Portuguese Football League in 2011/2012

Portuguese elite league is characterized by the fact that only three teams managed to get 75 out of 77 league titles! Still, every new season is expected with new excitement. Those three teams are Benfica, Porto and Sporting Lisbon (also known by their nicknames - "Eagles", "Dragons" and "Lions"). Only Belenenses from Lisbon and Boavista from Porto managed to break the string, but this year neither of those two clubs is in the top-flight.

With 32 titles, Benfica is more successful than Porto (25) and Sporting (18). On the all-time list by the number of points, Benfica (4726) and Porto (4592) dominate, while Sporting (4399) lags. They have the biggest share of fans (and, biggest budgets - off course). Far behind them are Vitória Guimarães and Braga. On the UEFA country ranking by clubs' performance, Portuguese league made a break from the ninth to the sixth place, mainly thanks to Porto's victory in the UEFA League. Still, due to this big gap between main clubs and the rest of the league, Portugal is far behind main European leagues in terms of the attendance - in season 2010/2011, average attendance was 10,080 visitors per match.

Portuguese league had many great players who have won numerous awards during their performances in Primeira: Eusebio (European Footballer of the Year 1965., FIFA World Cup Golden Shoe 1966., the European Golden Boot 1968. and 1973.), Héctor Yazalde (European Golden Boot in 1974.), Fernando Gomes (European Golden Boot In 1983. and 1985.), Rabah Madjer (African Footballer of the Year 1987.), Rashid Yekini (African Footballer of the Year 1993.), Michel Preud'homme (Best European Goalkeeper 1994.), Mário Jardel (European Golden Boot in 1998. and 2002.), Emmanuel Amuneke, Vítor Baía (Best European Goalkeeper 2004) and many others. Paolo Futre (European Golden Ball 1987.) is the only one of the famous footballers who played for all three major teams in Portugal.

Championship features large number of Brazilians who are considered as domestic players. They easily adapt as their native language is Portuguese. For many of them Portugal is just a passing station on the way to richer and more powerful European leagues.

Season 2011/2012 was launched on 12th August, and favorites for the title this year is Porto, the current champion, who started the race for points without coach Boas, top scorer Falcao (who went to Atletico Madrid for 40 million euros). However, contracts were signed with Defur and Mangala (Standard Liege), Sandro (for 9.6 million euros from Maldonado), Danilo (by 13 million from Santos) and a dozen players with whom they have strengthened all lines of the team.

Traditionally, Benfica and Sporting will make the biggest threat for Porto. Benfica significantly refurbished their team (the biggest gain is Nolito from Barcelona B), and it will be difficult to fit them all in. Similar situation is with Sporting whose coach Carlos Freitas will try to shape the new team where most prominent reinforcements are Elias Trindade (came from Atlético Madrid for €8,850,000), Ricky van Wolfswinkel (FC Utrecht, €5,400,000), Valeri Bojinov (€2,600,000, came from Parma), Capel (€3,500,000, from Sevilla) and Jeffrén Suárez (€3,750,000 millions, from Barcelona).

As for the other teams, is expected that Vitória Guimarães and Braga will fight for European competitions, while others will struggle for survival and placement in the golden mean. After all, so it is in Portuguese football since the first national championship - in season 1934/1935.

Author is a big soccer fan and Flash games programmer. See his work and play some of his football games like Penalty Fever, Dkicker and others.

Fantasy Football In Australia - Dreamteam Vs Supercoach

Fantasy football has gripped Australia in the last 3 years although it has been around for more than a decade in one shape or form. I have been doing fantasy football since the early-mid 1990s when Melbourne newspaper The Age had a fantasy football competition. I remember competing with my two brothers and Dad with each of us putting money in per team we had. We didn't join the actual Age newspaper competition but just competed amongst ourself. I used to sit at the Apple IIE for hours filling out the scores. I remember Shaun Rehn and Chris McDermott used to be high scorers along with Jason Dunstall and a few others. Well, things have slightly changed these days with the advancement of the internet and now there are two main AFL fantasy football competitions - Dreamteam and Supercoach.

Dreamteam is run by the AFL and Supercoach is run by the Herald Sun which is another Melbourne newspaper although Supercoach is run entirely through their website. Both competitions are run on the virtual sports platform and are managed in almost the exact same way. The difference is in how players' values are priced and also how players score points. Dreamteam has a simpler scoring system than Supercoach which uses accuracy in kicking and handballing and whether a possession or mark is contested or not. Supercoach uses some of Champion Data's statistics to formulate a player's score. It is arguably stated that Champion Data's player ranking system is the best method to determine how well a player has performed using over 50 variables to work it out.

Dreamteam Scoring
6 points - goal
4 points - tackle
3 points - mark, kick
2 points - handball
1 point - free kick for, behind
-3 points - free kick against

Supercoach Scoring (standardised to 3300 per game total for both teams)
8 points - goal, Mark contested (from opposition)
6 points - Mark contested (maintaining possession)
4 points - Free kick for, tackles, mark uncontested (from opposition), loose-ball get, hardball get, Effective kick
3 points - Hitout to Advantage
2 points - Effective Handball
1 point - Handball receive, behind, Mark uncontested (maintaining possession),
0 points - Ineffective kick, Ineffective handball,
-6 points - Free kick against, Handball clanger
-8 points - Clanger kick

There is no doubt that Supercoach is a more complicated scoring system and it is hard to accurately determine a players score during a match whereas dreamteam is able to give running totals during a match. Champion Data is the company with the stats which The Herald Sun uses to tally up the points of a player and they are very protective of their data and data feeds. Dreamteam has a larger base of supporters for a few reasons such as; it has been around for longer, easier to manage, player values move less and a players score can be calculated during a game and this data is used and kept live on a few websites in Australia. I think that for Supercoach to become a more used system then its scoring system needs to be made available (or at least the feeds) to more websites than just the Herald Sun.

If you are new to the game of Australian Rules Football (AFL) then the AFL Dreamteam fantasy football competition is probably more up your alley but if you are a hard core fan then you might want to try Supercoach. I personally do both. In fact, an Englishman won one of the AFL fantasy competitions in recent years (which really got up the Australian nose as England and Oz have an intense sporting rivalry, I suppose it was lucky an Aussie took out the Premier league fantasy footy as a comeback) so anyone can be successful and have a crack. Both competitions are free and have thousands of dollars worth of prizes. So if you want to get involved in Australian Rules Football, join either Supercoach or Dreamteam and start building your team.

Dub Johnston writes articles on finance, insurance, politics and entrepreneurialism. He has a web innovation business called Reflex Media and a car insurance comparison website call OzInsure

Championship Season Preview 2006/07 - Preston North End

Preston North End

Odds: 16/1

Last Five Seasons

2005/06 - 4 (Championship), 2004/05 - 5 (Championship), 2003/04 - 15 (Championship), 2002/03 - 12 (Championship), 2001/02 - 8 (Championship).

2005/06 Cup Progres

FA Cup Fifth Round vs Middlesbrough (h) - lost 2-0.
Carling Cup First Round vs Barnsley (h) - lost 5-4 on penalties with the score at 2-2 after extra time.

Top Goal Scorer 2005/06: David Nugent (striker) - 11 goals.

Players In

Danny Pugh (Leeds United - £250,000), Sean St Ledger (Peterborough United - £225,000), Liam Chilvers (Colchester United - Free)

Players Out

Claude Davis (Sheffield United - £2,500,000), Tyrone Mears (West Ham United - £1,000,000) Chris Lucketti (Sheffield United - £300,000), Gavin Ward (Tranmere Rovers - Free), Richie Baker (Bury - Free).

Preston North End have suffered play off heartbreak in the last two Championship seasons and go into the new campaign with a new manager in charge following Billy Davies' decision to join Derby County. Carlisle United manager Paul Simpson, who enjoyed successive promotions with the Cumbrians, took over at Deepdale in the summer.

Simpson made Leeds United winger Danny Pugh his first signing after his contract expired at Elland Road. Due to the player's age, Leeds were entitled to a fee and the amount could rise to £250,000 depending on appearances. Former Manchester United youngster Pugh made 51 appearances for the club following his switch as part of the deal that took striker Alan Smith to Old Trafford.

Following the departures of Claude Davis and Chris Lucketti to Sheffield United for a combined £2.8 million and Tyrone Mears to West Ham United for £1 million, Simpson has been quick to fill the gaps left in defence. Former Arsenal trainee Liam Chilvers rejected a new deal at promoted Colchester United to sign for Preston on a free transfer after two seasons at Layer Road.

Highly rated Peterborough United defender Sean St Ledger arrived for an initial fee of £225,000, which could eventually reach £350,000. The 21 year old signed a three year contract following a training spell at Birmingham City earlier in the summer.

Striker Daniele Dichio looks set to remain at the club despite interest from Brighton & Hove Albion. The former Queens Park Rangers, Sampdoria, Sunderland and West Bromwich Albion striker failed to score a single league goal in over 30 appearances since joining from Millwall last summer.

Verdict

A difficult one to call. Without a change of manager Preston would be a strong contender for automatic promotion but it depends on how well new boss Paul Simpson adapts to life in the Championship. Preston are one of the most solid teams in the division and should make the play offs again.

David Walker runs Bet365 free bet [http://www.betbonus.co.uk] and football betting systems [http://www.footballbettingsystem.co.uk] websites. A free email course: "Seven Days to Better Betting" is available at both of these websites.

Championship Season Preview 2006/07 - Sunderland

Sunderland

Odds: 8/1

Last Five Seasons

2005/06 - 20 (Premiership, Relegated), 2004/05 - 1 (Championship, Promoted), 2003/04 - 3 (Championship), 2002/03 - 20 (Premiership, Relegated), 2001/02 - 17 (Premiership).

2005/06 Cup Progress

FA Cup Fourth Round vs Brentford (a) - lost 2-1.

Carling Cup Third Round vs Arsenal (h) - lost 3-0.

Top Goal Scorer 2005/06: Anthony Le Tallec (striker) - 5 goals.

Players In

Kenny Cunningham (Birmingham City - Free).

Players Out

Julio Arca (Middlesbrough - £1,750,000), Kelvin Davis (Southampton - £1,000,000), Andy Gray (Burnley - £750,000), Gary Breen (Wolves - Free), Joe Murphy (Scunthorpe United - Free), Martin Woods (Released).

Sunderland have been the talk of the press all summer with Niall Quinn's consortium taking over the club giving the tabloids plenty to write about. In a fantastic twist, Quinn named himself as manager, after failing to lure a big name boss to lead the club back into the Premiership.

High profile managers such as Martin O'Neill, Sam Allardyce and David O'Leary were all linked with the post. Quinn was a popular player during his time at the club between 1996 and 2002, where he made over 200 league appearances and scored 61 goals.

Veteran defender Kenny Cunningham was Sunderland's first and, at the time of writing, only summer signing following his release from fellow relegated side Birmingham City. their first summer signing. The 35 year old former Millwall and Wimbledon centre back agreed a one year contract following four seasons at St Andrews. Cunningham will be seen as an ideal replacement for fellow veteran Gary Breen who joined Wolves on a free transfer.

Several players have been allowed to leave the Stadium of Light, including goalkeeper Kelvin Davis, who joined Championship rivals Southampton in a £1 million deal. Joe Murphy has also left for Scunthorpe United, leaving locally born youngster Ben Alnwick as the only recognised keep at the club.

While striker Andy Gray, who struggled to make an impact following his £1.1 million move last summer, has been allowed to join Burnley, Sunderland have rejected an offer from Reading for midfielder Dean Whitehead. The 24 year old impressed in a poor Premiership display from the team last season and top flight new boys Reading tempted the board with a £1.2 million offer for a player who joined them for just £150,000 two years ago.

Verdict
This will be a very interesting season for Sunderland as former player Niall Quinn returns as owner and manager. Player for player, they should be challenging for automatic promotion following the side winning the Championship two seasons ago but a lack of transfer activity thus far could mean the club will have to be content with a place in the play offs.

David Walker runs free bets [http://www.betbonus.co.uk] and fruit machine cheats [http://www.fruit-machine-cheat.co.uk] websites. A free email course: "Seven Days to Better Betting" is available at both of these websites.

The Ultimate Soccer Experience for Greeks

During the 2004 summer, my home country, Greece had the privilege to be the protagonist in two extremely important and prestigious events in the nation's sports history; the EURO 2004 Soccer Championship and the 2004 Olympic Games. In the EURO 2004 Soccer Championship, the National Soccer Team of Greece gained the title as the new European Soccer Championship and by hosting successfully the 2004 Olympic Games, has proven to the world that it can surpass even the wildest expectations of its critics.

When Theodoros Zagorakis, the Greek national soccer team captain, lifted the Cup of the EURO 2004 Championship, every Greek, all over the world, felt proud to belong to this nation. It is difficult to describe the overwhelming feeling everyone felt that night when the Greek soccer team managed to defeat the national Portuguese soccer team in their homeland, at the national stadium in Lisbon, with a single goal. That hot summer evening, every Greek, man or woman, child or elder, was viewing the most anticipated game in the Greek sports history. The strong heartbeat everyone felt that night was one of the most important moments in every Greek's life.

Soccer is still the beloved sport of Greece and with this unexpected result soccer has managed to overcome social obstacles of age, politics and gender, shaping a new game identity. Nothing similar has ever happened to Greeks. Nothing as powerful, as that single scream of joy, has ever in the contemporary Greek sports history, united so dynamically this nation. For days after this accomplishment, Greeks were still unable to believe the outcome of their national soccer team's efforts and everyone felt the need to celebrate again and again their enormous success. For many critics, extremely important, if not more than the players' efforts, was the presence of Mr. Otto Rehhagel, the German coach of the Greek national soccer team, who managed to become the most familiar and friendly face in the Greek public surpassing the fame and status of all of his Greek soccer colleagues. His management style, his personality and his persistence, became a new national anthem for Greeks, who have made his profile the modern icon for an ancient Greek god.

In this particular meaningful sport event, every Greek felt like their support was projected in the field and their presence felt by the players, influencing every result in the series of the games played, reaching its peak during the final. From the known myths of sports, the 12th man was the classic illusion that promoted the spectators' wishing, screaming and cheering. The eleven contemporary heroes of the Greek national soccer team extended Greece's political culture to its undiscovered limits and cultivated the publics' belief in the 'hidden star-quality' that could illuminate once again everyone's life, as long as opportunity evolves and timing is right. These eleven stars, won a distinct place in the hearts of every Greek, transforming themselves to role models, resembling to the fame and prestige of ancient warriors. From the battlefields of this European Soccer Championship, this team's perseverance, effort and consistency, played the most crucial role in the turnout. Thus, the Greeks will value every minute of those athletes' accomplishment, in many years to come.

Jonathon Hardcastle writes articles on many topics including Sports [http://sportsoftheworld.net/], Fitness [http://ifitnesscentral.com/], and Games [http://igamerscorner.com/].

A Short Biography of Famous Soccer Player - Carlos Tevez

Tévez is an Argentine professional soccer player who currently plays for English club Manchester City. His complete name is Carlos Alberto Tévez. He was born in Ciudadela, Buenos Aires, Argentina on 5 February 1984. He was raised in the neighbourhood of Ejército de Los Andes, better recognized as "Fuerte Apache". So that, he gained the nickname is "El Apache". In the field, he always plays as a Forward. Teves has made more than 50 caps for his national team of Argentina, making 11 goals.

Teves is presently considered as one of the most talented prospects to emerge from Argentina. Carlos Tevez is a skilled Argentina soccer player who has wonderful soccer abilities. He is a very spirited player. Bravery and Strength are the trademarks of his style. Akin to his colleague Lionel Messi, he has been named as the "new Diego Maradona". Maradona him self described him as the "Argentine prophet for the 21st century".

In club level, Teves has experienced playing for Boca Juniors (2001-2004), Corinthians (2004-2006), West Ham United (2006-2007), Manchester United (2007-2009), and Manchester City (2009 -). In 2008, after assisting the club of Manchester United won the UEFA Champions League, Teves made a controversial pronouncement to leave to Manchester City.

Carlos Teves has collected many honors and awards for his career as a professional soccer player. In club level, with Boca Juniors he won Primera División (2003 Apertura), Copa Libertadores (2003), Copa Sudamericana (2004), and Intercontinental Cup (2003). With Corinthians he won Campeonato Brasileiro Série A (2005). And with Manchester United he won Premier League (2007-08, 2008-2009), FA Community Shield (2008), UEFA Champions League (2007-2008), FIFA Club World Cup (2008), and Football League Cup (2008-2009).

In international level, he got Summer Olympics in 2004 and South American U-20 Championship in 2003. As individual player, some of his honors are Copa Libertadores (Most Valuable Player: 2003), Silver Olimpia (Argentine Footballer of the Year: 2003, 2004), Golden Olimpia (Argentine Sportsperson of the Year: 2004), Olympic Golden Boot (2004), CBF Campeonato Brasileiro (Best Player: 2005), Placar Bola de Ouro (2005), South American Footballer of the Year (2003, 2004, 2005), Hammer of the Year (2007), FA Premier League Player of the Month (2009), PFA Player of the Month (March 2010), Manchester City Official Supporter's Player of the Year (2009-2010), and Manchester City Player's Player of the Year (2009-2010).

To know about famous soccer players of French, you can visit http://french-soccer-players.blogspot.com/.

A Short Biography of Soccer Player - Nicolas Anelka

Nicolas Anelka was born on 14 March 1979 in Versailles. He is a French soccer player who has the role in the field as a striker. For the national side of French, he is a regular starter. Carlo Ancelotti portrays Anelka as a fast player with good aerial aptitude, performance, shooting, ball movement.

Currently in club level Nicolas Anelka plays for Chelsea. Anelka developed to eminence as a productive goal-scorer for Arsenal, and has taken part for a lot of the great clubs across Europe.

Some clubs he has ever joined include Paris Saint-Germain in 1996-1997 and 2000-2002, Arsenal in 1997-1999, Real Madrid in 1999-2000, Liverpool in 2002 and Manchester City in 2002-2005. Afterward He has played for Fenerbahçe and then Chelsea.

At international level Nicolas Anelka has participated lots of times and got the win of his initial international honors with France team at Euro 2000. In the following year he won the Confederations Cup with the team. Anelka's failure to stay at level of club restricted his international appearances; however he came back to the national side for the competition of Euro 2008.

However, Anelka is an outstanding soccer player and he got many honors and award. Some honors with the club include Arsenal (FA Premier League: 1997-98, FA Cup: 1998, FA Charity Shield: 1998), Real Madrid (UEFA Champions League: 2000), Paris Saint-Germain (UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2001), Fenerbahçe (Turkish Premier Super League: 2004-05), and Chelsea (FA Cup: 2009, FA Community Shield: 2009). For French team his honors are UEFA European Football Championship: 2000 and FIFA Confederations Cup: 2001. And some of his individual honors he achieved Premier League Player of the Month (February 1998, November 2008), PFA Team of the Year (1999, 2009), Barclays Golden Boot (2008-09), PFA Young Player of the Year (1999), and FA Cup Top Scorer (2009).

Visit my site on French Soccer Players or Legendary Player

Chelsea Soccer

Chelsea soccer has been a great part of countless football fans in Europe. This is mainly because of the Chelsea Football Club which has been a key team in the European Tournaments. This football team is based on West London and was established more than a hundred years ago. It has had its years of success and remains a top contender in the Premier League. It has achieved four FA Cups, Three league titles, two UEFA Cup Winner's Cups and four League Cups. At Chelsea, a lot of players have come and gone but the spirit of the respected team remains.

Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich bought Chelsea football club in June 2003 from Ken Bates. The reported amount of the purchase was 140 million pounds which was at the time the most expensive sale in English soccer history. The club's coach at that time, Italian Claudion Raniers, who took Chelsea to the 2002 FA Cup final and Champions League qualification was initially retained but was later sacked for being unable to get titles for the team. Successful coach Jose Mourinho from Portugal then took over as Chelsea's new guide.

The home field of this famous soccer club is the Stamford Bridge Football stadium which is located in Fulham in West London. The players of Chelsea wear royal blues shirts with white socks. The club's traditional symbol is a lion that holds a staff but was modified in 2005.

Loyal fans just can't get enough of Chelsea soccer. The club's game is characterized by endless and strong will to win. By the way they play, the team has a great chance to even improve despite its already rich and colorful history.

Watch Videos about Chelsea soccer.

World Cup 2014 - The Contenders

Who will win the World Cup?

With just under a week to go before Brazil Take on Croatia in the first Game of the 2014 World Cup on home soil the pundits are beginning to refine their predictions of possible winners.

According to the bookies it looks like this: Brazil 3/1 Argentina 5/1 Germany 6/1 Spain 13/2.

The tournament has been held 19 times, but only won by 8 nations so considering former winners seems sensible.

Lets take a look at the top three and also a possible outside chance.

Brazil

No team has a better World Cup record than Brazil having played in all 19 tournaments winning it on five occasions. However they are only ranked 4th in the World by FIFA. On the down side people are pointing to the lack of competitive football for Felipe Scolari's squad as they did not have to qualify being the hosts. Others fear that the weight of expectation on the team from home supporters may prove to much at a vital moment.

On the plus side in Neymar they have a world class striker supported by the classy Robinho and the speed of Dani Alves. Goal Keeper Julio Cesar brings confidence and organisation to the defence

Verdict: Brazil will go close as normal, but I think others have more complete teams.

Argentina

Manager Alejandro Sabella's side are trying to win the tournament for the third time. They have competed in the finals fifteen times and are ranked 7th by FIFA. They were top scorers in the qualifying competition and only Columbia conceded less goals. Their strength lies in scoring goals and in Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Gonzalo Higuain and Angel Di Maria they have a range of options. Many say that Messi has found it difficult to reproduce his Barcelona form when playing for his country.

Verdict: When it gets to the big games having the ability to score goals in a knockout competition is always going to give a team an advantage. Messi has to get it right in this competition sooner or later. I have opted for Argentina

Germany

Germany have appeared in 17 tournaments winning 3 times and are ranked second in the World by FIFA. They were unbeaten in the qualifying competition winning 9 out of 10 games and scoring 36 goals, more than any other side.

On the plus side Germany have a good mixture of youth and maturity with defenders such as Philip Lahm and Bastian Schweinsteiger having over 100 caps each blended with the passing skills of Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil and the striking power of the 2010 World Cup Young Player of the Tournament Thomas Muller. Add a world class goal keeper in the form of Manuel Neuer and they seem to have an excellent chance.

On the down side even coach Joachim Low admits there is still work to do particularly in defence. Drawing with Sweden 4-4 on home soil when they were leading 4-0 suggests they may be prone to lapses in concentration. Also no European country has won when the competition has been held in South America.

Verdict: I think they have a really good chance but I think it will go to a South American Team.

Chile: An outside chance.

Chile have competed in 8 World Cup finals and are ranked 13th in the World by FIFA. Their qualifying competition got off to a flying start beating Bolivia and Venezuela away from home but three straight defeats saw Argentinian coach Claudio Borghi replaced by fellow countryman Jorge Sampoli. After losing his first game in charge he won the next 5 and drew the remaining game. Their attacking style of play is reflected in the facts that only Argentina scored more goals in qualifying. However Chile also conceded more goals than any other team and only drew one game.

There are some familiar players from European football With Alexi Sanchez from Barcelona, Eduardo Vargas from Valencia and Arturo Vidal from Juventus. Wigan fans may recognise midfielder Jean Beausejour.

Verdict: They may not win but they will be exciting to watch.

Hang on What about Spain?

They have appeared in 13 of the tournaments are the current holders as well as being European Champions and are top ranked by FIFA.

My reason for opposing them is their low goal count. They only scored 14 in qualifying the 25th lowest total. Yes they can keep possession but in a knock out competition played in South America I think they will have to tell Del Bosque he will have to hand back the trophy.

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.

Brazil's National Soccer team's Youth a Driving Force towards World Cup 2006

Brazil's Youth set a new direction even though the Brazil's player exports have been of a high quality for decades. This is a brief look at some of the latest impact players to grace the international stage. These players have added a major competitive edge in their respective clubs from their starts at the intra national level, to the European premier clubs and their exposure to the international platforms.

Kaka

He was an integral part of the AC Milan team in 2004/2005, usually playing in a supportive role behind team mate and good friend striker Andriy Shevchenko. This is usually in a five man midfield.
He scored seven goals in 36 league appearances, winning the Italian Super Cup.

However, the team failed domestically, losing the Serie A title to Juventus, and losing the UEFA Champions League final to Liverpool on penalty kicks.

In the last year Kaka has been a focal point and the go-to man that changes the complexion of the game at hand. He has become more aggressive and focussed on attacking more than ever before rather than the supportive player from the past.

His greatest goal is considered to be the one he scored against Fenebaçhe SK in AC Milan's first game in the 2005/2006 Champions League; won 3-1 by the Rossoneri. Kakà started his run from midfield and skipped past three tackles before entering the area and finishing with a low shot under the goal-keeper.

Robinho

Robinho's performances over the past three years had attracted the attention of the great clubs from Europe, but Santos were reluctant to let him go (foreseeing a possible decay of the club's playing strength).

He finally left Brazil in the summer of 2005 and started his European club career with Spanish giants Real Madrid. On July 31 Spanish La Liga giants Real Madrid agreed a fee of about 30 million US$ for the striker. Robinho joined the side on August 25, and teamed up with fellow Brazilian and mentors, internationals Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos and Julio Baptista to make his debut against Cadiz. He came on as substitute in the second half. In the last 6 months he has been placed in more of an attacking midfield role. He has been bringing the ball through the left side and striking at the goal while also creating opportunities to be a set up player rather than a pure striker.

When he packs on the weight in muscle as Ronaldo had we will be a dynamo more so then he is now.

Adriano

During the 2004 Confederations Cup, Adriano was named Player of the Tournament. In the final, he steered Brazil to an unforgettable victory. Two outstanding goals helped Brazil to top Argentina 4-1, the first one coming from a blistering left-footed shot in the 11th minute. The second came as a result of a Cicinho cross, with Adriano heading it in. The goal made him the tournament's top scorer with five goals overall. He is the proverbial "Bull in a China shop" and is virtually unstoppable because of his height and weight (mass). This coupled with his aggressive style is making him a new dimension on the front line of any team. When this young man gets the experience he needs in international play and stays injury free he will be head for a FIFA player of the year award like many of his fellow Brazilians.

A good indication of his goal scoring prowess is examined by the following statistics; From 11 July 2004 through 25 June 2005, Adriano has scored an impressive total of 40 goals.

They have come from an assortment of matches (28) including appearances in: Serie A, Coppa Italia & Champions League games for Inter in 2004/05; Copa America, South American World Cup qualifying, and Confederations Cup games for Brazil.

Currently Adriano plays for Inter Milan.

So the future of Brazil is in good hands with the continuation of these types of products of Brazilian Youth.

Steve September of On The Ball Soccer Training has been involved in soccer for over forty years and on three continents.
As a player, player coach and high performance coach Steve wants to share the knowledge and experiences with all people involved in all levels of the soccer scene. Delve into more of the philosophy and information at; http://www.soccertrainingskills.com/SouthAmericanSoccer.html Utilize the resources of the site whether as a player or as a coach.

Champions League Club Profile - CSKA Moskva

Since the European Cup was made over into the Champions League in 1993, no team from the former Eastern Bloc has claimed the European crown. The only team from the East to have made an impact during that time was Dynamo Kyiv in the late 1990's.

The 2006/07 Champions League has seen a record six sides from the former Eastern Bloc competing in the group stages. The teams from Eastern Europe include Dynamo Kyiv (Ukraine), Levski Sofia (Bulgaria), Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine), Spartak Moskva (Russia) and CSKA Moskva (Russia).

It is unlikely that this seasons winner will come from Eastern Europe (though one of these teams could win it if you take FC Porto as an example), but if you were to pick a team to make an impact on the competition you would have to chose Russia's CSKA Moskva.

The Russian's clubs official name is PFC CSKA Mosvka or Professional Football Club - Central Sports Club of Army (Mosvka). Although they are not as successful as some of their Moskva rivals they have still won the old Soviet Championship seven times (1946, 1948, 1951, 1955, 1991), the Russian Cup in 2002, 2005 and 2006, and won the new Russian Premier League title twice in 2003 and 2005.

CSKA became the first Russian club in 2005 to win a major European title as they triumphed in the UEFA Cup. During the final against Sporting Lisbon they came from a goal behind to win the match 3-1.

Ever since they beat Sporting Lisbon on their own ground, nothing has fazed the army team from Moskva. This season CSKA look set to win the Russian title for the second year running as they currently lead with a handful of games remaining and are also on course to make an impact in the Champions League.

Their Coach Valeri Gazzayev has built a solid team centred on a mix of Russian youth and experience with a blend of Brazilian flair. Gazzayev also looks set to lead the Army team to their second successive title this season.

Gazzayev has also benefited from the recent investment in Russian football and has been able to take advantage of Sibneft's investment. The club received a major financial infusion from a sponsorship deal with Sibneft, an oil company owned by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich. This investment has meant that CSKA can now compete in the transfer market and also offer competitive wages to help attract players from outside of Russia.

Investment from Sibneft in the Army team has meant that Gazzayev has been able to assemble not just a strong starting XI, but a competitive squad with international players competing in different positions on the pitch.

Gazzayev's preferred starting XI is in the shape of 3-2-3:

---------------------Akinfeev---------------------

A Berezutsky---Ignashevich---V Berezutsky

--------------Aldonin------------Dudu-----------

Krasic---------------Carvalho----------Zhirkov

-------------Vagner Love--------Jo--------------

CSKA have one of the strongest defences in Russia and this is centred on
Akinfeev, who is regarded by many experts to be one of the most promising keepers in Europe. The countries top goalkeeper has a trio of Russian internationals playing in front of him in Sergei Ignashevich and the Berezutsky twins Aleksei and Vassili.

The three man defence is protected by two holding midfielders in Brazilian Dudu and Russia's captain Evgeni Aldonin. Both players are extremely hard-working and experienced and Dudu's performances have led to a call up to Dunga's new look Brazil squad. Bosnian international Elvir Rahimie is also an able deputy for either player.

A three man midfield in employed behind the two strikers with Serbian Milos Krasic and one of Russia's best young players, Zhirkov, occupying the wings. Both players are pacey and incentive on the flanks and provide defenders with all sorts of problems.

Newly capped Brazilian international Daniel Carvalho plays in the hole behind the strikers. Carvalho was the first foreign player to be named Russian Footballer of the Year after a string of fine performances helped CSKA win the Russian title and UEFA Cup in 2005.

In attack Gazzayev prefers Brazilians Jo and Vagner Love. Jo is only 19 and recently arrived from Corinthians and has made an immediate impact becoming the leagues top scorer. Vagner Love has now settled (since wanting to leave Moskva) in Russia and has netted 29 goals in 73 games to forge a deadly partnership with Jo. Croatian international Ivica Olic is also an able deputy for either.

The Russian champions are growing in confidence with every European campaign and their squad has good international experience and no visible weakness. Their early form in their opening Champions League matches has reflected this. They have managed to hold Arsenal to a 0-0 draw at the Emirates Stadium, beaten them 1-0 at home, overcome German giants Hamburg (also at home) and managed to hold former Champions FC Porto to a draw (in Portugal).

Dynamo Kyiv were the last team from the former Eastern Bloc to make an impact on the Champions League in the late 1990's. Is this the season when another team from the East makes a serious impact on the Champions League?

European Soccer Cup - Qualifying For Euro 2008

The European Soccer Cup or Euro Cup is one of the prestigious and respected events in the sport besides FIFA World Cup. Many countries in Europe just love the sport more than any sport and there are a lot of clubs, associations and leagues which were organized for the sport. The Euro Championship was organized by the UEFA to promote the sport and allow European nations to join together in this spectacular event.

In the recently held Euro 2008, there are sixteen teams which have participated in this event. Qualification rounds for the tournament have started on August of 2006 after the FIFA World Cup on the same year. The qualification was competed by each member organizations of the UEFA. Since Austria and Switzerland will be hosting the Euro 2008, they are exempted from the qualification.

The format for the qualification round was changed from previously used format. Winning teams and also runner-ups among the seven groups will automatically qualify for the championship round and the hosting countries will complete the two remaining slots to complete the 16 team tournament. Play-offs are no longer necessary with teams who finishes second place in the groups. Teams which finishes in third place will automatically eliminated and will no longer qualify. The qualifying round was held at Montreux, Switzerland last January 27, 2006.

Luckily, Spain's national team have won the prestigious Euro 2008 crown when they defeated the team of Germany.

The European Soccer Cup continues to deliver the best games for its millions of fans around the globe.

Watch Videos about European soccer cup.