The United States clinched a spot in the CONCACAF Gold Cup quarter-finals while Canada fell short as the group stages wrapped up on Tuesday.The US needed at least one point to make it to the last eight but picked up three with a 1-0 defeat of Guadeloupe in Kansas City.
Villarreal striker Jozy Altidore scored the winning goal in the ninth minute for the host nation, who should have won by more, given their complete dominance of play.
Altidore blasted a strike past Guadeloupe goalkeeper Franck Grandel from 25 yards out, but at least six easier chances went begging as Bob Bradley’s side struggled to kill off the contest ahead of the final whistle.
Nevertheless, the US sealed up second place in Group C and will advance to face undefeated Jamaica in the quarter-finals.
That is more than can be said for northern neighbours Canada, who crashed out of the tournament in heartbreaking fashion with a 1-1 draw against Panama.
The Canadians looked to have secured a berth at the expense of Group A third-placegetters El Salvador as they ushered a 1-0 lead into injury time.
But Panama attacker Luis Tejada scored seconds from the whistle to ensure his nation would finish on top of Group C and face the Salvadorans in the next round.
Dwayne De Rosario had earlier been dragged down by Eybir Bonaga in the 62nd minute and gratefully converted the penalty for Canada.
Canada finish third in Group C, a mere two goals shy of El Salvador’s superior goal difference and a place in the last eight.
Guadeloupe finish bottom with three straight losses.
Arsene Wenger is reportedly set to make a club record bid to sign Spanish U21 star Juan Mata. The signing of Mata would certainly prove a coup by the Frenchman and will certainly go some way of appeasing his doubters.
In the papers this morning there have been a mixed bag of stories that include a plot to bribe Carlos Tevez; Chelsea deny that Hiddink was first choice, while Manchester United eye up a move for Thiago.
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Southgate wants major change – Sky Sports
Plot to bribe Tevez – Sun
Arsenal make club record £18m bid for Juan Mata – Daily Mail
Taxpayer stumped up £311k for multi-millionaire Gerrard’s legal aid bill – Mirror
Hiddink ‘not approached’ – Daily Telegraph
Arsenal’s Song fined by Cameroon FA after bust-up with team-mate Eto’o – Daily Mail
Villas-Boas must win over players, says Wilkins – Independent
Magpies reject Barton rumours – Sky Sports
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Harry Dos deal for Gio’s Spurs exit – Sun
United’s shock bid for Spain and Barca hero – Mirror
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Manchester United are set to increase their bid for Inter’s Wesley Sneijder, despite the Italian club claiming the midfielder is not for sale.
According to The Telegraph, the Premier League champions are set to offer a club record fee of £35 million for the ex-Real Madrid ace and pay him wages in excess of £200,000 a week.
The Daily Mail stipulates that such high earnings could cause frustration amongst the existing Old Trafford squad, with highest earner Wayne Rooney not relishing being eclipsed financially by the Netherlands international.
Despite this, Nerazzurri technical director Marco Branca has rejected claims that the 27-year-old will leave the Giuseppe Meazza, and has stated he is ‘untransferable’.
“Wesley Sneijder is untransferable. There is nothing to update,” he told Sky Sports.
“It’s not surprising Sneijder is wanted by other clubs, but we have received no formal offer, nor do we intend to wait for one. We know what we have to do and there are no meetings planned with his agent. Sneijder is not for sale.”
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Sir Alex Ferguson is in the market for a playmaker to replace the retired Paul Scholes, with moves for Luka Modric and Samir Nasri looking dead in the water.
Liverpool made it back-to-back wins on their pre-season tour of Asia with a thrilling 6-3 victory against Malaysia XI.New signing Charlie Adam got the ball rolling with an early penalty, while a brace each from David N’Gog and Maxi Rodriguez spared Liverpool’s blushes after the hosts mounted a late comeback.
The English Premier League club was gifted a goal on 25 minutes when striker Andy Carroll was brought down in the box.
The referee made new signing Charlie Adam retake the subsequent spot-kick, but the former Blackpool midfielder opened his Liverpool account at the second attempt.
The home fans were on their feet just before the break when Mohd Safiq Rahim beat the wall and goalkeeper Brad Jones with a stunning free-kick.
Liverpool reasserted their authority in the second half with two goals in two minutes.
They both came from the feet of striker David N’Gog, who turned home a deflection for his first and made it 3-1 on 69 minutes with a confident finish.
Malaysia looked beaten when Argentine Maxi Rodriguez converted a cross from compatriot Emiliano Insua.
But the hosts staged a late comeback with two quick goals from Mohd Safee Mohd Sali, capitalising on some unconvincing goalkeeping from Reds substitute Peter Gulacsi.
Liverpool were not finished yet, however, and made it 5-3 as Rodriguez grabbed his second in the 90th minute.
Dutchman Dirk Kuyt made it six in stoppage time to wrap up an entertaining work-out.
The Carlos Tevez saga has dragged on for much of the summer, and is currently showing no signs of abating. It is unclear whether Tevez will be at Manchester City by the end of the transfer window, but there are not a lot of clubs currently showing an interest in him. After the player distinctly expressed that he wanted to leave Man City at the start of the summer, it appears that he could now be left in transfer limbo. If he remains at Man City, should they welcome him back with open arms?
Tevez announced his desire to return to South America and one of his former clubs Corinthians at the beginning of the summer, stating that he was unsettled in Manchester and that he wanted to be closer to his family, a valuable and honourable reason to seek out a move-if that is really the case. Tevez then went on to make rather disparaging remarks about Manchester, which have probably riled quite a few City fans who would be happy to see the back of him. Unfortunately for Tevez, his proposed move to Corinthians fell through at the final hour. After stating that he never wanted to go to Manchester again, he could end up spending a considerable period in the city-well at least until January, when he will probably seek out a move again. So what should City do with him?
There are no doubts that Tevez is absolutely world class, and from a purely on the field perspective-regardless of comments or behaviour off the field-City would be mad to leave him out of their side. He was joint top scorer in the Premier League last season, and his goal scoring record at Man City speaks for itself-44 goals in 66 games over two seasons. He helped City to their first trophy under their new regime, as well as bringing Champions League football to the club. He may be unsettled, but if he were to stay and play at City he would give 110% as he always has done wherever he has played. He is such a hard worker, and will chase down every ball, and put in a huge effort for the team.
The one thing Man City have to be careful with is that he doesn’t cause upset within the camp. No player is bigger than the club, and they wouldn’t want Tevez to unsettle the dressing room. Tension may now exist between Tevez and his team-mates, as he may have lost their respect. There is a lot of clearing the air to do, if he remains at the club. It is also unclear where he will fit with Sergio Aguero now at the club. They played together at the Copa America, but it didnt really work, as they are similar kind of players. Fans may also have been pushed too far by his want-away antics, seeing him as disrespecting the club and the city, and if the club welcome him back, it could cause anger amongst the supporters.
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One thing you can’t argue with and have to respect is what Tevez has done on the pitch. If he remains at City, he will no doubt get his head down and his hard work and efforts on the pitch should win the fans back around eventually. Last year Wayne Rooney managed to win back the affections of the Man United fans after his similar want-away behaviour. Fans should be willing to forgive Tevez if he does the business on the field.
Unless a deal can be struck in the next few weeks-possibly with Inter-then Tevez will remain a Manchester City player. For a player of his quality, and the skills and talent he possesses it would be silly for City not to welcome him back. If he does remain at the club then fans should be willing to forgive and forget. After all the hard work he put in for them last season, he deserves that much.
fans have warned to be careful for what they wish for in light of the criticism directed towards Arsene Wenger. Sir Alex believes that the Frenchman deserves a huge amount of respect, given the giant strides he has made at the football club during his tenure. Wenger has done his level best to redress the balance with a deadline day splurge, which has gone some way in pacifying some of his critics.
At FFC this week we have seen a mixed bag of Gunners blogs that include the penny finally drops for Wenger; whatever happened to Arshavin, while Arsenal’s new boy hails his surrounds.
We also look at the best Arsenal articles around the web this week
The penny finally drops for Arsene Wenger
How do you ever follow a footballing legend?
When should this transfer circus actually end?
Is Arsene Wenger living in the 90’s?
What price do you put on him? Maybe Wenger has a point!
What ever happened to Andrey Arshavin?
Is it not worth paying out the extra millions earlier in the process?
Nasri takes another pot shot at Arsenal
Arsenal’s £3m new boy hails his new surrounds
Best of WEB
Signings Complete but Have they Done Enough?? – Highbury House
Have Wenger and Arsenal finally learnt from George Graham? – Le Grove
A long time coming – Online Gooner
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One Of Us Speaks: Welcome To The Era Of The Rakish, Super Fly Arsenal. – A Cultured Left Foot
Thoughts of Arsenal’s summer activity from a Happy(ish) Gooner – Gunnersphere
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After watching Rob Earnshaw squander an absolute sitter for Wales against England, I want to discuss the psychology of missing an open goal. I don’t want to pile any more misery on Earnshaw. You can only feel a horrible gut-wrenching sympathy with the Cardiff City lad. Whatever has occupied him since that miss – shopping, driving or trying to drown his sorrows in a bar – he’ll have been reliving that moment approximately once every 10 seconds.
I missed a couple of shockers myself, all forwards do, so I know it’s the worst feeling in the world. But to understand what it is that makes a professional striker miss one of the most high-profile and glaring opportunities of his career, you have to know what it is that makes a goal-scorer tick. Goal-scoring is a gift given by whichever God you believe in. It cannot be taught, which is what tends to make managers so distrustful of my breed. They know there is nothing they can do to influence us. No, it is all about instinct and nerve.
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Personally, I spent every moment of my football career riddled with self-doubt – except for the 90 minutes a week when I was out on the pitch. I know plenty of footballers who have been exactly the opposite. Cocky as hell when they’re not playing, always talking a good game and never playing one. Off the pitch, I was a typical young bloke who didn’t want to take any responsibility for anything. On the field of play, I was a different person entirely.
I knew it was my responsibility to score goals and I made damned sure I scored them. When they talk about a sportsman being ‘in the zone’ I understand what they mean. It’s not quite as extreme as being a sniper, who’s able to get his target into a viewfinder and pull the trigger in the knowledge that he’ll be taking his victim out. But you need the same sort of mindset, the same coldness. You must have no feeling, you must pick your spot and, more often than not, pass the ball into the net.
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There are many strikers who have all the talent in the world, who are outstanding in training, but could not hit a barn door in front of 100,000 people. Missing an open goal is usually caused by a moment of fear or panic. It’s about flinching under pressure, rather than holding your nerve. I can watch certain players go clear on goal, one-on-one with the keeper as the crowd rise to their feet, and I just know they are going to miss. There are a few, such as Wayne Rooney, who have simply ‘got it’ – that coldness, that nervelessness that I remember in myself and you know more often than not, they’ll snap up a chance.
Missing an open goal is not the worst offence a striker can be guilty of. Every time you arrive in the box and sniff out those chances you are taking a risk – you are gambling on being a hero or looking an absolute prat. There are a hell of a lot of so-called goalscorers who simply aren’t brave enough to take those gambles often enough. And while he’ll never be the greatest striker in the world, Earnshaw cannot be accused of being one of those.
Chelsea are set to rival Arsenal and Fulham for the signature of Brighton star Lewis Dunk, the Metro understands, after the 19-year-old defender has established himself in Gus Poyet’s side.
Dunk, a product of the Seagulls’ academy, has impressed for Poyet’s side after the Uruguayan was forced into playing the teenager due a host of injuries to key defenders, including Adam El- Abd and Tommy Elphick.
A string of eye-catching performances alongside captain Gordan Greer in the heart of defence have seen his stock rise considerably after Brighton’s strong start to the season.
With a reputation as a tough, no-nonsense defender Dunk has proved to be unfazed by the physicality of the Championship and has attracted admiring glances from the Premier League.
Arsenal and Fulham have already sent scouts to the Amex Stadium to watch the defender in action during last week’s Carling Cup defeat to Liverpool. Chelsea, who have followed Dunk’s progress through the ranks, had representatives watching him in Friday’s draw against Leeds.
Despite his emergence as a first team regular on the South Coast and Poyet’s eagerness to build a team capable of a promotion push it’s thought a bid of £5 million would be enough to see him leave the club, with further scouting trips expected from all the interested parties.
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Former Chelsea boss Ruud Gullit has urged the Stamford Bridge club to try once-more to sign Luka Modric from Tottenham come the January transfer window.
Andre Villas Boas’ men had at least three bids for the Croatian midfielder rejected by Spurs chairman Daniel Levy over the summer, with a deadline day offer of £40 million knocked back by the White Hart Lane outfit.
Despite this, and Modric’s willingness to continue to play for Harry Redknapp’s team despite the speculation, the Dutch coach feels another attempt should be made to pry the playmaker away from Spurs come the new year.
“The player Chelsea still need, for me, is Modric,” Gullit told Mirror Football.
“They have great players all around the pitch but he has something Chelsea doesn’t have at the moment. He is creative and dominates the passing game in the midfield – he could be like Xavi or Iniesta are to Barcelona.
“I was surprised Tottenham didn’t accept £40m because they are known to sell their best players for good offers. I think Chelsea will try to sign Modric again in January and maybe this time they will get him,” he concluded.
Harry Redknapp has previously stated that Modric is pivotal in Spurs’ development as a team, and the North London side are reportedly set to offer the Eastern European a pay rise to keep his suitors at bay.
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Tottenham will be looking to close the gap on the top four at White Hart Lane tomorrow. Harry Redknapp will be hoping that Spurs show the same sort of performance they have produced in recent weeks that has produced six wins in the last seven games.
At FFC this week we have seen a mixed bag of Spurs blogs that includes a financially necessity for Tottenham; Levy looks to strike a financial balance, while Pavlyuchenko has been badly treated at White Hart Lane.
We also look at the best Spurs articles around the web this week.
Are Supporters inadvertently getting in the way of progress?
A financial necessity for Tottenham Hotspur?
Bad attitude or badly treated at White Hart Lane?
Has Tottenham Hotspur’s future just got a little brighter?
Simple evidence to highlight why Spurs’ transfer approach may have been flawed
A genuine concern, or simple scaremongering from Harry?
Can the likes of Tottenham and Liverpool strike the financial balance?
What to expect from Tottenham Hotspur
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Taarabt revisited – Dear Mr Levy
Any Questions? – Spurs Musings From JimmyG2
Arry Redschnapps vs Big Martin Jol: FIGHT! – Harry Hotspur
Glorious – Gazza In His Own Words. Read the Review, Win the Book!! – Tottenham On My Mind
Lilywhite’s €8M Barca Raid Will Give The Lane Even More Continental Flair – Transfer Tavern
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Rafatastic – Dear Mr Levy
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