Fanhouse Soccer - soccer-1 http://soccer.fanhouse.com Fanhouse Soccer http://soccer.fanhouse.com/media/feedlogo.gif Fanhouse Soccer http://soccer.fanhouse.com en-us Copyright 2010 All Rights Reserved. Copyright 2010 AOL LLC. All rights Reserved. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Ibrahimovic Close to Barcelona Transferhttp://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/07/17/zlatan-ibrahimovic-close-to-barcelona-transfer/http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/07/17/zlatan-ibrahimovic-close-to-barcelona-transfer/http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/07/17/zlatan-ibrahimovic-close-to-barcelona-transfer/#commentsMichael Cardilloby Michael Cardillo

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Not to be outdone by their eternal rivals Real Madrid, European champion Barcelona appears on the verge of making a major splash by adding Swedish forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic on a transfer from Inter Milan. What makes the move all the more spectacular is that 2008-09 La Liga second-leading goal scorer Samuel Eto'o is rumored to be going back to Milan in the exchange as well as somewhere in the range of $65 million.

As of Friday afternoon reports were varied on the progress of the deal. The Associated Press said the two sides have a deal in principle, while other outlets are reporting the two sides are still talking. The deal, it would seem, hinges on the individuals themselves, which also include former Arsenal winger Aleksandr Hleb going to Italy.

 

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]]>barcelonabarcelona fcBarcelonaFcinter milanInterMilansoccerzlatan ibrahimovicZlatanIbrahimovicMichael Cardillo2009-07-17T14:23:00 00:00Mexico, Panama Lose Controlhttp://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/07/10/mexico-panama-lose-control/http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/07/10/mexico-panama-lose-control/http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/07/10/mexico-panama-lose-control/#commentsMichael Cardilloby Michael Cardillo

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Scanning through some late night television Wednesday night, I settled on ESPNEWS. After a few minutes the bottom line scoreboard flashed Mexico 1, Panama 1 (85th). Intrigued I flipped over to Univision to watch, hopefully, Panama hold on for a draw in the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to see the choatic scenario that played out at Houston's Reliant Stadium. Instead of Mexico pressing for a late go-ahead goal, it was simply chaos on the field. Players from both teams swarmed around referee Joel Aguilar protesting something. Eventually Panama's Ricardo Phillips was led off the field through a phalanx of officials to protect him from flying objects.

 

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]]>gold cupGoldCupJavier AguirremexciosoccerMichael Cardillo2009-07-10T11:00:00 00:00Onyewu Signing Good Sign for US http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/07/07/onyewu-signing-sood-sign-for-u-s/http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/07/07/onyewu-signing-sood-sign-for-u-s/http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/07/07/onyewu-signing-sood-sign-for-u-s/#commentsMichael Cardilloby Michael Cardillo

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american defender oguchi onyewu signed with AC Milan tuesday. Maybe the most under-reported aspect of the U.S. national team's run to the Confederations Cup final last month was that, given the spotlight, a couple of American players probably earned themselves some nice European paydays. Nowhere was this more evident than starting central defender Oguchi Onyewu, especially after his epic performance in the U.S.'s 2-0 win over-then FIFA No. 1 Spain in the tournament semifinals.

All of the post-Confederations Cup scuttlebutt surrounding Onyewu, who was out of contract at Belgian champ Standard Liege, were moves to lower-tier Premier League clubs and some far-flung Turkish teams. So Tuesday's announcement that the 6-foot-4 Maryland native signed with Italian giants AC Milan on a three-year contract comes as a pleasant surprise for U.S. fans since it's a far cry from a pre-Confederations Cup link to Birmingham City.

 

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]]>ac milanAcMilanoguchi onyewuOguchiOnyewusoccerusmntMichael Cardillo2009-07-07T11:26:00 00:00Brazil Denies South Africa, Will Play UShttp://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/06/25/brazil-denies-south-africa-will-play-us/http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/06/25/brazil-denies-south-africa-will-play-us/http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/06/25/brazil-denies-south-africa-will-play-us/#commentsMichael Cardilloby Michael Cardillo

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For about 85 minutes Thursday it looked like lady luck would shine her fortune upon the underdogs for the second consecutive day at the Confederations Cup semifinals. Host South Africa was giving powerhouse Brazil all it could handle, continuously stymieing the five-time world champions all across the field in Johannesburg.

Yet it all came crashing down in an instant for the determined Bafana Bafana thanks to a moment of brilliance generated off the foot of Brazil sub Dani Alves, who had only entered the match a few minutes earlier. The Barcelona back curled in a perfect free kick in the 87th minute around the South African wall to push Brazil to a 1-0 victory and a date with the United States in Sunday's final.

 

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]]>brazilconfederations cupConfederationsCupDani AlvesDaniAlvessoccersouth africaSouthAfricaMichael Cardillo2009-06-25T17:00:00 00:00US Stuns No. 1 Spain, Advances to Confederations Cup Finalhttp://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/06/24/us-stuns-no-1-spain-advances-to-confederations-cup-final/http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/06/24/us-stuns-no-1-spain-advances-to-confederations-cup-final/http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/06/24/us-stuns-no-1-spain-advances-to-confederations-cup-final/#commentsMichael Cardilloby Michael Cardillo

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Wednesday night in chilly Bloemfontein, South Africa, the U.S. national team lodged one of its greatest victories in its history, beating FIFA No. 1 Spain 2-0 in the Confederations Cup semifinals. The win snapped Spain's 35-match unbeaten run, denying them a chance to set a new record at 36.

This win almost made me pull out the thesaurus for the proper word to describe it. Stunning? Yes. Unbelievable? Pretty close. Deserved? You bet.

 

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]]>bob bradleyBobBradleyCharlies Daviesclint dempseyClintDempseyconfederations cupConfederationsCupdavid villaDavidVillajozy altidoreJozyAltidorelandon donovanLandonDonovansoccerTim howardTimHowardu.s. soccerU.s.SoccerusmntMichael Cardillo2009-06-24T16:53:00 00:00US Can't Finish Italian Jobhttp://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/06/15/u-s-cant-finish-italian-job/http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/06/15/u-s-cant-finish-italian-job/http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/06/15/u-s-cant-finish-italian-job/#commentsMichael Cardilloby Michael Cardillo

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ESPN studio host Rece Davis probably said it best. Monday at the Confederations Cup, we found the next (or first if you will) American soccer star.

The problem, Giuseppe Rossi played in the blue of Italy, not the U.S. white Monday in the Confederations Cup Group B opener for both teams. The New Jersey born attacker came on as a second half substitute and promptly scored a pair of cracking goals to give the Azzurri a 3-1 win in Pretoria, South Africa. The U.S. remains winless in seven all-time matches against Italy.

 

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]]>danielle de rossigiuseppe rossijozy altidorelandon donovanricardo clarkMichael Cardillo2009-06-15T16:25:00 00:00Trying to Make Sense of the Cristiano Ronaldo Transferhttp://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/06/11/trying-to-make-sense-of-the-ronaldo-transfer/http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/06/11/trying-to-make-sense-of-the-ronaldo-transfer/http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/06/11/trying-to-make-sense-of-the-ronaldo-transfer/#commentsMichael Cardilloby Michael Cardillo

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Waking up Thursday morning my inbox was more packed than usual. The words "Ronaldo" and "Real Madrid" featured prominently in subject lines.

Was I still dreaming? Was the other, original Ronaldo making an audacious comeback?

Rubbing the sand out of my eyes, no, it wasn't a dream. Manchester United had agreed for a world-record transfer fee of £80 million ($131M U.S.) for Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid, thus ending a multi-year flirtation with the Portuguese forward.

 

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]]>cristiano ronaldoCristianoRonaldofranck riberyFranckRiberyreal madridRealMadridsir alex fergusonSirAlexFergusonMichael Cardillo2009-06-11T11:54:00 00:00Making Sense of the Kaka Dealhttp://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/06/09/making-sense-of-the-kaka-deal/http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/06/09/making-sense-of-the-kaka-deal/http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/06/09/making-sense-of-the-kaka-deal/#commentsMichael Cardilloby Michael Cardillo

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Perhaps the most amazing aspect of Kaka's mega-money move from AC Milan to Real Madrid, which became official on Monday, was that the transfer fee of around £59 million ($94 million U.S.) is a little less than half of a rumored price tag Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley put on the entire club at £100 million.

Think about that for a second. Real Madrid and it's new club president Florentino Perez paid a lump sum for one player for an amount relatively close for a big club in England, albeit a club that just got relegated. If that doesn't put the insane amount of money shelled out by Madrid in check, what does?

 

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]]>cristiano ronaldofranck riberykakakarim benzemarafael van der vaartwesley sneijderzlatan ibrahimovicMichael Cardillo2009-06-09T14:14:00 00:00Liverpool's American Owners Incur Massive Debtshttp://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/06/05/liverpools-american-owners-incur-massive-debts/http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/06/05/liverpools-american-owners-incur-massive-debts/http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/06/05/liverpools-american-owners-incur-massive-debts/#commentsMichael Cardilloby Michael Cardillo

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Usually the tune around Liverpool's Anfield home ground is "You'll Never Walk Alone." Pretty soon that might change to "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" (Or it's British equivalent.)

Reports from England's Guardian newspaper recently ran down the debts of all 20 Premier League clubs. Liverpool's American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett's holding company loss somewhere in the neighborhood of £42 million ($67 million U.S.) last season, despite the club turning a profit.

 

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]]>Michael Cardillo2009-06-05T10:47:00 00:00US vs. Costa Rica Live Bloghttp://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/06/03/u-s-vs-costa-rica-live-blog/http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/06/03/u-s-vs-costa-rica-live-blog/http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/06/03/u-s-vs-costa-rica-live-blog/#commentsMichael Cardilloby Michael Cardillo

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The U.S. men's soccer team kicks off its grueling summer schedule Wednesday night in a 2010 World Cup qualifier at Costa Rica. The match at the Saprissa Stadium pits the top two teams in the CONCACAF qualifying table against each other, with the U.S. one point ahead of Costa Rica.

U.S. coach Bob Bradley has called in all his top players and the only absences are outside defenders Frankie Hejduk and Steve Cherundolo, who are out with injuries.

For viewers in the United States the match was originally scheduled for 10 PM ET on ESPN, but has been moved to ESPN2. We'll be here live blogging ahead of the kickoff, so be sure to join us, after the jump.

 

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]]>Michael Cardillo2009-06-03T21:00:00 00:00Chelsea Sign Ancelotti as Coachhttp://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/06/01/chelsea-sign-ancelotti-as-coach/http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/06/01/chelsea-sign-ancelotti-as-coach/http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/06/01/chelsea-sign-ancelotti-as-coach/#commentsMichael Cardilloby Michael Cardillo

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In perhaps the worst kept secret of the season, Carlo Ancelotti signed on to coach English powerhouse Chelsea on Monday. Ancelotti replaces Dutchman Guus Hiddink, who ended his brief stint in West London after leading the Blues to the FA Cup over the weekend.

Ancelotti becomes the latest coach tasked to win Chelsea -- and specifically owner Roman Abramovich -- the holy grail of European soccer, the Champions League. The Italian is no stranger to winning the trophy with the big ears, winning it twice as a player at AC Milan and twice as a coach of the Rossoneri, as recently as 2007.

 

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]]>carlo ancelottiroman abramovichMichael Cardillo2009-06-01T11:18:00 00:00Will New Real Madrid President Bring Return to Galactico Era?http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/05/29/will-new-real-madrid-president-bring-back-galaticos/http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/05/29/will-new-real-madrid-president-bring-back-galaticos/http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/05/29/will-new-real-madrid-president-bring-back-galaticos/#commentsMichael Cardilloby Michael Cardillo

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Florentino Perez -- the man who brought the so-called Galactico era of Zidane, Figo and Beckham to Real Madrid -- could return to his old role as club president as soon as Monday. Perez's only other candidate resigned on Friday, with the final deadline to declare a candidacy Sunday.

Already two of the world's biggest names -- Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka -- are being strongly linked for mega-money moves to the Bernabeu this summer. On Friday, Perez was coy about the long-rumored move for Ronaldo, but he didn't exactly quash the whispers either.

 

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]]>Florentino PerezMichael Cardillo2009-05-29T14:18:00 00:00Manchester United vs. Barcelona Live Blog for Champions League Finalhttp://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/05/27/manchester-united-vs-barcelona-live-blog-for-champions-league-final/http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/05/27/manchester-united-vs-barcelona-live-blog-for-champions-league-final/http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/05/27/manchester-united-vs-barcelona-live-blog-for-champions-league-final/#commentsMichael Cardilloby Michael Cardillo

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The biggest game of the 2009 world soccer calendar kicks off Wednesday night at Rome's Stadio Olimpico when Manchester United and FC Barcelona meet for the UEFA Champions League final. It's a true soccer lover's dream, pitting the champions of the Premier League and La Liga for club soccer's premier trophy.

Will it be Cristiano Ronaldo leading the Red Devils to their second consecutive Champions League crown? Or will it be Lionel Messi heading the Catalan giants to their second trophy in four years?

The game kicks off at 2:45 PM ET, and we'll be live-blogging shortly beforehand.

 

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]]>cristiano ronaldolionel messiMichael Cardillo2009-05-27T13:30:00 00:00Shakhtar Donetsk Wins Final UEFA Cuphttp://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/05/20/shakhtar-donetsk-wins-final-uefa-cup/http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/05/20/shakhtar-donetsk-wins-final-uefa-cup/http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/05/20/shakhtar-donetsk-wins-final-uefa-cup/#commentsMichael Cardilloby Michael Cardillo

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The final staging of the UEFA Cup turned out to be a very engaging affair won by Ukraine's Shakhtar Donetsk 2-1 over Germany's Werder Bremen in extra time Wednesday in Istanbul. Next year Europe's second-tier competition will be re-branded as the Europa League.

All three goals were scored by Brazilian players, including the winner sin the 97th minute by Shakhtar's Jadson. The game was full of incident, with Shakhtar especially aggressive throughout, probing the right side of the Bremen defense through captain Croatian Darijo Srna -- who's loss cross set up the winner.

 

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]]>Michael Cardillo2009-05-20T17:45:00 00:00Wenger Downplays Real Madrid Linkhttp://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/05/20/wenger-downplays-real-madrid-link/http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/05/20/wenger-downplays-real-madrid-link/http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/05/20/wenger-downplays-real-madrid-link/#commentsMichael Cardilloby Michael Cardillo

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After another trophy-less season, the natives are getting restless at Arsenal. That said, it seems the Gunners will still have longtime manager Arsene Wenger calling the shots as the Frenchman dismissed a rumored move to Real Madrid on Wednesday.

Wenger caught some heat at the latest shareholders meeting and the rumor-mongering Spanish media apparently attempted to create a link between the coach and the Madrid superclub, especially if Florentino Perez -- the architect of the Galaticos era is re-elected as Real president.

 

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]]>andrei arshavinAndreiArshavinarsene wengerArseneWengerbrede hangelandBredeHangelandcesc fabregasCescFabregasemmanuel adebayorEmmanuelAdebayorTheo WalcottTheoWalcottMichael Cardillo2009-05-20T10:48:00 00:00Japan Nixes Friendly with U.S. Women Over Swine Flu Fearshttp://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/05/12/japan-nixes-friendly-with-u-s-women-over-swine-flu-fears/http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/05/12/japan-nixes-friendly-with-u-s-women-over-swine-flu-fears/http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/05/12/japan-nixes-friendly-with-u-s-women-over-swine-flu-fears/#commentsMichael Cardilloby Michael Cardillo

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The U.S. women's national team was on track to play a pair of friendlies with Japan next week. Now, eight days ahead of a scheduled game at Frisco, Texas, Japan has withdrawn from the matches citing fears of the H1N1 virus. Japan will not play in Sandy, Utah, on May 23 and also canceled a May 25 match against Canada in Toronto.

The U.S. Soccer Federation announced the news Tuesday afternoon. President Sunil Gulati issued the following statement -- ""This is an unfortunate situation, but one that we had absolutely no control over. We have been assured that the risk to the participating teams is exceptionally low, but we accept the Japanese Federation's decision not to travel."

 

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]]>Michael Cardillo2009-05-12T13:36:00 00:00Chelsea-Barca Ref Forced Into Hidinghttp://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/05/08/cheslea-barcelona-ref-forced-into-hiding/http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/05/08/cheslea-barcelona-ref-forced-into-hiding/http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/05/08/cheslea-barcelona-ref-forced-into-hiding/#commentsMichael Cardilloby Michael Cardillo

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Throughout the history of team sports, spectators have probably joked about causing bodily harm to an umpire or referee. In the wake of Barcelona's last-minute Champions League semifinal victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, this sort of thinking has become no laughing matter as the match's official -- Tom Henning Ovrebo -- has been forced into hiding after receiving numerous threats.

The Norwegian denied Chelsea, what the Blues felt, were three possible penalty kicks -- the first when Dani Alves dragged down Flourent Malouda in the box in the first half and the next two on possible handballs on Barcelona players Gerard Pique and Samuel Eto'o. The second call, which would have gone against Eto'o in injury time, has already sparked numerous YouTube parodies featuring Chelsea's Michael Ballack's over the top reaction.

 

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]]>michael ballackMichaelBallacksamuel etooSamuelEtooMichael Cardillo2009-05-08T10:58:00 00:00Barcelona Trounces Real Madrid http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/05/02/barcelona-trounces-real-madrid/http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/05/02/barcelona-trounces-real-madrid/http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/05/02/barcelona-trounces-real-madrid/#commentsMichael Cardilloby Michael Cardillo

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So it wasn't winning an NBA playoff game by 50-odd points, but Barcelona's riveting 6-2 demolition of Real Madrid Saturday in the Spanish capital comes pretty darn close. The win opens up a seven point gap for Barca atop La Liga, all but assuring themselves the title.

The bigger picture here is that only a few days removed from being stymied by Chelsea in Tuesday's 0-0 Champions League semifinal, Barcelona erupted for six goals. It might have been a good thing if Chelsea boss Guus Hiddink wasn't watching since Barcelona's display would make even the most battle-hardened manager a little queasy.

 

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]]>Michael Cardillo2009-05-02T15:46:00 00:00Manchester United Inch Closer to Premier League Titlehttp://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/05/02/manchester-united-inch-closer-to-premier-league-title/http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/05/02/manchester-united-inch-closer-to-premier-league-title/http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/05/02/manchester-united-inch-closer-to-premier-league-title/#commentsMichael Cardilloby Michael Cardillo

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With less than a month left in the 2008-09 Premier League season it turned out to be a rather pedestrian, anti-climatic Saturday. The most important game of the day was the first one on the slate and Manchester United took care of business, beating Middlesbrough 2-0 to put one club on the precipice of its third-straight league crown and the other on the verge of being relegated.

Manchester United is now six points clear of Liverpool -- which plays Newcastle United Sunday in another title/relegation battle. The Red Devils still have a game in hand on Liverpool, so if Rafa Benitez's men stumble against the Magpies the title is nearly assured to Sir Alex Ferguson's squad.

 

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]]>Michael Cardillo2009-05-02T12:55:00 00:00Liverpool vs. Chelsea Live Bloghttp://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/04/08/liverpool-vs-chelsea-live-blog/http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/04/08/liverpool-vs-chelsea-live-blog/http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2009/04/08/liverpool-vs-chelsea-live-blog/#commentsMichael Cardilloby Michael Cardillo

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Update: Check out the second leg of Liverpool-Chelsea at FanHouse.

For the 235th time in the last five years, Liverpool and Chelsea will play each other in the UEFA Champions League. Actually, the real total is the fifth straight year it just feels a whole lot more. This time around the rivals renew things in the 2008-09 quarterfinals.

The match kicks off at 2:45 PM ET, we'll be blogging shortly before.

 

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]]>Michael Cardillo2009-04-08T14:00:00 00:00