CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2009-2010: FC ZURICH 2 - REAL MADRID 5 & ATLETICO DE MADRID 0 - APOEL 0 (SEE VIDEO)

Persibo vs PPSM Magelang,piala kampoeng Semawis

PERSIBO 1 -1 PPSM (full time)

adu penalti persibo kalah 3 - 4

penendang:

-victor [tidak masuk]
-busari [masuk]
-tuansyah [masuk]
-kukuh [tidak masuk]
-nurhidayat[masuk]

besok minggu 1-nov-2009
persibo menghadapi tuan rumah PSIS dalam lanjutan piala kampoeng semawis semarang

WPSL Final Four set

The field for the 2007 Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) Final Four has been set, as F.C. Indiana finished their regular season with a 2-0 win at F.C. St. Louis last Saturday, qualifying them for their second Midwest Conference title in the past three seasons. The South Conference champions Tampa Bay Elite qualified for the tournament they will host July 28-29 at Pepin-Rood Stadium (Univ. of Tampa) in Tampa, FL with a 2-1 road win over Southwest champ Denver Diamonds on the same day while the No. 17-internationally ranked & undefeated New England Mutiny (North Division) won its fourth East Conference Championship in five seasons with a 2-1 double-overtime win over the Mid-Atlantic Division champion Atlantic City Diablos.

No. 7-internationally ranked F.C. Indiana will go up against No. 2-internationally ranked & West Conference champion Ajax America (Los Angeles, CA) in the first WPSL National Semifinal at 6:30 p.m. this Saturday, July 28th.

Tampa Bay! will take on New England in the second WPSL National Semifinal this Saturday, July 28th at 8:30 p.m.

New USL franchise in San Diego

United Soccer Leagues announced the expansion of the San Diego Sunwaves women's soccer franchise into the W-League. The San Diego Sunwaves will join the Western Conference. USL welcomes new owners, headed by General Manager Mike Deeney and Head Coach Elio Bello.

Notre Dame 3, Mexico WNT 0

"This was a pretty hard game for what's supposed to be our 'off' season," said Coach Waldrum. "Every time we play this team they show great improvement. I'm really happy about tonight's result."

Hayes named Atlanta W-League coach

The Silverbacks W-League announced David Hayes today, as the new Head Coach for the Atlanta Silverback Women. Hayes, who has spent the last four seasons as a player with the Atlanta Silverbacks of USL-1, is a USSF "B" Licensed coach and is currently the Technical Director for the Alpharetta Ambush Soccer Club.

MotoGP : 2008 - Why Nicky Hayden is so slow in the Honda RCV 212

Thursday, 22 May 2008
I wonder from the beginning of the competition (actually started from the winter testing), why Hayden seems very confused and can't make his own decision about the bike he was testing, especially in Sepang-Malaysia in 2007. He raced hundreds laps and without any good confirmation from him about the new bike. Pedrosa was injured and finaly he was angry at Nicky by saying Nicky couldn't develop a bike... Hayden was upset of course, but he was doing quite well finally before the season 08 started.

What I ! saw then was that in Losail he switched back to his old bike, 2007 spec, he said he feels more comfortable on it and I could guess the result, he couldn't fight at all. After some races, finally he speaks out frankly about his REAL problem. He said,"I am not looking for excuses, I am just not yet managed to adapt my driving to 800. I'm not happy, for me, it is a hard period. At the end of 2007 I thought we had solved the problems, but I didn't".

The point is that his Honda is just not enough power ! for him to ride. He came from the culture of dirt track, he ne! eds to s lide the bike using gas. The shortfall in power enough to give him much in difficulty "

I think I can see the future now :) his current contract is about to expire at the end of the season, and Honda and him haven't sat on the same table to discuss about this matter, what I see is that he is probably going to Ducati which is beast in power and wild like a dirt bike, on the other hand, Ducati never hide their interest to sign him in 2009. Andrea Dovizioso is doing great this year and Dovi already 'cries' to Honda to partner him along with Pedrosa in 2009. I can understand why he is doing so, Lorenzo is Dovi's number one enemy in 250 cc, and it is no secret he really really want to beat him in the queen class.

Lorenzo takes maiden MotoGP win!

Spains Jorge Lorenzo chases Valentino Rossi, above, as the Two M-1's defy the laws of physics...Lorenzo got the monkey off his back by winning his first Moto gp at the Estoril circuit in Portugal. The Fiat-Yamaha rider, who was clearly upset with his pace in Jerez after starting from pole, held on to win from Dani Pedrosa on a Honda, with the 2nd Fiat-yamaha of Valentino Rossi finishing 3rd. Lorenzo and Pedrosa now share the lead in the championship.

Cardenas looking strong at Giro

Felix Cardenas has once again rode a strong race for Team Barloworld at the Giro d'Italia. He finished seventh in the 18th stage, ahead of general classification leader Alberto Contador, from Astana and last year's race winner Danilo Di Luco, from LPR Brakes. His seventh place has also seen him advance to 11th overall and to 6th on the mountains classification.

Ana flirts with disaster.

Top seed Ana Ivanovic survived two match points, one of them an agonisingly close net cord, before finally beating France's Nathalie Dechy 6-7 7-6 10-8 in a second round thriller at Wimbledon. The question is, how will this effect the remainder of her week at the All England club? She said afterwards that it had just been one of those days, but the world number 1 needs to find a way to save her 'luck-reserves' for the business end of the tournament. Hopefully this is not the first signs of pressure produced from playing under the expectations of the 'no 1' tag.

Frolick's Comments Ungrounded

So why all the fuss about the Springbok team playing the All Blacks at Newlands on Saturday? Parliament's portfolio committee on sport has once again stuck it's nose in where it doesn't belong and critisised coach Peter de Villiers' selection.

The committee's deputy chairman, Cedric Frolick, says the team is once again "too white". This after only four players of colour were included in the starting fifteen. They are the wings Bryan Habana and JP Pietersen, centre Adrian Jacobs and prop Tendai "The Beast" Mtawarira. Frolick questions why the Boks are moving backwards from the first test of the season against Wales when seven players of colour were in the starting lineup. Frolick feels the Boks are moving back to the Jake White era where transformation was non-existent.

Besides the selection issues he has, Frolik is also attempting to take the shine away from Percy Montgomery who makes history on Saturday by being the first Springbok ever to play 100 t! est matches. Frolick suggests that de Villiers included the points machine on sentiment and not on form.

Here's the real reason why Montgomery has been put in the side. He's our leading points scorer and has a hefty left boot with a goalkicking accuracy rate in excess of 75 percent. Montgomery also adds calmness and composure to the backline which is what's needed in a big game like this. Shall I remind mister Frolick that he was the starting fullback when the Boks recorded that memorable first win in Dunedin just over a month ago. Conrad Jantjes has been in good form this year and has started in the majority of tests for the Bok! s this season. That's exactly why Jantjes should be given a br! eather j ust to recharge his batteries for the following two tests against the Wallabies.

Frolick also couldn't fathom why Ricky Januarie was dropped for this game as it was his moment of brilliance that led to the win in Dunedin. The simple answer to that is also that the coach wants to give him a rest. The only test in which he didn't start this year was against Italy at Newlands and one could see against Argentina last week that fatigue was getting to him. Fourie du Preez, viewed by many as the world's top scrumhalf, is a more than capable replacement for Januarie.

So really, Frolick's comments are ungrounded and one-sided. Let the Springboks do what they get paid to do and that's play rugby and win. There's no greater nation building than through sport and a team who does well.

Tour boost as Lance returns

The Tour de France has just recieved possibly it's biggest boost in years, with yesterdays speculation getting confirmed.

Lance Armstrong has confirmed that he is getting back onto his bike, and he is determined to win an eighth Tour de France. He announced in an interview that that he was inspired to return after finishing second last month in the Leadville 100, a 160-kilometer mountain bike race through the Colorado Rockies, and he said it had kick-started his engine. His team and schedule will be announced on Sept. 24 at the Clinton Global Initiative in New York City.

Pool Fans Prepare for a Rollercoaster

Liverpool must learn to close out matches earlier if they are to stand any chance this season. The Reds really looked like title contenders before Saturday, and probably still are, but the very late 2-1 defeat to Tottenham showed they are still missing something.

Although Spurs only scored the winner in the 90th minute, 'Pool should've wrapped up the match in the first half, especially after scoring the opening goal in the second minute. Perhaps that's the problem - Liverpool are not used to scoring so early!

Only once this season has Rafa's men been able to defend an early goal and hold on for the win. That was against log leaders Chelsea recently, when they scored in the 9th minute and battled to a 1-0 victory. That result certainly lit the fire of belief for Liverpool and the millions of 'Pool fans around the world, but as much as that win lifted spirits, the past weekend's defeat will deflate early title aspirations.

T! he Reds are still second, so it may sound as though I'm losing the plot, but I think the result is an indication that they are punching above their weight division. Much like a middleweight boxer, with all the moves, the red machine will look good, but I fear they will always lack a killer punch strong enough to swipe away the lightweights and dent the title challenges of the super heavyweights.

The defeat to Tottenham was Liverpool's first in the league. They have eight wins and two goalless draws against Aston Villa and Stoke. It's a great record, but if you look closer, the Reds have had to come from behind four times to win. Of course I may be reading way too much into this, but Liverpool are struggling to score in the first half and this will be their downfall.

Before Saturday, the Reds were clearly playing their better soccer in the second half. It may be that they've decided to up the pressure earlier in the match. Now the trick is to sustain th! e dominance and convert the chances before the pressure's on. ! Liverpoo l do look very good at times, but it's going to be a roller-coaster ride for fans.

Proteas reclaim the advantage

The Proteas have regained the upper-hand with two quick wickets late in the second session of day one in the first test against Australia at the WACA in Perth.

The Aussies were 172 for 5 at tea with Andrew Symonds and Brad Haddin at the crease.



Australia fought back after a poor start which left them 15 for 3.

The home side won the toss and elected to bat first, but lost wickets early in the innings as Makhaya Ntini and Dale Steyn made full use of the wicket's pace and bounce.

Ntini struck first when Matthew Hayden was caught in the slips by Graeme Smith on 12.

Ntini sent Ricky Ponting packing for a duck with his very next ball.

This time AB de Villiers held the catch in the slips.

Steyn got in on the act in the sixth over as Michael Hussey went for a duck after another brilliant slip clatch by de Villiers.

Simon Katich and Michael Clarke then built a s! olid partnership.

Katich was eventually caught LBW by Morne Morkel on 83.

Clarke was caught by Graeme Smith at mid-on for 62 off the bowling of Paul Harris.

The Proteas were forced to make a late change before the match with JP Duminy replacing the in-form Ashwell Prince who was hit on the thumb yesterday.

It is cracked so he will be out for ten days, meaning he could also miss the Boxing Day clash.

Kfm Sport profiles SA Hockey star Kate Hector

Kfm Sport's Jeff Ayliffe spends some time with SA Women's Hockey player Kate Hector and gets tips for the Proteas, his golf game and hockey's 'drag flick'.

Vettel has snatched pole position!

Toro Rosso's Sebastian Vettel has literally stormed his way to his and Toro Rosso's first pole position for tomorrow Italian Grand Prix. Not only has Toro Rosso and Vettel on pole, but Sebastien Bourdais will start on the second row!

As mentioned during the Belgian Grand Prix weekend, Tthey have confirmed that their package is for real. The chassis is good and Ferrari power has given them an edge that should help them in the final races of the season, as now they are in a position to challenge for 6th in the Constructor's Title. Is it possible that they can win a race this season? Will they continue on with the huge uptick in pace in the remaining races?

Liverpool Legend Ian Rush Hails Fernando Torres As 'The Best Striker In The World'

Liverpool's record goalscorer Ian Rush believes Fernando Torres, the man who now wears the number nine shirt the Welshman made famous, is the best striker in the world.

Torres' hat-trick against Hull last weekend took his tally to eight goals in his last six Barclays Premier League matches.

The Spaniard is edging closer to breaking a long-standing club record of being the fastest to 50 league goals and needs just four more in his next 15 games after notching 46 in his first 64 top-flight appearances.

Should he do that he will surpass the mark set by Sam Raybould, ! who played for the Reds between 1900 and 1907, and Albert Stubbins (1946-52) who both took 80 games to reach the half-century.

In comparison, Rush, who scored 346 goals in 660 matches for Liverpool, took 84, Robbie Fowler 88 and Michael Owen 98.

Rush said: 'He has been fantastic. He is the Premier League's top scorer this season and the goals he scored against Hull were great, both right foot and left foot.

'Had he stayed on the pitch against Hull he could have scored five or six that day. With experience I think he will get better. He is only 25 and he is a big plus for Liverpool as he and Steven Gerrard play really well together.

'Without doubt he is the best striker in the world at the moment. Lionel Messi is a great player, Cristiano Ronaldo is a great player but they are different to Torres.

David Villa is a great striker as well but Torres has proved it in the English league.'

Despite Torres drawing a b! lank in the Champions League in midweek as Liverpool lost 2-0 ! to Fiore ntina, Rush is hoping the striker will be back to his clinical best against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

'A good side never really has two bad games and the Fiorentina result may serve as a wake-up call,' added the 47-year-old at the launch of FIFA 10 in London.

It may be a blessing in disguise because in the Champions League you can get away with losing one big game, in the league you won't. I think Liverpool will be up for it on Sunday. They had the best record against the top four last season.

'They beat Manchester United home and away, Chelsea home and away and drew with Arsenal home and away.

'The first test comes this season now they play Chelsea. I think they go into the game with the belief they can do it. Hopefully we will see a bit of Torres magic again.'

Anfield Starlet Eager To Turn The Tables On United

Liverpool youngster Jay Spearing is too young to remember the last time the Kop tasted league title success and he admits Manchester United's dominance of the Premier League has been a painful experience to bear for the Merseyside local.

The Wirral born midfielder also claims this season is the most important of his career, suggesting he has to show Rafa Benitez what he is capable of.

Spearing told Liverpool's official website: "For a local lad, to win the league would feel even better, but it's what this team wants,"

"Any trophy is nice but the league is the one we've wanted for so long.

"I'm too young to remember the last time we won it. It was frustrating seeing United near the top all the time but in the past couple of years we've got closer. Hopefully this season or next our time will come."

The youngster claimed he is having to adapt to top level football, ad! mitting the tactical side of his game is the one most tested in the first team.

He added: "It's more tactical understanding than anything else. Rafa wants me to become a defensive midfielder and to understand the role and the positional side of things,"

"It's the heart of the team here because you've got to get forward if you can while protecting the back four. It's a key area that we look at a lot.

"You look at the positives and think about how you can change the game if you get on. There's no point sitting there thinking, 'I'm not going to get on'.

"It's exciting. If you don't get on, you just get ready for the next game and hopefully the chance will come.

"The coaches have told me I'll be involved a lot more this season. This season I've been on the bench a few times and it's a big progression. Last year I made the bench maybe two or three times. I've doubled that already and we're only in October.

"I! t's the most important season of my career so far. I'm involve! d with t he first team every day now and the boss, Sammy Lee and the rest of the players are there looking at me every day.

"This is the season where I've got to show I'm here to stay and show what I can do."

Liverpool Loss At Weekend Won't Spell End Of Their Title Challenge - Arsene Wenger

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger insists that Liverpool's title challenge will not be ended should Manchester United inflict a further defeat upon them this weekend.

Rafael Benitez's Reds have already been defeated four times in the Premier League this season, twice as many as last year in the same competition.

However, Wenger alluded to how the race for the crown will be more fiercely contested than previous campaigns, and that it could be easier to play your way back into contention.

"Last year, the margins were more difficult," the Frenchman is quoted by the club's official website as saying.

"Because Liverpool lost only two games, and now we are nine games played and United have lost only once but they have drawn one too.

"Last season, the situation was more difficult. We had lost five after 14 games. But then we had the longest unbeaten run in the Premier League b! ut it was not enough any more."

Russian Girls in Club Best Wrzesnia Party

Russian Girls in Club Best Wrzesnia Party in Poland.

Taylor tops honours

By John Hopkins

HAMILTON, ON -- CMA dirt track champion Donald Taylor was named winner of the White Memorial Trophy at the sanctioning body's annual meeting in Halifax Jan. 23.

The 18-year-old Welland, ON racer became the youngest winner of the CMA's number one plate, winning six of eight races in the feature class.

Kelly Graffunder of Clearwater, BC earned the Bert Irwin Memorial Ontario Cup for claiming the best Canadian performance at the ISDE last fall.

The Fulvio Callimaci Memorial Supporters Award, which is presented for outstanding efforts in support of motorcycling, was shared by KTM North America and KTM Canada, the Pike Falls Classic Motorcycle Club in Kemptville, ON and Ward Brown of Yorktown, SK.

The CMA also announced its directors and officers for 2005. Joseph Godsall will serve as president and David Hewgill as vice president. The executive committee will also consist of Paul Imrie and Marilynn Bastedo.

The board of directors will be made up of Marc-Andre Thibeault (Quebec), David Stewart (Ontario), Imrie (Saskatchewan), Hewgill (Alberta) and Godsall (BC). Board positions for Atlantic Canada and Manitoba will be filled at a later date.

Inside Motorcycles // www.insidemotorcycles.com

Power surge for Superbikes

From Professional Motorsports Productions

TORONTO, ON -- Engine tuners in the Parts Canada Superbike Championship have received an early Christmas present from series technical officials.

For the 2006 season, maximum horsepower limits have been increased by 10hp in both the Parts Canada Superbike feature class and the Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike national support category. The limit for Superbike is now 180hp while Pro 600 Sport Bike goes up to 125hp. Horsepower in both classes is measured post-race on the series official Dynojet Dyno.

"Motorcycle evolution continues at a frantic pace," said Colin Fraser of series organizer Professional Motorsports Productions. "Our rules should keep step with new developments while still honouring the concept of affordable and accessible racing that forms the basis of our series."

Minimum weights in both classes remain unchanged for next season 360 ! lbs. in Superbike and 350 lbs. in Pro 600 Sport Bike.

The increases in horsepower limits are among several rules changes for the classes that make up the Parts Canada Superbike Championship.

Maximum horsepower has also been adjusted in the International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike division, although not as dramatically as in the Pro 600 class. After careful consideration of competitor input, series officials have bumped the limit up 3hp to 118.

In a significant development, the series will implement a fresh concept for the Canadian Thunder class. The twins category will use a sliding scale based on a weight to power ratio of 3.8:1. In the Suzuki SV650 National Cup, horsepower remains capped at 75hp and minimum weight stays at 365 lbs.

Both the Pro and Amateur 600 Sport Bike classes have been opened up to include twins of up to 750cc, making the Ducati 749 two-cylinder eligible.

There have also been chang! es to the 600 Sport Bike regulations for next season, all desi! gned to keep the bikes as close as possible to their stock form. Triple clamps, shock linkage, gas cap, battery, starter and charging system must all be O.E. (original equipment) stock. Steering head inserts and fork braces are no longer allowed. Additionally, the ignition and ECU must be stock, made by the O.E.M. as kit, or produced for consumer use by Dynojet Research.

"Quick-shifters" are still not eligible for the Parts Canada Superbike series. Data acquisition for chassis or suspension is no longer approved for any of the national classes, and all machines must meet a 106dB noise limit and employ effective silencing (i.e. no straight pipes).

Inside Motorcycles // www.insidemotorcycles.com

LIVERPOOL INTERESTED IN ELIA

The Dutch player of Hamburger Eljero Elia, among the surprises of this first part of the season in the Bundesliga, is moving the interest of Liverpool. Arrived in the summer from FC Twente the 22-years-old forward was paid 10 million euros, and he quickly captured the attention of several clubs in the Premier League.

His attorney Klauss Vink said: "We know the interest of several English clubs but Eljero has just moved to Germany and for the moment he is happy to play for Hamburg".

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2010 FINAL MADRID STADIUM SANTIAGO BERNABEU

Yesterday Champions League final Madrid 2010's logotype was presented in the Ciudad del Fútbol de Las Rozas in Madrid, during an act attended, among others, by the secretary general of the RFEF, Jorge Perez, by the general manager of Real Madrid, Jorge Valdano, by the director of the institutional relations and ambassador of the final, Emilio Butragueño, and by the director of the competitions of the UEFA, Giorgio Marchetti.

MANCHESTER UNITED, MEGA RENEWAL FOR ROONEY

Wayne Rooney will become the highest paid player in the Premier League as soon as he sign a mega-renewal that Manchester United will propose to him . According to the News of the World, Red Devils will put a contract on the plate of 170 thousand pounds a week, plus other 45 thousand in the form of image rights that would make Rooney the symbol man of Old Trafford. Rooney, in practice, would be earning about 12.5 million euros per season and negotiations should start in February. United, with this offer, wants to protect themselves by surprise because in recent times there had been talk of a strong interest from Barcelona.

MANCHESTER UNITED PREVENTS CHELSEA'S ESCAPE

With a great match Manchester United prevents Chelsea's escape to the top of Premier League. Red Devils have defeated Everton with a clear 3-0 inside the friendly walls of Old Traffor. Fletcher at 35', Carrick at 67' and Valencia at 76' have closed the deal keeping Manchester United to -5 from Chelsea.

CHELSEA, THE LEADER

The Blues have swept away Wolverhampton with a loud 4-0, consolidating their leadership in Premier League. Chelsea has now 5 points over Manchester United and 8 points over Arsenal, defeated by Sunderland 1-0.

Chelsea have opened the match with a goal by Florent Malouda at the 5'. And it has closed it thanks to two goals by Michael Essien, who scored at 12' and 22'. Joe Cole made the 4th goal at 56'.

ARSENAL, PAZZINI ON TARGET

After the bad performance of yesterday against Sunderland, Arsenal is going to take reinforces. Accordins to Italian press, Arsenal is planning to buy Giampaolo Pazzini to strengthen its attack. The offer is 18 million, but Sampdoria asks 25 million for the striker. It would be the most expensive investment ever for an Italian player in the Premier League. In recent weeks also Chelsea expressed interest in Pazzini, directly through the words of Ancelotti: "Pazzini? I love so much, we'll see, but we can not think of bringing to Chelsea all players who we like"

MANCHESTER UNITED, FERGUSON FOR EVER

GATTUSO AND INZAGHI TO CHELSEA ON JANUARY?

After rumors about a transfer of Rino Gatturo to Chelsea, also Pippo Inzaghi could join Ancelotti's team on January. The 37-years-old striker of Milan has no intention to leave his football activity, and according to some rumors he would take the road to Chealse together with his team mate Gattuso.

WALCOTT: ARSENAL IS BACK ON FEET

After the early qualification in Champions League, Theo Walcott said: "We managed to stand by that disappointment (versus Sunderland) showing a great desire to win. We could have scored more goals, but it was still a great performance. We need a point tonight, but the two goals and three points is a great message for all." Now Arsenal is preparing the challenge against Chlesea in Premier League.

MANCHESTER UNITED BEATEN AT HOME BY BESIKTAS

Although already eliminated from the UEFA Champions League, Beşiktaş JK won at Old Trafford with a goal of Rodrigo Tello at 20'. The Turkish team has in this way left a sign of its Champions experience. The goal of victory has been an exciting shot from 30 meters. Tekllo declared: "I controlled the ball and I felt having to pull, fortunately it went inside." Now Manchester united is called to engage for the access to the final phase of Champions League at the last match against Wolfsburg.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE RESULTS, LEAGUE TABLE AND NEXT MATCHES

GROUP A.
Bordeaux- Juventus 2-0, Bayern Monaco-Maccabi Haifa 1-0.
League table: Bordeaux 13; Juventus 8; Bayern Monaco 7; Maccabi Haifa 0.
Next Matches: Juventus-Bayern Monaco, Maccabi Haifa-Bordeaux.

GROUP B.
Cska Mosca- Wolfsburg 2-1, Manchester United-Besiktas 0-1.
League table: Manchester United 10; Wolfsburg 7; Cska Mosca 7; Besiktas 4.
Next Matches: Wolfsburg-Manchester United, Besiktas-Cska Mosca.

GROUP C.
Real Madrid-Zurigo 1-0, Milan- Marsiglia 1-1.
League table: Real Madrid 10; Milan 8; Marsiglia 7; Zurigo 3.
Next Matches: Zurigo-Milan, Marsiglia-Real Madrid.

GROUP D.
Porto-Chelsea 0-1, Apoel-Atletico Madrid 1-1.
League table: Chelsea 13; Porto 9; Atletico Madrid 3; Apoel 2.
Next Matches: Chelsea-Apoel, Atletico Madrid-Porto.

GROUP E.
Debrecen-Liverpool 0-1, Fiorentina-Lione 1-0.
League table: Fiorentina 12; Lione 10; Liverpool 7; Debrecen 0.
Next Matches: Liverpool- Fiorentina, Lione-Debrecen.

GROUP F.
Barcellona-Inter 2-0, Rubin Kazan-Dinamo Kiev 0-0.
League table: Barcellona 8; Inter e Rubin Kazan 6; Dinamo Kiev 5.
Next Matches: Inter-Rubin K., Dinamo Kiev-Barcellona.

GROUP G.
Rangers-Stoccarda 0-2, Unirea Urziceni-Siviglia 1-0.
League table: Siviglia 10; Unirea Urziceni 8; Stoccarda 6; Rangers 2.
Next Matches: Stoccarda-Unirea Urziceni,Siviglia-Rangers.

GROUP H.
Az Alkmaar-Olympiacos 0-0, Arsenal- Standard Liegi 2-0.
League table: Arsenal 13 punti; Olympiacos 7; Standard. Liegi 4; Az Alkmaar 3.
Next Matches: Olympiacos-Arsenal, Standard Liegi-Az Alkmaar.

CHELSEA ON CANDREVA

There is also Chelsea on the footsteps of Antonio Candreva, midfielder of Livorno, owned by Udinese and convened for the last two friendly match with Italian national team. According to The Sun the 22-years-old player could join Chelsea to cover the absences of Michael Essien and John Obi Mikel, both involved in the Africa Cup of Nations in January. The young Italikan player, as recalled by the tabloids, has received attentions also by West Ham, AC Milan and Juventus.

MANCHESTER UNITED, FERDINAND'S RETURN POSTPONED

Rio Ferdinand is getting better but the Manchester United defender, with a back injury, is not yet ready to return to the field. This was clarified today by the coach of Manchester United, Alex Ferguson, who asked calm: "With the back injury, the situation is always difficult,nature sometimes helps you, but Rio need more time." In addition to Ferdinand Manchester United is in danger of having to give in defense also to John O'Shea and Johnny Evans in the championship match scheduled for tomorrow away at Portsmouth.

ARSENAL ON DIEGO PEROTTI

The Seville midfielder Diego Perotti is a hot name in the January market. In recent weeks, the Spanish press has highlighted the interest of Real Madrid for him. Today 'As' reports that there would be a competitor in England for the Merengues. This is Arsenal, but the English club is fully aware that it will be difficult to tear the young Argentine at the Andalusian club. Perotti will automatically increase its termination clause from 24 up to 30 million euros in next weekend when it reaches the 30 games played in the first team.

ANCELOTTI: ON CHELSEA'S BENCH FOR A LONG TIME

Ancelotti hopes to be Chelsea's coach for a long time, like Wenger and Ferguson.

"My goal is to maintain this bench for a long time and I can do it if I do a good job and the company will be happy with the work I am doing. So far I think the club is satisfied but I want to improve, if possible, to remain at the top of Premier League and to do well in Champions League. But tomorrow, there is an important test: the Arsenal of Arsene Wenger. He is one of the best coaches in the world and has done a fantastic job as Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United. I desire to stay at Chelsea for a long period. I'm a young coach, and even for an experienced Italian is hard to think of staying in the same club for more than five years at Milan I stayed for eight, almost a record. In England, however, it is easier to stay on the same bench for so long. I think that Chelsea is like a family."

The future of Takayuki Morimoto could speak English. The Japanese striker of Catania, despite the less than sublime moment in the shadow of Etna, is

The Portuguese of Manchester United Nani, followed by AC Milan, is not "for sale". This was explicitley said by the coach Alex Ferguson. "There are rumors about big clubs interested in him - Ferguson told to the Sunday Mirror - but there was no contact with us and we do not want ti sale Nani. He's only 23 years old, and if anyone contacts us to buy him in January has no hope."

MANCHESTER UNITED IS PRESSING CATANIA FOR MORIMOTO

The future of Takayuki Morimoto could speak English. The Japanese striker of Catania, despite the less than sublime moment in the shadow of Etna, is attracting the attention of many foreign clubs. According to reports today by the tabloid The People, Manchester United would be even more insistent on pressing Catania to sell Morimoto. The Red Devils have already contacted the leadership of Catania to begin negotiations, but the possible sale of the attacker would be done only in the Japanese market next summer window. As United has not yet formalized an offer because the deal could be influenced by the permanence in Serie A. Morimoto could be sold for a figure close to 10 million euros.

MESSI WON 2009 BALLON D'OR

Lionel Messi won the 2009 Ballon d'Or. France Football has communicated the award on its official site. The Argentinian has clearly won with 473 points. Behind of him Cristiano Ronaldo (233) and Xavi (170). Is the first Argentinian player, without double passport as Di Stefano and Sivori, to win the prestigious trophy

MACHEDA: NEW DEAL WITH MANCHESTER UNITED

The Italian 18 years old Federico Macheda signed a new deal with Manchester United, extending his stay at Old Trafford for four years more. "We are delighted by the new four year deal - said Alex Ferguson - Everyone at the club recognises the fantastic talent he has and we hope to see that develop in the next years, so he becomes a well rounded player".

CHELSEA, NAPOLI IS NOT INTERESTED IN ZHIRKOV

Napoli director of sport Riccardo Bigon has denied all speculation about an interest of Italian club in Chelsea midfielder Yuri Zhirkov. Napoli manager said: "It's baseless news. We have not closed agreements with any left-back, neither Italian nor a foreign one".

WENGER: "WE WANT MORE THAN CARLING CUP"

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger defends his attitude about the Carling Cup, after losing 3-0 against Manchester City. "I know we have not won a trophy since 2005 but I do not consider that if you win the Carling Cup you will be going on a trophy parade - french coach said - It is a competition for our younger players. If I don't play them here where would I play them?".

MANCHESTER UTD WITH SERIOUS FINANCIAL PROBLEMS

The Glazer family, owner of Manchester United, is unable to refinance the debt of 699 million pounds that the English club has got. To reveal the difficulties of the U.S. magnates is the Times, referring to failed attempts in 2007 and 2008. The fans, the newspaper said, have fear that financial problems will end up directly affect the team. Dragan Djuric, president of Partizan Belgrade, says that because of these problems, the United would forgo the purchase of the young Serbian midfielder Adem Ljajic. "Maybe - he assumed - they are in financial crisis." A spokesman for the Glazer family has instead argued that the manager Sir Alex Ferguson may have money in abundance. According to the Times, the main financial concerns relate to 175.5 million pounds of which the Glazer family must meet in person. The remaining 518.7 million pounds of debt, however, weigh directly on the club.

CHELSEA IS NOT INTERESTED IN GATTUSO

Gattuso wants to play more, but it's a possibility that Milan does not seem grant and so he would like to leave Milan. But to go where? His dream is England. Despite being one of the best players in his role he no longer has such many offers as a few years ago. Now even the Ancelotti's Chelsea seems not convinced of a possible purchase, even if, however, Galliani denies bid and even goaded him: "Gennaro must heal and come back soon. Every offer will be considered later. Ancelotti told me that the London club is not interested in Gattuso. Maybe Manchester City wants him, but it is not a pleasant destination for the player."

ARSENAL OFFERS SENDEROS TO ATLETICO MADRID

Philippe Senderos, Swiss central defender of Arsenal, would have been offered to Atletico Madrid. This was revealed by the Spanish sport magazine Marca. The player's contract expires in June, but the Gunners could sell it in January on loan to Atletico Madrid. Meanwhile, Athletic Bilbao has renewed the contract of its gem Iker Muniain until 30 June 2015. The buyout clause of the talented 17 years-old will vary between 36 and 45 mln.

MANCHESTER UNITED GIVES PRESSURE ON CHELSEA

With a 4-0 success at home against West Ham United FC, Manchester United FC is close to only two points behind leaders Chelsea FC, who lost 2-1 at Manchester City FC in the postponement.

MANCHESTER UNITED ACCELERATES TIME TO HAVE KJAER BY PALERMO

As also Bayern Monaco and Liverpool are on the trail of Simon Kjaer, defender of Palermo, it becames increasingly an urgent goal for Manchester United facing a long list of injured players. The Danish international has long been regarded by Sir Alex Ferguson as the ideal replacement of Serbian Nemanja Vidic in the predicate to move to Barcelona after this season. But now that he can not rely on Jonny Evans, Rio Ferdinand and John O'Shea, all blocked by injury, Ferguson is planning to speed up by pushing on the arrival of Kjaer from Palermo already in January. According to the Daily Mail also all the major Italian clubs are interested in the Danish player, whose contract with the club Rosanero will expire in 2013 and is rated by the president Zamparini about 15 million.

OWEN ACCLAIMS RED DEVILS

After his 3 goals which gave Manchester United FC the first place in Group B of UEFA Champions League, Michael Owen told uefa.com that the applause go to his companions for having "simplified his life".

"Playing for some teams gives you many occasions, and Manchester is one of those. Scoring is another thing, perhaps the most difficult thing of a game, but given the quality of my team mates it gets easier. There were many young people on the bench and it was important that if they entered the camp, they felt in control. For the more experienced it was important to play well tonight and that's what happened. We are happy to have closed group at the first position, because we play the return home, even if we do not know against whom. However we will avoid some of the best teams."

MOURINHO BACK TO ENGLAND?

After the win against Rubin Kazan of yesterday, Inter's coach José Mourinho finds the willing to warning his managers: "I can find a job where I want". In past days there were rumors about Mou willingness to come back to England, and this sounded bad to Gianni Rivera, former Inter player and shareholder of the club. Rivera said: "If he does not take Inter to the final phase of Champions League, he can go away". After assuring to Inter the qualification for the final part of Champions League, Mourinho responded with his rude way as he is used to do.

DROGBA: "IN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE THERE ARE NO EASY GAMES"

After 2-2 against Apoel Nicosia at Stamford Bridge, Didier Drogba, who scored 2-1's goal, admitted: "We were not concentrating. We thought, maybe, it was going to be an easy game but in the Champions League there are no easy games. We said 2-1 was going to be a good result but APOEL gave everything".

GASPERINI COULD BE THE FERGUSON'S HEIR

Accrding to Italian press, Gian Piero Gasperini, Genoa's coach, could be the man for the post-Ferguson era on the bench for Manchester United. Red Devils observers do not miss a game of the rossoblu, and rumors say it is for the white-haired trainer. According to journalists, Gasperini could have a contract as assistant to the Scots guru and then take his place once it is time for retirement. Gasperini however seems focused on Serie A and on his Genoa, and refuses to talk seriously sbout the issue.

NO DZEKO FOR ARSENAL

Edin Dzeko is not a target for Arsenal. Arsene Wenger said it in a very clear way after rumors about a transfer: "Dzeko? It 'a player I like very much but an assessment is excessive and he would not be usable in Champions League". Wenger also
admits that he dreams of Marouane Chamakh's arrival at the Emirates Stadium.

CHELSEA NIGHTMARE FOR MILAN

According to Milan managers, the greatest fear of the Italian club for Champions League draws is to meet Chelsea on their own way. Galliani clearly said that Chelsea is his worst nightmare. "After meeting Kakà, I am afraid to meet Ancelotti". Milan did very well against Real Madrid, but rossoneri are not so sure to can afford Chelsea with the same positive results.

CHELSEA STOPPED BY EVERTON

The black moment fo Chelsea in Premier League continues. Ancelotti's team has been blocked by Everton on 3-3 at Stamford Bridge. Drogba's brace has been not enough. In the 16th match day it has to be registered also a home splash of Tottenham.

Results:
Stoke City-Wigan 2-2;
Sunderland-Portsmouth 1-1;
Bolton-Manchester City 3-3,
Tottenham-Wolverhampton 0-1;
Chelsea-Everton 3-3;
Burnley-Fulham 1-1;
Birmingham-West Ham 1-0;
Hull City-Blackburn 0-0.

1 BILLION FROM ASIA TO BUY MANCHESTER UNITED

One billion pounds to buy Manchester United. The incredible amount of 1.1 billion, is the offer of 6 Asian tycoons who would be ready to buy the Old Trafford club. According to the Sunday 'News of the World', the consortium based in Bangkok is keen to detect the current control by the U.S. Glazer family. "All the resources are in place, they are ready to contact Glazer," said an unnamed financial source to Bangkok. "They prepared everything in detail and know that Glazer are under pressure to honor their debts. If there was ever a time when the United was vulnerable before a potential buyer, is this. This could be the biggest deal in the history of football. The investment by Roman Abramovich for Chelsea would be nothing in comparison. If Glaser is ready to sell, the money is on the table. "

Its time to embarass ourselves once again. Its always fun to go back and look at your predictions and wonder, what the hell was I thinking? So, never afraid to look like the fool, here are my 2009 MLB predictions.

AL Central

1. Red Sox

2. Rays 5 GB *

3. Yankees 7

4. Orioles 26

5. Blue Jays 28

AL Central

1. White Sox

2. Tigers 3

3. Twins 4

4. Indians 7

5. Royals 11

AL West

1. Athletics

2. Angels 2

3. Mariners 14

4. Rangers 16

NL East

1. Phillies

2. Mets 6

3. Marlins 10

4. Braves 10

5. Nationals 24

NL Central

1. Cubs

2. Cardinals 8

3. Reds 10

4. Brewers 13

5. Astros 19

6. Pirates 21

NL West

1. Dodgers

2. Giants 2 *

3. D-Backs 4

4. Rockies 16

5. Padres 25

*Wild Card Team

Boston Red Sox defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series.

AL MVP - Miguel Cabrera (Tigers)

AL Cy Young - Jon Lester (Red Sox)

NL MVP - Manny Ramirez (Dodgers)

NL Cy Young - Tim Lincecum (Giants)

I think the Reds will be better and will compete through mid August but then fade. I think our season depends on what the guy up top can do for us, Wily Taveras. Some of these other divisions are wide open. You could have picked any one of those 5 teams in the AL Central to win the division. There are 4 contenders in the NL East and who knows who will be left out between the Yankees, Rays, and Red Sox. Tough call. Obviously my surprise picks are the A's and Giants making the playoffs.

And the Highest ERA in the Majors Belongs to..... Bronson Arroyo

Bronson Arroyo currently holds the highest earned run average out of all starters with 10 or more starts in major league baseball. Congratulations Bronson! Not only is your 5.85 ERA the highest, you've also let up the most home runs (21) and third most hits (121) in just 103 innings pitched.

Fearless Forecast: Disabled List (carpal tunnel)

Bengals Roster Move

Today the Bengals will waive RB DeDe Dorsey to make room for rookie OT Andre Smith. Smith was granted a roster exemption due to his late signing and was held off of the roster because of a broken foot injury. Marvin indicated that "DeDe did a lot to make a case to stay here, but we needed the spot." The Bengals had to get Smith on the roster today. Other than that Marvin said nothing of note at his press conference.

Is This Payback?

-Keefe

Following the events this past Sunday known as Super Bowl XLII, I had to wonder. Is there a reason why the NFL went with Roman Numerals and no one else? Interesting choice to me, but I guess it works, people for the most part seem to enjoy it. It was fun with the I's, V's, and X's, then a couple years ago we all got to learn a new one in the L. Despite popular belief the L is actually 50 not 30. So you take the X (10) and subtract that from the L (50) to = 40. Fast forward to 2016 and we can all get excited for Super Bowl L. That's the big one, L. Who cares? This really wasn't what I was wondering about anyway.

Did the Patriots use up their good luck winning 3 Super Bowls in 4 years? It was hard to say especially after watching them have the first perfect 16 game regular season in NFL history and 2 more wins in the playoffs before taking their 18-0 record into Glendale. But they have now lost 2 straight "Big Games" (the AFC title game last year t! o the Colts, and Super Bowl XLII), both to teams quarterbacked by Manning's. I'll get more into that in a minute. After their 3rd Super Bowl victory in franchise history the Pats have still won at least 10 games in the regular season, and always advanced to the 2nd round or further in the playoffs. Pretty impressive stuff. In the last 7 years with Bill Belichick and Tom Brady as the full time QB New England has won 86 regular season games. I'll do the math for you and say that's an average of over 12 a year. Despite those great stats the last 3 years have all ended in disappointment.

The unsettledness I have felt at the culmination of each of the past 3 seasons has been even worse than merely seeing another team capture the Lombardi trophy. Everyone has their favorite teams in each sport. Most people root for 1 team and 1 team only. Some will pick a team from the other Conference or League, or you may even find yourself watching a team for their style of play, be! cause the team who you support, who you still watch may not be! the bes t brand out there. (This can be the Phoenix Suns rule. They are so enjoyable to watch, despite zero affiliation with them I find myself rooting for them against every team other than the Celtics the last few years.) And like many fans I have a select group of players in each sport that I support far more than any others, and similarly a group of players who I despise more than any other. So if the Pittsburgh Steelers, Indianapolis Colts, and New York Giants winning championships weren't bad enough, take a look at their signal callers.

Ben Roethlisberger, Peyton Manning, and Eli Manning. I don't have three players in football I hate more than these three. There is a variety of reasons why each one of these guys bothers me.

Roethlisberger is wildly overrated now. He throws 32 TD passes this year and all of a sudden he's a top 5 QB. Give me a break. He's a lot like Ben Affleck. He can give you a great performance, say in Mallrats, but just know th! at there's a Pearl Harbor right around the corner. Also you can win with both Ben's as long as you don't ask them to do too much. Affleck played it safe in Good Will Hunting. They didn't rely on him to carry the movie and he, and the team came through. Exactly like Roethlisberger when he "won" the Super Bowl. Pitt didn't want him to do anything. Antwaan Randle El threw more TDs in that game than Big Ben. For those of you who don't follow the game closely, Randle El is a wide receiver and only threw the ball once in that game, 20 times fewer than the QB who tossed 2 INTs and completed less than 10 passes, but he still goes down as a Super Bowl winning quarterback. Seriously? This was his first year out of four with decent stats; let's not go crazy just yet.

Peyton Manning is the only one on this list that I at least respect as a player. He and Brady are in a class by themselves. The reason he bothers me, aside from the barrage of commercials is m! ore his team's success than anything. The Colts have become th! e Yankee s to the Pats. Derek Jeter is similar to Peyton in my mind. I recognize their talents, but would not be caught dead cheering for them. If Peyton goes 0-16 next year only a 0-162 out of Jeter would make me happier. He's the only 1 of the 3 QB's that his ability is part of the reason why I can't stand them. He is also hurt because he is the older brother to my least favorite athlete on the planet.

Eli Manning cemented himself as an unlikable player before he even took a snap in the NFL. I hated him the second the 2004 draft began. The San Diego Chargers wanted to take him #1 overall to be their QB of the future, but Eli didn't want to play for them, and wouldn't sign. The Bolts took him anyway as Eli moped on stage while every other college player sweated it out to see where they would go. He held the Chargers jersey with as much excitement as Kristie Alley eating a salad. The Giants traded picks with San Diego to get Manning. What San Diego got back was Philip Rive! rs, Shawn Merriman, and Nate Kaeding. I could always say that was a horrible trade until Super Bowl XLII.

These losses by the Patriots have been bad, but watching these 3 players and their teams capitalize on their collapses have made it that much worse. There is 31 starting QB's I would rather have win it than Eli Manning, 30 more than Peyton, and 29 more than Ben. I don't know who my 4th least favorite quarterback is in the league, but as soon as I figure it out I'm taking his team to win the Super Bowl XLIII. Maybe keep an eye on Jay Cutler and Vince Young.

Calzaghe-Jones just six days away

If anyone's happened to tune into HBO last night for episode 2 of Calzaghe Jones 24/7, you would have heard Jones at one point exclaiming, "I'm baaaaack." While victories over Anthony Hanshaw and a washed-up Felix Trinidad are nothing more than confidence builders in my eyes, Jones has looked significantly better in those fights than he did during his horrific three-fight losing streak to Antonio Tarver (twice) and the brutal KO loss to Glen Johnson.

I've been a Jones, Jr. fan for almost 10 years. He was the pound for pound greatest when I first started sitting down to watch boxing matches, and with the likes of YouTube, I've had a chance to enjoy highlights and fights before my spectating began. He was the best in the world in five different weight classes, an entertainer and the most exciting fighter in the world. To see him plummet drastically, almost overnight, like he did against Tarver and Johnson was terrifying to me as a fan and boxing as a sport. Let's fa! ce it, Tarver is no where near the businessman, entertainer and fight mogul that Jones is. He can talk a fair game, but after his deflating performance in Rocky Balboa, he's been nothing but a disappointment in the light heavyweight division, particularly following losses to Bernard Hopkins and "Bad" Chad Dawson in his last fight. Couple that with uninspiring decision wins over Elvir Muriqi and Clinton Woods and you no longer have a major draw in the sport.

Glen Johnson, meanwhile, has a lot of John "Quietman" Ruiz in him. Well, actually, maybe it's more the nickname and nothing else. Johnson doesn't build up fights much, he lets his fists do the talking. And while he's probably legitimately lost no more than 3 fights in his career (he's gotten screwed in numerous decision losses), Johnson isn't much of a draw either. Which is why Joe Calzaghe chose Roy Jones, Jr. as his next opponent at Madison Square Garden this Saturday, Nov. 8. Regardless of whether Jones st! ill has the speed, agility and ferocity in his fists that he p! ossessed in the 90's and earlier this century, his aura and mystique along with his personality, confidence and gab are enough to crank out yet another blockbuster fight. I loved what Roy Jones, Sr. said last night:

"If Roy trained for this fight, Calzaghe can't beat him."

What is this guy Karo Parysian? I don't doubt that Jones, Jr. abstained from training for a good portion of his fights, particularly during the height of his career against bums like Antoine Byrd, Tony Thornton and Merqui Sosa. But it raises and interesting point. Calzaghe is the ultimate workhorse, a come at you type of fighter who is constantly busy and putting on the pressure. Ironically, he's a heavier version of Ricky Hatton. Jones, however, likes to circle and move, picking his spots and working in spurts, but exploding when he does and unleashing a fury that most have been able to endure. Who's that like? Floyd Mayweather.

Are Jones' skills declining? I don't doubt it. But c! an you argue that his brief, 3-fight losing streak could also be attributed to complacency and a declining work ethic? I don't doub that either. Personally, 24/7 may have been the best thing for him, because it gave him reason to establish a legitimate, hardcore training camp to prepare for this fight. And while he still thinks he's the best, no one else does. Perhaps he said it in the first episode:

"If I lose on the 8th, who cares? But if he lose, his streak has ENDED."

To me, nothing is more dangerous than a motivated Jones with nothing lose. I'll be tuning in on Saturday to watch the fight. One reason is because I'm still a tremendous Jones fan and still enjoy watching him compete at this level. To see him win the fight, the title, and thus a showdown (and re-match) with Bernard Hopkins could be the best possible scenario for the sport of boxing. Two of the boxing's best meeting over 10 years later to settle a score, and doing it at a different wei! ght class which they both sat at the top of.

The ot! her reas on I'll be watching is because of the 24/7 series that HBO keeps pumping out. If you haven't been watching these, you should. The De la Hoya/Mayweather series set the standard, and Mayweather/Hatton was pretty tremendous, as well. This latest has met that standard and De la Hoya/Pacquiao will soon follow on the 16th. Below is episode 1 of Calzaghe/Jones. Check it out. I'll post episode 2 once it's available and you can catch episode 3 this Thursday night.



I'd love to hear your thoughts on this matchup, where you think Jones stands today as a fight! er and how you think things will play out on the 8th and beyond.

-Bess

Can there be 2 MMA video games?

The UFC came out with their video game "UFC 2009: Undisputed," two months ago under the publisher THQ. The thing has sold an absolute ton of copies, over 1 million in the first month. Can there be 2 MMA games? Dana White said that he went to EA Sports with the idea of a kick ass UFC game, and the EA people said not a chance, and told Dana that MMA was not a sport. Well with the huge success of Undisputed the same naysayers from EA wanted to cash in on MMA.

You don't see another company trying to challenge Madden anymore. That's a lost cause. The NBA has Live and 2k, NHL also has two. Is MMA popular enough to sell 2 games? It comes down to game play, rosters, and year-to-year changes.

The UFC and THQ signed a multi-year contract, therefore if EA comes out with a game of their own, you won't see any of the UFC stars. Not exactly sure how the likes of Tito Ortiz, Andrei Arlovski, Tim Sylvia, and Fabricio Werdum shake out, considering they are no l! onger in the UFC but are all in the current game, making up 4 of the 80+ fighters.

I have come up with the roster EA would need to be able to compete with the UFC game. Some of these guys may fight in the UFC, but were not in the last game for whatever the reason.

If you're an MMA fan tell me you wouldn't buy this game... (fighter by weight class)

1. Fedor Emelianenko
2. Alistair Overeem
3. Brett Rogers
4. Josh Barnett
5. Alek Emelianenko
6. Paul Buentello
7. Gilbert Yvel
8. Pedro Rizzo
9. Jeff Monson
10. Kimbo Slice
11. Roy Nelson
12. Ben Rothwell
13. Randy Couture*
14. Babalu Sobral
15. Antonio Rogerio Noguiera
16. Vladimir Matyushenko
17. Ricardo Arona
18. Murilio Bustamante
19. Gegard Mousasi
20. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou
21. Vitor Belfort
22. Robbie Lawler
23. Jorge Santiago
24. Melvin Manhoef
25. Ronaldo Souza
26! . Matt Lindland
27. Cung Le
28. Paulo Fiho
29. ! Kazuo Mi saki
30. Denis Kang*
31. Chael Sonnen*
32. Frank Shamrock
33. Nick Diaz
34. Jake Shields
35. Jay Hieron
36. Brock Larson
37. Marius Zaromskis
38. Hayato "Mach" Sakurai
39. Jason High
40. Frank Trigg*
41. Nick Thompson
42. Carlos Condit*
43. Joe Riggs
44. Shinya Aoki
45. Joachim Hansen
46. Eddie Alverez
47. Tatsuya Kawajiri
48. Josh Thomson
49. JZ Calvancante
50. Gilbert Melendez
51. Jaime Varner
52. Vitor Ribeiro
53. Mitsuhiro Ishida
54. Takanori Gomi
55. Satoru Kitaoka
56. Donald Cerrone
57. Mike Brown
58. Urijah Faber
59. Jose Aldo
60. Leonard Garcia

*in UFC now, not in game

There's 60 guys right there without any filler, those are top of the line fighters, minus Kimbo but he gives you name recognition.

Gina Carano and Cyborg Santos? Put them in as a woman match? I wouldn't go any fu! rther past the two of them.

Also what could help them generate sales and compete/surpass the UFC/THQ model is have unlockable legends... a la the WWF games.

Royce Gracie, Ken Shamrock, Frank if he's not already in, Tank Abbott, Dan Severn, Kevin Randleman, Sakuraba, Mark Hunt, Kimo (He is alive.), Phil Baroni (a legend in his own mind), Bas Rutten, a young Ricco Rodriguez, and whoever else.

In the end, it might be tough without the UFC name, but if they market it right and the game play is a step better, I think they can compete.

-Keefe

Bologna 2-0 Livorno

Bologna coach Giuseppe Papadopulo repaid the faith of his club president by presiding over his side's first win of the Serie A campaign.

Papadopulo's troops began the new season with two draws and two losses, forcing president Francesca Menarini to issue a dreaded vote of confidence to his coach on the eve of Wednesday's match with Livorno.

Goals from Daniele Portanova and skipper Marco Di Vaio in either half secured a win that will ease the pressure on Papadopulo! 's shoulders for another week at least.

The defeat for Livorno was their third in five outings since their return to the top flight, and leaves Vittorio Russo's men second-bottom of the standings on two points.

The hosts' evening got off to a miserable start when they lost midfielder Massimo Mutarelli to injury after five minutes, Gaby Mudingayi his replacement in the centre of the park.

The hosts recovered to carve out a clear opening inside the first 10 minutes when Marcelo Zalayeta played in Giacomo Tedesco but the midfielder's shot was deflected for a corner.

Antonio Candreva enjoyed the visitors' best chance of the opening period, his shot from distance after 18 minutes bringing a sprawling stop from the alert Emiliano Viviano in the Bologna goal.

Di Vaio also set his sights from distance for Bologna after 24 minutes, the striker's effort forcing Alfonso De Lucia to make a smart save.

Nicola Mingazzini's 34th-minute free-kick a! lmost brought about the breakthrough for Miguel Britos but the! defende r saw his towering header sail wide of the upright.

The opener arrived just 60 seconds later, however, Mingazzini's corner picking out Britos' central-defensive partner Portanova who made no mistake with a headed finish.

Bologna were good value for their lead and might have gone in at the break two goals to the good but Luca Vigiani's long-range effort five minutes from half-time came back off the woodwork.

The hosts effectively killed off the game as a contest after 53 minutes, last season's top scorer Di Vaio firing across the face of the keeper and into the corner after receiving the ball from Zalayeta to register his first goal of the season.

Tomas Danilevicius spurned a glorious chance to get Livorno back into the match just two minutes later when he fired over from close range while unmarked, while the striker also had an effort ruled out for offside just a minute later.

Di Vaio failed to add to his tally in a one-on-one with De Lucia! after an hour, the Livorno keeper guessing right to keep the score at 2-0.

The visitors' last chance to get back into the match came and went 12 minutes from time, Davide Marchini's teasing ball behind the Bologna backline evading both Francesco Tavano and Danilevicius to neatly sum up Livorno's frustrations in front of goal.

ICC Champions Trophy: India near exit after Australia match rained off

Pretoria: Australia (234-4) v India. No result.

India's hopes of qualifying for the Champions Trophy semi-finals hang by a thread after their game against Australia was abandoned due to heavy rain at Centurion.

Only 42.3 overs were possible in the Group A clash, with Ricky Ponting's side amassing 234 for four thanks largely to half centuries from Tim Paine (56), Michael Hussey (67) and the captain himself, who made 65.

But a violent thunderstorm then struck towards the end of the innings, flooding large parts of the out! field and forcing umpires Billy Bowden and Ian Gould to declare the match a no-result.

It means that both teams were awarded a point each with Australia moving to three in the group, one behind leaders Pakistan, while India (one) and West Indies (0) prop up the table. It leaves India with a tall order to progress to the last four with one game remaining.

India will first need to defeat West Indies on Wednesday while hoping Australia lose to Pakistan, who have qualified as a result of Monday night's result. MS Dhoni's side's hopes, however, are complicated by a vastly inferior run rate with Australia (+1.000) some way ahead of India (-1.080).

On the field, India made a much-improved start compared to that against Pakistan with Ashish Nehra (one for 38) and Praveen Kumar, in the team in place of RP Singh, bowling impressively to the openers after Ponting won the toss and opted to take first strike.

And it s! howed with Shane Watson removed for duck - the all-rounder und! one w hile trying to pull away a Nehra bouncer and was easily caught by Harbhajan Singh at midwicket.

The introduction of Ishant Sharma (one for 53), though, broke the shackles as Paine and Ponting took 16 from his first over and then brought up their 50 partnership from 52 balls

The Australian wicketkeeper then raised his half-century from 51 deliveries with a cheeky reverse sweep off Harbhajan, but was out when he mistimed a conventional sweep off Amit Mishra (one for 45) straight to Harbhajan at midwicket.

It was 128 for two at the halfway stage with Hussey and Ponting going nicely - the pair adding 50 for the third wicket with the captain reaching his 50 from 67 balls.

However, an excellent direct hit from Gautam Gambhir in the cover boundary region ended the partnership at 88 and brought Ponting's 88-ball knock to a conclusion after he attempted a second run and was run-out at the non-strikers end.

!

Hussey, who was joined by Cameron White, then brought up a handy 50 from 45 balls as his side reached 200 in the 37th over. The pair shared 50 in the same number of balls, but were pegged back when Hussey found Sachin Tendulkar at long off.

White (35 not out) had just got going when the rain came in and forced a premature end to proceedings.

Everton 1 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1

The Premier League game between Everton and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Goodison Park on Saturday, Oct 17 2009.

All but the most optimistic Wolverhampton Wanderers supporters had come to Goodison Park hoping that their side would at least make it look competitive against an Everton side who have had all that confidence lost at the start of the ! season steadily seep back into them in recent weeks.

It's been mentioned before, but football is a funny game, and those same fans will have travelled back down the M6 feeling sick to the stomach with a 1-1 draw, a last gasp equaliser from Diniyar Bilyaletdinov denying them of what would have been a wonderful win.

David Moyes had said before this match that his Everton side were perking up. The funny thing was, it didn't look that way, and it wasn't long before Wolves started believing as though they could spring a surprise here and not only avoid another defeat, but actually go and win the thing.

Boosted by the return of Sylvan Ebanks-Blake up front and Michael Kightly on the right wing, Mick McCarthy's side badgered their opposition into apathy, and Goodison Park, though crammed, was unusually quiet. You could almost hear Mick McCarthy barking out his orders.

There was some action ! in the first half, but not a lot: Tim Cahill shot over, Chr! istophe Berra had a decent first time effort, Tim Howard saved with one hand from Kevin Doyle. Ebanks-Blake shot wide from six yards. The second half was more lively. Howard had the better of Ebanks-Blake with 25 minutes to go and a second later it was Yakubu at the other end, pulling his shot across goal.

Groans of the home support rumbled across the ground: they knew as well as the striker that he should have done better. Moyes removed Louis Saha, looking to his blue-booted Brazilian, Jo, for inspiration.

McCarthy, also looking for a new dimension, was about to bring on Stefan Maierhofer. But as the 6ft 7.5in Austrian striker hovered on the sidelines, Doyle found his way through, the Everton back four left stranded by the simplest of looped balls from Hennessy 'Route One' at its most basic. And effective. All Doyle needed to do was stick out his right boot, and tuck the ball past Howard into the corner.

Maierhofer came! on, but he was soon off again after collecting two yellows. In normal circumstances McCarthy might have reached supernova. As it was he was still in shock. Cahill had found Jo on the left, and the Brazilian's ball across the face of goal was tapped in at the far post by Bilyaletdinov - his first goal for the club.

At last Goodison had something to grin about.

Clijsters outed by Schnyder in Luxembourg

US Open champion Kim Clijsters suffered a second-round defeat to Patty Schnyder at the BGL Luxembourg Open.

The Belgian former world number one, who made a memorable return from retirement with victory at the US Open last month, lost 6-4 3-6 7-6 (8/6) to the Swiss player as her serve failed to fire.

Clijsters had 11 double faults in the defeat as Schnyder moved through to a clash with Sabine Lisicki of Germany.

Fourth seed Daniela Hantuchova earlier came thr! ough a tough clash with Lucie Hradecka.

The Slovakian edged her Czech opponent 7-5 3-6 6-2 to book her place in the next stage and was joined by fifth seed Yanina Wickmayer.

The Belgian saw off Alize Cornet 7-5 7-6 (8/6), while eighth seed Shahar Peer beat Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro 3-6 6-3 6-1.

Katarina Srebotnik lost the first set against Anne Kremer but rallied to win the next two at a cost of just two games for a 2-6 6-4 6-0 victory.

Barnsley 0 Manchester United 2

The Carling Cup game between Barnsley and Manchester United at Oakwell on Tuesday Oct 27 2009.

Sir Alex Ferguson might just have stumbled on a strike-partnership for Manchester United. Michael Owen and Danny Welbeck are displaying a liking for playing together in the Carling Cup.

Having combined to see off Wolves in the last round, the veteran and the prodigy did so once again as Barnsley manager Mark Robins was denied a victory against the manager whose job he once famously secured with a winning goal in an FA Cup tie at Nottingham Forest almost 20 years ago.

Welbeck, the pick of United's impressive youngsters at Oakwell, opened the scoring before Owen completed the victory for the cup holders with a magical second.

Yet the game was marred by Gary Neville's 64th minute dismissal for a studs-up challenge on Adam Hammill prior to an unsavoury injury-time incident when two Barnsley supporters entered the pitch and kicked the ball out of United goalkeeper Ben Foster's hands.

Sir Alex Ferguson arrived in Barnsley having already experienced the ignominy of a cup upset at Oakwell. Eleven years ago, his reigning league champions were on the wrong end of a 3-2 FA Cup fifth-round replay in South Yorkshire, albeit against a Barnsley si! de enjoying a one-season flirtation with the top flight.

By eliminating Chelsea and Liverpool from the FA Cup in 2008, Barnsley clearly find something extra against teams who would ordinarily view domestic cup encounters as an inconvenience in the grand scheme of things.

Perhaps the prospect of United and Ferguson being humbled prompted Keith Hackett, the general manager of the Premier League referees, to take a seat in Oakwell's directors' box. Or maybe he was just checking on the fitness of referee Chris Foy.

But United, despite their approach of resting senior figures in this competition, proved by lifting the Carling Cup last season that it is worthy of a place in Old Trafford's well-stocked trophy cabinet.

And with their last outing resulting in a painful defeat against Liverpool at Anfield, Barnsley's fate was as good as sealed before Ferguson's fringe players took to the field.

The Scot had made 11 changes from the team sent out at Anfield. Eleven rested, ! rather than axed, but their replacements at least went into this fixture with the incentive of knowing that they had the opportunity to dislodge their rivals for the Premier League clash with Blackburn on Saturday.

Defenders Jonny Evans and Wes Brown, in particular, played with an extra spring in their step. If Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic continue to perform as they did at Anfield, Evans and Brown will soon be handed tougher assignments than shackling Jon Macken and Daniel Bogdanovic.

United began in determined mood. Within five minutes, Barnsley full-back Rob Kozluk had been forced to clear a Michael Owen header off the line.

Seconds later, Welbeck had put United ahead with his second Carling Cup goal of the season when he headed Anderson's corner past goalkeeper Luke Steele from six yards.

Welbeck is an emerging force, but chances have been limited so far this season. His pace and burgenoning power su! ggest he will be a regular sooner rather than later.

!

The same could be said for Gabriel Obertan, the £3m purchase from Bordeaux who, after knee and back injuries, was making his debut at Oakwell.

Slick, with incredibly quick feet, the 20-year-old displayed more potential in 45 minutes than Nani, the infuriating Portuguese, has shown in almost three years.

Despite their impressive forward play, United's defensive frailties were not eradicated by the removal of Sunday's back four and Bogdanovic was left unmarked to head Hammill's corner against the crossbar on 22 minutes.

Where United were toothless and predictable at Anfield, they were quick and purposeful here.

The opposition was some way down the pecking order in comparison to Liverpool, but Welbeck in particular was finding the gaps that proved beyond Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov at the weekend.

The 19 year-old released Owen with a defence-splitting pass on 49 minutes which appeared perfectly craft! ed for the forward to score without breaking stride, yet a nudge in the back from Stephen Foster proved critical and Steele was able to block Owen's shot.

For Welbeck, it was to be his final contribution of the evening, with a muscle pull curtailing his involvement on 53 minutes.

Welbeck's replacement, Zoran Tosic, is in the Nani camp in terms of having plenty to prove at Old Trafford, but a rapier-like shot over Steele's crossbar moments after entering the fray suggested he has the ability to justify his transfer.

It was an impressive effort, but Owen topped it with his goal on 61 minutes.

Pity Fabio Capello was not at Oakwell to see it. Having received the ball from Fabio's throw-in with his back to goal 10 yards from the touchline, Owen turned one defender and nutmegged another before curling a right-foot shot past Steele from 18 yards.

There was even a burst of pace from the 29 year-old. Scorin! g against Barnsley is one thing, though. Doing it regularly! in the Premier League is another.

He may get the opportunity against Blackburn this weekend, but Neville will have to sit that one out having earned a suspension for his reckless challenge on Hamill. But the future is not Neville's.

That lies at the feet of Evans, Obertan, Welbeck and maybe even an old-stager called Michael Owen.

Match details:
Barnsley (4-4-2): Steele; Kozluk, Moore, Foster, Gray; Anderson da Silva (Campbell-Ryce 71), Hallfredsson, Colace (Butterfield 77), Hammill; Macken (Hume 65), Bogdanovic.
Subs: Preece (g), Hassell, Thompson, Devaney.
Booked: Anderson da Silva, Colace, Bogdanovic.

Manchester United (4-3-3): Foster; Neville, Brown, J Evans, Fabio; Rafael, Anderson, Welbeck (Tosic 53); Obertan, Owen (De Laet 65), Macheda.
Subs: Amos (g), O'Shea, C Evans, King, James.
Book! ed: Evans, Tosic.
Sent Off: Neville.
Referee: C Foy (Merseyside)

Champions League Wednesday Review

Lyon sealed their place in the last 16 of the Champions League as Liverpool's rocky season continued with a 1-1 draw at the Stade Gerland.

The much-maligned Ryan Babel scored a wonderful goal with just seven minutes left and if Liverpool could have hung on to that lead they would still have had a realistic chance of reaching the last 16.

But when Lisandro Lopez struck an equaliser in the final seconds for Lyon, Liverpool knew their own hopes were left hanging by a ! thread.

Fiorentina's 5-2 win over Debrecen keeps them firmly in second spot in Group E and Liverpool will need a miracle after this devastating blow.

In Florence, goals from Adrian Mutu and Gergely Rudolf saw the sides all square at half-time but Dario Dainelli, Riccardo Montolivo and Marco Marchionni all struck between the 52nd and 61st minutes to take the game away from Debrecen.

Adamo Coulibaly pulled one back before Alberto Gilardino netted the final goal of a frantic second half.

Two goals in the last five minutes spared Jose Mourinho's blushes at Dynamo Kiev and reignited Inter Milan's campaign in Group F with a 2-1 win.

Andrey Shevchenko, a legend at Inter's city rivals AC Milan, scored the only goal of the first half after 21 minutes, but Inter piled on the pressure in the second period and it paid off as the in-form Diego Milito equalised in the 86th minute and Wesley Sneijder won it a minute from time.

Even a draw would ! have kept the Italians bottom of Group F, but as it was they w! ent top - a point ahead of Rubin Kazan and Barcelona, who played out a 0-0 draw earlier.

Sevilla booked their spot in the last 16 by holding on for a 1-1 draw against battling Stuttgart at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan.

Winger Jesus Navas put Sevilla ahead in the 14th minute but the visitors staged a second-half fightback and deservedly claimed a point thanks to Zdravko Kuzmanovic's deflected 25-yard strike 12 minutes from time.

Rangers' hopes were left in the balance when a late equaliser from Unirea Urziceni denied them a first victory in the tournament this season.

Lee McCulloch thought he had secured the win with a superb strike with just 11 minutes to go but Unirea hit back to claim a 1-1 draw when substitute Marius Onofras grabbed a last-gasp leveller.

Arsenal all but secured their place in the last 16 after taking apart AZ Alkmaar 4-1 at Emirates Stadium.

Standard Liege's 2-0 win over Olympiacos means, mathematically, Arsene Wenger's sid! e could yet be overtaken for the top two places in Group H.

Arsenal, who are now unbeaten in 12 games, were always in control, Cesc Fabregas setting them on their way after 25 minutes, before Samir Nasri made it 2-0 on the stroke of half-time with the Gunners captain and then Abou Diaby putting the result beyond doubt.

Jeremain Lens netted a consolation for the visitors, who now face a battle to finish third and go into the Europa League.

In Belgium, goals in either half from Dieudonne Mbokani and Milan Jovanovic earned the home side their first win in Group H and moved them two points behind their second-placed opponents in the standings.

Match Reports

Lyon 1-1 Liverpool

Rubin Kazan 0-0 Barcelona

Arsenal 4-1 AZ Alkmaar

Dynamo Kiev 1-2 Inter Milan

Fiorentina 5-2 Debrecen

Sevilla 1-1 Stuttgart

Unirea Urziceni 1-1 Rangers

Standard Liege 2-0 Olympiacos

Quintale di miele per Pazzini

di Rocco Fortunato

fonte:eurosport.it

L'apicoltore Gigi Nardini di Cividale del Friuli (Udine) ha consegnato all'attaccante della Sampdoria, Giampaolo Pazzini, un quintale di miele per il primo gol di campionato di serie A. Da trent'anni Nardini mette in palio per ! gli autori dei primi gol di campionato e della squadra di casa! , l'Udinese, un quintale di miele a testa: quest'anno ad aggiudicarseli sono stati appunto Pazzini e Totò di Natale. La consegna a Pazzini è stata fatta a Genova, alla fine di una partita amichevole della Samp al campo di Bogliasco. Il bomber ha deciso di donare la metà del premio a Seborga nel Mondo Onlus, un'associazione no-profit che svolge attività sociali nel mondo a tutela dei minori e degli anziani. Il miele sarà venduto per acquistare un carretto e un cavallo ad una famiglia della Moldovia. «Mi ha fatto molto piacere ricevere questo premio - ha detto Pazzini - e darne la metà all'associazione. Voglio continuare a fare bene con la mia Sam! p. Magari con il miele riesco a migliorare le mie prestazioni e continuare ad andare a segno...».

Palermo, Miccoli: "Zenga persona eccezionale"

di Davide Pampanin

Miccoli: "Zenga persona eccezionale"


L'attaccante del Palermo, Fabrizio Miccoli, intervistato da Tgs Studio Sport racconta lo splendido rapporto che lo lega al tecnico rosanero Walter Zenga. "Zenga è una persona eccezionale - ha affermato l'attaccante salentino - lavora da tanti anni a grandi livelli, sa cosa vuole dai giocatori e riesce a trasmettere la giusta carica. Vogliamo andare avanti con lui, assolutamente. Il gruppo è tutto con Zenga".

Inter-Dinamo K.: Zanetti "tutti allo stadio"

di Marco Spinelli
fonte: inter.it

APPIANO GENTILE - "Ora ci aspettano due gare difficili, in campionato a Genova e in Europa con la Dinamo Kiev. Sappiamo che affrontare il Genoa davanti ai propri tifosi non è mai facile, ma vogliamo fare bene e mantenere il primato in classifica. Poi, ci aspetta il nostro pubblico per una fara fondamentale nel girone di Champions League. Dobbiamo vincere e sono sicuro che i nostri tifosi ci daranno una mano: martedì li aspettiamo tutti a San Siro". Sono parole di ca! pitano e Javier Zanetti sa bene quanto, soprattutto nelle partite delle coppe europee, l'atmosfera può fare la differenza.

Da Inter Channel, il canale tematico nerazzurro, Zanetti lancia l'adunata per il popolo interista: "Per la gara col Barcellona sarebbero serviti tre stadi, ma ora è importante che tutti i tifosi vengano a San Siro per la gara con la Dinamo Kiev. Con il loro appoggio e il loro calore possiamo conquistare tre punti fondamentali per la qualificazione".

Prosegue intanto la vendita libera dei tagliandi per assistere a Inter-Dinamo Kiev, matchday 3 della Uefa Champions League '09-'10 in programma allo stadio "Giuseppe Meazza" in San Siro a Milano (calcio d'inizio ore 20.45) martedì 20 ottobre 2009. Sarà anche possibile per tutti acquistare il pacchetto per assicurarsi un posto allo stadio, oltre che in occasione della prosima sfida contro gli ucraini, anche per l'ultima gara del Girone F, in programma il 9 dicembre contro il Rubin Kazan ! (ore 20.45).