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.

All France needed to do was get a draw and they would go through to the QFs. Sweden was already out, Ukraine was on the borderline and England had the same number of points as they did. In their previous matches, France had a 1-1 draw with England and beat Ukraine 2-0.

Even though Sweden was out, this wasn’t going to be an easy match for France. I was hoping France would win, because as winners of group D, they’d avoid Spain in the QFs and instead play Italy. And, even though I was rooting for France, I wanted Zlatan Ibrahimovic to score and do well.

Just like I had predicted, Sweden was not going to be an easy game for France. Early on in the game,  both teams had many chances to score. France managed to keep Sweden from scoring thanks to Hugo Lloris, the French goalkeeper. He made many Iker-esque saves that kept France in the game. If it weren’t for him, Sweden could’ve been up 2-0 by HT. Luckily for France, it was 0-0 at HT.

Once second half started, it didn’t take long for Sweden to get on the board. The first person to score was none other than the Swedish captain, Ibrahimovic, who scored what I would call a golazo. France would get more chances to score later on in the game, but weren’t able to get on the board. Sweden scored their second and final goal in extra time. This time, the goal scorer was Sebastian Larsson.

Sweden defeated France 2-0 and restored their pride, as they wouldn’t be going home with 0 points. Group D ends like this 1. England 2.France 3. Ukraine 4. Sweden.  France will to move on to the QFs and will meet Spain, which is something I was hoping to avoid. By winning this game, Sweden broke France’s 23-match undefeated streak. This was just a bad performance from France and they will need to step it up when they meet Spain.

After a disappointing 1-1 draw with England, France was looking to pick up 3 points against the Euro 2012 co-host, Ukraine. While France disappointed, Ukraine surprised everyone by beating Sweden 2-1. Both national teams had a good chance of winning this game. Of course, I was rooting for France, my Euro 2012 team (after Spain)

It got off to a pretty crazy start. Both teams came out on to the field and started playing. It had been raining a little bit before the game started, but after less than 10 minutes of play, the officials decided the field was no longer safe to play on. There was just too much thunder and lightning above the stadium.

So both teams left the field, while the officials debated on what they’d do. They’d decided to wait it out and see if the rain would clear up. Almost an hour later, the match finally resumed. And immediately, France was in control of the game. It looked like a goal was coming soon from the French, and when it finally did, it was called offside. The game was 0-0 at HT.

The 2nd half started off with both teams attacking. Finally in the 53rd minute, France scored and it counted. Jeremy Menez was the goal scorer, and Karim Benzema assisted the shot. Three minutes later Yohan Cabaye doubled the lead from France, scoring his first goal for his national team. Guess who assisted this goal? Yup, the Real Madrid player, Benzema, with his 2nd of the match.

France continued to have more chances and dominate the game, but the weren’t able to score any more goals. The game ended 2-0 in favor of France.

This shouldn’t be a  surprise to anyone, but the man of the match was Karim Benzema. France’s next and final group game will be against Sweden. Sweden, who were knocked out of the tournament by England later in the day, will have nothing to lose, which will make them a very tough team to play against. France is currently leading Group D on goal difference. If they win their group, they will play either Italy or Czech Republic in the QFs.

Wow. Just … Wow. No, really. Did anyone expect this? Anyone?! For days, weeks, months leading up to the Euros, we’ve seen this three-ring circus act from the English. We’ve wondered who would be their captain, who would be their manager even. Then the injuries, the roster changes… Everyone I’m sure was wondering what in the hell England was doing and how in the hell they would make it out of the group.

They’re doing it in style, that’s how, and only as England can.

Going up against Sweden today was not going to be easy. Zlatan on the front line is scary and while I’m sure a lot of people aren’t too familiar with the Swedes, trust me when I say you don’t want to be caught napping around them. They are lethal when gunning for a win. Naturally, this match would be interesting. But who would have thought it would be like this?

First off, as I saw many comment on Twitter, England manager Roy Hodgson seemed to be thinking “Welp, if it worked for the Spanish, it’ll work for us,” when he put Andy Carroll up front. Many English fans and others believe Carroll – like Fernando Torres – cost a lot of money and didn’t put anything up to show for it. But, like Torres, Andy decided he was going to show up and get a little confidence back. His first goal, which came off a gorgeous assist from his club and team captain Steven Gerrard, was a damn powerful header and shocked everyone. From the Sweden-dominated stands to all of us at home, I think the general feeling was “Holy. Crap.”

Side note – Can everyone please admit that Steven Gerrard has not only stepped up to the plate as England’s captain, but he’s done a hell of a job of it? I have a friend who’s a Liverpool fan and will get joy from this from me, but after seeing Gerrard’s performance in the last two England games, I think it is worth stating. Gerrard is a hell of a captain, a damn good player and he’s proving it here. Forget if you like Liverpool or not – admit it when you see a great player making a difference in a game, because that’s exactly what Gerrard is doing.

The third and final goal from England which gave them the 3-2 win over Sweden was nothing short of spectacular. It came from Danny Welbeck and how he did it, I’m still not sure. I’ve watched the clip a dozen times, I promise. It’s pure class between him and Theo Walcott. It should also be said that Walcott came on as a sub in the second half and then quickly scored a goal before setting up this amazing bit of play. He definitely changed the game in England’s favor in the second half.

Back to the Welbeck goal: it was a back heel goal. Yes, you read that right. I’m not sure how he pulled it off, but it was a stunner and I think summarized the game for the English; being strong, maybe getting a little scary in the middle, but having a solid statement in the finish.

http://youtu.be/mG9flrp3I5w

While a lot of us – myself included – didn’t really expect much from the Three Lions on this campaign, I think we can admit, they are coming to life here. It’s not pretty or perfect yet – looking at you Glen Johnson – and there’s a lot to be scared of and to work on. But hopefully they’ve shaken the headlines and gotten past their differences. Seeing all the players from several different clubs – Carroll from Liverpool, Welbeck from United and Walcott from Arsenal – celebrate together, as a team, is something I think is very encouraging.

I know the Group of Death is interesting to all, but man, after today’s performance from England, I have to say Group D is getting interesting. And England can claim a lot of credit for that.

After eight games in four days, the first round of group matches have finally concluded. There was some drama, most notably in the first game, but it was generally a sluggish start, with all teams trying to adjust to conditions and determined not to lose.

The results of group A was of no shock to me, although Russia’s emphatic 4-1 win result against the Czechs was more impressive than I had anticipated. Greece capitalized on a sloppy and failed clearance attempt from Poland with the game ending 1-1. It looks like it will be Russia and one other to-be-determined team who will advance to the quarter finals, but it’s hard to imagine that the ‘other’ will be in the tournament for any longer than the quarter final game.
The Group of Death surprisingly was the only group that boasted two winning results. The Dutch were left dumb-founded after a 1-0 defeat to Denmark. The Netherlands looked increasingly desperate and predictable as the match wore on, with the team never looking truly in unison, and they were kept out of their rhythm by the hard working Danes. Although the Oranje did have a couple of threatening shots, including Robben’s strike that hit the side post, they have some serious issues to fix before they take on Germany Wednesday. Their backline was slow, easily exposed and way worse than what I thought. It will be severely tested by Germany’s youthful and skilful front line.

Germany downed Portugal 1-0, with both teams playing rather conservatively throughout the entire game. In the first half, the only real chance came from Pepe’s shot which hit the cross-bar and kept the match at 0-0. In the second half Germany finally found the back of the net through a late Mario Gomez header. Even though Portugal would go on to have a couple more opportunities to score, they never converted and the Germans took the 3 points. Ronaldo got off to a slow start even though Boateng gave him more space than NASA.

The only thing I will say about Group C is this: Balotelli, what are you doing? You have a breakaway in Spain’s box but you are running like you would if you were chasing your 4-year-old son in the yard! Spaint tied 1-1 with current Euro cup holders Spain, whilst Croatia beat the unlucky Irish 3-1.

Group D is wide open and surprisingly the hosts are sitting at the top of the pack with a brilliant performance against Sweden. Sheva led the Ukraine with a 2-1 victory in their opening game. I must say that this was the best game hands down so far! It was fast tempo, high energy, aggressive and well-matched. It went back and forth but in front of a passionate home crowd, the Ukraine just looked possessed out of the gate and just wanted it more. The result is a testament to their hard work. My radar is on them to see if they can duplicate another result like that.

If you would have told me two years ago that the English could even consider a draw with the French a good result, I would thought you were crazy (or French). But that’s exactly what happened when the English got a point out of a very tough French team, who are on a 21 game unbeaten run. Considering all of the mayhem going on with the England squad, the 1-1 tie is a good result for them. The Three Lions got on the board first with a Gerrard free kick that found Lescott’s face head. France controlled most of the game and Nasiri’s netted a 25 yarder not long after England’s opener, but France couldn’t find the back of the net after that. Strangely, for periods in the game it seemed as though both teams were happy with a tie and that’s all they were playing for. Some of England’s players looked lethargic but overall the team played well defensively and Oxlade-Chamberlin and Welbeck looked promising. More to come from both teams.

Wow, what a hell of a day for soccer in the Euros, huh?!? First, we had that weird, chippy game between England and France. England surprised everyone I think and held their own against a goal-hungry France. The game would end in a 1-1 draw, but it wasn’t without it’s moments.

However, it would be the second game between second host-nation Ukraine and Sweden that would bring the drama to the day. At the end of the 90 minutes, Urkaine would be the victors with a 2-1 score line and leaders of Group D!

What you really need to know, however, is that Andriy Shevchenko was the man of the hour. The 35-year-old notched both goals for Ukraine and they were spectacular. Check it out!

http://youtu.be/BJceLt-BRNw

The Euros never disappoint in excitement and I got to say, if these opening games are any indication, I can’t wait to see what happens!

All this week, I’ve been preview the groups and national teams of this year’s Euros. We’re now down to the final group!

Group D: Ukraine, Sweden, France, England

The stakes are higher than ever for these teams. There are so many unanswered questions and uncertainty swarming them. Will the Ukraine disappoint on their home turf? Can France move on from the absurd episode that took place in South Africa just two years ago? Will England pack their bags early once again? And will Sweden quietly exit the way they entered?

Unlike their co-host, Poland, the Ukraine did not draw the easiest group, but they did draw two countries they played and lost to last year in friendlies, Sweden (1-0) and France (4-0). With those games fresh in Coach Oleh Blokhin’s mind, he will know areas of weaknesses to work on. The health of the team is questionable with a reported 10 players suffering from food poisoning just days before their first game. Ukraine’s key player is Captain Andriy Shevchenko. He is a legend and fantastic leader for the team. Sheva is past his prime and his physical condition is not 100 percent, but he is fearless and will take on any defender. Youngster Andriy Yarmolenko is talented, young and expected to have a good campaign. They are a long-shot to get out of the group and will need A LOT of luck on their side.

Sweden is overall well-organized and well-formed. This team will keep their fingers crossed that England slips with all of the distractions surrounding them. Key players for Sweden are Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Sebastian Larsson and Kim Kallstrom. Ibrahimovic is a world-class player, but his style of play is much different than his teammates and may ruin the chemistry or enhance it. Sweden could definitely get out of this group; it all depends on which English and French team shows up this year.

Are the images of the 2010 World Cup just distant memories for France? It looks as though the French have moved on past their embarrassing display and relinquished the title to England. Les Bleus have been unbeaten in their last 21 matches and even upset a very good German squad in Germany. France should win the group with the likes of Karim Benzema up top and a dynamic midfield backing him. Yann M’Vila, Franck Ribéry and Samir Nasri are technical and skillful. M’Vila is nursing an ankle injury and may miss the England game, but other than that, France is at the top of their game and should go far.

Two words, train wreck. All eyes are on England this year with the array of problems they are bringing in: suspensions, snubs, law suits, injuries, egos and questionable call-ups to name a few. Brand new coach Roy Hodgson came in to reign merely weeks before the tournament, so the question of how prepared this team is, is uncertain. The Three Lions will be without Cahill, Lampard and Barry. Waza (Rooney) will miss the first two matches to suspensions. With all the bad press, the English still have a talented roster. Goalkeeper Joe Hart was fantastic for Manchester City this past season and is one of the best keepers in the world. Familiar faces, Terry, Gerrard and Cole will provide leadership and newer faces Wellbeck and Oxlade-Chamberlin will be wild cards and perhaps provide a fresh spark. England will either arise to the occasion or be the laughing stock of the tournament.

Predictions: 1. France 2. England 3. Sweden 4. Ukraine

Unable to capitalize on their possession advantage through much of the match, the U.S. trailed 1-0 at halftime. In the 28th minute, Sofia Jakobsson sent the ball in from the left side of the box, which appeared to deflect off Christie Rampone’s back and hooked just inside the far post past U.S. goalkeeper Nicole Barnhart, who didn’t have a play on it.

The U.S. was plagued by their oft-seen inability to finish, sending the ball into traffic, over the crossbar, wide of the net, or maddeningly, off the crossbar or post. Abby Wambach squandered a couple of key chances with a header over the bar, after Shannon Boxx headed one perfectly into her off a corner kick, and another off the post on a cross from Heath. Amy Rodriguez had a couple of hard shots on goal, as did Boxx and Carli Lloyd, but for much of the night the team couldn’t put it together on the final touch for anything dangerous.

USWNT's "Super Sub" Alex Morgan. Photo via ussoccer.com

It wasn’t until Alex Morgan came into the match with less than 15 minutes to play that the spark ignited. She just barely missed knocking one in soon after she entered the match when the ball hit – what else? – the post. In the 81st minute, Morgan sent a shot toward goal which was deflected away by the Swedish keeper, but Tobin Heath was there to rebound and knock it in for the equalizer. Morgan took another shot not even a minute later, but the ball was just wide. By the time the clock hit 90 minutes, “Alex Morgan” was trending worldwide on Twitter, despite the game receiving no television coverage, with the only broadcast a webcast on ussoccer.com.

It’s becoming increasingly difficult to deny the effect that Alex Morgan has on the team’s ability to finish off opportunities, as many have been calling for her to start up top with Wambach in order to create more speed in the front. As the U.S. begins preparation next month for January’s CONCACAF Olympic qualifiers, Morgan’s role will become one heavily in the spotlight. For now, though, Sundhage insists that coming off the bench late “is the reason why she is so good… It was a small role and she did perfectly well. It will not work for 90 minutes.”

Tobin Heath has also earned herself more playing time with strong performances in the post-World Cup international friendlies, and has the ability to create speed, take on defenders and create mismatches in the midfield. With Shannon Boxx likely to retire after the Olympics, the midfield will need some shaking up in the near future, and Heath could be one to provide that.

Hope Solo did not play, having just finished her run on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, but keeper Nicole Barnhart made some critical saves, including one in stoppage time to prevent a potential winning goal by Sweden. Solo will return for training camp in Los Angeles in December.

The decision by ESPN and Fox Soccer Channel to pass on this match caused much criticism from soccer fans on Twitter. Both networks hold contracts to broadcast U.S. women’s soccer games, but according to a tweet from SI.com’s Grant Wahl, both had “filled [their] quota for the year” and chose not to air it.

While more than 18,000 fans showed up at the stadium in Phoenix to see the U.S. take on one of the top teams in the world, many more were denied the chance to watch due to broadband and streaming issues, including a few soccer journalists.  The webcast was surely better than no coverage, but many of the camera shots were too close up on the ball and the picture quality was far from what many are used to on television. After the increase of interest in women’s soccer since the World Cup, and with the Olympic Games on the horizon, U.S. women’s soccer deserves better from the national media.

The CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament begins January 20, 2012 in Vancouver. The U.S. will face the Dominican Republic, Guatemala and Mexico in group play.

USA's Alex Morgan takes a shot vs Sweden. Photo via ussoccer.com

Last night, at the MLS Awards Celebration in Los Angeles, the U.S. Women’s National Team was honored for their spectacular run to the World Cup Final with the MLS Commissioner’s Award.

Even for non-soccer fans, it was hard not to be captivated by the national team’s thrilling come-from-behind victory in the quarterfinal vs Brazil, and heartbreaking loss in penalty kicks to Japan in the World Cup Final. The July 17 final broke the tweets per second record with 7,196, and renewed interest in the Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) league in the U.S., with record attendance and previously unfathomed sellouts at post-World Cup matches.

The women’s team capitalized on the increased attention with a World Cup “Celebration Series” of two international friendlies against Canada in September. One match was in Kansas City while the other was held in Portland, with the former airing on FOX Soccer Channel and the latter on ESPN2 and ESPN3.com.

Tonight, the team wraps up 2011 with a friendly against longtime foe Sweden at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, AZ at 7pm MT/9pm ET. This is the third match against Sweden this year, and the U.S. is looking for their first win, having lost 2-1 to them in January at the Four Nations Tournament in China, and again 2-1 in the group stage of the World Cup. According to ussoccer.com, over 16,000 tickets have been sold for tonight’s match – a record for the USWNT in Arizona and a huge improvement since the World Cup sendoff vs Mexico, where under 6,000 showed up at Red Bull Arena in New Jersey.

And yet, no television coverage. Not ESPN, which is broadcasting college football tonight. Not FOX Soccer Channel, which is showing a replay of today’s Manchester City-Newcastle match.  Not ESPN3.com, whose only live soccer coverage today includes a La Liga match between Valencia and Real Madrid. To get their fix, women’s soccer fans will have to watch the game live-streamed exclusively at ussoccer.com.

So much for increased media coverage of women’s soccer post-World Cup.

The roster tonight will feature familiar faces, as no new national team invitees made the final cut for the match. Fan favorite Megan Rapinoe will not play tonight, out with a minor MCL sprain, so Lori Lindsey or Tobin Heath could see more playing time. Hope Solo will not be in goal, as she did not train with the team this month due to her appearances on Dancing with the Stars, where she reached the final four but was eliminated this past week. The two keepers on the roster are Nicole Barnhart and Jill Loyden.

Here’s the full roster:

GOALKEEPERS (2): 18-Nicole Barnhart, 21-Jill Loyden.

DEFENDERS (7): 19-Rachel Buehler, 14-Stephanie Cox , 11-Ali Krieger, 6-Amy LePeilbet, 2-Heather Mitts, 3-Christie Rampone, 4-Becky Sauerbrunn 

MIDFIELDERS (5): 7-Shannon Boxx, 17-Tobin Heath, 16-Lori Lindsey, 10-Carli Lloyd, 9-Heather O’Reilly  

FORWARDS (4): 12-Lauren Cheney, 13-Alex Morgan, 8-Amy Rodriguez, 20-Abby Wambach

Watch Sundhage, Lloyd, Krieger and Rampone talk about their preparation and game plan for the match in this video from U.S. Soccer.

Will you be watching tonight? Join @AerysSoccer on Twitter to chat about the match!

La Liga

Eat your heart out Barca fans because your manager just committed blasphemy! Yes, that’s right, Pep Guardiola stated that Real Madrid boss and my personal hero, Jose Mourinho, is the best coach in the world. Excuse me while the die-hard Madridista inside me is giggling like a crazed fan-girl right now.

Zlatan Ibrahiumovic, AC Milan star, said in an interview with AS that upon his exit at FC Barcelona, he told the club he wanted to join Real Madrid. The conversation went as follows: Sandro Rosell (Barca’s president) “What club do you wish to join?” Zlatan: “Madrid.” Rosell: “Yea, that’s not going to happen.”

Former Real Madrid prospect Neymar has chosen to stay at his current club, Santos of the Brazilian league due to accusations by Santos president Luis Alvaro Ribeiro stating that if Neymar moved to Real Madrid, that coach Jose Mourinho would force him to cut his signature fauxhawk. Yeah, because I’m sure that would happen.

English Premier League

Former Arsenal FC captain turned Barcelona superstar, Cesc Fabregas, made a bold statement about the future of his former club saying that “Arsenal can’t afford to lose Robin Van Persie.” As an Arsenal supporter, one can agree with the remarks made by Fabregas. RVP has been the hope that Arsenal and their supporters need this season, without him, who’s the future of the Gunners? Only time will tell.

Why is there so much racism in football these days? Police are currently investigating a racist tweet sent to Sunderland striker Fraizer Campbell after he tweeted his cheers for Estonia during their Euro 2012 playoff match against Ireland on Saturday. Campbell isn’t the only Premier League player being racially abused. Chelsea’s Daniel Sturridge apparently was taunted by a supporter of the Blues.

Major League Soccer

The New England Revolution announced today that Jay Heaps will take over as coach for the 2012-2013 MLS season. Heaps, who formally played for the Revs after retiring in 2009 after an impressive 11-year career, was a fan favorite and one of the Revs’ best defenders in club history. Heaps will also be the second-youngest active coach currently  in MLS. A press conference is scheduled for tomorrow at 10 a.m. ET at Gillette Stadium with a live stream available on the Revs website.

What a way to retire. Kasey Keller, who played his last professional season with the Seattle Sounders, was named as the 2011 MLS Keeper of the Year. Keller was in goal for every Sounders match and lead the MLS in save percentage at 76%. The Rave Green Army will miss you Keller.

 UEFA Europa League

Celtic FC will face disciplinary action from UEFA officials on December 8th over “illicit chanting” in the EL win over Rennes on November 3rd.

Euro 2012

The second leg of the first round of playoffs for 2012 will finish today. For a full list of fixtures go here.

2014 World Cup Qualifying

For a list of all the matches for today you can check out the FIFA website. All World Cup Qualifiers are available to watch on Pay Per View.

International Friendlies

Some key friendly matches that will take place today are:

Spain vs Costa Rica

USA vs Slovenia

Germany vs Netherlands

France vs Belgium

Uruguay vs Italy

England vs Sweden