***Official 2010 FIFA World Cup Thread***

^^^^^^^^

I'm not surprpised about this at all.

Most of the players played like a drain during the world cup.
 
Henry signs for Red Bulls

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New York Red Bulls have confirmed the signing of former Barcelona and Arsenal forward Thierry Henry, who will make his debut in a friendly game against Tottenham.

Henry - a member of the France World Cup squad that returned home in disgrace from South Africa - has joined the MLS side on a "multi-year contract" in one of the biggest coups for the league in its history.

"This marks an exciting new chapter in my career and life," Henry said. "It is an honour to play for the New York Red Bulls. I am fully aware of the team's history and my sole goal during my time here is to help win the club its first championship. Knowing Red Bull's significant commitment to soccer locally and internationally, I am confident that my team-mates and I will succeed."

The 32-year-old is France's all-time record goalscorer having scored 51 times for les Bleus and he also broke Ian Wright's record for Arsenal, scoring 226 goals between 1999 and 2007 as he cemented his reputation as one of the finest players in world football.

Henry was an integral member of the Arsenal side that went the season unbeaten in 2003-04 and won two league titles and three FA Cups during his time in North London. He was also named Footballer of the Year on three separate occasions.

Henry joined Barcelona in the summer of 2007 and helped the club secure the treble in 2009 when they defeated Manchester United in the final of the Champions League, scoring 25 goals in all competitions for the Catalans. However, last season he struggled to win a place in Pep Guardiola's side, making just 15 league starts as Barca retained the Spanish league title.

"It is without question that Thierry Henry is one of the most successful and recognisable soccer players over the past 15 years," Dietmar Beiersdorfer, head of Red Bull Global Soccer, said. "We are thrilled that Thierry has decided to come to New York to help the Red Bulls compete for championships this year and for years to come. His international pedigree is second to none and he is a proven winner."

Henry now opens a new chapter in his career by moving to MLS and will be presented as a Red Bulls player in a press conference on July 15. When his international transfer certificate is safely received, Henry will be able to make his debut against Arsenal's bitter rivals, Tottenham, in a friendly fixture on July 22.

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=808676&sec=transfers&cc=5901
 
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Casillas hints at £30m Madrid move for Cole

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Ashley Cole is set for a reunion with former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho in a £30 million move to Real Madrid, goalkeeper Iker Casillas has reportedly claimed.

Fresh from winning the World Cup with Spain, Casillas said "the signs look good" for Cole to join Madrid ahead of Mourinho's first season at the club, according to quotes in the Sun.

Casillas said Cole is the "best left back in the world" and that the appeal of a "clean break" from England and a massive contract offer should be enough to tempt Cole away from Stamford Bridge. Cole, 29, reportedly told friends he "hates" life as a footballer in England after their disappointing World Cup campaign, and he recently separated from wife Cheryl, sparking speculation he could seek a fresh start abroad which now appears to coming to fruition.

Casillas said: "From what I am hearing the signs look good. I have only briefly spoken to people at the club but I am confident that he can be a Real Madrid player next year. I think it will be the right move for him both professionally and personally. A clean break from England is hopefully something he is very interested in. It will be his last big contract and who better to sign for than his old coach Mourinho at Real. He will know better than anybody this club will be successful under Jose."

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=808603&sec=transfers&cc=5901
 
Guardiola to sign new Barcelona deal

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Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola will sign a new contract at the Nou Camp on Wednesday, the Spanish champions have confirmed.

Guardiola, 39, reached a verbal agreement with the club in January to stay on for at least one more season and will now formalise the deal after his previous contract expired on June 30.

Barcelona announced the new agreement in a statement on their official website which read: "The expected announcement of Guardiola's continued presence on the bench is a reality.''

Guardiola prefers to sign short contracts but the club are keen to offer their coach a long-term deal and it remains to be seen what terms have been agreed.

One of Europe's most successful young managers, Guardiola has won seven trophies in his two seasons at the Nou Camp having been promoted after a successful campaign with Barca's reserve team.

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=808596&sec=europe&cc=5901
 
Valdez admits England interest as Sunderland circle

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Sunderland target Nelson Valdez has confirmed that he is fielding interest from the Premier League following his run to the World Cup quarter-finals with Paraguay.

The striker has a clause in his contract allowing him to leave Borussia Dortmund for €5 million (£4.2 million) and it is reported that Sunderland manager Steve Bruce has made a second enquiry regarding a possible deal.

Valdez, who is believed to prefer a move to England, is aware he has a number of options should he leave Dortmund this summer.

"There is also interest from Russia, Portugal and England," Valdez said. "My player agent is actually weighing up options."

Dortmund will not consider letting Valdez go for less than his release clause, with chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke telling Bild: "It would be foolish to sell a player like (Nelson) Valdez for less than £4.2 million.

"Nelson has reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup with Paraguay and was the best player in the match against Spain."

Sunderland may be forced to step up their efforts to sign a new striker as young prospect Martyn Waghorn sustained an injury in a friendly against a Munster XI on Tuesday. Waghorn suffered a knee problem after scoring two goals and Bruce is awaiting further news of his condition.

"Waghorn is a concern because of the way he landed on his knee. We hope he hasn't done anything serious - that's the biggest fear," Bruce said. "We will study the evidence and have a look at it, but touch wood, we are thinking at the moment that he will be okay."

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=808625&sec=transfers&cc=5901
 
Lennon confident on Juarez

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Celtic manager Neil Lennon believes he is close to making Mexico midfielder Efrain Juarez his latest summer signing.

Lennon is confident of landing Pumas UNAM starlet Juarez, 22, and hopes he could even make his Celtic debut against Manchester United while on their pre-season tour of North America.

"We are very close to signing him and hopefully over the next few days we'll have something on that. He might not come to Philly but hopefully he'll come to Toronto," he said. "He's got great energy, is really comfortable on the ball and works really hard off the ball.

"He's a very fit lad and I think his style will suit us. He's a hardy little guy as well - he can put his foot in. I saw Juarez playing against England at Wembley before the World Cup and just kept an eye on him.

"I thought he looked decent there and in the World Cup and when the opportunity came up we watched him again and again and asked if he would fit in to what we wanted to do here. We all agreed that he would. We're not paying massive money for him."

His agent, Jorge Berlanga, added: "Celtic is the team that best meets the expectations of everyone, both the player and the club.

"Efra really liked the option, because Celtic are a top team in Europe, they tend to play Champions League football, and that is a big step, so for all that he is excited.

"There are still things to work out, which are routine aspects, such as medical tests or work permits which are very difficult, mainly in the UK. There are still some things that need defining - we are waiting for an answer - but negotiations could be closed in the next few hours."

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=808633&sec=transfers&cc=5901
 
Torres injury confirmed

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Scans have revealed Liverpool striker Fernando Torres has suffered a thigh injury.

Torres pulled up in the dying moments of Spain's World Cup final victory over Netherlands and, following a scan at the Cemtro de Madrid Clinic on Tuesday, the Spanish football federation has now confirmed there is evidence of "a grade one muscle fibre rupture in the left thigh".

'Grade one' indicates the injury is the least severe rupture, but it is understood there is little prospect of Torres returning to action before the new season gets underway.

Boss Roy Hodgson, meanwhile, is taking encouragement from the image of Torres wearing a Liverpool scarf after the World Cup victory.

"As Liverpool manager, I take great pride in the fact that two of our players can call themselves World Cup winners this summer," he said.

"Unfortunately, one team had to lose that final and, while my commiserations go out to the Dutch lads, I have to say congratulations to Fernando and Pepe (Reina). Winning the World Cup is the ultimate honour any player can have in international football and you could see what it meant to both players as soon as the celebrations started.

"I think it's safe to say the pictures of Fernando in the dressing room with the World Cup certainly went down well with our fans but the club can be proud of all the players who went away to the World Cup.

"To have four players reach the final is an incredible achievement and I look forward to working with them when they return to Melwood after their holidays."

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=808635&sec=england&cc=5901
 
AC Milan Set To Make Bid For Fulham Midfielder Clint Dempsey

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Fulham midfielder Clint Dempsey is said to be on the radar of Italian giants AC Milan, according to reports emanating from Italy.

Yahoo! Sports reports that the USA international, who was a star for the American team at the World Cup finals in South Africa, could head to Milan in the summer.

Dempsey had a marvellous season with Fulham in 2009-10, helping to guide his side to the Europa League final, which they lost to Atletico Madrid.

A Milan source close to the club board has been quoted by Yahoo! Sports as saying, "[Dempsey] brings a lot of action and energy but he can be creative too. There are some options on the table but Dempsey is a realistic one. A bid is very possible, and soon.”

However, a source close to Fulham said that no formal bid has come in from the Rossoneri but added, “[Fulham] are aware that if a club like [Milan] comes in it's hard for a player to say no."

http://www.goal.com/en-us/news/1679...n-set-to-make-bid-for-fulham-midfielder-clint
 
Pep needs to just sign a long term contract, having to deal w/ this "will he stay, will he go" after every season is not what the fans want to go through. It'll be like the football version of Farve.
 
Really enjoyed that 3rd/4th place game between Germany/Uruguay.

And good celebration for the runners-up to Spain ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmX5Liu1Fv4




#
12Renee04
9 hours ago
For all of you that don't speak Dutch: "Oranje Huldiging in vogelvlucht" means "Orange honouring in a nutshell". Orange is the name the Dutch use for the Dutch soccer team. So now you all know what you're looking at, if you didn't know already ;)

#
JuStChRiSGR
10 hours ago
THIS IS THE BEAUTY OF FOOTBALL!!!!!!!!!!
 
Fulham want US World Cup coach Bob Bradley to replace Roy Hodgson.

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Bradley has emerged as the front-runner after Hodgson's move to the Liverpool hotseat.

Sven Goran Eriksson, Mark Hughes and Alan Curbishley have all been linked with the Craven Cottage job.

But no contact has been made with any of the high-profile trio.
Bradley earns £330,000 a year as US coach and has just five months of his current contract to run.

And his calm, methodical approach has impressed Fulham owner Mohamed Fayed, who is now ready to triple Bradley's wages to £1m-a-year.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepag...ne-up-US-coach-Bob-Bradley.html#ixzz0taphydo2


It pays to be the coach of a rich country. Someone needs to explain to me how Bradley, whose team was beaten by Ghana, is more qualified than the coach of Ghana....It is good for Bradley, I guess..
 
AC Milan Set To Make Bid For Fulham Midfielder Clint Dempsey

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Fulham midfielder Clint Dempsey is said to be on the radar of Italian giants AC Milan, according to reports emanating from Italy.

Yahoo! Sports reports that the USA international, who was a star for the American team at the World Cup finals in South Africa, could head to Milan in the summer.

Dempsey had a marvellous season with Fulham in 2009-10, helping to guide his side to the Europa League final, which they lost to Atletico Madrid.

A Milan source close to the club board has been quoted by Yahoo! Sports as saying, "[Dempsey] brings a lot of action and energy but he can be creative too. There are some options on the table but Dempsey is a realistic one. A bid is very possible, and soon.”

However, a source close to Fulham said that no formal bid has come in from the Rossoneri but added, “[Fulham] are aware that if a club like [Milan] comes in it's hard for a player to say no."

http://www.goal.com/en-us/news/1679...n-set-to-make-bid-for-fulham-midfielder-clint

It pays to be white.. Andre Ayew, Pienaar, Kevin Prince Boateng etc.. were all better midfielders than Mr Dempsey was.
 
It pays to be white.. Andre Ayew, Pienaar, Kevin Prince Boateng etc.. were all better midfielders than Mr Dempsey was.

It is just a rumor for now. Ayew is headed back to Marseilles and both Boateng (Lazio) and Pienaar (Bayern, Arsenal) are being chased by a number of clubs...nobody forgot about them. Also, Milan already have Onyewu on their books. Maybe they like Americans....:D
 
So Cesc cant tell the whole world he really isn't going to Barca at this time?
If You ask me, am getting sick and tired of the speculations. I dont think Cesc's heart is at Arsenal anymore and if so, am sorry but I'd say, FUCK HIM.He can't continue to set us on the edge of our seats wondering if he's staying or not.
...oh, whilst at it, I say FUCK YOU BARCA!!!!:angry::angry::angry:
 
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