New USA Away Kit for 2012

Coinciding with today's friendly against Italy in Genoa, US Soccer and Nike unveiled the new USA away kits for 2012/13. The guys debuted them in style, earning a 0-1 win against the Italians. Impressive.





Check it out at WorldSoccerShop.com

EPL: Chelsea vs. Bolton

Chelsea celebrate David Luiz's opening goal. (AP Images)

Chelsea needs to win, period. Andre Villas Boas needs to win, period. A loss or even a draw at home against Bolton after the embarrassing Champions League performance in Italy might well have spelled the doom for the first year Chelsea skipper. Fortunately for him, it turned out that a visit from Bolton was just what the Blues needed.

Not that the first half was terribly impressive though. Chelsea started brightly in the opening minutes. Daniel Sturridge forced two saves from Adam Bogdan in the first five minutes. A little after that Frank Lampard made a great run into the box and seemed to be through on goal, but couldn't get his shot away.

After that the first half was all about half chances, and even calling them half chances might be on the generous side. Both Sturridge and Didier Drogba were active, but Bolton's defense held up well enough. For the Wanderer's part, their chances were few and far between. Darren Pratley went down on the edge of the area in the 42nd minute, but instead of a PK or free kick, he was given a yellow card for diving. Right before the stroke of half time Ryo Miyaichi sent a shot high, which was the sum of the Bolton offense.

Chelsea came out in a bit different spirit in the second half and set out to secure the three points. In the 48th minute, David Luiz took a nice solo strike from just inside the area and slammed it past Bogdan to make it 1-0. Luiz would have another good chance in the 55th minute, but saw his header hit the post following a corner kick.

The Blues added their second in the 61st minute, this time off the head of Didier Drogba. The Ivorian striker got a head to a Lampard corner kick and tucked it into the unprotected far post to make it 2-0. Super Frank Lampard added a goal for himself in the 79th minute by knocking home a Juan Mata cross to make the score 3-0. Bolton couldn't even manage to trouble Petr Cech, and 3-0 was the score at full time. It was a comfortable win for the Blues, and hopefully they can build on it.

FFA Revoke the License of Gold Coast United

There's been trouble brewing between Clive Palmer, billionaire owner of the Hyundai A League franchise Gold Coast United, and the Football Federation of Australia. Recently Palmer called the A League a joke, and said his club is insignificant. The FFA and the rest of the A League took serious umbrage with that, obviously.

Well Wednesday afternoon, Australia time, the FFA took action against Palmer and his self confessed "insignificant club." Fellow billionaire and FFA chief Frank Lowy revoked the license of Gold Coast United, effectively banning the club from the league at the end of season and leaving the league with only 9 teams. With 4 matches left to play, Gold Coast is bottom of the A League table. The FFA has tried to be in contact with the club about fielding a team for these matches, but the situation seems to be fluid.

The reasons cited for terminating the license are: contraventions of FFA policies, deliberate defiance of an FFA direction and repeated public statements that brought the game into disrepute. Lowy is quoted as saying: "We can't let anybody thumb their noses at us saying 'we're going to do what we want to do but I want to stay'."

For his part, Palmer has vowed to fight the ban, saying he will take the battle to the court system.

As I said, the situation and reaction is still unfolding. You can follow the news on the official site of the Hyundai A-League Here.

(Information from FIFA.com was used for this report.)

Montreal Impact Inaugural MLS Jersey

How have I forgotten to post the expansion Montreal Impact's first MLS jersey? Oh, probably because it looks like a TFC third kit. Don't get me wrong, I love the Impact shield. I just wish Addidas would have done something different with the kit.

If you like it, you can pick yours up at WorldSoccerShop.com

Puddle's Goal of the Weekend: Dirk Kuyt in the Carling Cup Final

Not the best vid, but pretty good for a TV grab. Anyway, why is this my goal of the weekend? If you watch carefully, you'll see Kuyt fall backwards as he hits the shot, but still get power behind it and get it on target. Great goal.

Congrats to Liverpool F.C., 2012 Carling Cup Champions!

Steven Gerrard lifts the Carling Cup trophy! (AP Images)

Tonight the Puddle passes on it's congratulations to Liverpool FC and captain Steven Gerrard on winning the 2012 Carling Cup. They defeated a valiant Cardiff City club in a penalty shootout to claim their 8th League Cup title. The win also entitles them to a spot in next year's Europa league, but the Reds will have their sites set higher. This was their first trophy in six years and first under their new American ownership group.

2012 Carling Cup Final: Cardiff City vs. Liverpool

Joe Mason puts Cardiff up 1-0 (Carling.com)

There's always something special about a cup final, even if it's not huge like the Champions League. Cup finals are fairly unique to footy, and the teams always get up to play when there's silverware on the line. Certainly both Cardiff and Liverpool got up for this one. Cardiff was trying to become the first non-English side to win a English league major trophy since 1927. Liverpool was trying to win it's first trophy in six years.

The Reds announced their intentions quite quickly, as Glen Johnson cracked a shot off of the crossbar in the second minute. Liverpool would go on to control most of the possession in the early minutes, as well as in the entire match. However, a theme started to emerge. Despite Liverpool's possession and good build up play, they were having a hard time working the goalkeeper. Andy Carroll got a couple of header chances. One went wide in the 15th minute, and had another easily saved in the 18th.

Cardiff on the other hand drew first blood on what was only really their second attack of the match. In the 19th minute Kenny Miller slipped a ball through the Liverpool defense to Joe Mason in the six yard box. He deftly put the ball between Pepe Reina's legs to give Cardiff City the improbable 1-0 lead.

Liverpool didn't miss too much of a beat after that as they continued to possess and attack. Unfortunately, they turned out to be very wasteful. Both Andy Carroll and Jose Enrique sent shots into orbit, and even Steven Gerrard had a tough time finding the target, The first half came to an end with Cardiff City still clinging to their 1-0 lead.

The second half was pretty much a direct continuation of the first, with Liverpool dominating possession, but not converting their chances, Jordan Henderson went way off target in the 47th, and Charlie Adam had an effort blocked in the 52nd. Liverpool did find their breakthrough in the 60th though. Luis Suarez hit the post after a corner kick, but the rebound went right to Martin Skrtel, who calmly kicked the ball into the net to equalize at 1-1.

Cardiff was certainly stunned after that, and the fatigue started to show on the faces of both sides. The Blue Birds did get a couple of chances to win it late on though. Ben Turner hit a header just barely wide in the 83rd, and Kenny Miller scraped the paint off of the top of the crossbar in the 88th. At full time we were still tied at 1-1, and went into extra time.

The first fifteen minutes of extra time were fairly uneventful, but controlled by Liverpool. Luis Suarez did have a potential winner cleared off the line in the 92nd, and Craig Bellamy went not too far high in the 105th, but after the first 15 minutes, it was still 1-1.

So the two teams switched sides and got it on one more time. This time, Liverpool was able to poke their heads in front. In the 108th minute, a Cardiff player hit a bad clearance right to Dirk Kuyt in the area. It took Kuyt by surprise a little bit, but even as he tumbled over backward he managed to poke a shot toward goal that snuck in the bottom corner to give Liverpool the 1-2 lead. Cardiff wasn't out though, they had some heroics of their own up their sleeve. In the 118th minute, Ben Turner got a rebound given up after a corner and nutmegged Reina once again to tie the match at 2-2 and send the Wembley crowd into a frenzy.

Since the extra time couldn't sort things out, the match went to the penalty shootout. Steven Gerrard went first for Liverpool, and had his shot saved. Kenny Miller then hit the post for Cardiff, and Charlie Adam sent his kick into the cheap seats for Liverpool. Don Cowie drew first blood for Cardiff by beating Reina, only to have Liverpool come back level with a professional strike from Dirk Kuyt. Next up for Cardiff was Rudy Gestede, but he also hit the post and put the advantage in Liverpool's hands. Stewart Downing scored next for the Reds, and Peter Whittingham equalized for Cardiff at 2-2. Then Glen Johnson hit the roof of the inside of the net to make 3-2.

That left it all to Anthony Gerrard. He's the younger cousin of Liverpool's Steven Gerrard. If he missed his kick, his older, more famous cousin would lift the Carling Cup. Yeah, kind of sounds like a Hollywood script. Anthony did indeed miss his kick, quite horribly, giving Liverpool the Carling Cup 2-3 on penalties. As soon as it happened, Steven went not to his team, but to his younger cousin to console him. It was a real class move on his part.

This really was one of those matches where it really stinks that someone has to lose. I know it's cliche, but it's true. Cardiff played their tails off all match long and truly left it all on the pitch. In the end, penalties is a cruel way to decide a trophy, but congratulations to Liverpool for winning the Carling Cup!

EPL: Manchester City vs. Blackburn

Mario Balotelli opens the scoring. (AP Images)

I really doubt that anyone watching this match, City fan, Rovers fan, or neutral, would have expected anything different than what we got from Etihad stadium today. In the end, the only surprise might be that City didn't win by more.

City kicked into gear right away, with Mario Balotelli blasting a shot on goal in the 2nd minute. Rovers 'keeper Paul Robinson reacted well to his left and managed to keep the ball out. It was the first of many saves he would have to make to keep the scoreline respectable.

Chances didn't exactly come regularly for City, but it wasn't because of the Blackburn defense at all. City provided a very patient attack, pushing and probing for the right way to open the Rovers defense. It was quite impressive. The next good chance fell to Adam Johnson in the 24th minute, but once again Robinson turned City away. In the 27th Balotelli also put a free kick on target, that was once again parried away by Robinson. Finally City and Super Mario broke through in the 30th minute. Balotelli took a cross from Kolarov at the near the post then whacked it by Robinson to make it 1-0.

City would turn up the pressure even more prior to the half. David Silva was the maestro of
the match all day, as usual, and he had a shot nicely saved in the 34th. Vincent Kompany had a shot turned away in the 37th. The rebound fell to Yaya Toure, but he couldn't do much except put it wide. City took the 1-0 lead into the half.

Blackburn must have felt alright about themselves coming out for the second. Despite only having 20 percent of the possession and giving up quite a few chances, they were only down 1-0. All that changed very early on though. In the 52nd minute Robinson totally fumbled a City corner and Sergio Aguero kicked the ball into the empty net to make it 2-0. Robinson had a good day up until then, but that was a real howler.

City wasn't done though, and even one of their subs got in amongst the goals. In the 81st minute Edin Dzeko took a beautiful cross, again from Kolarov, and snapped a powerful header into the back of the net to make it 3-0, which was the full time result.

I didn't mention any real Blackburn chances. That's because there weren't any. Rovers took 5 shots, 4 of them were blocked. Yakubu actually got the only shot on goal, and that came in the 2 minute of 2nd half stoppage time. Horrible game for Rovers. The result puts City 5 points clear of United, going into their match with Norwich tomorrow.

Puddle's Goal of the Midweek: Ronaldo vs CSKA Moscow

My goal of the midweek this week is from the UCL, another quality strike from Cristiano Ronaldo. Still, it wasn't enough to secure the win in Russia.

Puddle's UCL Recap: A Week of Stunners

Edinson Cavani after scoring against Chelsea: AP Images

So it turns out that the UEFA Champions League isn't necessarily as predictable as one might think, judging from this last week's results. I think one wouldn't be blamed for picking Real Madrid, Chelsea, Inter, and Bayern Munich to go through from the teams that played this week, but they all either lost or were drawn into a late draw. Here's my recap of the action for the week.

CSKA Moscow vs. Real Madrid
I think Madrid knew they were in for a tough match in Russia against CSKA. All one has to do is look at the Zenit vs. Benfica game last week to tell how difficult the conditions are in Russia this time of year. Even so, Madrid controlled the match fairly easily. Cristiano Ronaldo scored first on 28 minutes, blasting a shot in after a cross from Fabio Coentrao. In the second half, Madrid had several chances to put it away, notably from Ozil and Ronaldo, but couldn't get the ball into the back of the net again.

This set up the week's first dramatics. Late in stoppage time Aleksei Berezutski passed up a shot on target and passed over to Pontus Wernbloom, who shot before the Madrid defense could switch over and beat Casillas from 7 yards to seal the draw, 1-1. Still Madrid have the away goal, so one would suspect with the next leg of the tie in Spain, they should still advance.

Napoli vs. Chelsea
Okay, this one was tough to even watch the highlights of, let alone write about as a Chelsea FC fan. I'm not sure what's going on under AVB, but it's not quality football. Especially at the back. The Blues actually jumped on top first in this one, with Juan Mata snatching a goal on 27 minutes. After that, Chelsea's defense fell apart, and the match became a nightmare.

Napoli equalized in the 38th minute. Ezequiel Lavezzi blasted home a shot from distance after being left totally alone by the Chelsea defense. Edinson Cavani gave the Italian side the lead right before half time, with a header/body shot that could have been a handball. David Luiz cucked up yet again in the 65th minute by kicking the ball right to Cavani, who passed to Lavezzi. Lavezzi then completed his brace by tapping into the relatively empty net to make the final 3-1.

This result and player selection has finally turned me totally against AVB. He is just not ready for this type of pressure yet, in my opinion. Still, the Blues aren't out of it, if they can get their defense to get better. A 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge would see them through, and they are more than capable of that.

FC Basel vs Bayern Munich
This one was really the shocker of the week, as Basel absolutely STUNNED the German giants. It really was a good match, with Basel showing a lot of attacking intent despite the edge in possession for Bayern. Basel in even hit the woodwork twice in the first half.

Both defenses tightened down in the second half, allowing for far fewer chances. Still, Basel found their breakthrough in the 86th minute. The German defense collapsed a little bit, and Jacques Zoua was able to find Valentin Stocker unmarked on the left side. He nutmegged Bayern 'keeper Manuel Neuer to give the Swiss side a 1-0 win. Still, Bayern should feel fairly confident heading home as well.

Marseille vs. Inter Milan
It's always tough to play Marseille in France, but one has to think Inter should have done better here. They too were shocked late. Inter was anxious all night long and allowed Marseille plenty of looks. Both Forlan and Schneider had major chances as well, but once again Inter was not amongst the goals.

The French took the win literally on the last kick of match. Andre Ayew snuck away from Chivu and headed in a corner kick to make it 1-0 and disappoint Inter once again. Still, like Bayern and Madrid, Inter should fancy their chances going back to the San Siro, but they'll need to tighten things up quite a bit.

San Jose Earthquakes Get Stadium Approval

Good news for MLS fans in San Jose, and MLS fans in general. There's going to be another soccer specific stadium in the league, this time in San Jose.

The final approval to begin the project was given at a meeting of the San Jose Planning Commission last night. The commission voted 6-0 against an appeal filed by local residents against the stadium project. The residents, led by Newhall Neighborhood Association member Nancy Thomas, had filed an appeal to ask the commission to make the club go through a planning study again, citing concerns about noise and light pollution in the neighborhood. A neighborhood next to an international airport. To try and quell the concerns of the neighborhood about noise, the stadium builders and planners have elected to not use the stadium as a concert venue, which often brings in a lot of money for these soccer specific grounds.

Read the full article on MLSSoccer.com HERE.

I'm sure the Quakes will be good neighbors, and the stadium will be a net positive for the community. The club is still targeting a 2013 opening date, but acknowledges that it might be pushed back.

Congrats to the Quakes and their supporters!

MLS Preseason: Revs, RSL Pick Up Wins, Chivas USA Falls.

Time to start getting excited MLS fans, the preseason action is starting to heat up and the regulars are starting to see some more time on the pitch. Clubs have been playing at various venues and competitions this year, as usual. The New England Revolution, LA Galaxy, Real Salt Lake, and NY Red Bulls have been fighting it out in Arizona. Meanwhile, Chivas USA took on Mexico Primera Division side Tijuana in San Diego.

First to Arizona, where the Revs took on the Galaxy in the first match of the Desert Diamond Cup. Just two minutes into the match, Benny Feilhaber put the Revs in front with an awesome bicycle kick. Edson Buddle later equalized for LA. At full time, the Revs took the win 3-2, behind a Jeremiah White goal in the 74th minute.

The second game of the cup was between RSL and New York Red Bulls. Paulo Jr scored the only goal of the match on 75 minutes to snatch the victory for RSL. Both teams fielded a team heavy on youngsters and trialists.

The news wasn't as great for Chivas USA as they squared off against Mexican side Tijuana in San Diego. The Xolos roughed up Chivas pretty good, beating them 5-2 in a match that featured 34 fouls, 7 yellows, and 1 red card. The conditions were far from ideal for Chivas though, as the crowd was heavily pro-Xolos, and the Mexican side is in midseason form through their Clausura 2012 campaign.

Puddle's Goal of the Weekend: Jackson Martinez GOLAZO!

My goal of the weekend comes to us from the Mexico Primera Division. In the 78th minute of Jaguares' match against Toluca, Jackson Martinez belted this GOLAZO into the top corner. Unfortunately it wasn't enough as Toluca took the match 3-1.

Mexico Match Thoughts: Estudiantes vs. Atlante

Most of the Primera Division's Friday night specials have been kind of boring affairs of late. When I saw that Estudiantes Tecos was going to be featuring in the most recent one, well I wasn't excited for anything different. Thankfully, I was wrong.

I needed to be wrong for Tecos' sake. To say they are mired in a relegation battle would be a bit of an understatement. They're sitting on the bottom of the coefficient table at 1.0217. The next closest is Atlas at 1.o543. Meanwhile, the most recently promoted squad, Tijuana is sitting in what could almost be considered mid-table comfort at 1.2500. Tecos has some work to do.

They haven't played a real positive brand of football in the few matches I've seen of theirs this year, but that changed against Atlante. Both sides actually came out quite well. Estudiantes had the better early chances though, with Fernando Gutierrez hitting a strike just wide of the target on 2 minutes. In the 5th minute they earned a chance off of a corner kick, but Juan Leano's header went high.

Atlante responded though,. In the 10th minute they earned a free kick at a good distance. Estudiantes gave up a number of these in this match. However, Osvaldo Martinez couldn't do much with this one except put it over the bar.

Then the goals started. In the 15th minute Edgar Solis sent a cross in low to Eduardo Lillingston in front of goal. The Tecos striker calmly tapped the ball into the net to make it 1-0 to Estudiantes. It was a great cross and a professional finish.

Again Atlante responded though as the action started to go end to end. They got their break through in the 25th minute off the foot of Michael Arroyo Mina. The forward found himself unmarked just outside of the top of the area and blasted a shot home to the far post to make it 1-1.

The tie didn't last long. In the 32nd minute Tecos struck back. Solis sent in a corner and this time Leano did not miss with his header. Sometimes I think the corner kick is a lost art in Mexico, but not this time, as Leano's well placed ball made it 2-1 to Tecos going into half time.

There were no goals in the second half, but the action continued to go end to end and chances abounded. Mina again proved dangerous for Atlante, hunting the equalizer early on in the second half. He took a free kick that went high in the 50th, and forced a save out of Christian Martinez in the 53rd.

However, Atlante had an even better chance later on. In the 60th minute Juan Cuevas sent in a gorgeous shot that looked to surely be the equalizer, but Martinez pulled a save of the week candidate out of his back pocket and parried the shot to preserve the lead. He would earn man of the match honors.

Estudiantes had a golden chance to put the match away in the 87th minute as well. Rodrigo Ruiz put in a shot that beat everybody, including the Atlante 'keeper, but Cuevas stormed toward the goal and just managed to clear the ball off the line. Good stuff, but in the end, Estudiantes wouldn't need it, and they held on for a crucial victory, 2-1.

Injuries Rock RSL Preseason

To say this hasn't been a great preseason for RSL might be a bit of an understatement. Both Captain Kyle Beckerman and 'keeper Nick Rimando missed some team training time while away with the US National Team. That's not bad in and of itself, but at least Kyle has been struggling with injuries for most of the preseason. Coach Jason Kreis has been pleased with Beckerman's progress, and he did play a few minutes against DC United in a scrimmage.

News for other key members of the Claret and Cobalt is not as good though. Will Johnson has headed to Germany for sports hernia surgery and will be out 3-4 weeks at least. Javier Morales began preseason training, but since has suffered setbacks after off season surgery. Alvaro Saborio and Nat Borchers also had off season surgery, and Kreis admits to MLSSoccer.com that their availability against the Galaxy for First Kick is doubtful.

Perhaps the most disturbing news comes at full back. At the start of preseason, RSL had only two full backs signed: Tony Beltran and Chris Wingert. They had sent Robbie Russell to DC United. Both Wingert and Beltran started preseason in great shape and form, but both have picked up injuries. Currently Kreis is sorting through some trialists to try and discover a hidden gem to help out.

I was not one to criticize the team for not going out and head hunting for a DP during the off season. However, letting Russell go to DC United, while totally the right move for Robbie, left the the team dangerously thin on outside backs, and I just wonder if they shouldn't have been more aggressive in trying to fill that hole.

Mertesacker Out Long Term for Arsenal.

As if getting drilled in the Champions League wasn't bad enough for Arsenal, today they got some more bad news affecting their much maligned defense. According to the club, German defender Per Mertesacker had ankle surgery yesterday and will be out "long term," perhaps for the rest of the season.

Mertesacker sustained an ankle injury during last weekend's 2-1 win over Sunderland. According to Arsene Wenger, the surgery was to reconstruct ligaments in his ankle. The center back arrived near the end of last summer's transfer period and his loss will be a blow to the Gunners.

They did get better news on Laurent Koscielny though. He had sustained a knee injury against Milan at the San Siro. However the subsequent scans were better than expected and he is only expected to miss a week or so,

UCL: Zenit St. Petersburg vs. Benfica

Sergei Semak scores for Zenit in the 2nd half. (AP Images)

Soccer in the cold. My fellow fans here at the RioT know all about going out to support the club in the cold and snow, as do our rivals in Colorado. However, this Champions League match was a different story. Match time temperatures in St. Petersburg were below zero, and the pitch wasn't in good shape, as the Russian league is still in the midst of their winter break.

Still the two sides made the best of it. Both of these two teams must have been happy to be drawn against the other, instead of the likes of Barca, Milan, or Real Madrid. Both teams came out positive, though Benfica was the better. There weren't a lot of chances, but both sides took turns on the ball. Benfica finally broke through in the 20th minute. Oscar Cardozo sent a free kick in on goal, but the Zenit 'keeper knocked it back into play instead of turning it wide, and Maxi Pereira easily tapped in the rebound to make it 0-1.

Then Zenit woke up. They hadn't played a competitive match since early December, but going down a goal down really jolted their attack to life. In the 22nd minute Alexander Kerzhakov put a nice shot in toward the bottom corner that was kick saved by Artur. Finally in the 27th minute Tomas Hubocan sent in a cross that Roman Shirakov knocked in on a side-footed volley and tied the match at 1-1, which was the half time result.

Zenit came out in charge in the second half as well. Still they didn't create a lot of chances early, but the match opened up more and more, as Zenit knew Benfica already had the all important away goal. In the 71st minute Kerzhakov sent a ball in front of goal that fell to Sergei Semak. He brilliantly flicked it into the goal with a gorgeous back heel to make it 2-1 to Zenit.

As the match progressed toward the end, both sides seemed to be fairly satisfied with the score line. Zenit had the lead and Benfica, who has been unstoppable at home, had the away goal. Yet they were able to equalize from another blunder by the Zenit 'keeper. In the 87th minute he gave up yet another easy rebound that Cardozo walked in to make it 2-2.

The goalkeeping blunders were not done though, and they struck Benfica in the very next minute. Artur couldn't hold on to the ball and Shirokov found it as his feet totally unmarked. It was Zenit's turn for a tap in and they capitalized for the game winning goal. The full time result was 3-2.

The result gives Zenit a precious lead to take to Portugal in a few weeks. However, giving up one away goal is bad enough, two is even worse. Benfica must still fancy their chances. All they'll need is a 1-0 win. If Zenit's keeper could have done better, they would be totally in charge of the tie.

UCL: AC Milan vs. Arsenal

Different Reactions, Arsenal and Milan....(AP Images)

Well if you thought Leverkusen played poorly in Tuesday's marquee Champions League match, Arsenal was downright pathetic on Wednesday. Honestly, can we drop them and bring back City, United, or somebody who at least cares? Arsenal fans have said it all year, "We're finally turning it around, Arsene Wenger is going to get it done." I have an even harder time believing that after this match. Dispatching a bottom table EPL opponent is one thing, playing the defending Serie A champs in the Champions League is something else entirely.

The Gunners took some possession in the opening minutes and probed hesitantly for a gap in the Milan defense. However all they got was a horribly wide shot from Tomas Rosicky and the ball pretty much went to Milan for the rest of half.

AC Milan did suffer a blow early on though, as captain Clarence Seedorf went down with an injury in the 10th minute. He tried to continue, but was replaced by Urby Emanuelson in the 12th minute. Emanuelson took Milan's first great crack at goal a minute later but shot wide. He really should have done better.

It was not to be the last chance for Milan though. In the 15th minute Milan got the ball into Kevin Prince Boateng after a horrible clearance. Boateng unleashed an absolutely SICK volley into the net to make it 1-0 to the Milanese. The attack didn't end there either. Antonio Nocerino poked quite a few holes in the Arsenal back line, and even hit the top of the crossbar in the 21st. Robinho rounded out the first half scoring by taking a cross from Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the 38th minute and heading in a goal to make to it 2-0 to Milan at the half.

Surely Arsenal would get better in the second half, right? They put in Thierry Henry, in his last match before rejoining his MLS club. He was pretty much useless. Not that he played poorly, but they couldn't get the ball to him or Robin Van Persie for that matter.

Milan made things even tougher for the Gunners in the 49th minute. With Milan prowling around the edge of his own 18, Thomas Vermaelen slipped and fell, opening up a chance for Robinho, who took advantage and blasted home his second goal to make it 3-0. Then in the 78th minute Johan Djourou stupidly wrestled Ibra down in the 18 to concede a PK. The big Swede calmly nailed the spot kick to make the final humiliating score 4-0 to Milan.

Can anybody out there see Arsenal getting 4 on the Milan defense back in London? I think not. I'll take the Italian champs to be moving on.

UCL: Bayer Leverkusen vs. Barcelona

Sanchez scores his second of the match. (AP IMAGES)

Watching this Champions League match highlighted to me both the good and bad aspects of watching Barca play their particular brand of football. Of course, you generally can't blame the bad on Barca. Their play, their passing is still gorgeous to behold, but when their opponents play like Leverkusen did for a good portion of this match, is gets really frustrating. It was like the Germans weren't even trying to go forward. When they did get the ball, they'd give it up to Barca and then just sit back in defense again.

Unfortunately for everyone except Leverkusen fans, Barcelona wasn't able to do much in the first half despite their monopoly on possession. Good chances were few and far between, though I got the sense it was just from Barca not being quite on their game as opposed to being the result of anything Leverkusen was doing. Barca had a couple of chances from free kicks, including one from Dani Alves that went hopelessly high in the 12th minute. Adriano also took a crack at goal in the 25th, but sent his shot into the cheap seats.

Alexis Sanchez finally helped Barca get their noses in front shortly before halftime. In the 41st minute he took yet another well sculpted ball from Lionel Messi and slipped it by the Leverkusen 'keeper to make it 0-1. Leverkusen's dream of going into the half level fell just short.

So the Germans finally decided to get a little feisty in the second half, finally bringing a little of the spectacle into the match. They started to actually push Barca a bit and started getting looks around their 18. In the 52nd minute Vedran Corluka floated a ball across the penalty area to Michal Kadlec, who headed home the goal to equalize the game at 1-1.

Then Barcelona woke up and said "Oh yeah, we're Barcelona." Just three minutes after the Germans equalized Sanchez dashed down the field, danced around the Leverkusen 'keeper, and poked the ball into the back of the net to make it 1-2.

Still, Leverkusen thought they might not be that bad off, despite giving up the two away goals. They continued to attack and tried to go toe to toe with the defending champs. In the 57th minute Renato Augusto forced a save out of Victor Valdes, and Gonzalo Castro nearly equalized again in the 64th, but saw his shot draw the post instead of the net.

Barca weren't phazed and were able to ice the match and probably the tie late on. In the 88th minute Messi sent a pass out to Alves on the wing. Alves sent it back center into the area, and Messi made an almost super human run to get back to the pass and turn it into the goal to make it 1-3 Barcelona at full time.

Not exactly vintage Barca. They gave up some quality chances to the Germans in the second half. I wonder if it might have been different had Leverkusen played a more positive brand in the first half, but they didn't, and Barca heads home in a couple of weeks with the tie firmly in hand.

Brian Ching Returns To Houston

Something that really didn't shock most MLS fans and watchers finally happened today. Brian Ching, the forward taken from Houston by the Montreal Impact was traded back to the Dynamo for a draft pick.

Yes, most of us saw this coming, but I think it's really lame. There's been a whole saga surrounding this. Houston left Ching unprotected for the expansion draft, believing that his DP-like salary and age would deter the Impact from selecting him. Sure enough, they were wrong. Ching and Houston cried foul, and Ching threatened to retire rather than play in Montreal. If rumors are true, Houston immediately began talks on trying to get Ching back in a Dynamo uniform. However eventually that died down, and Ching reported to camp in Montreal and participated in training, saying he would play and make the best of it. Then abruptly last week, he took a personal leave from the squad, causing the rumors to fly again. A trade was first reported by SoccerByIves yesterday, and was made official by MLS today.

There's a couple of ways to look at this. Ching is a talisman in Houston, their captain and all time leading scorer. Houston supporters largely seem to believe that the Impact never really intended on keeping or playing Ching, that they took him to extort something from the Dynamo, namely another protected player or a draft pick, which is what they ended up getting.

The Impact haven't seemed to make as much noise about it, but I've seen comments to the effect of "Hey, we're just playing by the rules. If you wanted him, you should have protected him. He didn't want to play here, so we sent him back and got compensated." This theory largely makes Ching out to be the Carlos Tevez of MLS.

Here's my take. I do think the Impact largely knew what they were doing when they picked Ching. However, I'm not sure extortion is the right word. Many neutrals have seen Ching as in a decline, and a bit over-payed at a DP-like $450,000. Certainly there have been other non-DP strikers that have played a lot better than Ching. He's spent a lot of time injured in recent years, and hasn't impacted, pardon the pun, the game all that much. What did he do in MLS Cup against LA? I'll wait for that answer. My point is, I don't think Montreal rated his value as high as Houston did. I think Montreal saw a chance to get a stable veteran on the squad to help settle what would most likely be a young team. I just don't think they drafted him with the intent of extorting Will Bruin or Tally Hall or somebody away, because Ching isn't really worth that much. I'm not trying to bag on Ching, just calling it like I see it.

At any rate, Ching threw his hissy fit and has returned to Houston. Montreal got a draft pick that will probably come out of the middle of the pack at best. Not much to be excited about. At least it's done.

Puddle's Goal of the Midweek: Messi vs. Leverkusen

For my goal of the midweek this week, I take you to the UEFA Champion's League. Barcelona dominated Bayer Leverkusen in Germany to take a 1-3 lead going back to Spain. The goals included this late gem by Messi. Just watch as he hustles to get the return ball from Alves to put it away. Great stuff from the Little Genius.

England UEFA Euro 2012 Core Nations Hoody - WorldSoccerShop.com

Really liking the new line of products coming out for Euro 2012 over at World Soccer Shop. For example, really digging this England hoody.



England UEFA Euro 2012 Core Nations Hoody - WorldSoccerShop.com

EPL: Manchester United vs. Liverpool

Phil Dowd escorts Evra away from Pepe Reina post-match. (GETTY IMAGES)

Generally these two big rivals don't need any help rekindling their rivalry, but they indeed got extra fuel for the fire Saturday morning. I don't really need to rehash the Suarez vs. Evra thing leading up to the match. Suffice it to say Suarez acted like a racist fool, got caught, and got penalized. Still, the footballing media isn't about to forget about it, especially when it came time for Evra and Suarez to shake hands prior to this match. You've probably seen the video. Evra offers his hand. and Suarez acts like a two year old and walks by. Evra then makes it worse by trying to grab Suarez, who shrugs him off, causing Rio Ferdinand to then refuse the handshake of Suarez.

After that little charade, we finally got to the match. In truth, the match wasn't that great, and small wonder that it later got eclipsed by everything surrounding it. Fireworks almost flew early as Evra flew in on Suarez with a meaty challenge, but ended up bashing into Ferdinand instead. A few minutes after that Glen Johnson beat Evra and sent a shot in on the United goal, but it went wide. It was to be Liverpool's only chance for quite some time.

Manchester United took firm hold of the match, even though they failed to score in the first half. They set up a few good chances but weren't able to capitalize. Ryan Giggs set up Scholes once with a cross, but Pepe Reina easily saved the header to keep the score 0-0 going into the half.

Then more fireworks happened. Ferdinand sent Suarez to the ground with a legal tackle just before the half, but Suarez and Liverpool thought differently. Suarez then again channeled his inner two year old and slap kicked the ball away. His teammates rounded him up quickly and urged toward the tunnel. Unfortunately, Patrice Evra doesn't know how to let things go either, and he apparently tried to get into Suarez's face in the tunnel, resulting in a spat between both teams that required the local police to sort out.

Once back on the field, Liverpool continued in their general malaise, but United came out on fire, particularly Wayne Rooney. Rooney has never had a ton of luck against Liverpool, but he made them pay the price in this match. In the 47th minute, Giggs sent in a corner that fell to Rooney on the far post. He slammed it into the back of the net to give United the 1-0 lead. Then just three minutes later, Jay Spearing lost the ball to Valencia right outside of his own 18. Valencia scooted the ball over to Rooney, who once again scored a goal to give United the 2-0 lead. It was turning into an all around nightmare for Liverpool.

With about ten minutes left Liverpool finally got a lucky break and got into the match. Charlie Adam sent in a free kick that bounded off of Rio Ferdinand and came to Suarez, who capitalized on his fortune by beating David De Gea and making it 2-1. Obviously this didn't sit well with the United players or supporters. Liverpool attacked more throughout the final 10 minutes but really couldn't muster anything, and United held on for the 2-1 win.

More controversy flared after the match as Patrice Evra went all over the pitch in a kind of stupid looking victory dance. At one point he placed his celebration right in front of Suarez, who gamely kept walking. His teammates responded though, running over to the scene, quickly followed by United players, stewards, and police. All in all, it was a great big cuck up by both players.

However the fallout has been worse for Liverpool. Not only did Suarez act like a complete fool, but King Kenny held a very incredulous press conference, pretending not to know what happened and stare down any reporter who dared ask about it. Since then both Liverpool's sponsor, Standard Chartered, and their owners, American John W. Henry's group, have brought pressure on the club, prompting apologies from both Suarez and King Kenny.

What a joke.

Puddle's Goal of the Weekend: Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Levante

Caught this match on ESPN 3 yesterday, and was glad I did. Ronaldo had a hat trick, including a blistering penalty and this beautifully struck masterpiece.

A League Action: Wellington Phoenix vs. Brisbane Roar

There was a lot of well deserved hype coming into this match. Two versus three in the Hyundai A League table. Brisbane is starting to find their form again after going through a real rough patch midseason, and Wellington has been one of the hotter teams in the league. I was excited because it was early enough that I could watch it live and not have to stay up all night.

The action took place in front of 13,009 in attendance at Westpac Stadium, and the Phoenix faithful were in fine voice. Unfortunately, they didn't have much to cheer about, at least in the first half. Still one of the first real chances of the match came to Wellington as Leo Bertos got free up the wing and dribbled toward the eighteen. However, he held on to the ball for far too long, cutting down his angle, and his shot ended up being rather easily saved in minute thirteen.

After that, most of the chances for the first half fell to the Roar. Wellington played a bit of a version of park the bus, letting Brisbane control and do their passing game in the back of the Wellington half, and attempting to choke off the space further up the pitch. This worked for 42 minutes. At that point, the Roar found Besart Berisha with a ball over the top, which he volleyed into the goal to give Brisbane the 0-1 lead. The goal was controversial though as replays showed Berisha was most likely offside.

So the Phoenix knew they needed to take a different tact coming out for the second half trailing by a goal. They got a plumb chance in the 49th minute as Paul Ifill broke free and got one on one with the Brisbane 'keeper. Theoklitos made a great play on the shot though, preserving the Roar lead. Ifill would have another such chance in the 73rd minute, only to be saved again.

Despite the fact that the Phoenix did much better in the second half, the Roar were able to put away the match late. Mitch Nichols checked into the match for Brisbane in the second half. He had been suspended for the Olyroos next match, and returned to his club. In the 80th minute he hit a strike from around the top of the area into the top of the net to make it 0-2, which would be the full time result.

Certainly the Phoenix had a right to feel hard done by tonight from the refs, but Brisbane deserved the points, The final ball was never quite good enough for the Phoenix, and despite their positive play in the second half, they failed to really carve out more than a couple quality chances.

Mexico Match Thoughts: Morelia vs. Santos

I think I use the phrase, "a tale of two halves" way too much on this blog. In fact, I know I do. However there is really no other way to describe this match. The first half had chances and was entertaining. The second half was a foul fest and total mound of garbage.

Both teams came out of the gate quite quickly, and you would have thought Santos actually came to play. You'd be wrong though. Cristian Suarez hammered a ball over the bar in the 2nd minute, but in the end, it would be one of the few chances Santos would have all match long.

Morelia totally took over from there, They monopolized possession and chances, of which they created quite a few. It was actually pretty fun to watch, except for the fact that you got the impression that Santos was just a total shower, and they wished they were someplace else. Lazy marking, lazy passing, lazy defense, and Morelia took advantage.

The first goal came on 23 minutes as Edgar Lugo took a ball that almost went over the end line for a goal kick and passed it back into the area. It ended up at the feet of Miguel Sabah, who blasted it by the 'keeper to make it 1-0. Sabah was pretty much unmarked. Just two minutes later, Sabah, who was a beast all match long, struck again. This time he took a down field pass from Christian Valdez and beat a stunned Sanchez to score again and make it 2-0.

Finally Santos woke up for the first and only time in the match after going down 2-0. They got their only goal of the game in the 29th as Suarez put a centering pass into the area. It appeared to go off of the foot of Carlos Quintero and into the goal to make it 2-1. Later the announcers questioned that it might have come off of the Morelia defender, though as of the end of the match it was still credited to Quintero. At any rate the score at the half was 2-1.

Santos' lazy style became infectious in the second half. Both teams played an unspirited brand of football marked by hard, pointless fouls, crappy passing, and diving all over the pitch. Honestly, the quality of tackles from both sides made MLS look like Italy.

In the end, Morelia tacked on a late goal as Edgar Lugo scored on a break for Morelia in the first minute of stoppage time to make the full time result 3-1 to Morelia.

EPL: Norwich vs Bolton

(Anthony Pilkington celebrates for Norwich--GETTY IMAGES)

I'll tell you one thing about my Premier League viewing habits. I catch Norwich every chance I get. They just get better and better every time I watch them. I really don't have a doubt in my mind that they and Swansea will stay up. Last weekend Bolton was the next team to be caught in the Canaries' web. Coming into the match Bolton had been playing a lot better and had come off the bottom of the table, but Norwich really was the better side in this encounter.

Norwich especially dominated the first half. They created chance after chance as Bolton's defense looked to be still in the locker room. Early chances were supplied by Zak Whitbread, who had a header sail just wide, and Grant Holt, who forced Bogdan into a save. Still they didn't get an especially troubling chance until the 24th minute when Andrew Surman collected a ball from Holt at about 4 yards out. Somehow, Surman clanged his shot off of the crossbar and it stayed 0-0.

It wasn't all roses in the first half for the Canaries though. They lost both of their starting center backs, including American Zak Whitbread to hamstring injuries. Bolton looked primed to take advantage. Martin Petrov hit a drive that was deflected just wide, and that was their best chance. The first half ended 0-0.

Poor finishing plagued Norwich again in the early minutes off the second half. This time it was Grant Holt who had the issues. He took a ball from Adam Drury and found himself unmarked in the box, but frustratingly watched his header go wide.

Norwich finally took the lead late. It was Andrew Surman who atoned for his terrible first half miss. In the 70th minute he got off a close range shot that was blocked by Bolton defender David Wheater. However, he stuck with it, got to the rebound, and smacked the ball into the back of the net to give the Canaries a much deserved 1-0 lead.

Bolton would get a couple of chances in the closing stages of the match, but couldn't convert. In the 79th minute Petrov came close again, but saw his volley saved. That was about all they could manage. Norwich sealed the 3 points in the 85th minute as Anthony Pilkington got a hold of another rebound, this one from a shot off of Russel Martin, and put it home to give Norwich the 2-0 win.

The 3 points are big for the Canaries after getting thumped against Sunderland last week, and moves them that much closer to safety. The loss came at a really bad time for Bolton, as it sees them not only fail to put any distance between them and the bottom of the pack, but drops them into the bottom three.

Rapids Send Kandji to Dynamo

MAC KANDJI IN THE 2010 MLS CUP FINAL (AP Photo)

The Houston Dynamo made a move yesterday to bolster their forward corps after the departure of Brian Ching in the last fantasy draft. As first reported at Soccer By Ives, they struck a trade deal with the 2010 MLS Cup Champion Rapids to bring in Mac Kandji in exchange for a conditional pick in the 2014 draft.

The move will free up about $120,000 in cap space for the Rapids. Kandji, from Senegal, made the play that resulted in the own goal by George John to win the 2010 MLS Cup. However, he also injured his ACL and missed much of the 2011 season. He did come back to play in the latter end of the regular season and the CONCACAF Champions League.

Check out the SBI article here.

Pearce Takes Over as England Caretaker Manager

The FA have announced today that former Capello assistant Stuart Pearce will take over as the manager of the England national team on a caretaker basis. He will manage the side in a friendly against Holland on February 29th. In the meantime, the focus will be on trying to secure a permanent replacement.

Pearce is also the coach for the England U-21 side, and will coach team Great Britain at the Summer Olympics this year in London. FA Chairman David Bernstein had this to say about Pearce, "He has huge experience outside and inside the organisation. He has been working with the under-21 team and has been working with Fabio for some time. I have got great confidence in Stuart. We will be in good hands."

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp remains the favorite to ultimately succeed Capello, as the desire to put an Englishman back in charge of the team has been well stated. Redknapp has also seen the public backing of several figures, including Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand, and Sunderland boss Martin O'Neil. Redknapp was cleared on tax evasion charges yesterday in London and has said he hasn't thought about the England job yet.

Puddle's Goal of the Midweek: Gervinho Sends Ivory Coast Through

For my goal of the midweek I take you to the Africa Cup of Nations, which I really wish I could watch. Gervinho made this great individual run and finish to give the Ivory Coast a 1-0 win over Mali.

Mexico Match Thoughts: Toluca vs. Pachuca

This was definitely was one of the better matches I've seen out of Mexico this year. Okay, well maybe not the best played, but it really was entertaining. I don't know all of the history of the Primera Division that well, but it's certainly one of the best comebacks I've seen as a footy fan.

So why exactly did Pachuca have to execute such a comeback in the first place? It really was a nightmare start for the visitors. In fact I don't think I could say I've ever seen a worse start to a match. Toluca brought the ball into the area right off the kick off, and tried a cross. The ball deflected off of Pachuca defender Javier Munoz Mustafa and into the net to make it 1-0 after just 14 seconds. Damn.

Life didn't get any better for Pachuca in the early going either. After what was to happen in the 9th minute, Mustafa probably just wished he could just go back to bed. He brought down Toluca's Ivan Alonso in the box to concede a PK. Oops. Alonso then in turn iced the spot kick to make it 2-0 to Toluca on 11 minutes.

Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse for Pachuca, it did. In the 16th minute Nestor Calderon ended up with the ball after a short corner. He blasted it into the top corner of the far post to make it 3-0. There was absolutely nothing the 'keeper could do about it. At least that goal wasn't self inflicted though.

It looked like the route was on, and Toluca continued to go through the rest of the first half controlling possession, but Pachuca had no intention of going away. Their weapon of choice to get back into the match was the counter attack. They sprung the first in the 36th minute as Mauro Cejas streaked into the Toluca eighteen and slid the ball past the 'keeper to make it 3-1.

Still, Toluca didn't panic. The thought had to be to get into the half without giving up another goal and regroup. Again, Pachuca had other ideas. They struck on another counter in the 41st minute as Daniel Arguello nailed a GOLAZO from the top of the box into the top of the net to make it 3-2 going into the interval.

The second half had a very different tone, and Pachuca was in charge, despite being down a goal. Toluca just looked like they had completely fallen out of a match they once led by three goals. The equalizer finally came in the 64th minute when Marco Bueno Ontiveros knocked in a cross off of his foot to make it 3-3.

Toluca gained a little life after that, but never really threatened to take the 3 points back. Their best chance came in the 69th minute as Esquivel forced a save out of the 'keeper, but that was about all Toluca could manage.

The match went into stoppage time and looked to be headed for a certain draw, but Pachuca took the chance to seize the three points late. In the 1st minute of added time, Ontiveros broke free and got one on one with Toluca keeper Alfredo Talavera. Talavera made a diving stab for the ball near the top of the area, but brought down Ontiveros in the process, conceding a PK. It was the right call, and Talavera really didn't put up much of a fight. In the end, Cejas stepped up and converted the penalty to give Pachuca a 3-4 win. All in all a thrilling conclusion to an entertaining if sloppy match.

March Is Coming: Real Salt Lake Vid

Great, GREAT video made by Youtube user IOookie for the MLS Reserves "Promote Your Team" contest. Very well done. I can't WAIT to be back at the RioT. This just gave me the chills.

Capello Leaves England: My Take.

Fabio Capello made an announcement today that saddened more than surprised a lot of England fans. He officially resigned as manager of the England national team in the wake of the FA's decision to strip John Terry of the captain's arm band. Terry was stripped of the captaincy for a second time in the midst of allegations that he racially abused Anton Ferdinand (Rio Ferdinand's brother) during a match between QPR and Chelsea last year. The case has yet to be tried in Britain's courts.

First off, on John Terry. He is the captain of my favorite team, Chelsea, and I support him. Yet it's easy to see that he's been a rather large douche a few times. As I mentioned, this is the second time he has lost the armband. The first was prior to the 2010 World Cup after he had an affair with Wayne Bridge's wife. The racism charges are yet another big black eye. I don't think John Terry is a racist. Granted, I don't know him. However, people say things when they get mad that they don't always mean. That doesn't make it right, at all. Self control is something we all need to learn, and it can be seen as an even more important trait for a public figure to have. It's different here in the USA. We don't face the same kind of official charges for saying such things, but I'd like to think we don't tolerate it anymore either. The Chelsea and former England captain needs to have his head examined.

The thing about Capello was that he wanted it his way. He was reluctant to strip Terry of the arm band the first time around, initially claiming it was something to be handled between Bridge and Terry. However, he eventually bowed to the FA in the lead up to South Africa. He was not about to do it again.

To say the FA cucked this up is an understatement. Yes, Capello told Italian TV he didn't agree with it. However, for the FA then to come out and throw all of this breach of contract garbage out there didn't help. At best, this issue with Terry's big mouth should have been handled LAST YEAR. At worst, it should have been left until Terry's court date. Now they're down a captain and a manager, with Euro 2012 right around the corner. It's also worth nothing that percentage wise, Capello was the winingest manager in England history.

This is something I care about a lot. Even as an American, I'm an ardent England supporter. Everyone else here celebrates their heritage, and England is mine. The only time I don't pull for them is when they play the USA. Now you have players revolting via twitter and many more issues than you would have had if it would have been handled earlier.

Many suspect Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp will be Capello's replacement, particularly now that he has been cleared of Tax evasion charges. I agree with this move. Get him in, and get on with it. Sorry, Spurs fans.

I'm sorry to see Capello go. I wish him good luck. Hopefully the FA can get this straightened out and John Terry can learn to control himself.

Ibrahimovic Gets 3 Game Ban

Bad news came down the pipe yesterday for AC Milan as they head into a difficult stretch in their schedule. Forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been banned for three Serie A matches following an incident in the Milan match against Napoli last weekend.

In the 69th minute of the match, Ibra slapped Napoli defender Salvatore Aronica's face. He was sent off. Milan manager Massimilliano Allegri was also ejected in the 89th minute. He was not banned, but given a warning and a fine.

The suspension could cost Milan dearly. He will miss matches at Udinese (3rd place), at Cesena, and vs Juventus, the Serie A leaders. Milan is set to appeal the ban.

Ibra was banned twice by the Italian league last year, including once for punching a defender in the stomach.

EPL: Manchester City vs. Fulham

Coming off of their previous loss on the road to Everton, Manchester City needed a pick-me-up. Turns out a visit from Fulham to Etihad stadium was just what the doctor ordered. City was wounded and bleeding, Fulham had just cut Bobby Zamora loose. It was a recipe for disaster.

City didn't wait long to fire their opening salvos at the Fulham net. Edin Dzeko tried his luck in the second minute, and Gareth Barry took his turn in the fourth. Both shots came up lacking however. Dzeko tried again in the fifth minute, but his header floated over the bar. He really should have done better.

City got on the board through dubious circumstances in the 10th minute. Adam Johnson flopped over in the box, and the referee gave a penalty. Turns out both Manchester clubs benefited from dubious penalties last weekend. At any rate, Sergio Aguero calmly hit the PK to make it 1-0 to City after 11 minutes.

Fulham tried to respond, but nothing was going their way in the Manchester snow. Clint Dempsey hit a shot wide in the 14th, and Simon Davies had a shot saved in the 24th. That was about it for Fulham in the first half.

However City would again benefit from tough circumstances before the half. In the 30th minute Johnson again went at Chris Baird, who had "conceded" the PK. Johnson put in a shot from a tough angle and it deflected in off of Baird for an own goal. A nightmare for Baird and Fulham, and City led 2-0 going into the half.

The weather turned even more sour in the 2nd half, and further hindered Fulham from getting back into the match. It even led to the ref calling for the lines to be shoveled off on a couple of different occasions. This was actually quite entertaining.

In the 72nd minute, City finished the task. Aguero dished to Edin Dzeko, who finally found his way into the back of the net again to make it 3-0 to City. Fulham would get a chance at a consolation goal in the 89th minute but John Arne Riise had his shot saved by Joe Hart, and City held on for the 3-0 win on a cold Saturday.

JOE HART GETS HELP FROM THE SHOVEL BRIGADE (EPL Official)

EPL: QPR vs. Wolves

Coming into this weekend's match with fellow relegation threatened Wolves, spirits were generally high at Loftus Road. The club had made their ambition plain after hiring Mark Hughes as manager and making a big splash in the January transfer window, including the big signings of Bobby Zamora from Fulham and Djibril Cisse from Lazio. Both of those players would create highlights in this match, one good, and one bad.

QPR took charge of the match right from the first kick. They were keeping about 60% of the possession, and when Wolves did manage to get a hold of the ball, they couldn't do a thing with it. Cisse announced his presence in the 4th minute with a shot right at Wayne Hennessey in goal for Wolves. Zamora had the better chance just seconds later but saw the 'keeper knock it wide.

That was not all we'd hear from Bobby Zamora though. Earlier in the week, Cisse had scored on his debut for the club, and Zamora equaled the achievement against Wolves. In the 16th minute he took a back pass from Shaun Wright-Phillips at the top of the area and smacked the ball past Hennessey to make it 1-0 to QPR.

Wolves continued to struggle, to look like they couldn't do anything going forward, but then QPR gave them a get out of jail free card. In the 33rd minute Roger Johnson of Wolves went in on Cisse from behind on a nasty tackle. He was to receive a yellow for the play. However, as the referee rushed to the scene, Cisse inexplicably channeled Joey Barton and grabbed Johnson around the neck. He received the red card for the play. The QPR folks weren't happy, but it was the correct call. Still, despite being a man down QPR held their lead into the half time interval.

Wolves stormed out of the gate in the second half. They added Kevin Doyle as a 4th attacker, and the sub paid immediate dividends. In the 46th minute Doyle sent a cross to Matthew Jarvis, who slid the ball at an angle into the net at the far post to make it 1-1.

Doyle continued to be a dominant force for Wolves even after that. He got on the board himself in 71st minute to give Wolves the lead. He also took a short shot to the back post to make it 1-2 to the visitors.

QPR did formulate a response, but it came from one man. Adel Taarabt took Rangers on his shoulders in the closing minutes of the contest, putting several shots on target. The greatest chance came from distance in the 82nd minute. He sent in a blast that looked to certain to be headed for the roof of the net, but Hennessey got up and just barely put it over the bar. In the end it was too little, too late, and Wolves held on for the much needed three points.

CISSE SEES RED (EPL OFFICIAL)

Puddle's Goal of the Weekend: Juan Mata from Fernando Torres

Unfortunately the result in London didn't go the way I wanted it to this morning, but it did provide me with my Goal of the Weekend. Check out Mata's wonderstrike after a gorgeous cross from Torres.

Puddle's Goal of the Midweek: Djibril Cisse's Debut Goal for QPR

Check out this great Fox Sports video: Djibril Cisse's debut goal

Couldn't get a good Youtube grab of this one, but check it out. Djibril Cisse's debut goal for QPR after arriving from Italy. His celebration is pretty sweet too!

Gear: LA Galaxy Home Jersey

I'm not just an RSL homer either. Here's the new home jersey for the defending MLS Cup Champion LA Galaxy. This year they've added the sash. I personally like the sash, and it gives some more color to it. Good kit in my opinion.

GET YOURS AND CHECK OUT PRODUCTS FOR YOUR TEAM AT WORLD SOCCER SHOP

Gear: RSL 2012 Home Jersey

Last week Real Salt Lake unveiled their new kits for 2012. Biggest difference is the asymmetry with the blue on one side and red on the other. I like it because it gave the jersey a newer look, but really didn't change the tradition of it.


GET YOURS AND CHECK OUT PRODUCTS FOR YOUR CLUB AT WORLD SOCCER SHOP!

Edson Buddle Returns to the LA Galaxy.

The LA Galaxy added what will perhaps be another key piece in their MLS Cup defense today by signing Edson Buddle. The former Galaxy man reupped with the club after spending the last year at FC Ingolstadt in the German 2nd division. He scored nine goals while in Europe.

Buddle also has ten caps for the USA squad. However he made his name scoring 17 goals for the Galaxy in the 2010 season. Buddle had trials with Everton and West Ham, but neither club opted to sign him.

Ingolstadt has been going through financial trouble, and they canceled Buddle's contract with his consent. Rumor is that he was just too expensive to keep.

Of course, the Galaxy still need to address their defense I think.