Marcello Lippi Releases His Azzurri Roster for Cameroon Friendly

Marcello Lippi last week in South Africa.

Mister Lippi released his roster for the upcoming friendly against Cameroon in Monaco. There were several new faces.

Absences

Gigi Buffon, Alberto Gilardino and Vincenzo Iaquinta are injured. Giuseppe Rossi was not selected due to compassionate leave after the death of his father, Fernando. Alessandro Nesta was not selected as had been rumored. Alex Del Piero appears to be out of the Azzurri set up.


Marco Borriello received his first call up for the Azzurri
with Marcello Lippi. He has 3 caps.

Goalkeepers

Morgan De Sanctis (Napoli), Federico Marchetti (Cagliari), Salvatore Sirigu (Palermo).

Defenders

Daniele Bonera (Milan), Leonardo Bonucci (Bari), Fabio Cannavaro (Juventus), Mattia Cassani (Palermo), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Domenico Criscito (Genoa), Nicola Legrottaglie (Juventus).

Midfielders

Christian Maggio (Napoli), Andrea Cossu (Cagliari), Daniele De Rossi (Roma), Gennaro Gattuso (Milan), Claudio Marchisio (Juventus), Riccardo Montolivo (Fiorentina), Angelo Palombo (Sampdoria), Simone Pepe (Udinese), Andrea Pirlo (Milan).

Strikers

Marco Borriello (Milan), Antonio Di Natale (Udinese), Giampaolo Pazzini (Sampdoria), Fabio Quagliarella (Napoli).



Roster courtesy of La Gazzetta dello Sport, 28 February 2010.

The next friendly will be with Mexico in Brussels, Belgium on 3 June.

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Alive and Kicking UK Relaunches Their Website

I received an email earlier today from Sughra Hussain and Robbie Barkell from Alive and Kicking UK.

They have just relaunched their website with the South African World Cup on the horizon. They employ Kenyans and Zambians to hand stitch footballs (soccer balls) and volleyballs. They educate young people about AIDS, Malaria, Tuberculosis and other infectious diseases.

For those new to their humanitarian initiatives, here are some key points from their website:

"Vision: Alive & Kicking's vision is of an Africa where every child can play with a real ball, where thousands of jobs are sustained in the production of balls, and where sport contributes to the eradication of deadly disease.

Approach: Alive & Kicking believes that by combining social entrepreneurship with sport's mass appeal, lasting economic and social development can be achieved in Africa.

Mission: Alive & Kicking strives to help children exercise their right to play, to create employment for communities in Africa and to help raise awareness of preventable disease. This will continue to be achieved through the African manufacture and distribution of sports balls and the provision of appropriate health awareness materials for young people."

World Figures Lend Their Support


Didier Drogba of Chelsea FC and Cote d'Ivoire with
Alive and Kicking Director, Will Prochaska.


Emmanuel Eboue of Arsenal FC and Cote d'Ivoire.


During a visit to Kenya as a Senator, President
Barack Obama learned about the goals of Alive and Kicking
from A&K Kenya's director Martin Barnard (left).

All images courtesy of Alive and Kicking UK.

Fiorentina Makes Mistake in Selling Dario Dainelli by Jim Riggio

By Jim Riggio for World Football Commentaries

Dario Danielli in action with Genoa.

This winter’s transfer market brought several Serie A clubs new members that should shake things up in the standings.

There is Luca Toni, who joined AS Roma from Bayern Munich. There is Goran Pandev who joined Inter from Lazio. There is Sergio Floccari who joined Lazio from Genoa and even Antonio Candreva who joined Juventus from Livorno. But perhaps the most significant move of all was one that may have slipped under the radar.

Just over a month after Fiorentina sent Dario Dainelli to Genoa, the Viola are probably regretting the mistake they made. Since Dainelli’s departure on Jan. 12, the Viola are winless in five Serie A matches, earning just one point.

Dainelli played in seven Champions League matches for Fiorentina, scoring one goal and helped the club reach the knockout round stages of the tournament. Genoa meanwhile has turned things around. Still with the second worst defense in the league, trailing only last-place Siena in goals allowed, Genoa has vastly improved since Dainelli has come on board.

Genoa, which has allowed 39 goals in 24 league matches, has allowed just seven in the six matches since Dainelli joined the club. This has included shutouts of Chievo, Napoli and Atalanta. If there is one player that is overlooked in Serie A and by the Italian National Team, it is Dainelli.

Dainelli, who turns 31 in June, has just one cap for the Azzurri, having played in a friendly against Ecuador in the summer of 2005 in New York. The 6-foot-3 central defender deserves another chance at representing Italy, especially since there are many injured players and some players that have been chosen by Marcello Lippi have displayed poor form of late.

Fiorentina now faces the difficulty of going into the knockout stages of the Champions League against Bayern Munich without Dainelli and probably his longtime central defender mate Alessandro Gamberini, who suffered a separated shoulder this past weekend.

No club likes having to change both of its center backs, but Fiorentina may do just that. Time will tell, but early on it appears that Fiorentina’s decision to get rid of Dario Dainelli is one it will want to forget.

About the Author

Jim Riggio has written about Italian and international soccer for ESPN/Soccernet, and was an interviewee for my column at AC Cugini Scuola Calcio. After the 2006 World Cup, he contributed an interview with Gianluca Zambrotta of FC Barcelona and the Italian National team for my World Football site.

On 21 February 2008, Mr. Riggio was interviewed by Diane Scalia, also known as Chef Di, for the SportsBites segment about the Champions League on GrandSlamGourmet.com.

Jim Riggio Article Archive

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WPS Committed to Supporting Nationwide Campaign to Address Childhood Obesity by Rob Penner

WPS Committed to Supporting Nationwide Campaign to Address Childhood Obesity

Washington Freedom Goalkeeper Briana Scurry Attends Kick-Off Ceremony in Washington D.C. as First Lady Unveils Initiative

WASHINGTON, D.C. (February 9, 2010) – Women’s Professional Soccer was represented today in Washington D.C. by Washington Freedom Goalkeeper Briana Scurry, who took part in the kick-off ceremony for First Lady Michelle Obama’s formal unveiling of a nationwide campaign to address the serious epidemic of childhood obesity. For the first time ever, the First Lady will set a national goal of solving the obesity challenge within a generation so that America’s youngest children reach adulthood at a healthy weight.


Mrs. Obama watches President Obama sign the
childhood obesity memorandum.

WPS, as a professional sports league that both promotes and represents healthy, fitness-minded living, has joined in this campaign with a commitment towards the goal of eliminating childhood obesity in a generation and getting more kids active, playing or moving at least one hour every day. With eight teams in the U.S., WPS fans spread across the country, and WPS Camps taking place in over a dozen cities, Women’s Professional Soccer has committed to work together with the First Lady and the White House to increase existing programs and creatively develop new ideas and platforms to address this issue.

“We are pleased to be part of this nationwide initiative to fight childhood obesity that the First Lady has unveiled,” said WPS Commissioner Tonya Antonucci. “WPS is uniquely positioned as a sports league of role models and the world’s best soccer players, who can inspire, mobilize and teach kids about the benefits of being active, eating better and embracing healthier lifestyles.”

“I’m really proud to represent WPS today as the First Lady unveils her nationwide challenge to tackle the issue of childhood obesity,” said Briana Scurry. “All of us in the league had the opportunity to play soccer throughout our childhoods to help us stay active and healthy. We hope we can introduce more children to the same opportunities we had and the benefits of sport and healthy living that went with it.”

WPS expects to have more announcements about its support of the White House initiative and programs to help fight childhood obesity closer to the 2010 season.

About Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS)

Headquartered in San Francisco, Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) is the world’s premier soccer league for women with eight teams across the United States featuring the best players from around the world. WPS completed its inaugural season in August 2009 as Sky Blue FC of New Jersey became the first-ever WPS Champions. In 2010, eight teams will each play 24-game schedules from April 10-September 12 including six original WPS teams – Boston Breakers, Chicago Red Stars, FC Gold Pride (Bay Area), Saint Louis Athletica, Sky Blue FC (NJ/NY) and Washington Freedom – and two expansion teams Atlanta Beat and Philadelphia Independence. The top four finishers in the regular season will qualify for the 2010 WPS Playoffs scheduled for September 19-26. For more information, visit the WPS official website at www.womensprosoccer.com or follow all the news at www.twitter.com/womensprosoccer.

About the Author

Rob Penner is the Communications Director for Women's Professional Soccer.

Rob Penner Archive

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Euro 2012 Qualifying Draw

Iker Casillas of Spain raises
the 2008 European Cup. Will
la Furia Roja win again in 2012?

The next European Championship (Euro 2012) will be co-hosted by Ukraine and Poland, and the qualification draw took place on February 7th in Warsaw. Qualification matches will begin next September.

Nine Groups

• Six will have six teams
• Three will have five teams
  

Nine Seeded Teams

Croatia
England
France
Germany
Italy
Portugal
Russia
Spain (Defending Champion)
The Netherlands

Group A: Germany, Turkey, Austria, Belgium, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan

Group B: Russia, Slovakia, Ireland, Macedonia, Armenia, Andorra

Group C: Italy, Serbia, Northern Ireland, Slovenia, Estonia, Faroe Islands

Group D: France, Romania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Belarus, Albania, Luxembourg

Group E: Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, Hungary, Moldova, San Marino

Group F: Croatia, Greece, Israel, Latvia, Georgia, Malta

Group G: England, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Wales, Montenegro

Group H: Portugal, Denmark, Norway, Cyprus, Iceland

Group I: Spain, Czech Republic, Scotland, Lithuania, Liechtenstein

"The Euro 2012 finals will take place from June 8 to July 1 2012 in eight host cities - four in each of the two countries - with the final set to be held in Kiev. The winners of the nine groups and the best runner-up (only 1 team) qualify directly for the final tournament.

The eight remaining runners-up will have to battle it out in play-off matches to decide which teams grab the remaining four places."

Source: The Times of London, 07 February 2010.

Qualification Dates

a) 3/4 and 7 September 2010
b) 8/9 and 12 October 2010
c) 25/26 and 29 March 2011
d) 3/4 and 7 June 2011
e) 2/3 and 6 September 2011
f) 7/8 and 11 October 2011

Play-offs for the Eight Runners-up

a) 11/12 November 2011
b) 15 November 2011

Source: UEFA.com, 7 February 2010.

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IMScouting: A Global Scouting Company For Football Professionals by Dvir Ben-Aroya

Image courtesy of IMScouting.

IMScouting is a global scouting company for football professionals combining a revolutionary database that provides reliable online "e-Scouting" alongside a scouting consultancy service that can supply genuine global grassroots insights into the world of professional football.

Included among the services provided by IMScouting are in-depth player reports and assessments, team scouting reports, individual and match highlights on DVD and 24/7 personal scouting support.

Major clubs such as Panathinaikos, Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund, Bolton, Willem II, Lille and Olympiakos, utilise the wide ranging scouting services provided by IMScouting.

IMScouting played a significant consultancy role in dozens of global transfers that have been completed in recent seasons.

IMScouting.com is the first system of its kind to provide in-depth coverage of leagues and football players from all around the world including Europe, Africa, South America, North America and Asia.

The database is constantly updated, by a network of football experts and scouts based locally across the globe, with the sole focus to provide you with a genuine global grassroots insight into the world of professional football.

The team behind IMScouting's global organization are football professionals with a deep and knowledgeable understanding of the global game. IMScouting is committed to changing the dynamics of the global transfer market.

If you are a professional club, manager, coach, agent, media specialist or a passionate fan of the "Beautiful Game" then IMScouting is the place for you.

IMScouting.com is a leading football website providing fans with statistics, news, highlights, transfers and injuries and much more.

Best Regards,

Dvir Ben-Aroya
CEO, IMScouting Ltd.

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Free Jerseys for Life Contest by SoccerPro.com

Images courtesy of SoccerPro.com.

Trevor and his team at SoccerPro.com have an interesting new contest to celebrate the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa:

Free Jerseys for Life!



Please click the image for more information.

All entries receive a $10 off coupon for future purchases from their extensive inventory.

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Shannon Boxx Goes First, Marta Third in LA Sol Dispersal Draft by Rob Penner

Shannon Boxx Goes First, Marta Third in LA Sol Dispersal Draft

Four-time FIFA Player of the Year Marta to Stay in California with FC Gold Pride

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (February 4, 2010) – Women’s Professional Soccer held its dispersal draft today for players’ rights previously held by the Los Angeles Sol, whose operations were discontinued last Thursday, January 28.

Saint Louis Athletica, which traded several players to the Atlanta Beat to gain the first pick in the dispersal draft used its selection to draft WPS All-Star Shannon Boxx, the Sol’s captain and one of the world’s best holding midfielders. With the second selection, the Philadelphia Independence then selected goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc, who led the league in shutouts in 2009 with 12 clean sheets.

The San Francisco Bay Area team, FC Gold Pride, then selected Marta, WPS’s Michelle Akers Player of the Year last year, with the third pick. Marta was a 2009 WPS All-Star, led the league with 10 goals and was voted FIFA World Player of the Year in December for a record fourth time.

Other first round selections in the dispersal draft included two first round selections from the 2010 WPS Draft (college draft) with North Carolina’s Casey Nogueira and Nikki Washington going to the Chicago Red Stars and Sky Blue FC, respectively. The Boston Breakers picked up veteran defender Stephanie Cox with the fifth pick, while the Washington Freedom grabbed one of last year’s top rookies, Brittany Bock with the seventh selection. Closing out the first round, Saint Louis Athletica picked up another WPS All-Star and midfielder Aya Miyama.

Several trades took place in the second round with the Bay Area’s FC Gold Pride trading up to the 13th slot to select forward Kiki Bosio, giving Chicago Red Stars their 14th selection in the dispersal draft and the FC Gold Pride’s 2nd round selection in the 2011 WPS Draft. The Red Stars then traded away that 14th selection to Saint Louis for the Athletica’s 2nd round selection in the 2011 WPS Draft. The Athletica used the 14th selection to pick up midfielder Tina DiMartino. Several teams passed on their selections in the third round.

WPS Dispersal Draft (player rights held by the Los Angeles Sol)
Round 1
1. Shannon Boxx, M – Saint Louis Athletica *
2. Karina LeBlanc, GK – Philadelphia Independence
3. Marta, F – FC Gold Pride (Bay Area)
4. Casey Nogueira, F – Chicago Red Stars
5. Stephanie Cox, D – Boston Breakers
6. Nikki Washington, M – Sky Blue FC (NJ/NY)
7. Brittany Bock, D – Washington Freedom
8. Aya Miyama, M – Saint Louis Athletica

Round 2
9. Manya Makoski, M – Atlanta Beat
10. Faith Ikidi, D/F – Washington Freedom
11. Kiersten Dallstream, F – Sky Blue FC (NJ/NY)
12. Michelle Enyeart, F – Boston Breakers
13. Kiki Bosio, F – FC Gold Pride (Bay Area) ^
14. Tina DiMartino, M – Saint Louis Athletica #
15. Estelle Johnson, D – Philadelphia Independence
16. Pavlina Scasna, F – Atlanta Beat

Round 3
17. Pass – Atlanta Beat
18. Pass – Philadelphia Independence
19. Lindsay Browne, F – FC Gold Pride (Bay Area)
20. Pass – Chicago Red Stars
21. Pass – Boston Breakers
22. Pass – Sky Blue FC (NJ/NY)
23. Pass – Washington Freedom
24. Catherine Sorenson, M – Saint Louis Athletica

* via trade with Atlanta Beat (trade prior to draft)
^ via trade with Chicago Red Stars (Chicago receives FC Gold Pride's 2nd Round pick in 2011 WPS Draft)
# via trade with Chicago Red Stars (Chicago receives Saint Louis Athletica's 2nd Round pick in 2011 WPS Draft)

NOTE: Mary Casey, GK, is now a free agent; Midfielder Julie Rydahl Bukh’s WPS rights have been released.

About Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS)

Headquartered in San Francisco, Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) is the world’s premier soccer league for women with eight teams across the United States featuring the best players from around the world. WPS completed its inaugural season in August 2009 as Sky Blue FC of New Jersey became the first-ever WPS Champions. In 2010, eight teams will each play 24-game schedules from April 10-September 12 including six original WPS teams – Boston Breakers, Chicago Red Stars, FC Gold Pride (Bay Area), Saint Louis Athletica, Sky Blue FC (NJ/NY) and Washington Freedom – and two expansion teams Atlanta Beat and Philadelphia Independence. The top four finishers in the regular season will qualify for the 2010 WPS Playoffs scheduled for September 19-26. For more information, visit the WPS official website at www.womensprosoccer.com or follow all the news at www.twitter.com/womensprosoccer.

About the Author

Rob Penner is the Communications Director for Women's Professional Soccer.

Rob Penner Archive

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