Fantasy Soccer 2009 - Champions League Review

The UEFA Champions League tournament is regarded by some as being the biggest and best tournament in the world from any sport. Providing major excitement it might be more entertaining than the World Cup. The Champions League has almost ran its course for the '08/'09 year and is about to crown its champion.

For those of us that have played Fantasy Champions League this season or plan on playing next season, here are a few tips and player recaps to keep in mind as we move ahead.

Keys to Success
Depending on where you play or what format you are in these tips may vary or be void altogether, however their core ideas remain the same.

- More successful the team the more successful the player -
A few places make you pick one specific roster and use it throughout the duration of the tournament. From a pure numbers standpoint, using this format greatly rewards those who make it deeper and end up playing the most games. If this is the situation you find yourself in, it may be more important to draft who is on the team you think will win rather than the best player on a lackluster team.

- Pay attention to ALL stats -
One fantasy killer in the soccer world is fouls. Fouls, yellow cards and the devious red cards can destroy your total points for a tournament. Some of the best offensive players are also the biggest committers of fouls which nullifies their positive stats. Drafting a weaker offensive player that commits fewer fouls may work out in your advantage when all is said and done. For example, Daniel Alves of Barcelona is a major threat from defense but take him with a grain of alt for he was second in fouls committed in the Champions League tournament with 26. That is a lot of negative points.

- The hidden star -
Fantasy tournaments can be won and lost by finding the gem that goes overlooked by most. Odds are, mostly everyone had Lionel Messi this tournament which nullified the 8 goals he has scored thus far. However, the managers that picked Miroslav Klose who netted 7 and Lisandro of Porto who scored 6 probably are amongst the leaders of their leagues. Find out who excels in tournament games and take a risk or two.

Recap
The Champions League is nearing an end but here is what has happened to some of the bigger names thus far.

- Lionel Messi (Barcelona) -
As mentioned before, he has scored 8 and had an extremely productive Champions League tournament. Barca has marched through their opponents and Messi has been a big factor as to why. He is a constant fantasy contributor and is worth the large price tag. No disappointments here.

- Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United) -
Coming into the year Ronaldo was widely considered the best player in the world, however this view likely will switch to Messi following the results of the Champions League tournament. Ronaldo has not lived up to his enormous expectations and has only scored 2 with the tournament nearing an end. He leads all the competition with 26 shots on target, which has been a big fantasy contribution, yet the rarely heard of Lisandro of Porto has a second best 23 shots on target but also 6 goal tallies by his name. Ronaldo has not been his best and his numbers reflect it.

Looking Ahead
This season's fantasy winner likely will have a roster of Barca players with a few of the hidden gems tossed in. Looking ahead to next year, the transfer of players will once again be an integral point to where a fantasy player's value is at the start of the next tournament. One thing should be certain: Lionel Messi and Ronaldo will be the most sought players and rightfully so. However, it is the players like this season's Klose and Lisandro that win it for fantasy managers.

Find your fantasy football draft, fantasy football rankings, and fantasy baseball leagues at Fanball.

World Cup 2014 - Players to Watch

As the opening game of the World cup approaches pundits are beginning to speculate about which players will shine during the tournament. Will it be an established star or will someone like the young Michael Owen emerge? We have chosen five players we think will make the headlines for the right reasons.

Lionel Messi

Everyone knows he is special a player but opinion is divided over whether Messi will provide the tournament with those touches of magic that make him stand out in his and previous generations of footballers. They point to a season where Barcelona did not achieve to the level of recent years. Added to this are two lack lustre performances in 2006 and 2010. Especially in South Africa (2010) where he failed to register a single goal, and couldn't rouse his team during the eventual heavy defeat by Germany.

However the optimists see a player that has shaken off a early season injury and who has taken part in a very successful qualifying tournament who has the desire to win in South America. Coach Alejandro Sabella is trying to craft a team that will provide the crucial support that will allow Messi to shine. Key to this is the midfield ball provider Fernando Gago. Coach Sabello feels Messi has matured and exhibits an inner peace. Perhaps the relatively straight forward games against Bosnia, Iran and Nigeria will give him the platform he needs to show his unquestionable class.

Christiano Ronaldo

The situation with Ronaldo is almost the reverse that of Messi. He has had a fantastic season with Real Madrid scoring 16 Champions league goals and over the course of the season scored a goal every 72 minutes. The fear is that he has had such a hard season that he will struggle to maintain his form for another month.

Secondly people say that Portugal are a one man team and are in a tough group. However if you look at their record they have performed very well over the last 10 years. They were Euro finalists in 2004, world cup semi finalists in 2006.They reached the quarter finals of the 2008 Euros and the last 16 in South Africa followed by the semi finals in the Euros 2012.

Portugal Coach Paulo Bento believes he is in good shape and believes his speed and athleticism will be there for all to see.

Neymar

All the pundits say that Neymar has been given a massive responsibility to ensure that Brazil do better on home turf than they have done in the previous two tournaments. Some say that he has had a mediocre season for Barcelona scoring only 15 goals and has been carrying a season long injury. Team mate Dani Alves disagrees saying that he adjusted really well to playing in Europe and fitting into a team like Barcelona takes time. He paid tribute to his maturity. Neymar joined the national team in 2010 and has scored 30 goals in 47 appearances. The curtain is set to go up for Neymar it remains to be seen if he will be afflicted by stage fright.

Paul Pogba

Pogba the 21year old Juventus midfielder is tipped to be one of the finds of the tournament. "Polpo Paul," (Paul the Octopus) because of his long legs played in France before catching the attention of Manchester United where played between 2009 and 2012. However Sir Alex Ferguson preferred to Play Michael Carrick so Juventus stepped in to take him to Serie A where he has blossomed scoring 14 goals in 86 appearances. His is a strong player with good ball control and can shoot accurately from a distance.

He is no stranger to international football having won the under 20 World Cup in Turkey 2013 being named Player of the Tournament. He first played for the senior side in 2013 in a qualifier against Gergia and scored his first goal against Belarus in September of that year. France play Switzerland, Ecuador and Honduras in the group stage giving Polpo Paul the chance to advertise his skills.

Julian Draxler

The Schalke 04 attacking midfielder has most recently made the headlines when involved in a motorsport accident with F1 driver Nico Rosberg, but he and teammate Benedikt Hoewedes were uninjured.

Draxler has pace and good ball control. He hits the ball accurately and can play across the midfield. Although 6' 2" he is criticised for his heading ability. He helped Schalke secure a Champions league place in the 2011-12 season and was their youngest player to 100 games for the club. He made his U21 debut for Germany in 2012 and made the senior side in 2013 since making 11 appearances and scoring one goal in a friendly against the USA.

http://uefacup.com is an independent blog dedicated to European football, offering coverage of the Uefa Cup, Ufea Champions League, and the top domestic football leagues. Visit us for unbiased comment on football news, topical issues, live scores and results.

How Dish Network Airs Setanta Sports?

Setanta Sports in Dish Network is the abode of International sports that brings subscribers the complete package of premium global sports programming with non stop access to live coverage of best European and international soccer, rugby and other sports. Subscribers can watch UEFA Champions League, FA Cup, England Internationals, 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, 2012 Euro Qualifiers, Super 14, Tri Nations, Six Nations and much more lively and enjoy them. This article enables the reader to know more about the best soccer in the world.

UEFA Champions League UEFA Champions League also known as European Cup is an annual association football cup competition organized by UEFA since 1955. Setanta sports will show nearly 55 champions league including 14 live matches. The champions league is recognized as the benchmark in the world club soccer.

Air New Zealand Cup Air New Zealand Cup is New Zealand's professional rugby union competition that was founded in the year 2006 with 14 teams. It is formerly known as the National Provincial Championship. The Air New Zealand cup champions, for each season are awarded with the Air New Zealand Cup Trophy. Setanta Sports will broadcast most games LIVE.

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge cup is a knockout cup competition in football. As it is sponsored by E.ON, officially it is called as FA Cup Sponsored by E.ON. The first competition was held in the year 1871-72 and it is the oldest football association in the world. Setanta sports has offered an extensive live coverage of all rounds.

Barclay's Premier League The Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition contested by 20 clubs who acts as shareholders. As it is sponsored by Barclay's Bank, officially it is known as Barclay's Premier League. Setanta sports will telecast more than 140 live and exclusive matches.

Chelsea TV Chelsea TV is the official television channel of Chelsea Football club. It delivers matches, news, players, information, live commentary and match highlights. Chelsea TV is found every week displaying matches in Setanta sports.

Currie Cup Currie cup tournament is the South African's premier domestic rugby union competition. The tournament is regarded as the cornerstone of the south Africa's rugby heritage and it is founded in the year 1889.

EDF Energy Cup EDF Energy Cup is an English and Welsh rugby union knock out competition featuring twelve premiership clubs and four welsh regions. The sixteen clubs are placed in four pools with three English clubs and one welsh club. It was founded in the year 1971 and was originally known as R.F.U club. Setanta Sports broadcast a total of 12 live matches.

Gaelic Athletic Association Gaelic Athletic Association was founded in the year 1884 by Irish men that focuses on Irish sports such as Hurling and Gaelic football. Gaelic Football is a form of football played mainly in Ireland. The ball of the Gaelic football is similar to that of the soccer ball but it is smaller in size. As per the game regulation the ball has to be carried for a distance of four feet then it has to be either kicked or hand passed. After every four steps, ball has to be bounced to kick or hand pass and kicked back to the hand. Subscribers can watch nearly 25 Gaelic football games in Setanta Sports.

Magners league The Magners League is an annual rugby union competition involving regional sides from Ireland, Scotland and Wales. It was originally known as Celtic league. The Magners league will take place between September and May. It delivers a 22 week calendar throughout the season where players can play in home and away. Subscribers can enjoy watching nearly 50 games live in Setanta Sports.

MUTV (Manchester United TV) MUTV (Manchester United TV) is an English subscription based TV channel operated by Manchester United F.C. The channel was launched in the year 1998. MUTV provides exclusive interviews with players, matches including all Premier League games, chat shows, classic games, live reserve and academy games and footballing news. Subscribers can find this game every week in Setanta Sports.

RBS 6 Nations Six Nations Championship also referred to as RBS 6 Nations is an annual international rugby union competition involving six European sides England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and wales. It was the first international rugby union tournament in the Northern Hemisphere. It is played over an eight week period in the spring of every year. Setanta Sports broadcast all the 15 games.

Russian Premier League The Russian Premier League is the top division of Russian football that was founded in the year 2001. There are 16 teams in the competition. Subscribers can watch nearly 60 live matches for every season with English commentary in Setanta Sports.

Super 14 Super 14 is the largest rugby union football club championship in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. The competition runs for fourteen weeks. Setanta Sports shows 45 matches live.

Football League Championship Football League Championship is the second highest division in the English football league system after Barclay's Premier League. It is referred to as Football League Championship. On regular seasons Setanta Sports broadcasts nearly 60 games.

Tri Nations Tri Nations is an annual rugby union series contest, held between Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. A total of six games will be played by teams both home and away in a round robin format. Subscribers can watch all the six games live in Setanta Sports.

Thus, Setanta Sports provides live access to coverage of best European and International soccer, football games to subscribers. Subscribers can enjoy different types of league games in different seasons.

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Euro Cup Soccer - The Prestigious Euro Cup Trophy

The Euro Cup soccer is one of the prestigious soccer events being participated by many professional leagues in different countries of the world. In line with the tournament, winning team of the UEFA Champions League is awarded with the European Cup trophy. The trophy has been battled for many years by among the best and strongest leagues in the world.

The original trophy was donated by a French sport newspaper company named L'Équipe. In 1967 the Real Madrid team was lucky enough to win and received the trophy as their permanent possession. It was based on the ruling that who ever team wins for 3 consecutive times can keep the trophy forever.

A different design was then made to replace the original trophy. It was designed by Jörg Stadelmann, a Switzerland based jeweler. The trophy is made of silver with a price tag of 10,000 Swiss Francs. The trophy measures 74 centimeters in height and 8 kilograms in weight. The Euro Cup soccer trophy was called La Orejona which means big ears because of the design of the handles that resembles an ear. The term La Orejona has been popularized by Luis Omar Tapia who is an ESPN UCL commentator.

Since it started, the battle for the prestigious trophy has always been attracting many television networks to cover the huge event. All matches are broadcast in the European countries and in many other countries. The popularity of the game attracts over 200 million viewers around the world.

The Euro Cup trophy will continue to be an instrument in fostering the most popular game in the planet.

Watch Videos about Euro Cup soccer.

Online Soccer Games - Entertainment at Its Best

For those who are unwilling to sweat it out running on soccer fields in the chilly weather, the fun of soccer can still be experienced, sitting cozily at home. Many of the soccer games are now available to play online. With the same thrill and experience of being a player on the field or having the sole power to control an entire team of players! So online you can fulfill your dream of being Ronaldo or a Messi on the field and you can also own and control your dream team!

Soccer video games like Sensible Soccer, Kickoff and Match day had been developed as early as in the 80s. In 1993 FIFA Soccer or FIFA Football became the first soccer video game series which got an official license from the governing association of FIFA. It is now available in 18 languages in 51 different countries.

Now this video game has the exclusive license from many of the famous leagues like English Premier League, French Ligue 1, German Bundesliga, etc. With likeness to real names of leagues and players, it will give you a real experience of Soccer! Consistently developing over the years since 1993, in 2010, FIFA 11 became the fastest selling sports video games series. All versions of this game have both single player and multi player modes.

What is great about FIFA Soccer is that it has versions of the major world tournaments like the FIFA World Cup, UEFA European Football Championship and UEFA Champions League where you can have an online experience of playing in these games! What's more it also has the licensed original soundtracks of the FIFA World Cups. Every version of FIFA Soccer also has its own title song. So when you play, get fired up by the thrilling beats! You can visit the official website of EA Sports FIFA 11 to play the latest soccer games released, online!

If you want the ultimate online experience of multiplayer soccer games then you could try the International Online Soccer or IOS. It was developed by Mark Gornell and released in 2002. The specialty of IOS is that you can control just one soccer player instead of an entire team. Moreover you can also have fellow players playing with you on the server! There are IOS teams online and also an IOS cup which the first team to win was Super Soccer Team. You can play it online on its official website and also download the latest version for your computer.

With rapidly increasing gaming websites, you now have an access to thrilling Soccer games online!

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Ronaldo Vs Neuer Vs Messi: Who Will Win the Ballon D'or?

WHO DESERVES THE BALLON D'OR?

Manuel Neuer (GK, Bayern Munich, GER)

If a goalkeeper should win the award it should definitely be Manuel Neuer. Manuel Neuer has had an amazing 2014 as a goalkeeper, he won the World Cup back in July and was able to shut out Argentina for 120 minutes, he also took the award for best goalkeeper in the World Cup and had an amazing season with his club Bayern Munich, HOWEVER, there is a large reason why he won't win it this year and that is because most of what Manuel Neuer was able to accomplish was due to an amazingly solid Bayern Munich defense, a solid Germany team and a lack of strong opponents. Manuel Neuer is known for running out of his box and making ridiculous clearances deep into the field. While this might look amazing, you have to remember that he usually does this against small teams like FC Augsburg of Mainz 05 which cannot be compared to a team like Real Madrid or Barcelona who would absolutely take advantage of a situation that risky. While Neuer had a great year, I just don't believe that he makes the cut for a Ballon D'or.

Lionel Messi (CF, Barcelona, ARG)

Argentine Lionel Messi, widely regarded as the world's best player and one of the best in the history of the sport has had a 2014 that will be forever memorable. You could remember it as one of his best years or a year that really was unable to deliver everything in Messi's potential. Lionel Messi started 2014 with one objective in mind, the UEFA Champions League and the FIFA World Cup. As the months went on Lionel Messi found his Barcelona side out of the champions league due to Atletico Madrid, unable to win the Spanish league due to a 1-1 draw against Atletico Madrid which sent them without any trophies due to Atletico clinching the league. Messi was also unable to perform on one of the biggest stages of world football, the World Cup. Messi started out his world cup great, scoring a goal against bosnia and herzegovina and a late goal against Iran which gave Argentina the Victory in what should have been an easy win that resulted being only a 1-0 victory for the "albiceleste". After this he was able to net two goals against Nigeria in a 3-2 victory. Argentina advanced with nine points and then was able to beat Switzerland 1-0 in extra time due to an assist from the one and only Lionel Messi. Thats when his world cup basically ended. Don't get me wrong, Messi was a key part to Argentina in the following games and was the reason they were able to play well, but when you're the world's best player you have to give your most amazing play in such a large tournament, you also have to be able to provide magic and always be precise in finishing, something that Messi was unable to do. Messi missed a close goal in the final against Germany and really was not a part of the game. He did win the " Best player in the World Cup " award but really it meant nothing to him since he was unable to lift the one he cared about the most. After the world cup Messi was able to break two records, " Most goals in the Champions League ", and was able to break Telmo Zarra's record of 251 goals with a hat trick ( 3 goals or more ) in the Camp Nou, he also has 7 assists vs Ronaldo's 8. These are records that were broken this year but only required a few goals from Messi. Messi is personally my favorite player but this Year I just don't think he had a good enough year to deserve the Ballon D'or. Messi still has many chances to prove himself in the continuation of the Champions league and the 2015 Copa America.

Cristiano Ronaldo (LW, Real Madrid, POR)

What a year Cristiano Ronaldo has had, he seems to be unstoppable this year, at least with Real Madrid, his performance at the World Cup was everything but memorable. This however is immediately overshadowed by his performances at the Champions league in which he won the best European player award, he was also able to score a penalty in the final of the Champions League vs Atletico Madrid in which he increased his reputation as "Penaldo," he was still able to deliver solid performances over the course of the 2014 Champions League in which he scored 17 goals and was able to claim " Best player of the 2013-14 Champions League". Ronaldo has also recently been unstoppable with his club Real Madrid who are currently ranked the best in the world by the Football Club World Ranking. Ronaldo has been able to score 25 goals in 15 games and a total of 8 assists which is the top amount for both statistics so far. Overall Ronaldo has had a great year and does not seem to be slowing down. Ronaldo is 29 years old and while most 29 year olds seem to slow down and deteriorate, Cristiano Ronaldo seems to be playing better. This is why Cristiano Ronaldo without a doubt will win the Ballon D'or this year which will leave Lionel Messi wanting more from 2015.

In the end it is inevitable that Ronaldo will win this years award. Ronaldo has been excelling with his club and has simply been having the season of his life. While Ronaldo continues to shine, Messi continues to dazzle us with his amazing speed, dribbling and vision. However this year he hasn't lived up to what everyone expected. Had Messi won the world cup in July he would definitely win his 5th Ballon D'or unfortunately Mario Gotze's game winning goal crushed that opportunity and left Lionel Messi with a Golden Ball award which he quickly got rid of as soon as he left the awards podium. Manuel Neuer had a good year but since he had a strong team with a good defense it is very unlikely he will win it, especially since he hasn't played like the legend USSR goalkeeper Lev Yashin. 2014 has been a year of amazing football and amazing heights, hopefully we will see world class football in 2015.

Restoring the Glory of the FA Cup

When I was young, the FA cup was a massive thing for me and my friends. We would watch matches which our local teams were a part of and our nails would be well bitten by the end. Winning the cup was a special thing for a team, whether the winning team was top or bottom of the old first division. Nowadays the magic seems to have well and truly gone. The Champions League, and Premier league cups still command respect, and managers who win them are allowed to continue in their jobs. The FA cup however is deemed as a second tier trophy, by the bigger clubs at least. I find this a sad state of affairs. Wembley is a fantastic stage to hold the final in. There never used to be any trouble in filling it. In 2011 there was talk that the final had not even sold out in some corners of the press. Whether or not this is true, the thought of it being the case is something that would have been deemed unthinkable twenty years ago. So what should we do? Should we let it go and let clubs fight over premier league money, and of course European glories? I put forward two different ideas that could help save the FA cup from obscurity.

1. The FA should take some of the money that is used to pay out clubs at the end of the season in the Premier League, and offer it as prizes to clubs who finish up in the semi finals, and of course the finals. Taking £1,000000 out of the money for each club would result in a pot of over £20,000000 that could be used as prize money. I think this would inspire many of the clubs to take the competition more seriously, when their financial future could end up being changed through millions of pounds of prize money. Smaller clubs winning the cup would also then benefit more than they would ordinarily. As football is a business nowadays I could see clubs wanting to win a whole lot more than they do at the moment.

2. This idea has been mentioned before by various football pundits, but I think it is a brilliant idea. The fourth champions league spot should be removed from the league, and instead awarded to the FA cup winners. Again it would make good business for all clubs to take a competition seriously where there is a chance to play in the top European club competition, and make all those millions of pounds. I would not see a problem in smaller clubs who win the cup being able to play on the biggest football stage in Europe, it may well offer them abilities to grow as a club and a business. Smaller clubs would have a better opportunity of enjoying the bigger sums of money than just relying on being able to come fourth or above in the league.

Both these ideas play to the hearts of the directors who are hungry to make as much money as possible. Large and small clubs would end up benefiting from better opportunities to grow and increase profits. This would all be done whilst restoring the FA cup to its prior importance and glory.

The author would love to hear from you regarding this article or trophies. You can contact him here New Football Trophies This bio is to be attached if this football article is used.

Soccer World Cup - Can England Win?

It has been a long time coming - 1966 was not supposed to be the only time England won the World Cup, was it?

That was a great showpiece at the time, and a romantic story. Sure playing most of their matches at Wembley was a great help, but it was a good team, and Ramsay was the right manager for the job, at that time.

The manager plays a critical role in any winning team, but he must have the players to coach also. Switzerland have a great manager - a double champions league winner in Hitzfield - but the squad is probably going to limit their success. On the other hand Maradona has the players, but can he manage?

Capello did secure 2 La Liga titles in Spain, and has great club pedigree. England virtually sailed through qualifying it it true, but the seabed is littered with great 'qualifying' teams, that failed to perform on the big stage.

A good start is important, but probably not critical (see Italy for proof of slow beginnings and world cup winning medals). It is important to build up momentum while avoiding disasters - thinking of the USA here. The team that grows during the tournament, and does not raise immediate expectations too high will succeed best. England need a steady start, get through the group without too much panic, and then it becomes a cup match competition.

They do have the players, individually at least, and he is a good manager - but they will also need good luck, and the right public support to make it all the way. I just feel there are more worthy teams, and one of them is bound to shine more brightly. Enjoy a fascinating competition, full of surprises and hopefully great football, whoever wins.

Alan Sedgwick is a freelance writer. Get your kids the national team kits at [http://soccergearforkids.com]

Live Soccer

Fans can watch football on the football Internet TV. These online TVs broadcast many shows and programs on the Internet. These include American Football, Argentine League, Argentine Football Highlights, Champions League Weekly, Direct Kicks, English Premier League, English Football Highlights, EPL Preview, Football Asia, Football Cups, and the World Football Show.

Fans can also know the recent soccer news through Live Sport Network online, with instant access membership. Live sport network is a part of the UK's largest live football stream network. They have the facility of easy payments with secure encryption. It allows accessing into the dedicated member's area to watch live football on the PC.

Fans can also watch the top quality football games throughout the week on live sport network such as Champions League live and UEFA cup matches.

Hot and Latest Soccer News:

Below mentioned are some of the hot and recent soccer news and info:

1. David Beckham finished his 100th apparent show for England and became one of five English football players to get into the century mark. This time Fabio Capello, England Football coach recalled Beck ham to play against France.

2. Berbatov's future projects have become the intense speculations all over the country. This great football player has been receiving offers from many big clubs, since they think that Berbatov is a deserving player.

3. The13th, season of MLS (Major League Soccer) is starting this Saturday. It includes some of the talented stars such as David Beck ham, Christian Gomez, Taylor Twellman, Claudio Lopez, Dwayne De Rosario, Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Luciano Emilio, and Cuauhtemoc Blanco.

How to Watch Online Football Game:

It is very easy to view online football game, since modern technology has made it simple. Now, the die-hard fans of football can watch online football game easily with the following ways:

1. Watch via Streaming Video Web sites: These streaming web sites broadcast live soccer games. It is free, but the speed of such sites could be very slow. Since many people watch live soccer matches simultaneously, which makes the streaming slow.

2. Watch via PC satellite Television software: This convenient option allows watching live soccer using television software. Broadcast is clear with good picture and audio quality.

Submitted by Marcia Henin, Content Editor at Inter-dev - Internet marketing company, On behalf of Sportingo.com - Provider of Soccer news and Live soccer games.

Best Soccer Leagues and Tournaments to Watch Post-World Cup

The 2010 FIFA World Cup has come to a close, and fans that became addicted to the drama and excitement lament the fact that they'll have to wait four years to experience it all again. There are countless soccer leagues and tournaments around the world, which can get quite confusing unless you're a footy expert. What are some of the best soccer competitions to watch in the meantime?

1. UEFA Champions League (club) - The UEFA Champions league is the most popular annual soccer competition in the world. The best club teams from all around Europe play in an epic tournament from September to May of every year. It begins with four team groups that play a round-robin format. The top two in each group advance to a knockout tournament of the top 16 teams. European leagues are the most competitive and recruit the best players from all around the world. This is a unique opportunity to see the top teams from England, Spain, Italy and Germany face off, each featuring a roster of superstars.

2. EURO 2012 Poland/Ukraine (nations) - The 16 top nations face off in a tournament that serves as the "World Cup" of Europe. It also starts with a group phase before progressing to the quarterfinals, semis and final. The real World Cup final has featured only European nations in the last two tournaments, so you'll see the best nations in the world battling for prestige and national pride.

3. English Premier League (club) - The English Premier League is widely considered the top domestic league in the world, and clubs such as Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal have fanatical followings all around the world. 20 teams play against each other home and away from autumn to spring of each year, and there's drama at both the top and bottom of the standings-the bottom three teams actually get demoted to a lower league the next season. You certainly don't see anything like that in American sports.

4. Copa America 2011 Argentina (nations) - The Copa America is a similar tournament to the EURO, but it involves only South American nations. Other than Europe, South America is the only continent that has produced a World Cup champion, and you'll see powerhouses Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay competing in a passionate and exciting tournament.

5. Spanish La Liga (club) - The Spanish La Liga is the club league of the 2010 World Cup Champions, Spain. The format is very similar to the English Premier League and the style of play is considered to be entertaining, attacking, and very open in nature. It has one of the highest goals-per-game averages of top European leagues.

Andrew Walsh is a freelance writer.

His blog offers Funny News and Reviews about soccer, sports and a variety of other pop culture-ish topics.

Check out this article about Funny World Cup 2010 Moments

Famous European Soccer Clubs

European soccer is one of the first groups of organization who joined the World Cup. They have the most popular clubs and players and they are the 2nd most watched in Europe and the world. Here are the four teams who have the most wins.

Manchester United - This club is one of the most successful in the Premiere League. They won the title 10 times. They have also the most number of great players like Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, Edwin Van Der Sar, Ryan Giggs, Wes Brown, Rio Ferdinand and many others.

AC Milan - AC Milan is definitely one of the best; they have also won various titles in the European Super Cup, the Cup Winners Cup and have reached the UEFA Cup finals. Popular players include Kaka, Dida, Cafu, Alessandro Nesta and Gennaro Gattuso.

Chelsea - Chelsea is the strongest team in the Premiere League. They have the best line-up of players and they have also won various titles in leagues and made it to the World Cup UEFA Champions League finals.

Real Madrid - It is known to be the richest club in the world. They are very well-known and they also have a strong line-up of players which includes Casillas, Raul, Robinho, Van Nestilroy and many more. They have 31 league titles and have gain big number of fans all over the world.

Indeed European soccer is at its best. They have gained so much popularity and they are very successful. Clubs under them are very successful as well and keep rising to the top.

Learn more about European soccer.

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The Club World Cup Has Lost Its Purpose

The FIFA Club World Cup is no longer a proper measure to decide the best club team in the world.

Because of huge investments in European soccer in the last decade the European clubs (UEFA) have a big money advantage over the rest of the world and can buy the best players which gives them a big advantage over the other confederations. Moreover, the format of the tournament is set to favor UEFA and South America (Conmebol) which is unfair to the other teams.

The problem is that the competition has failed to keep up with changes in the game and has therefore lost its relevance and purpose.

PURPOSE OF THE TOURNAMENT

The competition was started in 2000 (when it absorbed its predecessor the Intercontinental Cup) and was formed as a yearly competition to showcase the best local talent from the various confederations. The idea was that the winners in each continental tournament would compete against each other and the winner crowned as the best club team in the world. This was the theory but in practice it has turned out differently.

Previously the best non-European players pursued their careers in their home countries and were unknown to foreign audiences. The Club World Cup gave these players a chance to showcase their skills on the world stage and at that time there was parity between clubs in Europe and South America.

Conmebol teams won the trophy in the first three years of the competition but after that the European teams dominated and the balance of power shifted to Europe.

DAVID vs GOLIATH

The beginning of European domination coincided in the early part of the current century with a massive influx of investment in UEFA soccer at club level. The fallout from this is that today there is a great disparity of income between European clubs and the other confederations.

The winner of the European Champions League earns much more money than the other continental tournaments combined. Real Madrid made $70.1 million last season for winning the UEFA Champions League. In contrast San Lorenzo made $6.1 million for winning Copa Libertadores (Conmebol), ES Setie made $1.8 million for winning the African (CAF) Champions League and in Asia Western Sydney Wanderers made about the same for defeating Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal over two legs (YAHOO SPORTS - Why does the Club World Cup still struggle for relevance?; by Peter Staunton, December 12, 2014).

With such money on hand, the best talent that money can buy are in Europe's major leagues, lured by the lucrative contracts that these leagues have to offer. This means that Europe has at its disposal its own talent and whatever the rest of the world has.

The biggest losers in the exodus of soccer talent to Europe are Brazil and Argentina which are the leading exporters of players, so what is Europe's gain is South America's loss.

Accordingly, every other side at the Club World Cup is at a disadvantage in comparison with Europe's Champions League holder. The tournament has evolved from being a rivalry into a battle of David versus Goliath, between European clubs represented by what is tantamount to a World eleven made up mostly of the best international players and the minnows, comprising what is left over after the best of their talent have been siphoned off by the big UEFA clubs.

The current champion, Real Madrid, is a combination of some of the most expensive and best international players coming from Spain (Casillas and Sergio Ramos), France (Benzema and Varane), Portugal (Ronaldo and Pepe), Germany (Kroos), Brazil (Marcelo), Colombia (Rodriquez), Wales (Bale) and Mexico (Chicharito). This assembly of players is hardly representative of the local game in Spain. For three players, namely, Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and James Rodriquez the club paid $367.8 million. Only twelve clubs in the world possess a squad of players whose market value is worth more than the total cost of these three.

Compare that to Auckland City FC one of its competitors in this year's Club World Cup which is a team of mere amateurs having full-time occupations outside of soccer.

A look at some of the previous champions reveals the heavy foreign component of their squads. In 2010 when Inter Milan (Italy) won the cup, only 5 players in their squad of 23 were Italians while the rest were mostly from South America. Even the television commentators failed to keep up with the changes as they still referred to the Inter team as 'the Italians'.

In 2011 Barcelona won the cup and 10 of their 23-man squad were from overseas.

BIZARRE FORMAT

Another big problem with the tournament is that teams from UEFA and South America are given a bye to the semi-finals and start playing even after some of the sides are eliminated. This is intentionally done so that only the biggest clubs face off in the final. So far only teams from those two continents have won and only one team from outside has made it to the final, namely, last year's surprise finalist TP Mazembe, a Congolese side.

Given the money advantage enjoyed by UEFA and the bizarre format that is currently in place, the Club World Cup can hardly be called the fairest of competitions and the winner cannot legitimately be called 'the best in the world' anymore than the winners of the former Intercontinental Cup which was limited to UEFA and Conmebol. The tournament has lost its importance and is hardly bragworthy. Some years ago I won a dancing contest but the other contestants couldn't dance, so was my victory something to brag about?

Some parity needs to be restored to the competition. Brazil and Argentina have started to raise wages in their local leagues to entice their players to remain at home. That is a start but in addition to that, FIFA must limit the number of foreign players available to each team to, say, two and change the format so that all competing teams play the same number of qualifying matches. Failing this, it is pointless to continue the competition in its present form.

Victor A. Dixon
December 23, 2014

Victor A. Dixon; Sportswriter;
Born and grew up in Jamaica;
Lived in 5 countries;
Bilingual English/Spanish;
Interests include sports, ethnic food and music, and woodwork.
Married and lives in Florida.