The English Premier League season is roughly one-quarter done, and the results of the last four days have brought some separation at the top. The leaders are Liverpool, and if a September home win over Manchester United didn't establish the Reds as leading contenders, Sunday's shock win away to Chelsea certainly did. Click to continue reading...

I've added the Soccer Haus News Feed to the blog.  Located along the right hand column, this box will be updated with links to any stories I find interesting.  On my home computer I can add stories via Delicious with two clicks of the mouse, so you'll be seeing a lot here.  I's a great tool for slacker bloggers. Click to continue reading...

Maybe you've seen this before, but until Thursday, I had not. I was searching for the clip of the 1999 Champions League Final that includes Clive Tyldesley's famous call of "What must Lothar Matthäus be thinking? Well, with the greatest respect, who cares?" 
I couldn't find that clip, so if you have it, feel free to send me the link. Click to continue reading...

The fortunes of Glasgow Rangers have taken a terrible tumble since the start of May. Three months ago, the Ibrox side were eyeing a historic quadruple, but in the end settled for only two trophies- the Scottish FA and League Cups. Unable to capture the UEFA Cup, and with the reputation of their supporters sullied by ugly behavior in Manchester during the match, Rangers also saw the Scottish Premier League title slip away to crosstown rivals Celtic on the final day of the season. Click to continue reading...

This is not a stellar time for the upcoming hosts of international soccer tournaments. While much of the focus has been on South Africa's struggles to put together a credible World Cup in 2010, major concerns have developed over Ukraine and Poland's ability to host Euro 2012. With Euro 2008 complete, the focus turns to the future hosts, who clearly have a ways to go. Click to continue reading...

With the start of the Premier League campaign just two weeks away, Liverpool are positioning themselves nicely to end a league title drought that dates back to 1990. That may not seem like a long time for fans of the Chicago Cubs or Detroit Lions, but for LFC fans, it feels like an eternity, especially with arch-rival Manchester United closing in on their record of 18 league titles. Click to continue reading...

Heading into Friday's draw for Champions League third round qualifying fixtures, Atletico Madrid was the name all the big boys were hoping to avoid. Based on their status as Champions League participants for the first time in 12 seasons, La Liga's fourth-place team could have been drawn against the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal or Juventus. Click to continue reading...

I have no ties to any teams in Serie A, but I have a feeling I'll be following Inter Milan a lot more closely this season thanks the ongoing brilliance/antics of Jose Mourinho. The Times of London likened the Special One to Barack Obama this week in terms of his status as a media darling.

The war or words between Obama and John McCain may carry more weight this fall, but likely won't be as entertaining as the one brewing between Mourinho and AC Milan boss Carlo Ancellotti. Click to continue reading...

The second round of Champions League qualifying starts Tuesday. Twenty-eight sides will be in action tomorrow and Wednesday, with the reverse fixtures to follow next week. Teams debuting at this stage include Turkish side Fenerbache, led by new coach Luis Aragones, and Scottish double cup winners Glasgow Rangers. Click to continue reading...

This weekend brings to a close the often-times confusing history of UEFA's least-popular competition, the Intertoto Cup. When I was first becoming interested in European soccer in the mid-'90s, I would hear the phrase "Intertoto Cup" mentioned, but without the Internet resources we have today, I could never quite figure out what it was. Click to continue reading...

As you may have noticed (or perhaps you haven't), I haven't blogged much in July. That's partly due to a very busy schedule outside of the wonderful of European soccer (yes, I do have a life outside of The Soccer Haus, believe it or not), but mostly it's due to a surprisingly quiet summer in the transfer market. Click to continue reading...

As if he were a game show host, FIFA boss Sepp Blatter announced this week that three nations were prepared to step in and host the 2010 World Cup, but did not reveal the nations involved. Blatter's statement, the strongest indication yet that South Africa are in jeopardy of losing out on hosting the 2010 World Cup, leaves an international guessing game to determine who are in line. Click to continue reading...

My apologies for the lack of posts over the past week. A combination of vacation, a new Nintendo Wii and a lack of any major movement in Europe are all to blame. Let's focus on that third point for a moment.

There are no surprises among the names that continue to surface- Lampard, Adebayor, Arshavin, Ronaldo, Drogba- but no major deals have been consummated. Click to continue reading...

Here's an interesting piece from the New York Times' soccer blog from last Friday on Chelsea's efforts to develop partnerships with U.S. youth teams. I'm no Chelsea fan, but I like what they're doing here. The genesis of this program came last year when a North Carolina U16 side upset their Chelsea counterparts in a tournament at Disney's Wide World of Sports. Click to continue reading...

With the focus shifting back to club sides, July will be a busy month in the transfer market. It's always a challenge separating truth from rumor, but here's a look at some of the names and possible moves to watch in the coming weeks.

• Deco to Chelsea: Done deal as of today, as the Portuguese midfielder follows Big Phil Scolari to Stamford Bridge
• Frank Lampard to Inter Milan?

Click to continue reading...