Frank Lampard handed Chelsea the 2-0 win over Everton with a double.

Frank Lampard took responsibility for Chelsea’s fourth win in a row by scoring twice to win 2-1 at Everton today.  The 34-year -old England midfielder has been with the club since 2001 and has yet to be offered an extension to his contract ending in June.

Today’s win helps to keep the Blues in contention for the Premier League title race and also might give some hope the club will hold onto the seasoned Lampard.

On Saturday, Manchester United took their seventh win in eight matches thanks to star striker Robin van Persie.  His 90-minute shot, his League-leading 14th goal of the season, made the score 2-0 over West Brom.  United now have a seven-point lead in the standings going into 2013.

Arsenal dominated Newcastle 7-3 with help from a Theo Walcott hat trick.  The England national has refused to re-sign with the Gunners and there is speculation he will be sold in January.  In an attempt to change his mind, for the last few games, Arsene Wenger has allowed the winger to start as center striker, his requested position for many years.  He has been very effective, but is it too little too late will remain to be seen.

Manchester City squeaked out a 4-3 win over Norwich Saturday no thanks to Samir Nasri’s first half send off.  The thrilling match was a fight to the finish, but Edin Dzeko replaced the ill Carlos Tevez up front to score two plus the usual quality from Sergio Aguero helped City hold on to the lead.

Even after Sunderland beat Manchester City 1-0 last Wednesday, Tottenham managed a come-from-behind win over Sunderland in the 52nd minute thanks to a fine strike by England winger Aaron Lennon.

Other matches played over the weekend:

Stoke City 3 – 3 Southampton

Fulham 1 – 2 Swansea

Reading 1 – 0 West Ham United

Aston Villa 0 – 3 Wigan

QPR 0 – 3 Liverpool

Two of the weekend’s biggest matches were Arsenal-Chelsea and Manchester United-Spurs. Neither of which involved my team, but I’ve got your recaps for you anyway.

First up, Arsenal v. Chelsea. I know there were a lot of people (Gunners mostly) who woke up early to watch this match. Since I’m not a Gunner or a Chelsea supporter, there was no way I was waking up at 4:45 a.m. to watch the match. Besides, the last time I woke up early to watch, Arsenal won and I didn’t really want to see that again. Then again, that was back when they had Robin Van Persie.

Anyway, this match was at home for Arsenal, most people probably thought Arsenal would win because Chelsea hadn’t been scoring as much as they should be. Well, that didn’t seem to be the case today. Fernando Torres scored first for Chelsea, but Arsenal was allowed to equalized just minutes before half time.

Yesterday, I had been talking to someone about the game and they asked me who I was rooting for. I told them Chelsea and I also said that it was because of Juan Mata. Who was it that scored the game winner for Chelsea? That’s right, none other than Mata! Of course I was happy; after all, both Chelsea goal scorers were Spanish and many of you know how I feel about Spanish footballers ( I love them). So the match ended 2-1 Chelsea and Arsenal’s unbeaten streak was finally broken.

Speaking of streaks being broken, Spurs also broke a streak of their own. They had a losing streak against Manchester United at Old Trafford. In fact, the last time they won was way back in 1989. Today, the Spurs got off to a great start. In less than 5 minutes, they managed to scored against United. My fave Spurs player – Gareth Bale – then doubled Spurs lead before half time. However, this is United we’re talking about; they weren’t going to go away without a fight.

Nani was able to cut the lead in half, but Clint Dempsey came along and scored Spurs’ third goal of the match and his first for his new club. But, a minute later United scored again. Even with “Fergie” time, though, it wasn’t enough. Dempsey’s first goal for Spurs would be the game winner. It was a great match (and victory) not only for Spurs, but also for AVB. I’ve always said that possession isn’t the most important thing in a match. Manchester United had 74-percent possession and they still couldn’t pull off a win.

In another match today, Fulham surprised Manchester City and their fans when they took the lead early on. They were awarded what many people thought shouldn’t have been a penalty, but the ref thought otherwise. Fulham scored and for most of the first half, led the match 1-0. Lucky for us City fans, Sergio Aguero was able to equalize before half time. Both teams kept trying to get another goal, but it looked like it was going to end in a 1-1 draw. However, Mancini out in Edin Dzeko and in less than a minute, he scored City’s second and winning goal.

Liverpool also took to the pitch today and won 5-2 against Norwich. No, that’s not a typo or a joke, that really happened! Sure, some might say it’s “only” Norwich, but it’s Liverpool’s first win of the season. Luis Suarez had a hat trick in this match, former Real Madrid player Nuri Sahin scored, and so did Liverpool’s captain, Steven Gerrard.   Not only that, but they have been playing much better this past week. If they continue playing like this, who knows, they might just end up in the top 6 this season.

Other EPL scores

Everton 3- Southhampton 1

Reading 2 – Newcastle United 2

Sunderland 1 – Wigan

Stoke City 2- Swansea City 0

On Sunday, West Brom will visit Aston Villa, while on Monday, Esteban Granero’s QPR will take on West Ham. That match will be on ESPN 2 at 3 p.m. EST.

Hey footy fans and welcome to Thursday! As international breaks start, countries are preparing for the first of their World Cup qualifying matches. We’ve got news on the USMNT front, plus some headlines from MLS, EPL and … is Nicklas Bendtner too fat to play in Serie A? It’s your Thursday Daily Kick Around!

Serie A

It’s interesting to hear how some players adjust when moving to different leagues. They talk about learning languages and getting around local towns. But rarely do you hear about weight concerns! Apparently that’s what ex-Arsenal not-so-darling Nicklas Bendtner is dealing with at his new club, Juventus. He missed summer pre-season to look for a new club and apparently forgot he needed to stay in shape. Now Juventus coaches are pointing out his waist line is a little out of sorts. That’s the breaks.

Dimitar Berbatov may be getting settled in at Fulham after his trek around Europe, but not everyone is letting go the fact he teased so many clubs. Fiorentina are demanding Berba pay back the club for the plane tickets used by the player and agent Emil Dantchevto take them to Florence for a medical. Only … Berba didn’t go to the medical. Instead he landed in England to meet up with Fulham manager Martin Jol. Whoopsies.

Major League Soccer

It was a crazy night in MLS last night. The Colorado Rapids suddenly showed up and stomped on the Timbers, handing Portland a 3-0 loss. The New England Revolution found their form as well, breaking the Columbus Crew’s winning streak and nabbing three points of their own with a 2-0 win.

The 2012 season might not be over, but that doesn’t mean current league powerhouse San Jose Earthquakes are planning for the future. They currently have out-of-contract EPL left back Jordan Stewart  training with them for a 10-day stint. It seems Stewart might be a replacement for 36-year-old captain Ramiro Corrales.

U.S. Men’s National Team

Who’s excited about the USMNT games against Jamaica coming up? I can’t wait! While the team is now in Jamaica for the first match set for Friday, Columbus is getting prepped for the teams arrival this weekend for the second match. If you’re in the area, hit up Crew Stadium Sunday for an open and free practice session!

If you don’t know much about USMNT call-up Terrence Boyd, you need to check out this ESPN article. Deciding to play for the US wasn’t one of Boyd’s easiest decisions and getting the necessary paperwork to do it proved to be quite the challenge for him. It’s a great read and you should check it out!

English Premier League

Zenit St. Petersburg are still busy attempting to pull players in. And apparently Manchester United’s Nani isn’t immune to getting some calls. It seems the Portuguese winger isn’t too happy with how things are going in the beginning of the session and the Russian club’s general manager confirmed today they are in negotiations with Nani for a move.

It’s done. FINALLY.

The transfer window is finally closed and now we can move on. Or can we? There have been some crazy stories coming out of this transfer window. Whether it was the RVP signing or the D-Day craziness that has definitely had my head spinning, everyone has to admit, this next season in Europe is going to be quite interesting.

Most of the news you know, and as it’s Friday evening, I’m not going to beat a dead horse. But let’s take a moment to address the madness that surrounded Clint Dempsey. Would Fulham let him go? Where did his heart lie? It was drama at it’s best. Earlier today, there wasn’t anything certain. In all honesty, things were silent from everywhere. Then it exploded.  Aston Villa and Sunderland had bids out for the American, but they were turned down.

Then, with about five hours to go, Liverpool finally put in. Nothing from the Fulham camp. Clock ticking, suddenly Tottenham Hotspurs threw in their bids. And we waited. The more time passed, the more certain people became; Dempsey would be a Red. Imagine the surprise when Fulham not only rejected one, but two offers from Liverpool.

Suddenly, Tottenham weren’t looking so crazy after all. And in the end, this is what we would all come to see.

Yup. In the ending of our Deadline Day fairy tale, the American ends up at Spurs. It’s a “dream come true” according to Clint. And considering he’s always said one of his biggest dreams is to play in the Champion’s League, it seems a move to Spurs really is in his best interest.

Clearly, the opinions are mixed. But in the end, only time will tell. Come May, we’ll find out if this move really was a dream come true. Good luck, Clint!

Man, it seems like all we talk about anymore is transfers, am I right? Yeah, I know. “What do you expect, it’s the transfer window!” This is true, but still. All the headlines! If you missed any of the transfers today – and trust me, there were quite a few – we’ve got the headlines, PLUS the Champion’s League group draws. It’s your Daily Kick Around!

Transfers, Transfers and more Transfers

I could separate these out by league, but goodness, why don’t I just get to it. First up, the sudden and quick move of Marco Pappa. Major League Soccer club Chicago Fire announced today the Guatemalan midfielder was headed to SC Heerenveen – effective immediately! It was originally reported he wouldn’t make the move until the end of the Fire’s season.

And yes, my Liverpool friends, what you feared was going to happen has indeed happened. LFC announced this afternoon Andy Carroll will be making a season-long loan move to West Ham. The club aren’t saying if West Ham can buy the striker after the season, but the general feel is if they wanted him, Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers would be willing to part with him.

Welp, Dimitar Berbatov is finally done jetting around Europe. After a rather whirl-wind week, Fulham have made a bid and United accepted. The Bulgarian striker will head to Fulham on a 5 million pound deal. With this transfer sealed, one has to wonder if Clint Dempsey is FINALLY close to being able to pack his bags up and head out to a new club.

The transfer that I was the most shocked about today came from Real Madrid. I admit, I haven’t been following the transfer news out of the league too closely, but the one that I was waiting on was Kaka. Not Esteban Granero! Imagine my surprise when I read the Spanish midfielder had signed for Queens Park Rangers! Interesting, indeed!

Major League Soccer

Another little jaw-dropping tid bit of information today was from MLS’ Chivas USA. Early this afternoon, the club released a statement confirming general manager Jose Domene. This announcement comes about 24 hours after Jorge Vergara and Angélica Fuentes acquired complete ownership of Chivas USA.

Also raising some eyebrows in the American league this week was former D.C. United player Bryan Namoff, who is suing the club, former coach Thomas Soehn and others for not properly treating him after he suffered a concussion that would go on to end his career.

Champion’s League

Well I can’t believe I’m typing this, but it’s already time to start talking about the Champion’s League!! The group draw was today and offered up some surprises. Check out the group lists and more here! 

Photo courtesy of sportinglife.com.

Another weekend, another full slate of matches to look forward to! Serie A and the Bundesliga are back in action, Premier League continues with Manchester United looking for one of their many strikers to put the ball in the net, and a huge MLS clash awaits Sunday night between Eastern Conference leaders Sporting KC and New York Red Bulls. Today’s DKA focuses on many of the top match previews, and as always at this time of year, more transfer news within EPL.

Serie A

Serie A kicks off a new season today, and Juventus are the clear favorites to repeat as champions. But will they be the same without Alessandro Del Piero? And what other clubs are condenters? Soccer by Ives offers a comprehensive preview of the season ahead.

English Premier League

Manchester United will look to get back to their winning ways against a Dempsey-less Fulham today, but don’t expect it to be “a walkover” for United, writes ESPN’s Mark Payne.

Liverpool meets Manchester City on Sunday and all eyes are on new signing Fabio Borini as Liverpool faces another tough test after their defeat at West Brom last week.

Chelsea signed two new players on Friday, Wigan striker Victor Moses and Marseille full back Cesar Azpilicueta.

Is Scott Sinclair’s switch from Swansea to Manchester City the right move for the young striker? SI’s Georgina Turner looks at his growth from bit player at Chelsea to everyday starter at Swansea and how this move could help him take the next step in his game.

 Major League Soccer

In a match nobody will be telling their grandkids about, Salt Lake and Philly finished with a scoreless draw last night as Real continued to struggle on the road, even with their new 4-1-4-1 formation.

Ignore the first five months. The time is now for F.C. Dallas, who now has hope of grabbing a postseason spot, thanks in large part to the return of  2010 MVP David Ferreira.

Ryan Meara’s season is over, after the rookie Red Bulls goalkeeper had arthroscopic surgery on his left hip yesterday.

The Vancouver Whitecaps’ digital media department has taken the rivalry of the Cascadia Cup clash with Portland to new heights in this video dubbed “Battle of the Hearts.” A must-watch for any MLS fan.

The top two teams in the Eastern Conference meet tomorrow night, with Sporting KC looking to hold their narrow lead atop the standings and extend their three game winning streak. The Red Bulls, who will be without captain and new dad Thierry Henry, look to extend their 2-game streak and return to the top of the conference.

Follow @AerysSoccer on Twitter for more of today’s top news and reactions to the weekend’s matches!

With the return of EPL, that means more of our “honorary American”, everyone’s favorite British play-by-play man for ESPN.

It’s a monster Saturday for soccer, with the English Premier League back in action. There are a few noticeable changes both on the pitch and the sidelines from last year. Andre Villa-Boas now leads the Hotspurs as they’ll try to pay back Chelsea for knocking them out of the Champions League. Both Fulham and Arsenal are missing their leading scorers from last season, with Clint Dempsey still refusing to play for Fulham and Robin van Persie completing the transfer from Arsenal to Manchester United. Aside from personell changes, what are the key questions facing each club this season? Ian Darke, of course, has the answers. This and more in today’s Daily Kick Around.

English Premier League

Before we get to Saturday results, let’s look at the key questions for each club this season, courtesy of America’s favorite English soccer announcer, Ian Darke, for the newly branded “ESPN FC”. Darke’s first question was how Arsenal would fare without leading striker Robin van Persie, and after their season-opening match vs Sunderland, the question still remains, as the home team “enjoyed plenty of possession but lacked a killer instinct in the final third.” Fulham, on the other hand, had no trouble scoring without Clint Dempsey, drilling Norwich City 5-0 in their home opener. Manchester United fans can breathe a little easier, after the club rejected a transfer of Chicharito to Chelsea. Andre Villa-Boas was sacked at Chelsea last season before the club made a miraculous comeback to claim the Champions League title, bouncing the fourth-place Tottenham Hotspurs out of Champions League contention for this season. Now Villa-Boas, head coach at Tottenham, aims for payback as he will try to get the club back into the top four. He’ll have to do better than today’s result, however. The Spurs fell to Newcastle United, 2-1. Swansea City shocked QPR 5-0 at Loftus Road. QPR had hoped that many of their new additions would make an impact to help dig them out of last season’s basement, but it was Swansea’s new face, Miguel Perez Cuesta, aka “Michu,” who made the biggest impact with two goals to lead the Swans to the win. Liverpool hoped to make a statement in their opener as they attempt to return to the top of the tables, but it didn’t go as planned, as they fell 3-0 to West Brom, losing defender Daniel Agger to a red card in the 58th minute.

Major League Soccer

The Cascadia Clash is back, as Seattle takes on Vancouver this afternoon, but the Whitecaps will be without Barry Robson, suspended for “aggravated dissent” in Wednesday’s loss to FC Dallas.

Columbus Crew’s new DP, Argentina’s Federico Higuain, could be on the pitch for tomorrow’s match against the Houston Dynamo:

Warzycha said Higuain’s role will be fluid, but emphasized that the Argentine would be deployed in familiar positions where he can find space and time on the ball. One of the players likely to be feeding Higuain, midfielder Milovan Mirosevic, said he is anxious to get their partnership off the group and suspects it won’t take long for the pair to click, just as he and [Jairo] Arrieta have done.

Follow us on @AerysSoccer for more EPL and MLS commentary and reactions this weekend!

Welcome to Friday footy fans! We have tons of EPL news for you as the season draws ever closer. From Rio Ferdinand to RVP’s move (finally!) We’ve got all the headlines you need in today’s Daily Kick Around!

English Premier League

John Terry might have gotten off the hook, but it looks like Manchester United defender, Rio Ferdinand, will not. The FA has fined the English international for comments he made on his twitter account during the Terry trial. 

It looks like it’s the end for Clint Dempsey. Reports say that he wants to leave Fulham and apparently move to Liverpool.

In more Dempsey news, the USMNT favorite was also fined  by his current club for missing a Fulham training and refusing to play in Fulham’s game against Norwich City. Maybe he was trying to make a statement? #FreeClint

The biggest news to come out of the EPL this past week would definitely have to be the move of Robin Van Persie to Manchester United. But he won’t be alone in leaving Arsenal. It seems Alex Song is also on the way out to Spanish giants Bacelona.

With Van Persie moving to Manchester United, it seems like Chicharito will be on the bench, as United’s 4th choice striker. As a result, rumor has it that Chelsea has approached United to sign the young Mexican striker. 

La Liga

EPL and La Liga will finally start this weekened. However, many people might not get to watch La Liga kick off. In the past it was shown on Gol tv or ESPN Deportes, it has now moved to BeinSport, a channel that not many people have, only people with Dish or Direct tv will be able to watch.  Of course, there’s always streams, though most people will agree, that’s not always the best option.

It’s late and we know you’re probably watching the Sounders vs Chelsea in the World Football Challenge, so we’ll keep this one short and sweet today!

To kick off, we’ve got some news about Liverpool’s interest in poaching Clint Dempsey from Fulham. If you missed today’s MLS matches, we’ve got the highlights, including the Fire getting overheated in New York, and something that’s never happened to the Union at home! And finally, who doesn’t love off-day video footage of the U.S. Women’s National Team goofing around?

English Premier League

The buzz around Clint Dempsey’s next whereabouts continue, with ESPN reporting that Liverpool is interested in the Fulham striker’s services. The club is tight lipped with any more info than that and will not comment on any of the rumors swirling around about a loan of Andy Carroll:

“Clint is a player we’ve enquired about, it is as simple as that,” Rodgers said. “Ian Ayre, our managing director, has spoken with the club to see what the position is. That is where we’re at.

“He’s a very talented player but we don’t like to talk about other clubs’ players.”

The waiting game continues…

 MLS

The Fire couldn’t stand the heat today, as they fell 1-0 to the Red Bulls in an afternoon game in New York, where temperatures were well into the 90s. Thierry Henry provided the winner in the 70th minute.

Philadelphia Union dropped their first home international friendly to Aston Villa tonight at PPL Park. Villa will head to Chicago this weekend and Portland next Tuesday on their pre-season tour.

The Dynamo continued their torrid run with their unbeaten streak running to nine games now. Led by a brace from Calen Carr, they bested Sporting KC, 2-1, tonight at home.

The Revolution won’t want to return to Canada anytime soon, after falling to the Impact 2-1 today and remaining winless in the Great White North. Watch highlights of Sanna Nyassi’s go-ahead volley in the  67th minute.

U.S. Women’s National Team

We’re just one week before the kickoff of the London 2012 women’s football tournament and defending gold medalists USWNT hard at training in England. But it can’t be work all the time. The ladies took a break one day for a round of golf. U.S. Soccer captured all the hijinks on their YouTube channel.

Women’s Professional Soccer

A new women’s professional soccer league is coming in 2013 (so we hear…), but after the initial hype, the media coverage is bound to be pretty low. Equalizer Soccer’s Jeff Kassouf writes that the next incarnation of a pro league will have to do a better job of producing its own media — digitally — and looks to MLS as an example:

In 2009 MLS completely changed its digital strategy. The league dropped MLB Advanced Media as its platform and MLSnet.com became MLSsoccer.com, a change not only in name but in tone. (Read more in at nysportsjournalism.com.)

MLSsoccer.com suddenly became the online landing spot for news, video and written content covering not only the premier U.S. league but soccer abroad as well. Most interestingly, the site began to break news on its own league and feature content critical of players and managers. It was discussion, it was engaging and it’s drawing more eyeballs than ever.

Wow… this Monday has been insane, guys! I couldn’t keep track of all the stories that broke today. From Hope Solo’s brush with USADA, John Terry’s trial starting, transfer rumors, managers fired and everything in between, my head is spinning a bit. But I love it, as I’m sure all of you do. As you wind down your Monday, check out all the headlines in today’s Daily Kick Around!

U.S. Women’s National Team

Probably topping all headlines today was the startling news that the U.S. Anti-Doping Association issued a public warning to USWNT keeper Hope Solo after a non-competition drug test revealed she had the banned substance Canrenone in her system. Of course, news and media jumped on the story immediately – Kick TV even had this rude meme on their tumblr with the words “Dope Solo.”

However, Solo was not “doping” up – on the contrary, the Canrenone unfortunately was a part of some pre-menstrual medicine Solo’s personal doctor prescribed her.

“I took a medication prescribed by my personal doctor for pre-menstrual purposes that I did not know contained a diuretic,” Solo said in a statement. “Once informed of this fact, I immediately cooperated with USADA and shared with them everything they needed to properly conclude that I made an honest mistake, and that the medication did not enhance my performance in any way.”

Solo is still cleared to play with the team in this year’s Olympic games.

Major League Soccer

D.C. United will have some new ownership at the helm this week, but you won’t be able to find out who until after a media-only press conference tomorrow afternoon. However, fans and supporters can submit questions to the owners through the club’s official Web site.

Huge news came from Portland today as the club announced long-time manager John Spencer was released from his duties as head coach of the MLS team.

“Obviously, this is a tough announcement,” Paulson said. “I want to thank John Spencer for his significant contributions to the Timbers. Our focus now is on improving the team and finding the right long-term head coach.”

Spencer has been with the club since it’s first season in the United Soccer League back in 2001. Tough, tough call.

Do you like wine? How about the San Jose Earthquakes? Then you are in great luck my friends! I’ve seen and heard of some really cool things MLS players and teams have done to stir up interest in the league, but San Jose has a pretty classy one here. In September, fans can attend a wine tasting and dinner with eight Earthquake players. Pretty cool!

English Premier League

I don’t know about other Manchester United fans, but I was a little sad today when I heard the news that Ji-Sung Park was released by the Red Devils and signed a two-year contract with Queens Park Rangers. Ji-Sung has been with United for seven years, and I, for one, am very sorry to see him leave Old Trafford. Good luck, Ji-Sung!

The big John Terry trial started today folks, and it’s already looking pretty interesting. ESPN Soccernet tweeted out today that an expert lip reader was brought in to review match footage to see if she could read what John Terry said that fateful day. Hmmm… The trial resumes tomorrow morning.

Welp, Manchester City bit the bullet today and signed a new five-year contract with manager Robert Mancini. After he lead the Blues to a EPL title, I’m sure City fans are thrilled by this. I think it will be interesting to see if Mancini will keep the steam at City going.

Okay, so I think it’s save to say the biggest news coming out of the EPL this afternoon was the wild-fire rumor that Liverpool zoned in on Fulham and USMNT forward Clint Dempsey — and signed him. Nothing official has been released yet, but Twitter and several UK papers are buzzing with the rumor. 

Scottish Premier League

MLS fans are probably teaming as USMNT captain and Glasgow Rangers Carlos Bocanegra admitted he’s “100 percent” considering a move back to the States after the disastrous events at Rangers. It’s been no secret that Jay Heaps and the New England Revolution – who are a top of the MLS allocation list – are very interested in the defender.

U.S. Men’s National Team

Do you know your U.S. Soccer history? Even if you are a new fan or a life-time die hard, you’ve got to check out Andrew Lewellen’s article on a very pivotal moment in U.S. Soccer history and how a nation started to wake up to the beautiful game.