SoccerUSA!!!

By Sean Connolly

He’s had it. Lukas Podolski of Bayern Munich and Germany, is tired of coming off the bench for his club team and has said it’s time to get out. He has had trouble getting into the starting lineup seeming that Luca Toni and fellow German Miroslav Klose are Bayern’s starting strikers. Here’s what Podolski had to say in his own words…

I wouldn’t have [signed] had I known that things were going to turn out like this,I would be a bad footballer if I contented myself with sitting on the bench. This is too much! I’m not making any progress here.

Lukas Podolski on his situation with Bayern Munich

With such a talented player, several teams have reportedly shown interest in the striker. So far rumors have circulated that Manchester City, Roma, and Fiorentina will all try to pursue Podolski. Manchester City has been adament on trying to get a big name player as a part of their squad but has failed to do so. During the summer, they tried to acquire Ronaldinho but failed to do so as he signed with AC Milan.

Podolski deserves to be a starter somewhere and it’s a shame he can’t get enough playing time on Bayern Munich. It’s amazing to think that Bayern has one of the most talented young players coming off the bench behind the likes of Toni and Klose. This may be a trade that Manchester City can actually complete as Podolski has shown interest in coming to England to play. He would without a doubt be a starter at City and may be the proper place for him to land at.

By Sean Connolly

In one of the most drawn out signings in recent memory, Ronaldinho has officially signed with AC Milan. It seems like such a long time ago when it was first said that Ronaldinho would be a part of AC Milan, and after several months and several teams getting involved it’s finally over with.

Many things have happened but in the end I have become a Rossonero player. I am happy to find so many Brazilians but also all the champions that wear the Rossoneri colors. I am really happy. After many years I am here. I am delighted to have arrived to AC Milan and I hope to be able to give a lot of joy to everyone.

Ronaldinho on Finally Signing With AC Milan

AC Milan’s new product will be shown off on Thursday as Ronaldinho will be welcomed with welcomed arms at the San Siro Stadium at 9:30 P.M. This tedious transfer hasn’t taken its toll though. Both Inter Milan, and Manchester City were very well involved in looking to pick up the once world’s greatest player. It has also affected other players who have been unsure where to go, with a portion of their decision in the hands of Ronaldinho. Emmanuel Adebayor seemed the likely choice for Milan but suddenly chose Ronaldinho over the Arsenal star. There has also been rumors that Frank Lampard and Ronaldinho wanted to join forces and that a trade could put those two together.

This transfer should open the flood gates for a lot of moves in the next week or two. It seemed like this and the Cristiano Ronaldo transfer seemed to be blocking the door for a lot of teams. Barcelona haven’t looked back on Ronaldinho as they themselves have signed Alexander Hleb to a 4 year deal from Arsenal.

Who are the losers in this move though? It has to be Manchester City. At one point it seemed imminent that Manchester City would in fact steal Ronaldinho from AC Milan and sign the star but even after offering more than the 21 million Euros that AC Milan will pay Ronaldinho, his heart is in Milan. Signing Ronaldinho looked like such a smart and promising move for Manchester City that would have garnered them much attraction and could possibly allow them to compete with Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal, and Manchester United. Now, even after signing Brazilian Jo, things look bleak for Manchester City as they may need to pull out another blockbuster to bring them up the table.

What does moving to Serie A mean for Ronaldinho? Personally I think this is where it ends for the star. The league is way too strong defensively for Ronaldinho to pull out his magic and he will soon become an average player whose impact won’t reflect his paycheck. I think it’s time to bid Ronaldinho farewell as he will become lost in Italy.

By Sean Connolly

It seems like this whole Ronaldinho trade has gone on for too long. It’s obvious that Barcelona wants to get rid of the guy, so why is it so hard to get him on a new team. Ronaldinho has been rumored to have been traded to AC Milan, Inter Milan, and Manchester City.

At first it seemed certain that Ronaldinho would be a part of AC Milan come next season. But as talks fell through over money and the concerns of Ronaldinho’s health, AC Milan faded away for a bit in the Ronaldinho Sweepstakes. Not letting their rival get an upper hand, Inter Milan soon joined the mix distributing a bid for the once greatest player in the world. And in every race you need a darkhorse, a long shot, a nobody. Manchester City stepped up and probably put the most appetizing deal on the table for Ronaldinho.

Again though, AC Milan has taken the lead. They are now trying to decide between taking Emmanuel Adebayor or Ronaldinho. Who will AC Milan take though? I think they’re leaning more towards Adebayor, which again opens things up for Manchester City who would really be the only bidder left for Ronaldinho. Taking Adebayor over Ronaldinho is the better choice for AC Milan due to his size and age which could put Ronaldinho in Manchester City.

It seems to me that Ronaldinho has a desire to come to the English Premier League. Whether or not coming to Manchester City will satisfy what he wants is totally different. As I said in my first post about this ongoing trade, Ronaldinho going to AC Milan and playing in Serie A would be a terrible idea for him. In such a defensive league Ronaldinho will certainly struggle if traded to AC Milan or Inter Milan.

Manchester City being a long shot to get Ronaldinho kind of got me thinking. I know it’s border line impossible but maybe just maybe an MLS team can get in the mix for him. If anything just a couple of talks could certainly help for the future like when he gets ready to hang up the cleats. He could pull a David Beckham and decide to come over here. Why not? I’m just saying, say whoever signs Ronaldinho is probably going to let him go after probably 3 years. After that the interest in him will be so low that he just might need that attention (like Beckham needed it). He gets that attention from MLS teams who see dollar signs and a great marketing tool. Ronaldinho comes to the MLS plays for a couple years and steps the MLS up another notch. Far fetched but, if you’re the MLS, what have you got to lose?

By Sean Connolly

It looks as if Manchester City, not AC Milan as first thought, will end up with Ronaldinho. Manchester City and Ronaldinho have been talking and seem to be the front runner to acquire the star from Barcelona FC. AC Milan looked to be the sure favorites to obtain Ronaldinho but have since stepped back. AC Milan now seem to have their eyes on a different star, Didier Drogba.

Chelsea has now allowed AC Milan to speak with Drogba about a possible transfer to Italy. A trade of Drogba from Chelsea to AC Milan seems very promising. AC Milan Vice President Adriano Galliani hints that a transfer of Drogba is imminent.

Chelsea have authorised us to open negotiations with Drogba

AC Milan Vice President Adriano Galliani on Didier Drogba Trade

Also rumored in the deal would be the return of Andriy Shevchenko to AC Milan but AC Milan Vice President Adriano Galliani says Chelsea are not willing to give up on Schevchenko just yet.

Unfortunately, the response we feared came (for Shevchenko). Chelsea consider Andriy unsellable. This epilogue makes us very sad.

AC Milan Vice President Adriano Galliani on Andriy Shevchenko Trade

AC Milan aren’t stopping at Drogba either. After Barcelona striker, Samuel Eto’o’s desire to leave Barcelona FC, AC Milan have begun talks with the striker from Cameroon. The only thing preventing a trade of Eto’o from Barcelona to AC Milan would be his concern of playing in the UEFA Cup next season. AC Milan failed to qualify for Champion’s League and is yearning to win the cup somewhere. Galliani insisted to Eto’o that Milan will be competitive despite not being in Champion’s League.

Barcelona may want to hang on to Eto’o as it seems that Ronaldinho will be traded soon to Manchester City. Barcelona have given permission to speak with Ronaldinho and Manchester City will try their hardest to bring the Brazilian star to the English Premier League.

It’s a tenuous stage and I don’t want to give too much away, but Barcelona gave us clearance to talk to him.We had some people in Brazil last weekend, who we’ve been talking to but we have a long, long list of things we need to get done because of the type of player he is – the world’s greatest player. He wants to show the world he is the greatest player. At the moment, though, we’re just ticking off the boxes. I think the Manchester City fans, who are the most important part of this, would like to see Ronaldinho kicking off next season here.He has intimated he is interested, otherwise we wouldn’t be at the stage we are now. Ronaldinho has an interest in coming to City.

Manchester City Executive Chairman Garry Cook on Ronaldinho

Along with Ronaldinho Manchester City is going after another Brazilian. CSKA Moscow striker, Jo, is just days away from signing with Manchester City and will certainly excite fans in Manchester.

With two games remaining, Chelsea and Manchester United are now tied for the lead in the Premier League. A bad week for United ended with as they lost 2-1 to Chelsea, and now both teams are tied with 81 points in first place.

The week began on Wednesday when Manchester United tied with Barcelona in the Champion’s League. The game could have been won, but Cristiano Ronaldo failed to convert a penalty early in the game. He shot wide right as they keeper dove left and could do nothing but put his head in his hands. The poor performance could have stemmed from the league complaining about Ronaldo’s approach to the penalty spot, calling it questionable. Obviously concerned, Ronaldo choked with an opportunity to steal an away goal in Barcelona.

As for the weekend in England, Chelsea pulled out an important win that left them tied for first. Just weeks ago it seemed as if Manchester United was unstoppable and en route to the title. Surprisingly, Arsenal is still in the mix after a 6-2 thrashing of Derby County. Arsenal sit 4 points behind both Chelsea and Manchester United. Although improbable, Arsenal stealing the title would only prove that this season has been one of the most unpredictable. Cesc Fabregas of Arsenal still has hope for Arsenal and is picturing them taking the title…

Nothing is Impossible. We have to win the next two games and then we’ll see. We are not the favorites, but you never know.

You never know is right. Arsenal were running away with the title coming down the stretch and suddenly gave the title to the streaking United with a string of poor results. Chelsea surprisingly, have been hanging around and now have momentum coming into the final two games of the season. Despite several Chelsea trade rumors, which included its coach, Chelsea has overcome outside talk and have played solid soccer down the stretch. I expect Chelsea to walk away with the title with United falling one point shy of glory.

Silvio Berlusconi, President of AC Milan, has now admitted that the cost of Ronaldinho may be too high. This has led to Manchester City and AC Milan rival, Inter Milan, to get into the mix. With the cost of the 28 year old superstar is too high because there is a lot of doubt surrounding the star. The Ronaldinho trade to AC Milan has caused quite a stir, but now it seems he may be open to more clubs who are willing to spend a great deal of cash. Here’s what SIlvio Berlusconi had to say about the transfer of Ronaldinho…

We still want him and we know he wants to come to Milan. But Barcelona have asked for a price which we feel is excessive.

Ronaldinho has had his worst season yet as he riddled with injuries and his fitness level has not been up to par. The uncertainty of Ronaldinho playing throughout a season is the main concern. He has only played 13 of Barcelona’s 30 games this year and will me the rest of the games. Who would pay so much for only 13 games a season?

I think Manchester City will take the risk of bringing in Ronaldinho. With young Kasper Schmeichel in goal for the next couple of seasons, Manchester City could have a solid young team in their hands. An addition of a superstar like Ronaldinho could bring them up to the top of the premiership table.

Samuel Eto’o, striker from Cameroon, has added to Barcelona’s growing problems. He has now said that he will leave if Barcelona does not come up with a trophy by the end of next season. A loss of this magnitude will certainly send Barcelona down to the middle of the Spanish Primera Division. This is what Eto’o had to say…

If we continue not to win any trophies next year, then I will go somewhere else. I’ve done it all in Spain, I’ve reached the heights here and so if I do leave I will go to another league.

Eto’o, who comes off as a selfish player, proves that he is selfish off the field as well. He joined Barcelona in 2004 and has won trophies with the Spanish powerhouse. His team’s performance ended Barcelona’s dreams of winning the Spanish League as they tied 0-0 Espanyol, leading Eto’o to make remarks of possibly leaving the team. With only the Champion’s League trophy to win, Eto’o has become very anxious about his future with Barcelona.

Barcelona has done fairly well in the Champion’s League despite its poor play in Spain. They had a close call last round with Turkish squad, Fenerbahce, but overcame a first leg loss to win in the second leg and advancing to the next round. Barcelona find themselves in the final four of Europe’s most prestigious league matched up with a surging Manchester United team, who unfortunately for Barcelona fans, are playing their best soccer of the year. A loss for Barcelona could send fans into a deep stage of depression as nothing seems to be going right for Barca at the moment. The Eto’o situation is not helping coming into the first leg of the semi-final round and could hurt team morale.

Barcelona fans might not be able to endure another big name loss as earlier this month they learned that fan favorite, Ronaldinho, is more than likely heading to Italy, possibly a trade to AC Milan. Rumors of French superstar Thierry Henry heading back to England have also swirled. Luckily for Barca fans Vice President, Ferran Soriano, shot down those rumors. When asked if Henry will be headed back to the Premiership he had this to say…

I don’t think so. I spoke with him at length a week ago and he is happy in Barcelona. We were a bit disappointed because the team we have is the team to win all competitions and we are not doing very well in the domestic championship. But apart from that he is fine and I’m sure he is not coming back to the UK.

Henry isn’t the only one who has been rumored to leave Barcelona to go to the Premiership. Coach, Frank Rijkaard, has been rumored to be leaving Barcelona to head to Chelsea. Current Chelsea coach, Avram Grant, has been under fire this season and is likely out of Stamford Bridge soon. Rijkaard would be a perfect fit for Chelsea but all remains to be seen. When asked about Rijkaard’s possibilities of heading to the Premiership, Soriano refused to comment.

Barcelona face Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United on Wednesday as heavy underdogs. The 27 year old Eto’o, still has hope though to go to Russia for the Champions League final.

They are a step above us, but let’s see what happens on Wednesday…For me it is a big motivation that they are being classed as the favourites, that makes me even more keen to beat them.

Throughout my years as a soccer fan I have seen some pretty stupid things. Such as Arsenal blowing a lead by tying a bunch of games in row this year, but forget that for now. Also, I have heard some pretty dumb things. Below is my list of the top 10 dumbest quotes from the players you love to watch. Enjoy!

10. Ugo Ehiogu- “I’m as happy as I can be…but I’ve been happier.”

9. David Beckham- “My parents have always been there for me, ever since I was about 7.”

8. Lee Hendrie- “I took a whack on my left ankle, but something told me it was my right.”

7. Mark Viduka- “I wouldn’t be bothered if we lost every game, as long as we won the league.”

6. Les Ferdinand- “I was surprised, but I always say nothing surprises me in football.”

5. Mitchell Thomas- “All that remains is for a few dots and commas to be crossed.”

4. Stan Collymore- “I faxed a transfer request to the club at the beginning of the week, but let me state I don’t want to leave.”

3. Barry Venison- “I always used to put my right boot on first, and then obviously my right sock.”

2. Thierry Henry- “Sometimes in football you have to score goals.”

drum roll please….

1. Ronaldo- “We lost because we didn’t win.”

By Sean Connolly

In one of the most drawn out signings in recent memory, Ronaldinho has officially signed with AC Milan. It seems like such a long time ago when it was first said that Ronaldinho would be a part of AC Milan, and after several months and several teams getting involved it’s finally over with.

Many things have happened but in the end I have become a Rossonero player. I am happy to find so many Brazilians but also all the champions that wear the Rossoneri colors. I am really happy. After many years I am here. I am delighted to have arrived to AC Milan and I hope to be able to give a lot of joy to everyone.

Ronaldinho on Finally Signing With AC Milan

AC Milan’s new product will be shown off on Thursday as Ronaldinho will be welcomed with welcomed arms at the San Siro Stadium at 9:30 P.M. This tedious transfer hasn’t taken its toll though. Both Inter Milan, and Manchester City were very well involved in looking to pick up the once world’s greatest player. It has also affected other players who have been unsure where to go, with a portion of their decision in the hands of Ronaldinho. Emmanuel Adebayor seemed the likely choice for Milan but suddenly chose Ronaldinho over the Arsenal star. There has also been rumors that Frank Lampard and Ronaldinho wanted to join forces and that a trade could put those two together.

This transfer should open the flood gates for a lot of moves in the next week or two. It seemed like this and the Cristiano Ronaldo transfer seemed to be blocking the door for a lot of teams. Barcelona haven’t looked back on Ronaldinho as they themselves have signed Alexander Hleb to a 4 year deal from Arsenal.

Who are the losers in this move though? It has to be Manchester City. At one point it seemed imminent that Manchester City would in fact steal Ronaldinho from AC Milan and sign the star but even after offering more than the 21 million Euros that AC Milan will pay Ronaldinho, his heart is in Milan. Signing Ronaldinho looked like such a smart and promising move for Manchester City that would have garnered them much attraction and could possibly allow them to compete with Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal, and Manchester United. Now, even after signing Brazilian Jo, things look bleak for Manchester City as they may need to pull out another blockbuster to bring them up the table.

What does moving to Serie A mean for Ronaldinho? Personally I think this is where it ends for the star. The league is way too strong defensively for Ronaldinho to pull out his magic and he will soon become an average player whose impact won’t reflect his paycheck. I think it’s time to bid Ronaldinho farewell as he will become lost in Italy as I said months ago in my earlier post…

April 13th 2008

Ronaldinho to AC Milan, and the Beginning of the End for the Star

With Ronaldinho headed to AC Milan in the best defensive league in the world, he will surely struggle again next season to find his form. His whole career has been offensive-minded, whether it be in Brazil or Spain, and changing his entire style of play to a defensive-minded atmosphere will be a total shock to the two-time FIFA World Player of the Year. His game will be slowed down not only by his own team but by others as the defensive patterns stress slowing down opponents’ midfield attack.

Ronaldinho, who up until this year has been considered the best player worldwide, will be headed to Italy when the season ends, as rules state that the season must complete for the transfer to be completed. AC Milan and Barcelona only have to agree on a few things and the deal should be done and Ronaldinho will be as Italian as spaghetti. OK, maybe not, but he will play in Italy nevertheless. Ronaldhino has had a tough season as he is out injured for the rest of the season, and before the injury that set Barcelona back to mediocrity, he struggled to find the fantastic form we are accustomed to.

This is a bad move for Ronaldinho. He will not be the Ronaldinho we saw cutting up defenses, making those who attempt to stop him fall flat on their face, and free-kicks hugging the edge of the wall and hitting the side-netting. We will see a semi-productive midfielder who can create chances for Kaka and others on AC MIlan, but he will not be the main fixture in Milan’s lineup. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Ronaldinho to become a 12th man for a majority of his career in Italy. But, that we cannot tell.

But, what if Ronaldinho does find his form again? If he does than AC MIlan will quickly, and easily become the most complete, dynamic, and talented teams in the world. If he and Kaka, last year’s player of the year award winner, can perform well together, who could possibly stop them in Italy, better yet, in all of Europe? Probably no one. But I fear that that is not possible, as Ronaldinho’s play has taken a toll on him and it looks as if these injuries may have a recurring role in Ronaldinho’s career.

Ronaldinho is a fantastic player, don’t get me wrong. He is one of the most exciting and entertaining players I have ever seen. But, I don’t see how going to a defensive-minded league will exacerbate his entertainment value. It will only hamper it. You will see him much more frustrated, as he attempts cutting passes that don’t make it pass the defensive third, leading him to play even worse and possibly create more injuries. There is nothing more that I would like to see than a little excitement to the monotonous, unexciting Italian league, but I don’t see it happening with Ronaldinho heading to AC Milan.