Leslie Osborne Injury Update Video

Like always, when I'm short on time I post a video, and that time is now. This is an update video from USWNT player Leslie Osborne on her recovery from ACL and ankle surgery. The video is originally from the WPS (Women's Professional Soccer) website.

MLS: Longest Current Streaks

Here's a variety of current streaks from the 2008 MLS regular season through 21 games played.


Longest Shutout Streak (Minutes)
Jon Conway, NY -- 254 minutes -- 8/10 to Current

Consecutive Games with Goals
3 - Brian Ching
3 - Mike Magee

Consecutive Games with Assists
2 - Guillermo Barros Schelotto
2 - Marcelo Gallardo
2 - Jorge Rojas
2 - Seth Stammler

Team Win Streak
3 - New York Red Bulls

Team Undefeated Streak
6 - San Jose Earthquakes

Team Losing Streak
2 - Real Salt Lake

Team Home Winning Streak
3 - Houston Dynamo

Team Home Undefeated Streak
11 - Real Salt Lake

Team Road Winning Streak
2 - Chicago Fire

Team Road Undefeated Streak
4 - Chicago Fire

Team Road Losing Streak
3 - Chivas USA

Every Minute Played Streaks
Nat Borchers (RSL)
Bobby Boswell (HOU)
Jon Busch (CHI)
Joe Cannon (SJ)
Brian Carroll (CLB)
Jimmy Conrad (KC)
Jon Conway (NY
Steve Cronin (LA)
Kevin Hartman (KC)
Jay Heaps (NE)
William Hesmer (CLB)
Nick Rimando (RSL)

MLS: 21 Game Stat Check

The MLS season is now 21 games old for every team in the league. Here are a few interesting statistics from this summer's games so far.

Game Winning Goals (min 3)
4 - Kenny Cooper (DAL)
4 - Luciano Emilio (DC)
4 - Steve Ralston (NE)
3 - John Thorrington (CHI)
3 - Edson Buddle (LA)
3 - Mike Magee (NY)
3 - Juan Pablo Angel (NY)

Shots on Goal vs Goals (min 15 difference)
45 SOG; 13 Goals - Kenny Cooper (DAL)
33 SOG; 11 Goals - Luciano Emilio (DC)
31 SOG; 14 Goals - Landon Donovan (LA)
28 SOG; 12 Goals - Edson Buddle (LA)
27 SOG; 5 Goals - Robbie Rogers (CLB)
27 SOG; 4 Goals - Dwayne De Rosario (HOU)
25 SOG; 8 Goals - Juan Pablo Angel (NY)
24 SOG; 6 Goals - Adam Cristman (NE)
21 SOG; 5 Goals - Guillermo Barros Schelotto (CLB)
19 SOG; 4 Goals - Cuauhtemoc Blanco (CHI)
19 SOG; 4 Goals - Omar Cummings (COL)
18 SOG; 3 Goals - Christian Gomez (COL)
18 SOG; 3 Goals - Ronnie O'Brien (SJ)
18 SOG; 0 Goals - Mauricio Castro (NE)
16 SOG; 1 Goal - Justin Mapp (CHI)

The Opposite End of the SOG vs Goal Spectrum
6 SOG; 5 Goals - Jimmy Conrad (KC)
7 SOG; 5 Goals - Danny Dichio (TOR)

1800 Minute Iron Men (players with 1890 have played every minute)
1890 - Jon Busch (CHI)
1890 - Brian Carroll (CLB)
1890 - Will Hesmer (CLB)
1890 - Kevin Hartman (KC)
1890 - Bobby Boswell (HOU)
1890 - Jimmy Conrad (KC)
1890 - Steve Cronin (LA)
1890 - Jay Heaps (NE)
1890 - Jon Conway (NY)
1890 - Nat Borchers (RSL)
1890 - Nick Rimando (RSL)
1890 - Joe Cannon (SJ)

1888 - Alejandro Moreno (CLB)
1887 - Clyde Simms (DC)
1877 - Kenny Cooper (DAL)
1875 - Chris Klein (LA)
1873 - Kyle Beckerman (RSL)
1831 - Jack Jewsbury (KC)
1809 - Kevin Goldthwaite (NY)
1805 - Ramiro Corrales (SJ)
1800 - Carl Robinson (TOR)

Penalty Goals
4 - Jaime Moreno (DC)
4 - Guillermo Barros Schelotto (CLB)
3 - Landon Donovan (LA)
2 - Cuauhtemoc Blanco (CHI)
2 - Christian Gomez (COL)
2 - Kenny Cooper (DAL)
1 - Carey Talley (CHV)
1 - Dwayne De Rosario (HOU)
1 - Jack Jewsbury (KC)
1 - Claudio Lopez (KC)
1 - Steve Ralston (NE)
1 - Mike Magee (NY)
1 - Dema Kovalenko (RSL)

0/1 - Stuart Holden (HOU)
0/1 - Shalrie Joseph (NE)
0/1 - Juan Pablo Angel (NY)
0/1 - Javier Morales (RSL)
0/1 - Amado Guevara (TOR)
0/1 - Collin Samuel (TOR)

Fouls Committed (min 35)
50 - Atiba Harris (CHV)
39 - Paulo Nagamura (CHV)
39 - Fred (DC)
37 - Andre Rocha (DAL)
36 - Carl Robinson (TOR)

Fouls Suffered (min 35)
61 - Cuauhtemoc Blanco (CHI)
55 - Alejandro Moreno (CLB)
53 - Guillermo Barros Schelotto (CLB)
46 - Robbie Rogers (CLB)
43 - Javier Morales (RSL)
37 - Marcelo Gallardo (DC)
36 - Jaime Moreno (DC)
36 - Atiba Harris (CHV)

Team Card Count
50 - DC United
47 - San Jose Earthquakes
46 - Chivas USA
41 - Chicago Fire
39 - Houston Dynamo
38 - Columbus Crew
38 - FC Dallas
37 - KC Wizards
35 - LA Galaxy
35 - NY Red Bulls
35 - Real Salt Lake
33 - Toronto FC
30 - Colorado Rapids
27 - NE Revolution

MLS: What Ever Happened To.....???

This is a list of the various players that made first team appearances with Major League Soccer clubs during the current 2008 season that are no longer with the league for one reason or another. Some of the players took a step up (Jozy Altidore, Brad Guzan, Maurice Edu, etc..) and many others were released into "Where do I go now" land.



Chivas USA
Chris Pozniak - now with Dundee FC (Scotland [2])
Brad Guzan - now with Aston Villa (England)

Colorado Rapids
Rafael Gomes - currently a free agent

Columbus Crew
Nicolas Nernandez - currently a free agent

DC United
Franco Niell - now with Gimnasia La Plata (Argentina)
Dan Stratford - currently a free agent
Jose Carvallo - now with Sporting Cristal (Peru)

FC Dallas
Juan Toja - now with Steaua Bucureşti (Romania)
Ricardinho - now with Atlético-PR (Brazil)

Houston Dynamo
Franco Caraccio - now with All Boys (Argentina [3])

Kansas City Wizards
Eloy Colombano - currently a free agent

Los Angeles Galaxy
Abel Xavier - currently looking for a hair stylist

New England Revolution
Argenis Fernandez - now loaned to LD Alajuelense (Costa Rica)
Chase Hilgenbrinck - retired to become a Catholic Priest

New York Red Bulls
Jozy Altidore - now with Villarreal (Spain)
Claudio Reyna - retired

Real Salt Lake
Matias Cordoba - now with Argentinos Juniors (Argentina)
Matias Mantilla - currently a free agent

San Jose Earthquakes
Peguero Jean Philippe - now with Brøndby IF (Denmark)

Toronto FC
Maurice Edu - now with Glasgow Rangers FC (Scotland)
Laurent Robert - currently a free agent
Andrea Lombardo - currently a free agent
Collin Samuel - now with St. Johnstone (Scotland [2])
Olivier Tebily - currently a free agent

Non-Concacaf Players in the CONCACAF Champions League

This is a listing of all the players from outside of CONCACAF on the rosters of this season's "new" CONCACAF Champion's League.

8 - DC United (USA)

Argentina: Gonzalo Peralta, Marcelo Gallardo
Bolivia: Jaime Moreno
Brazil: Fred, Luciano Emilio
Colombia: Gonzalo Martinez
Liberia: Louis Crayton, Francis Doe
Russia: Rod Dyachenko

6 - Puerto Rico Islanders (Puerto Rico)

Cameroon: William Yomby
Colombia: Daniel Ojeda
England: Taiwo Atieno
Italy: Cristian Arrieta
Liberia: Sandi Gbandi
Northern Ireland: Jonathan Steele

5 - Atlante (Mexico)

Argentina: Javier Muñoz Mustafá, Federico Vilar, Gabriel Pereyra
Venezuela: Giancarlo Maldonado
Colombia: Luis Gabriel Rey

5 - Cruz Azul (Mexico)

Argentina: Marcelo Carrusca
Paraguay: Cristian Riveros, Carlos Bonet, Pablo Zeballos
Uruguay: Nicolás Vigneri

4 - CD Luis Angel Firpo (El Salvador)

Argentina: Patricio Barroche, Leonardo Pekarnik, Fernando Leguizamón
Chile: Ramón Patricio Ávila

4 - CD Olimpia (Honduras)

Brazil: Fabio de Souza, Allan Júnior
Uruguay: Néstor Silva, Washington Ramiro Bruschi

4 - Montreal Impact (Canada)

Argentina: Leonardo Di Lorenzo
Bolivia: Pato Aguilera
Brazil: Severino Jefferson
France: Cédric Joqueviel

4 - Santos Laguna (Mexico)

Argentina: Fernando Ortiz, Walter Jiménez, Daniel Ludueña
Ecuador: Christian Benitez

3 - Chivas USA (USA)

Brazil: Paulo Nagamura
Romania: Alex Zotinca
Switzerland: Raphael Wicky

3 - Houston Dynamo (USA)

Cote d'Ivoire: Guy-Roland Kpene
England: Tony Caig
Sierra Leone: Kei Kamara

3 - New England Revolution (USA)

The Gambia: Kenny Mansally, Sainey Nyassi
Zimbabwe: Kheli Dube

3 - UNAM Pumas (Mexico)

Argentina: Martin Bravo
Paraguay: Darío Verón, Dante Lopez

2 - CD Marathón (Honduras)

Uruguay: Juan Obelar, Franco Sosa

2 - Deportivo Jalapa (Guatemala)

Brazil: Jorge Dos Santos, Israel Silva

2 - LD Alajuelense (Costa Rica)

Argentina: Martín Alejandro Civit, Juan Ignacio Sills

2 - San Francisco FC (Panama)

Argentina: Victor Suarez
Colombia: Deivis Granados

2 - Tauro FC (Panama)

Colombia: Dorian Lopez, Jhoan Melo

1 - CDS Municipal (Guatemala)

Colombia: Carlos Asprilla

1 - Joe Public (Trinidad and Tobago)

Colombia: Alejandro Figueroa

1 - Metapán (El Salvador)

Paraguay: Gabriel Garcete


Clubs with Zero Non-Concacaf Players

Deportivo Saprissa (Costa Rica)
Hankook Verdes (Belize)
Real Esteli (Nicaragua)
Harbor View (Jamaica)


The most represented nation from outside the region is Argentina, followed by Brazil.

Non-Concacaf Countries Represented:
Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Cameroon, Chile, Colombia, Cote d'Ivoire, Ecuador, England, France, Italy, Liberia, Northern Ireland, Paraguay, Romania, Russia, Sierra Leone, Switzerland, The Gambia, Uruguay, Venezuela, Zimbabwe


Unfortunately, I can't vouch for 100% accuracy on this particular post since the only place I could find a few of the "current" rosters for the smaller clubs was on Wikipedia. Feel free to send me any corrections if you find any mistakes.

Olympic Soccer Wrap: What Clubs and Leagues did the Goals come from?

This is a breakdown of all the offensive goals scored in the 2008 Olympic soccer tournament with the goal scorers and the clubs the players have moved/returned to after the tournament ended. 22 out of the 52 goal scorers came from clubs in Italy, England, and Spain.

Australia
1 - Ruben Zadkovich - Derby County (England)

Serbia
1 - Slobodan Rajković - FC Twente (Netherlands; Loan: from Chelsea)
1 - Miljan Mrdaković - Shandong Luneng (China)
1 - Đorđe Rakić - Red Bull Salzburg (Austria)

Cote D'Ivoire
2 - Sekou Cissé - Roda JC (Netherlands)
2 - Salomon Kalou - Chelsea (England)
1 - Gervinho - Le Mans (France)

Argentina
2 - Lionel Messi - FC Barcelona (Spain)
2 - Ángel Di María - SL Benfica (Portugal)
2 - Ezequiel Lavezzi - Napoli (Italy)
2 - Sergio Agüero - Atlético Madrid (Spain)
1 - Lautaro Acosta - Sevilla FC (Spain)
1 - Diego Buonanotte - River Plate (Argentina)
1 - Juan Roman Riquelme - Boca Juniors (Argentina)

USA
2 - Sacha Kljestan - Chivas USA (USA)
1 - Stuart Holden - Houston Dynamo (USA)
1 - Jozy Altidore - Villarreal (Spain)

Netherlands
2 - Gerald Sibon - SC Heerenveen (Netherlands)
1 - Ryan Babel - Liverpool (England)
1 - Otman Bakkal - FC Twente (Netherlands; Loan: from PSV Eindhoven)

Nigeria
3 - Victor Obinna - Chievo (Italy)
2 - Chinedu Obasi - 1899 Hoffenheim (Germany)
1 - Victor Anichebe - Everton (England)
1 - Promise Isaac - Trabzonspor (Turkey)
1 - Olubayo Adefemi - Hapoel Bnei Lod (Israel)
1 - Chibuzor Okonkwo - Bayelsa United (Nigeria)
1 - Peter Odemwingie - Lokomotiv Moscow (Russia)

Japan
1 - Yohei Toyoda - Montedio Yamagata (Japan; Loan: from Grampus Eight)

Brazil
2 - Diego - Werder Bremen (Germany)
2 - Jô - Manchester City (England)
2 - Thiago Neves - Fluminense (Brazil)
2 - Ronaldinho - AC Milan (Italy)
2 - Rafael Sóbis - Real Betis (Spain)
1 - Hernanes - São Paulo (Brazil)
1 - Anderson - Manchester United (England)
1 - Alexandre Pato - AC Milan (Italy)
1 - Marcelo - Real Madrid (Spain)

Belgium
3 - Moussa Dembélé - AZ Alkmaar (Netherlands)
2 - Kevin Mirallas - Lille (France)
2 - Faris Haroun - Germinal Beerschot (Belgium)
1 - Laurent Ciman - Club Brugge (Belgium)

China
1 - Dong Fangzhuo - Manchester United (England)

New Zealand
1 - Jeremy Brocki - Hawke's Bay United (New Zealand)

Italy
4 - Giuseppe Rossi - Villarreal (Spain)
1 - Sebastian Giovinco - Juventus (Italy)
1 - Tommaso Rocchi - Lazio (Italy)
1 - Riccardo Montolivo - Fiorentina (Italy)
1 - Robert Acquafresca - Cagliari (Italy)

Korea
1 - Park Chu-Young - FC Seoul (Korea)
1 - Kim Dong-Jin - Zenit St. Petersburg (Russia)

Cameroon
1 - Georges Mandjeck - VfB Stuttgart (Germany)
1 - Stéphane Mbia - Stade Rennais (France)



Nations where the Goal Scorers play Club Soccer:
8 - Italy
7 - England
7 - Spain
5 - Netherlands
3 - France
3 - Germany
2 - Argentina
2 - Belgium
2 - Brazil
2 - Russia
2 - USA
1 - China
1 - Austria
1 - Israel
1 - Japan
1 - Korea
1 - New Zealand
1 - Nigeria
1 - Portugal
1 - Turkey


Spain's Villarreal was the top scoring club with 4 goals from Giuseppe Rossi (Top Scorer of the Tournament) and 1 goal from Jozy Altidore. who were both born in New Jersey.

Belgium and Club Brugge's Laurent Ciman made one brief 15 minute appearance in the entire tournament and scored a consolation goal against Nigeria in the Semi Finals.

Leading scorer Giuseppe Rossi scored 3 of his tournament leading 4 goals from the penalty spot.

Nigeria and Chievo's impressive Victor Obinna was second with 3 goals but also led the tournament in assists with 3.

Overage Players with Goals:
Gerald Sibon (2); Ronaldinho (2); Juan Roman Riquelme (1); Tommaso Rocchi (1); Peter Odemwingie (1)

English Top Scorers in the Premiership since 1998/1999

It's been a while since an Englishman has led the English Premier League in scoring, going way back to 99/00 when Sunderland's Kevin Phillips led the league with 30 goals. That total was also good for a European Golden Boot award with Phillips being the only Englishmen to achieve that accomplishment to date. Phillips total is also the last time a player from outside of the Big Four clubs led the league in scoring.

In recent seasons, Englishmen have been off the goal scoring pace by quite a wide margin. Will any English player be able to turn that around this season? Bent? Agbonlahor? Ashton? Defoe? Lescott :)? etc..?

The numbers list the top scorer followed by the top English scorer for each season.



2007/2008
31 - Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)

12 - Jermain Defoe (T-11th; Tottenham/Portsmouth)
12 - Wayne Rooney (T-11th; Manchester United)

2006/2007
20 - Didier Drogba (Chelsea)

14 - Wayne Rooney (4th; Manchester United)

2005/2006
27 - Thierry Henry (Arsenal)

18 - Darren Bent (3rd; Charlton)

2004/2005
25 - Thierry Henry (Arsenal)

21 - Andrew Johnson (2nd; Crystal Palace)

2003/2004
30 - Thierry Henry (Arsenal)

22 - Alan Shearer (2nd; Newcastle United)

2002/2003
25 - Ruud van Nistelrooy (Manchester United)

23 - James Beattie (3rd; Southampton)

2001/2002
24 - Thierry Henry (Arsenal)

23 - Alan Shearer (T-2nd; Newcastle)

2000/2001
23 - Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (Chelsea)

19 - Marcus Stewart (2nd; Ipswich Town)

1999/2000
30 - Kevin Phillips (1st; Sunderland)

1998/1999
18 - Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (Leeds United)

18 - Michael Owen (T-1st; Liverpool)

Zinedine "Zizou" Zidane - Career Highlight Film

After yesterday's utterly stupid (and admittedly stale) Zidane headbutt video, I had to post a contrasting video showing the brilliant player that Zizou was the other 99% of his career.

Zidane
Uploaded by Dan21


I'll get back to more regular posts soon, I've been short on time recently.

The Ultimate Zidane Headbutt Video

I'm a bit late to the Zidane headbutt party on this post (and it's been way overdone the past two years), but I couldn't pass up posting this "Ultimate" compilation video showing a bunch of funny and creative gif and video takes on the Zidane-Materazzi encounter in the last World Cup. There are some moments of pure genius in the video, especially if you've played your fair share of old school video games. Warning: Be aware that there is quite a bit of "Mortal Combat-esque" cartoon violence in the video if that's not your thing.



Originally Posted at Youtube by Dan5555 in 2006.

US Soccer Goal Breakdown (Bob Bradley Era)

I'm sure I'm not alone in noticing that a lot of the goals in US Soccer's current Bob Bradley era have come from defenders and set pieces (including Los scoring a big one in WCQ). I thought I'd break down who is scoring the goals over the last two years by position. For the interchangeable position players Donovan (MF) and Dempsey (FW) I used their listed position at the US Soccer website.

34 goals by Forwards and Midfielders
12 goals by Defenders

=

Basically 1 in 4 goals (%26) have come from defenders.

2008

Forwards (6)
2 - Brian Ching
2 - Clint Dempsey
1 - Jozy Altidore
1 - Eddie Johnson

Midfielders (4)
2 - Landon Donovan
1 - Michael Bradley
1 - Eddie Lewis

Defenders (5)
2 - Oguchi Onyewu
2 - Carlos Bocanegra
1 - Eddie Robinson


2007

Forwards (8)
3 - Clint Dempsey
2 - Eddie Johnson
1 - Kenny Cooper
1 - Taylor Twellman
1 - Brian Ching

Midfielders (16)
9 - Landon Donovan
3 - DaMarcus Beasley
2 - Benny Feilhaber
1 - Michael Bradley
1 - Ricardo Clark

Defenders (7)
2 - Carlos Bocanegra
1 - Oguchi Onyewu
1 - Jimmy Conrad
1 - Jonathan Bornstein
1 - Steve Cherundolo
1 - Frankie Hejduk

MLS Loyal Players (100 games with the Same Team)

These are current players in Major League Soccer that have played at least 100 regular season games with the same team without ever playing for any other MLS team.

Name - Team -- Apps. Reg Season (Playoffs)

CJ Brown - Chicago -- 252 (32)
Bobby Rhine - Dallas -- 211 (13)
Ben Olsen - DC United -- 201 (22)
Peter Vagenas - Los Angeles -- 177 (19)
Taylor Twellman - New England -- 161 (21)
Bryan Namoff - DC United -- 160 (12)
Davy Arnaud - Kansas City -- 156 (10)
Shalrie Joseph - New England -- 151 (17)
Logan Pause - Chicago -- 137 (7)
Jack Jewsbury - Kansas City -- 129 (7)
Jeff Parke - New York -- 126 (6)
Duncan Oughton - Columbus -- 122 (7)
Chad Marshall - Columbus -- 116 (2)
Michael Parkhurst - New England -- 104 (12)
Francisco Mendoza - Chivas USA -- 101 (4)


Trivia: This list only includes current players, can you name the now retired player with the most career appearances for only one team in the history of MLS?

Interesting Soccer Club Logos

I was looking around at a club logo site the other day and found some rather interesting logos for a few teams around the world. There are a ton of Lion and Eagle logos around the world, but I didn't expect to find Dolphins, Cartoon Dragons, and little Gnome type dudes. Here are some of the better ones I found:

FC Jazz-Pori (Finland - Veikkausliiga)


AC Cesena (Italy - Serie C1)


Nimes Olympique (France - Ligue 2)


Sioni Bolnisi (Georgia - Umaglesi Liga)



Pezoporikos Larnaca (Cyprus - Cypriot Championship)



Barry Town (Wales - Welsh Football League, Second Division)


FC Lorient (France - Ligue 1)


FC Ashdod (Israel - Ligat ha'Al)



RC Paris - Old Logo (France - Fourth Division)


Jokerit Helskini (Finland - Disbanded 2003)


1. FC Köln (Germany - Bundesliga)


Avenir Beggen (Luxembourg - National Division)

MLS Every Game Starters

These are the players in Major League Soccer that have started every possible regular season game so far this season (through 19 or 20 games). Colorado and Toronto have zero players that have started every game while Columbus and Kansas City have 5 players each that are consistent starters.

Chicago Fire
Justin Mapp (1606min)
Jon Busch (1800min)

Chivas USA
Jesse Marsch (1664min)

Colorado Rapids
NONE

Columbus Crew
Alejandro Moreno (1799min)
Guillermo Barros Schelotto (1661min)
Chad Marshall (1675min)
Brian Carroll (1800min)
Will Hesmer (1800min)

DC United
Clyde Simms (1710min)

FC Dallas
Kenny Cooper (1787min)

Houston Dynamo
Bobby Boswell (1710min)

Kansas City Wizards
Jimmy Conrad (1800min)
Claudio Lopez (1768min)
Jack Jewsbury (1741min)
Michael Harrington (1734min)
Kevin Hartman (1800min)

LA Galaxy
Chris Klein (1785min)
Steve Cronin (1800min)

New England Revolution
Jay Heaps (1710min)
Matt Reis (1675min)

NY Red Bulls
Kevin Goldthwaite (1629min)
Jon Conway (1800min)

Real Salt Lake
Kyle Beckerman (1783min)
Nat Borchers (1800min)
Nick Rimando (1800min)

San Jose
Ramiro Corralles (1791min)
Joe Cannon (1800min)

Toronto
NONE


Here is the list of players that have played every possible minute of every regular season game so far this season.

Jon Busch - CHI
Brian Carroll - CLB
Will Hesmer - CLB
Bobby Boswell - HOU
Jimmy Conrad - KC
Kevin Hartman - KC
Steve Cronin - LA
Jay Heaps - NE
Jon Conway - NY
Nat Borchers - RSL
Nick Rimando - RSL
Joe Cannon - SJ

Columbus' Alejandro Moreno just missed this list having played 1799 out of 1800 possible minutes so far this regular season.

08/09 Manchester United - Interactive Player Map

This is a map showing where all of the first team Manchester United players were born. Zoom all the way in to see the players home cities and towns from all over the world. Click view larger map for easier navigation options.


View Larger Map

08/09 Arsenal FC - Interactive Player Map

This is a map showing where all of the first team Arsenal Players were born. Zoom all the way in to see the players home cities and towns from all over the world. Click view larger map for easier navigation options.


View Larger Map

Goal II: Living the Dream Trailer

I know that Goal 2 was released well over a year ago in most European countries and many of the reviews have been less than stellar, but I'm still excited to see the exploits of Santiago Munez at Real Madrid. It's finally getting a release here in the US on August 29, 2008 and even though I'm sure the movie has it's fair share of cheesy moments I enjoyed the first Goal and am looking forward to the sequel. Here is a trailer from Goal II: Living the Dream.

Goal 2 trailer @ Yahoo! Video

Nicolas Anelka Transfer Fees

I saw this article on the foxsoccer website today and I wondered how much the many transfers of Nicolas Anelka have added up to. Here's what I found:



£500,000 ($938,649) -- PSG to Arsenal
£22,300,000 ($41,874,135) -- Arsenal to Real Madrid
£20,000,000 ($37,555,278) -- Real Madrid to PSG
£12,000,000 ($22,533,166) -- PSG to Manchester City
£7,000,000 ($13,145,501) -- Manchester City to Fenerbahçe
£8,000,000 ($15,023,430) -- Fenerbahçe to Bolton
£15,000,000 ($28,168,931) -- Bolton to Chelsea

Total - £84,800,000 ($159,239,090)

Nigerian Soccer Players in Europe

This is a listing of all of the top-division Nigerian players currently on European clubs.

Armenia
Adoeffe Efe Showboy - FC Ulysses Yerevan

Azerbaijan
Viktor Ibekoyi - FK Karabakh

Belarus
Sylvester Alexander Alumona - FC Neman Hrodna
Darlington Ihejene - FC Vitebsk

Belgium
Mozes Adams - KVC Westerlo
Joseph Akpala - R. Charleroi S.C.
Mohammed Aliyu Datti - R.A.E.C. Mons
Tosin Dosunmu - Germinal Beefschot
Razak Ekpoki - KAA Gent
Obiora Odita - KVC Westerlo
Azubuike Oliseh - K.S.V. Roeselare
Emmanuel Sarki - KVC Westerlo

Bulgaria
Deniran Ortega - Slavia Sofia
Shikoze Udoji - CSKA Sofia

Cyprus
Rasheed Alabi - AC Omonia
Lewis Aniweta - Alki Lamaca
Haruna Babangida - Apollon Limassol
Eric Ejiofor - Alki Larnarca
Andrew Esealuka - APEP Pitsilia
Joshua Izuchukwu - AEK Larnaca
Joseph Nwafor - AEK Larnaca
Waheed Akanni Oseni - Apollon Limassol

Denmark
Samuel Agba - Esbjerg fB
Yakubu Akilu - FC Midtjylland
Baba Collins - FC Midtjylland
Adeshina Lawal - Vejle Boldklub
Jude Nworuh - FC Midtjylland
Sekou Oliseh - FC Midtjylland
Adigun Salami - FC Midtjylland

England
Yakubu Aiyegbeni - Everton
Victor Anichebe - Everton
Dickson Etuhu - Sunderland
Nwankwo Kanu - Portsmouth
Obafemi Martins - Newcastle United
John Obi Mikel - Chelsea
John Utaka - Portsmouth
Joseph Yobo - Everton

Faroe Islands
Obele Okebe - Skála Ítróttarfelag

Finland
Dominic Chatto - FC Inter Turku
Philip Edeipo - RoPS
Raphael Edereho - VPS
Daniel Nwoke - Tampere United
Obinna Okafor - FC KooTeePee
Echiabhi Okodugha - KuPS

France
Rabiu Afolabi - FC Sochaux
Onyekachi Apam - OGC Nice
Uwa Elderson Echiéjilé - Rennes
Taye Taiwo - Marseille

Germany
Manasseh Ishiaku - 1. FC Köln
Chinedu "Edu" Obasi - 1899 Hoffenheim

Greece
Victor Agali - Skoda Xanthi
Patrick Ogunsoto - Ergotelis FC
Egutu Oliseh - Panthrakikos

Israel
Dele Aiyenugba - Bnei Yehuda
Yero Bello - Ironi Kiryat Shmona
Vincent Enyeama - Hapeol Tel Aviv
Blessing Kaku - Maccabi Petah Tikva FC
Felix Ogbuke - Hapoel Tel Aviv

Italy
Odion Jude Ighalo - Udinese
Victor Obinna - Chievo

Lithuania
Israel Awenayeri Douglas - FK Atlantas

Macedonia
Adekunle Lukmon - FK Rabotnicki

Malta
Ndubisi Chukenyere - Hibernians FC
Sunday Eboh - Birkirkara
Precious Onyeabor Monye - Hamrun Spartans FC
Edafe Uzeh - Hibernians FC

Moldova
Kennedy Chinwo - Sherrif Tiraspol

Netherlands
Dele Adeleye - Sparta Rotterdam
Oluwafemi "Femi" Ajilore - FC Groningen
Sani Kaita - Sparta Rotterdam

Norway
Oluwasegun Abiodun - HamKam
Peter Ijeh - Viking FK
Paul Obiefule - FC Lyn Oslo

Poland
Martins Ekwueme - Legia Warsaw
Ugo Ukah - Widzew Łódź

Romania
Abiodun Agunbiade - FC Timişoara
Ifeanyi Emeghara - Steaua Bucureşti
Dino Eze - Gloria Buzău
Kehinde Fatai - FC Farul Constanţa

Russia
Richard Eromoigbe - FC Khimki
Peter Odemwingie - Lokomotiv Moscow
Isaac Okoronkwo - FC Moscow

Slovenia
Sunday Ibeji - NK Koper
Jonathan Odiri - NK Drava
Eugene Obi Ohunta - NK Drava
John Ugochukwu - NK Drava

Spain
Barth Ogbeche - Real Valladolid
Ikechukwu Uche - Getafe CF
Kalu Uche - UD Almeria

Sweden
Kevin Amuneke - IFK Norrköping
Abiola Dauda - Kalmar FF
Prince Ikpe Ekong - Djurgårdens IF
Pascal Kondoponi - Ljungskile SK
Edward Ofere - Malmö FF
Akombo Ukeyima - GIF Sundsvall

Switzerland
Saidu Adeshina - FC Sion
Brown Ideye Aide - Neuchâtel Xamax
Obinna Nwaneri - FC Sion
Onyekachi Okonkwo - FC Zurich
Adewale Wahab - AC Bellinzona

Turkey
Julius Aghahowa - Kayserispor
Isaac Promise - Trabzonspor

Ukraine
Samson Godwin - Karpaty Lviv
Lucky Idahor - SC Tavriya Simferopol
Sunny Kingsley - Metalurh Donetsk
Onyekachi Nwoha - FC Zorya Luhansk
Emmanuel Okoduwa - Dynamo Kiev
Frank Temile - Dynamo Kiev
Ayila Yussuf - Dynamo Kiev

Beijing Olympic Players in Home Nation Domestic Leagues

These are all of the players on the Olympic Soccer rosters that play their club soccer in the country they represent. It varies quite a bit, from 17 out of 18 Italian players based in Italy to only 2 players from Cameroon playing in their home domestic league. This post came about because during the US games I noticed that it was almost MLS (USA) vs. J-League (Japan) and Eredivisie (Netherlands) based teams with a few exceptions.

GROUP A

Argentina - 17%
Luciano Fabián Monzón - Boca Juniors
Juan Román Riquelme - Boca Juniors
Diego Buonanotte - River Plate

Australia - 50%
Tando Velaphi - Perth Glory
Nikolai Topor-Stanley - Perth Glory
Nikita Rukavytsya - Perth Glory
Jade North - Newcastle Jets
Stuart Musialik - Sydney FC
Mark Bridge - Sydney FC
Kristian Sarkies - Adelaide United
Billy Celeski - Melbourne Victory
Archie Thompson - Melbourne Victory

Côte d'Ivoire - 28%
Vincent de Paul Angban - ASEC Mimosas
Serge Wawa - ASEC Mimosas
Antoine N'Gossan - ASEC Mimosas
Christian Fabrice Okoua - Africa Sports
Mamadou Bagayoko - Africa Sports

Serbia - 44%
Saša Stamenković - Napredak Kruševac
Predrag Pavlović - Napredak Kruševac
Marko Jovanović - Partizan
Ljubomir Fejsa - Partizan
Zoran Tošić - Partizan
Nenad Tomović - Red Star Belgrade
Andrija Kaluđerović - OFK Beograd
Dušan Tadić - Vojvodina

GROUP B

Japan - 89%
Shusaku Nichikawa - Oita Trinita
Masato Morishige - Oita Trinita
Kaito Yamamoto - Shimizu S-Pulse
Takuya Honda - Shimizu S-Pulse
Shinji Okazaki - Shimizu S-Pulse
Maya Yoshida - Nagoya Grampus
Hiroki Mizumoto - Kyoto Sanga FC
Yuto Nagatomo - FC Tokyo
Yohei Kajiyama - FC Tokyo
Atsuto Uchida - Kashima Antlers
Michihiro Yasuda - Gamba Osaka
Hajime Hosogai - Urawa Red Diamonds
Hiroyuki Taniguchi - Kawasaki Frontale
Shinji Kagawa - Cerezo Osaka
Yohei Toyoda - Montedio Yamagata
Tadanari Lee - Kashiwa Reysol

Netherlands - 72%
Piet Velthuizen - Vitesse
Kenneth Vermeer - Ajax
Urby Emanuelson - Ajax
Dirk Marcellis - PSV
Erik Pieters - PSV
Otman Bakkal - PSV
Kew Jaliens - AZ
Kees Luyckx - AZ
Calvin Jong-a-Pin - Heerenveen
Gerald Sibon - Heerenveen
Roy Beerens - Heerenveen
Jonathan de Guzman - Feyenoord
Roy Makaay - Feyenoord

Nigeria - 28%
Ambruse Vanzekin - Akwa United
Ikechukwu Ezenwa - Ocean Boys
Chibuzor Okonkwo - Bayelsa United FC
Monday James - Bayelsa United FC
Efe Ambrose - Kaduna United

USA - 44%
Chris Seitz - Real Salt Lake
Patrick Ianni - Houston Dynamo
Stuart Holden - Houston Dynamo
Michael Parkhurst - New England Revolution
Dax McCarty - FC Dallas
Robbie Rogers - Columbus Crew
Sacha Kljestan - Chivas USA
Brian McBride - Chicago Fire


Group C

Belgium - 39%
Logan Bailly - Racing Genk
Faris Haroun - Racing Genk
Laurent Ciman - Club Brugge
Jeroen Simaeys - Club Brugge
Marouane Fellaini - Standard Liège
Landry Mulemo - Standard Liège
Stijn De Smet - Cercle Brugge

Brazil - 33%
Renan - International
Alex Silva - São Paulo
Hernanes - São Paulo
Thiago Silva - Fluminense
Thiago Neves - Fluminense
Ramires - Cruzeiro

China PR - 89%
Qiu Shengjiong - Shanghai Shenhua
Li Weifeng - Shanghai Shenhua
Shen Longyuan - Shanghai Shenhua
Gao Lin - Shanghai Shenhua
Liu Zhenli - Qingdao Jonoon
Jiang Ning - Qingdao Jonoon
Tan Wangsong - Tianjin Teda
Hao Junmin - Tianjin Teda
Feng Xiaoting - Dalian Shide
Zhao Xuri - Dalian Shide
Yuan Weiwei - Shandong Luneng
Zhou Haibin - Shandong Luneng
Han Peng - Shandong Luneng
Cui Peng - Shandong Luneng
Wan Houliang - Shaanxi Chanba
Chen Tao - Changsha Ginde

New Zealand - 61%
Jacob Spoonley - Wellington Phoenix (A-League)
Aaron Scott - Wellington Phoenix (A-League)
Liam Little - Otago United
Ian Hogg - Hawke's Bay United
Sam Jenkins - Hawke's Bay United
Cole Peverly - Hawke's Bay United
Jeremy Brockie - Hawke's Bay United
Sam Messam - Hawke's Bay United
Cole Tinkler - Team Wellington
Daniel Ellensohn - Team Wellington
Shaun van Rooyen - Waikato FC

GROUP D

Cameroon - 11%
Armour Patrick Tignyemb - Tonnerre Yaoundé
Paul Rolland Bebey Kingué - Les Astres

Honduras - 83%
Kevin Hernandez - Victoria
Obed Enamorado - Vida
Quiarol Arzu - Platense
Marvin Sánchez - Platense
David Molina - Motagua
Rigoberto Padilla - Motagua
Jorge Claros - Motagua
Luis Rodas - Motagua
Jefferson Bernardez - Motagua
Luis López - Motagua
Erick Norales - Marathon
David Álvarez - Marathon
Andres Morales - Real España
Carlos Pavón - Real España
Ramon Nunez - Olimpia

Italy - 94%
Emiliano Viviano - Brescia
Andrea Consigli - Atalanta
Marco Motta - Udinese
Andrea Coda - Udinese
Paolo De Ceglie - Juventus
Claudio Marchisio - Juventus
Sebastian Giovinco - Juventus
Domenico Criscito - Genoa
Salvatore Bocchetti - Genoa
Lorenzo De Silvestri - Lazio
Tommaso Rocchi - Lazio
Antonio Nocerino - Palermo
Riccardo Montolivo - Fiorentina
Daniele Dessena - Sampdoria
Robert Acquafresca - Cagliari
Ignazio Abate - Torino
Luca Cigarini - Parma

Korea Republic - 89%
Jung Sung-Ryong - Seongnam Ilhwa
Kim Jung-Woo - Seongnam Ilhwa
Song Yoo-Geol - Incheon United
Shin Kwang-Hoon - Pohang Steelers
Kang Min-Soo - Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
Kim Jin-Kyu - Busan l'Park
Kim Kun-Hoan - Kyun Hee University
Oh Jang-Eun - Ulsan Hyundai
Lee Chung-Yong - FC Seoul
Ki Sung-Yong - FC Seoul
Park Chu-Young - FC Seoul
Kim Seung-Yong - Gwangju Sangmu Phoenix
Baek Ji-Hoon - Suwon Samsung Bluewings
Shin Young-Rok - Suwon Samsung Bluewings
Lee Keun-Ho - Daegu FC


Percent from Home Domestic Leagues:
94% - Italy
89% - China PR
89% - Korea Republic
89% - Japan
83% - Honduras
72% - Netherlands
61% - New Zealand
50% - Australia
44% - Serbia
44% - USA
39% - Belgium
33% - Brazil
28% - Côte d'Ivoire
28% - Nigeria
17% - Argentina
11% - Cameroon

Most Represented Clubs (Home Nation Players only)
6 - Motagua (Honduras)
5 - Hawke's Bay United (New Zealand)
4 - Shanghai Shenhua (China)
4 - Shandong Luneng (China)
3 - Heerenveen (Netherlands)
3 - PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands)
3 - Shimizu S-Pulse (Japan)
3 - Partizan (Serbia)
3 - ASEC Mimosas (Cote d'Ivoire)
3 - Perth Glory (Australia)

Italian Serie A Players at the Beijing Olympics

Argentina
Ezequiel Lavezzi - Napoli

Serbia
Aleksandar Kolarov - Lazio
Nikola Gulan - Fiorentina

Japan
Takayuki Morimoto - Catania

Nigeria
Victor Nsofor Obinna - Chievo

USA
Danny Szetela - Brescia (Serie B)

Belgium
Anthony Vanden Borre - Genoa

Brazil
Ronaldinho - AC Milan
Alexandre Pato - AC Milan

Italy
Imiliano Viviano - Brescia (Serie B)
Andrea Consigli - Atalanta
Marco Motta - Udineses
Andrea Coda - Udinese
Paolo De Ceglie - Juventus
Claudio Marchisio - Juventus
Sebastian Giovinco - Juventus
Domenico Criscito - Genoa
Salvatore Bocchetti - Genoa
Lorenzo De Silvestri - Lazio
Tommaso Rocchi - Lazio
Antonio Nocerino - Palermo
Luca Cigarini - Parma (Serie B)
Riccardo Motolivo - Fiorentina
Daniele Dessena - Sampdoria
Robert Acquafresca - Cagliari
Ignazio Abate - Torino


Bundesliga Players
La Liga Players
Premiership Players

German Bundesliga Players at the Beijing Olympics

Argentina
José Ernesto Sosa - Bayern Munich

Australia
Matthew Spiranovic - FC Nurnberg (2.bundesliga)

Serbia
Gojko Kačar - Hertha Berlin
Duško Tošić - Werder Bremen

Nigeria
Chinedu Ogbuke - TSG 1899 Hoffenheim
Solomon Okoronkwo - Hertha Berlin

Belgium
Vincent Kompany - Hamburg

Brazil
Rafinha - Schalke 04
Breno - Bayern Munich
Diego - Werder Bremen

Cameroon
Georges Mandjeck - Stuttgart
Alain Junior Ollé Ollé - SC Freiburg (2.bundesliga)


La Liga Players
Serie A Players
Premiership Players

Naturalized Players from the Former Yugoslavia

I've noticed while perusing through player rosters and national team rosters countless times that there are a large amount of players from the former Yugoslavia playing for other national teams (a la Brazil).

Here is a list of players from the former Yugoslavia past and present who have become naturalized citizens of another country creating the opportunity to play for their adopted nation's national team.

Albania
Besart Berisha (Kosovo)

Australia
Branko Buljević (Croatia)
Mehmet Durakovic (Montenegro)
Milan Ivanović (Serbia)

Austria
Tomislav Kocijan (Croatia)
Ivica Vastić (Croatia)
Željko Vuković (Croatia)

Azerbaijan
Branimir Subašić (Serbia)

Belgium
Branko Strupar (Croatia)
Josip Weber (Croatia)
Gordan Vidovic (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Bulgaria
Igor Tomašić (Croatia)
Zoran Jankovic (Serbia)
Zlatomir Zagorčić (Serbia)
Predrag Pazin (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Canada
Srdjan Djekanovic (Serbia)

Cyprus
Siniša Gogić (Serbia)
Milenko Spoljaric (Serbia)

Finland
Perparim Hetemaj (Kosovo)
Shefki Kuqi (Kosovo)
Njazi Kuqi (Kosovo)

France
Ivan Bek (Serbia)

Singapore
Mirko Grabovac (Croatia)
Mustafic Fahrudin (Serbia)

South Korea
Radivoje Manic (Serbia)
Lee Sa-Vik (Bosnia)

Switzerland
Milaim Rama (Kosovo)
Rijat Shala (Kosovo)
Blerim Džemaili (Macedonia)

USA
Preki (Serbia)

World Record Transfer Fees

With all of the endless talk this summer of a $100 million Cristiano Ronaldo transfer to Real Madrid (that hasn't and likely won't happen), I set out to find the past world record transfer fees in world soccer. Well, it turns out this blog post is 7 years out of date. Oh well, yesterday's respect video was less than a day old when I posted it, split the difference and I'm only 3.5 years from cutting edge.

This is a listing of World Record Transfer Fees - at the time of the transfer - paid by clubs in the last 25 years.

(Since most of the fees paid were originally published in UK Pounds, these amounts are based on the current exchange rate from UK Pounds to rounded off US Dollars in millions)


2001
$90m - Zinedine Zidane - Juventus to Real Madrid

2000
$72m - Luis Figo - Barcelona to Real Madrid

2000
$70m - Hernán Crespo - Parma to Lazio

1999
$60m - Christian Vieri - Lazio to Inter Milan

1998
$45m - Denilson - São Paulo to Real Betis

1997
$38m - Ronaldo - Barcelona to Inter Milan

1996
$29m - Alan Shearer - Blackburn Rovers to Newcastle United

1992
$25m - Gianluigi Lentini - Torino to AC Milan

1992
$23m - Gianluca Vialli - Sampdori to Juventus

1992
$19m - Jean-Pierre Papin - Marseille to AC Milan

1990
$16m - Roberto Baggio - Fiorentina to Juventus

1987
$12m - Ruud Gullit - PSV Eindhoven to AC Milan

1984
$10m - Diego Maradona - Barcelona to Napoli


World Record Buying Clubs since 1984:

3 - AC Milan
2 - Inter Milan
2 - Juventus
2 - Real Madrid
1 - Lazio
1 - Napoli
1 - Newcastle United
1 - Real Betis


9 of the last 13 (69%) World Record Transfer buys were made by clubs in Italy.

In 1932, Argentina's River Plate (Los Millonarios) marked the only one time in soccer history that a world record fee has been paid by a club outside of Europe when they paid a fee of around $45,000 for Bernabé Ferreyra. The move paid off for the club, from 1932-1939 Ferreyra scored an amazing 187 goals in 185 games played.

I believe the largest transfer since the Zidane move in 2001 was Andriy Shevchenko's move from AC Milan to Chelsea for a reported fee of $60 million.

The FA says "Respect the Ref"

The English FA has recently released a video called "Respect" which is part of their campaign to reduce dissent towards officials. There's some cameos by a couple of big names including Fabio Capello and Howard Webb. It's a pretty funny video, check it out.




A brief excerpt about the subject from Reuters UK:

Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore told the FA's website (www.thefa.com): "Football engages, motivates and inspires -- but at times we know it can spill over and get ugly.

"The Premier League, our clubs, the players and the referees are all engaged; we want to make sure that this ends up being much more than a campaign and results in making unacceptable behaviour just that. Unacceptable."

08/09 Premiership Preseason Results

These are all of the preseason results for the top six clubs from last season's English Premier League season.


Manchester United (5-1-0)
2-0 Aberdeen (A)
1-1 Kaizer Chiefs (N)
1-0 Orlando Pirates (N)
2-1 Portsmouth (N)
1-0 RCD Espanyol (H)
2-0 Peterborough (A)

Chelsea (4-1-0)
4-0 Guangzhou (A)
7-0 Chengdu Blades (A)
2-0 Malaysian XI (A)
1-1 Lokomotiv Moscow (A) [Lokomotiv 5-4 pens]
5-0 AC Milan (A)

Arsenal (4-1-1)
2-1 Barnet (A)
1-1 Szombathelyi H. (A)
10-2 Burgenland XI (A)
3-1 VfB Stuttgart (A)
0-1 Juventus (H)
1-0 Real Madrid (H)

Liverpool (3-3-0)
1-0 Tranmere Rovers (A)
2-1 FC Lucerne (A)
1-1 Wisla Krakow (A)
0-0 Hertha Berlin (A)
0-0 Villarreal (A)
4-0 Glasgow Rangers (A)

Everton (2-1-3)
0-1 FC Sion (A)
2-4 Cambridge United (A)
1-0 Preston North End (A)
1-1 Nottingham Forest (A)
0-2 Chicago Fire (A)
2-1 Colorado Rapids (A)

Aston Villa (3-2-2)
6-0 FC Wil 1900 (A)
1-2 FC Zurich (A)
1-3 Lincoln City (A)
2-2 Odense (A) (Intertoto Cup)
3-2 Walsall (A)
1-0 Odense (H) (Intertoto Cup)
1-1 Reading (A)

FIFA 2 Star Certified Field Turf

The FIFA One and Two Star certifications were formulated by UEFA and FIFA to classify high-quality synthetic turf pitches. A FIFA Two Star pitch meets the highest standards and passes strict tests for comfort and safety. Since 2004, FIFA final round competitions and UEFA Champion League matches can only be played on Two Star certified synthetic turf.

Picture from Wikipedia

Top Division 2 Star FIFA Certified Turf Stadiums

BMO Field - Toronto FC (Canada)
Gillette Stadium - New England Revolution (USA)
Luzhniki Stadium - Torpedo and Spartak Moscow (Russia)
Denizli Atatürk Stadium - Denizlispor (Turkey)
Polman Stadion - Haracles Almelo (Netherlands)
Kras Stadium - FC Volendam (Netherlands)
Marvin Lee Stadium - Joe Public FC (Trinidad and Tobago)
Estadio Alfonso Lopez - Atlético Bucaramanga (Colombia)
Alfheim Stadium - Tromsø (Norway)
Aspmyra Stadium - Bodø/Glimt (Norway)
Color Line Stadium - Aalesunds FK (Norway)
Finnair Stadium - HJK Helsinki (Finland)
Behrn Arena - Örebro SK (Sweden)
Red Bull Arena - Red Bull Salzburg (Austria)
Stade de Genève - Servette FC (Switzerland)
Stade de Suisse Wankdorf - Young Boys (Switzerland)
Stade La Maladiere - Neuchâtel Xamax (Switzerland)
Asmara National Stadium - Eritrea
Stade de Municipal de Kigali - Rwanda
Estadio Nacional - Peru


FIFA 2 Star Requirements
If you want to get all Mr. Wizard about these numbers, check out this link (pdf)

Vertical Ball Rebound - 0.60m to 0.85m
Angle Ball Rebound - Dry 45% to 60%; Wet 45% to 80%
Ball Roll - 4m to 8m (After 12 months play - 4m to 10m)
Shock Absorption - 60% to 70%
Vertical Deformation - 4mm to 9mm
Rotational Resistance - 30Nm - 45Nm
Skin/Surface Friction - 0.35 to 0.75
Skin Abrasion - +- 30%

From a FIFA Technical Study (pdf) of a Home and Home Series in the UEFA Cup Between Red Bull Salzburg (Turf) and Blackburn Rovers (Grass) in September 2006.

Artificial turf does not dramatically effect the pattern of a football match with clear similarities in the data from games played on grass turf.

The data would suggest that players on artificial grass may be able to control the ball easier (less touches per possession), are more comfortable in possession (more passes received and higher pass success rates) and could be more at ease running with the ball (more dribbles)

The fact that there were less headers recorded (compared to Blackburn's data in the league and UEFA Cup average) and that there were noticeably more passes made in teams' own halves suggests that artificial turf may encourage a more patient attacking build up (less high balls)

There were generally less tackles and fouls on artificial turf (compared to the average game on grass) suggesting that players are more likely to stay on their feet rather than slide into challenges

FIFA.com - Does the game change on Football Turf?

Their comprehensive study conclusion was that "there are no significant differences in the objective data from the technical studies to date focusing on football turf versus top-quality natural grass."

Other key findings included that the ‘ball in play' time for matches was extremely similar on Football Turf and natural grass; 55-56 per cent of the game on average, players enjoyed a similar number of touches on the ball on both surfaces and no notable differences were observed in terms of the passing success rates.

From a risk for injury report (pdf) from FIFA.com

The only significant difference in injury pattern in this study was a higher risk of ankle sprain during matches on artificial turf and a lower risk of lower extremity muscle injuries. However, the tendency towards a lower rate of severe injuries on grass during training should be investigated further. Wounds, burns and friction injuries have also been reported to be more common on artificial turf.

Clubs that have Practice Fields with Field Turf
Arsenal, Aston Villa, Birmingham City, Blackburn,, Charlton Athletic, Chelsea, Fulham, Leeds United, Manchester City, Middlesbrough, Norwich City, Glasgow Rangers, Werder Bremen, Lokomotiv, CSKA, FC Barcelona, Ajax, FC Sheriff, Shakhtar Donetsk, Monarcas Morelia, Necaxa, Chivas Guadalajara


It seems that from a fan and player perspective, the artificial stuff doesn't go over as well as with these FIFA studies. What are your thoughts on the turf vs. grass debate?

Summer 2008 Transfers: La Liga Foreign Imports

This is a listing of all of the players who've transferred to Spain's La Liga from clubs outside of Spain during this summer's transfer window so far (from May-July).


8/13 - Renan - Internacional to Valencia
8/04 - Rafael van der Vaart - Hamburger SV to Real Madrid

07/18 - Achille Emana - Toulouse to Real Betis
07/17 - Nasief Morris - Panathinaikos to Recreativo de Huelva
07/17 - Sebastien Suillaci - Lyon to Sevilla
07/16 - Aliaksandr Hleb - Arsenal to Barcelona
07/14 - Joffre Guerrón - LDU Quito to Getafe
07/10 - Mehmet Aurélio - Fenerbahçe S.K. to Real Betis
07/08 - Hernan Pellerano - Vélez Sársfield to UD Almeria
07/07 - Alhassane Keita - Al-Ittihad to RCD Mallorca
07/06 - Paulo Assunção - FC Porto to Atlético Madrid
07/06 - Gregory Coupet - Lyon to Atlético Madrid
07/04 - Eugen Polanski - Borussia Mönchengladbach to Getafe
07/04 - Filipe Kasmirski - CA Rentistas (URU) to Deportivo de La Coruña
07/03 - Iñaki Astiz - Legia Warsaw to Osasuna
07/03 - Damián Escudero - Vélez Sársfield to Villarreal
07/02 - Sebastian Nayar - Boca Juniors to Recreativo de Huelva
07/01 - Zé António - Borussia Mönchengladbach to Racing Santander
07/01 - Tomáš Ujfaluši - Fiorentina to Atlético Madrid


06/23 - Michel - Flamengo to UD Almeria
06/23 - Koffi Romaric - Le Mans to Sevilla
06/23 - Masoud Shojaei - Sharjah FC (UAE) to Osasuna
06/20 - Christian Pouga - AC Bellinzona (SWI) to Sevilla
06/19 - Abdoulay Konko - Genoa to Sevilla
06/19 - Pablo Piatti - Estudiantes to UD Almeria
06/18 - Justo Villar - Newell's Old Boys to Valladolid
06/15 - Esteban Solari - Pumas UNAM to UD Almeria
06/06 - Robert Flores - River Plate (URU) to Villarreal
06/06 - Jozy Altidore - Red Bull New York to Villarreal


05/29 - Lautaro Acosta - Lanus to Sevilla
05/27 - Gerard Piqué - Manchester United to Barcelona
05/25 - John Heitinga - Ajax to Atlético Madrid
05/22 - Omar Bravo - Chivas de Guadalajara to Deportivo de La Coruña
05/20 - Sebastián Eguren - Hammarby IF to Villarreal
05/14 - İbrahim Kaş - Beşiktaş to Getafe
05/13 - Cristian Álvarez - Rosario Central to RCD Espanyol


Where'd They Come From?

6 - Argentina
4 - France
3 - Germany
2 - Brazil, England, Italy, Mexico, Turkey, Uruguay
1 - Ecuador, Greece, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Switzerland, UAE, USA

Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 Preview Video

There's always a PES vs FIFA debate going on somewhere in the cyber world. I've always been a PES/WE player but I think last year was the first year that FIFA made me think about switching over. It's great how FIFA has all of the official licencing, but IMO PES has always had more tactically realistic gameplay (although the gap closed a bit in 2008). Hopefully some of the next-gen problems can be ironed out in PES 2009 and put it back to the undisputed top of my soccer gaming pedestal. Here's a preview of the new PES:

Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 - First Trailer
Uploaded by dpadmagazine

PES or FIFA?