Rafa Benitez finally gets his man: Robbie Keane signs for Liverpool

According to the Liverpool FC website, Irish international striker Robbie Keane has signed with the Merseyside club.

The 28-year-old signed a four-year deal with the Reds, whom he claims to have supported as a youngster. The transfer from Tottenham Hotspur reportedly cost an initial £19 million, but could rise to £20.3 million after performance-based bonuses.

It is widely reported that Keane's signing will put the Gareth Barry saga to rest. After the collapse of a £16 million move to Juventus for Xabi Alonso, the Spanish international will stay at Anfield, meaning there is nothing like the £18 million fee demanded by Aston Villa for Barry left in the coffers.

When all is said and done, I think the move for Keane will turn out to be the best of the rumoured moves Benitez could have made. I agree with many pundits and fans alike who throughout the summer pined for a winger: this is the true soft spot in the Liverpool lineup and over the past two (three? four?) summers Benitez has failed to address the situation.

But with only murmurs about a possible move for Valencia winger David Silva, there didn't appear to be a wide-man on the horizon for the Reds. With the loss of Peter Crouch to Portsmouth, the Liverpool boss needed to add another striker on top of filling the wings.

While Barry is a great player, the center of the Liverpool midfield is pretty full. However, with only Fernando Torres, Andriy Voronin, 17-year-old Daniel Pacheco (who has played very well during the preseason) and newcomer David Ngog (he signed for £1.5 million from Paris St-Germain), the Liverpool front line wasn't particularly deep.

I discount both Ryan Babel and Dirk Kuyt as strikers, since it appears they are the depth on the wing -- if Torres goes down with an injury, Kuyt could step in, but who plays on the right?

Keane is a proven Premier League striker, who will only prosper playing alongside the likes of Torres, Alonso, Steven Gerrard and Javier Mascherano. He is similar to Torres in that he can create his own goals, his range of scoring is fantastic and his movement is phenomenal. If -- and this is a big if -- Benitez decides to play both players at the same time, defenders will have difficulty shutting both players down.

There is still weakness out wide, but Robbie Keane could prove to be the signing of the summer for the impact he could have for the Reds.

In an interesting side note to the transfer, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy has referred to the move not as a "transfer" but as an enforced sale, according to The Guardian:

"I was incredibly disappointed when I first heard, not only that Liverpool had been working behind the scenes to bring Robbie to Anfield, but that Robbie himself wanted to go and he submitted a transfer request to this effect.

"I have already made my opinion clear on the nature of this transaction. I don't regard it as a transfer deal - that is something which happens between two clubs when they both agree to trade - this is very much an enforced sale, for which we have agreed a sum of £19m as compensation plus a potential further £1.3m in additional compensation."

According to the article, Levy will not pursue an official complaint with the league, as Liverpool have admitted the approach wasn't handled properly and are making a donation to the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation, the club's charity fund.

It remains to be seen whether Spurs will pursue a similar complaint against Manchester United, now that a move for Dimitar Berbatov appears to have evaporated.

Vancouver and Montreal to bid for pair of 2011 MLS slots

The Vancouver Whitecaps have confirmed they will join the Montreal Impact in the bidding for the chance to join MLS in 2011, according to The Globe and Mail.

Yesterday, MLS commissioner Don Garber announced the league would add two additional teams in 2011, bringing the total number of clubs to 18 following the introduction of Seattle in 2009 and Philadelphia in 2010.

The Whitecaps and owner Greg Kerfoot will join with NBA star and Victoria native Steve Nash to make the bid. Nash's brother, Martin, is a midfielder for the Whitecaps.

As for the Impact, the Globe further confirmed the Saputo family, who own the Montreal USL team, will join forces with Liverpool FC and Montreal Canadiens owner George Gillett to bring an MLS team to Quebec.

It has been previously reported in the Ottawa Citizen that the owner of the NHL's Ottawa Senators, Eugene Melnyk, is interested in bidding for an MLS team. Garber confirmed a group from Ottawa has expressed interest in an expansion team during his state of the league address in Toronto on Wednesday. In fact, Garber mentioned Ottawa alongside Montreal and Vancouver, making it seem that Melnyk is more than just curious in acquiring a football team. A video of the address is available on mlsnet.com.

A bid by Melnyk would not likely target the two spots opening in 2011, however. A later bid, closer to 2014-2015 is more likely.

Portsmouth look at Wright-Phillips bid

According to The Guardian, Portsmouth are looking at making a move for seldom-used Chelsea midfielder Shaun Wright-Phillips.

The south-coast team would make the diminutive winger the replacement for Sulley Muntari, who looks set to move to Inter Milan for around £12.5 million. Portsmouth would use the proceeds of that deal to acquire Wright-Phillips.

This would be a great move for both club and player. Wright-Phillips is a fantastic player who has stagnated on the bench at Chelsea.

For Wright-Phillips, it would be a great opportunity to vault himself back into England contention, as Fabio Capello will be watching UEFA Cup-bound Portsmouth intently this year with Peter Crouch, Jermaine Defoe, David James and Sol Campbell all likely to feature for Pompey this term.

MLS expansion plan to be revealed today

According to an article on the Montreal Gazette website, the MLS will expand to 24 teams by 2015. The plan will be revealed today by MLS commissioner Don Garber at the MLS All-Star game being held in Toronto. The announcement will follow a board of governors meeting.

Among the teams identified in the article as likely candidates for expansion are Montreal and Vancouver, along with fellow USL clubs Portland, Atlanta and Miami.

Such a plan would be earth-shattering for the 11-team USL, with Seattle set to join the MLS next season.

Also raised in the article is the fact that the Saputo family, who own both the Montreal Impact and Saputo Stadium, would need to find investment to help fund a stadium expansion and higher payroll demanded by a move up to the MLS. The story suggests that none other than Liverpool co-owner (and Montreal Canadiens owner) George Gillett could be involved in such a plan. Interesting...

I think most people who follow the league believe the league should be bigger, but I'm a little wary about a couple of things.

What indeed happens to the USL? Aside from the USL first division, there is a USL-2 which is roughly the same size, along with the PDL, which consists of several leagues across the U.S. and Canada. While it would be easy to simply bump some teams up to fill the void, the loss of strong markets would surely be detrimental to the USL as a whole.

For the MLS as well, the crippling of the USL wouldn't be the best of situations. Many North American players get a start in the USL -- it acts as an unaffiliated feeder league. Without a strong USL, the development of homegrown talent will suffer.

Perhaps as part of any expansion talks, the MLS and USL need to enter into some sort of partnership to ensure they are able to coexist. Hopefully the U.S. soccer federation will step in with their thoughts as well.

Secondly, one of the strengths of the MLS has been their patient approach to expansion. Currently there are 14 teams. There are two more teams already set for expansion, Seattle in 2009 and Philadelphia in 2010. Does this mean the league wants to add eight teams in the five years between then and 2015?

This seems a little over the edge. I think even 20 teams by 2015 would be a fine goal, allowing the league to reach what is globally recognized as pretty much as big as you want a single tier to get. Anyways, what's wrong with seeing how things are going at 20 teams? I'm not naive enough to think this isn't about money (the next set of teams admitted to the league will pay a $40 million expansion fee each, reportedly), but why risk it?

I've long thought the more MLS has tried to emulate the best leagues in the world, the more successful it's been. It should keep on that track.

CBC spoils Toronto FC - Montreal Impact clash

So I was searching the dial to find where I could catch the final match of the Canadian Championship between Toronto FC and the Montreal Impact (tonight, 7:00 p.m.). Flicking through the menu on my digital cable box, I discovered the game is being shown on two channels: TLN (an Italian cultural channel out of Toronto) and something called CBC Bold.

Well, despite pumping out a considerable sum every month to ensure I get total football coverage (Setanta, check! GolTV, check! Fox Sportsworld, check! The Score, check!), I do not get either of these sideshow channels. This is not going over well.

The game will decide the supposed Canadian champions, since Montreal are in the driving seat, only a win for Toronto will snatch the title for the Reds. It's going to be captivating stuff, and will hopefully provide a new birth for Canadian club football. The winner will gain a berth in the CONCACAF Champions League to boot.

But I'm going to have to sit in front of my computer screen, watching the game via the CBC website, in a teeny, tiny viewing window, with a halting, grainy picture.

What would CBC need to preempt to put the game on their main feed? Coronation Street, Just for Laughs Gags, The Rick Mercer Report and This Hour Has 22 Minutes! That's it. A bunch of bleeding reruns.

The national, publicly funded network is showing reruns instead of what could be a defining moment in the country for the world's game.

I encourage anyone who is even marginally as outraged as I am to send the CBC an email, letting them know they missed the boat on this one.

Columbus is burning ... err, not really.

Apparently some Columbus Crew supporters decided to engage in some aggressive taunting at friendly match between the MLS side and West Ham United in Ohio last night. According to reports in the media, about 100 Crew supporters scuffled with about 30 West Ham faithful, resulting in approximately one (1) arrest, so far as I can tell.

The reports want to suggest the West Ham supporters somehow incited the brawl by entering the section of the stadium where the most dedicated Crew supporters congregate.

I find this dubious at best. Much like in other parts of the world, security at North American sporting events check tickets of patrons who want to enter a particular section before they are allowed to enter. However it is possible, at some stadiums, to walk in front of a given section to get to another section of the stadium. It's more likely the West Ham supporters were coming back to their own seats with a beer or hot dog or empty bladder and were taunted by the Crew contingent, and things devolved from there.

Where things have really devolved are on the message boards of the websites posting these stories.

If one were to take a look at ESPN Soccernet's story on the incident, scroll down to the bottom and open the link to the ESPN Conversations section of the story, you'd see a dizzying array of accounts from supposed eyewitnesses, a bunch of people who want to boast about their city's mostly collegiate sporting tradition and people who hate football (soccer, not American football, which many of them thump their chests about). Some of it is really funny, some of it is typical American arrogance.

Over on The Times' site, people seem to be a bit more composed, a bit more accurate with their commentary. One post, (which can be viewed via the link provided) by a gentleman named Graham Bunting of London, sums up who likely incited the brawl. Or at least I find it the wittiest explanation:

"I assume that the West Ham fans were dedicated members of the official supporters club, Americans with a passing interest or family link and holidaymakers, rather than a wealthy faction of the ICF, on a transatlantic tour of ultra-violence.
What is really depressing is the knee jerk reaction here."

Indeed.

Take the money: Sell Kaka to Chelsea

If a report in The Guardian today is accurate, Chelsea have placed a world record €100 million (£79.3 million) bid for AC Milan's star Brazilian midfielder Kaka. If the fee is accepted by the Serie A side, it would more than smash the previous record of £46 million which Real Madrid paid for French midfielder Zinedine Zidane in 2001.

According to a subsequent report on ESPN Soccernet, Milan have said Kaka is not for sale.

Really? Why not? There is no player in the world actually worth such an astronomical sum of money, so why not consider such a bid, if it has indeed been made?

On Wednesday, Milan signed Kaka's compatriot, Ronaldinho from Barcelona for a reported £16.7 million. Kaka is a younger player, an in-form player, I would say a better player than Ronaldinho. Is he almost five times the player that Ronaldinho is? No, of course not.

That Chelsea are willing to wildly overpay for a player is not new, nor is it really my issue. Roman Abramovich's piggy bank has been broken open for quite a while and the bottom of the pile is nowhere in sight.

But who are Milan to turn down such a sum? Based on various transfer fees being bandied about at the moment, Milan could take their new found Russian oil money kindly granted to them by Chelsea and purchase Arsenal's Emanuel Adebayor, Liverpool's Xabi Alonso and Chelsea's Frank Lampard, with change to spare. And those are just players being discussed at the moment.

As I discussed yesterday, AC Milan have problems which need to be addressed. Signing Ronaldinho will help, but the funds from the potential sale of Kaka would allow a more complete makeover that would surely see Milan back in the top four sooner rather than later.

In sport, money talks. If I was in charge at Milan, I'd take the money, because an offer as wild as this won't come along again.

Ronaldinho has met his match with AC Milan

I would like to take this time to personally congratulate both Brazilian international Ronaldinho and Italian Serie A side AC Milan. I feel this is "a really special moment" that could be the start of something big. It is only natural that "every player dreams of playing in a team as important as Milan, for this club's greatness and the importance of their players." This truly is "already a victory" for both club and player.

How curious it is the two biggest footballing names I've seen associated with weight problems have either signed or are linked with Milanese clubs (according to The H List, Frank Lampard is very fat indeed). Ronaldinho was at his chubby best for the Rossoneri media Wednesday, whipping out that Cheshire grin on cue and bowing politely to the 30,000 some-odd supporters (rubber-neckers maybe?) who turned up to support (or gawk at) the £16.7 million signing.

This really is a perfect match. Milan seem content to sign players creeping up on their thirties, while Ronaldinho seems content to continue his lazy ways in the slow-paced Serie A. Milan have some challenges ahead of them this season, like finishing in the top four, winning the UEFA Cup (an easy task for Bayern Munich last season, right?) and continuing the long process of replacing the geriatrics who make up a good chunk of their roster. Ronaldinho will help to be sure (he scored 89 goals in 190 appearances for Barcelona), but if things don't go swimmingly, don't wait for the former Big Barcelona Sulk to pitch in for the cause.

Frankly, I couldn't picture him trotting out for a Manchester derby for the blue half of the city. He'd be weeping by halftime after 11 Red Devils ran circles around him for 45 minutes. Manchester City were reported to have offered roughly £10 million more than Milan, but it likely would have been money wasted. Fancy footwork only flies in the Premier League when you've got the pace to back it up. Manchester's Mark Hughes may have saved himself some valuable cash when all is said and done.

Speaking of cash, according to a report on ESPN Soccernet, Milan fans "snapped up 5,230 season tickets out of a total of 18,518 sold during the whole of the close-season subscription period." Mr. Berlusconi is smiling, that's for sure.

Carson not really worth that much after all

After many reports earlier in the year had former Liverpool keeper Scott Carson valued near £10 million, he signed with West Bromwich Albion for a paltry £3.25 million, according to The Guardian. The England international, who played on loan at Aston Villa last season, had been linked with a move to Stoke City for around £3.5 million, but the Baggies move could be increased by another £500,000 based on "performance-related criteria," according to the Guardian.

Carson is not the first young English keeper of promise to play for West Brom after time at Liverpool -- Wigan goalkeeper Chris Kirkland played on at the Hawthorns during the 2005-2006 season.

Slow summer days with the Canadian national team, Newcastle United and Bobby Zamora

Yes it must really be summer. A cruise through the news reveals little of any substance, aside from the first few preseason matches and the usual gossip about names we've all heard a few too many times.

On the plus side, I've got my tickets booked for Canada's upcoming World Cup qualifying matches against Jamaica and Honduras, being held in Toronto on Aug. 20 and in Montreal on Sept. 6, respectively. These will be crucial games for the Canadians, with six points almost mandatory if they expect to qualify for the next round. To help alleviate my blogging boredom down the road, I'll do a proper preview of the group, which also includes the Mad Scientist (Sven Goran Eriksson, that is) coached Mexico.

Speaking of Canada (in a roundabout way), it appears as though some curious Danes have stumbled upon my little site: news of Dwayne De Rosario's potential move to FC Copenhagen enough to draw a whole ton of interest from over there. If any Copenhagen supporters want to chime in, by all means tell us what you've got to say about your club!

Speaking of supporters, if there are any Newcastle United supporters out there who can tell me what exactly is the club's objectives in the transfer market, I would be grateful. While I understand it's only The Daily Mail, supposedly Kevin Keegan is interested in Argentine "star" Pablo Aimar. Is this who Newcastle wants? Surely Keegan has some sort of plan, some way to repair a fragile squad hastily built by Sam Allardyce, who acted like a kid who just got a raise in their allowance.

Based on what I've seen over the past few seasons (perhaps the past ten years) all it takes to get noticed by Newcastle is a flashy pair of boots. This team has serious problems at almost every position -- bringing in an admittedly talented Aimar may not be the best way to spend owner Mike Ashley's money, especially when he seems rather worried about it right now.

Speaking of dubious ways to spend coin from the coffers, Fulham is looking at West Ham striker Bobby Zamora, according to The Telegraph among others. I think Mr. Zamora's record speaks for itself: 130 games for the Hammers, 30 goals. And would you believe Fulham are reported to be paying a £6.25 million fee?

At a rate of less than a goal every four games, I think it has become abundantly clear that all the hype surrounding Zamora when he was a youngster was just that, hype. He has yet to show he can score at the Premier League level and might be best to find a tamer pasture in the Championship.

And finally today, something that made me smile from The Mirror: a cheeky picture gallery that shows us what Cristiano Ronaldo's life in the dungeons of Manchester United is like. Enjoy!

World Cup 2010 rumor & Dwayne De Rosario to Copenhagen?

This week I tuned in to a podcast that I've been away from for far too long: World Soccer Daily. What the hell was I thinking? This is still, along with the Guardian Football Weekly and Footy Show, mandatory listening for any Canadian football fan.

Anyways, my reward for correcting my negligent behaviour was a pair of juicy rumours.

According to Steven and Kenny, FIFA has confirmed three contingency nations to host World Cup 2010 if things continue to go awry in South Africa. The United States, England and Spain apparently have agreed to host the tournament if South Africa continues to fall behind on development.

This week, Sepp Blatter announced that three nations had been contacted to provide cover in case of a natural catastrophe, but refused to provide the identity of the countries. As well, it was announced that a new stadium under construction in Port Elizabeth will not be ready for next year's Confederations Cup, casting further doubt on the status of the 2010 event.

The second rumour, heard on yesterday's show, which was not confirmed by the player himself (but not denied either), is that Canadian star midfielder Dwayne De Rosario, who plays for the Houston Dynamo of the MLS, could be lining up a move to Danish side FC Copenhagen. Such a move would allow De Rosario to participate in the UEFA Cup, for which Copenhagen have qualified, and a chance to play alongside fellow Canada international Atiba Hutchison.

I think De Rosario, two-time MLS player of the year, has proven himself at the MLS level and it's time for him to move on to a higher level of competition. This is great news, I feel, for Canadian fans as an improved Dwayne De Rosario would certainly improve Canada's chances to qualify for the 2010 World Cup, wherever it might be played.

Toronto FC miss out on Huckerby, Ronaldo doing his best to become most hated man in Manchester

Toronto FC target Darren Huckerby has signed for the San Jose Earthquakes. It had been hoped that former Norwich City teammate Carl Robinson and English coach John Carver might be able to sway the 32-year-old forward to sign for the Reds, but according to a story on ESPN Soccernet, Huckerby's agent said he "liked the idea of California."

The Reds will now pin their hopes on signing former Manchester City striker Paul Dickov.

Ronaldo thumbs his nose at Manchester

Cristiano Ronaldo seems to be doing his best to annoy everyone in the red half of Manchester these days. Not only has the Portugal winger essentially said his dream is to play for Real Madrid, he is now agreeing with the foggy commentary that spews from FIFA boss Sepp Blatter.

According to a story in The Guardian, on the topic of players and their public wishes to move from club to club, Blatter said there was "too much modern slavery" in football.

This was followed by Ronaldo agreeing with Blatter:

"It's true. I agree with what the president of FIFA said. I know what I want and what I would like. We have to see what happens. I do not know where I will begin next season."

Clearly, much like Gareth Barry of Aston Villa, a statement like this is crudely designed to force a club's hand. It is unfortunate for the fans of Manchester United, who generally recieve a reasonable amount of loyalty from their players, that someone of Ronaldo's stature needs to continue with his childish ways off the pitch, instead of restricting his tantrums to the field of play.

Other Transfer News

Manchester United have bid £20 million for Tottenham striker Dimitar Berbatov, according to a report in The Daily Mail. Spurs apparently will insist on £30 million. The article goes on to state Alex Ferguson is not looking to replace Cristiano Ronaldo, but "the manager is interested only in strengthening his side." Really...

The Times reports Tottenham Hotspur are looking to sign top Espanyol striker Luis Garcia (not to be confused with former Liverpool midfielder Luis Garcia, now of Athletico Madrid). The article suggests Spurs are looking to rid themselves of two of Robbie Keane (Liverpool?), Darren Bent (Wigan, possibly) or Berbatov. Garcia would apparently cost the north London club around £8 million.

Newcastle have signed Liverpool's Danny Guthrie for an undisclosed fee according to several sources. The 21-year-old midfielder impressed while on loan last season with Bolton enough that several clubs were interested in acquiring his services.

Things are getting strange at Blackburn. New manager Paul Ince apparently has no ambition of moving his side up the table, if his transfer dealings are any indication. It has been widely reported that former Cardiff City and Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler has joined Rovers and a report in The Daily Mail has Ince lining up current Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant as a replacement for David Bentley, whom the former MK Dons manager has resigned himself to losing. Good luck with the new job, Gov.

Scolari a boost to Premier League, TFC need win to avoid embarrassment

After watching clips of the initial news conference held by Luiz Felipe Scolari, the new manager of Chelsea, I couldn't help but smile. Seeing the Brazilian in action was like a breath of fresh air ... almost like, like something special?

He also appeared to have no fear of his new boss, Roman Abramovich. When asked what his relationship is like with the Russian owner, he replied that he had met Abramovich twice and they're getting along well. I believe he even said they're friends. Bold, very bold, I'd say.

No he's not the second coming of The Special One. When asked whether he was special, the former Portugal manager replied, in much better English than Fabio Capello can muster, that he is special: to his family and friends.

There is a boldness, a confidence about Scolari. He appears ready for the task at hand, perhaps much more ready than several other managers who have recently been appointed (not to point fingers, but Kevin Keegan hasn't really exuded too much confidence in his second spell at Newcastle).

He'll need every ounce of courage he can muster, since chief executive Peter Kenyon, in an article posted on ESPN Soccernet, suggested that along about mid-season Scolari will learn what it means to be the manager of one of the top four clubs in England.

I'm sure with the media circus surrounding the club Scolari has already figured that out. The transfer saga surrounding Frank Lampard and the possible departure of the club's top striker in Didier Drogba (Scolari says he's 200 per cent in his plans, however) has surely given the man known as Big Phil all the warning he needs as to what he's about to experience.

I'm prepared to tip Chelsea for some form of success this year, they have deep pockets and now have a manager who appears a match for the task at hand.

Toronto FC have work to do after draw

After drawing 2-2 with the Vancouver Whitecaps last night at Swangard Stadium, Toronto FC have their work cut out for them to avoid embarrassment in the Nutrilite Canadian Championships. The three team tournament determines Canada's entrant into the 32 team CONCACAF Champions League.

TFC currently have four points through three games: a victory over the Montreal Impact at Saputo Stadium, their first home defeat of the season against Vancouver at home and last night's draw.

It wouldn't look good at all for Canada's sole MLS side to bow out to a USL foe, which is what will happen if Toronto fail to beat Montreal on July 22 at BMO Field.

The Reds striking woes continue to haunt them with only the disappointing Jeff Cunningham available to lead the line with Danny Dichio out injured. Head coach John Carver and company better get things sorted out in a hurry if they want to be playing in the continent's top competition later this year.

Transfer News & Rumours

As I alluded to above, Frank Lampard is threatening to quit Chelsea after they turned down a £7.95 million transfer offer from Inter Milan, according to The Guardian. The article goes on to say that the 30-year-old Lampard is considering exploiting a rule whereby a player who signed a contract before he is 28 years of age can buy out that contract after three years have elapsed. Very heavy stuff indeed, things could get ugly for Mr. Lampard.

The Telegraph is that Barcelona has agreed to a fee for Arsenal's unsettled midfielder Alexander Hleb. The Catalan club will pay £11.9 million up front, with the fee rising to £13.3 million depending on how Hleb's new club performs.

Fans of Olympique Marseille are trying to muster up enough cash to help the club purchase Didier Drogba from Chelsea, according to a report on ESPN Soccernet. The group has already raised £4,000 of the £22 million they feel is required to prise the striker from the London club. If you want to contribute to the cause, go to www.doodle.ch, but I'm pretty sure the sum is a bridge two or three too far.

The Daily Mail is reporting that striker Andy Johnson could be moving to Wigan if Everton accepts a £10 million bid. Johnson, who moved to Everton from Crystal Palace for £8 million, has become unsettled in David Moyes side the story reports. I think a move away from Goodison could be positive for the England international, who could benefit from playing alongside target man Emile Heskey at the JJB.

Also on Soccernet, eight of the 17 directors of Barcelona have stepped down following the near successful vote to unseat club president Joan Laporta on Sunday. This surely makes Laporta's position untenable and his days at the club will be numbered.

What if ... Euro 2008 had 24 teams?

Spain had barely been crowned champions of Europe when the UEFA brain trust decided to crassly announce they had every intention of capitalizing on the success of Austria-Switzerland by bumping up the number of entrants to the final tournament in 2016 to 24 from the current 16.

I'd like to think that most everyone feels this is simply a boneheaded idea spawned from the mind of someone who routinely says boneheaded things, Michel Platini. Yes, it appears this will indeed become reality, thereby ruining the unique format of the Euro tournament: the top 16 teams from the deepest confederation in the world.

But let me play devil's advocate for a moment and paint a picture of what Euro 2008 might have looked like had 24 teams been part of the competition. We know who the top teams are, since they were in the actual field. The remaining teams would consist of the third place finishers in the seven qualifying groups, plus the top fourth place finisher:

Serbia, Scotland, Norway, Republic of Ireland, England, Northern Ireland, Bulgaria and Finland (24 pts.), who edge out Israel (23 pts.).

Initially, this looks like a fairly forlorn group, right? But Serbia and Finland (tied on 24 points) played well in Group A, only trailing Poland and Portugal by four and three points respectively. Remember the Portuguese were favourites at one point, right? Well, they only managed four points out of four games against these two sides.

Scotland of course caused France and Italy no end of trouble in qualifying, while Northern Ireland beat both Spain and Sweden at home and only lost 1-0 to the European champions in Las Palmas. Bulgaria meanwhile suffered its only loss away to the Dutch, 2-0.

Norway and Finland are both plucky teams in the Scandinavian mold. The Republic of Ireland were the only side to finish third in their group with fewer than 20 points (they had 17) but even they would have been a match for the hapless hosts Austria.

And finally England. While they did seem to miss out in the most spectacular fashion, essentially sealing their own fate with a rare home loss to a very impressive Croatia, England rarely fail to compete at tournaments. They may make things hard on themselves, but aside from Euro 2000, they have made the knockout stage of each tournament since 1996. They would have been at least as good as the Czechs, who I think were the best team not to advance in this year's tournament.

The biggest fault I see with the 24 team format is that the number of games would make the proceedings drag on. Sixteen teams makes for a short, intense spectacle, which is what I think we all enjoy about the Euro.

Transfer News & Rumors

The Guardian reports Zenit St. Petersburg have rejected a £11.8 million bid from Barcelona for Andrei Arshavin. With Chelsea also in the hunt, Arshavin has been given two weeks off by the Russian club, in the midst of their season, to decide his future.

Chelsea are ready to break the world transfer fee record to secure the services of AC Milan's Kaka, according to The Times. This would mean an amount in excess of the £46 million paid by Real Madrid for Zinedine Zidane. Milan would prefer to not sell their Brazilian star, but the club is suffering financially after failing to qualify for the Champions League.

A report in The Mirror has Real Madrid President Ramon Calderon claiming the Spanish champions will back off on a bid for Cristiano Ronaldo until the Manchester United winger proves his fitness, but said his club is still interested:

"If they say sometime that they would like to sell we will be there and will ask."

And so the saga continues...

The Daily Mail is reporting that Liverpool has given striker Peter Crouch permission to speak with Portsmouth. The Merseyside club has accepted an offer for the England player, bringing one of Liverpool's transfer sideshows to an end.

Alan Shearer is getting ready to take over as manager of Championship side Southampton, according to The Daily Star. The former Newcastle striker turned down an offer from Toon boss Kevin Keegan to be the No. 2 at St. James Park earlier this year. Now, can he bring the fragile Saints back to the Premier League?

Finally, Joan Laporta was given somewhat of a reprieve yesterday when only 60.6 per cent of Barcelona club members gave him the thumbs down. The vote was six per cent short of the two-thirds required to oust the top man at the Nou Camp. Some 37,294 members turned up to vote, easily surpassing the 10 per cent of all members (15,184) needed to legitimize the vote. Laporta, according to a story on the ESPN Soccernet website, vowed to continue despite the apparent lack of support:

"It may seem contradictory, but in a few months time we will see that Barca is the real winner," he said. "It's a democratic exercise which could not possibly cause any social division. The Board should read into the results and analyse them profoundly as this is a really good result for us."

Good luck, Joan.

Barcelona's Laporta could pay the price lack of silverware

A number of reports today appear to leave the future of Barcelona President Joan Laporta up in the air. According to the Barcelona website, the club reported the club is in an excellent financial situation, but a Reuters story on ESPN Soccernet suggests Laporta, who faces a club confidence vote on Sunday, could get the axe after the team's disappointing results since winning the League and the European Championship in 2006.

While the club has increased its revenues by $29.9 million Cdn over last year and by $296 million over the past five years. The club also reported net income of $16.1 million in the past year.

With a healthy balance sheet, why would Barcelona consider sacking Laporta? I would suggest with that Barcelona club members demand more that just money in the bank. Yes Laporta has replaced manager Frank Rijkaard with popular former player Pep Guardiola, who has in turn pledged to ship Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto'o out for next season. Recent purchases like Daniel Alves and sales such as Deco moving to Chelsea are also a sign things are changing in Barcelona.

But La Liga is changing and Barcelona may not be adapting quickly enough. Many top players are choosing to play in England, rival Real Madrid has abandoned its Galactico policy and won two titles running as a result, while teams like Athletico Madrid, Sevilla and Villarreal have become genuine contenders in a league that is much more competitive than when Barca last hoisted a cup.

Even in Europe, where Barcelona have remained competitive, they have fared poorly against the top English opposition. In order for Laporta to be voted out on Sunday, 10 per cent of voting club members must turn out and vote two-thirds in favour of dumping the boss. If Laporta does indeed take the fall, recent changes in Catalonia could just be the beginning of a larger revolution at the club.

Transfer Rumours

Despite leaving England and flourishing in Turkey at Fenerbahce last year, Colin Kazim-Richards, otherwise known as Kazim-Kazim on the Turkish national side, may be headed to Manchester City, reports The Telegraph. The article suggests a bid of 4 million pounds may be required to lure the player back to Britain.

Wigan manager Steve Bruce wants to reunite with Birmingham City midfielder Olivier Kapo, according to The Mirror, in a deal that could cost 3.5 million pounds along with defender Ryan Taylor heading to St. Andrews in a part exchange.

Several sources are reporting that Arsenal are interested in acquiring the services of Obafemi Maritins from Newcastle United. Martins told The Sun:

“Is Arsenal a good club? Yes. Would I love to play there? Probably, if Newcastle are ready to listen to them. But if Newcastle says no then it’ll be no.”

With Adebayor rumoured to be on the way out, Martins could be had for less than half the 30 million pounds Arsenal have set as the value for their prolific striker.

And finally, multiple sources have disgruntled Liverpool striker Peter Crouch moving to Portsmouth for a fee of 10 million pounds. The lanky England international played 37 games for Pompey between July 2001 and March 2002, when he was sold to Aston Villa by Harry Redknapp, who was just starting his first stint at Fratton Park. According to an article in The Guardian, Crouch prefers Portsmouth to Tottenham, who were looking for Crouch to be a makeweight in a potential swap for Robbie Keane.

Are players running (or ruining) the transfer market?

Almost since the end of the European club season, there has been rampant speculation about the status of several top players from top clubs in England. Now I'm not naive enough to suggest this is a new phenomenon, or that it doesn't make for fine summer reading, but several of these situations strike me as being a bit odd.

The three I players I have in mind are Cristiano Ronaldo, Emmanuel Adebayor and Gareth Barry. All three were integral to the success of their teams, Manchester United, Arsenal and Aston Villa, respectively, in the past season. Under normal circumstances, you might think that as players employed by successful clubs, they would be reasonably happy and would look forward to leading their teams out come August for another year in what is arguably the best league in the world.

Yet all three look poised to move to clubs that have through various means cast them a means of escape from such success. Real Madrid has done little to hide their adoration of Ronaldo, Barcelona have been bleating about Adebayor and Liverpool harbour ambitions of acquiring Barry. These are players under contract, but it appears under no circumstances were the clubs approached prior to it becoming public knowledge that suitors did indeed exist.

The strict definition of "tapping up" escapes me, but I'm sure a clever lawyer would be able to prove it has occurred in some form in each instance. Unfortunately for the fans of these clubs, even FIFA and UEFA have said little about these less than straightforward approaches.

What makes matters worse, is that none of the players in question have made even the most amateur attempt to remain loyal to their employers. Barry went so far as to lash out at his boss Martin O'Neill, trying to blame the manager for his new found desire to flee the club he captains.

If the clubs and the parent associations are unwilling to impose some form of policing on the transfer system, it appears as though players are simply free agents year round, with the lack of a fat salary from a huge club the only reason for them to stay where they are.

TFC looking at Dickov, Huckerby

According to a story published today in the National Post, former Manchester City striker Paul Dickov and former Norwich City forward Darren Huckerby are in talks with the MLS club.

The story indicated that the 35-year-old Dickov is the more likely to sign, with the oft injured Huckerby, 32, reluctant to play on BMO Field's artificial turf (still look like a good idea to put that stuff in?). At any rate, TFC owns the MLS rights to both players (and U.S. international Brian McBride, who is looking to finish his career in hometown Chicago), so if another team wants to sign them, TFC will be owed compensation.

Either man would be a bonus for TFC, who are once again struggling up front. The signing of a new striker would open the door for inconsistent Jeff Cunningham to be moved, which has been a long time coming.

Today's Transfers

Middlesbrough have completed the signing of Sparta Rotterdam forward Marvin Emnes. The Dutch under-21 international signed with the Teeside club for 3.2 million pounds.

Liverpool completed the signing of Italian full back Andrea Dossena from Udinese for an undisclosed fee. Dossena will play down the left, replacing Norwegian John Arne Riise who was sold to Roma earlier this week.

West Ham have signed 17-year-old defender Holmar Orn Eyjolfsson from HK Kopavogur for an undisclosed fee. According to the club's website, the Icelandic under-21 spent a week on trial at West Ham in February.

Daily Rumors

Barcelona's Ronaldinho is "80-90 per cent" certain to move to Italian giants AC Milan, according to The Times.

Former Liverpool and Leeds United midfielder Harry Kewell's agent denies his client has signed for Turkish side Galatasaray, The Guardian reports.

Tottenham are on the trail of Russia's Euro 2008 star forward Roman Pavlyuchenko, who plays at Spartak Moscow, according to The Telegraph.

Ballack out, Fabregas in?

According to ESPN Soccernet, German captain Michael Ballack is doubtful for tomorrow's Euro 2008 final match. This would unbalance the German side, as Ballack has been central to most everything his team has done well in this tournament.

This development comes alongside the possibility widely reported that Spanish midfielder Cesc Fabregas may be the one to replace the injured David Villa. Fabregas had a significant impact on the Spanish attack once he came on in the semi-final, replacing the injured Villa. With Fabregas in and Ballack out, the scales may be tipping in favour of a Spanish team that hasn't been in a final since 1984.

The Footy Show

Hats off to the Footy Show for an excellent podcast they released Friday. Joe Ross and James Sharman, the pods usual hosts, spent half an hour talking with former Canadian international and U20 coach Paul James about the state of football in this country. I didn't agree with everything James had to say (such as suggesting the men's national team should shut up and play where the CSA tells them to), but I think he had some great insight into where the Canadian game should go (he likes MLS in Ottawa and believes the collegiate system in Canada should be our route to producing players). Available through iTunes and the Score website, this is great listening for anyone who loves the game in Canada.

Canada in Montreal

As I mentioned in my last post, I went to see Canada play St. Vincent & the Grenadines in Montreal on Friday, June 20. The game was less than good, with the visitors lacking any real quality and Canada not really taking advantage, but the home side won 4-1 nonetheless. Both Ali Gerba and Dwayne De Rosario had excellent games for Canada, Gerba coming close to a hat trick several times but settling for a brace.

Saputo Stadium, nestled under the shadow of Olympic Stadium in east Montreal, is a top class facility. The pitch was immaculate and the atmosphere was decent. Richard Starnes, who blogs for the Ottawa Citizen, was amongst the journalists to suggest many of the Canadians would like to play their upcoming group stage matches exclusively at the new Montreal stadium.

This is unlikely as the CSA wants the games in Toronto and Edmonton, but I'm sure top-level football is sure to return to la belle province in the near future. Particularly if Canada makes it through its group of Mexico, Honduras and Jamaica into the final group stage, where five games will be played on Canadian soil.

MLS in Ottawa, We're off to see Canada and number 7

MLS coming to Ottawa?

According to a report by Hugh Adami in the Ottawa Citizen today, the owner of the Ottawa Senators and Biovail founder Eugene Melnyk is actively seeking to bring a MLS team to the city.

As Adami points out in the article, billionaire Melnyk faces a rough road in his quest, both from the City of Ottawa who are reluctant to pump money into either aging Frank Clair stadium or a new stadium at a new site and from competition for new franchises.

MLS wants to add four teams to its 14 league by 2012 according to Adami's piece, with Seattle and Philadelphia already claiming two berths. To make matters worse for a potential Melnyk bid, groups in both Montreal and Vancouver are eying teams of their own. They both happen to have the advantage of already owning USL teams with decent fan bases. Ottawa have the USL Player Development League Fury, which draws next to no media coverage and little in the way of fan support.

Melnyk's ambition is admirable, since football appears to be gaining a firm toehold in the Canadian sporting scene and top flight clubs will eventually dot cities here. I think MLS has other plans and as a U.S.-based league, they will surely look to build their business in U.S. cities.

As for the next Canadian team, I feel MLS will favour Vancouver, if only because it's profile will be high in the next few years with the 2010 Winter Olympic Games and another West Coast team will balance out travel for a league strung across this massive continent.

As a side note, Adami mentions that NBA star and Victoria native Steve Nash is interested in putting some cash into an MLS team, also strengthening a Vancouver bid.

Canada vs. St Vincent & the Grenadines

I'm heading off today to see the second leg match in Canada's opening World Cup 2010 qualifying round. Canada lead 3-0 after the first leg, so a home tie being held at the brand new Saputo Stadium in Montreal should be a matter of course. It should be good fun, with a post tomorrow to fill in all the blanks.

One number 7 is playing well...

Anyone who follows this blog at all (yes, all two of you I'm sure) knows I admire the skills of Christiano Ronaldo, but despise him as an athlete competing in sporting events. Well, I am vindicated for another day after his uber-sulk yesterday against the Germans in Portugal's 3-2 defeat in the Euro 2008 quarterfinal.

Ronaldo put in about five minutes (total) of noticeable effort, resulting in one goal, as far as I could tell. Yes, not a bad return for a match. But when you are supposed to be the Greatest Player To Ever Play (as anointed by many in the naive media) and your team in fact needed two ADDITIONAL goals to win (plus the one he had nothing to do with) and you simply sulk because the Germans won't cave to your otherworldly footballing powers, you don't really deserve the hype.

Another player wearing number seven in this match, looked like he may be one of the best in the world right now. Bastian Schweinsteiger had a superb match, as did German captain Michael Ballack. If these two keep it up, Germany will be tough to beat. Schweinsteiger is playing like a man possessed right now, and is closer to being the player Ronaldo is supposed to be than Portugal's defeated number seven.

Scolari and other things Portuguese

I watched the Portugal-Czech Republic game on television with some interest last night, partly because I picked a Czech upset in my EURO 2008 pool, partly because I wasn't as impressed as many were by their 2-0 win versus Turkey in their tournament opener.

They had moments during that game where they looked a menacing, attacking force set on reducing the Turks to ruin. Overall, however, they simply played an efficient match, producing the result that many expected. Deco, Ronaldo and company had yet to show any of the flash that makes them the sexy choice to win the tournament.

Last night in Geneva however, the talent of Portugal rose to the top with a masterful performance by Deco, resulting in the first plaudits for Ronaldo. Yes, the young Manchester United winger looked more like the Premier League Golden Boot winner than he did against Turkey, but it was Deco who created the opportunities to shine.

The Czechs looked a better match for the Portuguese, but in the end they lack the creativity usually provided by the injured Arsenal midfielder Tomas Rosicky. They threatened the Portuguese goal enough to lead me to think they will get the result against Turkey, but the quarterfinals is surely all they have to look forward to.

That brings us to what transpired after the match, an announcement by Chelsea that they had appointed Luiz Felipe Scolari as their new manager to replace Avram Grant, who had been fired May 24.

That Portugal remains the choice source for Chelsea saviours is less than surprising -- Scolari, a native Brazilian, has done a masterful job managing Portugal. He has seamlessly moved the team from the Figo Era to the Ronaldo Era. He changes tactics to suit his chosen side and to exploit the opposition's weaknesses. Those traits will go well with the deep, diverse squad at Chelsea.

What remains to be seen is whether Scolari can cope with the media pressure placed on English club managers (reportedly he turned down the England job because he didn't want to face the cameras every day) and whether he can turn the vastness of Roman Abramovich's pile of gold into astute signings that can top the Russian's ultimate target: the European Championship.

If nothing else, Scolari will provide football fans with something Grant did not: a flamboyant, charismatic manager who will keep us wondering what he'll do next.

My EURO 2008 predictions

The two major international football tournaments, the World Cup and the European Championship, are great fun indeed for fans around the world. Games almost every day, top-class talent on display and wall-to-wall media coverage in some of the darndest places.

For my part, I'm going to look at some of the highs and lows of the 16-team field and hash out who will be happiest come June 29.

The Also-Rans

I'll spare you some money: don't be placing any wagers on Austria, Greece or Sweden to make any waves this year.

The co-hosts, Austria, are woeful without much anywhere in their line-up. No strikers, no wonder kids in the midfield, no intimidating center backs, no keepers. Nada. Their FIFA ranking, about 30 places below Canada for chrissakes, is a miserable 92nd. A scoring a goal would be a worthy milestone for this group.

Now I don't have anything against Greece, I just don't see lightning striking twice. Decent team, but up against Spain, Russia and Sweden in Group D, I can't see them eking through to the quarter-finals.

Oh yeah, Sweden. Yes, they're okay, but see the above argument and deduce that three points would be a good haul for this group.

Outside Shots

For some reason or another, the next group of teams has something that could potentially set them apart from some of the more established sides. Read: these guys could pull Greece -- Poland, Turkey, Romania, Russia and Switzerland.

Poland topped their group ahead of Portugal - beating them once and earning a draw in the process - during qualifying. They play disciplined, organized football, sort of like Greece! If they can get a point from either Croatia or Germany to go along with three against Austria in Group B, they could get through.

Switzerland are a similar case, with a solid back line and organized midfield that produced a good display two years ago in Germany. Coupled with their home field advantage, they could do enough to get past Portugal and Czech Republic and on into the quarters.

Romania, the poor cousin in the group of death, could very well sneak up on their glittering opposition and slip into the knockout round. With only one defeat in qualifying (a loss to Bulgaria on the next to last qualifying date -- they beat Albania 6-1 on the final day), they topped their group ahead of the Dutch. As such, they appear to be a reasonable force in their own right, led by Adrian Mutu who has come off a spectacular season at Fiorentina. Points will be precious here so even a modest return could vault a team into the quarters.

After finishing in the top four at Japan/Korea in 2002, Turkey have floundered a little. They haven't been to a major tournament since, but there's still talent in the lineup. Their group could be the most favourable, with no clear cut top two teams in Group A amongst Switzerland, Portugal and Czech Republic.

Finally, Russia are the team of this group that I could see making the most noise in the tournament. One factor makes me write this, and perhaps one fact alone: Guus Hiddink. This man knows international tournaments. Having guided the Netherlands to the semi-final of World Cup 1998, he took South Korea to the semis in 2002. In Germany two years ago, he came very close to guiding Australia past eventual champions Italy in the second round, losing on a last moment penalty. Russia perhaps aren't Holland, but they're comparable to Korea or Australia surely. Watch out...

The Usual Suspects

But of course we now must move on to the more realistic sides, the teams many of us have learned to both love and loath for their talents and bad habits: Portugal, Czech Republic, Croatia and France.

As is ever the case, there will be Portugal, trotting out in their claret and green kits, putting on a dazzling display of footwork and play acting. Inevitably however, they will fail once they come up against a team that really doesn't care what party tricks they can pull and Portugal will limp back to Lisbon ruing a missed opportunity four years ago against Greece. They're good, but there's probably seven other teams in the tournament as good or better.

The Czech Republic is in a similar set of circumstances. Competent, especially at the back (Petr Cech is not too bad...), the Czechs have the ability to beat anyone on their day. Their day however could be next year for all we know. They will miss Tomas Rosicky and Jan Koller is a year older, but the plucky Czechs did top their qualifying group over the Germans, so don't count them out until at least the quarter finals.

Croatia may be the best of this group and will probably be the best team not in the semifinals. They made the English look silly at Wembley and they have an exciting attack. Their downfall will be an aging back line that while they managed to hold an impotent England at bay will be tested much more sternly by any team not led by Steve McClaren. I've been particularly impressed by Niko Kranjcar over the past season at Portsmouth...be warned.

France are truly the elder statesmen of the tournament. Patrick Viera, Claude Makelele, Lillian Thuram and Thierry Henry will once again suit up for Les Bleus. Unlike World Cup 2006, there will be no Zinedine Zidane, who loaded the whole crew on his back and carried them until he lost his, err...head? There are great youngsters in the form of Karim Benzema and Sami Nasri, but wait at least a couple years before penciling in the French for glory.

The Big Four (Manchester, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool need not apply!)

For those who've been counting, only the Netherlands, Italy, Germany and Spain are left. I feel these guys are the ones to watch during the final three games of the tournament.

The Dutch are a shambles, that should be said at the outset. There is ceaseless rumour-mongering surrounding this squad, and outright rebellion never seems far away. That being said, the names Robben, van Nistelrooy, van der Vaart, van Persie and Sneijder should put the fear in the best of them...I'm scared and I'm an ocean away. The Dutch also feature Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, the player with the Greatest Name Ever. They are suspect at the back, which will likely be their Achilles heel if dissent isn't already. The outsider of the big four, relying on otherworldly, fragile talent. Oh yeah, they also play in the Group of Death.

As reigning world champions, Italy are not to be trifled with. They feature battle tested players who get the job done: Gattuso, Pirlo, Zambrotta, Materazzi (I know your sister...), Camoranesi, Toni, sheer quality all over the pitch. If only because I don't think they are as good as the French team that won both the World Cup and Europe, I think they may fall short. They will miss Canavaro, who is hurt, but will likely benefit from the absence of Totti, who seems to unbalance every team he is selected for. Keep an eye on Di Natale, who has impressed in the lead up to the tournament, Aquilani, who I really enjoyed watching play for Roma in the Champions League this year and De Rossi, because everyone who knows more than I do says so.

At the end of the month, Germany will likely be one of the teams left standing. Like Italy, they are solid all over the pitch, but unlike Italy, they have moved on an built upon a semi-final appearance in that tournament. Yes they didn't cruise through qualifying, but none of the favourites did. They do have some of the best players in the tournament, like Ballack, who could look to make EURO 2008 a crescendo on the calendar year in which he has risen from the hard, hard pine at the end of the Chelsea bench to regain his stature as one of the best around. Podolski, Kuranyi and Klose up front provide firepower, while Lahm and Jansen provide attacking flexibility from the full back positions. In goal is their biggest weakness, German fans should pray Lehmann retires from international play at the end of the tournament.

And the winner is...Spain? The right mix of veteran savvy, youthful exuberance and technical excellence may finally end the pain for the Spaniards. Casillas and Reina are the two best keepers outside of Cech in the tournament and they play for the same side. Fabregas' will complement the likes of Iniesta and Hernandez in the middle. Torres, Garcia, Villa and Silva will provide the goals. The defense is competent if not flawless. They play decent but not tough opposition in the opening round. They very well could win. Ole.

These are predictions, not results, and I am no expert, but that's the way I see it.

Putting Canadian football in perspective, David Beckham notwithstanding

It is somewhat of a strange weekend here in Canada, and not because it's almost June and we've seen not a whiff of humidity in southern Ontario.

Nor is it particularly out of the ordinary that David Beckham won't be playing for the L.A. Galaxy against Toronto FC later on this afternoon. That appears to have become a tradition, and I'm sure some other commitment will force Mr. Beckham to skip out on the fixture next year too.

But I digress...today is Soccer Day In Canada. This is a less than clever knockoff of what has become, in my opinion, a tired exercise when it is applied to hockey by the ubiquitous Canadian institution, the CBC.

Today the whole nation is expected to huddle around the television set and marvel at the beautiful game, in the form of U-14 games from Halifax and later yet another average production of the Toronto FC match. Interesting that Canada v. Brazil from Seattle isn't in the lineup, that match being shown on a rival network.

At any rate, I've shifted most of my attention lately to North America, after suffering through the pain of Liverpool being knocked out of the Champions League and then having to watch Manchester United lift both the Premier League and European trophies. There have been some good things happening in Canada, while some of the same cancers remain.

If you haven't taken the time to watch Toronto FC this season, they have vastly improved over last year's edition. Laurent Robert and Amado Guevara have almost instantly improved the squad. Gone are the days of kick-and-chase, TFC are playing more attractive football. Possession is maintained, attacks are built in a more calculated manner and this has given the defenders a respite from the frantic displays from last season. Players like Maurice Edu, Jim Brennan and Carl Robinson also look more comfortable in the more settled side.

Yet another football specific stadium opened this spring in Montreal. Saputo Stadium will be the home ground of the Montreal Impact of the USL as well as a venue for Canadian national team games. The first such match will be the World Cup 2010 qualifier versus St. Vincent & the Grenadines on June 20.

The three top Canadian club sides are participating in the Nutrilite Canadian Championship. Toronto FC, Montreal Impact and Vancouver Whitecaps will play each other home and away, with the top club moving on to play in the CONCACAF Champions League (this is a new 24 team tournament that replaces the Champions Cup). Toronto won the first match in Montreal 1-0 on Tuesday.

With all that's going on in Canadian football right now, there are still a number of warts. The Canadian Soccer Association still has a long way to go in order to resemble a true footballing association. The provincial associations continue to play power games at the expense of the national program, and there's little evidence this will end any time soon. With the World Cup qualifying campaign starting in a matter of weeks, Canadian supporters can only hope the players can succeed in spite of those running the association.

Television production of matches in Canada is a pet peeve of mine at the moment. While Canadians may have set the broadcast standards for hockey world wide, effective production of football matches seems to have eluded them. This is not that the commentators are particularly weak. Jason De Vos, a former Canadian international and Ipswich Town captain, recently joined the CBC and has provided some good analysis of TFC games.

The practice of having stationary field level cameras needs to end, however. During broadcasts, you can see this fool sitting at the center line with a stationary camera, providing some of the most bland shots I've ever seen.

Dear CBC: you've got more money than you know what to do with, buy some steady cams, hire operators and do things like the pros in Europe do. Throw-ins, free kicks and corners (where these cameras are usually employed) happen all over the pitch. A stationary camera can't hope to capture these moments in any compelling manner. While you're at buy some more pitch-level microphones. The reason English Premier League matches are great to watch on TV is that you feel like you're THERE. You see everything and you hear everything: the keeper hoofing the ball upfield, the players shouting at each other, the managers shouting at the players and the roar of the crowd. I've yet to go to a TFC match, but speaking with those who are there, it's noisy. You can't tell on your broadcasts. Get on the phone with Sky, Setanta, BBC or whoever, and learn how to do things right.

Oh yeah, the EURO starts next weekend.

The final weekend and what's to come

Well, after nine months of action, the fate of several teams in the Premier League rests on the events of Sunday. Manchester United need to win to lock up the league championship, Chelsea need United to slip and a victory against Bolton at Stamford Bridge to pip the Red Devils at the end.

Derby are down, but two of Fulham, Reading and Birmingham City will join them after tomorrow. The Blues need a win and a draw or loss by both of the other teams to stay up. Fulham are safe with a win, while Reading need a win coupled with a Fulham draw or loss in order to escape relegation.

After picking Man United to win it all in August, I think they will win against Wigan to close out another league title. The can't afford to slip up, as Chelsea will surely take all the points against Bolton, but I'll go on the record to state that Man United will take the league and Chelsea will have their revenge in Moscow at the Champions League Final.

As for the relegation battles, I think Reading will go down, along with Birmingham. At Reading, the team seems to have given up and manager Steve Coppell is paying the price for not upgrading his side after surviving the vital first year in the top flight. Even lowly Derby, Reading's final foe of the season, will prove too much for this bunch.

As for Birmingham, Alex McLeish coaxed some fine displays out of this side when he arrived mid-season, but he is finding out the hard way what a manager's job is in the Premier League. I'm sure he'll be back, perhaps not with Birmingham but he'll see better days in the future.

The Blues are in tough against Blackburn, who are still a top-half team, while Fulham are playing with the conviction of a team wanting to survive -- and likely will against Portsmouth, who have been on cruise control since qualifying for the FA Cup final.

Here in Canada, three games will be shown live: Wigan v. Manchester United (The Score), Chelsea v. Bolton (Setanta) and Portsmouth v. Fulham (Sportsnet). A slew of same day, tape-delayed games will follow, making for some fascinating televised action.

In the days ahead on the blog, I'm going to be writing a season review of sorts, cataloging the ups and downs of the football season across Europe, and preparing a Euro 2008 preview. For the close season, I'm going to try to post a weekly collection of rumors and happenings in the transfer market and otherwise. Stay tuned.