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Damien Delaney on life at QPR:
"...There's a lot of pressure...Our owners, they're very successful people in other walks of life, in the businesses that they're involved in, and believe you me they expect an awful lot of success in this one as well. The first day that I signed, I was told in no uncertain terms that promotion was expected and either you're with us or you won't be. Click to continue reading...

Drawing Fouls and Creating Set Pieces: Eddie Johnson's usefulness?

For weeks, maybe months now all the buzz seems to be about Kenny Cooper's non selection to the National Team by Bob Bradley. I understand most in the blogosphere share my view that Cooper's selection for the national team should have been automatic by this point.

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Gareth Barry's proposed move to Liverpool finally appears to have fallen through after he asked to join Aston Villa's Uefa Cup challenge.

The England midfielder declared himself available to play after speaking to Martin O'Neill's staff, giving the clearest indication yet that he will remain at Villa Park. Click to continue reading...

The game is at 4:45 a.m. on USA.

With a win the U.S. progresses.

Preview here.

The latest from the Olympic team is here.

Group B Standings
Team W L T Pts GF GA GD
USA 1 0 0 3 1 0 +1
NED 0 0 1 1 0 0 0
NGA 0 0 1 1 0 0 0
JPN 0 1 0 0 1 2 -1

Incidentally, I heard from Robbie Rogers' dad who said his son got to meet Kobe Bryant at the spectacular opening ceremonies.

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This has been news in the calcio world recently. When Lazio first met up for pre-season training in mid-July, coach Delio Rossi made a list of players that did not fit into his plans for the coming season. These players are: Roberto Baronio (considered as a youngster to be the next great Italian midfielder, never happened), Simone Inzaghi (Pippo's younger brother who has always been more technically gifted than Pippo, but not as successful), Massimo Mutarelli (a defensive midfielder who works hard all game, impressed at Palermo), Tommaso Berni (a young goalkeeper who was never given a chance), Alberto Quadri (another promising player as a youngster but has turned out to be an average player), and Guglielmo Stendardo (on loan at Juve last season, a decent defender who has also garnered interest from Milan and Inter).

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Burgenland- the easternmost and least populous of all of Austria's states. It's right up against the border with Hungary and was the subject of only mildly interesting territorial debates in the 13th century, and not so much since. It was also the provider of Arsenal's most recent friendly opponents.

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Great, finally some 'confirmed' names to discuss. Leo Beenhakker called up 20 youngsters from the Polish league for the upcoming training camp in Wronki where he's to judge first handedly the amount of talent that they possess. Surprises, as always, as there are two guys who don't even have a single 1st division game under their belt.

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It seems like forever that Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver and big mouth Chad Johnson has been threatening to show up for 2008 in a jersey other than that of the Ohio players. He sort of made good on that threat by showing up to Bengals training camp today in a Sporting Lisbon kit. Somewhere, in the Ohio Valley a lone Portuguese man is watching that ESPN clip and laughing until Vinho Verde comes out of his nose. Click to continue reading...

Bengals receiver Chad Johnson reported to training camp yesterday sporting the finest in Portuguese soccer wear. Ocho Cinco sported a Sporting Lisbon shirt yesterday as he checked into training camp. No word on if Johnson feels that Sporting was wrong for rejecting a 11.8 pound bid from Everton for Sporting midfielder Joao Moutinho. Click to continue reading...

New signing Philipp Degen is facing the prospect of missing the start of Liverpool's season with a groin strain.

Degen could require surgery on the injury, sustained during the team's pre-season training camp in Switzerland last week.

The right-back, who arrived on a free transfer from Borussia Dortmund in the summer, missed much of last season with a groin problem. Click to continue reading...

AS Roma Frenchmen Philippe Mexes got the phone call that makes your heart stop.

Mexes was at pre-season training camp when news came to him that his car was stolen from his driveway while his two-year-old daughter slept on the back seat.

Apparently Mexes' wife left the little girl in the car while she dashed inside carrying the couple's young son and the car thieves thought the car was theirs for the taking. Click to continue reading...

Just what we needed. The man I've been wanting to captain this team for the new season contracted malaria over the summer in the Ivory Coast. He was feeling a little weakness during the training camp in Austria and was taken to the hospital for a check up, and they discovered...wait for it...that he has contracted the deadly disease. Click to continue reading...

Pre-season continued last night with a 1-1 draw against Hungarian side Szdyrgcbcbrtrvl Dlllbfyrtf with Theo Walcott scoring the Arsenal goal (goal and highlights via Arsenalist).

There really isn't any point in analysing these games too seriously. They're about getting some match fitness into the players, at this stage performances don't really matter too much.

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Liverpool's Spanish contingent will be back in training at Melwood on Friday after their successful Euro 2008 campaign.

Fernando Torres, Pepe Reina, Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa helped their country claim European Championship glory this summer, and were granted extended leave in order to recover from the tournament. Click to continue reading...

Juande Ramos badly wants this Blackburn star, and it appears that the England man has reached boiling point as his frustration over a move continues! David Bentley pulled out of Blackburn's training camp in Germany yesterday - as his frustration over a big-money move to Tottenham reached breaking point. Click to continue reading...

Spurs target David Bentley is demanding a move to White Hart Lane, according to reports, writes Craig Rodhouse. Bentley expressed his desire to leave Ewood Park earlier in the summer and Tottenham soon emerged as the front runners for the 23-year-old's signature. And the midfielder has now withdrawn from Blackburn's pre-season training camp in Germany, as he [. Click to continue reading...

US and Hannover 96 defender Steve Cherundolo has now reported into his club's training camp after being given a bit more time to rest after three tough international matches for the USA. During the break, he also changed agents, from his longtime representaive Dr. Michael Becker to the Hannover based Harun Arslan. Click to continue reading...

Today's Przeglad Sportowy published an interesting list of players who are to be watched in the first rounds of the Polish league by Leo and his assistants. They are to be called up for a special training camp in Wronki in the beginning of August. I don't know if it's only a result of journalists' imagination or if the list really comes from our national team staff.

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Liverpool are closing in on the signing of David Ngog from Paris Saint Germain in what is rumoured to be a £1.5 million deal.
The Frenchman is one of the most sought after youngsters in Europe and Liverpool have managed to snap him up for a reported fee of just £1.5 million. Rafa has already brought in a few other youth players, like Niko Saric who is likely to spend most of the season in the club's reserves. Click to continue reading...

Rafael Benitez has played down any fears over Steven Gerrard's fitness for the start of the season.

The Liverpool skipper returned home early from the club's training camp in Switzerland after suffering a groin problem.

Gerrard sat out the 2-1 win over FC Lucerne in Grenchen on Wednesday and was back on Merseyside for the 1-1 draw against Polish champions Wisla Krakow in Fribourg on Saturday. Click to continue reading...

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard's pre-season has been interrupted by a groin injury that has seen the midfielder sent home from the club's Swiss training camp.

According to the club's official website the injury is not too serious although it will keep him out of action for the next week. Click to continue reading...

Dirk Kuyt admits he is not surprised youngster Daniel Pacheco has been hitting the headlines during the club's pre-season trip to Switzerland but insists he is just one of a group of young guns who are knocking on the first-team door.

The Dutch forward has been impressed by the way the Spaniard has handled the step up from reserve team level to the senior squad and thinks his performances have given boss Rafael Benitez food for thought ahead of the 2008-09 season. Click to continue reading...

Liverpool assistant, Sammy Lee, is desperate for the new season to get underway so that his side can start competing.

Former Kop player and current coach Sammy Lee, 49, has revealed on the clubs official website that he is 'desperate' for the new campaign to get underway.

Lee has been impressed with what he has seen so far in training, and sees no reason if the squad continue in the manner they have started, why they cannot transmit this optimism and enthusiasm onto the pitch. Click to continue reading...

Ecuador international Segundo Castillo is close to joining Blackburn as the Red Star Belgrade midfielder is heading to the Rovers training camp to finalize the move. Castillo sure made it sound like a deal was imminent. Juventus wanted me and... Click to continue reading...

Does MARCA have anything better to do?

The veritable Spanish sports daily/bird cage liner must be bored after the exaltation of the Euro 2008 championship. When they're not trying to speed the transfer of Cristiano Ronaldo to their beloved Real Madrid or trying to coax Raul onto the national team, they grow bored and despondent.

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