“Sometime in December, either Atlante or Cruz Azul will line up against some powerful club from some far-off locale in some far-off venue. That’s because on Wednesday, one of the two Mexican clubs will walk away with the CONCACAF Champions League crown, booking a ticket to the FIFA Club World Cup in the process.” (SI)

Dread, Panenka, Cliché, Casquero (The Run of Play)
“The kicker is removed from his usual learnt improvisation and thrust into a situation where he must consciously plot his next move, which will have a consequence far greater than most. Moreover, the extra thinking time allowed by this scenario lulls the taker into contemplating the unknowable variable and the root of the dread—the goalkeeper.”

German Football – The Good, the Bad and the Grafite (SoccerLens)
“Why do we love English football quite so much? We have a Premier League that is consistently contested by just four teams. We have the swanky stadiums but a fundamental lack of fans to fill them. In addition we have clubs being operated by billionaire owners who have little interest in football bar the money that can be squeezed out of it.”

Jozy Altidore: Twitter and Toenails(GOAL)
“I’m back blogging and I’m now on Twitter. Check me out and follow me at JozyAltidore17. I thought it would be a good idea to set something up so I can stay in touch with the fans.”