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Morning Ticker: Silva joins Manchester City, Brazil injury woes and more

SilvaGetty

By AVI CREDITOR

Manchester City has signed the outside midfielder that it has long coveted.

No, it's not Landon Donovan.

City agreed to terms with Valencia on an £30 million transfer fee for Spain international David Silva, making him the second superstar to bolt Los Che this offseason. David Villa had already left to sign with Barcelona.

Silva, 24, will reportedly sign a four-year contract that will keep him at Eastlands through 2014. He joins Germany defender Jerome Boateng as major summer acquisitions by the Citizens, who continue to re-tool in an attempt to crack the Premier League's upper echelon. Silva was one of the higher-profile names on the transfer market, as Chelsea and Real Madrid were among his other suitors.

Here are a few more stories to get you through this World Cup-less day:

BRAZIL MIDFIELD IN CRISIS

Brazil's midfield depth will be tested in its quarterfinal match against the Netherlands, as Elano has been ruled out and the statuses of Felipe Melo and Julio Baptista are very much in question as all three are nursing injuries.

Elano, who absorbed a hard tackle against the Ivory Coast and has a bone bruise in his ankle, was forced to leave training Tuesday and has been ruled out for the upcoming match by Brazil's team doctor.

Felipe Melo, who hurt his ankle against Portugal, is doubtful for the game against the Dutch, and Julio Baptista is also battling an injury ahead of Friday's contest. All three players missed the Selecao's last game against Chile.

Making matters worse for Dunga, Ramires is suspended for the match against the Dutch after picking up his second yellow card of the tournament against Chile. The healthy/non-suspended midfielders remaining on Brazil's roster are Gilberto Silva, Kaka, Josue and Kleberson, though defender Dani Alves has been used as a right-side midfielder in the last two matches.

NIGERIAN NATIONAL TEAM SUSPENDED BY PRESIDENT

The president of Nigeria has suspended its national team from international competition for two years as a result of its poor showing in the World Cup. An adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan told Reuters that the country's federation will not participate in competitions over that time period "to enable Nigeria to reorganise (sic) its football."

Nigeria finished last in Group B with a draw and two losses.

HODGSON TAKING OVER AT LIVERPOOL

Roy Hodgson is reportedly going to be introduced as Liverpool's new manager on Wednesday, replacing the ousted Rafa Benitez at Anfield.

Hodgson, who guided Fulham to the Europa League final last season, inherits a Liverpool team in flux. Yossi Benayoun left to sign with Chelsea, and Steven Gerrard, Javier Mascherano and Fernando Torres have all been rumored to be heading elsewhere.

Hodgson, who had been at Craven Cottage since 2007, will sign a two-year deal with Liverpool.

UNIVISION SETS RECORD

Sunday's Mexico-Argentina World Cup match was the most-watched program on a Spanish-speaking network in the United States, according to the Nielsen Co. Almost 9.4 million viewers watched the game on Univision, setting the new standard.

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Do you think adding Silva makes Manchester City a contender for the Premier League title? How do you think the injuries affect Brazil's chances against the Dutch? Think Sepp Blatter and FIFA are going to welcome Nigeria's government interference? What do you think Hodgson-to-Liverpool means for Clint Dempsey?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. No, I don’t.

    I feel as if I understand the sport quite well, despite any comments you may throw down from that pedestal you have placed yourself on. It must be lonely up there.

    I will limit this response to professional clubs, and not international play because it is clear that pedigree did not assist Italy and France in progressing in this tournament.

    You talk of pedigree in the club competition as if all of these players were brought up rooting for their specific club since birth and taught “The Manchester United Way.”

    In reality, these major clubs use their money to buy the best talent. That is pedigree in a nut shell – money.

    You make the top four – you play in the champions league – you sell more tickets – you sell more kits – you make more money -you buy better players.

    Rinse wash repeat.

    This is the cycle within the BPL. There was a stranglehold on success because there was a stranglehold on finances.

    I’m hoping City, Spurs, Etc. can change that, but it takes financing to do it.

    As for the Bundesliga, why should I not bring up Bayern Munich? In the past 11 years they’ve won the title 7 times!

    As for Fulham, interesting choice since they made it to the Europa League championship game… knocking off Hamburg and Wolfsburg (who finished 7th and 8th in the Bundesliga, respectively) in the process.

    Reply
  2. It’s a toss up for Argentina. I think Uruguay and Brazil are almost definitely through. Paraguay will most likely be out, it just depends on which Spain team shows up and what Paraguay decides to do.

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  3. Nigeria is in the midst of a virtual civil war between Muslims and Christians and is very, very fragile right now. The Nigerian football authorities are just another casualty of this situation. Making the team “better” is not a priority.

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  4. US goalie coach Dan Gaspar has been working for the Portuguese for several years. Not the same as head coach, but an American working in Europe nonetheless.

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  5. Who are you? A nine year old? Grow up.

    Did I mention MLS?

    Let me expand. La Liga and the EPL have the same teams win every single year. There is no competition and it’s boring as all get out.

    Now go away.

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  6. I follow die Bundesliga. And please don’t give me the “Bayern Munich” always win argument. From top to bottom you get good games with high scoring and plenty of rivalries. Freaking Wolfsburg won the title – would that EVER happen to say Fulham in the EPL? Not the way it’s currently constructed. Only Blackburn has cracked the normal order and they paid their way to the top and crashed mightily the next season.

    If you don’t get pedigree then you obviously don’t understand sport in general. I am not going to debate you if you can’t see this simple fact.

    Manchester United has a pedigree of winning no matter who they have on the field. They still field Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs and good squad players like Darren Fletcher and Wes Brown. It’s in their culture to WIN, which is why they get so many late goals and you hate them for it.

    It’s also why Germany has played in so many European and World Cup finals. It’s ingrained in them to WIN. It’s also why the English always crash out. Manchester City does not have this yet. It’s why they couldn’t finish fourth and why they had so many draws. Manchester United would have won most of those games by shear will alone.

    Get my point yet?

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  7. First, I believe it was the African Football Association that banned Togo, not FIFA.

    Also, this is one of the rare instances where I agree with FIFA’s positions. I believe that governments should not mingle in the affairs of football associations. But if FIFA steps into Nigeria’s situation, then they should come down on France as well.

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  8. Earnie Stewart is actually very high up at a Holland club. Breda I think but that could be wrong. He is the technical director

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  9. Four have a chance at the semis. Paraguay is the only one that will be an overwhelming underdog.

    Not saying all four or even three will make it, but it’s possible.

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  10. LOL … it happens Fred…

    This wouldn’t be the first I’ve heard this … but it would be cool to see Michael Bradley at Arsenal … they need some more toughness.

    But it’d probably be better for him to take another measured step instead of a giant leap… go to some mid-table EPL club that he’ll get lots of playing time at.

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  11. why cut your teeth???WATCH SOMETHING ELSE!! omg, some of the things ppl say is rediculous. im 99.999999% sure that you are not being forced to watch the games. screw it, im 100% sure

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  12. okay so the top 2 soccer leagues IN THE WORLD are a joke??yeah, go trip on a curb.

    i guess you think MLS is on it way to being a powerhouse in world football also, huh?

    Reply
  13. I disagree again. Spain won this past Euro, if I recall correctly.

    Pedigree is a convenient crutch that fans like to use. “Typical City” comes to mind.

    I do agree that seeing these billonaire owners come in and buy teams takes away a bit of tradition, but it’s there money to burn.

    I’m curious as to what league you follow. Is it La Liga, where Barca and Real are the only clubs that matter?

    Serie A? Bundesliga?

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  14. No chance on Bradley to Fulham. If Hodgson took Dempsey with him, I’d be surprised. It does not appear to me that the Hodgson-Dempsey relationship is that great.

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  15. It’s a political move for the president, he rides the waves of discontent and pleases the people by punishing the team.

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  16. Funny the Nigerian President is named Goodluck Jonathan. I guess Nigeria didn’t have much of hist first name in the world cup.

    Reply

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