Everybody is linking to this video of a young boy enjoying the Brazil-Italy game on Sunday in Pretoria.
Also on Sunday the US finally showed up against Egypt. Apparently before the match, the president of the United States Soccer Federation, Sunil Gulati, received up to 200 “mostly angry” emails demanding that US coach Bob Bradley be fired. The angry emails might be back Wednesday after night.
[NY Times]
Japanese free kick specialist Shunsuke Nakamura is leaving Celtic in Scotland for Espanyol. (Remember this freekick?)
[The Guardian]
Cote d’Ivorian international, Aruna Dindane, who could be one of the break-out stars of 2010 in South Africa (Cote d’Ivoire is on course to qualify), is leaving French club Lens for Tottenham Hotspurs in London.
[101 Great Goals]
Most African players when they go “overseas” go to Europe, or more recently, to Eastern Europe, Russia or even Asia (especially Southeast Asia). Now more are going to the United States. African representation in Major League Soccer “… has mushroomed since the league’s first season, in 1996. There were between 10 African-born players (in 2003) and 16 (in 1996) for its first 11 seasons; in the last three years, there were 28 (2007), 34 (2008) and 32 (2009).” Some of these players–like Chicago Fire defender Bakary Soumare and Kei Kamara of the Houston Dynamo for Sierra Leone–are even representing their countries in World Cup qualifiers.
[NY Times]