Robinho loan... African Nations Cup

Manchester City striker, Robinho, has officially been put on loan to his former club, Brazilian side Santos. It is a 6-month deal for a whopping 32 million euros (essentially 45 million dollars - wow!). Essentially two things are being accomplished here: first, Robinho is hoping to increase his chances to be a part of the Brazilian side in this year's world cup and logically, this is an intelligent loan because he will be able to get more play timing in places where the Brazilian coaching staff can watch him more carefully and closely. Secondly, this loan would provide Robinho some more playing time in general so that he can not only be ready for the World Cup but also for when the 2010-2011 EPL season starts up again, he will be in full force and 100% ready to go.

Robinho and his skill dating back to when he first played with Santos at age 15.


In the second African Nations semifinal, Egypt dominated Algeria, 4-0. The game was pretty much deadlocked for the entire first half and about a third of the second. However, once Algeria picked up their first of 3 red cards in the 65th minute, things got out of hand for Algeria and they were simply unable to keep up. Egypt will be playing Ghana in the final this Sunday. Best of luck to both teams!

Cleat of the post: adidas Predator X

The Manchester Derby Roundup and Former Red Devil gets Red

Machester United and Manchester City are taking part in the second half of the second leg of the Carling Cup at this very moment. Thus far, the game has been dead-locked at 1-1 with United leading in shots, 6 to 4. The game really doesn't have a dominating side at the moment and to be brutally honest, a boring game a best. Perhaps the second half will serve better.

As many of us know, Cristiano Ronaldo is now a member of Spanish side, Real Madrid. Although he was a key part of his team in their win over Malaga, he did receive a straight red in the 70th minute to force his teammates to play with only 10 men for the final 20 minutes of the game; fortunately, they were able to hold off Malaga from scoring. However, Ronaldo did receive the red for what he claims was an accident. In the midst of play, Cristiano managed to "accidentally" nail Malaga's, Patrick Mtiliga, in the face and giving Mtiliga a broken nose. Cristiano claims it was accidental and that the La Liga's 2 game ban is excessive but it has been known that Cristiano can be a bit of a cheap-skate when it comes to fouls and the like. Hopefully, things get sorted out and perhaps Cristiano Ronaldo actually may be telling the truth.

Cleat of the post: Joma Total Fit

Dempsey injury could hamper USA success in World Cup

Just a few days ago, Fulham and US soccer star, Clint Dempsey suffered what initially seemed to be a likely ACL or MCL tear in his knee. However, after going scans just yesterday it has been learned that he only has moderate damage and therefore, no surgery will be required. Although still a major concern for the US, his chances of being ready to play in the World Cup this summer are now greater and looking more plausible.
According to Fulham doctors and representatives, Dempsey most likely will be done for the EPL season and will be resting the knee as well as doing some physical therapy to get ready for South Africa. We US fans wish Dempsey the best in a quick and full, healthy recovery. South Africa here we come!!!

In lieu of Dempsey's injury, the cleat of the post is the newest, flashiest Nike Mercurial Vapor V - "wear it, cuz Dempsey does."

As the good ol FIFA games say, "they are in Formidable form"

As you can probably guess, Chelsea is in 1st with a win, Man U follows behind with a win (only a 1 point differential between them), Arsenal is in third, and for a change this season, Tottenham is in fourth. I figured we could spend some time talking about what has propelled Tottenham to such a high standing thus far in the season.
First and foremost, credit goes to manager Harry Redknapp who has done an excellent job with his squad this year. Although Jermaine Defoe did miss a penalty earlier today that would have given them the win over Hull, I must say he is their best player. He has scored 84 goals in his lifetime career in the EPL. Personally, i think this is a feat reached by not to many in an 8-9 year span as a professional European soccer player. We need to realize that the competition, specifically in England, is unsurpassed in any other league in the world. Also, other players worthy to note on the squad are Huddlestone (Midfield), Keane (forward), and Crouch (Forward). If you noticed, it seems as if I have only mentioned an attacking group of players really and the reason for doing this is I want to point out that although this team has many strong attackers that lack a strong defense but they are able to pull together some fabulous results which allows them to do so well in the EPL. Therefore, it is absolutely fair to say that this is a real team that works in unity. Well done Hotspurs!

Cleat of the post: Nike Superfly (Nice Color Combination)

Why do you choose your team?

Earlier today, one of my fellow peers and I got into an argument as to how should we really define whether we are true fans of certain clubs or we are simply, "riding the wagon." In context, I am an avid Manchester United fan while my fellow peer is a Liverpool fan. He claimed that I only liked Manchester United because of how good they have always been. Sure, that is a reason to like them, but more importantly, I have a fond "love" for Man U because that was the very first European team my English cousin introduced me when I went to visit England in the new millennium (2000). So I ask, why do you support the team you choose? Is it because your favorite player plays for them? or is it because you have a bond with the club that goes back for many generations? You tell me, I want to hear!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Cleat of the post: PUMA v1.10

The Usual and a New Spin

As always, this weekend was packed with games in the EPL with really no surprises in any of the usuual results. Fortunately for league chasers, Man U and Arsenal, Chelsea was only able to gain one point at St. Andrews against Birmingham while both "chasers" were able to gain valuable results; Man U won 3-1 over Hull today with Rooney being the hero and Arsenal gained a clean-sheet with a 3-0 win over Aston Villa.
In addition to my write-ups for each post, I will now also be adding "the cleat of the post" for each post. It will feature a new/ redesigned cleat that has either been an attention grabber or a cleat that is yet to be released on the market. Furthermore, for those interested the best place to check for complete and thorough reviews of new cleats is at Footy Boots or Eurosport.

Cleat of the post: Nike Total 90 Laser III

World Cup Draw

Yesterday, the 32 teams that qualified for the 2010 World Cup were drawn into their groups. Each of the 8 groups, A-H, has four teams who will play each other in round robin style with the top two teams in each group advancing. This year, USA was fortunate enough to receive a somewhat favorable group with competition coming from England, Algeria, Slovenia. This year's "group of death" is group G with Brazil, Portugal, Korea DPR, and the Ivory Coast.

Below are the 32 teams in their groups:
Group A
South Africa
Mexico
Uruguay
France (or should some of us prefer to say Ireland)

Group B
Argentina
Nigeria
Korea Republic
Greece

Group C
England
USA
Algeria
Slovenia

Group D
Germany
Australia
Serbia
Ghana

Group E
Netherlands
Denmark
Japan
Cameroon

Group F
Italy
Paraguay
New Zealand
Slovakia

Group G
Brazil
Korea DPR
Ivory Coast
Portugal

Group H
Spain
Switzerland
Honduras
Chile