A few tales of friends, Romans and their countrymen before England's first appearance at the Olympic Stadium on Saturday, when a sell-out crowd of 80,000 is expected.
Three days of mourning were being observed in Egypt following the deaths of at least 74 people in the worst outbreak of soccer-related violence in the country's history.
In breaching her commitment to Andrew Wilkie, Julia Gillard has made it even less likely voters will trust her again. Read more on the blog...
The final installment of the Footy Blog's Top 100 footballers reveals numbers 10-1.
J-LEAGUE JOURNEY: It looks like Jason Kreis & Co. aren't finished making additions to their back line. They've brought in a number of trialists for preseason, including one who had an ocean to cross to get to Utah. His name is Terukazu Tanaka, and he's a fullback from Sagan Tosu of the J-League.
On Saturday afternoon, I received a call from one of my "colleagues." "Dan, where is your weekend update? We need content. CONTENT." I tried to explain that I wasn't being lazy, and that this weekend wasn't about me, my selections, or even the good races across the country.
PERMISSION GRANTED: Reports in England claim that New York Red Bulls defender Tim Ream has been cleared for a UK work permit, thus clearing the path for his much talked about move to Bolton Wanderers in the EPL. Multiple sources claim that former Chicago Fire center back Wilman Conde is in line to replace Ream on the back line.
LOOKS RIGHT IN ORANGE: He may not move the needle like David Beckham or Thierry Henry, but Kris Boyd is a legend in Glasgow and is the Scottish Premier League's all-time leading scorer.
Editor's note: We heard from many of you earlier this week, following an opinion piece and a story about Pack basketball players' response to the unimpressive attendance at Lawlor Events Center. The following is a selection of your letters and comments from the Wolf Pack blog on RGJ.com.
While watching sports analysis on espn.com (my go-to procrastination move these days), I stumbled upon an interesting tidbit. Several NBA analysts were discussing which one player they would most like to build their team around.
HOORAY FOR BOLLYWOOD: Guess retirement didn't take for Santino Quaranta . But this is no ordinary return to the pitch. According The Washington Post 's Steven Goff, the former D.C. United midfielder is joining the enormously ambitious new six-team Indian Premier League Soccer league that has attracted names like Fabio Cannavaro, Hernán Crespo, Robert Pires, Robbie Fowler and Jay-Jay Okocha.
UH-OH: Numerous media reports out of England are saying that Thierry Henry is undergoing scans in order to figure out what's gone wrong with his troublesome calf. The New York Red Bulls' superstar apparently suffered an injury during a training session on Tuesday while on loan at Arsenal.
BALLACK CLOSING IN ON MONTREAL MOVE?: The Impact have been linked with a litany of big names ahead of their inaugural MLS campaign, and it seems they may have finally found their centerpiece.
In reply to The Howard Years Were No Golden Age : Howard, a miserable lawyer, made an even worse politician. Did Australia grow under his leadership? No, but the rich sure got richer. Did he lift Australia’s image? How could a non-descript Monarchist like Howard lift anything. He was a boring little fart with no personality or leadership qualities or persona. But he did have cunning. In spades ...
JACKSON JOINING JUNINHO IN BRAZIL?: FC Dallas' offseason efforts may have just gotten a little more complicated. Schellas Hyndman's versatile Brazilian, Jackson Gonçalves , is reported to be headed to Cruziero on a year-long loan. Jackson was on loan to FCD from São Paulo.
AY, CARAMBA!: It seems US head coach Jurgen Klinsmann will get his second taste of the heated rivalry against Mexico in an exhibition match to be played this August. The venue? Estadio Azteca.
SAMBA ON TOUR: How is your jogo bonito these days? According to their federation's own calendar, the Brazilian national team will play both the United States and Mexico during their summer swing.
Trending Topics is a column that looks at the week in hockey, occasionally according to Twitter. If you're only going to comment to say how stupid Twitter is, why not just go have a good cry for the slow, sad death of your dear internet instead? Frequently, when something distasteful about the NHL All-Star Game is brought into a conversation, the whole subject is dismissed with a single sentence ...
