Here are some words and phrases you can hear on languagecaster's Full Podcast's Good, Bad and Ugly section - a review of the footballing news. For more English practice check out our worksheets, football glossary and English for football phrases as well as the Learners' Podcast. (to) pick up: get, earn Example: The premier League newcomers (Hull) [. Click to continue reading...

Grahame Jones of the LA Times was another English-speaking reporter out at Tuesday's presser. Jones talked about Eriksson's Spanish-speaking ability and started his story about a bit of a misunderstanding between Eriksson and a reporter, who asked Eriksson if he now eats chiles. As an aside, it's sort of a badge of honor for a foreigner to eat a heaping pile of jalapenos or drizzle of some spicy salsa over a plate of food. Click to continue reading...

Mark Zeigler of the San Diego Union-Tribune was one of four non-Spanish speaking reporters at the press conference on Tuesday. Zeigler wrote a feature for the UT on Eriksson and the current honeymoon phase the 60-year-old is enjoying with El Tri right now.

It's one that might be damaged tonight with a loss. Click to continue reading...

Fergie is understandably very angry with Emanuel Pogatetz for his challenge on Rodrigo Possebon. However, the 19-year-old Brazilian midfielder, who was making his first United start, was taken to hospital, kept in overnight for observation but has now learned there is no break.

"It looked a really bad one.

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(Rick Morrison for Goal Seattle with the photo, if you couldn't tell)

It was a pretty inconsequential game in the standings, Seattle and Vancouver had already qualified for the playoffs, but the Cascadia Cup was lost.

The Northwest derby might not be around for awhile, so it's sad that the Sounders couldn't hold onto it until then. Click to continue reading...

If their groundsman isn't making racist comments, their captain isn't rugby tackling his opponent, then their fans are attacking the United team bus. A United spokesman has confirmed that our coach was attacked with a bottle being thrown and cracking the windscreen. "Yes. There was an incident but the matter is now in the hands of the [. Click to continue reading...

The Champions League group games started this week and languagecaster takes a look at how teams from la Liga and the Premier League fared. For learners of English check out our Football Language Resources with: Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists ** NEW ** Football language glossary Transcript Damian - The Spanish Teams Spanish teams usually feature among the favourites at the [. Click to continue reading...

Image via Wikipediathe new york red bulls love playing at home - even on that awful artificial turf. we love it so much that on saturday night we came from behind and beat real salt lake 2-1.

according to steve and shep in the announcer's booth, we didn't deserve either of the goals we got, but i've got to disagree:

1) that's just soccer sometimes. Click to continue reading...

Last night, the two other teams in United's CONCACAF Champions League Group A got their tournaments underway as Cruz Azul (Mexico) traveled to Honduras to take on CD Marathon. The home team came out with a 2-0 victory on the strength of goals from Carlos Mejia (34th minute) and Mario Beata (56th).

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The PE's Jim Alexander profiles Galaxy goalkeeper Charles Alamo.

Now, if Alamo's injury had been caused by a reckless opponent barreling him down while trying to score a goal, his Galaxy teammates could rally around the event, "Remember Alamo!" as motivation.

But it seems that Alamo's afflictions were more or less self-inflicted. Click to continue reading...

Man United had a clincher to start with this CL campaign, playing Villareal at home. Manchester looked the business throughout, but with a strong opponent like Villareal, you don't want to give too much away. The Mancunians didn't, but were also unable to create anything more than pressure and a couple Click to continue reading...

The CONCACAF Champions League group stage kicks off tonight with DC United hosting Deportivo Saprissa at RFK stadium and CD Marthon hosting Deportivo Cruz Azul. We will try to bring you that game live as well as others from Champions League including Deportivo Cruz Azul at CD Marathon. Click to continue reading...

Ryan Babel is aiming to propel Liverpool's title charge after having helped the Reds beat defending champions Manchester United at Anfield on Saturday.

The Dutch international forward came off the bench to score the winner in the 77th minute of the 2-1 triumph for Rafa Benitez's side.

The 20-year-old is now hoping to score more important goals as the Merseysiders are looking to end their 18-year wait for the top-flight title. Click to continue reading...

Week 4 is almost in the books, and with that we have to ask the question: Who's the team to beat currently in the Premier League? With Liverpool's improbable win against Manchester United at home, Rafa Benitez is now the proud owner of a win over a big four opponent. Arsenal ... Click to continue reading...

Chicago Fire and Colorado Rapids fans certainly knew the story heading into yesterday's match. On paper it seemed like a match the away team should have been favored in, given the records of the two teams. But both sets of fans knew that the Rapids have dominated the Fire in Colorado for years, and the streak is now at 10 games without a win for Chicago in the Rocky Mountain state. Click to continue reading...

My WNT article about their upcoming tour is up. As I was writing the article, though, I couldn't help but muse on the what-if scenarios.

What if Greg Ryan hadn't made the goalkeeper switch? What if the USWNT had only lost to Brazil by a goal, and without the team issues that followed Ryan and other team leaders deciding to ostracize Hope Solo? Click to continue reading...

TORONTO - He got hurt in the 2008 preseason at BMO Field in Toronto. Running onto the pitch, his ankle rolled. He was never the same. But, being Ivano the "Raging Bull" Volpe, he roared on game in and game out playing through injury, and playing his game.

And he was effective. Playing through pain, he never showed it on the field, always charging, tackling, and dribbling the ball up the right flank, ever so often creating chances in the middle for the strikers. Click to continue reading...

It'll be Israel for the Azzurrini. Pierluigi Casiraghi's Italy U-21 team discovered their playoff phase opponent this Friday, after the Euro 2009 Under 21 Draw that gifted us clashes like Germany vs. France and Wales vs. England. The home-and-away matches will be played on October 11/12 and 14/15 (with match venues, dates and kick-off times to [. Click to continue reading...

Just over two months ago the Revs were sitting comfortably atop the MLS standings with a seven-point lead. Now, however, with only one win in their last nine matches, the Revs have fallen into third place in the Eastern Conference and sit five points out of first.

In need of a win to turn things around and start building some momentum with seven games left until the playoffs, the Revs may not be up against the ideal opponent when they face a revitalized Chivas USA at Gillette Stadium on Thursday night.

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Not much to say here. A decent win at home against an overmatched opponent.

They're all overmatched. It'd be sad if the Americans don't sweep the semifinal stage.

Michael Bradley 9', Clint Dempsey 17' and Brian Ching 57'.

Six shutouts in a row is pretty impressive, considering one of those is against Argentina. Click to continue reading...

Forbes has a breakdown of MLS' money streams, which we already knew looked a lot healthier today than they did six years ago.

Included: A list of each team (excluding San Jose, which just returned to the field this year), with estimates of team value, revenue and operating income.

Los Angeles, Toronto and Dallas are profitable, according to the estimates.

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Crocker Lions - 6 (2nd OT)
Central Bulldogs - 5

Cassville Wildcats - 3
Greenwood Blue Jays - 1
The Wildcats played their second straight game against a Class 1 District 6 opponent and earned the win again.

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Another away qualifier, another dimly-lit stadium, another ugly performance against a weak opponent...another three points! Despite struggling in their first two away qualifiers of the group stage, the USMNT will return home with a pair of 1-0 victories to show for their efforts.  This time, it was a Clint Dempsey goal (from the run of play! Click to continue reading...

The Hitzfeld era will officially be unveiled this evening as Switzerland defy Israel in Tel Aviv. Not an easy start for the new coach against one of the two most dangerous teams in the group (the other being former European Champions Greece). Israel at home is a tough opponent to Click to continue reading...

Predictable. Utterly predictable. Combine an emotional mid-week cup win with a cross-country flight; stir in half the regular starting lineup being out through suspension, injury, or national team duty; blend with a couple of starters shaking off the rust; add an opponent riding a good deal of momentum and looking fresh with an infusion of new blood; and dust liberally with Dyachenko going the Click to continue reading...

The New England Revolution fell 4-0 to Joe Public F.C. on Tuesday completing a 6-1 aggregate defeat at the hands of their Trinidadian opponents.

The loss marks the first time an MLS team has been eliminated from CONCACAF competition by a Caribbean opponent and it is also the first time an MLS team has give up three or more goals to Caribbean opposition. Click to continue reading...

The end of Chivas USA's participation in the inaugural CONCACAF Champions League effectively came in the 62nd minute when Luis Moreno equalized to tie this game 1-1.

But that put the score 3-1 on aggregate meaning Chivas USA needed not two goals (because away goals count double in the event of a tie), but three more goals within a half hour to move on.

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Put me on the list of those who were unimpressed by the National Team's "historic triumph" in Guatemala City two weeks ago. Yes, the Nats have had a difficult time winning in Central America, and yes, getting three points from a tough opponent on the road in qualifying is an accomplishment. Click to continue reading...

Phrases like "taking candy from a baby" come to mind when Clichy repeatedly takes the ball away from a hapless opponent and darts upfield. He took a swerving shot on target today. If he starts adding goals to his game, we'll have to break out the 10s (9).

Nasri - Settling in nicely. Click to continue reading...

Soccer commentators love to talk about "six pointers" -- a match in which a win not only gives the victor 3 much needed points in the standings, but prevents their opponent from pulling 3 points away from them in the table. While technically every match in the league does exactly this, it's never so evident as when two teams struggling for the last playoff position square off. Click to continue reading...

TORONTO - With the Olympic Soccer Tournament in Beijing now over, and European leagues still in the very early weeks, all attention now shifts to the MSC Centennial Cup Championship, which begins this Sunday August 31st.

More importantly, it is the do-or-die season for all clubs, and all nerves, injuries - in fact the whole season - doesn't mean a thing, as the elimination season starts now. Click to continue reading...

Long gone are the days where Bolton were a side who struck fear into many of the Premier League's greatest sides. Under Sam Allardyce, the rough side from northern England used to put up a fight 38+ games each season - no matter who the opponent was. The side was one that went to war [...] Click to continue reading...

Coventry City hasn't been in the Premiership since the 2000-2001 season, when they were relegated after finishing 19th with 34 points. The Sky Blues have spent every season since then in the Championship, so close to England's top flight, but yet so far. They're a proud club — they've been in existence since the early 1880's, they were a founding member of the Premier League, and have won the FA Cup. Click to continue reading...

The lone American goal scorer from World Cup 2006 now has consistently played so poorly for the national team if the opponent is not Barbados, that his presence seems to actually help stagnate the side. Dempsey's last good performance for the National Team against a decent opponent was last October in Switzerland. Click to continue reading...

The lone American goal scorer from World Cup 2006 now has consistently played so poorly for the national team if the opponent is not Barbados, that his presence seems to actually help stagnate the side. Dempsey's last good performance for the National Team against a decent opponent was last October in Switzerland.

Click to continue reading...