“Paulo Cesar Wanchope Watson …(born 31 July 1976 in Heredia) , also known as “Chope” or as “La Cobra” in Central America and South America, is a former Costa Rican footballer.” Wikipedia, FIFA, Chicago Fire

FIFA World Rankings: April 2009 (World Cup Blog)
“We haven’t done a FIFA World Rankings post since back December 2008, mostly because it’s all been much of a muchness. Spain ruled the roost, everyone else didn’t and the top 20 barely moved. There was no news to report. And so we didn’t.”

Wigan’s Zaki mystery (Simon Austin – BBC)
“As I write this, Amr Zaki still hasn’t returned to Wigan after apparently injuring his hamstring playing for Egypt against Zambia on 29 March. I use the word ‘apparently’ because the club has not been able to see the Egyptian FA’s scan of the injury, let alone carry out its own assessment of the player.”

Noboa’s improbable impact (FIFA)
“Christian Noboa’s star has been rising inexorably in recent months, and a hugely promising future awaits the Ecuadorian attacking midfielder.”

U.S. Soccer Pitches Big Tent for World Cup Bid (NYT)
“This week, the United States Soccer Federation offered up 50 metropolitan areas and 70 stadiums in its bid to host either the 2018 or the 2022 World Cup.”

Mystic Ball (The Run Of Play)
“A couple of months ago, when I wrote about the soccer-like Burmese sport called chinlone, I mentioned a documentary about the game, Mystic Ball, that I was hoping to track down.”

Hillsborough – a personal memory (Steve Wilson – BBC)
“It was a run-of-the-mill conversation with a friend in a pub. The kind of conversation you might have any night of the week – the kind that might change your life.”