They will usually go on to question the overall toughness of soccer players. I love to hear that knowing how physically demanding the sport can be. Unfortunately it doesn’t seem as though soccer’s professional athletes care to prove their toughness.
I am always hoping the injury faking and overall whininess of what seems to be a majority of professional soccer players will stop. I hate that our sport is represented by some who feel that complaining to the officials and faking injurues will give them a competitive advantage.
I don’t know where or when these tactics originated but it seems to me that in soccer its getting worse.
I was so excited to see both Mexico and panama score goals early in their Gold Cup match. Soon after the goals were scored the match took a turn for the worst The officials quickly lost control of the game and the quality of the game came to a screeching halt. There were a couple low points including an incident when the Mexico coach stuck his leg out to stop a ball and accidentally taping a Panamanian player. The player proceeded to take offense and push the coach. Both sides began a shoving match which of course lead to nothing but a lot of complaining. A second indecent began with a minor slide tackle that lead to an “injury” the Panamanian player rolled on the ground as if he were in the worst pain of his life. He made a miraculous recovery after realizing he wasn’t going to convince the official to card the Mexican player. Then to my utter disgust the Panamanian trainers brought out a stretcher to cart the “injured” player off the field. I cringed as the words of the radio show hosts came to mind. I couldn’t help but think “I really hope Colin Cowherd isn’t witnessing this embarrassment.”
The Panamanian player was taken off in the stretcher in what seemed like an attempt to run the last remaining minutes off the clock.
I hope for the reputation of the game that the complaining and injury faking in soccer will end. I’d love to know if anyone out there agrees with me.
Thank you all for letting me get all that off my chest. I feel much better now.

Rain or Shine Sports is actively seeking Facebook users to participate in its public beta testing period between now and May 31, 2009 to help provide feedback and suggestions.  To participate in the beta testing, please join by visiting our homepage and add ‘Zach Mangum’ as a friend.

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Rain or Shine Sports

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If he has his way, he will go play for another Spanish Club such as Real Madrid or    Barcelona, but if they don’t step up to the plate to take him, Valencia may have little       option other than to move him to Man City.

His agent, Jose Luis Tamargo, insists that no amount of money could lure Villa away from his homeland.

The technology can serve many purposes outside of sports, however, the application to all major sports could prove to be an innovation that all athletes and sports fans would be grateful for for years to come!  Imagine there being no question if a ball was out of bounds or not or if the ball crossed the goal line, etc.

Perhaps the greatest value offered by this technology is its application to improve the training and development of athletes.  With “smart gloves”, a coach or athletic trainer can understand how an athlete catches or throws a ball.  With the development of “smart shoes” or “smart cleats”soon to be developed, coaches and trainers will be able to understand the footwork of athletes better as well.  With these developments, young players could learn how the professional athletes of the world do what they do in a more detailed way.

Now, if only we could develop technology that allows the referee to make the correct judgment call every time!

To view the video, click here: The End of Officiating

Since winning UEFA Euro 2008 the Spaniards have remained perfect, capping off a memorable year for Spanish soccer.  Spain’s biggest challenge came in its match against Italy in the Euro 2008 Quarterfinal when Spain defeated Italy in penalty kicks.

For all you USA fans…in a down year (or couple of down years) for U.S. Soccer, the U.S. team finished out 2008 ranked 22nd–an incredible fall from their terribly inflated 4th place ranking two years ago.

Surprisingly, the Brazilians finished out the year ranked 5th–Brazil’s lowest ever year end ranking.

The top 25 teams at the end of 2008 include:

1. Spain
2. Germany
3. Netherlands
4. Italy
5. Brazil
6. Argentina
7. Croatia
8. England
9. Russia 
10. Turkey
11. France
12. Portugal
13. Czech Republic
14. Cameroon
15. Ukraine
16. Egypt 
17. Paraguay
18. Israel
19. Nigeria
20. Greece
21. Romania
22. USA
23. Uruguay
24. Switzerland
25. Ghana

Source: FIFA.com

And to make it worse, as if the dive in and of itself weren’t enough, the referee awarded a penalty kick which eventually put Atletico National up 2-1.

Year award in the annual World Player of the Year Gala held on January 12 in Zurich.

After compiling votes from coaches and team capitains, FIFA released the shortlist which for the first time includes five players rather than three.  The players making the cut this year include:

1. Cristiano Ronaldo
2. Fernando Torres
3. Lionel Messi
4. Xavi
5. Kaka

Take a look at the videos and vote for who you think should be the next World Player of the Year.

Cristiano Ronaldo:

Fernando Torres:

Lionel Messi:

Xavi:

Kaka:

Based on past and present popularity, here is a short list of what have been the top-selling soccer cleats:

1. Nike Mercurial
2. Adidas PowerSwerve
3. Adidas Copa Mundial
4. Nike Total90 Laser
5. Puma King

Some of these options are a bit older (such as the Puma Kings and the Copa Mundials) and haven’t adapted or changed nearly as much as the ever-changing PowerSwerves, Mercurials, or Predators of recent times.

Anyway, ROS readers are interested to know what everyone’s take on soccer cleats is. What do you wear and why? Please comment for the benefit of those seeking advice and help.

To get the ball rolling, here is my input:

Personally, I don’t prefer any on this list. Due to wide feet and comfort reasons, I am a HUGE Kelme Master fan. I’ve never worn or played in a more comfortable boot. Worst on my list…Adidas Copa Mundials. Although they’re the best-selling cleat of all time, they are too narrow, uncomfortable, and just don’t cut it for me.

Thanks,

Team ROS