Alan's World Soccer Blog

South America's big two, Argentina and Brazil, will face off in the Olympic soccer tournament semi-finals after pushing aside The Netherlands and Cameroon respectively in their quarter final games. Read more...

Big money signings and managers with legendary reputations guarantee nothing in football or so LA Galaxy have been finding out recently. As if things weren't bad enough with having to endure a seven game losing streak the California club then saw former Dutch legend Ruud Gullit resign as team manager and general manager Alexei Lalas sacked for not stopping the rot. Read more...

One of the summer's most tedious transfer sagas could be coming to a conclusion as the transfer deadline approaches with the news that Russian club Zenit St. Petersburg are willing to lower their asking price for Russia captain Andrei Arshavin. Read more...

We've less than a week until the English Premier League explodes back into life for the 2008/2009 season and we've been hard at work digging through the transfers, news and happenings at each of the twenty Premier League clubs to get you well informed for the big kick off.

We've put together a run down of each Premier League club's Player To Watch for the 2008/2009 season as well as our pre-kickoff predictions of who we think will compete for the title, fight for European places and struggle to avoid the big drop through the relegation trap door.

Whatever happens, About.com will be covering all the major stories and incidents from the English Premier League kick off next Saturday 15th August.

It obviously pays instant dividends to take at least one major world soccer star to the Olympic Games with you as Argentina and Brazil have both found out with opening victories in the men's soccer tournament.

Argentina's Lionel Messi cast aside the furore and court appearances over his inclusion in the Argie squad by scoring in their win over the Ivory Coast while former Barcelona team-mate Ronaldinho bagged two goals for Brazil in their 5-0 thrashing of New Zealand which saw them through to the quarter final stage.

The competition will only really heat up once we hit the semi-finals of course but with players such as these two on parade it should make for a little interesting watching once you get bored of the rowing, road racing and archery.

What a tangled web our top football clubs weave. I really can't see the point in Barcelona taking FIFA to the Court of Arbitration for Sport last week over the forced release of Lionel Messi to Argentina's Olympic squad when they win and then turn around and decide to let the player go anyway because he's got his heart set on it.

Player power has gone a lot further than the campaigners in the 1960s could have imagined when they got the maximum wage abolished but for a player (no matter how good) to force his employer to go to court with the world governing body to force him to fulfil his obligations with them and then, when they win their case, force them to let him go anyway beggars belief. I hope Messi gets a gold medal at the Olympic Games and it's been worth all the hassle. Personally I can't see how it ever could be.

France's record international cap holder Lilian Thuram has retired from professional football following the discovery of a heart malfunction after this summer's Euro 2008 tournament. Thuram's family have a history of heart problems with his brother having tragically died while paying basketball from the same condition. At the age of 36 and having won both the World Cup and Euro 2000 with France on his way to 142 French caps, Thuram decided that the risks far outweighed the rewards of one more season in the professional game.

PSG had been looking to take Thuram back to France on a one year contract after the end of his time at Barcelona but having played for Monaco, Parma and Juventus during his long career, he decided to bow out at the top. Thuram is considered to be one of France's all time greats and his tally of 142 international caps is a phenomenal amount for any outfield player to amass. We wish him all the best health as he enjoys a well earned break from playing.

Argentina's decision to include Barcelona striker Lionel Messi in their Olympic soccer squad for Beijing 2008 looks set to mean Barcelona and FIFA will face each other in the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Barcelona find themselves in the same position as German clubs Schalke and Werder Bremen who have been forced aginst their will to release Rafinha and Diego to the Brazilian Olympic squad and all three will now take their cases to CAS. Read more...

Former Chelsea manager Claudio Ranieri has offered his views on Frank Lampard's doomed move to Inter Milan by saying that Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich personally stopped the move as he still hasn't forgiven Jose Mourinho for their parting early last season.

This certainly runs contrary to most of the spin that came out of Chelsea in the aftermath of Mourinho's departure which said that the two had made up some months later and rebuilt their once close relationship.

Either way, it's given Frank Lampard an extra £150,000 a week for the next five years to stay in London which won't cause him to lose too much sleep over what might have been in Milan.

The feel good factor just keeps growing for Major League Soccer at the moment with plans announced this week to expand the league to 18 teams by 2011. Coupled with the victory of the MLS All-Stars over visiting English Premier League side West Ham United, it's been a very positive week for the MLS board of governors and they seem set to keep that momentum growing by spreading the gospel of Major League Soccer into more areas in North America. Read more...