Soccer Page 308 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Here Are The Pots For The World Cup Draw
At a press conference in Brazil this morning, FIFA officials announced the pot allocations for next summer's World Cup. The draw will be held on Friday, but it's time to start imagining your groups of death, and how the U.S. is absolutely going to end up in one....

The Best Squirrel-Related Headline Of The Week
The best in at least a week, maybe more. It's just tremendous: "Scunthorpe fans asked not to dress as squirrels for Alan Knill return."...


No, Soccer Player Didn't Dedicate His Goal To A <em>Family Guy</em> Character
Striker Leigh Griffiths scored in the 16th minute for League One side Wolverhampton tonight, and lifted his shirt to reveal a message: "R.I.P. Brian."...

Ajax Beat Barcelona To Keep Their Champions League Hopes Alive
Netherlands side Ajax hosted Spanish giants FC Barcelona today in a must-win match to keep their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League knockout stage alive. AC Milan, ahead of Ajax by a single point, thumped Celtic by three goals in Group H's other match today, which meant that a loss would e...

Olivier Giroud's Heroics Are, Perversely, A Problem For Arsenal
Arsenal are cooking this year. Twelve weeks into the Premier League season, the Gunners have opened up a four-point gap on second-place Liverpool, and after a comfortable 2-0 win against French side Marseille today, Arsenal are one point away from a berth to the Champions League knockout stage....

Manchester City Are England's Best Team. So What's Their Problem?
Tottenham visited Manchester City yesterday in a hugely anticipated match. City have been unreal at home this season, and most teams go into Etihad Stadium playing defensively, hoping for a draw. Spurs instead decided to meet City head on, and played an attacking, free-flowing style. After 12 second...

Photos: French Soccer Fans Brawl With Riot Police
Supporters of Ligue 1 side Saint-Étienne traveled to Nice for yesterday's match, and were not polite guests. They brawled with home fans, brawled with riot police, even brawled with each other in a bloody spectacle that left one man dangling from the upper deck....

But Seriously, What Was Southampton's Keeper Doing On This Goal?
Southampton keeper Artur Boruc received a pass in the 22nd minute against Arsenal today. Unable to pick up the ball, he then attempted to, like, dribble Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud or something, for some reason. It didn't work....

Good Morning, Soccer Fans. Enjoy This Luis Suarez Free Kick.
Luis Suarez put Liverpool back on top of Everton, 2-1, with this bending free kick in the 19th minute. He wrapped it around the Everton wall and tucked it back inside Tim Howard's post. ...

Brazil's World Cup Kick-Off Times Are <em>Perfect</em>
The last four World Cups have been nightmares for American television viewers, with games kicking off at sunrise or (in 2002) in the middle of the night, and finishing in the middle of the afternoon. But Brazil's got our backs, and the match times are absolutely ideal for making sure no one gets a d...

Why Won't The Premier League Protect Its Players From Concussions?
Sports are brutal. Just a few weeks ago, we all watched boxer Francisco Leal get knocked out, never to regain consciousness. People who watch football, hockey or lacrosse see broken bones, ripped ligaments, spinal injuries, and concussions on an almost weekly basis. These are viewed as gladiator spo...

Soccer Team Issues Wonderfully Bitchy Statement Over Pee Allegations
Boreham Wood, in the sixth tier of English soccer, lost an FA Cup heartbreaker on Tuesday night at Carlisle United. Afterward, media accounts and photos showed the visitors' locker room to be a mess, including a tea kettle in a urinal, a broken door, and what was reportedly a puddle of urine on the ...

Hear The Insane Portuguese Call Of Cristiano Ronaldo's Hat Trick
Almost singlehandedly, Ronaldo put Portugal through to the World Cup yesterday, scoring thrice against Sweden. Here's how it sounded on Portuguese radio, as called by the delirious and grateful Nuno Matos....

Croatian Player And Fans Celebrate World Cup Berth With Pro-Nazi Chant
This is video of Australian-born Croatia defender Joe Šimunić leading fans in a chant after Croatia beat Iceland to qualify for the world cup. "For the homeland," Šimunić calls, and the crowd responds, "Ready!" But it's more complicated than that....

France Need A Miracle To Make The World Cup
France most likely will not qualify for the 2014 Brazil World Cup....

An Effortless Goal (Except For All The Running)
Somália, of ABC Futebol Clube in Brazil's Serie B, scored this (mostly) effortless goal Saturday in a 4-1 victory over Agremiação Sportiva Arapiraquense. He ran three quarters of the pitch and just sort of flicked a laser into the back of the net without ever really breaking stride. Filthy....

I Can't Stop Looking At This Absolutely Vicious Free Kick
This is just filthy. Uruguay's Edinson Cavani freezes the entire nation of Jordan on this marvelous free kick. Uruguay won the first leg of its World Cup qualifying playoff with Jordan 5-0, but this is the only goal anyone ever needs....

The Portugal-Sweden World Cup Playoff Will Be A Beautiful Tragedy
Two-legged playoffs to decide the final spots for the 2014 World Cup are being played this week and next. We've already seen Uruguay and Mexico more or less punch their tickets with mollywhoppings of, respectively, Jordan and New Zealand. Friday's European playoff matchups will undoubtedly be much m...

Mexico Just Destroyed New Zealand. New Zealand Sucked So Much.
Mexico passed through them. They used long through balls, practically jamming it down the All Whites' throats. They dominated on set pieces. They defended with almost profound ease. They tripled their opponents' possession. And barring one the most unbelievable comebacks in the history of sports, Me...