Some Soccer News for Mon Sep 19, 2011

STARTERS

Stuart Holden is said to be in the starting 11 for Bolton tomorrow in the English League Cup. Hooray hooray hooray! Oh Yeah!
-The team website has words from the man himself.

dN

Javier Morales is traveling with Real Salt Lake this week for the first time since suffering a severely broken ankle back in May. If he can get back into shape it will add another big plus to their quest for another MLS Cup.

dN

Barcelona put EIGHT unanswered goals past Osasuna this weekend. EIGHT!
-Watch em all right here.

TEAM USA - EL EQUIPO DE TODOS

Michelle Kaufman of the Miami Herald talks to Jurgen Klinsmann.

Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press has more words from Herr Klinsi.

Simon Evans of Reuters with even more on the Klinsmann Plan.

2011-12 CONCACACHAMPIONS

Matchday 4

dN

Group Stage - Round robin, home & away - matches played Aug 16 to Oct 20

Matches & Scores:
-Tue Sep 20
Toronto v Tauro - 7pm CT on Fox Soccer
Monterrey v Comunicaciones - 7pm CT
Seattle Sounders v Herediano - 9pm CT on Fox Soccer
-Wed Sep 21
Dallas v Pumas - 7pm CT on Fox Soccer
Alajuelense v LA Galaxy - 9pm CT on Fox Soccer
Colorado Rapids v Real Espana - 12am CT DELAYED on Fox Soccer
-Thu Sep 22
Santos Laguna v Metapan - 7pm CT
Motagua v Morelia - 9pm CT

dN

Standings:

GROUP A
6 Monarchas Morelia (Mexico) (+4)
6 LA Galaxy (USA) (+3)
6 Alajuelense (Costa Rica) (+1)
0 Motagua (Honduras) (-8)
GROUP B
6 Isidro Metapan (El Salvador) (+2)
6 Santos Laguna (Mexico) (+2)
4 Colorado Rapids (USA) (-2)
1 Real Espana (Honduras) (-2)
GROUP C
7 Dallas (USA) (+2)
4 UNAM Pumas (Mexico) (+3)
3 Toronto (Canada) (-4)
2 Tauro (Panama) (-1)
GROUP D
9 Seattle Sounders (USA) (+5)
6 Comunicaciones (Guatemala) (0)
3 Monterrey (Mexico) (+3)
0 Herediano (Costa Rica) (-8)

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Matchday 2 will be played Sep 27 & 28.

FIFA SCANDALIZATIONINGS

Graham Dunbar of the AP reports that Colin Klass of CONCACAF nation Guyana will be the next to go before the FIFA disciplinary committee this Fri Sep 23 for supposedly accepting a bribe.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"...the (MLS) Eastern Conference (playoff) race is tighter than a hipster's skinny jeans."
-Charles Gooch of the Kansas City Star

BIG EUROPEAN CLUB MATCHES

Matches & Scores:
-Sat Sep 17
Inter 0-0 Roma - neither could score and their struggles to start the season continue.
PSV 2-2 Ajax - the biggest rivalry in the Netherlands ends tied.
-Sun Sep 18
Manchester United 3-1 Chelsea - We knew Man U were for real, but Chelsea now has things to work on if they want to be in the top group.
Tottenham 4-0 Liverpool - battle of the also-rans saw Liverpool look out of place.
Schalke 0-2 Bayern Munich - perennial favorites Bayern make a big statement by winning at Schalke who have aspirations of their own.
Rangers 4-2 Celtic - the first Old Firm derby of the season goes to the Blues.
Getafe 0-1 Rayo Vallecano - the Mini-Madrid derby is won by the newly promoted away team.
Lyon 2-0 Marsielle - the Lyon win sees 2 of the league favorites going in 100% opposite directions - Lyon is now in first place. Marseille is now in LAST place!
Napoli 3-1 Milan - the home team emphatically proved that they are contenders for real!

HOLY CRAP

3 more Mexican Primera teams fired their head coaches! America, Atlas and Tijuana all gave their head dude the hook, joining 3 others who had already done the same this season (we are only half way through the 17 game season!!), Estudiantes, Queretaro and Santos Laguna. Wow! Wow!

STAT OF THE DAY

For only the 3rd time ever in the 48 year history of the German Bundesliga one weekend produced 5 red cards.

FACT OF THE DAY

Dominic Oduro got his 10th goal of the season this weekend for Chicago and becomes the first Fire player to hit that mark since Damani Ralph did it in 2004.

VIDEO OF THE DAY

David Beckham was back on the Ellen DeGeneres show last week. And this time she sent him undercover to work the fragrance aisle at a Target store. See it here.
-He even sings a tune you will recognize from the stadiums! Here in Minnesota we sing "Stand Up if you Hate Milwaukee!"

MLS MATCHES, SCORES & STANDINGS

WEEK 27

Matches & Scores:
-Wed Sep 14
Columbus Crew 2-2 Houston Dynamo - CC goals both by Andres Mendoza(Both PKs). HD goals by Je-Vaughn Watson & Calen Carr.
Venue: Crew Stadium
Atten: 10,709
-Fri Sep 16
Portland Timbers 3-0 New England Revolution - PT goals by Diego Charra, Kenny Cooper & Darlington Nagbe.
Venue: JELD-WEN Field
Atten: 20,323
-Sat Sep 17
Toronto FC 2-1 Colorado Rapids - TFC goals both by Danny Koevermans. CR goals by Sanna Nyassi.
Venue: BMO Field
Atten: 20,318
Chicago Fire SC 3-2 CD Chivas USA - CF goals by Cory Gibbs, Juan Pablo Angel(OG) & Dominic Oduro. CUSA goals by Juan Pablo Angel & Nick LaBrocca.
Venue: Toyota Park
Atten: 15246
Philadelphia Union 1-0 Columbus Crew - PU goal by Sebastian Le Toux.
Venue: PPL Park
Atten: 18,906
Houston Dynamo 2-1 San Jose Earthquakes - HD goals by Brad Davis(PK) & Will Bruin. SJE goal by Khari Stephenson.
Venue: Robertson Stadium
Atten: 18,129
FC Dallas 0-1 New York Red Bulls - NYRB goal by Luke Rodgers.
Venue: Pizza Hut Park
Atten: 17,019
Seattle Sounders FC 3-0 DC United - SS goals by Mike Fucito & Alvaro Fernandez(2).
Venue: CenturyLink Field
Atten: 36,242
Real Salt Lake 1-0 Sporting Kansas City - RSL goal by Nat Borchers.
Venue: Rio Tinto Stadium
Atten: 19,888
LA Galaxy 3-0 Vancouver Whitecaps FC - LAG goals by Mike Magee(2) & Robbie Keane.
Venue: The Home Depot Center
Atten: 22,959

dN

WEEK 28 - coming up mid-week

Matches & Scores:
-Wed Sep 21
DC United v CD Chivas USA - 6:30PM CT on Direct Kick
Venue: RFK Stadium
New York Red Bulls v Real Salt Lake - 7:00PM CT on Direct Kick
Venue: Red Bull Arena
Portland Timbers v San Jose Earthquakes - 9:30PM CT on Direct Kick
Venue: JELD-WEN Field

dN

EJECTIONS:
Cory Gibbs - Chicago - red card

dN

Standings:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
41 Columbus Crew (29 GP) (-2 GD)
40 Sporting Kansas City (29 GP) (+6 GD)
39 Philadelphia Union (28 GP) (+6 GD)
39 Houston Dynamo (30 GP) (-1 GD)
36 New York Red Bulls (28 GP) (+5 GD)
34 DC United (26 GP) (-1 GD)
30 Chicago Fire SC (28 GP) (-4 GD)
30 Toronto FC (30 GP) (-20 GD)
27 New England Revolution (29 GP) (-14 GD)

WESTERN CONFERENCE
*58 LA Galaxy (29 GP) (+21 GD)
51 Seattle Sounders FC (29 GP) (+15 GD)
48 Real Salt Lake (27 GP) (+16 GD)
46 FC Dallas (29 GP) (+4 GD)
41 Colorado Rapids (30 GP) (+1 GD)
36 Portland Timbers (28 GP) (-5 GD)
31 CD Chivas USA (29 GP) (-2 GD)
29 San Jose Earthquakes (28 GP) (-7 GD)
22 Vancouver Whitecaps FC (28 GP) (-18 GD)

*Playoff berth

MLS SUPPORTERS SHIELD STANDINGS

Only 5 teams left that can win it. (And DC is out if they drop 1 point or LA earns 1 point.)

58 LA Galaxy (29 GP) (+21 GD)
51 Seattle Sounders FC (29 GP) (+15 GD)
48 Real Salt Lake (27 GP) (+16 GD)
46 FC Dallas (29 GP) (+4 GD)
OUT-41 Columbus Crew (29 GP) (-2 GD)
OUT-41 Colorado Rapids (30 GP) (+2 GD)
OUT-40 Sporting Kansas City (29 GP) (+6 GD)
OUT-39 Philadelphia Union (28 GP) (+6 GD)
OUT-39 Houston Dynamo (30 GP) (-1 GD)
OUT-36 New York Red Bulls (28 GP) (+5 GD)
OUT-36 Portland Timbers (28 GP) (-5 GD)
34 DC United (26 GP) (-1 GD)
OUT-31 CD Chivas USA (29 GP) (-2 GD)
OUT-30 Chicago Fire SC (28 GP) (-4 GD)
OUT-30 Toronto FC (30 GP) (-20 GD)
OUT-29 San Jose Earthquakes (28 GP) (-7 GD)
OUT-27 New England Revolution (29 GP) (-14 GD)
OUT-22 Vancouver Whitecaps FC (28 GP) (-18 GD)

IF THE MLS PLAYOFFS STARTED TODAY

The 10 teams:

WEST
1 LA Galaxy
2 Seattle Sounders
3 Real Salt Lake

EAST
1 Columbus Crew
2 Sporting Kansas City
3 Philadelphia Union

WILD CARD
1 FC Dallas
2 Colorado Rapids
3 Houston Dynamo
4 New York Red Bulls

DC out

MLS TEAM & PLAYER NEWS

General News

Toronto forward Danny Koevermans named Player of the Week.
-He was most excellent.

dN

Charles Gooch of the Kansas City Star looks at the tight race for playoff spots in the East.

HOUSTON DYNAMO

Glenn Davis of Fox Sports Houston likes the potential he is seeing from Dynamo newcomers Carlo Costly and Luiz Camargo.

LA GALAXY

Dion Flemming of the Irish Independent looks into the real reasons behind Robbie Keane's move to the Galaxy instead of English choices like Blackburn or Leicester.

PHILADELPHIA UNION

The Union rolled out the youngsters this weekend against Columbus, including giving a debut to 16 year old Zach Pfeffer.
-They also started:
Zac MacMath - 20
Sheanon Williams - 21
Gabriel Farfan - 23
Freddy Adu - 22
Roger Torres - 20
Michael Farfan - 23

Kerith Gabriel of the Daily News on the youngsters.

Tim Mastro of Delaware Online describes Pfeffer's debut.

And to finish off the kid-fest, Christopher Vito of the Delaware County Daily Times tells us about another young debutant Morgan Langley.

REAL SALT LAKE

James Edward of the Deseret News knows what has kept RSL alive since their playmaker Javier Morales was chopped down - DEFENSE.

dN

Martin Renzhofer of the Tribune says fullback Chris Wingert is ready to return to action after breaking his wrist.

SEATTLE SOUNDERS

Mauro Rosales suffered a sprained right MCL in their game on Saturday. No word yet on severity.

Joshua Mayers of the Times with Monday Sounders notes on Morales and more.

VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC

Russell Berrisford of the Sun sees the Caps missing most on the basics of soccer.
-Landon Donovan said at times there were "naive" against LA this past weekend.

MLS RESERVE LEAGUE

Matches & Scores:
-Sun Sep 18
Real Salt Lake 0-1 Sporting Kansas City - SKC goal by Davy Arnaud(PK).
Philadelphia Union 1-2 Columbus Crew - PU goal by Jack McInerney. CC goals by Emmanuel Ekpo & Josh Gardner.
-Tue Sep 20
FC Dallas v Chicago Fire SC
-Sun Sep 25
FC Dallas v Houston Dynamo
-Tue Sep 27
Portland Timbers v CD Chivas USA

dN

Standings Etc.

NASL NEWS

Minnesota's lead over Montreal is now down to just 1 point and both have 1 game to play. Min at Carolina (best team in the league), and Mon at Atlanta (worst team in the league.)

NASL SCOREBOARD

Matches & Scores:
-Sat Sep 17
FC Tampa Bay 1-1 NSC Minnesota Stars - FCTB goal by Aaron King. NMS goal by Brian Cvilikus.
Fort Lauderdale Strikers 1-1 Atlanta Silverbacks - FLS goal by Brian Shriver. AS goal by Nico Colaluca.
Puerto Rico Islanders 1-0 Carolina RailHawks - PRI goal by Petter Villegas.
Montreal Impact 2-0 FC Edmonton - MI goals both by Ryan Pore.

-Wed Sep 21
Puerto Rico Islanders v FC Tampa Bay
-Sat Sep 24
FC Tampa Bay v Fort Lauderdale Strikers
Carolina RailHawks v NSC Minnesota Stars - 6pm CT
Atlanta Silverbacks v Montreal Impact - 6pm CT

END OF REGULAR SEASON.

dN

Standings (as of Sat Sep 17):
#1*54 Carolina RailHawks (+26 GD) (26 GP)
#2*49 Puerto Rico Islanders (+8 GD) (27 GP)
*38 FC Tampa Bay (+4 GD) (26 GP)
*38 Fort Lauderdale Strikers (+1 GD) (27 GP)
#5*36 FC Edmonton (-5 GD) (28 GP)
33 NSC Minnesota Stars (-3 GD) (27 GP)
- - - OUT OF PLAYOFFS - - -
32 Montreal Impact (+4 GD) (27 GP)
%16 Atlanta Silverbacks (-34 GD) (27 GP)

* Secured playoff berth
#1 First seed and First playoff round bye
#2 Second seed and First playoff round bye
#5 Fifth seed
% Eliminated from playoff berths

AMERICANS IN EUROPE

Oguchi Onyewu just might be on the way back after all!! He went the distance for Sporting today AND scored the game winner! YEEEEES!

Mike Bradley made his Eye-talian debut.

Tony Taylor scored his first goal for Atletico in the Portuguese 2nd division.

For those wondering where the Frosted Goon has been the past few weeks - Brad Rusin has been out of the Koge lineup with an unknown injury.

dN

Game Action:

BELGIUM - Pro League
Sacha Kljestan - Anderlecht - went the full 90 as they won 0-1 at Gent.

BELGIUM - Second Division
Tristan Bowen - Roeselare - went the distance as they drew 2-2 v Eupen.

DENMARK - Superliga
Clarence Goodson - Brondy - played the whole game getting a yellow card as they lost 2-0 at Nordsjaelland.
Conor O'Brien - SonderjyskE - started and went 75 min but lost 2-0 at Midtjylland.
Michael Parkhurst - Nordsjaelland - played the full match getting a yellow card as they won 2-0 v Brondby.
Chris Rolfe - AaB - started but came off in the 64th min as they lost 2-0 at Kobenhavn.

ENGLAND - Premier League
Clint Dempsey - Fulham - played the whole game as they drew 2-2 v Manchester City.
Brad Friedel - Tottenham - went the distance grabbing a clean sheet as they won 4-0 v Liverpool.
Brad Guzan - Aston Villa - riding the pine as they drew 1-1 v Newcastle.
Tim Howard - Everton - went the full 90 as they won 3-0 v Wigan.

ENGLAND - Championship League
Robbie Findley - Nottingham Forest - came on as a sub in the 61st min but lost 1-2 v Derby.
Jonathan Spector - Birmingham - started and went 74 min getting a yellow card but lost 4-1 at Southampton.

ENGLAND - League One
Mike Grella - Brentford - came on as a sub in the 59th in but lost 1-3 v Preston.
Anton Peterlin - Wallsall - started and lasted 64 min as they drew 2-2 v Scunthorpe.

FINLAND - Veikkausliiga
Mason Trafford - Mariehamn - played the whole game as they drew 1-1 at Haka.
Josh Wicks - Mariehamn - went the distance as they drew 1-1 at Haka.

FINLAND - Ykkonen
Kyle Luetkehans - PS Kemi Kings - on the bench as they lost 4-2 at PoPa.
Dan Stevens - PS Kemi Kings - started and went 68 min but lost 4-2 at PoPa.
Jeremy Vuolo - AC Oulu - went the full 90 getting a yellow card as they lost 5-2 at Viikingit.
Kellan Wilson - HIFK - on the bench as they drew 1-1 at KPV.

GERMANY - Bundesliga
Timmy Chandler - Nurnberg - went the full 90 as they drew 1-1 v Bremen.
Steve Cherundolo - Hannover - on the bench as they won 2-1 v Dortmund.
Daniel Williams - Hoffenheim - came on as a sub in the 86th min as they won 3-1 v Wolfsburg.
David Yelldell - Bayer Leverkusen - on the bench as they lost 1-4 v Koln.

GERMANY - 2 Bundesliga
Edson Buddle - Ingolstadt - played 90 minutes and scored 2 goals as they won 4-2 v Dynamo Dresden.
Luis Robles - Karlsruher - on the bench as they lost 0-2 v St Pauli.
Matt Taylor - Paderborn - on the bench as they won 0-4 at Bochum.

ISRAEL - Ligat Al
Ryan Adeleye - Hapoel Be'er Sheva - went the full 90 but lost 1-3 v Ironi Ramat HaSharon.
Bryan Gerzicich - Hapoel Ironi Kiryat Shmona - played the full match getting a yellow card as they drew 0-0 v Ashdod.
Leo Krupnik - Maccabi Netanya - went the distance as they won 1-2 at Bnei Yehuda.

ITALY - Serie A
Michael Bradley - Chievo Verona - came on as a sub in the 72nd min but lost 2-1 at Parma.

NETHERLANDS - Eredivisie
Jozy Altidore - AZ Alkmaar - started and went 58 min as they won 1-2 at RKC Waalwijk.

NETHERLANDS - Eerste Divisie
Charles Kazlauskas - Helmond Sport - went the distance scoring a goal but they lost 2-1 at Almere City.

NORWAY - Eliteserien
Joe Bendik - Sogndal - on the bench as they lost 2-0 at Viking.
Erik Benjaminsen - Stabaek - on the bench as they lost 1-3 v Odd Grenland.
Mikkel Diskerud - Stabaek - played the entire game but lost 1-3 v Odd Grenland.
Josh Gatt - Molde - played the full 90 getting a yellow card as they won 0-1 at Fredrikstad.

NORWAY - 1 Divisjon
Jonathan Borrajo - Hamarkameratene - went the full 90 but lost 0-2 v Kongsvinger.
Colin Burns - Sandefjord - on the bench as they drew 1-1 v Ranheim.
Steve Clark - Honefoss - went the distance getting a yellow card and winning 1-0 v Sandnes Ulf.
Kyle Helton - Mjondalen - played the whole match as they won 2-1 v Strommen.
Kenneth Di Vita Jensen - Honefoss - on the bench as they won 1-0 v Sandnes Ulf.

PORTUGAL - Primeira Liga
Oguchi Onyewu - Sporting - went the full 90 getting a yellow card and the winning goal as they won 2-3 at Rio Ave.

PORTUGAL - Liga de Honra
Caleb Patterson-Sewell - Atletico CP - went the distance as they won 3-0 v Trofense.
Tony Taylor - Atletico CP - started and went 86 min scoring a goal as they won 3-0 v Trofense.

RUSSIA - Premier Division
Yevgeni Starikov - Tom' Tomsk - came on as a sub at half time but lost 0-4 v Krasnodar.

SCOTLAND - Premier League
Carlos Bocanegra - Ragners - went the distance as they won 4-2 v Celtic.
Mo Edu - Rangers - played the entire game as they won 4-2 v Celtic.

SWEDEN - Allsvenskan Liga
Ryan Miller - Halmstad - played the whole game as they won 0-1 at Kalmar.

SWEDEN - Superettan
Brian Edwards - Degerfors - went the full 90 as they won big 6-1 v Jonkopings Sodra.
Nick Noble - Ljungskile - played the full game but lost 3-2 at Osters.
Matt Pyzdrowski - Angelholms - played the entire match and won 2-0 v Atvidaberg.
Michael Thomas - Ljungskile - went the full 90 but lost 3-2 at Osters.

dN

Coming Up:

ENGLAND - League Cup - 3rd round
-Tue Sep 20
Robbie Findley - Nottingham Forest - v Newcastle
Brad Guzan - Aston Villa - v Bolton
Stuart Holden - Bolton - at Aston Villa
Brad Friedel - Tottenham - at Stoke

NETHERLANDS - KNVB Bekar - 2nd round
Jozy Altidore - AZ Alkmaar - Thu Sep 22 v Groningen
Charles Kazlauskas - Helmond Sport - Tue Sep 20 at Go Ahead Eagles

RUSSIA - Cup - Round of 16
Yevgeni Starikov - Tom' Tomsk - Tue Sep 20 v Rostov

AMERICANS IN MEXICO

Take a few moments to enjoy watching DaMarcus Beasley draw not 1 but 2 red cards against Chivas! Glorious.

dN

Game Action:

PRIMERA DIVISION
Isaac Acuna - America - came on as a sub in th e63rd min but lost 5-3 at Jaguares.
DaMarcus Beasley - Puebla - played the entire game as they won 1-4 at Guadalajara.
Joe Benny Corona - Tijuana - started and went 58 min getting a yellow card as they lost 0-2 v Tecos.
Herculez Gomez - Estudiantes Tecos - came on as a sub in the 69th min and scored a goal as they won 0-2 at Tijuana.
Sonny Guadarrama - Atlante - on the bench as they won 1-0 v Tigres.
Michael Orozco Fiscal - San Luis - went the full 90 but lost 0-1 v Santos Laguna.
Jose Torres - Pachuca - played the whole game as they won 4-2 v Atlas.

LIGA DE ASCENSO (2nd division)
Marco Vidal - Leon - started but came off at half time as they lost 2-1 at Pumas Morelos.

MEXICO

Recap du Nord: Three teams now tied at the top on points as Guadalajara lost and actually fall to #3 on goal diff, while Cruz Azul and Jaguares both won and move up to 1 & 2. Tigres falls to 4th after losing, and Monterrey was even less lucky with their loss, dropping out of the top 5 with UNAM Pumas winning and taking over the #5 position.

Mexico - Primera Top 5 Standings (9 of 17 games played):
17 Cruz Azul (+3) (18 GF) - LAST: Sat Sep 17 W 1-2 at Monterrey - NEXT: Sat Sep 24 v Guadalajara
17 Jaguares (+3) (12 GF) - LAST: Sat Sep 17 W 5-3 v America - NEXT: Sat Sep 24 at Tigres
17 Guadalajara (+1) (11 GF) - LAST: Sat Sep 17 L 1-4 v Puebla - NEXT: Sat Sep 24 at Cruz Azul
16 Tigres - LAST: Sat Sep 17 L 1-0 at Atlante - NEXT: Sat Sep 24 v Jaguares
14 Pumas - LAST: Sun Sep 18 W 4-1 v Toluca - NEXT: Sat Sep 24 at Tecos
- - - - -
13 Monterrey - LAST: Sat Sep 17 L 1-2 v Cruz Azul

Next Saturday Cruz #1 hosts Chivas #3 - tied on points!

ENGLAND

Alan Gardner and Rob Bagchi of the Guardian with five things we learned from the Premier League this weekend.

SPAIN

Recap du Nord: Valencia and Real Betis both won to stay perfect and lead after 3 rounds. Barca absolutely stormed Osasuna 8-0. But Real Madrid LOST at Levante 1-0. Villarreal are struggling to get going without a win yet and only 1 point.

Sid Lowe tell us all about Levante's big win over Real Mardrid and the rest of the weekend in La Liga.

A full round of mid-week games are on the way as well.

GERMANY

Recap du Nord: The 2 Borussia's have changed places early this season with Monchengladbach being dreadful last season and now off to a fantastic 4-1-1 start, while runaway champions Dortmund are struggling with the early part of the league season. Bayern are the leaders, with Bremen, Gladbach and Hoffenheim trying to keep pace.

Raphael Honigstein of the Guardian tells us about a quality Koln team and the rest of the Bundesliga round.

Hamburg fired coach Michael Oenning, and replaced him with interim Rodolfo Cardoso.

ITALY

Recap du Nord: Juve, Napoli, Udinese and Cagliari are all 2-0-0. Who had that foursome in a pool? Napoli were most impressive in dismantling Milan. The two Milan teams (Milan & Inter) are supposed to fight for the title and right now they are a combined 0 wins, 2 draws, 2 losses for 2 total points. Oof! Roma is exactly as awful.

Paolo Bandini of the Guardian on a fantastic game for Edinson Cavani & Napoli and the rest of the round in Serie A.

Serie A has a slate of mid-week games to make up Rd 1 which was postponed due to a players strike.

SCOTLAND

Kevin McKenna of the Observer looks at the turbulent life of former Celtic player and current manager Neil Lennon.

BRAZIL

Recap du Nord: The bottom fell out on Corinthians with another loss and they drop all the way to 3rd. So Vasco de Gamo (who won) and Sao Paulo (who won) move up to #1 and #2 respectively. #4 Botafogo drew and #5 Fluminense lost but neither suffered the consequenses.

Brazil - Serie A Top 5 Standings (24 of 38 games played):
45 Vasco - LAST: Sat Sep 17 W 4-0 v Gremio - NEXT: Thu Sep 22 v Atletico GO
44 Sao Paulo - LAST: Sat Sep 17 W 4-0 v Ceara - NEXT: Wed Sep 21 v Corinthians
43 Corinthians - LAST: Sun Sep 18 L 1-3 v Santos - NEXT: Wed Sep 21 at Sao Paulo
41 Botafogo (22 GP) - LAST: Sun Sep 18 D 1-1 v Flamengo - NEXT: Thu Sep 22 at Gremio
37 Fluminense - LAST: Sun Sep 18 L 3-0 at Bahia - NEXT: Wed Sep 21 v Avai

#2 Sao Paulo hosts #3 Corinthians on Wednesday.

BIG PIMPIN

Coming Oct 4 in the USA. "Soccer Men" by Simon Kuper. The fantastic author of "Soccernomics", "Football Against the Enemy", and "Ajax, The Dutch, the War".