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World Soccer Headlines
Some thrilling nights ahead in Europe
Thursday's Champions League draw provides plenty of thrills to look
forward to this year.
Schalke sign Huntelaar
Schalke sign Huntelaar
Manchester City 3-0 Liverpool
Manchester City rolled to its first Premier League win of the
season with a resounding 3-0 victory over Liverpool.
McLeish in row with Birmingham
McLeish in row with Birmingham
MLS Soccer Headlines
Seattle Lands an MLS Franchise for 2009 Season
Seattle may be losing its NBA team, but Major League Soccer hopes to fill that void with an expansion franchise to begin playing there in 2009.
Red Bulls defender Petke to retire (AP)
The New York Red Bulls say veteran defender Mike Petke will retire at the end of the season. Petke, a 13-year Major League Soccer veteran, has appeared in more than 300 MLS matches and is a three-time all-star. He has had two stints with the Red Bulls, totaling seven years. He's their all-time leader in games played with 167.
With 'Punting on This Season' Unacceptable, Galaxy Replaces Coach Gullit, Fires GM Lalas
Ruud Gullit has resigned as coach of the slumping Los Angeles Galaxy for personal reasons, and president-general manager Alexi Lalas also is out of a job.
Veron Spurns D.C. United, Will Remain In Argentina
D.C. United's pursuit of Argentine star Juan Sebastian Veron comes to a disappointing end Friday, when the World Cup midfielder announces he will remain with boyhood club Estudiantes.
Crew Drops Wizards For Semifinal Spot
Brad Evans and Robbie Rogers score to give the Crew a 2-0 win over Kansas City on Saturday night for a spot in the MLS Cup semifinals.
United Drafts Midfielder Jacobson
With no first-round picks in the MLS draft, D.C. United drafts Andrew Jacobson, a 6-foot-2 midfielder from the University of California, in the second round.
Miscellaneous Soccer Commentary
Can we just forget this season?
Sensible Signings at Last After the second galactico era last summer, when Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Karim Benzema and Xabi Alonso were signed at great expense, it seems Real Madrid have taken stock and are investing sensible sums in players who are not such household names. 
President Florentino Perez was the man responsible for the above signings, but new coach Jose Mourinho was never going to join a club where the transfer policy is completely out of his hands. The result of the Portuguese tactician's move to the Bernabeu has been a suspension of that second galactico era and a clutch of signings that make sense.
Excellent young Germany holding midfielder Sami Khedira has moved from Stuttgart, winger Angel Di Maria has arrived from Benfica and playmaker Mesut Ozil is the most recent acquisition from Werder Bremen. Here are three players under the age of 23, two of which starred for Germany at the World Cup, who cost less combined than Kaka did last summer.
Di Maria looks slightly overpriced at a fee believed to be in the region of $30 million, but Khedira (at a reported $18 million) and Ozil (at a reported $19 million) will prove excellent value.
Youngsters Pedro Leon (Getafe) and Sergio Canales (Racing Santander) have both arrived, while one of Mourinho's trusted lieutenants Ricardo Carvalho will help out at the back.
Mourinho has brought down the average age of his squad, and will need to cut numbers before the window closes. One or two from Rafael van der Vaart, the Diarras and Fernando Gago may leave in the next couple of weeks.
This infusion of youth may help to ensure that Real do not run out of steam in the second round of the Champions League where they have exited in each of the last six seasons.
While Real have hardly been frugal under Mourinho, their signings represent a shift away from the days of buying overpriced strikers and attacking midfielders with little consideration for the rest of the team.
Sevilla a Major European Casualty Sevilla were always fighting a losing battle after Andres Palop's mistake allowed Matheus to score the deadly away goal for Braga in the Champions League play-off on Tuesday. Trailing 1-0 from the first leg after another error from experienced goalkeeper Palop, Sevilla could ill afford to concede. They went on to lose 4-3 (Lima scoring a hat-trick for the visitors) at home to last season's Portuguese runners-up who will now take their place in the Champions League group stages.
Fantasy Premier League Tips: Goalkeepers Players must select two goalkeepers in their Fantasy Premier League team, although only one can score points in a gameweek. I have always believed it is logical to select one of these two goalkeepers from a club challenging for the title. However, last season only Cech of Chelsea was among the title challenging goalkeepers to finish in the top 12 Fantasy stoppers, but this was primarily due to injuries suffered by Manchester United's Edwin van der Sar and Arsenal's Manuel Almunia.
What Now For Given? I was at White Hart Lane at the weekend as Tottenham and Manchester City played out an entertaining goalless draw on the opening day.
City boss Roberto Mancini plumped for Joe Hart in goal ahead of Shay Given in what was the biggest selection dilemma of the day for either manager. The 23-year-old England hopeful went on to make six crucial first-half saves, including a hat-trick of stops from Jermain Defoe, to justify his manager's selection and keep City in the game.
Sitting next to the tunnel as the players returned to the dressing room after the pre-match warm-up, the demeanor of the two goalkeepers could not have been more contrasting. Hart bounced down the tunnel, barely able to contain his delight, while Given trudged off the pitch with a face like thunder.
At 34, Given will not want to sit around on the bench, playing the odd Carling Cup game here and there if Hart continues to shine. It would not be the least bit surprising if the Irishman handed in a transfer request in the next week, but what affect will that have?
City with their millions have no necessity to sell, and would hardly want to strengthen a rival like Arsenal by surrendering a goalkeeper who remains one of the best in England.
If a lower Premier League option or indeed a move abroad does not materialize, it could be a frustrating season watching from the sidelines for Given.
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