“Few African national soccer teams in recent years have supplied as many impact players to Europe as Ivory Coast. Sven Goran Eriksson, the team’s new manager, is no doubt familiar with the Ivorian stars of the Premier League like Didier Drogba, Salomon Kalou and Emmanuel Eboue. But many of the country’s best players began their European careers in France, and it is in Ligue 1 where Eriksson might find the next name for his World Cup roster this summer: Gervais Yao Kouassi, known as Gervinho.” (NYT)