Tuesday, November 8

Brazil's 'death' greatly exaggerated - ESPN - With the schedule for the 2014 World Cup now announced, host Brazil knows it will kick off the tournament at 5 p.m. local time June 12 in Sao Paulo. This much is certain. Of more interest is where the team will be at 4 p.m. July 13 -- contesting the final in Rio's Maracana stadium or drowning its sorrows elsewhere.

Donovan’s change of mind benefits Galaxy quest - Yahoo.com - Landon Donovan withdrew from United States international team duty on Monday in order to boost his chances of winning the MLS Cup with the Los Angeles Galaxy.

Ferguson's adaptability made him great - The Guardian - Sir Alex Ferguson can play the role of psychologist just as well as that of a dictator

Can Peruvian Polo fill hole in Europe? - BBC - Tim Vickery on the teenager striker attracting interest from overseas

Beckham Loves LA, Won't Decide on Future - Sports Radio - David Beckham discusses how an MLS playoff game stacks up against a UEFA Champions League playoff game in terms of pressure, Landon Donovan’s penalty kick goal snapping him out of his goal scoring funk, how his body is holding up physically after a grueling playoff match against New York, his future with the Galaxy and playing in the EPL [English Premier League] during the off-season

Anatomy of the Terry race row - The Daily Mail - As the John Terry saga reaches a critical phase, Sportsmail takes a look at the key characters involved in the incident at Loftus Road on October 23 and those who will ultimately decide the fate of the England captain...

Time To Fix Fixtures For Europa Clubs? - Football365.com - Stoke's abysmal record following Europa games could dissuade Tony Pulis from playing his strongest side. Isn't it time the FA helped out the Thursday clubs...?

Torpedo hero Ivanov dies - UEFA.com - Former FC Torpedo Moskva striker and coach Valentin Ivanov, whose goals helped the Soviet Union to 1956 Olympic gold and the 1960 European title, has died in Moscow aged 77.

The right Van man - Sky Sports - Robin van Persie's right-foot record and is Sir Alex the biggest loser? Martin Tyler has the stats...

Bruce Arena remains committed to American soccer - LA Times - The Galaxy coach, who also led the U.S. team for eight years, says Americans must take the lead in pushing the sport's domestic growth.

Manning Up in Manchester - ESPN - Both United and City stumbled but held on for hard-earned victories as the pressure builds atop the Premier League table.

Have Faith in Kids at Wembley - Daily Star - You've picked them, Fabio, now you have to play them. Fabio Capello must be brave enough to put the kids in against world champions Spain at Wembley on Saturday.

North Korea face World Cup failure - The Guardian - Defeat by Uzbekistan has left the ultra-secretive nation on the brink of elimination

The fire's started for Chelsea prodigy AVB - London Evening Standard - t's quite straightforward being manager of Chelsea. Roman Abramovich, when he is not feuding with fellow oligarchs, has unambiguous demands: he wants his team to play attacking, entertaining football while also winning championships and, especially, the Champions League. I'd want the same if I owned a Premier League club and had spent hundreds of millions on transfers and players' salaries. Why settle for anything less?

Total poppycock - Sky Sports - Kammy says England are right to pick John Terry, but feels Fifa's poppy stance is a disgrace.

Goal-shy Liverpool FC are becoming stuck in the middle - Liverpool Daily Post - Liverpool are suffering from a midfield malaise that may lead to Kenny Dalglish changing the team’s formation. The struggles at home were further underlined at the weekend with the goalless draw against promoted Swansea City

Everton FC need someone to pull the strings -Liverpool Daily Post - The more you watch Everton, the more it becomes obvious they need someone pulling the strings in midfield

Barcelona is a sect full of school boys, says Ibrahimovic - Reuters - A new tell-all autobiography by Zlatan Ibrahimovic is already making headlines in Sweden this year — the question is whether anyone outside of the Scandinavian country will notice.

Bastos: Brazil return is still my goal - FIFA.com - Michel Bastos speaks to FIFA.com about Lyon’s goals, his preferred playing position, Brazil’s South Africa 2010 exit and his hopes of ...

Golden inspiration for Beckham - BBC - David Beckham says he still has much more to achieve

The Rooney Experiment Continues - Football365.com - Is three-and-a-half games a big enough sample size? Perhaps not, but Sir Alex Ferguson seems keen on Rooney in midfield. Nick Miller just thinks it's rather a waste...

Rooney Expecting Second Child? - The Sun - Glowing Coleen Rooney has sparked rumours that she and hubby Wayne are expecting their second child. The TV star and designer, 25, has stopped drinking alcohol and pals believe she will have a sister or brother for son Kai around May next year.