Did you know that more Americans are watching top international soccer matches than ever before?  Yes, it WAS rhetorical and also not surprising to football fanatics like us, but it’s good for those less passionate or informed Americans to know – so spread the word!   Besides that remarkable data, today’s Daily Kick Around is chock-full of soccer news for your mid-week fix.  Headlines include Fabrice Muamba’s return to Reebok Stadium, a new head coach named for England and so much more.  Get over your Wednesday hump and read on for the exciting soccer news of the day.

English Premier League

A warm welcome back to Fabrice Muamba, who will attend his first Premier League event since his cardiac arrest occurred March 17.  The Bolton midfielder has made a remarkably quick recovery but is uncertain about his football career at this time.  We’ve missed you!

EPL Results

Liverpool 0 – 1 Fulham

Stoke City 1 – 1 Everton

Everton fans were hoping for a win last night, but a single point is still satisfying considering Liverpool lost to Fulham on the same night.  Everton is currently in seventh place, only three points above their Merseyside rivals with only two weeks left in the season.  Everton may well finish above the 18-time champions for the first time.  Dig it out to the end Toffees!

Today’s EPL Fixtures

Chelsea v New Castle United

Bolton v Tottenham

The Football Association made a surprising announcement today.  They named West Brom manager Gary Hodgeson as the new manager for England on a four-year contract.  Most people predicted Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp would get the job, but the FA insisted Hodgeson was their first choice.

This year, more US television viewers tuned in to the highest level of football than last year.  Both Champions League semi-final matches and Monday’s Manchester Derby averaged over a million viewers, up 29% from 2011.  American’s have been a bit slow to embrace the sport with the same passion as the rest of the world, but this is a good sign in the right direction.

Serie A

Last night’s win over Palermo puts Napoli firmly into the third place position in the Italian league and gives them the final Champions League berth.  Their 2-0 victory broke a four-way tie and gives them the opportunity to return to Europe’s top competition next season after a stellar performance this year.

La Liga Results

Getafe 1 – 1 Santander

Granada 2 – 1 Espanyol

Gijon 2 – 3 Villareal

Tonight’s La Liga Fixtures

Atletico v Sociedad

Barcelona v Malaga

Mallorca v Vallecana

Zaragoza v Levante

Sevilla v Betis

A Bilbao v Real Madrid

Valencia v Osasuna

Fabrice Muamba was released from the hospital today, nearly a month after collapsing on the pitch.

It’s a brand new week footy fans, and I hope your Monday is off to a great start. We’ve got lots of news from across the soccer world, both incredibly sad and undeniably heartwarming. From the tragic death of a young player on the pitch, to a display of unity at an MLS game to Fabrice Muamba finally being released from the hospital, we’ve got it all. Here’s your Daily Kick Around.

Piermario Morosini

As I’m sure you already know, Italian footballer Piermario Morosini collapsed and died on the pitch while playing for Livorno Saturday. The 25-year old midfielder had a cardiac arrest, just what Fabrice Muamba suffered nearly a month ago, though the outcome was far different. The entire soccer community mourned his loss over the weekend, with tributes pouring in and moments of silence at stadiums across the world. Not only did fans, pay their respects, there was a special display from Montreal Impact forward Bernardo Corradi. He was given the opportunity to score a goal for his friend Morosini, who he played with back in 2009. He took the penalty kick awarded to the Impact in the 61st minute, and a very subdued celebration followed after he converted it. It was a touching moment.

Fabrice Muamba

On a happier note, Bolton player Fabrice Muamba has been released from the hospital. Upon his discharge, Muamba said:

“I am naturally very pleased to be discharged from hospital and would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to every single member of staff at The London Chest Hospital who have played a part in my care. Their dedication, professionalism and expertise is simply amazing and I will forever be in their debt. I also wish to say thank you to all the many well-wishers who have sent thousands of messages of support.”

A truly miraculous and joyful day for all of the soccer world.

Major League Soccer

It was another exciting weekend of MLS action that saw the LA Galaxy finally find their form, Chivas USA snatch another win on the road and a game shortened in Chicago because of lightning. If you missed any of the action, we’ve got you covered!

There were a couple of stand out incidents from the weekend that had everyone talking. The first was in the New York Red Bulls – San Jose Earthquakes match. Rafa Marquez–known for his nasty temper and dirty play–broke Shea Salinas’ clavicle. Yes, he BROKE it. Marquez bear hugs Salinas in the box on a corner kick, tackles him to the ground and throws in a little kick for good measure. Our Earthquakes contributor Alyssa had a lot to say about this incident, and what she thinks the MLS Disciplinary Committee should do about it.

The second talking point from the weekend from an amazing display from Chicago Fire supporters. This tifo celebrating diversity is truly touching, and something that the soccer community could use a lot more of.

Happy Friday! The weekend is upon us, and there is so much to talk about. From a weekend full of MLS, EPL and La Liga action, to a high-school girls soccer game brawl, we’ve got the full spectrum of footy news to discuss! Here’s your Daily Kick Around.

Fabrice Muamba

I woke up this morning to read an incredible tweet from Fabrice Muamba’s Twitter account. “Fab wanted me to post this pic for you all and to also say thank you for such overwhelming support.” Followed by the picture to the right of Muamba smiling and sitting upright. His recovery has been nothing short of miraculous! Still a long way to go, but so many positive signs this early on are heart warming.

English Premier League

While there was the uplifting Muamba news this morning, there was also an incredibly somber mood in the soccer community today as word spread that Aston Villa captain Stiliyan Petrov has been diagnosed with acute leukemia. Our thoughts and prayers are with him as he faces a difficult battle against cancer. Stay strong, Stiliyan!

Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero has a “stupid” injury. No, seriously. He has been ruled out of Saturday’s game against Sunderland, and will be sidelined for an unknown period of time. Manager Roberto Mancini was vague about the injury, to say the least: “It is a stupid injury,’ said Mancini. ‘It was not his fault but he can’t play with this injury; for one day, 10 days or two weeks. I don’t know.” So informative.

The EPL is coming to the States! OK, not exactly…this summer, Liverpool will take on Tottenham in Baltimore for a July summer friendly. This is a unique chance for fans of English soccer to see two great teams play without having to pay for a flight to England.

US Women’s National Team

The USWNT will take on Japan in a friendly this Sunday — a rematch of the World Cup final, where the US lost in heartbreaking fashion to the Japanese. Alex Morgan made an appearance on Kick to preview the game. And of course, host Jimmy Conrad slipped in a couple of questions about Morgan’s famous photo shoot in the swimsuit edition of Sports Illustrated. Check it out!

Major League Soccer

The Portland Timbers will debut their retro third kit at their game against Real Salt Lake on Saturday night. Check it out here if you haven’t seen it yet. This is my favorite kit in all of MLS, the design has so much history in it, and is well done. Bravo, Timbers!

And finally, today’s crazy-wacky-wild soccer story. If you missed it on Twitter yesterday, a video from a high school girl’s soccer game in South Carolina was circulating. One player brutally attacked another player, seemingly out of nowhere. Today, we found out that the girl who initiated the attack has been charged with simple assault. The video is disturbing, but I’m glad to see that law enforcement got involved. This goes way beyond the soccer pitch.

Good morning football fans!  Don’t worry if you missed any of the exciting Champions League or FA Cup tournament matches from yesterday.  Get over the mid-week hump by checking out recaps of last night’s pivotal matches and previews of what should be a captivating second day in a row of first leg Champions League quarterfinal matches.  It’s sure to get your Wednesday off and running like a double shot of an espresso.

Champions League

A second half goal from Chelsea’s Salomon Kalou wrapped up the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinal over Benfica 1-0.  Both teams will meet again April 4 to determine who advances.

Cypriot underdog APOEL Nicosia fell to Real Madrid 3-0 in the first leg of Champions League quarterfinals thanks to a goal by Kaka and a Karim Benzema brace.  APOEL, who is being dubbed the Cinderella team of the tournament, held onto a scoreless draw until the 75th minute.  The two teams meet again in early April.

Today’s Fixtures

Today’s AC Milan v Barcelona match should be an exciting one to catch.  Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic left Barca last year for Milan due to problems getting along with Pep Guardiola and fellow Barcelona players.  He is looking forward to proving a point in today’s match up.  For a preview of what to expect when AC Milan host Barcelona, look here.

Coming off seven club defeats in a row and plagued with injuries, Marseille has a challenge on their hands as they meet in form Bayern Munich today in today’s first leg of Champions League quarterfinal.

FA Cup

Tottenham looked the better side as they breezed past Bolton 3-1 yesterday.  Spurs now move on to face their London rival’s Chelsea in the FA semifinals.  Hats off to Bolton goalkeeper Adam Bogdan, who had a tremendous game until he was beat three times in the final 20 minutes of the match.  Prior to the start, White Hart Lane paused for a moment of silence remembering Bolton midfielder, Fabrice Muamba.  Muamba suffered a heart attack last week, causing the first attempt at this pairing to be suspended until last night.  While recovering in the hospital, it was reported that Muamba was well enough to sit up and watch the match from his bed.  I’m sorry there weren’t better results for Fabrice, especially as I am not a fan of Tottenham.

The other half of the FA Cup equation involved Sunderland, who hosted Everton last night.  Although the Toffees were the superior team on the pitch and should have scored a number of times, the two goals they did get past the keeper helped them advance to the semi finals.  Next, Everton will face their Merseyside rivals Liverpool at Wembley.  That will surely be a great match to catch as well.

We have some interesting headlines for you crazy, soccer fans! Chelsea are looking to steal two of Real Madrid’s best players, a student gets arrested for disgusting comments via twitter and the USMNT under-23 fail to qualify for the Olympics. All in today’s DKA!

La Liga

Looks like Chelsea FC is interested in adding two of La Liga’s best to their lineup. The Blues are preparing a €100 bid for Real Madrid players Cristiano Ronaldo and Gonzalo Higuain. Now here is where it gets interesting. This transfer could depend on whether Jose Mourinho decided to head back to Stamford Bridge as  a manager persuading the two players to join him. As for Ronaldo, his future with the Whites seems bright but for Higuain, he’s not giving us Madridistas any comfort during his post-match interviews, quickly avoiding any question that deals with him leaving the Bernabeu.

English Premier League

Mick McCarthy could be joining his former club, Wolverhampton Wanderers, after witnessing their decline after his departure in February. After 5 1/2 years as the manager, McCarthy was fired after a 5-1 loss against West Brom giving McCarthy’s assistant, Terry Connor his time to shine. When asked if he could return, McCarthy gave his opinion in true Irish fashion, simple and blunt:

“I would never say never, that’s all I can say. Stranger things have happened in football – Carlos Tevez, for example, is back playing for Manchester City.”

A new injury has struck a Manchester United goalkeeper. Anders Lindegaard had an injury setback and could miss the rest of the EPL season. In January he damaged some ligaments in his ankle preventing him from playing. Luckily for MUFC, David de Gea is back into top form so the club shouldn’t be too affected.

Fabrice Muamba

After collapsing during an FA Cup match last weekend, Fabrice Muamba is making tremendous progress. This weekend the Bolton midfielder sit out of his bed, watched TV and was able to eat.

A 21-year old student was jailed today for inciting racial hatred about Fabrice Muamba via his twitter account. After the public phoned police about the comments, they quickly tracked down and arrested Liam Stacey, a Swansea University student. One of Stacey’s tweets was:

 ”LOL (laugh out loud). **** Muamba. He’s dead!!!” 

What is wrong with this generation?

Olympic Qualifying

The U-23 USMNT had a heartbreaking game last night as they failed to qualify for the Olympics after tying with El Salvador. For a in-depth recap of the match, you can read it on mlssoccer.com.

UEFA Champions League

The first leg of the Quarterfinals kicks off today! Matches to watch out for are:

APOEL – Real Madrid

Benfica – Chelsea FC

Happy Thursday! Can you believe it’s almost the weekend? We’ve got a bunch of headlines for you today, from how the 2014 WC is already plugging into social media, to EPL results, an MLS player back in training after a huge injury and Olympic qualifiers tonight! It’s your Daily Kick Around!

World Cup 2014

So, World Cup won’t be kicking off for at least two more years (yeah, we are a little anxious too), but that hasn’t stopped FIFA from going ahead and starting the hype early on the Internet. The soccer governing body announced yesterday the WC will have it’s own Youtube channel for highlights and clips, and last week, Brazil’s national tourism board released a mobile phone game app to help those visiting the country become familiar with the 12 host cities. Have to say, that’s a pretty awesome idea.

English Premier League

Carlos Tevez is back, in case you weren’t aware. The … ahem… troublesome Argentinian striker was subbed on yesterday in City’s match against Chelsea. He bagged an assist and helped MCFC come back from a goal deficit. I’m sure City fans are excited, but one has to wonder how long the peace will last…

Speaking of troublesome City players, club manager Roberto Mancini had no problem admitting to why he pulled striker Mario Balotelli off at half time yesterday:

“I didn’t like how he played, so I made a tactical sub.”

Can say I blame him – the first half of that game was boring at best, and Balotelli missed a great goal opportunity from a gifted mistake from Chelsea’s Frank Lampard.

If you missed the Arsenal game yesterday, in which the Gunners defeated Everton and moved up into third place in the league, our own Toni Stone has a great look at the game for you! 

Wednesday EPL results

Manchester City 2 – Chelsea 1
Tottenham 1 – Stoke City 1
Everton 0 – Arsenal 1
QPR 3 – Liverpool 2

Fabrice Muamba

Doctors yesterday released startling info that Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba was dead for 78 minutes before being revived.

Mohiddin admitted Muamba’s progress had been extraordinary since he suffered a cardiac arrest at Tottenham on Saturday evening that meant he effectively died for 78 minutes after his heart stopped beating.

With news like that, it really is a miracle Fabrice is alive and making a great recovery. We wish you all the best, Fabrice, and we’ll continue to keep you all updated on his progress.

Major League Soccer

MLS on NBC had another great broadcast week last weekend as teams continued to host their home opening matches, with 145,000 fans watching Philly and Colorado. Fans and hopeful analysts alike are expecting the trend to continue. I certainly hope it does as well!

Tottenham Hotspurs announced today they would be going on a U.S. tour this summer. The EPL side will take on L.A. Galaxy July 24 and the New York Red Bulls on July 31.

Whether you are a fan or not, here is some good news: Colorado Rapids player Conor Casey trained with the team for the first time after he suffered a bad Achilles injury. Reports were that he looked pretty aggressive, but still needed work to get up to match fitness. Congrats, Conor!

USMNT

In case you weren’t aware, the USMNT U-23s will take on Cuba tonight in the first of their summer Olympic qualifying matches in Nashville. Personally, I’m expecting a great run out of the young team, with notables like Freddy Adu and Brek Shea heading up head coach Caleb Porter’s squad.

Speaking of Brek Shea, he was our pick for Midweek Muslces yesterday. Check it out!

Not everything has been smooth for the U-23s has they prepare for the qualifying run. Injuries and players being recalled to their clubs have left Porter and his staff scrambling for replacements. The last minute move to call up the likes of Union defender Sheanon Williams has left a bad taste in coach Peter Nowak’s mouth.

La Liga

Did you think Real Madrid had the La Liga title locked up? Well, you might want to rethink that. Real dropped two points last weekend to Villarreal and with Barca’s commanding finish against Granada, Real might need to start thinking about digging their heels in more to keep their lead.

Serie A

Juventus winger Milos Krasic will be looking to bow out of the Italian side this summer, as he admitted recently he regretted not leaving Juve in the January transfer window. He’s only made four starts for the Italians this season. In January, Tottenham and Zenit made bids for Krasic, but he turned them down he said, hoping to get another chance at his club.

Forget about March Madness, we’ve got Messi Madness.  The man who seems to be able to score hat tricks at will has now surpassed Barcelona’s all-time goal scoring record with a whopping 234 career goals.  Also in today’s news we give you an update on Muamba’s condition, today’s schedule for some exciting table-shaking EPL matches, and much more.  Happy Hump Day soccer fans.  Here’s your daily dose of football news:

La Liga

The big news today is the accomplishment of Lionel Messi.  The 24-year old Argentinian scored a hat trick in yesterday’s match giving him a total of 234 goals in his career with Barcelona and 54 in all competitions this season.  The Spanish champions’ won 5-3 over Granada but the real accomplishment goes to Messi.  And with weeks left in the season to score more goals, will anyone ever be able to surpass his record?

English Premier League

Fabrice Muamba continues to rest comfortably and remains in the hospital after suffering a heart attack on Saturday during the FA Cup tie at Tottenham.  We will keep you updated on his progress here on Aerys Soccer.

While the Aston Villa v Bolton match was postponed due to their respect for their Bolton teammate Fabrice Muamba, the Blackburn v Sunderland went on as scheduled.  Blackburn stay adrift of relegation by pulling out a 2-0 win thanks to goals by Junior Hoilett and Yakubu.

There are some very exciting and well-anticipated matches scheduled this afternoon which could likely juggle things around on the very tight upper half of the EPL table:

Manchester City host Chelsea

Tottenham host Stoke City

Everton host Arsenal

QPR host Liverpool

Chelsea manager Roberto Mancini has announced that Carlos Tevez may not make an appearance in today’s big match against Chelsea.  Mancini would like to see the Argentinian cry baby make three to four substitute appearances before he is ready for a full 90 minutes.

Veteran EPL players Rio Ferdinand of Manchester United and Frank Lampard of Chelsea are on the short list as possible signings for Chinese team Guizhou Renhe.  The Chinese Super League is expected to spend big money this summer to improve their clubs.  Renhe is following in the footsteps of Shanghai Shenhua, who signed Nicolas Anelka this past January.

Rumors claim Roberto Di Matteo conspired against former Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas in order to get him sacked and take over his job.  Di Matteo, the interim coach for Chelsea, denies the claims.  The Italian has led the Blues to four wins in four matches.

FA Cup

Understandably, the FA have decided to change the date of the FA Cup final match.  The match was originally scheduled to be played on the 23rd anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster where 96 Liverpool fans were crushed to death.  Liverpool will meet either Everton or Sunderland in the final, now scheduled for April 14.

Champions League

UEFA have announced that the 2014 Champions League final will be played at Estadio da Luz in Lisbon. 

Serie A

Juventus advances to the Italian Cup Final after drawing 2-2 with AC Milan yesterday.  An extra time goal by Mirko Vucinic pushed Juventus on as the two-game series ended in a score of 4-3.

With Fabrice Muamba making significant progress after suffering a heart attack in Saturday’s FA Cup match against the Spurs, the headlines are still popping up in the football world. In today’s DKA we have a resignation by Ricardo Teixeira, Diego Forlan pulling a Carlos Tevez and of course, some more updates on Muamba’s condition.

La Liga

Villarreal appointed a new manager to finish out the season. Miguel Angel Lotina, who has managed Osasuna, Celta Vigo, Espanyol and Real Sociedad, has been jobless the past year after leaving Depotivo La Coruña last season. Jose Molina was fired after the yellow submarine placed one spot above the relegation zone on Sunday. Lotina is the 4th manager for Villarreal this season.

Even though Real Madrid dropped two points this weekend after a 1-1 draw to Mallorca, FC Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola thinks that Madrid can’t be caught in the race for the La Liga championship. With only 11 matches remaining and an 8-point advantage over the Catalans, Madrid still have a lot of work to do before their meeting with the rivals next months. Barcelona still remain the one club in La Liga Madrid have yet to defeat.

Serie A

Diego Forlan, the new Carlos Tevez? Not quite but the Uruguayan pulled a Tevez-like maneuver on Sunday when he didn’t want to come on the pitch to play in the 77 minute of Inter’s match against Atalanta. Forlan, unlike Tevez, didn’t refuse to come on but he preferred not to come on. Inter manager Claudio Ranieri said it was a tactical decision made my Forlan who was asked if he was prepared to play on the left.

Fabrice Muamba

With Muamba recovering in the hospital, the Premier League are searching for ways to improve their medical tests and treatment during matches. With no reason as to why Muamba suffered cardiac arrest, Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has his own opinions:

“We need to improve the medical side for the players, we need to screen the players often, maybe two times a year and they have to be more accurate because they don’t do this. When I saw our medical two years ago, I was really worried. I said we need to do them better … what happened to Muamba and other players in the past can’t happen again.”

Eric Abidal, the Barcelona left-back wrote via his facebook account a message of support to Muamba and his family. “Fabrice Muamba, all my heart is with you and your loved ones! We’re with you and your family!”

Today’s match between Bolton & Aston Villa has been postponed. The Premier League made a statement regarding the cancellation:

“Following Fabrice Muamba’s admission to hospital yesterday evening the Premier League and Aston Villa have agreed to Bolton Wanderers’ request to postpone the Barclays Premier League match between the two clubs scheduled for Tuesday 20th March. The thoughts of the Premier League, its clubs an players are with Fabrice Muamba, his family and Bolton Wanderers at this difficult time.”

FIFA

Ricardo Teixeira has resigned from the FIFA Executive Committee this morning just one week from stepping down as the head of the Brazilian Football Confederation and organizer of the 2014 World Cup,citing his resignations as “personal reasons.”

When Bolton player Fabrice Muamba collapsed on the pitch at Tottenham Saturday, the entire soccer world suddenly united as one. For the last two days, it hasn’t mattered what team you cheer for: we all came together to support Muamba and his family, friends and teammates. After a few terrifying minutes, followed by days of worry, we have a positive update for you on his condition. Despite the somber mood of the soccer world this weekend, there were some amazing moments throughout MLS, and I’ll highlight those for you as well. Here’s your Daily Kick Around.

Fabrice Muamba

If you were like me, you spent the past couple of days scouring the news and Twitter for updates on Fabrice Muamba’s condition. News broke today that his condition is slowly but steadily improving, as his heart is now beating without medication, and he is moving his arms and legs.

Within the past hour, the Associate Press reported that Muamba is now speaking again. A friend of his said Muamba has spoken minimal words, in both English and French. Incredibly uplifting news. We at Aerys Soccer wish him all the best in his recovery.

Another piece to add to this developing story, a sports cardiologist that was supposed to test one or two Tottenham players today for potential heart defects has said he will now be testing the entire Spurs squad.  He said the players demanded to to all have a cardiac screening today. The players who saw Muamba collapse  Saturday taking a good precautionary measure, and honestly, I don’t see why every player doesn’t get a screening like this.

Major League Soccer

It was a great weekend of action in MLS, and if you missed any of it, our own Trista Lutgring has a recap for you here. Now that the games are over, it’s time to vote! There are some fantastic goals up for Goal of the Week. Check them out and vote here. In my opinion, it’s Ryan Johnson’s to lose. What. A. Goal.

Not only were there some fantastic goals, there were great celebrations. The best of the weekend had to be Kei Kamara and C.J. Sapong doing an Irish jig.

Finally, the LA Galaxy received their MLS Cup Championship rings before they beat DC United 3-1 Sunday afternoon. And my goodness, are they pretty.

Photo via birminghammail.net

It’s been a weekend of highs and lows in the footy world. We were shocked yesterday as we watched Bolton’s Fabrice Muamba collapse on the pitch with a heart attack, then waited for any form of news as clubs, players and fans from around the world offered their prayers and support, with the hashtag #Pray4Muamba trending on Twitter.

In better news, MLS’s newest club, Montreal Impact, scored their first goal of the season in front of a record crowd at Olympic Stadium. Chelsea’s Fernando Torres finally scored not one goal but two, and Luis Suarez is putting the past behind him and talking about a long term relationship with Liverpool. All this and more in today’s DKA!

FA Cup

Words and displays of support continue to pour in for Muamba. In today’s FA Cup action, Chelsea’s Gary Cahill removed his jersey after scoring to display a shirt with the words Pray 4 Muamba:

Cahill played with Muamba for two-and-a-half years at the Reebok and marked his goal in the FA Cup quarter-final clash with Leicester with the message which so many people are repeating across the football community and beyond.

Rules state that players should be booked for lifting their shirts after scoring goals, but referee Lee Probert showed compassion and didn’t caution Cahill.

Luis Suarez dedicated his goal that led to Liverpool’s semifinal berth to Muamba:

 I want to dedicate to Muamba the goal and the FA Cup semifinals qualification. Keep fighting buddy, don’t give up! You will make it!!

There is no further update on Muamba’s condition, though Sky Sports News tweeted that he “will stay anaesthetised for at least the next 24 hours.”

In other FA Cup news, Fernando Torres put his critics to rest for a day, ending his 26 game scoreless streak with TWO goals to lead Chelsea to a 5-2 quarterfinal victory over Leicester.

“I needed those goals. I’ve been working so hard to get them,” Torres said. “Maybe the job of a striker is to score goals and if you don’t do it people think you’re playing badly. But the support has been here and I feel the confidence of the manager (Roberto di Matteo) now. We have some important games coming.”

FOX Soccer has his drought-ender as their “Goal of the Day” and you can watch it here.

Scottish League Cup

Kilmarnock won the Scottish Cup over Celtic on Sunday, but the celebration lasted mere minutes for midfielder Liam Kelly, whose father suffered a heart attack in the stands:

For those who could see events unfolding amid a cordon of police and stewards, the contrast was ghastly.

The Killie players – unaware of what had transpired – cavorted in front of their ecstatic fans while the medics administered CPR which continued for all of 20 minutes before Mr Kelly was borne off on a wheeled stretcher up the tunnel.

English Premier League

As a result of Saturday’s incident with Muamba, Bolton’s Tuesday match with Aston Villa will be postponed.

After Liverpool advanced to the semis with a 2-1 win over Stoke City, Luis Suarez declared his desire to stay with the club in spite of his eight-game ban following his racist remarks towards Patrice Evra.

“I want to stay. Despite everything that happened, I am very happy here, on and off the pitch,” Suárez told ovaciondigital.com. “Liverpool is one of the biggest clubs in Europe, with a history. As a child I saw them play and loved it. And the club are happy with me and want me to stay.

“I have a contract until 2016 and already want to renew. The manager remains confident in me and that is very important, especially after being out for eight games.”

Major League Soccer

Montreal Impact scored their franchise’s first goal Saturday night in their second match of the season, against the Chicago Fire, off the head of captain Davy Arnaud:

A record crowd of 58,912 packed Olympic Stadium to cheer on the Montreal Impact in an entertaining 1-1 draw with the Chicago Fire on Saturday, setting a new attendance record for professional soccer in Quebec…

Impact captain Davy Arnaud wrote his name in the history books in the 56th minute as he headed a Sanna Nyassi cross into the upper right corner of Fire goalkeeper Paolo Tornaghi’s net. But the lead didn’t stand as Oduro got the equalizer a quarter-hour later off a great assist from Sebastián Grazzini.

Our own Kayla Knapp heads to the Home Depot Center tonight to see her beloved L.A. Galaxy put last weekend’s ugly loss to Real Salt Lake behind them and try to win their first match of the season against D.C. United. United hasn’t won at the HDC since 2005. If you’re not following Kayla on Twitter, make sure to do so tonight! The match starts at 4pm PT / 7pm ET.

U.S. Women’s National Team

They may have crashed out in the semifinals of the Algarve Cup in a 1-0 loss to Japan (yes, again), but the U.S. Women’s National Team still holds on to the top spot in FIFA’s March 16 edition of the Women’s World Rankings:

The USA is 9-1-0 in 2012 having scored 51 goals and allowed three. Next up for the USA are matches against the Japan (April 1 in Sendai) and Brazil (April 3 in Chiba) during a tour of Japan. The Kirin Cup features three of the world’s top-four teams and will no doubt give the Japanese fans an entertaining show of the women’s game at its highest levels. 

Follow @AerysSoccer on Twitter for the latest news in EPL, FA Cup, MLS and more leagues around the world!