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International friendly: United States 6 Guatemala 0


https://www.youtube.com/…lGhg5bjCH3Y

The United States completed their CONCACAF Gold Cup preparations with a 6-0 thrashing of Guatemala on Friday.

Juergen Klinsmann´s men dominated the international friendly at the Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, scoring five times in the second half.

Landon Donovan netted a brace to go with goals from Herculez Gomez, Chris Wondolowski, Clarence Goodson and Alejandro Bedoya.

It provides the US with confidence ahead of the Gold Cup, where they are grouped with Costa Rica, Belize and Cuba.

It took Klinsmann´s men 42 minutes to open the scoring.

Gomez looked like he may have been offside at the back post, but made no mistake in finishing off Jose Torres Mezzell´s free-kick.

Donovan doubled his team´s advantage 10 minutes into the second half when he was brought down by Carlos Castrillo in the area.

The Los Angeles Galaxy forward stepped up and placed his penalty down the middle as Ricardo Jerez dived to his right.

Wondolowski made it 3-0 in the 71st minute, neatly finishing into the bottom corner after Donovan´s clever run set up the chance.

Donovan added another moments later before Goodson struck, scrambling home a corner.

Bedoya struck a sixth two minutes before full-time, side-footing past Jerez as the US completed a huge win

Uruguay and Spain face each other for a spot in the semifinals

Spain, the European champions, come to the match as the favorites after being the only team in the tournament to get four straight wins.

Uruguay, third in the last Sudamericano, come to the match on a high after overcoming a first round defeat to Croatia only to reel off three consecutive victories. This is their first time in the quaterfinals for Uruguay in fourteen years.

Neither had a comfortable path in the round of 16 where Spain got a hard-fought 2-1 against Mexico, with a goal from their star Jesé Rodríguez in the second half. Uruguay won 2-1 against Nigeria with a penalty converted in the 84th minute by striker Nicolas Lopez.

"It´s a very difficult opponent that makes things very complicated. We know that they pressure a lot, they defend very well and have very fast players," said Uruguayan starting goalkeeper Guillermo De Amoreshe to the AFP, speaking of the game this Saturday.

For Uruguay this is their sixth time in the quarterfinals. They are looking to win their first title in a U-20 WC. They were runners-up in Malaysia in 1997.

In the case of the Spanish, the promising young players hope to get Spain´s second U-20 title. The first was in Nigeria in 1999 with a team comprised of Xavi Hernandez and Iker Casillas.

The winner of the Spain-Uruguay match will face either the Iraqis or the South Koreans as a semifinal opponent, the two great revelations of the tournament.

The Ataturk Stadium will also see two of the top scorers here in Turkey in Spaniard Jesé Rodríguez and Uruguayan Nicolas Lopez. The first leads the scoring charts with five goals tied with Portuguese Bruma.

The Uruguayan De Amores, with two goals conceded, has allowed the fewest goals of the teams that still remain in the tournament, while Daniel Sotres of Spain has allowed three.

It will be the third time that Spain and Uruguay will face off in a U-20 World Cup, the other two being in the group stage. The first was a 6-0 Spain win in Portugal in 1991 while the second was a 2-2 draw in Canada in 2007.

The match will take place in Bursa, a stadium that the Uruguayans know well having played two matches there in the first stage while Spain will be making their debut in the stadium their previous four games were at the Ali Sami Yen Arena in Istanbul, the site of the final on Saturday the 13th.

Pope Francis to be honored by football selections of Argentina and Italy



On the occasion of this particular very special game - the two teams will stay in the same hotel and will travel in the same bus - the players will be received by the Pope, with the audience to probably occur on the night before the game.

The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) had invited Argentina to play in the game at the start of April.

The idea of organizing an exhibition game between the Argentinian and Italian national selections, with the purpose of honoring José Bergoglio, well known as a football fan, was born from the mind of the Italian national coach, Catholic Cesare Prandelli.

"It would be nice to receive an audience and travel to the stadium together in the same bus", Prandelli, a well-recognized and well-loved figure in his country, said.

The former archbishop of Buenos Aires is a fan of San Lorenzo Almagro, a club from Boedo, on the outskirts of the Argentine capital. The Pope, as a child, attended games in the famous Gasómetro stadium to follow the team.

With respect to athletics, Argentina and Italy will meet 13 years after having played on February 28th, 2001. That game was also held in Rome.

For the Italians, this will be their first game after Confederations Cup 2013, in Brazil, in which they ended up in third place.

Both teams hope to see the Pope in attendance in the box seats, but his presence has yet to be confirmed.

It would not be the first time that the Pope attended a game. In the year 2000 Pope John Paul II watched a game as part of the Sports Jubilee.

Starting with his election as Pope in March this year, Pope Francis has shown his closeness with the general populace, looking for direct contact with the faithful.

Panama looks to lift the trophy

PASADENA, California -- The Panamanian Embassy in Washington D.C. got a close look at the new Gold Cup trophy last month.

“The Gold Cup paid us a visit and as of now it needs to get used to being in Panamanian territory,” said Panama Ambassador, Mario Jamarillo.

Jamarillo, Panama head coach Julio Dely Valdes and the rest of the Central American nation would like to see the Gold Cup in their territory again. Next time, however, they want to have earned the right to do so by virtue of their performances on the field.

Panama enters its sixth Gold Cup trying to become the tournament’s first Central American champion. The Canaleros came close in 2005, reaching the final, before falling to the United States on penalty kicks, 3-1, after a scoreless draw. It was a moment that Dely Valdes will never forget. His twin brother, Jorge, missed on one those penalty attempts

And this time around, Panama once again brings a formidable roster to the Gold Cup. Midfielder Gabriel Gomez of Colombia’s Junior is expected to play a key role for the selection. The 29-year-old competed during that 2005 Gold Cup run and has garnered 84 caps over an accomplished international career.

Other veterans in the squad include goalkeeper Jaime Penedo, who also took in part in the 2005 final, is participating in his fifth Gold Cup; and imposing forward Blas Perez has seven career Gold Cup tallies.

Panama has plenty of experience in the biennial tournament, winning six games and drawing eight in 22 all-time outings. Remarkably, it has been eliminated by the U.S. in the last four Gold Cups, each by one goal or less.

The Panamanians regularly progress to the tournament’s knockout rounds, but face stiff opposition in 2013. The Central Americans open Group A play against two-time defending champion Mexico on July 7 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., before facing Martinique in Seattle (July 11) and Canada in Denver (July 14).

Fans of the Canaleros undoubtedly long to have the Gold Cup trophy on Panamanian soil once again. Only this time, they want their country’s name engraved on the hardware and see it for themselves on the mainland, not at an embassy in the United States.

“It was our pleasure to have the Gold Cup here so that our colleagues and countrymen could see it up close,” added Jamarillo. “Seeing the trophy up close signifies the success our region has had in soccer. Now we need to have people in our country do the same, see this trophy up close. Let’s hope that will happen soo

Ney Franco fyret i São Paulo:

Ney Franco é demitido do São Paulo

Treinador deixa o clube de forma desgastada com torcida e diretoria

A derrota para o Corinthians foi só o último ato de uma demissão já evidente. Ney Franco não é mais técnico do São Paulo. Antes protegido pelo diretor de futebol do clube, Adalberto Dias, o treinador não conseguiu mais suportar à resistência da maior parte da diretoria são paulina, que, assim como a torcida, quer ver Muricy Ramalho de volta ao comando tricolor.

O presidente do São Paulo, Juvenal Juvêncio, confirmou que Muricy é um nome bem cotado para assumir o comando do São Paulo, mas disse que também estuda a possibilidade de contratar Paulo Atuori, outro treinador com passagem vitoriosa pelo clube e está atualmente no Vasco, entre os outros nomes mantidos em sigilo.

Juvenal fez questão, também, de descartar qualquer possibilidade de acertar com Vanderlei Luxemburgo, nome que surge para comandar qualquer clube desde que foi demitido do Grêmio. O presidente disse que, embora tenha bastante respeito pelo profissional, parte da diretoria o rejeita fortemente.

O que está garantido é que Milton Cruz será o comandante do São Paulo no clássico de domingo contra o Santos.

Ikke den bedste optakt til deres classico mod Santos, der dog vel også er en del decimeret med deres spillerafgang

Ellers er jeg spændt på at se hvordan det går herefter Confed cuppen, Flamengo hjemme mod Coritiba, Fogo og Flu i en clássico imorgen , forhåbenligt nakker Vasco de røde dyr fra Porto Alegre

Kvartfinaler i U-20 i dag og imorgen,

Gold Cup starter....plenty of football coming up...

I don´t know who Paulinho is, admits Tottenham defender Assou-Ekotto

Tottenham defender Benoit Assou-Ekotto has admitted he knows nothing about the club’s new signing Paulinho.

The left-back is notorious for his lack of interest in football and confesses he has never even heard of Paulinho, ahead of the Brazilian’s €20 million move to White Hart Lane, reports Goal.com.

The 24-year old, who starred for his country at the Confederations Cup, flew to London on Friday to undergo a medical and sign a contract to complete his transfer from Corinthians.

But the Seleção international’s arrival is news to Assou-Ekotto, whose lack of interest in football away from playing the game is commonly known.

The defender told Goal.com: “I don’t know what he looks like.

“I don’t know him, I don’t follow this kind of news.

“It’s like two or three years ago, Rafael van der Vaart was there in training one day. I said hello to him but I didn’t know he was Rafael van der Vaart.

“I don’t understand people who don’t understand me [not showing an interest in football]. Most people don’t go back home with their job and it’s the same for me.”

Tottenham confirm £17m Paulinho signing

Brazil midfielder Paulinho has completed his move to Tottenham from Corinthians for a potential fee of £17 million.

Paulinho had been in London this week and went through a medical at the club yesterday before eventually finalising the deal today.

The midfielder was part of the Seleção’s triumphant Confederations Cup campaign despite constant talk over his future, but today has finally completed his move to the Premiership.

A statement on the Tottenham official website reads: “We are delighted to announce that we have reached agreement for the transfer of Paulinho from Corinthians after the Brazil international successfully completed his medical.”

Sao Paulo-born Paulinho scored 34 goals in 167 games for Corinthians and played in his country´s 3-0 win over Spain in the Confederations Cup final.

He has made 17 appearances for the Seleção and scored five times, including goals in their 3-0 Confederations Cup win against Japan and the 2-1 semi-final victory over Uruguay.

Earlier this month he announced he would be leaving Corinthians and said: "What I have to say to Corinthians is ´see you soon´.

"Pretty soon I´ll be back, owing to everything you have done for me."

Corinthians appoint Sylvinho as assistant manager

Corinthians have appointed former Arsenal and Barcelona player Sylvinho as the team´s new assistant manager.

He is replacing Geraldo Delamore, who has left Corinthians to start a career as a manager.

Sylvinho plans to implement some the knowledge he acquire in Europe, he told UOL: I understand that having played abroad for almost two decades, it would be a waste [to ignore this knoweldge].

They already got used to seeing me with the team´s staff in the last years, I want to provide something of what I have experienced in Europe."

When asked if he plans to become a manager, Sylvinho said: "I want to respect each step of the way, each moment of life, but I can´t say when and where that will happen."

What Paulinho will bring to Spurs

At the time of writing Tottenham have all but confirmed the signing of Paulinho. The Brazilian has stated that he is leaving Corinthians and is on his way to Spurs. All that´s left to do is wait for the official announcement on the club website.

It´s a major coup for Spurs to sign a player who looks likely to start in the Brazilian team that will go into the 2014 World Cup as favourites.

Very often Tottenham´s financial situation dictates that the club only signs players when they are very young, or toward the end of their careers. Paulinho is at the very peak of his powers and comes to the club as a mature 24-year-old.

For a player still comparatively young, he has plenty of experience winning things. Paulinho has been a vital cog in the Corinthians team that has won the Brasileirao, Copa Libertadores and Club World Cup. That will be vital to a Spurs squad short of players with such experience.

Anyone who watched him at the Confederations Cup will have been impressed with his box-to-box play. I see a player who will form a fearsome three-man midfield unit alongside Moussa Dembele and Sandro next season, particularly away from home when the side looks to play on the break.

Strong and athletic, Paulinho gives Andre Villas-Boas lots of options in midfield. Defensively, he is strong enough to deputise for Sandro in a holding midfield role when his fellow Brazilian is sidelined. When they start in the same side, Paulinho can push forward and be the driving force in the Tottenham midfield.

Mousa Dembele too has the ability to push play on and drive past players, but what Paulinho will bring that the Belgian does not, is goals from midfield.

Often compared to Frank Lampard in Brazil, Paulinho has that happy knack of arriving late in the box from deep to find himself in goal-scoring positions. This is something that Tottenham have lacked for a few seasons. The likes of Luka Modric, Scott Parker, Tom Huddlestone, Sandro and Dembele have never got anywhere near double figures in the goal-scoring stakes (or in Parker´s case, even a single figure).

That´s going to be vital as Spurs look to switch to a 4-3-3 formation next season. There was an overreliance on goals from Gareth Bale last season and whether the Welshman stays at the club or not, it´s necessary for others to step up and share some of the burden.

We saw Paulinho´s aerial prowess as he headed home the winner for Brazil against Uruguay to reach the Confederations Cup final. Perhaps though it will be his ability when defending set pieces that proves more important for the team.

Tottenham struggled when defending corners and toward the end of last season when the diminutive Parker was standing in for Sandro, the team seemed to concede a goal from such a situation every week.

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the potential signing of Paulinho and how Spurs are signing a core of big, strong players. I think that contributed to Tottenham´s impressive away form last season. No longer are they a soft touch. Nowadays Spurs are more like a Stoke City who can actually play.

I´m so pleased it seems that AVB is being backed this summer. Last season he had to blend a team together from a squad of players that included many that he either didn´t rate, or couldn´t flourish in the system that he wished to employ.

Villas-Boas did a good job, despite such restrictions. Now he has the chance to truly put his own stamp on the side. The signing of Paulinho and the likely capture of David Villa will see Tottenham take a step towards AVB´s Porto blueprint.