Can Kaka, Ronaldo and Benzema co-exist on the same football pitch?

Group A

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Sevilla	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Juventus	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

2009-07-24 22:30	Sevilla	–	Juventus	La Cartuja, Seville

2009-07-26 20:30	Sevilla	–	Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma	Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán, Seville

2009-07-28 20:30	Juventus	–	Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma	Chapín, Jerez

Group B

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Real Madrid	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
LDU Quito	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Al-Ittihad	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

2009-07-24 20:30	LDU Quito	–	Al-Ittihad	Chapín, Jerez

2009-07-26 22:30	Real Madrid	–	Al-Ittihad	Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid

2009-07-28 22:30	Real Madrid	–	LDU Quito	Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid

Group C

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Málaga	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Aston Villa	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Atlante	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

2009-07-25 22:30	Málaga	–	Aston Villa	La Rosaleda, Málaga

2009-07-27 20:30	Málaga	–	Atlante	La Rosaleda, Málaga

2009-07-29 20:30	Aston Villa	–	Atlante	La Rosaleda, Málaga

Group D

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Lyon	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Beşiktaş	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Porto	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

2009-07-25 20:30	Lyon	–	Beşiktaş	Estadio Colombino, Huelva

2009-07-27 22:30	Lyon	–	Porto	Estadio Colombino, Huelva

2009-07-29 22:30	Beşiktaş	–	Porto	Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán, Seville

Final Round

Semi Finals

Third Place

Final

2009 Peace Cup Predictions

Rules: The winner from each group will advance to the semi-final round. From there, the winner of each semi-final will advance to the final, with the losing clubs advancing to the Third Place match.

Group A: Sevilla, Juventus, Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma
Group B: Real Madrid, LDU Quito, Al-Ittihad
Group C: Malaga, Aston Villa, Atlante
Group D: Lyon, Besiktas, Porto

In Group A I fully expect the winner of the Sevilla/Juve match to advance to the semi-final round. It’s going to be hard to choose one over the other based on the fact that you really can’t predict who will be starting, so I’ll take Sevilla to advance with the home stadium behind them.

In Group B should be the most entertaining of the tournament. I’m sure the sponsors and tournament officials are over the moon knowing they’ll get the chance to showcase the most talked about club in the world. Ronaldo and Kaka should play, as should Benzema. I think you’ll see a squad that’s just trying to find their groove before the league campaign starts. Regardless, I think Real Madrid is a lock to advance.

In Group C look for Aston Villa to advance out of this group. The last time the Peace Cup was played back in 2007, Bolton managed to make it all the way to the final against Lyon. Whilst I wouldn’t say English clubs have a knack for making it to the final round, I will say that Villa’s style of play (and the English style in general) should prove to be too much for Malaga and Atlante.

In Group D look for 2007 Champions, Lyon, to advance to the semi-final round. Porto and Besiktas should prove to be great foils for a club that will surely be looking for a new identity without star striker Karim Benzema.

Predicted Semifinals: Juventus v Real Madrid and Aston Villa v Lyon

Predicted Final: The first semi-final should be an absolute cracker, with Real Madrid showcasing their superstar talent against Juve’s aging squad. I’ll take Real Madrid to get past one of the great keepers in the world (Buffon) and make it to the final with some considerable flare.

From there I think you’ll see a tough battle between Aston Villa and Lyon. Whilst I’d love to see Lyon go up against Benzema in the final, I think Villa’s duo of Agbonlahor and Young should prove to be too much for Lyon to handle.

Once again, I think you’ll see an English team in the final for the second straight time.  Look for Real Madrid to push the tempo early and often and grab a goal in the first half match. From there I think you’ll see Villa press and give up on the counter late in the match. Whilst I really like Young against Madrid’s defence, I think Ronaldo, Kaka, Benzema, and the rest of the Madrid squad will prove to be too much for Villa’s backline.

Madrid’s summer splurge pays dividens with a summer Cup victory.

“Peace Cup 2009” was originally published at Soccerlens.com – Football News.

It’s been a while (the 2004 US Tour, to be exact) since the United States last tasted a summer football event quite like World Football Challenge. This summer’s event will bring some of the biggest names in football together for one week in the States, thereby giving some starved football fans the chance to watch their favourite club go head-to-head with some of the most storied names in the sport.

It’s amazing to think it’s taken this long for a company to bring back the world’s best club to the States, considering how well the US Tour did back in 2004. With Fox Soccer and ESPN leading the way, football has the chance to become a mainstream sport in the States going forward.

Tournaments such as the World Football Challenge are the first step in getting people excited about the sport. And with such names as Inter, Chelsea and AC Milan leading the way, chances are even better you’ll see packed stadiums to watch some of the best clubs in the world.

World Football Challenge Venues

6 venues will serve as hosts for this year’s event.

Palo Alto, California
Stanford Stadium, 50,000

Pasadena, California
Rose Bowl, 92,542

Atlanta, Georgia
Georgia Dome, 71,228

Baltimore, Maryland
M&T Bank Stadium, 71,008

Foxboro, Massachusetts
Gillette Stadium, 68,756

Arlington, Texas
Cowboys Stadium, 80,000

All six venues play host to American football teams. Based on the clubs involved in the tournament and the new interest in international football, there’s a good chance a couple of the stadiums listed above will be packed to the hilt with football fans who’ve never seen a live match in their life.

World Football Challenge Fixtures

The WFC commences on 19 July and runs until 26 July. The tournament is a round-robin tournament that allows every clubs the opportunity to play three matches. The winner of the event will be decided by the club with the most points after six matches.

Fixtures

The current schedule is as follows:

July 19, 2009 19:00 EST	Club América	v	Internazionale	Stanford Stadium, Palo Alto, CA

July 21, 2009 23:00 EST	Chelsea	v	Internazionale	Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA

July 22, 2009 19:00 EST	Club América	v	Milan	Georgia Dome, Atlanta, GA

July 24, 2009 20:00 EST	Chelsea	v	Milan	M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, MD

July 26, 2009 17:00 EST	Internazionale	v	Milan	Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, MA

July 26, 2009 19:00 EST	Chelsea	v	Club América	Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, TX

World Football Challenge Prediction

Rules: Each club plays three matches; the winner will then be decided based on the team with the most points at the end of the six matches.

Participants: Chelsea, Club America, Internazionale, AC Milan

Predicted Winner: It’s hard to pick a serious winner in an event like this. All of the clubs playing in the WFC are rumoured to be brining their first team; however, I doubt you’ll see very many of them playing the entire time, as each team plays three matches in the span of a seven days.

The main reason these clubs are playing in the States is to give football fans the chance to see some of the best clubs in the world — and promote their club as an international brand. You’ll see Lampard and Ibra bossing down the pitch in a couple of matches…but I doubt it’ll be at full speed.

They call these friendlies for a reason: It’s because they’re supposed to be friendly. The Inter/Milan match could get heated, but other than that I see this being a chance to promote the game in a potential hotbed.

If you put my feet to the fire and asked me to pick a winner, I’d probably have to go with Chelsea based on the fact that they have the most to lose/gain. Considering their involvement with clubs in the States, I’d assume they’d be the one that would most want to put on a show.

Walking to the paper shop a couple of weeks ago, I had that ‘forgot something’ feeling. I tapped my pockets to make sure I had my usual essentials in tow; wallet, phone, keys. All there, but something still wasn’t right. I knew I hadn’t left the oven on, largely because I don’t use it.

Then it hit me (not the oven) – the hollow sensation I was experiencing emanated from the fact that it was the start of the weekend and the football season had finished. Things just weren’t right and as I recalled that I’d promised to clean out the loft that afternoon then go to the in-laws’ for dinner, suddenly the middle four letters of Saturday seemed more prominent.

Off-season is a difficult time for many football fans. The working week seems a little longer and football-less weekends are filled with DIY, days out and ‘quality time’. But no amount of loving moments shared with the missus can fill that gaping hole left by Jeff Stelling and the boys.

I was daydreaming about the season just gone during an Attentiveness Conference at work yesterday. 2008/09 contained moments of magic and threw up a fair amount of talking points along the way; Andrei Arshavin’s four-goal haul at Anfield, David Bentley’s long range strike at Arsenal price tag, Phil Brown’s tan, Geovanni’s early-season wonder goals, that nice Joey Barton, Man City’s millions, Barcelona’s Champions League final performance and the relegation of a massive North East club, and Newcastle.

That was then and this is now. Football is gone but not forgotten. The majority of my spare time now is spent making sure that absolutely NOTHING has happened in the transfer window. Well that’s how it feels anyway. I’ve found that if you check up to date transfer news every three and a half minutes, five and a half if you value your job/marriage/toilet time, you can actually drive yourself to the edge of hermitage.

By admitting my problem I hope I’ve taken my first steps on the road to recovery. “My name is Gary and I’m a bit sad. I check football news more than Cristiano checks the mirror.”

I do miss my football fix. I’ve managed to view every football related video YouTube has to offer and my Saint and Greavsie video has taken a hammering. I need something new, anything. I’ve even started to think about Channel 5’s John Barnes and Pat Nevin; that’s just wrong.

The under-21 tournament curbed the cravings to a point and the Confederations Cup seemed to calm the shivers. Wimbledon was decent, the rugby was watchable, there’s cricket on the way and I might even watch the volleyball on Eurosport. If it’s that outdoorsy type, that only women play, and it’s hot. Very, very hot. But even this is not enough.

I want my football back.

It’s a busy time in Manchester, as the red side and the blue side are both busy trying to bolster their squads ahead of next season.But they’re not the only clubs being linked with big-money purchases in this morning’s transfer news roundup, though the other club mentioned is having nothing to do with said big-money move.

The order of the day, and it’s no surprise, is strikers, and though there’s little in the way of new names to add to the summer transfer lists, it looks like a number of names could be added in the next day or two according to all that you’ll read here.

United To Swap Berbatov For Aguero?

Manchester United are reportedly weighing up an offer of £17.1m and Dimitar Berbatov for Atletico Madrid’s Sergio Aguero. (Daily Mail)

Analysis: Hm…I’d think that Berbatov would get at least another season to prove himself, but if they are looking to land another forward, it’d make things pretty crowded in a front line full of top talents, so it might make sense to try to sell him. But even if he was included in such a deal, it’d seem to fall short of what Atletico want for Aguero. Never know what could happen, especially with United seemingly not done adding forwards, but I suppose it’s worth wondering if they’d cut their losses on him this quickly.

Rafa Rubbishes Ribery Reports

Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez has played down the reports that the club are set to make a big-money bid for Bayern Munich star Franck Ribery after bookmakers slashed the odds on Ribery making a move to Merseyside. (The Mirror)

Analysis: Even if they were going to make a serious bid for Ribery, it’d appear that Liverpool have to sell both Mascherano and Alonso to make it a realistic possibility, and I don’t see those kinds of sacrifices made for the sake of one player.

City Pull Out Of Eto’o Hunt

Manchester City have given up on trying to sign Barcelona striker Samuel Eto’o, after the Cameroon star. (Daily Mail)

Analysis: Didn’t really see this one going through, but it still looks like he’s adamant about leaving Barcelona. Manchester United could be the likeliest possibility, but that might come down to whether they want to pay the wages he might be looking for.

Everton’s Naughton Bid Accepted

Sheffield United right back Kyle Naughton is set for talks with Everton after the Toffees’ bid for him was accepted. (Daily Mail)

Analysis: Naughton has been linked with most of the Premier League’s top sides, so being able to win the race for him is very impressive on Everton’s part. He’s got a long, bright future ahead, but he should get an immediate chance to prove his worth in the Premier League straightaway.

Tottenham Prepare Carew Bid

Tottenham are set to make a £5m bid for Aston Villa striker John Carew. (The Mirror)

Analysis: I’d think that’s an offer that Villa wouldn’t even take a moment to consider. Selling Carew isn’t out of the question, but if it did happen, it’d be for a little more than 5m.

Sunderland Close On Campbell, Must Up Bent Bid

Manchester United have accepted Sunderland’s bid of around £5m for striker Fraizer Campbell. (Daily Mail)

Analysis: So does Steve Bruce get a special discount, or what?

Sunderland have made a £12m bid for Tottenham striker Darren Bent, but Tottenham are holding out for £16m. (The Mirror)

Analysis: Good striker, yes. Worth £16m, no.

Zamora Out, Crouch In At Fulham?

Fulham have accepted a £6m bid from Hull City for striker Bobby Zamora, which could open the way for the Cottagers to close an £11m deal for Portsmouth’s Peter Crouch. (Daily Mail)

Analysis: Fulham have to be ecstatic about getting that much for Zamora. It may be a work of genius in the end, but as of now, it reeks of desperation for Hull, who missed out on Marc-Antoine Fortune and look set to miss out on Fraizer Campbell. It could be that they were looking more at his 11-goal for West Ham in 2006/07 instead of his three league goals in two seasons with Fulham, but they must really be banking on him to be the Zamora that was fantastic for Brighton and solid for West Ham.

Fulham have to be ecstatic about being able to get that much for him, and all the better to be able to turn it around and not have to spend as much of their kitty on a Crouch move as they would’ve without such a fortuitous sale.

Wigan Reject Cattermole Bid

Wigan have rejected a bid from Sunderland for midfielder Lee Cattermole. (Sky Sports)

Analysis: Cattermole’s not going anywhere this summer, and if he was, it’d likely have to be for at least double the £3.5m Wigan paid for him.

Stoke Make Record Bid For M’Bia

Stoke are looking to trump Marseille and Everton by making a club-record £10m bid for Rennes midfielder Stephane M’Bia. (The Mirror)

Analysis: Nice show of ambition by Stoke, but he seems to have his heart set on a move to Marseille.

Greece

Olympiakos Move For Altidore

Olympiakos have agreed a loan deal with Villarreal for striker Jozy Altidore.

Analysis: Regular playing time isn’t guaranteed, and that’s a concern with next summer in mind, but if he’s able to earn regular playing time and is able to get his feet wet in the Champions League, it’ll keep him match fit and give him good experience ahead of the World Cup

Incoming search terms:

• footbaltransfer
• footbaltransfer com