Mission accomplished.

The U.S. Women’s National Team avenged their heartbreaking loss to Japan in last year’s World Cup Final with a 2-1 victory over that same Japanese team to capture Gold for the third straight time in the Olympic Games.

It wasn’t the dramatic overtime, penalty-shootout finish that defined their end in Germany last summer. No, this time the U.S. held onto a one-goal lead to do what they didn’t a year ago – finish.

Carli Lloyd put the U.S. on the board in the 8th minute with a diving header off an Alex Morgan cross from the end line that just missed the left foot of Abby Wambach. In the 54th minute, Lloyd added an insurance goal, taking the ball up the middle and then stunning the defense with a wonder strike from 20 yards out.

» Continue reading “U.S. Women’s Soccer Strikes Gold in London”

USWNT forward Sydney Leroux reacts to her late goal against New Zealand. Photo credit: Nigel Roddis / Reuters

I’m in total Olympics mode this last week, so I hope you’ll forgive me for my Olympic-centric DKAs of late. We’re into the knockout round of both the men’s and women’s tournaments, and with some of the best teams in the world matching up, you can just tear up those predictions you made at the start.

Heading into the quarterfinals, if you’d ask me to predict the women’s semis I would have said USA, Japan, Great Britain and France. But the boat was rocked Friday, when Team GB was shut out by Canada, sending the two CONCACAF rivals into the final four to face each other with an appearance in the gold medal match on the line. France and Sweden could have gone either way, but I gave France the edge with more time to recover from blowing a 2-0 lead to the USA, whereas Sweden had just let a 2-0 lead to Canada slip away in the final group match. In the end, it proved correct as Sweden once again blew an early lead to fall 2-1 at the hands of two defenders, Wendie Renard and Laura Georges.

What else was crazy about the women’s tournament? I’ve gathered some highlights and great perspectives below. Plus, some good reads on the men’s semifinals, kicking off today.

Women’s Olympic Quarterfinals

Brazil-Japan in the quarterfinals had the potential to be as classic as Brazil-USA in the 2011 World Cup. But it wasn’t to be, as the Brazilians fell flat, getting shut out for the second straight match. Brazil certainly had their moments and opportunities but a couple of mistakes in the back, combined with their rising frustration and Marta not having her best game, got the better of them. After falling to Japan in their earliest exit from the Olympics ever, hard questions remain about Brazil’s future. Ray Curren at All White Kit writes about what we learned from this match, and what the future holds for Marta, Cristiane and the Brazilians.

Former U.S. National Team members Cat Whitehill and Kate Markgraf break down the U.S. win over New Zealand and preview the semifinals.

Doesn’t it seem as if Abby Wambach is at the height of her game right now? It feels like nothing is going to deny her the long-coveted gold, after missing the Beijing games with a broken leg. But I believe it’s more than just her will and desire that’s got Abby clicking on all cylinders right now. My latest perspective discusses Abby’s new role and how it shows that she’s the clear leader on the team right now, even when not scoring goals.

Are you following @Rapignome on Twitter?  If you love U.S. midfielder Megan Rapinoe, you should be. “Gnomie”, as Rapinoe affectionately calls it, is her virtual Twitter sidekick, tweeting its Rapinoe-inspired adventures during the tournament and virtually photo-bombing pics with Pinoe all over the field. It was even featured on NBC this morning, when they showed this tweet that Rapinoe retweeted and commented on by the beloved Gnomie. Reality show, anyone?

Men’s Olympic Quarterfinals

Is this finally the year for Brazil, or will Team GB capture the benefit of their home field advantage? Steve Cangialosi and Cobi Jones break down the quarterfinals in this video from NBCOlympics.com.

The Japanese men’s team may be following in the footsteps of their female counterparts, having made a terrific run through the tournament to solidify their spot in the semifinals today with a 3-0 win over Egypt. Japan has not conceded a goal yet, stunning Spain 1-0 in the first match of group play, then defeating Morocco by a goal, and ending the group stage with a scoreless draw against Honduras. But it was today’s win-or-go-home match against Egypt where they really poured it on, inciting Egypt to lose Saadeldin Saad to a red card near the end of the first half on a hard tackle just outside the penalty area. Japan will face their toughest test yet, though, when they meet Mexico in the semis next week.

Alex Morgan reps Manchester United before the USWNT played at Old Trafford. Photo via @alexmorgan13 on Twitter.

The group stage of the women’s soccer (excuse me, football) tournament wrapped up today, with Canada and New Zealand securing their places in the quarterfinals by finishing third in their groups. The U.S. shined in the first international women’s football match at famous Old Trafford in Manchester, and Great Britain stunned defending silver medalists Brazil at Wembley. More on the full day’s results below.

USA vs North Korea

The U.S Women’s National Team completed the group stage sweep this afternoon, defeating North Korea 1-0 at historic Old Trafford in Manchester. It was the first women’s soccer match at the venue since 1989, and first ever at the international level.

Abby Wambach scored the lone goal in the 25th minute, set up beautifully on a long ball from Lauren Cheney over the top and into the penalty area for Alex Morgan. Morgan corralled it, worked around two defenders, and then slipped back to Wambach, who had no trouble slotting it past the keeper for her third goal of the tournament and 141st overall.

With the win, the 2004 and 2008 gold medalists finished with 9 points, securing first place in Group G and a quarterfinal date with New Zealand this Friday. After giving up 2 goals in the first 13 minutes of their opening match against France, the U.S. has recorded a clean sheet over the last 257 minutes of play, while scoring eight goals, the most of any team in the tournament.

Great Britain vs Brazil

Great Britain stunned Brazil with a 1-0 win at Wembley Stadium in front of over 70,000 supporters to finish with a perfect 3-0 record at the top of Group E. Stephanie Houghton put the host nation up 1-0 in the second minute of the match, off a corner kick from Kelly Smith, and Great Britain held off a furious rally from the 2008 silver medalists.

Both teams had already secured their place in the quarterfinals before the match, but with the win, Great Britain will now face Canada in the knockout stage, while Brazil will face the reigning World Cup Champions, Japan.

Canada vs Sweden

Canada booked their ticket to the quarterfinals with a 2-2 draw against Sweden, storming back from down 2-0 in the opening minutes, to finish third in Group F. Melissa Tancredi scored both goals for Canada, while Marie Hammarstrom had a goal and an assist in Sweden’s goals in the 14th and 16th minutes. Canada will next face Great Britain, while Sweden will match up with France.

France vs Colombia

First-time Olympians Colombia lost 1-0 to France to end their tournament hopes with no goals and without Lady Andrade, who was suspended by FIFA for two games following her “sucker punch” on Abby Wambach in Saturday’s 3-0 loss to the U.S.A. They did, however, debut 19-year old Yoreli Rincon, who has drawn comparisons to Brazil’s Marta:

There had been suggestions back in Colombia of a conflict between the rising star and coach Ricardo Rozo, but the manager said that the 19-year-old forward just wasn’t fully fit to play in the previous two games.

With Colombia struggling to control possession, Rincon wasn’t able to pose much of a threat during the time she was on the field on Tuesday.

France’s Elodie Thomis scored in the 5th minute off a breakaway, and had a clear shot on goal after Colombia’s keeper, Sandra Sepulveda, came off her line to try to prevent the shot.

 New Zealand vs Cameroon

Another first-time Olympian, Cameroon scored their first goal in their final match of the tournament, but also allowed an own goal, falling 3-1 to New Zealand. New Zealand grabbed their first win and points of the tournament, finishing third in their group with 3 points to grab the final spot in the quarterfinals, reaching the knockout round for the first time ever.

Japan vs South Africa

Japan and South Africa played to a scoreless draw, but it wasn’t just stellar defense from South Africa that kept the World Cup Champions off the scoresheet:

The outcome left Japan second in Group F, meaning it will now play either Britain or Brazil in Cardiff on Friday. If it had won the match, it would have faced the top-ranked United States or France, another strong team, in Glasgow, also on Friday.

Japan coach Norio Sasaki used substitutes in the second half and told them to keep possession and not score, based on how the other match in Group F was going. In that match, Canada drew 2-2 with Sweden, meaning Sweden topped the group.

Japan will match up against Brazil on Friday — certainly not an easy task, but certainly preferable to drawing the U.S. at this stage.

Jerry Bengston after scoring the goal that unofficially eliminated Spain from the Olympics

Yesterday we had a special Women’s Olympics DKA and today is no different as the men’s national teams faced off. The first round closes on August 1st yet today we’ve already witnessed some knockouts. Also, it looks like Madrid’s Nuri Sahin could be loaned out while Mexico’s dos Santos is told to quit the Spurs!!

Spain vs Honduras

It’s safe to say that after a 1-nil loss to Honduras today, Spain, or La Rojita, are pretty much knocked out of the 2012 Olympics after having zero points so far in the tournament.

This Spain lineup (who were the favorites for Olympic gold)  is most widely known as the U23 national squad with the exceptions of Juan Mata and Jordi Alba who were part of the winning Euro 2012 team. Honduras scored early in the 7′ with a shot form Bengston and after that the match was pretty much in Honduras’ hands. The young Spaniards looked frustrated throughout the whole match after collecting 7 yellow cards.

Japan vs Morocco

Japan are looking mighty fine in the tournament so far as they beat Spain in their first match 1-0 and then beat Morocco 1-0 today. Nagai scored the lone goal for the Japanese in the 84′ bringing his side one step closer to the quarterfinals. Morocco’s Amrabat had a close shot to score but the ball was blocked by Japan’s keeper and their full-back.

Great Britain vs UAE

The most thrilling match of the day came from Great Britain, who beat the UAE 3-1. Ryan Giggs, the oldest Olympic goalscorer, started the match off in the 16′. The UAE played a menacing match against the Brits with Elsa being the only player landing on the score sheet in the 60′. The latter two goals for Britain came from youngins Scott Sinclair (73′) and Daniel Sturridge (76′.)

 Men’s Olympic Scores

Senegal 2-0 Uruguay

Mexico 2-0 Gabon

South Korea 2-1 Switzerland

Egypt 1-1 New Zealand

Brazil 3-1 Belarus

The last matches of the first round will take place Aug. 1.

English Premier League

Mexico coach Luis Fernando Tena told Giovani dos Santos to leave the Tottenham Hostpurs in order to seek ‘first-team football.’ Scoring two of the three goals in today’s Mexico-Gabon match, dos Santos rarely gets playing time with the Spurs after signing with them 4 years ago. The Mexican midfielder also stated he wants to return to Spain which didn’t make new Spurs manager, Andre Villas-Boas very happy. Whoops.

La Liga

Looks like Real Madrid player Nuri Sahin could be leaving Spain for England. The midfielder who signed with the  Spanish giants in 2011 from Dortmund, hasn’t had much playing time under manager Jose Mourinho, making only two starts. According to AS, an exit agreement has been determined with both Arsenal and Tottenham interested in the Turkish international.

Whew, what a crazy couple of days! Eden Hazard has officially made a choice on an EPL team, there’s been a few other signings, England has an official Euro roster and hell, Liverpool might even have a manager! We’ve got the headlines in today’s Daily Kick Around.

English Premier League

Welp, Eden Hazard’s had everyone hanging around wondering what he was going to. Many have expected him to head toward Manchester United or City. But he’s snubbed them both and declared today via Twitter that he’ll head to Chelsea. Hmmm.

Man United aren’t sitting back on their heels though. Some reports from Germany are claiming the Red Devils are closing to signing Japan midfielder Shinji Kagawa.

Many have questioned the future of Arsenal striker Robin Van Persie. Rumors have swirled that he would follow in the footsteps of others like Cesc Fabregas and Nasri, and head out of Arsenal. But fans have a huge fighter in their corner. RVP’s wife Bouchra has urged her husband to repay the loyalty and faith of the club and fans and stay in London. 

So, Sky Sports reported May 12 that Swansea City manager Brendan Rodgers turned down an approach from Liverpool about filling the  position left after the Reds sacked Kenny Dalglish. However, on their twitter account this morning, Sky Sports said to watch out for more details about Rodgers being the “odds-on favorite” for the job.

La Liga

La Liga are doing their own signings too. Atletico Madrid announced on their club Web site that Porto’s  Cristian Rodriguez, who’s contract with the Portuguese side expires next month.

Mexico midfielder Andres Guardado also has a new contract in Spain. Top club Valencia announced yesterday they would sign Guardado to a four-year deal. This is a great opportunity for the young player!

Serie A

Oh dear, the match-fixing scandals in Italy are out of control it seems. Yesterday, news broke that Lazio captain Stefano Mauri was implicated in the investigation and would miss the Euros. Juventus coach Antonio Conte is also being questioned in the proceedings. Yikes!

England National Team

New Three Lions boss Roy Hodgson announced his final 23-man squad for the Euros today. Some are surprised as Liverpool’s Andy Carroll was handed the coveted No. 9 shirt.

U.S. Men’s National Team

So, Clint Dempsey didn’t get a start against Scotland as he was nursing a groin injury. However, sources  - including myself, as I was at the USMNT open practice held at the University of Maryland yesterday – confirm that Dempsey has been training with the team. But it’s pretty clear he’s not quite to full strength. And even Clint says that he’s not ready to face off with Brazil.  Kind of disappointing news for the fans here in DC. But I personally would rather have him full strength for the World Cup qualifying matches coming up.

Major League Soccer

Okay, I got to brag a little bit. The Columbus Crew’s Emilio Renteria was huge this week in team’s wins against Seattle and Chicago. This earned him a top spot in MLS’ top three performers of Week 12. Check it out here! 

U.S. Women's National Team's Alex Morgan. Photo via ussoccer.com

The U.S. Women’s National Team didn’t lose to Japan. That’s about the best that can be said for the red, white and blue, who drew 1-1 with the host country in Sendai Sunday in the opening match of the inaugural Women’s Kirin Challenge Cup. After falling to Japan in a penalty kick shootout in the Women’s World Cup Final in July, and again on an 84th minute goal in the semifinals of the Algarve Cup last month, the U.S. found a way – just barely – to avoid defeat at the hands of the Japanese for the third straight game.

It was no surprise that Japan controlled the lion’s share of the possession in this match. That was expected. Their quick touches and crisp passing through the middle of the field throughout most of the first half kept them moving forward, limiting the U.S. opportunities for getting anything going. Even without their captain and leading scorer Homare Sawa, who is suffering from vertigo, Japan had no trouble putting together a few early dangerous attacks that the U.S. just managed to avoid conceding to, including an 11th minute opportunity where Shinobu Ohno slipped past Rachel Buehler after an attempt to clear the ball found her on the ground. Lucky for the U.S., Hope Solo was there to snuff it out.

The U.S. had three quick corner kicks early, but a header by Rachel Buehler directly at  Japan’s keeper, Ayumi Kaihori, off the service from Lauren Cheney, was the best chance they had for the majority of the first half. When they did grab possession they were quick to turn it over in the midfield, left chasing the Japanese, and the lack of speed on the defensive end allowed Japan to get a few more opportunities in the penalty box.

In the 32nd minute, Japanese grit and a defensive breakdown by the U.S. put the hosts up by a goal. Nahomi Kawasumi chipped the ball over the defense and into the box for Yukari Kinga, who cut it inside to Ohno. Buehler slid in front of Ohno and tried to kick it away from the goal, but ending up putting it right at Solo just at the far post. Solo got a touch on it, but couldn’t hold on and the ball dribbled away to her left. Lauren Cheney tried to clear it out, but Kinga beat her to knock it in, past a grounded Solo.

For the rest of the half, the U.S. couldn’t establish any rhythm, seeming sluggish and completely out of sync with one another. It was only in the 41st minute that they had their first dangerous opportunity, as Alex Morgan sped out around the left side of the defense on a long serve up the middle and was able to cut a strike toward the far post. It appeared to be just tipped out and over the end line by Kaihori, but Japan was awarded the goal kick. That’s the way it was going for the U.S.

The opening minutes of the second half looked promising for the U.S., as Morgan was fouled just outside the penalty box in the 48th minute. Carli Lloyd sent the free kick over the Japanese wall, but too high as it just sailed over the crossbar and onto the top of the net. They started to win back some of the possession and Morgan was able to get a few nice touches, but unable to put the finishing touch on anything.

Finally, in the 72nd minute, Morgan, with her signature late-game heroics, put home the equalizer on a goal that almost wasn’t.  Wambach had crossed the ball in from the right flank, just a few feet in front of the box to Shannon Boxx, who pushed up to Carli Lloyd. As Lloyd moved toward the box, a Japanese defensive miscue in an attempt to poke it away deflected the ball into the penalty area. Morgan, waiting just along the back line, slipped behind the defense and sunk it home, but she was called offsides by the line judge. Moments later, the referee reversed the call and Morgan had tallied her 22nd career goal, and the 10th in her last seven matches.

Despite the end result, Japan fully controlled the game and remain a thorn in the side of the world’s top-ranked team. If the U.S. has hopes of capturing gold in London this summer, they’re going to have to find a way to create more chances through the midfield and get the ball forward to Morgan, who has quickly established herself as their go-to spark up top.

The U.S. faces Brazil Tuesday in the second game of the Cup, their first meeting since the their thrilling penalty kick victory in the quarterfinals of the World Cup. The match airs on ESPN2 and ESPN3.com at 7 a.m. ET.

The soccer world is buzzing with excitement this week, as we are now only five days away from the start of the 2012 MLS season. We’ve got tons of stories for you to check out, including some very goofy videos! Plus, Mario Balotelli is in trouble yet again, a couple of Americans abroad may be taking their talents elsewhere and the U.S. Women faced Japan for the first time since losing to them in the World Cup Final. All that and more, here’s your Daily Kick Around!

English Premier League

Let’s be honest, when isn’t Mario Balotelli in hot water? The Manchester City striker could be fined for an alleged night out at a strip club, the day before an EPL match. Nothing surprises me with Balotelli anymore. He is an incredibly talented footballer, but needs to seriously get his personal life together.

It looks like Brazilian midfielder Ramires will be spending his prime years with Chelsea, as he signed a new five-year deal today. The 24-year old, who is in his second season with Chelsea, has scored 10 goals in 71 appearances. With today’s contract, he will be set with Chelsea until 2017.

 Scottish Premier League

By now we all know the financial woes facing Rangers F.C. and the cuts that need to be made in order to keep the team afloat. However, it was revealed today that two of the three Americans currently playing for the squad could be out of jobs by the end of the day. USMNT captain Carlos Bocanegra, and Alejandro Bedoya are among the first team players that are rumored to be cut by the end of the day today. Could this mean a return to MLS for Los?

 US Women’s National Team

The USWNT had a chance to avenge their World Cup final loss to Japan in the Algarve Cup today, but fell just short, losing 1-0 to the women of Japan. An 86th minute goal from Megumi Takase was the game-winner for Japan, who move on to the Algarve Cup final, while the U.S. women will play for third place. This is a disappointing result for the USWNT, who have won this tournament seven of the last nine times.

Major League Soccer

MLS fans, rejoice! We are just five days away from the start of the 2012 season. Are you as excited as I am? I hope so! While the preseason mini-tournaments were fun to watch, those trophies pale in comparison to the glow of the MLS Cup. In case you missed any preseason action, here’s a short wrap up of who won what.

There has been fantastic media coverage of all the 2012 preseason games, but equally wonderful has been the off-the-pitch content. First up? Aurelien Collin of Sporting KC with this ridiculously hilarious “Collin’s Corner.”  These guys have way too much spare time!

Next, a cool 360-view of a handful of Toronto FC players juggling a soccer ball. Creative and fun!

Finally, MLS has been on the road interviewing lots of players in the few weeks leading up to the first kick of 2012. Temryss Lane interviewed Vancouver Whitecaps captain Jay DeMerit, but with a little twist: he was challenged to use all of the names of the Seven Dwarves in his answers to her questions! At first, Temryss had no idea it was happening…but once she started to catch on, it was difficult to maintain a straight face. Silly times ensued!

That’s right.

The FC Barcelona star grasped his third successive Ballon D’Or trophy today, beating out teammate Xavi Hernandez and Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo (who couldn’t attend due to match preparation.)

The Argentinean said at the FIFA World Players Gala, “It is a pleasure and honor to win this for the third time. Thanks to those who voted and all my teammates.”

Congrats to the other two nominees Xavi and Cristiano for having fantastic seasons as well.

Not only was the winner of the Ballon D’Or awarded but so was the FIFA Women’s Player of the Year. The nominees were Abby Wambach (USA), Marta (Brazil) and Homare Sawa (Japan).

This year’s award goes to Homare Sawa of Japan. Sawa led her national team to victory this year in the Women’s World Cup in Germany where she won the Golden Ball and Golden Shoe award.

Sawa’s country of Japan also won the FIFA Fair Play Award due to their reaction of the devastating earthquake and tsunami the country faced earlier in the year.

Mexican legend Hugo Sanchez presented Neymar the FIFA Puskas Award, which is determined by the player with the “most beautiful” goal of the year. Neymar beat out both Barcelona’s Lionel Messi and Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney.

“I am very happy to be part of this party and have been competing with this two great players. I’m very grateful to God and all you. Enjoy this party.”

You can see Neymar’s outstanding goal here!

Now to the coach awards. Let’s start out with the FIFA Women’s Coach of the Year.

The nominees were Bruno Bini of France, Norio Sasaki of Japan and Pia Sundhage of Sweden.

Japan’s Norio Sasaki claimed the award with his efforts of leading his national team to victory when Japan beat the US in the final.

The FIFA Men’s Coach of the Year was won by FC Barcelona’s Pep Guardiola, who managed to win Champions League and the La Liga title last year. Pep beat out MUFC manager Sir Alex Ferguson and Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho.

Guardiola was quite humble after winning the award saying, “I would like to share this award with Mourinho and Ferguson. It is an honor. And all the coaches around the world who share this passion. And also to the thousands of people that over 100 years have worked and develop Barcelona. It is a privilege to be part of such an incredible club. And finally, I would like to dedicate this award to Tito Vilanova, my assistant, my colleague, my friend who can’t be here tonight. This is for you.”

Sir Alex Ferguson didn’t leave the Gala empty-handed. The MUFC legendary manager won the prestigious FIFA Presidential Award, presented by FIFA president Sepp Blatter. “This is very much appreciated. No matter the honor I get, I feel it’s been the recognition for the 25 years of Manchester United. They always shared my vision and passion. I’ve been a very lucky manager. That makes Manchester United such a special club. The courage to play and the courage to try and win is more important than anything.”

Individual awards aside, eleven players were selected to the FIFA/FIFAPro World XI which was presented by three-time World Cup Champion and football legend, Pele. The players selected are as follows:

Iker Casillas (Spain)

Sergio Ramos (Spain)

Gerard Pique (Spain)

Nemanja Vidic (Serbia)

Dani Alves (Brazil)

Andres Iniesta (Spain)

Xavi (Spain)

Xabi Alonso (Spain)

Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)

Wayne Rooney (England)

Lionel Messi (Argentina)

Real Madrid’s Zinedine Zidane and Emilio Butragueno accepted players Xabi Alonso, Sergio Ramos, Cristiano Ronaldo and Iker Casillas‘ awards on behalf of them due to preparation for their match against Malaga this week.

Stay tuned to Aerys Soccer for all your international football news!

All photos courtesy of FIFA.com

Transfers, transfers and you guessed it…more transfers! As the new year approaches, teams across Europe are looking to shuffle their rosters to improve for the second half of their season. Here is Wednesday’s Daily Kick Around.

La Liga

Spanish newspaper Marca, which is not always the most reliable source for football news, claim that Barca super star David Villa may be made available for a January transfer.  Manager Pep Guardiola denied the report and I can see why, given Villa has scored 32 goals in 75 appearances since his move to the club in summer 2010.

Real Madrid seem to have recovered from their defeat against Barcelona over the weekend.  On Tuesday, they beat Ponferradina 2-0 in the 4th round of the Copa del Rey.

English Premier League

Czech Republic native Tomas Rosicky may make a move to Bundesliga Club Wolfsburg in January.  The 31 year old is currently with Arsenal but has only made three appearances with the Gunners.  His manager has played down the rumors, which have been circulating since summer.

Roman Pavlyuchenko, currently of Tottenham, has failed to secure a regular role in the starting 11 for his team.  His frustration led him to seek out other opportunities, which include a possible return to his former club Spartak Moscow.  Reports indicate he has been offered to Queens Park Rangers.

The biggest rumor out this week, although probably not too surprising, is that Chelsea are looking to rid themselves of the out-of-form striker Fernando Torres.  Chelsea stole the spotty Spaniard from Liverpool last January in a whopping £50million move, yet supposedly Chelsea is set to let him go for a mere £20 million.  Ouch!

Unfortunate news for Manchester United’s Darren Fletcher, who has been diagnosed with a chronic bowel disease.  The midfielder was out from March to September, due to complications from the illness, which has no cure.  His ailment went into a brief remission and allowed the midfielder to get back into the lineup.  However, Fletcher is out once again, adding to United’s already growing list of injured players, and is aggressively seeking a way to keep the disease from affecting his ability to remain an active player.

Major League Soccer

NY Red Bulls player Tim Ream has been training with EPL clubs West Brom and Bolton since the end of the MLS season.  Both teams are showing an interest in the young starlet for a possible spring transfer.  Erik Soler, sporting director for the Red Bulls, has clearly stated that Ream is not available.

Argentine midfielder Mauro Rosales is staying with the Seattle Sounders after signing a multi-year contract with the club.

Women’s Professional Soccer

Big news today as the U.S. Soccer Federation has given a provisional approval to WPS as a first division league come 2012.  The rules require a minimum of eight teams, but they are making an exception considering WPS has only five teams.  The approval will become final once undisclosed conditions have been met.

Serie A

 Inter Milan has moved up to 7th place, mostly due to Japan international Yuto Nagatomo’s spectacular performance.  His second half goal clinched the match against Genoa, pleasing the Nerazzurri manager Claudio Ranieri.

FIFA Club World Cup

Neymar, whose growing reputation as a formidable striker continues to impress, as he helped Santos defeat Kashiwa Reysol and advance to the finals.

Major League Soccer

In a stunning second-round playoff game last night, the Seattle Sounders were knocked out of the playoff race by Real Salt Lake. The Sounders looked to come back to life as they were up 2-0 at one point, but couldn’t finish off RSL.

Other playoff news: Sporting KC put the final nail in the coffin for the Colorado Rapids season. They claimed another victory last night, 2-0, which pushed them through to the next round on a 4-0 aggregate.

Rumors are still going about that David Beckham will bid farewell to the L.A. Galaxy at the conclusion of the season and his contract. Clubs interested in the former Manchester United front man include Queens Park Rangers, Tottenham Hotspurs and Paris Saint-Germain.

English Premier League

Fulham star Clint Dempsey’s goal against Wigan Saturday tied him with U.S. legend Brian McBride for most EPL goals for an American.

The Bleacher Report’s Sam Tighe wants to give you 5 reasons why he thinks Manchester City will reign the top of the league by December. Ugh.

La Liga

Atletico Madrid coach Gregorio Manzano maintains that things are fine between him and his forward Jose Antonio Reyes. This comes after footage of Reyes swearing at the coach after Atletico’s defeat  against Athletic Bilbao last Thursday. Yikes.

Serie A

Inter Milan are not having the season they wish they were. They currently sit in 17th place in the league and their midfielder Thiago Motta says that they deserve it.

Meanwhile, Juventus’ director Pavel Nedved believes that there is no stopping his club from claiming Serie A victory. And he has a little right to boast - the Italian club currently has been undefeated in nine games and have claimed wins against both A.C. and Inter Milan.

World Soccer

Ever think you can’t figure out the game of soccer? Well, Einstein would like to prove you wrong. No, I’m not talking about the genius inventor. Einstein is the world’s smallest stallion and in this video, he has decided to show the world his soccer skills.

It could. Go. All. The. Way! Let this incredible video of a Japanese defender scoring a world-record 63-yard goal with his head be a lesson to all keepers. Even if you think it’s impossible for a goal to be scored from that far, doesn’t mean it won’t happen.