BigSoccer

Looking into clubs as potential acquisition targets, Norwich City FC lands clearly in the center of our radar screen. The club spent a short run in the Premiership as the 2004/05 season and was subsequently relegated from the Championship to League One at the end of last season. Even with the setback of last year, the club appears to have bounced back where they now sit atop the league with a strong record of 18-7-3 and not having dropped a single match at Carrow Road this season. The following is a quick analysis of the Canaries and why I believe they warrant potential investment at this time....

Sao Paulo's Midfielder Hernanes



2010 COPA LIBERTADORES GROUP TWO:

Monterrey (Monterrey, Mexico)
Nacional (Asunción, Paraguay)
Once Caldas (Manizales, Colombia)
São Paulo, (São Paulo, Brazil)



OVERVIEW


Monterrey (Monterrey, Mexico)
Coach: Víctor Manuel Vucetich (Mexico)
How they qualified: 2010 Mexico’s Interliga winner
Last Year: Did not participate
Record in CL: 2...

Ronaldo at Corinthians


The 51st edition of Copa Libertadores, South America’s most prestigious club tournament, is under way, with some notable no-shows from Argentina.

Boca Juniors, four time winner this decade, failed to qualify. So did archrival River Plate, the club with the most appearances in the tournament. For the first time since 1983, none of the traditional Big Five Clubs from Buenos Aires –including also...

For boxofmess.com we interviewed Chioma Ubogagu, #1 in Texas and #2 Women's 2011 Player. Says on topdrawersoccer.com that she committed to Stanford!

Check out the interview
http://boxofmess.com/2010/02/06/chio...ig-texas-star/

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One positive offshoot from the recent animated discussion about finances in English football is the greater focus by supporters and regulators on the business of the beautiful game rather than just wins, losses and draws on the pitch. Our hope is that the FA will eventually institute new rules for club financial disclosure and regulation.

While Deloitte’s Review of Football Finance is a wonderful publication (We are subscribers), it is seriously lacking in the area of timeliness....

The recent smattering of insolvencies and financially distressed situations in English football has once again placed the spotlight on the current football league model as well as the financial management of clubs in the top four leagues of the FA. The resulting financial disarray has not only caused many clubs as well as their financial partners to seek the restructuring of existing bank loans but those same clubs to seek additional equity capital or outright sale of the club.

The Perfect Storm
English clubs from a period beginning in 2003 through 2009 relied increasingly...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

January 29, 2010

Annika v. Mia ‘Soccer Skills Challenge’ Added to ‘ANNIKA Experience at WaterSound’

Golf and Soccer Hall of Famers to Play with Local Junior Soccer Clubs

Soccer Academie INTER98 and Emerald Coast United


(WATERSOUND, Fla.) – The ANNIKA Foundation and St. Joe Company (NYSE: JOE) announce that Annika Sorenstam and Mia Hamm will take part in a “Soccer Skills Challenge” as part of the ANNIKA Experience at WaterSound on Friday, February 19 at the Origins Golf Club.
...

Both Grahame Jones of the LA Times and Steven Goff of the Washington Post are running blog entries indicating that the Los Angeles Sol are going to be imminently disbanded.

This sucks. The marquee team with the marquee player that ran away with the inaugural season, hosting both the league opener and championship game folding is not good news.

But it's not the end of the world, either. MLS survived the contraction of Miami and Tampa. The USL has seen more teams (and leagues) come and go over the years that I've, frankly, lost track. And while I'm mentioning it - Happy...

Never was so much owed by so (few) to so few.

- Winston Churchill



After navigating the soccer blogs for a while, you begin to get a pretty good picture of the anti-promotion/relegation bloggers, especially here on Big Soccer. They make up for their lack in numbers by the vehemence with which they defend the single entity realm.

Here's how it usually goes:

Noticing the dearth of articles on the subject, newbie rightfully wonders, "wouldn't it be neat/cool/interesting to have pro/rel in MLS?

With a mighty "THWACK"...

SATURDAY, JANUARY 23rd, 2010

9:30AM ET / 8:30AM CT on ESPN Deportes
BUNDESLIGA: (6) Werder Bremen v. (3) FC Bayern at Weser-Stadion
Even with a win, WERDER are unable to climb any higher than their current 6th position. But a win by BAYERN could see them back to where they consider their rightful place atop the league. In recent years, this has developed into quite a grudge match, but gone are some of the more exciteable players from WERDER. The German stalwarts in the roster and the returning Claudio Pizzarro will have their hands full with a streaking BAYERN and...