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Mid-Day Ticker: Villas-Boas leaves Porto, Enrique takes reins at Roma and more

VillasBoas (Reuters Pictures)

European coaching's Next Big Thing could be on his way back to Stamford Bridge.

Andre Villas-Boas, who coached Porto to an undefeated league season and capped the campaign with Portuguese Cup and UEFA Europa League titles, has resigned as manager of the Portuguese champions. Reports out of Europe suggest that Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich will match his €15 million buyout clause, which will pave the way for him to sign on as Carlo Ancelotti's successor at the London club.

Villas-Boas, 33, is the youngest manager to ever win a European competition. He was an assistant at Chelsea under former Blues coach Jose Mourinho (in addition to serving under him previously at Porto and afterward at Inter Milan). His rapid rise through the coaching ranks has been eye-catching, considering that he has just two full seasons of top-flight managing experience.

Here are a few more stories from around the soccer world:

ENRIQUE OFFICIALLY ROMA'S COACH

If any Americans eventually do sign with AS Roma, they'll be playing for Luis Enrique.

After much speculation, the former Spanish player has officially signed on to become the next coach at the Italian club, whose American owner, Thomas DiBenedetto, claims to be bringing in American players.

Enrique, a former Spanish international and player for Barcelona and Real Madrid, has no first-team coaching experience but most recently guided Barcelona's "B" team for the last three years. He replaces the departed Vincenzo Montella and has a two-year contract.

LENNON RE-UPS AT CELTIC

Neil Lennon has been given a 12-month rolling contract by Celtic to remain manager at the Scottish power for the upcoming season.

Lennon, a former Celtic captain, took over coaching the club on an interim basis in 15 months ago. He has been the subject of a number of violent threats over the last year and guided Celtic to the Scottish Cup and a second-place finish in the Premier League last season.

U-17 WORLD CUP RESULTS

Germany and Brazil made powerful statements in their tournament-opening victories at the FIFA U-17 World Cup on Monday.

Germany overwhelmed Ecuador, 6-1, while Brazil topped Denmark, 3-0, in their Group E and F debuts, respectively.

The Germans were led by forward Samed Yasil, who scored twice. Brazilian midfielder Ademilson scored twice to lead his team.

Panama beat Burkina Faso, 1-0, in Monday's other Group E match, while Australia defeated the Ivory Coast, 2-1, their Group F encounter.

With each team having played one match thus far, here's a look at the tournament standings. The United States plays next on Wednesday against Uzbekistan.

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Do you think Villas-Boas is a good match for Chelsea? Do you think Celtic will overtake Rangers under Lennon this year? What do you think of Enrique coaching at Roma, and would you want any Americans playing for a first-time manager? Impressed by the Germany and Brazil U-17 performances?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Just off the AP wire, Michael Ballack has agreed to face David Beckham in a farewell performance for both players in August at Wembley Stadium. Both players agreed that other players are not necessary although they both think a goalie may be necessary to pick the ball out of the net. MLS/Galaxy say they will release David for this important match, while Low says die Mannschaft have cancelled their match with Brasil so that Germans everywhere can attend Michael’s final performance.

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  2. Looks like the Villans called off the deal, more or less confirmed by the sporting director of BMG. Hopefully, it won’t affect MB too much as it comes before the Panama game. Looks like he might have to suck it up for one more year in Germany.

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  3. I happen to think Villas-Boas is a stud. I’ve decided to give McLeish a full and fair chance at Villa, but if we’d have scored a coach like Villas-Boas, I’d have puked with delight. (He’s even got Villas in his name!)

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  4. As a U.S. and Villa fan, that article made my day.

    Makes sense — McLeish wanted to sign Bradley before City were relegated…the first time.

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  5. This year’s Porto squad was awesome. It’s really a shame they lost Villas-Boas, and will likely lose one or both of Hulk and Falcao. It would have been fun to see what they could do in the Champions League next year.

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  6. So the Porto coach says over and over he won’t leave and then leaves.

    Here’s to him getting fired before Christmas.

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  7. Unreported here so far- Monchengladbach sporting director Max Ebert has stated that Michael Bradley’s loan deal to Aston Villa will be made permanent for a fee “significantly higher than the fee Borussia paid in 2007 for Michael Bradley.”

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