Jose Mourinho is sticking to his new year resolution – win every match in 2013. So far so good, yet this is only the first match of the new year. Real Madrid faced Real Sociedad at home beating the club 4-3 in typical Madrid fashion.

Karim Benzema, who was sporting a new hairstyle (I like to call it the Benzhawk), opened the scoring in the second minute with a right-footed shot to the center of the box. Despite Mourinho’s odd choice of not starting captain and goalkeeper Iker Casillas, who was recently voted best keeper in the world for the fifth consecutive time, backfired as Antonio Adan brought down Real player Carlos Vela in the box and was immediately sent off. Madrid were down to 10 men within the first 6 minutes.

With a penalty in the 9′, Xabi Prieto put Real on the board and the match at 1-1. That is until Sami Khedira got his foot on the ball and scored off a corner kick from Carvalho in the 35′. Real equalized the match again, though, before the half with another goal by Prieto five minutes later then topping off with  hattrick after a goal in the 76′.

Real ended the last 10 minutes of the match with 10 men as Dani Estrada brought down Ronaldo, receiving his second yellow and being sent off. Though it was two goals by Cristiano Ronaldo that inevitably sealed the victory for Madrid, only to be scored two minutes apart from one another. The Portuguese international evened up his career stats with Madrid as he scored 171 goals in 171 matches.

Just minutes before the final whistle, Gonzalo Higuain made his comeback from injury, almost scoring a goal.

Even though Madrid were missing Ramos, Pepe, Marcelo and Coentrão, los blancos drove the ball as fiercely as they good, taking every opportunity to counter-attack and rack up those very-needed goals.

Real Madrid end the week with a Copa del Rey match against Celta Vigo on the 9th before facing Osasuna in Liga on the 12th.

Stay tuned to Aerys Soccer for all your La Liga coverage!

Photo courtesy of Real Madrid C.F.

During internationl week, a few of Real Madrid’s players were injured. Marcelo, Alvaro Arbeloa  and Fabio Coentrao were all injured while they were with their respective national teams. Of the 3, the most serious injury was Marcelo’s broken foot, which rules him out for up to 3 months. With this many injuries, people wondered how Real Madrid would do in their next La Liga match. Well, they won 2-0 against the newly promoted Celta Vigo.

This wasn’t Real Madrid’s best performance at all! They only had 3 shots on goal throughout the whole match. That was enough for them however, as they were able to score 2 goals. The first goal came from Argentine Gonzalo Higuain. Apparently, he’d meant to cross the ball, instead he ended up scoring. Later on, Cristiano Ronaldo doubled Madrid’s lead after scoring a penalty.

Here’s one of the goals from the game. It might’ve been an accidental goal, but it was still pretty great!

http://youtu.be/zxhrc9JrrqA

The next match for Real Madrid will be on Wednesday against Bundesliga champions Borussia Dortmund, who lost 2-1 at home to their rivals Schalke. Dortmund will be a tough match for Madrid. Not only will they be looking to rebound from their loss, but they will try to move on from the group stage after missing out last season.

A lot of people get excited for the international breaks. Usually I do, but this time, I want to shove a fork into my eyeballs. It’s an exciting time of the year because the 2014 World Cup qualifying matches have officially begun. Supporters branch out from clubs to their nation’s team, wearing patriotic colors and teaching the ways of the game to new fans who’ve decided to pay attention to the world’s biggest sport.

For me, it’s been the least bit exciting. I am one of the few girls that writes for Aerys that doesn’t support the USMNT. I was born in Alcorcón, a city south of Madrid in Spain. My mom is a Spanish citizen and my dad is a US Air Force Veteran but I grew up supporting the Spanish National Team at a young age while my dad ignored the beauty of football.

And with the recent success of Spanish football, millions of other people have adopted them as their team too. It has its pros and cons, I suppose. Spain has built a dynasty these past 6 years with a 2008 and 2012 Euro victory and securing their first World Cup title in 2010. They missed the mark in the 2012 Summer Olympics but are one of the favorites in the 2014 World Cup.  So needless to say, the international breaks are very important. But there’s times where this thing called the FIFA Virus will decide to show itself and make one club’s future, very rocky and unstable.

The latest culprit? Real Madrid.

Today Spain faced France, a nation rising fast with their growing talent. The match ended in a 1-1 draw with Sergio Ramos scoring a goal and France’s Olivier Giroud to tie it up just before the final whistle.

Of all the matches played in during this international break, 3 (almost 4) players were quickly injured, preventing some sort of club play.

Marcelo is out at least till the end of the year with a broken right foot after a training injury with Brazil.

Portugal lost Fabio Coentrão is out for a little bit with a groin injury during their loss against Russia.

Then today, Alvaro Arbeloa was sent off with an injury during Spain’s match against France (which will sideline the player for 3 weeks) while Karim Benzema also suffered a minor leg injury later in the match and will be out for Madrid’s match against Celta Vigo.

So as of right now, Real Madrid are sitting with NO natural full-backs. If it was only Marcelo being injured, at least we’d have Coentrão, but with him injured (and not knowing for how long he’ll be out) and slight injuries to both Sami Khedira and Gonzalo Higuaín, this is not looking good for the Madridistas.

With the next three months of Champions League action, missing Marcelo could put Real in a bit of a bind, especially the match next week against Borussia Dortmund. In the end, it all comes down to how serious Coentrão’s injury is. Without him, Jose Mourinho will have a difficult tie filling in the cracks on the backline, most likely with Raphael Varane and Raul Albiol.

It’s a tricky time for Real Madrid and it’s up to the rest of the team and coaching staff to stay strong and focused on the matches ahead. Only time will tell how fragile this club will be without key players. At least we still have Ronaldo, right?

Real Madrid’s Pepe and Iker Casillas lie on the pitch after colliding with each other mid-air.

Amongst the start of the 2012-13 EPL campaign, this weekend also boasts a new season for Spain’s La Liga. The new season is also hosting some new clubs that were brought up to the first division after succeeding in the Adelante; Deportivo La Coruña, Valladolid and Celta Vigo.

But today Real Madrid faced Valencia at home with the reigning champions expecting to pull a W over their opponent. Unfortunately, the match ended in a 1-1 draw with Gonzalo Higuain scoring one goal and Valencia’s Jonas equalizing.

For the Madridistas, the draw came with some head-to-head contact. After Higuain’s goal in the 10′ Sergio Ramos’ face pummeled into the boot of Valencia’s keeper. The Sevillian defender received 3 stitches to the forehead during the halftime and continued playing with a bloody bandage.

Iker Casillas kept Madrid tied with Valencia after making two HUGE saves that kept the men in white from checking the ‘loss’ tally on their record sheet. Di Maria and Coentrão looked fierce on the pitch, helping their club get those necessary shots on goal, however all shots were blocked by Diego Alves.

Valencia brought the tally up to an even score when Jonas headed the ball into the center of the box after a beautiful cross from Tino Costa following a promising set piece.

Right before half-time, both Madrid’s Iker Casillas, defender Pepe and midfielder Xabi Alonso, collided in the air with all of them sustaining head injuries. A dazed and confused Casillas looked on while Pepe was bandaged up and subbed off just before the half. Post-match it was reported that Pepe was driven to a nearby hospital to undergo tests for a possible concussion. No word on Xabi’s injury.

For Valencia, the two big players were Roberto Soldado and Tino Costa who provided many opportunities for the club, proving why their a top contender in this year’s race for the title. Gonzalo Higuain is hoping for another year of greatness, being the first Argentine to score the first league goal for Real Madrid since 1986 and totaling his official goals for Madrid at 104, equalizing Brazil’s Ronaldo’s record.

Valencia will move on to face Deportivo La Coruña next Sunday while Real Madrid face Barcelona at Camp Nou in leg 1 of the Spanish Super Cup on Wednesday.

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Weekend Results

Athletic Bilbao 3-5 Real Betis

Barcelona 4-1 Real Sociedad (at half currently)

Levante ?-? Atletico Madrid (Not yet kicked off)

Celta Vigo 0-1 Malaga

Sevilla 2-1 Getafe

Mallorca 2-1 Espanyol

Photo courtesy of Real Madrid CF

Good morning footy fans! It’s a lovely Tuesday filled with tons of Premier League & La Liga news as controversy hits and transfer rumors begin! We have more Joey Barton & Carlos Tevez drama, an EPL player gets arrested, a legend is retiring and is Falcao heading to Chelsea? All in today’s DKA!

English Premier League

QPR’s Joey Barton was charged with two charges today by the FA for violent misconduct following his dismissal against Manchester City on Sunday. After receiving a red card for elbowing Carlos Tevez, Barton also came in contact with Sergio Agüero & Vincent Kompany, being pulled away by Mario Balotelli. Apparently Barton has until 6pm GMT time to appeal any or all the charges against him. Good luck with that.

It’s never a dull moment when it comes to Manchester City, especially when Carlos Tevez is around. But sure enough, Tevez strikes back, creating a whirlwind of controversy around his celebration sign. The sign, which Tevez held up during the celebration parade for Man City’s title win, read ‘RIP Fergie.” Tevez later issued an apology directed towards Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson for his actions saying:

 ”I got carried away in the excitement of the moment and I certainly didn’t mean any disrespect to Sir Alex Ferguson, who I admire as a man and a manager.” 

You’d think that Tevez would have the knowledge to NOT hold that sign up in the air, even if it was from a City supporter. But then again, Tevez doesn’t know the meaning of ‘common sense.’

Both Ryan Giggs & Sir Alex Ferguson of Manchester United were awarded two awards for their dominance in the Premier League. Fergie was named Best manager in the Premier League while Giggs won Best Player. Sir Alex beat out Arsene Wenger, Jose Mourinho, Harry Redknapp and David Moyes for the award. Congratulations!

Stoke midfielder Jermaine Pennant was given an eight-week jail sentence, suspension for a year plus a 3-year driving disqualification after admitting to drunk driving in April.

La Liga

Málaga’s Ruud van Nistelrooy announced his retirement from football yesterday after helping his club reach a Champions League spot in next season’s competition. RVN has played with two of football’s greatest clubs like Manchester United where he scored 150 goals in 219 appearances before heading to Real Madrid, winning two La Liga titles. Currently van Nistelrooy is the Champions League’s all-time second highest scorer with 56 goals to back him up. In a press conference RVN stated:

“Yesterday was my final game as a professional footballer. I wanted to play in the Champions League, but it is the moment to leave. I have arrived at my physical limit and I can’t play at the maximum level. I couldn’t have had a better send-off than this. I feel happy that I am the one taking this decision. I would like to thank Malaga, the technical and medical staff for an unforgettable year. I am proud to have won collective and individual titles, but my greatest satisfaction was to be able to work day after day, year after year.”

Good news for Real Madrid supporters as Karim Benzema has made the bold statement claiming that he would love to end his career playing at the Santiago Bernabéu. The French International had a lot of help from former Real Madrid player & football legend, Zinedine Zidane in getting acclimated to life in Spain. Now if only Gonzalo Higuaín would say the same thing…

Transfer rumors are already hitting La Liga as the newest comes from Atlético Madrid. Reports circulated that Chelsea FC was looking to swap Fernando Torres for Radamel Falcao. Chelsea manager, Roberto Di Mattero has dismissed the allegations saying that he believes Torres will be wearing blue for another season.

CAMPEONES, CAMPEONES!!!!

I say unofficially because….they haven’t actually receive the trophy yet. But technically, Real Madrid ARE the 2011-2012 Liga BBVA Champions!!!

Tonight Real Madrid traveled to Athletic Bilbao, hoping to prove why they’re the better club this season at San Mamés. All Real Madrid needed was a win to become this season’s titleholders, no matter the results of the Barcelona – Málaga match. With two matches left in the season, even if we lose our last matches, we would still be ahead of Barca with one point.

The match was fairly one-sided with goals scored with Madrid beating Bilbao 3-nil.

Real Madrid got on the board in the 16′ by a wonderful goal by Gonzalo Higuaín. Many rumors have circulating around Higuaín about his upcoming departure from Madrid and lack of playing time recently but the Argentinean showed all Madridistas that he is still a part of this club, no matter what his future holds (though I seriously doubt he’s going anywhere!)

The second goal of the night came 4 minutes later by the German international, Mesut Özil with a left-footed shot into the lower corner of the box. Xabi Alonso set up a perfect header for Cristiano Ronaldo who scored Madrid’s third and final goal sealing their first Championship in four years & their 32nd in club history.

As soon as that final whistle blew, Real Madrid celebrated by throwing their manager, Jose Mourinho in the air and updating their carious social networking sites. The following players celebrated their first Real Madrid championship for the first time: Xabi Alonso (who literally has won every championship a footballer can,) Alvaro Arbeloa, Esteban Granero, Raphael Varane, Karim Benzema, Raul Albiol, Fabio Coentrão, Jose Callejón, Antonio Adan, Cristiano Ronaldo and of course, manager Jose Mourinho.

For captain Iker Casillas, the moment came full-circle. 12 years ago he made his debut for Madrid at San Mamés and tonight he wins the club’s 32nd title there.

The players will join supporters at Cibeles Fountain (where Real Madrid always celebrates title victories) tomorrow at 7pm Madrid time for the official celebration, though fans were already gathering early this morning.

Around La Liga

Now who’s ready for some Real Madrid picture spam?

And lastly, a video of the guys celebrating post-match!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnrpSbJ6ZA8

All photos courtesy of Real Madrid C.F. & their players

It’s that time again folks! Late Night Liga is upon you! Okay, so it’s not really ‘late’ but I couldn’t help myself, so many things to discuss!

First off, not much of a change in league standings since our last post late Friday, however, Real Madrid and Barcelona are still racing for the title. Who would’ve thunk it? Both clubs played their most important matches Saturday with positive outcomes.

Sporting Gijon visited Real Madrid at the Bernabéu and left disappointed. I can honestly say, as a Madrid supporter, I was insanely nervous to see how we performed. Real’s defense was shaky with no help from Álvaro Arbeloa, who spent most of the match with a confused look on his face. Luckily, Sergio Ramos assisted in Real’s first goal as Gonzalo Higuaín knocked the ball past Gijon’s keeper in the 37th minute. For Gijon, Cuevas scored off a penalty in the 30th giving them their only goal.

The holy trinity of Real Madrid scored one goal each. Higuain, Cristiano Ronaldo in the 74th and the Frenchie Karim Benzema in the 84th minute. Both Ronaldo and Benzema were voted as Men of the Match for their fantastic (and title saving) performance on the pitch. We’re leaders for another week!

Now for Barcelona; they faced a tough Levante club at the Cuidad de Valencia. Scoring opened when Levante’s Jose Barkero scored off a penalty in the 23rd. After that, it was a long road to recovery for the Catalans, who could feel their four-point gap from Real Madrid widen. But in true Barcelona fashion, King Messi saved his club with a comeback goal in 64th minute and scoring his fifth penalty in 5 matches in the 72nd, giving Barcelona a 2-1 victory.

While on the topic of both Real Madrid and Barcelona, they enter the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals this week. Real Madrid face Bayern Munich Tuesday, April 17th. Bayern, who have been one of the top clubs in the Champions League, are looking to break down Real Madrid. This match-up is definitely one to watch next week.

Barcelona faces Chelsea FC Wednesday, April 18th. Most people would likely pull Barcelona as the victors in this match-up but if you caught today’s FA Cup semi-final between Chelsea-Tottenham, you might have to re-think your assumption. When put on the spot, Chelsea can perform.

Moving on, today’s La Liga matches were pretty bland.

Espanyol beat Valencia 4-nil and recorded their first win in 6 matches. Cristian Gómez broke open the scoring from a cut-back from Sergio Garcia in the 26th. Four minutes later, Verdú added a second goal with a shot right outside the box. Beautiful.

Álvaro Vásquez was subbed into the match just after the half to score a goal in the 58th. Espanyol’s fourth and final goal came from Kalu Uche in the 80th which gave Mauricio Pochettino’s side a total of 45 points, just behind Osasuna. Valencia failed in their two-point advantage over Málaga in the battle for Champions League football next season.

Málaga 1-1 Real Sociedad

Real Betis 1-0 Osasuna

Real Zaragoza 1-0 Granada

Villarreal 1-1 Racing Santander

Athletic Bilbao 1-0 Mallorca

Rayo Vallecano 0-1 Atlético Madrid

On Monday, Getafe will host Sevilla FC.

This week is what I like to call as:

Stay tuned later in the week, either Thursday or Friday, for a very special edition of Road to El Clasico. All Clasicos are important, but this week’s Clasico April 21st is very pivotal for both Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, as it could be the deciding factor on which club will raise the cup May 13th.

FUN FACT: Both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi set a record-breaking tally with 41 goals each this season. I think it’s safe to say, these two are the best in the world? Probably.

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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

By: Maria Dorta

There are less and less games in La Liga now, so there’s no margin for errors. This was going to be a hard game for Real Madrid and Mourinho knew it. Even the ten points gap between his team and Barcelona doesn’t give a sense of relief to the players; each game is a war and each goal is a triumph. Mourinho was prepared for today’s game, he said it himself because he knows what the boys of Pepe Mel can do when they play hard.

The line up wasn’t different from the last game; it was his strongest team. Why? Because he said it in the press conference and when you see the statistics, it truly is the team with more victories. Betis had some injured players ahead of today’s match, some of the important ones, but he was going to play with strength and with his head high.

The first half was for Betis was strong; they were the best team the whole 45 minutes. They didn’t let Real Madrid near the scoring area; they knew how to stop them and they did an excellent job of it. Their defense was creating some amazing walls in front of the strikers of Real Madrid and they were clearly driving them insane.

The ball belonged to the players in green and white; they owned it and because they deserved it, a goal came in the 10th minutes, thanks to a lack on the defense of Real Madrid. It started with a beautiful and quick pass to Molina, who made he’s way between three players, and put the ball at the back of the net. Real Madrid was losing again in the first few minutes of a game, but this time it was because their own fault.

A lot of lost balls from Real Madrid showed their game wasn’t solid and they seemed lost. Even though they had possession of the ball sometimes, the Betis boys knew how to gain it again. The minutes passed and nothing was clear for Real Madrid until a magical pass from Mesut Özil to Higuain, who ran across the side of the pitch, made a shot and as only he knows how to do, and the ball was like an arrow at the end of the goal.

Finally the game was tied, but you could see how desperate Real Madrid was to win this game. They started to do some hard tackles to their enemy but that didn’t work to get the ball. Some other occasions presented themselves to Madrid, but nothing happened. Betis was still a hard and strong team; they weren’t scare of Real Madrid and it was refreshing to see someone who can make a fight with the white ones.

The second half was different from the first but not because Real Madrid started to do something; it was because both of the teams were fighting with all they had. Real Madrid was able to be in Betis’ half a little bit more, but when they tried to create dangerous plays, the defense of Betis appeared. At the 52nd minute, the goal from “The goal machine” came. An air pass from Marcelo to Cristiano Ronaldo, who was in front of the goal, opened up the opportunity for CR to make a quick shot and the ball passed beside the goalkeeper and into goal.

Things were finally going good for Real Madrid, but it wasn’t going to be for long. At the 55th minute, a goal from Montero tied the game once and again. Betis was being a hard enemy, an enemy that didn’t want to put their arms down because they knew they were better. Real Madrid was still looking for the other goal, the goal of victory but it was going to be a hard road to get there.

Betis was tired and they knew they couldn’t keep the same level of pressure as they did in the first half, but they were trying. Pepe Mel made the first substitution and Mourinho clearly wasn’t even thinking of that. At the 73rd minute, after a long search for the goal, Cristiano Ronaldo made his second goal of the game. A corner kick was conceded to Real Madrid. Özil made the kick, and it was headed from Sergio Ramos toward the goalkeeper. The keeper managed to clear the shot, but it landed on the feet of Cristiano who didn’t hesitate to shoot and the game was again in favor to Real Madrid.

The game was full of goal-scoring occasions for both team; big ones for Betis that, with the help of the crossbar and Iker Casillas, didn’t go in and for Real Madrid, who never go home saying they didn’t have a chance. Some of Madrid’s shots didn’t go in because sometimes the compass in the players was a little bit broken. But Betis showed Madrid and to the world how big they are and why Mourinho was right to fear them. I think it was a pleasure for both of them to play this game.

The referee had some good and bad calls just like always; a few hands in the area for both teams and some yellow cards that he decided not to put out. In the first half, the first referee, Iturralde, had a little injury so he had to changed places with the fourth referee. For some, the second half was better than the first, but I leave that to you.

There are no small games because when you go in to the pitch thinking you’re superior, you can go home feeling like you’re inferior. Every game counts and three points can lead you to greatness.

Malaga 1 – Levante 0

Real Sociedad 3 – Zaragoza 0

Sporting 1 – Sevilla 0

Betis 2 – Real Madrid 3

Ready for your Daily Kick Around? Today we have a bus-surfing French women’s national team, players quash rumors on Twitter and lots more! Check it out!

International 

The France Women’s National Team had a little too much fun on their bus trip after qualifying for the 2012 Olympics with a victory against England. Bus surfing anyone?

La Liga

Real Sociedad goalkeeper Enaut Zubikarai made a huge mistake in yesterday’s Copa del Rey match against Mallorca in the second round. It was only the 4th match this season that Zubikarai has played in net, all of which were Sociedad’s CdR matches, and after a mistake like that, it might be a while before he backs up his club. Note to all keepers out there: Make sure there is no one behind you when your about to kick the ball out of your box.

Earlier in the week during the Catalan Derby between Barcelona and Espanyol, there were racial remarks towards Barca player Dani Alves by a section of supporters. Espanyol boss Mauricio Pochettino says otherwise. The Brazil international claimed that he hadn’t heard any racial remarks from the crowd because he was more focused on the match. Anyone else getting tired of all these racism accusations lately? I know I am.

Congrats to Real Madrid player Gonzalo Higuain on being with the club for 5 years! He played his first match with the white 5 years ago today against Betis in the Copa del Rey. So far in his career with Madrid, he’s the fourth captain, won two league titles in 2007 and 2008, one Copa del Rey in 2011 and one Spanish Super Cup in 2008.

English Premier League

After Arsenal legend Thierry Henry made his debut with the Gunners since 2006 on Monday, rumors began that other Gunner legends could make a return to the club. But not so fast! Robert Pires, who is currently training with the Gunners, slammed down any speculation via his twitter account, of a possible return to Emirates. Pires, who left Aston Villa in May, is still in a search for a club, preferably one in Asia.

New Queens Park Rangers manager Mark Hughes claimed that Joey Barton will remain club captain despite the controversy surrounding his career.

Apparently there is some mis-communication between Newcastle’s Demba Ba and his “agent” Armand Doorn. The 26-year-old Ba took to his twitter account attacking Doorn about his remarks that Manchester United were interested in picking up Ba in the January transfer window. The tweet? “Really, I don’t know how desperate this “armand doorn” can be to talk like he’s my agent!! He’s nothing for me. Stop lying and show respect.” 

Serie A

Lazio midfielder Lorik Cana will be sidelined for about two months with a back injury. During Lazio’s 4-nil defeat of Siena, Cana was forced off during halftime, confirming through tests that he has a damaged lumbar vertebrae. With this injury, the Albanian will miss 10 Serie A matches including their Europa League match against Atletico Madrid.

Major League Soccer

The Chicago Fire has signed Uruguayan forward Federico Puppa two days after signing Colombian midfielder Rafael Robayo. This is good news for the Fire due to the international experience that Puppa has, moving well off the ball and finishing strong in front of the net.

Goodbye Robbie Rogers! The Ex-Columbus Crew midfielder has signed a new deal with English club Leeds United until 2014. That’s of course, if he can get his hands on a work permit. Rogers doesn’t meet the national team cap percentage needed to score a work permit, but Leeds seems overly confident that the Huntington Beach native can get one. Leeds beat out another MLS (who was undisclosed) club, a secret English club, and even a return offer from the Crew. All I have to say is good luck to Robbie in England! He now joins the ranks of Mike Grella, Eddie Lewis, Eric Lichaj and England Youth International Paul Rachubka as the 5th American-born player to suit up for Leeds.