Samba forward Grafite scored three to lead Wolfsburg past Energie Cottbus in Bundesliga action today. He arrived at Wolfsburg via Le Mans UC72 in 2007.

In today's other Bundesliga action:

Hamburger SV 2-1 over Borussia Dortmund with goals for Hamburg SV via the Croatian duo of Mladen Petrić and Ivica Olić. Click to continue reading...

In the light of ever more Hoffenheim table topping, coverage and hype, I thought it might be interesting to take a look at how much of their success is Dietmar Hopp's money and how much of it is Ralf Rangnick's genius. While at it, I decided to do the same for the remaining 17 Bundesliga [...] Click to continue reading...

Einfach klasse der Kerl. Nachdem er eigentlich schon vorher wegen eines brutalen Ellbogenchecks vom Platz hätte gestellt werden müssen, holte Maik Franz sich dann wenig später wegen einer "obszönen" Geste in Richtung Reservebank des VfL Wolfsburg Gelb-Rot ab. Völlig wutentbrannt versucht "Iron Maik" noch auf den Schiri einzureden. Click to continue reading...

Please click on picture to see all the caricatures of German footballers from Pit Hammanns Hamburg SV The Dinosaurs face Schalke in the most intriguing game of the weekend. They have lost three of the last four matches against the Royal Blues at Nordbank. Chances for this weekend's game don't seem great with Nigel de [. Click to continue reading...

Yesterday, the Bundesliga's five UEFA Cup entrants were handed very tough groups for the upcoming middle stage of the UEFA Cup. While group previews will be prepared later this month, let's take a look at the draws for Hertha, Schalke, Stuttgart, Wolfsburg and Hamburg. 1. Group A Schalke was a top seed, despite being throttled [. Click to continue reading...

Ein sattes Fünftel der Saison ist vorbei, und so langsam gilt die Ausrede nicht mehr, dass die Tabelle noch keine Aussagekraft hat. Besonders bitter ist das für den FC Bayern, der sich zwischen Köln und Karlsruhe auf Platz 11 wiederfindet. Der Klinsmann-Effekt hat dem Rekordmeister bisher nur zwei Siege in sieben Bundesligaspielen, dafür aber satte [. Click to continue reading...

The DFB-Pokal Round of 16 draw took place on Sunday, and the UEFA Cup group stage draw just concluded an hour ago. DFB-Pokal Round of 16 SC Freiburg - FSV Mainz 05 VfB Stuttgart - Bayern Munich Bayer Leverkusen - Energie Cottbus Hamburger SV - 1860 Munich Karlsruher SC - SV Wehen Wiesbaden VfL Wolfsburg - Hansa Rostock Carl Zeiss Jena - FC [. Click to continue reading...

Having had the time to digest Bayern's 2-5 mauling by Bremen (no need to rehash things here, if you need a refresher check out the excellent post at Deutsche Welle's Ballspiel or the video highlights at 101 Great Goals), I wanted to know exactly how bad it was for the Bavarians. No matter what [...] Click to continue reading...

1 - Number of weeks Hamburg spent at the top of the table 2 - Number of 0-0 draws after five weeks 5 - Clean sheets, tied (alongside week 4) for the most in one week 8 - Minutes it took sub Jonas Kamper to score in Bielefeld's 2-0 win over Köln 11 - The mean length of a [...] Click to continue reading...

1. Hamburg SV HSV have just opened up a cemetary next to the Nordbank Arena. With Martin Jol leading the way, Hamburg top the table for the first time in nine years. Meanwhile, the big man's old club are in last place in the EPL. Supporters of Tottenham Hotspur are putting in [...] Click to continue reading...

Ende vergangener Woche meldete sich Ashkan Dejagah noch mit "schwerer Zerrung" krank und verzichtete damit auf die Teilnahme am Länderspiel gegen Israel am gestrigen Abend. Wenige Stunden später das Wunder: Keine Probleme mehr. Dejagah kann am Wochenende gegen seinen alten Club Hertha ran. "Ein besonderes Spiel für mich," so der Wolfsburger Mittelfeldspieler. Click to continue reading...

Schalke, currently sitting at the top of the Bundesliga, have surged ahead to the peak of another, less prestigious table - the goalkeeper injury table. First choice keeper Manuel Neuer has yet to make an appearance this season, having broken his fifth metatarsal during a pre-season friendly against SpVgg Erkenschwick (currently playing in the [. Click to continue reading...

Arsenal
Gelenler: Carlos Vela (returning from loan, work permit approved), Aaron Ramsey (£5m, Cardiff), Samir Nasri (£11m, Marseille), Amaury Bischoff (undisclosed, Werder Bremen), Mikael Silvestre (£750k, Manchester United)
Gidenler: Mathieu Flamini (free, AC Milan), Jens Lehmann (free, Stuttgart), Alexander Hleb (£12m, Barcelona), Gilberto Silva (£1m, Panathinaikos), Nacer Barazite (loan, Derby), Armand Traore (loan, Portsmouth), Philippe Senderos (loan, AC Milan)

Aston Villa
Gelenler: Curtis Davies (undisclosed, West Brom), Steve Sidwell (£5m, Chelsea), Brad Friedel (undisclosed, Blackburn), Nicky Shorey (£3m, Reading), Luke Young (£6m, Middlesbrough), Carlos Cuellar (£7. Click to continue reading...

Das Thema Trikots ist für die Schiedsrichter nicht das Beste. Nicht, weil die wohl sinnloseste Regel des Fußballs mit Trikots zu tun hat: Nämlich die gelbe Karte dafür zu zeigen, es beim Jubeln auszuziehen. Nein, es geht ums Trikotzupfen im Strafraum. Wie so oft haben sich die Schiedsrichter zu Saisonbeginn vorgenommen, bestimmte Sachen strenger zu [. Click to continue reading...

OK folks, now that Michael Bradley has found a new home at Borussia Monchengladbach, we still have 12 hours before we know if Oguchi Onyewu is going to PSG, Espanyol, Lazio, Bologna, or someplace England. The Italian deadline is at 6PM (12 PM EDT) so if its a Serie A move, expect to know earlier in the day. Click to continue reading...

The qualification rounds of this year's European competitions concluded yesterday. The good news is, that no Bundesliga team has been knocked out yet. The bad news is, that Schalke made the overcrowded UEFA Cup even more overcrowded, by losing to Atletico Madrid (1-0 / 0-4). I give them credit that they were missing five starting [. Click to continue reading...

Welcome back to Bundesliga Statistics for week two. Standing alone at the head of the table? Newly promoted TSG 1899 Hoffenheim with two wins from their first two games. Astounding stuff, but we're here to talk numbers not newcomers. Last week five categories were featured, this week it's been expanded to [. Click to continue reading...

If you're anything like me, you love reveling in statistics. While in isolation, especially at the beginning of the Bundesliga season, they don't reveal much. But as time goes on it should be possible to discern patterns between some of these statistics and how the table shakes out. Here are some of the [. Click to continue reading...

Was war das denn bitte? Als beim Sportstudio die Szene eingespielt wurde, dachte ich erst an ein hohes gestrecktes Bein. Dann wurde aber ziemlich schnell der Ellbogen in Szene gebracht. Herr Womé! Sowas muss nicht sein und wird hoffentlich auch nachträglich geahndet. Sowas ist mehr als unsportlich. Click to continue reading...

Meine Frau hat es noch vor mir gesehen: Das Logo von "Ein Herz für Kinder" auf der Brust der Spieler des VfL Wolfsburg. Da ich heute unglücklicher Weise erst zum aktuellen Sportstudio was vom Fussball des Tages sehen konnte, hatte ich keine Ahnung davon. Meine erste Erklärung war daher auch eher einfach: VW wartet, bis ein [. Click to continue reading...

1st Schalke What You Know: If baseball's Chicago Cubs had a baby with the Red Sox prior to 2004, Schalke would be the offspring. What You Don't: All things both good and bad must end. What to Expect: Yes, Campeones! I say that, bucking all trends, and knowing full well that Schalke could be leading the league by 6 [. Click to continue reading...

Nun ist es für Marcelinho endlich vollbracht. Er darf dem Training fernbleiben. Für immer. Heute wurde er offiziell verabschiedet und sitzt nun wohl schon wieder im Flieger Richtung Rio de Janeiro. Ich hatte eine wunderschöne Zeit, der VfL war wie eine Familie für mich. Ich habe mich in Deutschland sehr wohl gefühlt. Click to continue reading...

A Hans Moleman Production. Wolfsburg's Christian Gentner proves why the DFB-Pokal is called a knockout competition during his team's first round match against fourth division side Heidenheim (3-0). via: 101 Great Goals Click to continue reading...

Undoubtedly, the minute I post this, Ronaldo will give up on Real Madrid and move to Hamburg, so forgive me for being premature. Let's take a look, as the season begins, at the seven best signing so far this summer in the Bundesliga. Christian Fuchs (SV Mattersburg to Bochum) Austria entered the [. Click to continue reading...

Da das Tippen der Abschlusstabelle immer beliebter wird, habe auch ich mir mal eine zusammengezimmert. Natürlich ganz subjektiv 1. FC Schalke 04 - Eine Mannschaft, die mittlerweile auf allen Positionen überzeugt. Starke neue Leute mit Engelaar und Farfan. Gewachsen durch den CL-Viertelfinaleinzug. Click to continue reading...

The Deutsche Presse Agentur released a poll yesterday about predictions for the upcoming season. Bayern Munich was the unanimous favorite of Bundesliga coaches to repeat as champions. The most common reason given was the quality of Jürgen Klinsmann's squad. What follows is a hasty translation of what each of the 18 gaffers [. Click to continue reading...

By JAMES CLARKNew Jersey has such a rich, wonderful history when it comes to American soccer. Names like John Harkes, Claudio Reyna, Tony Meola, Tab Ramos and Bob Bradley drip off the tongue, as do clubs and schools like Kearny Thistle and St. Click to continue reading...

GOALKEEPERS (2): Dominic Cervi (out of contract), Chris Seitz (Real Salt Lake)

DEFENDERS (7): Hunter Freeman (New York Red Bulls), Kamani Hill (Vfl Wolfsburg), Patrick Ianni (Houston Dynamo), Michael Orozco (San Luis), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United), Nathan Sturgis (Real Salt Lake), Marvell Wynne (Toronto FC)

MIDFIELDERS (7): Freddy Adu (SL Benfica), Maurice Edu (Toronto FC), Eddie Gaven (Columbus Crew), Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Dax McCarty (FC Dallas), Sal Zizzo (Hannover 96)

FORWARDS (4): Jozy Altidore (New York Red Bulls), Chad Barrett (Chicago Fire),
Charlie Davies (Hammarby IF), Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake)

note: final squad yet to be announced


Men's Olympic Group B Schedule

Date Match-up Venue Kickoff (Local/ET) Aug. Click to continue reading...

So this is the table so far at the end of the year I will post the final table so you can compare, not many English Premier League teams in it so far!

No. Player's Name Pos From To Fee
1. Daniel Alves (Bra) RB Sevilla (Spa) Barcelona (Spa) £25. Click to continue reading...

Bundesliga side VfL Wolfsburg confirmed the signings of Zvjezdan Misimovic, Daniel Adlung and Rodrigo Alvim.

Misimovic is the prize signing. The 25-year-old Bosnian midfielder is known for his creative abilities. He comes over from recently relegated side 1. Click to continue reading...

It's season review time to bridge the gap between now and the Euros or the next Rafael van der Vaart transfer saga. It was a good season for... Money. The three biggest spenders this season - based on their transfer deficit - were Bayern Munich, Wolfsburg and second division side Hoffenheim. Bayern's millions bought them a double, [. Click to continue reading...

1. Nuremberg complete relegation double. Schalke scored two goals. Schalke almost scored two own goals. In between Nuremberg squandered their chances, like they squandered their chances all season. Eventually those were Nuremberg's final 90 minutes in the Bundesliga. Nuremberg are now in sole possession of two less than flattering relegation records. Click to continue reading...

By: Phillip Boran
Soccer City FC

VfL Wolfsburg 4-0 VfB Stuttgart

Big win for the Wolves as they beat last season's Bundesliga champions VfB Stuttgart who were brought down to 10 men in the 18th minute when Fernando Meira was sent off. Former Bayern boss Felix Magath keeps pushing for the 5th place spot to enter the club in Europe for the first time in Wolfsburg's existance. Click to continue reading...

It was a busy week of Bundesliga football. And it was a busy week for me as well, so I focused my attention on the inevitable and the ugly. But there was more happening in the league, and it's time to catch up with it in this double header edition. 1. Bremen and Schalke win Champions [...] Click to continue reading...

With the 2008 UEFA European Football Championship set to begin on June 7th, it is not too late to stock up on your nation's favorite gear. Check out all the latest from Soccer City FC's affiliates.

Austria: Co-hosts and debut appearance in the UEFA European Football Championship
Key Players: Forward Roland Linz (S. Click to continue reading...