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So.. I decided to reappear after being gone for a couple years.

What did I miss?? haha.

I guess my account got deleted for inactivity (says no such user when i try to log in), but I don't see why when I logged in yesterday... but if it did then can you re-enable? Thanks. btw I'm JARMO.

American goalkeeper Kasey Keller expects his approach to remain the same, even after being elected captain of the German soccer club Borussia Moenchengladbach by his teammates.

"I'm honored and very happy, but it doesn't make a big difference for me -- I've always spoken my mind anyhow,'' Keller said Thursday.

The 36-year-old said he was proud of the trust his teammates at the German Bundesliga club showed in making him full-time captain for the first time in his career.

Keller, in his third season with Moenchengladbach, has earned a reputation as one of the Bundesliga's top goalkeepers. He is the only American to play in three top European Leagues after stints at Millwall, Leicester City, Spurs and Southampton in England and Rayo Vallecano in Spain.

Former captain Jeff Strasser was told in June by new coach Jupp Heynckes that he should seek a new club.

Heynckes said he was happy with the players' choice of captain.

"Who knows? Maybe, I would have picked exactly the person they elected," said Heynckes, who led Real Madrid to the Champions League title in 2000.

Moenchengladbach has invested heavily in a new stadium and players in recent seasons, hoping to repeat the glory of the 1970s, when it was Bayern Munich's biggest rival. It opens the Bundesliga season Saturday against Energie Cottbus.

Keller lives with his wife and two children in a rented castle not far from the German-Dutch border.

My opinion: Kuszczak isn't neccesary, Ben Foster is going to be a good keeper and will be a solid #2. Tom Heaton will be good for a #3 this season as well. The only good part about getting Kuszczak is that Foster could join Watford on loan as they begin their Premiership campaign, giving him excellent experience. But SAF won't loan out Rossi unless he brings in a new striker, such as Torres or Tevez. So the deal seems stalled. Hopefully it goes through but I'm more worried about signing Marcos Senna or Fernando Torres.
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West Brom have rejected a ?2.5million bid from Manchester United for goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak.


And the club will not consider selling the Polish international to the Red Devils unless they make what they deem an acceptable offer.


The Baggies have stated all summer their objective is to strengthen the first-team squad for the new season - not dismantle it.

Albion chairman Jeremy Peace said 'At this moment in time, selling Tomasz to United is not a viable option.

'It would severely weaken our squad at a time when we are trying to strengthen it for a promotion push.

'We have had numerous talks with United and have told them any deal would have to include their highly-rated young striker, Giuseppe Rossi, joining us on loan for the season.

'Although this would weaken us temporarily until we signed another keeper to compete with Pascal Zuberbuhler, it would increase our attacking options - an area we're actively looking to strengthen.

'However, United have told us Rossi will not be going out on loan this season.

'It means if we sold Tomasz to United, without Rossi coming in return, it would potentially cause us more problems without solving any - despite the receipt of cash.'

Peace admitted: 'This will come as a disappointment to Tomasz who has indicated to us he would like to join United.

'But it is the board's job to do what is best for this football club and we will not sell Tomasz unless the deal suits us.

'Because of the way this football club is structured, we are under no pressure to sell anyone. Tomasz will only be sold if it is in our interests to do so.'

Gareth Southgate makes an unlikely rebel. Captaining every team he played for, he always seemed more like the head boy of the class. But Middlesbrough broke Premiership rules and antagonised the League Managers' Association by appointing the unqualified Southgate as manager.



Gareth Southgate is the latest inexperienced boss at the Riverside.The rebel without a badge reverted to type on Saturday, going out of his way to praise referee Trevor Kettle after his questionable handling of a pre-season friendly against Sheffield Wednesday. It was more in keeping with his nice guy image.


If disproving the maxim that nice guys come last is an early aim, then his initial decisions have displayed the toughness Premiership management requires.

Pensioning off two of his contemporaries, Doriva and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, was a measure of distancing himself from former team-mates; indeed, the Dutchman was particularly prominent in the group of senior players Southgate felt deserved credit for resuscitating Middlesbrough's season last year.

His release, however, is an assurance to Middlesbrough's many youngsters that, unlike under Steve McClaren's regime, their experienced team-mates will not be put on a pedestal. Elders, yes; betters, not necessarily.

Chairman Steve Gibson has displayed his own faith in the raw; his habit of giving five-year contracts to untried managers is unique. There are parallels with McClaren's appointment that go beyond inexperience. On both occasions, Terry Venables was first choice.

Five years ago, McClaren arrived with the stated intention of developing a young team before, after faltering results, reverting to Boro's tried-and-tested formula of importing ageing foreigners. Southgate's initial transfer targets, of which more later, have their best years ahead of them, but there is no guarantee he will not react to setbacks by following suit.

But the initial vibes have been positive. Aware that Teesside was bored by much of the football played in McClaren's reign - though two four-goal comebacks in the UEFA Cup briefly gave him the reputation of a latter-day Kevin Keegan, plenty at the Riverside over the last five seasons would beg to differ - Southgate has spoken of a more entertaining style of play. The recruitment of overlapping full-back Julio Arca and the search for a right winger suggest a more progressive variant of 4-4-2 will be preferred.

However, playing 4-5-1 in his first pre-season friendly, as Southgate did at Rangers, is hardly a statement of attacking intent. Instead, it suggested he is a disciple of McClaren.

Since then, he has returned to 4-4-2, and Hasselbaink's departure should have resolved his striking conundrum, though there are shortcomings to Southgate's solution. Mark Viduka was at his happiest alongside Charlton's summer signing last year whereas Yakubu flourished when operating alone in attack; as a partnership, therefore, they have much to prove.

After two seasons spent almost exclusively on the treatment table, Malcolm Christie is finally fit again as an alternative but the other back-up striker provides a reminder that Southgate's room for manoeuvre is restricted by some of McClaren's costlier buys. Both Massimo Maccarone, the ?8.5 million misfit in attack, and midfielder Fabio Rochemback remain.

With Arca a direct replacement for Franck Queudrue, there are duel goals for Middlesbrough's new manager; a centre-half and a right winger.

It is a compliment to Robert Huth that he was seen as Southgate's successor by the recently-retired centre-back himself; whether the powerful, if awkward, German has the quiet consistency and invaluable authority that Southgate possessed remains to be seen.

Sylvain Distin, who matured into the captaincy at Manchester City, is a closer comparison but, despite the Chelsea defender's injury problems, Huth appears the first choice.

Malbranque: Fulham misfit still too expensive for Southgate's wage structure.Providing balance in a midfield where the threat of Stewart Downing on the left wing is not matched by his counterparts on the right seems another objective; indeed McClaren often preferred his right-sided player to be capable of doubling up as third central midfielder, as Gaizka Mendieta, Ray Parlour and Rochemback frequently did.


Steed Malbranque's pay demands appear to have scuppered his transfer, and he is now banished to Fulham reserves.

With James Milner and Brett Emerton apparently the options being considered, Southgate's early moves suggests that judgment of players in the transfer market, an Achilles heel of many a manager, is a strength.

Looking to bridge the gap between Middlesbrough's precocious youngsters and a large contingent of thirty-somethings, McClaren had intended to sign three players aged between 25 and 28 this summer before England claimed his attention instead. Arca meets those criteria, but Southgate's next two signings could be joining the sizeable youthful contingent headed by Yakubu, officially still only 23.

Without the distraction of European football, the immediate target is to beat McClaren's final Premiership finish of 14th. For Southgate, the objective has to be stamp his authority on team and club and to prove his accession from McClaren is not merely the bland leading the bland.

It will be instructive how much Southgate, seemingly the continuity candidate, changes. With the security of a five-year contract, the Southgate evolution has time to run its course. The alternative is to be more radical.

Revolutions are not normally the preserve of the mild-mannered, but football management can do strange things. Even to the class head boy.

Michael Carrick signed for Manchester United on Monday evening after the final details of his ?18.6million move from Tottenham were finalised.


United officials confirmed the deal had been done, with Carrick coming through a medical and agreeing personal terms.


The 25-year-old has become Sir Alex Ferguson's first summer signing and, while the initial fee is believed to be around ?13million, Carrick could end up becoming the fifth most expensive player in Red Devils history.

Carrick has been assigned the number 16 shirt - which has been vacant since the abrupt departure of Roy Keane in November - and will be formally unveiled at a press conference on Wednesday.

Ferguson told MUTV: 'Michael has settled down fine, I spoke to him today. I said to him 'I'm giving you the number 16 jersey' so he was delighted at that.

'I think that showed great courage because sometimes players are a bit superstitious about things like that but he was keen, and said he would gladly take number 16.'

Asked how relieved he was to wrap up United's first signing of the summer, Ferguson added: 'I wasn't too worried to be honest with you, as I said before you have got to trust the players we have got.

'They had a fantastic season last year in the second half of the season. There's a great spirit here and if we add a couple, it's a bonus for us.'

Although Ferguson has yet to state when he expects Carrick to make his debut, it is likely to be in this weekend's four-team tournament in Amsterdam.

After spending most of the summer searching for midfield reinforcements, Sir Alex Ferguson will be delighted to have finally captured his number one target.

The United boss will hope Carrick's passing ability can offer an extra dimension to his midfield, which saw an unlikely combination of John O'Shea and Ryan Giggs deployed at its heart during the latter stages of last season following Keane's departure.

Ferguson will also look to Carrick's arrival to bring some stability to the club after a turbulent summer which saw Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo at loggerheads during the World Cup.

Ronaldo returned to training after his extended break this afternoon but, with Rooney only required for a morning session, the pair did not actually appear on United's Carrington training ground at the same time.

Instead, any meeting took place within the confines of the dressing rooms, with Rooney apparently forgiving his young team-mate for the part he played in his dismissal during the quarter-final defeat to Portugal in Gelsenkirchen.

Many people, including Alan Shearer and Frank Lampard, believe Ronaldo was way out of order by seemingly leading the clamour for Rooney's red card in Gelsenkirchen.

However, it appears Rooney has already forgiven his young team-mate and no doubt had time for at least a short chat with him after Ronaldo avoided the media scrum awaiting his arrival by driving into the training ground via a back entrance.

Although Ronaldo twice claimed during the World Cup that he wanted to move to Real Madrid, United were quick to quash any suggestion the 21-year-old will be allowed to leave, having only just signed a contract which is due to keep him at Old Trafford until 2010.

And, by at least turning up for training, the 21-year-old has signalled some sort of intention to honour the agreement.

Meanwhile, Park Ji-Sung feels he must start hitting the goal trail if his second season at United is not to be his last.

The South Korea international was only partially successful in his debut campaign with the Old Trafford outfit.

Although, he was second only to Wayne Rooney in the assists column, Park scored only twice in 45 appearances, a ratio Ferguson feels he is capable of bettering.

And, while Park accepts becoming the first Korean to play for United is 'an honour', he is also acutely aware that with competition for places about to increase with Carrick's arrival, he must improve to preserve his status as a Red Devils.

'This season is more important for me than the last one,' he said.

'The kind of play I produce will decide whether I remain at United or follow in the footsteps of other players who have left the team.

'I need to improve my number of assists a little bit but I have to score a lot more goals and if I get the chance this season, I will go straight for goal.'

[Liverpool 2-3 Kaiserslautern]

Liverpool 2-3 Kaiserslautern

Liverpool slipped up against second division German opposition and finished their match against Kaiserslautern with goalkeeper Jose Reina in midfield.

An injury to Luis Garcia left boss Rafael Benitez with little option other than to press Reina into action in an unfamiliar position with 11 minutes left of a match being played in Liechtenstein.


And while Reina twice came close to scoring, shooting narrowly wide and then over the bar, it was Kaiserslautern who clinched victory thanks to Marcel Ziemer's strike in the 87th minute.

After a goalless first half, Craig Bellamy looked to have given Liverpool the lead soon after the re-start when his shot hit the bar and appeared to cross the goalline, however the decision went against the Welshman.

Liverpool handed a debut to Jermaine Pennant in the second half and he looked threatening, however the German side went in front after 56 minutes when substitute Ricardo Villar fired past Jerzy Dudek, making the most of an error by Jack Hobbs.

Bellamy got the goal he deserved on the hour mark following good work from another substitute, Garcia.

It was Garcia who shot Liverpool in front after 67 minutes, Pennant and Bellamy having made the opening for the Spaniard, however Kaiserslautern were level four minutes later.

Ziemer pounced on another Hobbs mistake to strike their equaliser.

Reina's introduction in place of Garcia, who suffered a minor knock, almost brought about a dramatic result as his shots caused Kaiserslautern concern.

But Ziemer had the final say, finding space behind the Liverpool defence and lifting his shot above Dudek for the winner.

My opinion: I'm ecstatic. Carrick has great passing skills, and he will be a start to replacing Keano. Definitely a few steps up from Darren Fletcher in the midfield. 18 million is a big fee but Carrick is a big player... he's proven in the English game as well. Good job Sir Alex, now all that United need is a player like Torres. I also want Joaquin and Ribery, but none of those seem likely this summer.

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Tottenham are expected to confirm the sale of their England midfielder Michael Carrick to Manchester United in an ?18million deal later on Friday.


Spurs, who rejected a bid of ?10million from United earlier this summer, are understood to have accepted their increased offer for the player.


Reports suggest the deal to take Carrick to Old Trafford was finally completed early this morning and he is expected to be unveiled as a United player later today.

The deal came just hours after Real Madrid claimed they had clinched the signing of United's Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy for a fee in the region of ?10million.

The striker is believed to have signed a three-year deal with the Spanish giants after quitting United in the wake of his end-of-season bust-up with Sir Alex Ferguson.

However, while United allowed the player to travel to Madrid for a medical, the Premiership club insisted no deal had been finalised.

Carrick's move to Old Trafford will land Spurs a handsome profit on a player they signed from West Ham for just ?2.75million two years ago.

Ferguson has been a long-time admirer of the midfielder who will help fill the void left by the departed Roy Keane. Although he will not be a direct replacement for the Irishman, Carrick's passing skills will provide them with an outlet they have lacked since Keane left the club.

Carrick's loss will still be a major blow for Spurs coach Martin Jol who helped the 25-year-old force his way into Sven-Goran Eriksson's World Cup squad.

The Dutch coach had hoped that Carrick would repay the club's loyalty by staying at White Hart Lane but Spurs would not agree to the player's wage demands - reported to be around ?50,000-a-week.

Carrick had two years left on his Tottenham deal but had rejected a new contract offer in the wake of United's persistent interest.

Tottenham's determination to hold out for a fee which closely matched their ?20million valuation of the player means has given them more transfer cash to spend but Jol will not need to buy a replacement for Carrick.

Tottenham have already signed 22-year-old Benoit Assou-Ekotto from Lens and spent ?10.9m on Bulgarian striker Dimitar Berbatov but missed out on Chelsea's left-winger Damien Duff.

But the summer signing of Ivory Coast international Didier Zokora will make Carrick's departure somewhat less painful for Jol, who can now continue his search for a left-sided midfielder in earnest.

Carrick will become United's fifth most expensive signing behind Rio Ferdinand, Juan Sebastian Veron, Wayne Rooney and Van Nistelrooy.

United visit Amsterdam next week where they are due to play both Porto and Ajax and Carrick is expected to be part of the squad.

My opinion: RVN is going to go down with Old Trafford greats. I wish he hadn't fallen out with SAF, but with Rooney, Saha, and Rossi, plus with Smithy going back to striker, we have some great strikers. Rooney is the best striker in the world. Saha can be as good as RVN if he stays fit, and Rossi is one of the best young players. He's only 17 and will figure in to the United first team set up if Torres isn't signed.

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Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy will join Real Madrid from Manchester United on a three-year contract, the Primera Liga club said on Thursday.

The deal is reported by Spanish media to be worth around 15 million euros ($19.12 million).

'Real Madrid have reached an agreement with Manchester United for the signing of Ruud van Nistelrooy,' the Spanish club said in a statement.

'The player will take a medical on Friday morning and will be presented in the afternoon at 1700 GMT in the Bernabeu.'

The 30-year-old scored 150 goals for United since joining in 2001 for a then British record fee of ?19 million ($35.39 million).

He is Real's third signing under new president Ramon Calderon following on from Italy defender Fabio Cannavaro and Brazil midfielder Emerson, and will link up with former Manchester United team mate David Beckham.

Van Nistelrooy put in a transfer request two weeks ago and Real and Bayern Munich had been competing to secure his services for next season.

The Dutchman fell out of favour at United in the latter part of last season as manager Alex Ferguson increasingly looked to Louis Saha to partner Wayne Rooney in attack.

He was an unused substitute in United's 4-0 victory over Wigan in the League Cup final in February and stormed out of Old Trafford when he was left out of their final league match of the season against Charlton Athletic in May.

Van Nistelrooy, who has scored 28 goals in 54 games for Netherlands, found the net just once at the recent World Cup and was left on the bench by Dutch coach Marco van Basten during their second-round defeat against Portugal.

The Dutchman will face stiff competition from Raul, Robinho, Julio Baptista, Antonio Cassano and Ronaldo for a place in the Real attack, although his arrival is likely to hasten the departure of at least one of the forwards.

Real are in the process of trying to put together a team under new coach Fabio Capello which will help them win their first trophy in four seasons.

Van Nistelrooy started his career with Dutch sides Den Bosch and Heerenveen before joining PSV Eindhoven in 1998 where he scored an impressive 62 goals from 67 appearances.

United manager Ferguson continued with his bid to bring Van Nistelrooy to the club even after the striker failed a medical in April 2000 and then sustained a serious cruciate knee ligament injury while training with PSV a few days later.

He finally arrived in 2001 and repaid Ferguson's faith in him by scoring 36 goals in all competitions in his debut season.

He was the Premier League's leading scorer with 25 goals when United won the championship in 2003 and was also named PFA Player of the Year.

He has scored 20 goals or more in four of his five seasons at Old Trafford.

Van Nistelrooy is United's all-time top scorer in Europe, having surpassed Denis Law's long-standing record in September 2004 and is the fourth highest scorer in the European Cup, level on 47 goals with Portuguese great Eusebio.

Italy's soccer federation has awarded the 2005/06 Serie A title to Inter Milan, a federation official revealed on Wednesday.

Inter, who had not won the title since 1989, finished third in last season's championship behind winners Juventus and AC Milan.

The decision to award the title to Inter comes after a sports tribunal handed down guilty verdicts to Juventus and AC Milan following a match-fixing scandal.

Brazil took a leaf out of Germany's book on Monday by putting a man with no previous coaching experience in charge of their national side.


Jurgen Klinsmann's success at leading Germany to third place in the World Cup, two years after a humiliating first-round exit in Euro 2004, has inspired the five-times world champions to put the untested Dunga into the hot seat.


It is Brazil's second such experiment in recent times and Dunga will be hoping to fare better than Paulo Roberto Falcao who lasted one unhappy year in 1990-91.

Dunga, who replaces Carlos Alberto Parreira, takes over with Brazilian football at a crossroads.

They went into the World Cup expected to extend their dominance over the world game by winning a sixth world title, but their quarter-final exit at the hands of France has put a different complexion on their future.

Parreira's reliance on his ageing group effectively turned the national team into a closed shop in the last 18 months, barring the way to the country's up-and-coming talent.

Many of the players who looked promising one year ago have since departed Brazil, disappearing into relative obscurity with middle-ranking European clubs.

The coaching outlook was similarly bleak with Dunga himself one of a very small number of candidates for the job.

Vanderlei Luxemburgo, the favourite, was seen as too controversial, especially as he fell out with Ronaldinho during an unhappy two-year stint in charge from 1998 to 2000.

Paulo Autuori, the only other serious candidate, may have seen his chances spoiled by an unsuccessful two years in charge of Peru which ended last year.

One of Dunga's first and most difficult decisions will be whether Ronaldo should keep his place in the side following his lumbering performances at the World Cup.

While he rebuilds, however, Dunga will be expected to get Brazil back to winning ways, starting with their friendly away to Norway on Aug. 16.

Dunga experienced both the joy and pain of representing the world's most successful international team during his playing days.

In 1990, he was made the scapegoat after Brazil crashed out of the World Cup in Italy in the second round.

It became known as the 'Dunga Era' after commentators accused Brazil of replacing their traditional flair with the hard-tackling approach symbolised by Dunga.

'They needed someone to blame. I was chosen,' he said.

Dunga, however, bounced back, worked on his passing and long-range shooting and returned as captain in 1994.

He was determined and snarling as ever but his play had a more refined touch which helped him cast off the stereotype as a player who merely used brute force.

Brazil went on to win the World Cup for the first time in 24 years with Dunga lifting the trophy.

'If I remained a prisoner of the past, worried about the criticism, I would have been better off retiring,' he said.

'I knew the critics were wrong but there was no point in talking, I had to show this on the field.'

With the interests of sponsors, television networks, 180 million ordinary Brazilians and some of the world's top players to juggle, he will have to be even more resourceful over the next few months.

Dutchman Ruud van Nistelrooy handed in a transfer request, wanting to leave Manchester United after becoming dissilusioned with life at Old Trafford after the Carling Cup final, in which his services were not called upon. van Nistelrooy is one of only 8 players to reach 150 goals for the club. Bayern Munich and Real Madrid have inquired about him, and van Nistelrooy prefers a move to Spain.

My opinion: why does any player want to go to Madrid? They haven't won a trophy in TWO YEARS! How come people say its a dream to play for Madrid? The dream is to win trophies, but you don't do that at Madrid! It makes me mad when people are so stupid, why do players want to play for Madrid!

And it is sad for me as a United fan to see Ruud go, but Saha showed that we didn't suffer without Ruud, Saha played just as good and if he stays fit next season he will show why we paid so much for him. He's a great player and if Ruud is determined to leave, then best of luck and congratulations to Saha, he looks set to earn himself a starting role for United.

Juventus, Fiorentina, and Lazio were relegated Friday by a sport's tribunal in Rome over their involvement in the match fixing scandal which has shocked the country. Juventus recieved a 30 point deficit to start their Serie B campaign, which makes immediate promotion very unlikely. They were also stripped of the Scudetti they won in the last 2 seasons. AC Milan were handed a deficit of 44 points on last seasons standings that takes them out of Europe, putting them one point behind Empoli, who gained the final UEFA Cup spot. Inter Milan and Roma replace Juventus and AC Milan as the two Italian clubs with automatic qualification to the Champions League group stage.

The rulings have started a transfer talk merry-go-round. Alessandro Del Piero has committed to Juventus and new boss Deschamps. Del Piero would have a tough time finding a club willing to pay a big transfer fee for a 31 year old. Pavel Nedved is also "quite certain" that he will stay with Juventus.

Many players are likely to ply their trade elsewhere in Italy or other leagues in Europe. ?30 million goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon will attract high profile clubs, as well as players such as David Trezeguet (linked to Liverpool), Vieira (linked with return to Arsenal or move to Manchester United), defender Lilian Thuram, Italy skipper Fabio Cannavaro, attacking full back Gianluca Zambrotta, and Mauro Camoranesi, among other Juve players. Luca Toni seems likely to leave Fiorentina, and as been heavily linked with Inter Milan, who played no part in the scandal. Fiorentina skipper and Czech Republic center back Tomas Ujfalusi also seems likely to look for a new club. Bulgarian striker Valeri Bojinov should attract big names as well (side note: I think Newcastle should try to sign him, with Shearer retired and Owen injured. Ameobi and Luque are their strike pair now, and Luque gets hurt a lot).

Lazio have a more modest squad and a bigger chance of remaining intact, but Italy World Cup squad member Massimo Oddo will not relish the idea of Serie B football.

AC Milan's players could be unsettled by the idea of a season without European football, with Kaka being linked to Real Madrid.

Zinedine Zidane converted a 33rd minute penalty to send Les Bleus to the final in Berlin. Saha was booked, as well as Ricardo Carvalho, so both are suspended from the final and 3rd place match, respectively.

The match was free flowing and full of attacks, unlike the 1 nil scoreline suggests. Portugal pushed until the end and had a string of corners in the last 2 minutes, with Ricardo coming up, and had a very athletic over head kick to defend a counter attack.

July 8th: Germany vs. Portugal, 3rd/4th place playoff
July 9th: France vs. Italy, Final

Grosso beat Lehmann with a great effort on 119 minutes, and Del Piero finished the rout on 120 minutes. Germany advance to the 3rd place game, and Italy will now play in Berlin on the ninth in the final. The match was a classic. German fans and players alike wept after the final whistle, and with due reason.

This was the first time for Germany to lose in Dortmund, playing there 15 times.

Both players played exceptionally well, and the scoreline doesn't really reflect the closeness of the match.

...and I won a bet on Italy, I have won 4 bets and lost 1 in this World Cup, twice picking under dogs and coming through with both.

Too bad I'm not old enough to bet on Ladbrokes or somewhere, or I would be making some serious cash.

Juventus boss Fabio Capello handed in his resignation on Tuesday. The club gave no details in a brief statement on their website. The new president of Real Madrid, Ramon Calderon, said on Monday that he planned to appoint Capello as coach of the Spanish club.

Juventus is in the middle of a match fixing trial and could be relegated if a sports tribunal finds against the club.

The prosecutor in the Italy match fixing trial has asked for relegation for all four clubs involved, asking for AC Milan, Fiorentina, and Lazio to be demoted to Serie B, and asked for champions Juventus to be demoted to Serie C or below. 8 Italian players found this information out hours before their World Cup semifinal. Juventus have 8 players remaining in the World Cup, including 5 Italians and 3 French players. Italy's likely strike force is made up of Milan front man Alberto Gilardino and Fiorentina striker Luca Toni.

Relegation would likely see many top stars leave those clubs for free, and Inter Milan would become champions provided Juventus are relegated.

[My Opinions on the USA Men's National Team]

My Opinions on the USA Men's National Team

Bruce must go. Any idiot would have realized that one striker is not going to work after we had one shot on goal in the opening two matches. Ghana was a must win and he chose to sit back and wait for a chance.

Claudio Reyna made a big mistake against Ghana. He is the best American player, and those kind of slips cannot happen, especially on the world's biggest stage.

Landon Donovan didn't play to his ability. He is good enough to play in the Premiership, and should get over there as soon as possible. That is the only way he will reach his highest potential, and will face international stars week in and week out, and he will be better in the long run for both club and country.

Eddie Pope didn't produce like he could have, I wanted him to have one more good World Cup before he retired.

Onyewu needs to leave Belgium, and there are rumors that he is to sign with Middlesborough. It would benefit him and he is built for the Premiership. He's a tough, big, physical defender. He will be a starter in the Premiership if he makes the switch.

It is sad to see McBride go. He is a workhorse, he leaves it all on the pitch and fights for every ball. When De Rossi elbowed him in the face, he went on the side and told the trainers to fix him up quick so he could get back in. He changed his shirt and got back in quickly. He is good in the air as well.

Eddie Johnson has good pace and will be great in the future. Bruce should have started him vs. Ghana, but since there was only one striker, he should have brought him on at the half. He waited too long and it takes a little time to acclimate to the pace of the match. Eddie should go to Europe as well.

Deuce (Clint Dempsey) should go to Eredivisie. He showed that he is the future of right midfield for the US. He has earned that spot and was the only US player to score a goal in this World Cup.

Beasley has bags of pace (runs a 4.2 forty) and is great to have on the left side. He is great in defense, which was why Bruce played him on the right vs. Czech Republic: he wanted him on Pavel Nedved. Convey will push him for a place in the future after a great year at Reading. I can't wait to see Convey playing in the Premiership.

Jonathan Spector and Jay DeMerit will be interesting to watch next season. They are both strong possibilities for 2010. Spector can play anywhere in the back four, he's a two footed player. He made his transfer from Manchester United to West Ham, and will be fighting for a place. DeMerit was playing in a Sunday League two years ago with the highest attendance being 256, and now he is on Watford and in the Premiership. He scored the winner in the Promotion Play Off Final. He is good in the air, and some thought he should have gone to Germany.

Donovan will now be the captain. He deputized for Reyna during qualifying when Reyna was injured or not there for the match and has the confidence of all the players in that respect.

The US was the deepest team as far as goalkeeping is concerned. Keller wants to stick around for 2010 to play in a fifth World Cup, but he will be 40 by that time and I think Tim Howard will lock up the #1 spot by then. Hahnemann is a great keeper and had a great year at Reading, but is stuck behind two world class goalkeepers. Howard has a lot to prove on loan to Everton this season. Keller has trouble performing well in World Cups, but did produce some good saves this time around. His only mistakes were vs. Czech Republic. In the 12 months leading up to the World Cup, Keller was the best in the world.

I'm tired of typing and might add more later, idk.

Post any questions, comments, etc.

I knew England never had a chance to win the World Cup. They rely too much on dead ball situations, and this World Cup they played straight ahead. They needed to make diagonal runs. Sven is a crappy manager for some of his decisions. I now see Lennon as justified for going, but Walcott? You have got to be kidding me! And why the hell did he take 4 strikers when Rooney wasn't fit at the beginning of the tournament? He should have brought any of Andrew Johnson, Dean Ashton (who was on fine form for West Ham), or Jermain Defoe. And in my opinion, Ashley Cole is over rated and I would have liked to see Jamie Carragher at left back at some point in the World Cup, even if just to see how it worked out.

It is good for England that Becks stepped down as captain, there are better leaders on the team. I would like to see Gary Neville as captain until Euro 2008, at which point he will probably retire. But it will most likely be John Terry or Steven Gerrard. Rooney is a future captain, after the replacement for Becks.

Lennon will be pushing Beckham for a place on the right wing, and the only thing Beckham has going for him is his wicked free kicks... other than that, he doesn't get involved in the play too much. He was much better as a United player than on Real Madrid. I also feel England need to produce a true out and out left midfielder of high international quality. Joe Cole is an outstanding player but he isn't a true left sided winger. Downing could be a future possibility, as well as Kieran Richardson, who I thought could have gone to the World Cup over Downing, with his versatility as a makeshift defender (he deputized for Heinze when Gaby ruptured his ACL).

I agree with the 4-1-4-1 for England. Lampard and Gerrard are attacking midfielders and neither needs to be sitting back in the holding role when England have players like Michael Carrick. I think Carrick could play as a holding midfielder, if he is given the same role as he has at Tottenham. The only concern is his passing, but if he plays like he does for Spurs, he will be fine. Then it's Joe Cole on the left wing, Becks on the right (Lennon after he is gone), Lampard and Stevie G, holding up the center, and Rooney up top. This allows Lampard and Gerrard to join in the attack and gives them more freedom to attack with Carrick holding in behind.

One concern for England is right back. After Euro 2008, he will likely retire, and England don't have a clear replacement to Mr. Consistency. Glen Johnson has the possibility, but he needs to leave Chelsea. He is on loan for the coming season, which will do him well and hopefully he makes his transfer permanent, for the good of himself and England.

This formation will drop Owen to the bench, but Rooney is a better player, and he can turn a match on its head. When playing for United, if he did not feature in the starting XI, then as soon as he made his introduction into the match, he provided a huge spark and gave United a big attacking option and bolstered the attack. Plus he is a workhorse. He will gladly go into his defensive third to win the ball and bring it up. He won't have as much opportunity to do this as a lone striker, but if he does, Lampard or Gerrard can stay up high and hold his place. Rooney can play as a left sided midfielder if needed, which would bring Owen into the line up as a lone striker, or even lanky Peter Crouch.

After saying all this, I am by no means an England fan. I'm obviously a USA fan... and also a Manchester United fan, and most United fans hate England.

United > England

Post any comments/opinions, etc. about this, I'm trying to profile a few national squads and maybe club squads... it's summer and I have some free time lol.

So screamo is definitely amazing.

Bands such as underoath, senses fail, etc.