Injured Beckham vows to play MLS Cup final

November 21, 2009


England midfielder David Beckham has a bone bruise in his right ankle, but he still expects to play for his US club Los Angeles Galaxy in the Major League Soccer championship match Sunday.

Beckham said Friday he will use a pain-killing injection as needed in the ankle to be ready for Sunday’s match against Real Salt Lake on the artificial pitch at Seattle’s Qwest Field.

“You’ve got to be kind of careful with it not to get any kicks on it. So it’s definitely been frustrating, but I’m sure it will be fine for Sunday. Definitely be fine for Sunday,” Beckham said.

“It’s just one of those things that you just have to get through. After five or 10 minutes of the game I’m sure I’ll forget about it.”

Beckham, who has won multiple English Premiership titles with Manchester United and a Spanish League title with Real Madrid, will be playing for the MLS championship for the first time with the Galaxy.

Beckham, speaking to reporters after the team trained on Friday, also said he thinks he has another few years of playing left in him and reiterated his plans to return to Los Angeles after next year’s World Cup, in which he hopes to play for England.

“I’d like to say I’ve got a good two or three, maybe four years left in me,” Beckham said. “Have to wait and see and take it week by week, month by month and year by year, especially being 34 years old. … But I feel good and I feel really fit. I’m playing a lot of soccer and I’m enjoying it.”

He is due to go back to AC Milan on loan after the MLS season, and has said he hopes playing in Europe will boost his chances of making England’s 2010 World Cup squad.

“I’ll obviously, hopefully be involved in the World Cup and then I’ll return for the rest of the season,” Beckham said.

SEATTLE, Washington (AFP)

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Germans target Arshavin for their Moscow mission

October 10, 2009


Thomas Hitzlsperger says Germany travel to Moscow on Saturday determined to close down Russian play-maker Andrei Arshavin in order to get the win which will send them to the 2010 World Cup.

The rivals meet at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium with Germany leading Group Four by just one point from second-placed Russia with only the winner of the qualification pool guaranteed a place in South Africa next June.

Stuttgart midfielder Hitzlsperger says the Germans will allow neither Moscow’s artificial pitch nor Arsenal play-maker Arshavin to hinder their quest to leave Moscow with all three points from the World Cup qualifier.

“Our goal is to decide the World Cup qualification places for ourselves on Saturday,” said ex-Aston Villa player Hitzlsperger before his team flew to Russia.

“We are all united on that: We travel to Moscow in order to win.

“We know Russia has an extremely strong team and we respect them.

“But we have already beaten the Russians and to go there standing tall as table leaders.

“We have every reason to be self-confident.”

Germany beat Russia 2-1 in Dortmund last October to take control of their World Cup qualification group, but Loew’s side knows they have to shut down Arshavin to keep the home side at bay.

“He is not the sort of player you can ever really feel is under control with just a single marker,” said Hitzlsperger.

“He would pull you all over the pitch and as we saw in Dortmund, if the whole team is organised then there is little room for him to operate.

“Arshavin can pop up in so many different positions and if we do the same in Moscow as we did in Dortmund, we have a chance.”

The Germany squad spent this week training on an artificial pitch in Mainz to get used to the surface, but Hitzlsperger says it must not become an excuse.

“We naturally talked about it, and our coach Joachim Loew has also addressed the topic,” said the 27-year-old.

“But we have said that it can not become a big topic for us and will not be an excuse.

“The ball bounces higher than on a grass pitch and travels much faster when it is wet.

“We have now trained on the surface several times and we are using each training session to improve, we know its advantages and disadvantages.”

Hitzlsperger is expected to be up against his Stuttgart team-mate and Russia striker Pavel Pobrebnyak on Saturday and the Russian has warned of the “cauldron” atmosphere expected in the stadium.

Having won 49 caps, Hitzlsperger has scored six times for his country and each time Germany has won.

“It would be fantastic if I played in Moscow, scored and we won, I can’t imagine a better outcome on Saturday – that would be a dream!”

Some 5,000 police officers have been called in to keep order at the World Cup qualifier and German police have offered their assistance and provided Moscow with information about travelling supporters.

Both teams have one more World Cup qualifier after Saturday’s game when Germany host Finland in Hamburg next Wednesday the same night Russia play Azerbaijan in Baku.

BERLIN (AFP)

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Artificial pitch holds no fear for Ballack

October 6, 2009


Germany captain Michael Ballack on Tuesday dismissed concerns over the artificial pitch for the crunch World Cup showdown with Russia, saying his team is well-prepared to adapt to the tricky surface.

The Chelsea midfielder, 33, said Germany is confident ahead of the Group Four clash in Moscow on Saturday where a win would see them book an automatic place in South Africa at next June’s tournament.

The match will be played at the 78,000-seater Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, one of the few major European grounds with artificial turf, but Germany have been practising on a similar surface this week at their training base.

“I have only trained on artificial turf a few times and never played a match on it,” Ballack told reporters after a training session on the astroturf.

“But we are well prepared and … there are also advantages to playing on artificial turf, not just disadvantages.

“Of course, it’s all a bit new, but it’s the same for both teams and so I do not think it will play much of a role.”

Coach Joachim Loew said his players had worked on ball retention and precision passing at their training session and were already coming to terms with the new surface.

“Of course there is an adjustment that we’re going to have to get used to in the next few days but we will get used to it,” said Loew.

“We have a few days to get accustomed to it and then it shouldn’t play a role.”

Germany are just a point ahead of Russia in the qualifying group and victory in Moscow would guarantee Loew’s side a place in South Africa regardless of their last match against Finland in Hamburg next Wednesday.

Ballack said he expected former mentor Guus Hiddink – who left Chelsea after a short stint as coach last season to return to his former role as Russian trainer – to prepare his team well.

“But at the end of the day, you can have respect but you mustn’t forget to play football,” he said.

“We are well prepared and we are full of self-confidence. We know what we can do. We are at the top of the table and I am expecting a classic game, obviously with a good result for us,” Ballack said.

BERLIN (AFP)

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Total focus on Russia game, insists Ballack

September 29, 2009


Germany captain Michael Ballack insists his team will give everything they have to beat Russia in Moscow on October 10 and earn themselves an automatic place at the 2010 World Cup.

Germany are just one point clear at the top of the Group Four table ahead of deadly rivals Russia, but should Ballack’s team beat the home side at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium they will be uncatchable.

“We are devoting all our focus, energy and commitment to the match,” said the Chelsea star.

“We can’t let the artificial pitch be an excuse for us – we’ll just have to adapt to the conditions.

“Russia have got a strong team and they have got results in the past, so we will have to be at our very best if we are to get something out of our trip to Moscow.

“We’re confident that we will qualify directly for the World Cup, because we’re totally motivated for this match, well prepared and we know that we can get the right result.”

Having turned 33 last week, Ballack has said he will consider retiring after next June’s World Cup and is eager to finish on a high having finished as runner-up in 2002 and then Germany came third in 2006.

“Both World Cups were really tough for me emotionally as a player,” said the former Bayern Munich star.

“In 2002, we amazed everybody by getting to the final, and I scored the winners in the 1-0 victories in the quarter and semi-finals, only to be suspended for the final.

“That was a bitter pill, it really was.

“The atmosphere in 2006 was sensational.

“For us players it was a unique experience, and I don’t think that the fans ever will forget that World Cup either.

“Germany showed that we are a friendly nation who like to receive guests, and that was very important for our country’s international image.

“It was a great World Cup, both on the pitch and in terms of the atmosphere all around the country and among football fans in particular.”

Germany have a habit of turning on the style for the big tournaments and despite a poor start at Euro 2008 when they lost in the group stages to Croatia, they went on to lose 1-0 to Spain in the final.

Coach Joachim Loew is set to announce his squad for the trip to Moscow and the game against Finland in Hamburg on October 14 later this week.

BERLIN (AFP)

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Mexico shock Costa Rica; USA, Honduras win

September 6, 2009


Mexico dealt Costa Rica a damaging home defeat while Honduras and the United States won to shake up the standings in 2010 World Cup qualifying in North and Central America and the Caribbean.

Mexico more than met the challenge of taking on Costa Rica on the artificial pitch at notoriously hostile Saprissa Stadium, winning 3-0 with goals from Giovanni Dos Santos, Guillermo Franco and Andres Guardado.

It was Mexico’s first away win in the six-nation final round of qualifying, while Costa Rica lost for the first time at home and fell from first place to fourth.

Dos Santos’s long-range, left-footed blast put Mexico ahead in the 45th minute. Dos Santos also played a key role in Mexico’s other two goals. He brought the ball into the area and passed to Franco, who fired home in the 61st minute. He also delivered the ball to Guardado for a shot from short range in the 70th.

The victory gave Mexico 12 points, the same as Costa Rica but ahead on goal difference. They trail Honduras and the United States, both on 13 points.

In San Pedro Sula, Honduras pummelled Trinidad and Tobago 4-1, while the United States rallied to beat El Salvador 2-1 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Carlos Pavon in the 19th and 27th minutes, Amado Guevara in the 61st and David Sauzo in the 82nd scored for Honduras, while Kerry Baptiste scored in the 85th for Trinidad and Tobago.

In Utah, Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore scored first-half goals to lift the United States to a 2-1 victory over El Salvador in Salt Lake City.

Christian Castillo had given El Salvador a 1-0 lead in the 32nd minute with a header over US keeper Tim Howard.

But Dempsey equalized in the 41st when he headed in a free kick from Landon Donovan.

Donovan’s cross in first-half injury time also supplied Altidore, while Howard’s save of William Reyes’s point-blank shot in the 87th preserved the victory.

“The best part was the response when we went down,” US coach Bob Bradley said. “It’s never easy. You feel that pressure for a moment, but there was a real strong response from everybody on the field. That says a lot about what these guys are all about.”

The top three teams in the group advance directly to the World Cup finals in South Africa. The fourth-placed team plays off for a berth against the fifth-placed team from South America.

Saturday’s defeats left Trinidad and Tobago and El Salvador both on five points, and their hopes of qualifying all but extinguished.

Qualifying continues on Wednesday, when Mexico host Honduras, Trinidad and Tobago host the United States and El Salvador host Costa Rica.

“We’ve got three more tough games, but if we continue to get points we’re going to be all right,” Dempsey said.

SAN JOSE (AFP)

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Spanish star desperate for Celtic Cup return

January 10, 2009

GLASGOW, (AFP) – Celtic’s Spanish midfielder Marc Crosas says he is desperate to return to first-team action in Saturday’s Scottish Cup fourth round clash against Dundee.

The former Barcelona and Lyon player has been sidelined for more than eight weeks with a hamstring injury and the last of his six games for the Hoops came in October.

However, the 21-year-old is fit again and is staking a claim for a place in the team for the game at Parkhead.

"It’s the manager’s decision who plays, but I’m working hard in training and I’m ready to play," Crosas said.

"It has been a frustrating time. I had got myself into the team and had played several games in a row and was enjoying myself. It is not easy when you start at a club in a new country and to get an injury so early was difficult. But that is all behind me and I am looking to the future.

"I am used to playing in cup competitions in Spain. I made my debut for Barcelona in the Copa del Rey. I would enjoy the chance to play against Dundee. Cup games are usually fast and exciting.

"The manager has not spoken about the cup game yet or about Dundee and I don’t know much about them, but I would relish the chance to play again."

In Saturday’s other ties, Alloa host Aberdeen at Recreation Park.

The Dons had been expected to rest several players for the match on the Second Division club’s artificial pitch for fear of injury.

But after training on it manager Jimmy Calderwood says Scott Severin and Zander Diamond could play a part.

There is an Ayshire derby as Second Division Ayr United host neighbours Kilmarnock while Falkirk host last year’s finalists Queen of the South, who are currently struggling near the bottom of the First Division.

Motherwell travel north to take on Inverurie Locos hoping to avoid a shock defeat to the Highland League side.

On Sunday there is an Edinburgh derby as Hibernian host Hearts at Easter Road. It is the second week in a row the sides have clashed following last weekend’s goalless draw at Tynecastle in the league.

Scottish Premier League high-fliers Dundee United will hope to avoid any shocks as they take on Third Division East Stirling.

On Tuesday, Rangers travel to Perth to take on First Division league leaders St Johnstone with the Ibrox club’s fans wondering what sort of team they will field following reports any of the squad is for sale if the price is right.

Top scorer Kris Boyd has already been the subject of a bid from Birmingham while fellow striker Kyle Lafferty has damaged knee ligaments in a training match.

Fixtures (1500 GMT unless otherwise stated)

Saturday

Airdrie v Spartans, Alloa v Aberdeen, Ayr v Kilmarnock, Brechin v St Mirren, Celtic v Dundee, Dunfermline v Clyde, Falkirk v Queen of the South, Forfar v Forres Mechanics, Inverurie Locos v Motherwell, Inverness CT v Partick Thistle, Peterhead v Queens Park, Ross County v Hamilton, Stenhousemuir v East Fife

Sunday

East Stirling v Dundee United, Hibernian v Hearts (1215)

Tuesday

St Johnstone v Rangers (2005)

Written by: AFP

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