agbossoumonde allowed Diego Valeri to steal the ball and play in Wallce to finish past Joe Bendik.

The third came shortly after, when Will Johnson scored from close range. The Timbers captain found space in a crowded box to take a pass from Jose Valencia and slot it home.

Valencia created the fourth in stoppage, when he muscled his way in from the left flank and crossed for an unmarked Diego Valeri to finish at the far post.

Portland (10-5-12) moves back into the playoff spots with the resounding win, equal on points with Colorado but with a game in hand. Toronto (4-13-10) is probably not making the playoffs.

Gareth Bale now joins Real Madrid from Spurs in a world record deal

Real Madrid have broken the world transfer record to sign Tottenham forward Gareth Bale after months of false alarms and uncertainty with one day left in the summer transfer window.

Bale agreed to a £300,000 per week, six-year deal after sealing an £85.3m (100m euros) move which eclipses the £80m Real paid Manchester United for Cristiano Ronaldo in 2009.

"I have had six very happy years at Tottenham but it's the right time to say goodbye. We've had some special times together and I've loved every minute of it" said 24-year-old Bale.

Bale will have a medical and then be presented to the Real Madrid fans at the Bernabeu at 12:00 BST on Monday before speaking at a media conference.

He added: "I am not sure there is ever a good time to leave a club where I felt settled and was playing the best football of my career to date.

EA Sports produced a short teaser video showing Bale, who signed a six-year contract, as a member of Real Madrid in the upcoming FIFA 14 game:

Galaxy beat Whitecaps with the help of Donovan

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) -- Landon Donovan had a goal in the third minute as the Los Angeles Galaxy held on to beat the Vancouver Whitecaps 1-0 Saturday night for their fifth straight win.

Donovan got his fourth goal in the last three matches to help the Galaxy (12-9-4) secure sole possession of second place in the Western Conference.

Donovan scored after A.J. DeLaGarza's pass hit Whitecaps central defender Johnny Leveron and came to him. The Galaxy captain planted a high shot in the left corner of the net over Whitecaps goalkeeper David Ousted.

Donovan needs four more goals to become the all-time leading scorer in MLS history.

Los Angeles goalkeeper Jaime Penedo recorded his first MLS shutout in only his second career league appearance and third overall with the Galaxy.

The Whitecaps (10-9-6) lost their second straight overall and just their second at home this season.

Usually prolific offensively at home, Vancouver struggled against Los Angeles. Whitecaps striker Camilo, who entered the game tied for the MLS scoring lead with 14 goals, began the game on the bench due to a slight groin strain sustained last weekend against Colorado, and stayed there throughout.

Los Angeles had a chance to increase its lead in the 25th minute, but Keane's shot off a throw-in went just over the crossbar. The Irish international had another chance from just outside Vancouver's box after a giveaway about seven minutes later, but his left-footed shot went just wide of the right post.

LA Galaxy Beat Real Salt Lake 4-2

A big comeback in the second-half helped the LA Galaxy to a 4-2 win over Real Salt Lake. Robbie Keane was the star, with Omar Gonzalez in a fine supporting role.

The teams traded early second-half goals after a scoreless first. Joao Plata, set up by a nice Ned Grabavoy touch, showed a quick burst of pace and good close finishing to put RSL on the board, but Robbie Keane had it equal shortly after, displaying physicality and silky skill to finish from just outside the area.

Tha Galaxy nearly took the lead soon after, but Landon Donovan's incisive effort was saved on the line by the chest of Chris Wingert.

They eventually did get a seond, through Robbie Keane in the 66th. The Irishman propelled himself into substitute Sean Franklin's fast-break cross and Nick Rimando was helpless in goal.

The Galaxy put daylight behind them with a goal from newly-signed Designated Player Omar Gonzalez in the 75th, as the towering defender outjumped Nat Borchers to head home Donovan's corner.

Keane rubbed salt in the would when he completed his hat trick a few minutes from time. Taking a ball over the top, the veteran chipped an onrushing Nick Rimando at the edge of the penalty area.

RSL pulled one back late, Robbie Findley bundling home following a free kick, but it was only a consolation on a night that was all about the Galaxy.

Despite the result, the Royals remain top of MLS with 41 points. The Galaxy climb into fourth in the West, with 37.

Manchester United starts 2013-14 season with a big win

Defending champion Manchester United started the 2013-14 season with a huge 4-1 victory over Swansea City in the debut of their new manager David Moyes.

The match started out evenly, though United had the better chances in the opening minutes. Phil Jones had the first good shot of the afternoon with a stinging volley in the 8th minute that required a save by Michel Vorm. Danny Welbeck looked a bit dangerous as well and forced Vorm into another, though less difficult, save in the 18th minute.

Galaxy, FC Dallas draw 3-3

FRISCO, Texas  -- Landon Donovan tried to rally the Los Angeles Galaxy for a win but fall short as Blas Perez score two goals to lift FC Dallas into a 3-3 tie with the Galaxy on Sunday night draw.

Donovan scored twice within nine minutes to give Los Angeles a 3-2 lead in the 82nd minute, but Perez notched his team-leading eighth goal of the season four minutes later.

Dallas nearly won it in stoppage time when Jackson launched a 40-yard shot that went off the right post.

The draw lifted the Galaxy (10-9-4) into a fifth-place tie with Seattle in the Western Conference.
Dallas (8-6-9), which had its winless streak extended to 10 matches (0-4-6), remains one point behind.

Jason Sudeikis as Coach Lasso: Premier League Spoof

An American Coach in London:

For the upcoming Premier League season, NBC Sports featured comedian Jason Sudeikis to play Coach Ted Lasso. Coach Ted Lasso is an American football coach who has just been named the new manager of Tottenham Hotspur.

2013 Week 23 MLS Power Rankings

19. Columbus Crew (6-11-5): New ownership alone is not saving Columbus. They were barely a professional team down at Houston this past Saturday.

18. DC United (3-15-4): Of course, the TV feed would cut out right as DC was burying the goal that put Montreal away for good. That's just how United's season has gone.

17. Chivas USA (4-13-5): Way too wasteful in the attacking third at SJ, Chivas just don't have the talent to let any team in the league off the hook. It's going to be a long three months for this team.

16. New England Revolution (8-8-6): Remember that 1-0 home loss to Toronto, Revs supporters, if your beloved side fails to finish in the top five of the MLS East table.

15. Toronto FC (4-10-8): They're still an absolute disaster, but at least Toronto is finally on 20 points. Don't look now, but they've gone three straight without a loss.

14. FC Dallas (8-6-8): There are zero signs that Dallas is turning things around anytime soon. They easily could have lost 6-0 at Seattle this past Saturday.

13. Philadelphia Union (9-7-7): Philly continues to be unable to consistently go in the right direction. Winning in Vancouver was nice, but it has essentially been erased by a home defeat to Chicago.

12. Chicago Fire (8-9-4): It's another week of "Mike Magee for MVP" cries. Chicago failing to make the playoffs may not even prevent Magee from winning the award.

11. Seattle Sounders (9-7-4): Let's all calm down before we crown Seattle champions. Signing Clint Dempsey is admittedly huge for both the club and for the league, but the Sounders wouldn't be a playoff side if the season ended today.

10. San Jose Earthquakes (8-9-6): I joked last week about SJ not needing Wondo. Then he goes and notches a brace. He sure showed me.

9. Houston Dynamo (9-6-6): Reclaiming that home form that made them unbeatable in Houston could be the key for the Dynamo's postseason hopes.

8. Vancouver Whitecaps (9-7-6): It was vital that Vancouver stops the bleeding with at least a draw at Portland. They've got two games in hand over Colorado, but it sure looks like Seattle will be climbing into the top five of the conference table sooner than later.

7. Sporting Kansas City (10-7-6): First it was Montreal, and now it's New York. I don't want to say KC is getting a reputation for playing dirty when they are frustrated, but...

6. Montreal Impact (10-6-5): You don't want to overreact about one result. Montreal is still atop the points-per-game table. Being outplayed by the worst team in the league, though, is a bad sign for any supposed title contender.

5. LA Galaxy (10-9-3): They get a bump from other results, not their win over Juventus in the International Champions Cup.

4. Portland Timbers (8-3-11): There are conflicting ways to summarize Portland; that they are nearly impossible to beat, or that the amount of points they've dropped throughout the season is eventually going to cost them big time.

3. Colorado Rapids (9-7-8): The Rocky Mountain Cup is Colorado's for the first time in seven years. Congrats to the Rapids and to their fans.

2. Real Salt Lake (11-7-5): RSL picked up a solid point on a dark and stormy night in Colorado. That game was a reminder that Nick Rimando remains the best goalkeeper in the league.

1. New York Red Bulls (11-7-5): With no Tim Cahill and with Thierry Henry having an unremarkable game, New York went into KC and picked up the biggest result of the Mike Petke era. I thought the Red Bulls were supposed to be in the middle of a "summer swoon" by now.

Source: http://2a2092a7.tinylinks.co

Team USA celebrates Gold Cup title

The United States Soccer team defeated Panama 1-0 to win their fifth CONCACAF Gold Cup title, it gives them their first trophy under manager Jurgen Klinsmann. Even though he was forced to watch from the executive suite as he served a touchline ban during the final. With usual rivals Mexico getting knocked out in the semifinals, the USA rolled through the tournament without much trouble extending a team record 11-match winning streak in the process.

Brek Shea scored the only goal that win it for the USA.

United States soccer team routed El Salvador 5-1

BALTIMORE -  United States soccer team showed a very tough defense, sharp passes, and a lot of goals as they crushed El Salvador 5-1 Sunday to advance to the semifinals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament.

Clarence Goodson and Joe Corona scored during an eight-minute span of the first half. Eddie Johnson of Sounders FC, Landon Donovan and Mix Diskerud added second-half goals for the United States, which will play Honduras in Arlington, Texas, on Wednesday.

Honduras beat Costa Rica 1-0 as part of a doubleheader before a crowd of 70,540 at M&T Bank Stadium, home of the NFL Baltimore Ravens.

The United States has won nine straight full international matches which is a record for the national team. The U.S. squad also has prevailed in seven of its last eight Gold Cup matches, the exception being a 4-2 loss to Mexico in 2011 final.

Camilo lead Whitecaps with 2 goals to beat Fire 3-1

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Camilo scored two goals that is six minutes apart to help the Vancouver Whitecaps to a 3-1 victory against the Chicago Fire on Sunday. Camilo is leading the MLS with 12 goals this season.

substitute Kekuta Manneh also scored 1 goal for the Whitecaps (8-7-6), they have extended their unbeaten streak to a club record 6 games.

Vancouver has now overtaken the Los Angeles Galaxy in third place in the Western Conference. Chicago (6-9-3) has lost two straight.

Camilo scored in the 66th and 72nd minutes and Manneh tallied in the 84th. Vancouver goalkeeper Brad Knighton was denied a second consecutive shutout as Patrick Nyarko scored a few seconds before the game ended.

The Whitecaps offense erupted early in the second half after struggling to get going in the first 45 minutes.
Kenny Miller had an excellent chance in the 53rd minute, but he could not get a shot away after taking a Camilo pass from right flank, instead misfiring as the crowd roared in anticipation of a goal.

In the 60th minute, Chicago's Mike Magee, who entered the game tied for the league scoring lead, thought he had scored and started to put his arms up in celebration, but the ball curled wide of the net.

Then Camilo fielded a long punt from Knighton between Rolfe and Fire teammate Shaun Francis. Then the Brazilian deked Francis, twisting him inside-out, and put in a low shot. Knighton earned an assist for the second straight game.

In the 72nd minute, Camilo got a breakaway only to see Tornaghi dive and poke the ball away from him. But Camilo quickly retrieved the ball and, with Chicago players standing around and watching, rolled a shot past Tornaghi, who evidently was screened.

Honduras beats Haiti 2-0 in Gold Cup

HARRISON, N.J. - Both Rony Martinez and Marvin Chavez scored one-a-piece gave Honduras a 2-0 win over Haiti in the first round of the CONCACAF Gold Cup on Monday.

Mario Martinez made a pass to Rony Martinez, with Haitian goalkeeper Frandy Montrevil in front of him and then he took a powerful high shot to open the scoring in the third minute. Honduras made it 2-0 on a goal by Marvin Chavez.

Haiti and Honduras are in Group B with Trinidad and Tobago and El Salvador. Trinidad and Tobago will play Haiti in its next match and Honduras will face El Salvador. Both matches will be Friday in Miami.

Hassoun Camara amazing goal while sitting down

Montreal Impact defender Hassoun Camara scored a goal while sitting. After tumbling over an opponent in a failed attempt to head a corner kick, Camara falls down and was sitting in the box.

The ball made its way to Camara's feet, allowing him to flick it up to himself and get a shot off while sitting with his back to the net.

However, even with that maneuver wasn't enough as the Montreal Impact went on to lose the game against Colorado 4-3.

Brazil beats Spain 3-0 in Confederations Cup final Highlights

The top two team of the world met in the Confederations Cup final at the historic Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro and the host Brazil snag the victory with 3-0.

The Confederations Cup is intended as a dry run for the World Cup host, to road test the stadiums, the infrastructure and the internal organization with an eight-team tournament a year before the 32-team main event. But it also serves as a trial for the teams involved, placing their squads under the stress of tournament conditions in a way the usual qualifying series cannot.

Soccer: Spain reach semi-finals with 3-0 win over Nigeria

FORTALEZA, Brazil, June 23 (Reuters) - Spain, the defending World champions survived a first-half shelling by Nigeria before securing their place in the semi-finals of the Confederations Cup with a 3-0 win over the African champions who were eliminated from the tournament on Sunday.

A superb individual goal from Jordi Alba, one of eight Barcelona players in the starting lineup, put Spain ahead after only three minutes before Fernando Torres took his tournament tally to five with a 62nd minute diving header, three minutes after replacing Roberto Soldado.

 Spain were given a good examination by a hard-running Nigeria for most of the first half, but poor finishing cost the Super Eagles any chance of a victory. Alba rounded off Spain's win with his second goal in the 88th minute.

Spain took almost total control after the restart and will face Italy, who they beat 4-0 in last year's Euro 2012 final, in Thursday's semi-final in Fortaleza.

Source.

Spain beat Uruguay 2-1 to win Confederations Cup opener

Spain dominates Uruguay 2-1 to win Confederations Cup opener. Spain had 77 percent of the possession in the first half, and 71 in the match.

The World Cup champions did get two first-half goals just after Fabregas' miss - one in the 20th from Pedro and another 12 minutes later by striker Roberto Soldado.

Spain had a little luck with the first goal, which may have been heading wide when it took a huge deflection off Uruguay defender Diego Lugano to beat goalkeeper Fernando Muslera.

The second was perfect finishing by Soldado after a cute reverse pass from Cesc Fabregas.
Luis Suarez scored a consolation goal with a delicately curling free kick for Uruguay in the 88th.

Spain is trying to win the only major trophy it lacks to go with a 2010 World Cup and two consecutive European championships.

Heung-Min Son joining Bayer Leverkusen

Sporting director Oliver Kreuzer said that attacker Heung-Min Son, 20 is on the verge of joining Bayer Leverkusen.

Both Borussia Dortmund and Leverkusen had made it known that the attacker will be a valuable addition to their squad ahead of next season.

Leverkusen now seem to have beaten Dortmund to Son's signature and the deal could be completed in the upcoming days.

"I expect Son to make the move to Leverkusen. We think that the transfer will be a done deal in the next few days," Kreuzer told Sky Sport News.

Son joined Hamburg in the summer of 2008 and had since developed into one of the most sought-after players in the Bundesliga.

The South Korea international's current deal with HSV is due to expire in the summer of 2014, but Hamburg are ready to part ways with the versatile attacker for a transfer fee in the region of 10 million euros.

Soccer USA beat Germany 4-3

WASHINGTON -- Jozy Altidore's first-half goal, which is his first for the USA in 19 months, set the tone of the game for a 4-3 win over Germany in the Centennial Celebration match in front of 47,359 at RFK Stadium on Sunday. Clint Dempsey had two goals in the second half to put away the result, as the Americans beat Germany for the first time since the 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup.

Altidore broke his drought in the 13th minute, hitting a wondrous first-time volley off a cross from Graham Zusi. He had not scored in the run of play for the USA since June 2011, and it was his first international goal since a penalty kick against Slovenia in November 2011.

After four minutes, USA had a lucky goal, as German goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen failed to handle Benedikt Howedes' backpass and allowed the ball to creep into the low left corner of his goal.

Miroslav Klose entered the match a goal behind Gerd Muller's German record of 68 international goals, and he nearly brought Germany within 2-1 in the 24th minute. He split the U.S. center backs and finished past Tim Howard, but he was judged to be offside.

Per Mertesacker had an earlier chance to open the scoring, but the Arsenal defender fluffed his chance from close range. Germany got on the board in the 52nd minute, though, with Heiko Westermann heading home Max Kruse's corner kick. The Hamburg defender gained separation from Omar Gonzalez and connected for a clean header to slice the deficit in half.

Clint Dempsey restored the two-goal edge in the 60th minute, blasting home an effort off a cross from Altidore. The forward latched onto a long ball from Jermaine Jones, taking it down off his chest. Even though his touch took him away from goal, he remained patient and spotted both Michael Bradley and Dempsey in the box. The Tottenham attacker made no mistake with his first-time hit to make it 3-1.

Dempsey added his second in spectacular fashion minutes later, as he put a perfectly placed left-footed hit from long range past ter Stegen to bring the capacity crowd to a fever pitch. Even though Kruse's vicious right-footed strike and Draxler's opportunistic tap-in brought Germany within 4-3, the USA saw out the victory, ensuring that U.S. manager Jurgen Klinsmann defeated his former national side and assistant coach, Germany manager Joachim Low.

Of note in the U.S. lineup was that Seattle Sounders midfielder Brad Evans was handed the start at right back, and he more than held his own in providing service down the right flank while marking up Lukas Podolski. Fabian Johnson moved into an advanced winger role and played the first half before coming off in favor of Brad Davis.

source yahoo news

Robbie Rogers Galaxy debut as openly gay athlete

Robbie Rogers just wants to play pro soccer again, but now it's going to be historical. He is now the first openly gay male athlete to play in a U.S. professional league on Sunday night, in his Major League Soccer debut with the Los Angeles Galaxy.

He entered the game in the 77th minute as the Galaxy were leading the Seattle Sounders 4-0.

"I guess this is a historic thing, but for me it was just a soccer game," he said.

He received loud cheers from the crowd of 24,811 as he ran onto the pitch, with fans chanting his last name. Rogers ran by teammate Landon Donovan, who slapped his hand and patted him on the back as he took his position.

Rogers touched the ball a couple times in the closing minutes of the Galaxy's victory that ended Seattle's three-game winning streak. The 26-year-old midfielder hadn't played professionally since last year. He spent the last two seasons in England.

With the Galaxy owning a comfortable lead, head coach Bruce Arena was able to insert Rogers.

Tearful David Beckham plays final home game at PSG

Beckham wore the captain's armband and had an assist before leaving the pitch to a rousing ovation in the 82nd minute. Beckham in tears on farewell.

David Beckham had an emotional Parc des Princes farewell as Ligue 1 champions Paris St Germain beat bottom club Stade Brest 3-1 on a memorable night on Saturday.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic a Sweden striker scored twice and he has now a personal best this season of 29 goals.

Ex-England skipper Beckham, who will retire at the end of the season, broke down in tears when he was substituted by Ezequiel Lavezzi in the 81st minute.

Beckham, who was named skipper against Brest, was hugged by his team mates as he left the pitch to a standing ovation having set up Blaise Matuidi for the second goal.

Beatles song "Hello, Goodbye" was played over the speakers as a film showed highlights of his time at the club before Beckham walked towards the podium with a St George's flag wrapped round his shoulders.

"I want to say thank you to everybody in Paris, to my team mates, to the staff, to the fans. To finish my career here could not be any more special. I want to enjoy my family now, I have all the souvenirs I want now so I'm very, very happy. Merci Paris. I'm very sad to be leaving but thank you," said Beckham the 38-year-old former Real Madrid and Los Angeles Galaxy player.

Samir Nasri vowed to improve amid criticism

Manchester City midfielder Samir Nasri promised to improve on his game after the criticism of his manager Roberto Mancini.

Mancini criticized Nasri's game this season and he confirmed he'd taken it on board and now understands how he can develop as a player.

“I agreed with him (Roberto Mancini). I knew. Sometimes I don’t need him to tell me because I’m professional. When I go home, I watch the games again," former Arsenal star Nasri told The Times.

“I know if I’ve played well or if I’ve played s and for eight months I wasn’t good. I understand what the manager was saying, because it must be frustrating when you have a quality player and he doesn’t perform and you don’t know why because you try to play him there, play him there, but he still doesn’t perform."

Nasri admitted some of his performances for Manchester City have not been good enough, with certain moments making him want to cry.

Nasri drew heavy criticism when he turn his back on a Robin van Persie free-kick during December's Manchester derby.

City had recovered from 2-0 to be level but, as Nasri turned away, the ball went where he would have been and on into the goal.

"I don’t know what went through my head. I don’t know how many times I was thinking about it afterwards."

“At the time I almost cried I was so upset with myself. How could you do that? It was a derby and with a draw we’d have stayed a few points behind them but they won it and it was a big moment in the title race.

Soccer Updates: Tottenham and Arsenal are on track for Champions League

Tottenham are on the right path for qualification for next season's Champions League as Gareth Bale shot a goal from the corner of the penalty area that lead to Tottenham 1-0 victory beating Southampton in the Premier League.

Gareth Bale goal was his 20th league goal of the season.

Arsenal are now in the third place and push for the Champions League thanks to the fastest goal of the season from Theo Walcott. It took just 20 seconds for Arsenal to score that they held throughout the game as the Gunners recorded a 1-0 win over the Queens Park Rangers.

Chelsea visits Manchester United on Sunday.

At the bottom of the standings, Wigan avoided relegation with a 3-2 victory, keeping the team third from last but reducing the gap to Sunderland to two points.

Aston Villa took a big step to the safety zone. Gabriel Agbonlahor's two goals led a 2-1 win at Norwich, which is only three points ahead of Wigan but has played a game more. Newcastle is even on points with Norwich after drawing 0-0 at West Ham.

Man City dropped points in its bid to finish second by drawing 0-0 at Swansea. The deposed champions are five points ahead of Arsenal. Already-relegated Reading won 4-2 at Fulham.

Hull will return to the Premier League after a three-year absence. It finished second in the League Championship ahead of Watford.

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BERLIN (AP) - Borussia Dortmund held Bayern Munich to a 1-1 draw in the Bundesliga before their Champions League final in three weeks.

Kevin Grosskreutz opened the scoring for Dortmund with a volley in the 11th minute, and Mario Gomez tied it with a header from Rafinha's cross in the 23rd.

Dortmund was awarded a penalty kick when Nuri Sahin's shot struck Jerome Boateng's arm, but Manuel Neuer saved Robert Lewandowski's effort in the 60th minute.

Rafinha was sent off for an elbow to Jakub Blaszczykowski's face in the 64th, two minutes after the Brazilian earned his first yellow card for a foul on Julian Schieber.

Bayern, which wrapped up the title with six rounds to go, maintained its 20-point lead over Dortmund.

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BARCELONA, Spain (AP) - Cristiano Ronaldo headed in two goals to help Real Madrid beat Valladolid 4-3 in a Spanish league match that was overshadowed by growing dissatisfaction with Madrid coach Jose Mourinho for criticizing the club.

Madrid's ninth straight home win in league play denied Barcelona the chance to clinch the league title this weekend.

Madrid reduced Barcelona's lead to eight points, meaning the Catalan side can't seal the domestic title by beating Real Betis on Sunday.

Elsewhere, third-place Atletico Madrid booked its spot in next season's Champions League with a 0-0 draw at Deportivo La Coruna. Also, Valencia eased to a 4-0 win over nine-man Osasuna to stay in the hunt for a top-four finish, while Malaga lost 1-0 at Granada to slip three points behind Valencia in sixth place.

Sections of the crowd jeered Mourinho's name when it was announced before the match, scolding the manager for his recent comments that he may be leaving the club and a country where he doesn't feel ''loved.''

Mourinho used his team's exit from the Champions League on Tuesday as an opportunity to link his immediate future to a return to England. He repeated on Friday that he didn't know if he would stay at Madrid next season, while also taking another veiled shot at benched Spain international Iker Casillas by saying his only mistake was not having brought in new goalkeeper Diego Lopez before this winter.

That latest dig at Madrid's captain even made some of Mourinho's most trusted players bristle.

Mourinho, who is under contract with Madrid until the summer of 2016, appears to running out of allies at the club. He didn't speak after the match, sending assistant Aitor Karanka in his place.

Karanka supported his boss, saying that ''no player has been disrespected,'' while accepting the ire of Madrid's fans for what they widely perceive as a snub by Mourinho.

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MILAN (AP) - Chievo Verona is all but certain of playing in Serie A next season after its goalless draw at home to Cagliari.

Cagliari got off to what seemed a promising start when Marco Sau beat the offside trap and raced clear toward the goal. But Chievo goalkeeper Christian Puggioni parried his powerful shot.

Chievo had the best chance of the match shortly before halftime. Nicolas Frey nodded on Cyril Thereau's cross to Boukary Drame, whose fierce volley was blocked by Cagliari goalkeeper Michael Agazzi. Radja Nainggolan almost won it for Cagliari with a long, screaming shot that flew just past the left post.

Chievo has eight points more than relegation-threatened Genoa and Palermo, who play on Sunday.

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PARIS (AP) - Marseille beat Bastia 2-1 in the French league to postpone Paris Saint-Germain's title celebrations for at least another week.

With three rounds left and a six-point lead in Marseille, PSG cannot clinch the title this weekend but it has a vastly superior goal difference to Marseille. PSG hosts Valenciennes on Sunday.

Andre-Pierre Gignac scored in each half for Marseille at Stade Velodrome to help keep the pressure on PSG. Florian Thauvin tied it for Bastia 53 seconds after halftime as Marseille conceded its first goal in eight matches.

Marseille has almost mathematically secured second place. It is seven points ahead of third-placed Lyon, which plays at Nancy on Sunday.

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LISBON, Portugal (AP) - FC Porto won 3-1 at Nacional to keep the pressure on Benfica as the Portuguese league season reaches its finish.

Porto's victory cut Benfica's lead at the top of standings to one point before the leaders host Estoril Monday.

Forward James Rodriguez opened for Porto in the 10th minute. Eliaquim Mangala doubled the advantage in the 19th, and Lucho Gonzalez added a third goal from the penalty spot three minutes later.

Daniel Candeias scored for the hosts in the 27th.

Porto hasn't lost at Nacional since the 2007-08 season.

Both Porto and Benfica are undefeated this season.

Soccer Mass Brawl

Soccer Mass Brawl, the game ended in a Mass Brawl after Mathieu Valbuena put up the ony goal for Olympique Marseille as they secured second place in Ligue 1 with a 1-0 win at Lorient on Saturday.

Valbuena kicked in a looseball from just outside the box in the 25th minute that secured Marseille a 1-0 victory for the 12th time this season and their seventh clean sheet in a row.

Fabien Audard slapped hard Valbuena right in the face that resulted commotion from angry fans. Lorient goalkeeper Audard and Andre Ayew of Marseille were sent off as tempers flared among both sets of players.

Marseille have 64 points with four games left, six behind leaders Paris St Germain who visit lowly Evian Thonon Gaillard on Sunday.

Ajaccio's Fousseni Diawara was shown a straight red card for a violent tackle in the 47th minute and Montpellier midfielder Younes Belhanda missed the resulting penalty.

Abdelhamid El Kaoutari of Montpellier was also sent off eight minutes from time when he committed the foul that caused Delort's penalty.

Napoli win against Pescara

Napoli title hopes are still alive after a 3-0 win against Pescara.  Udinese are now in fifth place after a 1-0 victory at Cagliari.

Gohkan Inler, Goran Pandev, and Blerim Dzemaili goals in the second half goals place Napoli in 69 points, eight behind leaders Juventus who visit local rivals Torino on Sunday.

The victory also sees Napoli move 10 points clear of third-placed AC Milan, who host Europa League-chasing Catania in Sunday's late game .

"It wasn't an easy game and you could see that in the first half. Often we've messed up matches like this in the past, but today it went well." Pandev said.

Adam Jahn Game Tying Goal San Jose Earthquakes 1, Portland Timbers 1: MLS Match Recap

San Jose Earthquakes rookie Adam Jahn fired a game-tying goal past the 90th minute from 13 yards to salvage a 1-1 draw against the Portland Timbers on Sunday.

Timbers playmaker Diego Valeri who was out due to a concussion put the timbers up in the 58th minute by 1 point and it looked as though that would stand for a second consecutive 1-0 victory against San Jose but rookie Adam Jahn has another plan. 

Chris Wondolowski gave a subtle touch to set the ball up for Jahn, who went to his left to beat Donovan Ricketts cleanly.

Fighting at a English soccer match Millwall vs Wigan

Violence erupted at a English soccer match between Millwall and Wigan. Millwall fans were seen fighting among themselves and with security officials. Wigan won with a 2-0 victory.

"The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) is investigating sporadic disorder amongst fans in the Millwall supporters area of Wembley Stadium at today's FA Cup semi-final," the Metropolitan police said.

"The police response was robust and proportionate and 11 people were arrested during the game in connection with the violence that broke out shortly before half time and full time"

"Four police officers received minor injuries." Police said.

Television footage showed several supporters bloodied, police using batons, and a child in tears as the trouble continued.

Injured Messi continues recovery before PSG

Barcelona forward Lionel Messi had physiotherapy and did some fitness work on Sunday as the World Player of the Year tried to shake off a hamstring strain before Wednesday's Champions League quarter-final, second leg at home to Paris St Germain.

Messi suffered the injury in last week's first leg in Paris, which ended 2-2, and had to be substituted at halftime.

The Argentine missed Saturday's 5-0 La Liga win against Real Mallorca at the Nou Camp, when his replacement in the roving forward role, Cesc Fabregas, netted a hat-trick.

America defeat rival Guadalajara 2-0

Raúl Jiménez's goals in the second half helped Club America defeat rival Guadalajara 2-0 at Omnilife Stadium to claim sole possession of third place in Liga MX.

The teams came out with all the intensity expected from a Super Clasico. The first half featured seven yellow cards, one red card, and a number of nasty-looking challenges.

Chivas right back Sergio Perez saw yellow within the game's opening moments, and he wouldn't even last until halftime. In the 35th minute, he had his arms draped around Christian Benítez as the striker chased a bouncing ball, which drew a second yellow.

If the red wasn't bad enough, the home side was ravaged by injuries in the opening half, which forced two substitutions. First, Jorge Enriquez was had to withdraw because of a knee injury and 10 minutes later, Hector Reynoso came off with a hamstring injury that had been bothering him before the game.

Wounded and down a man, halftime couldn't have come sooner for Chivas. Unfortunately, things were about to go from bad to worse.

Marco Fabian, who had initially been injured in the first half, had to finally withdraw in the opening minutes of the second stanza. And minutes later, the home side was behind.

After a short corner, Osvaldo Martínez hit a cross and Jimenez rose well to head across his body into the far post. The 21-year-old Mexico international wasn't done on the evening either.

With 15 minutes to play, Jimenez put the game away. Rubens Sambueza worked his way down the left flank, and his cross was met by Jimenez, who charged in front of his marker. His header was nearly saved by MIchel, but he could only get a hand on it, and the ball hit the post and trickled in.

Meanwhile in the Sunday's other fixture, American midfielder DaMarcus Beasley scored a tying goal in the 58th minute of Puebla's 2-1 loss at home to Tigres on Sunday in the Mexican first division.

Beasley entered at the start of the second half. He played left back for the United States in its 0-0 tie against Mexico in a World Cup qualifier Tuesday night in Mexico City.

Beasley has three league goals this year and one in the Mexican Cup.

Costa Rica will file a protest after a snowy defeat to US

The U.S. won 1-0 but Costa Rica coach Jorge Luis Pinto was furious because the game was played on a snowy field.

He said that the Friday's World Cup qualifier game was an "embarassment to football" and promised to file an official protest.

"It was an embarrassment to football, disrespectful to the game," an animated Pinto told reporters.

The game was played at the 19,374 capacity Dicks Sporting Goods Park, home of Major League Soccer's Colorado Rapids, nestled at the foot of the Rockie Mountains.

Pinto said the "legal conditions" for playing the game were not in place and a Federation official told Costa Rican media that an official protest would be made to FIFA on Saturday.

The referee stopped the game briefly in the 55th minute but only to ask ground staff to clear snow from the pitch markings and the game resumed after a few minutes.

Costa Rica's players showed little dissent on the field, going close to an equaliser in the second half, but they vented their anger after the game.

"Honestly, it was robbery, a disgrace, I've never played a game in these conditions," said midfielder Cristian Bolanos, who plays with Danish club FC Copenhagen.

"You couldn't see the ball ... if we had played without snow, we would have won, I am sure," he said.

Striker Alvaro Saborio, who plays in Major League Soccer for Real Salt Lake, concurred.

"We couldn't play in those conditions, they should have stopped the game in the first half," he said.

Had the game been abandoned it would have had to be finished in the following 48 hours, causing a logistical problem for both teams who play again on Tuesday.

U.S. Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati felt the referee had made the right decision.

"Frankly, (stopping) would not have been to the advantage of either of the two teams, since they both play on Tuesday," Gulati told reporters.

"Obviously you worry about the safety of players and being able to see the ball. The referee and the match commissioner made the decision that the game could continue and I think it was the right decision," he said.

Gulati said the decision to play in Denver in March had not been based on any desire to have difficult wintry conditions for Central American opponents, but was mainly due to the desire to spend a week at altitude before a game in Mexico City on Tuesday.

"If the thought is that we want to play Costa Rica in a situation where it could snow, then there are some places that maybe could have been better, like Boston or somewhere," he said.

FIFA medical chief against summer 2022 World Cup

KNOKKE, Belgium (AP) - FIFA's medical chief is against organizing the 2022 World Cup in the summer heat of the desert nation Qatar.

Michel D'Hooghe's opinion added a strong voice to the debate whether about Qatar should stick to the traditional slot of June for a World Cup or if the tournament should be moved to another part of the year to allow for a more temperate climate.

Even though D'Hooghe said that games and trainings sessions would be held in climate conditioned temperatures of 21 degrees C (70 degrees F), the many fans and officials attending the monthlong tournament would be faced much more with the scorching desert heat.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter said that for the time being ''it is a problem without solution.''

Lionel Messi spark Barcelona 4-0 win over Milan

Barcelona pulled off a remarkable Champions League comeback when Lionel Messi struck twice in a thrilling 4-0 home win over AC Milan on Tuesday that sent the Spaniards through to the last eight 4-2 on aggregate.

Messi struck twice in the first half and David Villa scored Barcelona's decisive third goal in the 55th minute before Jordi Alba made it 4-0 on the break in stoppage time.

Barca ruthlessly dominated the Italians, who struggled to get the ball out of their own half for long periods, and David Villa struck a third for the hosts 10 minutes after the break before Jordi Alba killed off Milan with a breakaway goal in the second minute of added time.

Barca are the first team in the Champions League to ever overturn a two-goal first leg deficit without the benefit of an away goal while only four sides had successfully fought back from a deficit of more than one goal.

"We started really fired up, as you have seen. The early goal helped us a lot, but it was something we looked for from the first minute," Villa told Spanish television.

"We believed we could do it from the first minute, in fact from the final whistle of the last game.

Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri told Sky Italia: "It has been an extraordinary match from Barcelona but this is not the disastrous result it will maybe be depicted as but a chance to grow. To lose and go out after the first leg we produced at home upsets all of us but the lads shouldn't beat themselves up."

Cute Furry Marten Disrupts a Soccer game

THUN, Switzerland -  The furry creature, called a marten, run onto the field a few minutes into the top division match between Thun and FC Zurich on Sunday and evaded efforts by players and match officials to catch it. Play briefly resumed when the animal ran into the stands, but the marten reappeared shortly afterward.

Zurich defender Loris Benito dived and grabbed the marten - receiving a bitten finger for his troubles as he tried to carry it off the field. His team's goalkeeper, Davide Da Costa, then managed to put an end to the creature's caper and bundle it off the field.

Zurich won the match 4-0.

Jozy Altidore sets scoring record

Jozy Altidore sets a new record he is the new American leader for goals scored in a single season. The striker set the bar on Sunday, tallying his 24th goal of the season in the 69th minute as AZ Alkmaar lost at RKC Waalwijk. His left-footed shot knotted the score for his club but the opposition took the winner just 10 minutes later.

Earlier in the week, Altidore was magnificent, scoring twice and adding an assist as AZ Alkmaar defeated Ajax in Dutch Cup action. The powerful foward netted a header in the 74th minute before setting up Johann Berg Gudmundsson two minutes from time. Finally, he blasted a tremendous chip shot from 35 yards out to seal the victory. Alkmaar progressed to the Dutch Cup final, where it will face PSV.

Altidore’s mark of 24 goals is especially impressive considering the club still has 10 matches remaining this season. The New Jersey native could conceivably top 30 goals this season.

Manchester City win against Chelsea

Manchester City was led by Yaya Toure and Carlos to a 2-0 win over Chelsea on Sunday.

Trailing Manchester United by 15 points at kickoff, defeat might have led even the most optimistic fan to concede the title race was over, but helped by a great save from Joe Hart of a Frank Lampard penalty the dream lives on.

City spent most of the first half, and indeed much of the match, camped in the Chelsea half thanks to a dominant midfield display but despite many chances they had to wait until the 63rd minute for Toure's sweetly-struck opener into the bottom right.

Lionel Messi led Barcelona to a 2-1 comeback victory

Lionel Messi helped Barcelona to a 2-1 comeback victory with a double strike at lowly Granada in La Liga on Saturday taking his tally for the club to 301 goals.

The World Player of the Year pounced on a loose ball to level in the 50th minute before netting a superb free kick for the winner in the 73rd, the 37th goal of the campaign for La Liga's top scorer.

Only a last-minute save from keeper Tono in a one-on-one situation denied Messi a hat-trick.

The victory moved Barca 15 points clear at the top of the table with second-placed Atletico Madrid playing at Real Valladolid on Sunday.

Barca, who visit AC Milan in the last 16 of the Champions League on Wednesday, are 19 points in front of third-placed Real Madrid with the champions hosting city rivals Rayo Vallecano on Sunday.

Ronaldo own goal sends Real to shock defeat

* Struggling Real lose 1-0 in Granada
* Fifth defeat on the road this season
* Barca can extend lead over Real to 18 points on Sunday

MADRID, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Cristiano Ronaldo scored the first own goal of his career to send Real Madrid to a shock 1-0 defeat at lowly Granada in La Liga on Saturday, further damaging their already slim hopes of retaining the title.

Ronaldo has scored 21 league goals this season but headed into his own net at a corner in the 22nd minute and his side rarely threatened after that in the face of resolute opposition.

The result left the champions 15 points adrift of leaders Barcelona, who can extend their advantage over their great rivals to 18 with a win at Valencia on Sunday.

Real have 43 points from 22 games and remain four points behind second-placed Atletico Madrid, who host Real Betis on Sunday.

"We played a bad game, the responsibility is mine," Real coach Jose Mourinho told a post-match news conference.

"The result bothers me. The first half was horrible, and although we improved in the second half, it wasn't enough.

"Granada defended with heart and soul, and a lot of motivation, and it was a great night of football for them."

Wednesday's King's Cup semi-final first leg at home to Barca, when Real recovered to grab a 1-1 draw, seemed to have taken its toll as Mourinho's side struggled to get going.

Their hard-running hosts, inspired by a change of coach from Juan Antonio Anquela to Lucas Alcaraz on Wednesday, took advantage of a familiar failing for Real this season when they went ahead at a corner.

Ronaldo rose at the near post and skimmed the ball past Diego Lopez and into the roof of his own net.

The visitors slowly found their feet but failed to register a single shot on target before halftime.

Mourinho threw on forwards Karim Benzema and Jose Callejon in a double substitution to try and pep up his team, and Ronaldo became more involved in the game.

The Portugal forward tested goalkeeper Tono on a few occasions but it was Callejon and Benzema who had the best chance between them to level in the 84th.

Callejon dribbled into the area and was denied by Tono but when the ball broke to Benzema he scuffed his shot wide of the far post in front of an open goal.

Real have now lost five games on the road this season, four of them in Andalusia after setbacks at Sevilla, Real Betis, Malaga and Granada. The other one they lost at Getafe.

OWN GOAL

Levante missed the chance to move into the Champions League places when they lost 3-2 at improving Espanyol.
An own-goal from Vicente Iborra put the visitors behind just before the break.

Ruben Garcia headed Levante level after an error in the home defence, but Javier Aguirre's Espanyol struck twice in two minutes to seal the win.

Sergio Garcia crossed for Christian Stuani to head Espanyol's second, and then scored from the edge of the area before Obafemi Martins burst clear to pull one back for Levante at the end.

Troubled Deportivo La Coruna remain rooted to the foot of the standings after a 3-1 defeat at Getafe, despite taking the lead against 10 men at the Coliseum.

Home keeper Miguel Angel Moya was sent off after 10 minutes and Pizzi netted with a penalty but Diego Castro levelled with another spot kick at the other end in the 25th.

Depor had midfielder Abel Aguilar sent off in the 71st and Getafe took all the points when Alvaro Vazquez and Adrian Colunga grabbed well-taken goals near the end Osasuna climbed out of the bottom three with a 1-0 home win over Celta Vigo in the day's other game.

Death sentences in Egypt soccer riot spark new clashes

Violence erupted in Egypt again on Saturday as at least eight people were killed in protests in Port Said following the verdict for the soccer stadium massacre one year ago. The clashes came as Egypt reeled from deadly protests that killed nine people across the country marking the second anniversary of the January 25 revolution.

A judge announced the death penalty for 21 of the 73 defendants on trial for the Port Said massacre. Clashes in Port Said following the announcement of the verdict left at least five dead and dozens more injured, according to the Egyptian daily Al-Ahram.

Seventy-four people died in riots at a soccer stadium in Port Said on February 1, 2012. Eyewitnesses said police did nothing to stop the melee that broke out between two rival soccer teams and even refused to open the doors to allow people to escape. The massacre was held up as proof of the country’s slide towards anarchy.

Over the past week, the “ultras,” or young soccer hooligans who are often at the head of protest marches and responsible for much of the violence at Egypt’s protests, posted online threats promising to destroy and burn buildings across Cairo if they are unsatisfied with the verdict.

If it is anything less than capital punishment, “the country will burn,” one 19-year-old ‘ultra’ named Ahmed told The Jerusalem Post on Friday in Tahrir Square. “We are angry because we haven’t received our rights… it’s not just a football match, the [Muslim] Brotherhood wants to continue to burn the country so they can continue to rule,” he said. “There’s no justice.”

In the aftermath of clashes on Friday night to mark the two-year anniversary, pundits and politicians focused much attention on a new group of protesters who also could be linked to the ultras: the black bloc. For the first time on Friday, teenagers and young people came out in force dressed head-to-toe in black, many wearing black balaclava ski masks.

Soccer-Real Madrid stuttering as Manchester United clash looms

MADRID (Reuters) - Real Madrid's domestic struggles are increasingly becoming a cause for concern in the Spanish capital with the first leg of their Champions League last 16 clash against Premier League leaders Manchester United looming.

Missing suspended top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo, Jose Mourinho's side were held to a 0-0 draw at lowly Osasuna in La Liga on Saturday and looked a shadow of the team that romped to the title last season.

They had only one shot on target at Osasuna's Reyno de Navarra stadium in Pamplona, their worst record in a La Liga game under Mourinho, and the result left them languishing in third. Unbeaten leaders Barcelona can go 18 points clear of their great rivals with a win at Malaga on Sunday.

Real's Argentina striker Gonzalo Higuain toiled ineffectively before being hauled off in the second half and even the introduction of Germany playmaker Mesut Ozil and France striker Karim Benzema failed to inspire the nine-times European champions.
Croatia midfielder Luka Modric, a high-profile signing from Tottenham Hotspur in the close season, was largely anonymous, while little-used Brazil playmaker Kaka had a night to forget when he received two yellow cards in quick succession after coming off the bench and was sent off.

Real's poor performance prompted the headline "Madrid is nothing without Cristiano" on Marca's website, while the sports daily's main rival As wrote "No firepower without Cristiano".

The Portuguese forward, who has scored 16 goals in La Liga this season and is joint Champions League top scorer with six, will be looking forward to facing his old club when United visit the Bernabeu on Feb. 13.

On Saturday's evidence, however, if Ronaldo was to be unavailable through injury or suspension then Real's chances of winning the tie and going on to lift a 10th European crown that has eluded them since 2002 would be severely dented.
Mourinho said he was not going to use injuries or suspensions as excuses for Real's erratic form.

"I am not talking about players being out injured even though some were missing for one or two months," he told a news conference after the Osasuna game.

"Neither will I make excuses because of those who were suspended," added the Portuguese.

"I liked the team's attitude and there were players who had a great game.

"It's not easy to create chances here because of the way the opponent plays but we had opportunities to score. Not many, but we had them."
Miguel Pardeza, a former Real player and now club director, acknowledged that their chances of a second straight La Liga title were slim but said they would never give up.

"There is a big gap," he told broadcaster Canal Plus.

"But if one thing has set us apart it's that we don't throw in the towel and we keep fighting," he added. "Our reputation is at stake in every game."

The return leg of the Champions League tie against United is at Old Trafford on March 5. (Reporting by Iain Rogers, editing by Ken Ferris)