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Dwayne De Rosario could not quite inspire New York Red Bulls to a win on his debut, while Portland picked up their first-ever MLS point.Dane Richards handed visitors New York a 47th-minute lead after getting on the end of De Rosario’s pass – his first touch for his new club – but the game was to finish 1-1 when Cam Weaver equalised just three minutes later.

Canadian international De Rosario joined the Red Bulls on Friday from Eastern Conference rivals Toronto FC and was only afforded a spot on the bench for his new side’s trip to Houston Dynamo on Saturday.

He watched an often dour first half from the sidelines, but was involved immediately after his injection for Moroccan midfielder Mehdi Ballouchy.

Recruited to fill the playmaker role in New York’s midfield, the 32-year-old instantly endeared himself to his new club’s fans by providing the defence-splitting pass for Jamaica striker Richards to score.

The advantage lasted just three minutes, however, when Weaver’s deft chip beat Red Bulls goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul.

It stayed that way for the remainder of the game, despite Richards, Luke Rodgers and designated player Thierry Henry going close for New York and Brad Davis shooting wide for Houston.

In other matches, Vancouver Whitecaps came from 3-0 down to draw 3-3 at home Kansas City.

Forward Teal Bunbury struck a brace early in the second half and Sierra Leone striker Kei Kamara also netted to put visitors Kansas 3-0 up by the 63rd minute.

Atiba Harris pulled one back on 72 minutes for the Whitecaps, but they still looked destined for defeat before two stoppage-time strikes from Brazilian forward Camilo Sanvezzo salvaged an improbable point.

The Portland Timbers gained their first point in Major League Soccer with a 1-1 draw away to the New England Revolution.

Rookie Stephen McCarthy put the Revolution ahead with his first goal in MLS, before Jack Jewsbury levelled on 38 minutes to earn a draw for the Timbers.

Toronto FC drew 1-1 at home to Chivas USA, with Alan Gordon equalising for the hosts after Alejandro Moreno put Chivas ahead after just two minutes.

Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola has praised Real Madrid and expects them to improve from their 5-0 El Clasico defeat in November.On that occasion, a David Villa double handed Barca a memorable victory, but Guardiola knows it will be a different story at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday.

“I have always held Madrid in high regard, since I was young through to when I was a player – and now as a manager.” Guardiola said.

“Football-wise, they are better than they were in the first game. They are faster than us and are more powerful, and they also shoot more than us.”

“They were better than us in a lot of aspects in the first game, and now they have spent more time together.”

“They are using different ways of playing and making things more difficult to control, and we will try to impose our game as best we can.”

It is the first of four El Clasico fixtures in less than three weeks and Guardiola admits he does not know how to prepare or plan for so many high-profile matches in such a short period of time.

He also said that Real Madrid will enter Sunday’s long-anticipated fixture as favourites, despite the drubbing they received last time the two sides met, but hopes his side can continue their good record at the Bernabeu.

“We know that it is a ground at which we have won for the past three years,” he said.

“But Madrid are favourites there, just as Barcelona are at the Camp Nou. Their tradition and fans carry weight, and the way that the team have played has left a big impression on me. We will have to have a very good game in order to beat them.”

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp called for goal-line technology to be introduced after his team’s controversial 2-1 defeat at Chelsea.Spurs were leading the English Premier League match through Sandro’s long-range effort in the 19th minute at Stamford Bridge, but the game turned when Heurelho Gomes let a Frank Lampard shot squirm through his legs.

The Brazilian goalkeeper appeared to claw the ball off his line, but the assistant referee awarded a goal, with Chelsea going on to win courtesy of Salomon Kalou’s 89th minute effort.

“The first one wasn’t over the line and the second I thought was offside,” Redknapp said.

“That (the first goal) changed the game. The linesman’s made a mistake – an honest mistake. He’s had an honest guess, but he’s guessed wrong.”

“It’s the most difficult thing in the world to see from where he was – he was probably on the 18-yard box when the ball dropped on the line, and he’s given what he thought was the right decision.”

“But technology’s got to come in. That took seconds to see it, five seconds just to go, ‘Yes it’s a goal; no it’s not a goal’. You get a fair decision, the game moves on.”

“I don’t see why we’re still messing around after all these years and haven’t got technology in the game. It’s amazing.”

Despite his team benefiting from the decision, Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti supported Redknapp’s view on the need for goal-line technology.

“Unfortunately the referee does not have a television and I think technology for the goal could be a good decision,” Ancelotti said. “It was not an easy decision, in my opinion.”

“We did our job and our job was to win. I think that to be honest we were lucky because some decisions were good for us but this is football.”

“We are happy for this result and the performance today.”

“The spirit in the game also, when we were 1-0 down and then in the second half, was very good.”

The morning after the night before as Sir Alex Ferguson and his Manchester United charges must still be struggling to come to terms with the lesson that was served up by Barcelona last night in what was an absolute exhibition of football by Pep Guardiola’s men. Fergie has come out today and conceded that no team he has ever faced in management has given him such a hiding like the one that was displayed at Wembley last night.

In the papers this morning there have been a mixed bag of stories that include Bin Hammam pulls out of FIFA race; Gareth Bale fancies the Olympics, while Ashley Young will snub Liverpool to join Man United.

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Bin Hammam pulls out of Fifa race – Guardian

Beckenbauer leaps to defence of under-fire FIFA chief Blatter – Daily Mail

‘No one’s given us a hiding like that’ – Guardian

Capello fears England players don’t have the mental strength to cope – Daily Mail

Ferdinand wants explanation from Capello – Daily Telegraph

Bale wants to play for GB at Olympics – Guardian

Barcelona prepare new Fabregas raid after Wenger swoops for yet another youngster – Daily Mail

Ashley Young will snub Liverpool to join Man United – Mirror

Chelsea will pay £15m to get Redknapp – People

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Arsenal must change mental approach next season, says Alex Song – Mirror

Mancini told he won’t be given ‘crazy money’ for transfers – People

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Former England manager, Terry Venables, believes that Manchester United should examine Real Madrid’s tactics from the four recent Clasico matches to have a good chance of quelling Barcelona’s attack in this Saturday’s Champions’ League Final.

Speaking at Stamford Bridge in his role as an ambassador for 188BET ahead of this weekend’s heavyweight clash, the former Barcelona manager explained that despite United lacking the obvious midfield steel to control the likes of Xavi, Iniesta and Messi, there are those within Sir Alex Ferguson’s ranks who could cause the Catalans problems.

“Well what they [United] have got is two players, with legs, that will be prepared to run and break up Barcelona’s combination play. One is Fletcher and one is Park Ji-Sung. The other thing they could do is put Park on Messi, and get him to mark him and break off him, because Messi won’t chase Park back, and he can score a goal,” explained Venables.

In 2009, many observers noted that without Darren Fletcher – suspended following a red card in the semi-final against Arsenal – United suffered from an absence of industry in the middle of the pitch when they were outplayed, and comfortably beaten, by Barcelona in the Final. But Venables has extracted an encouraging example from the four recent Real Madrid v Barcelona matches that could provide some comfort to Red Devils fans.

“Now I saw those recent games [four Clasicos] and the clue for me was Pepe, especially in the Copa del Rey Final. In that match, Madrid won by putting Pepe in the middle of the field, alongside Sami Khedira and Xabi Alonso, and the three of them stopped Barcelona from going in to the back four. Also, when the gang broke on a counter attack, Pepe was in there for the crosses, and in fact he headed one against the post.”

The “clue” Venables is referring to lies in the fact that Barcelona scored just one goal – a penalty – in the first two games (in the League and Copa del Rey), and failed to score in the third whilst Pepe was on the pitch. The Portuguese, usually employed in defence, successfully played an important role in defensive midfield for Madrid, whose tactics collapsed following Pepe’s controversial red card.

“So I thought that was the clue. In the first leg of the Champions League Clasico, Madrid’s system fell apart after Pepe’s red card. It was 0-0 when he was on the field, and when he got sent-off, Messi had more room to play and scored two.”

“Terry Venables is a 188BET ambassador. The In-Play betting specialists are offering great value odds on a host of markets for the Champions League Final. To check them out and for a free £25 bet go to www.188promo.com/terry”

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Santos and Penarol played out a 0-0 draw in the first leg of their Copa Libertadores final in Montevideo, Uruguay, on Wednesday.Despite creating the better chances, Santos will be glad to be on level terms ahead of next Wednesday’s clash in Sao Paulo, Brazil, between the two sides.

Uruguayan side Penarol, five-time Copa Libertadores champions, were kept in the game at their Estadio Centenario by a strong display from goalkeeper Sebastian Sosa, while wunderkind Neymar was a constant threat for the visitors.

Penarol had a late goal from substitute Diego Alonso disallowed for offside, and they will now have it all to do in the second leg at the Estadio Municipal Paulo Machado de Carvahlo.

More than 60,000 spectators packed into the Centenario on Wednesday to see the match, with the hosts looking to claim their first Copa Libertadores since 1987 while two-time champions Santos have not won the event since claiming back-to-back titles in 1962-63.

Chinese Super League leaders Guangzhou have reportedly smashed the nation’s transfer record to land Fluminense midfielder Dario Conca.Conca, two-time reigning player of the season in Brazil Serie A, has signed a three-and-a-half year deal with Guangzhou worth US$10 million, according to reports from China.

His transfer eclipses that of former record-holder and new team-mate Cleo, who signed with Guangzhou earlier this year for US$4.65m.

“This is a good offer for the club, and words cannot describe what it represents to Conca. It will allow him and his family financial security in just two and a half years,” Fluminense coach Abel Braga said, according to Brazilian website Globoesporte.

“This offer will put him in the top ten highest-paid players in the world. Let us hope that it happens. He is a guy who has completely identified with the club but this is a unique opportunity.”

Conca, 28, led Fluminense to the Serie A title last term, scoring nine goals in 38 appearances.

The midfielder joined the club on loan from Argentine giants River Plate in 2008 before making a permanent switch one year later.

Having read endless books on the Busby Babes and the terrible events of Munich, you can forgive me for thinking a film about the disaster would bring little more to the table than I already knew; however ‘United’ surprised me, not only as the excellent portrayal of that harrowing day, but brought to life the real characters and personality of the players involved. It also for the first time emphasised the importance of the role that Jimmy Murphy (brilliantly portrayed by David Tennant) played in keeping the football club together, in what was its darkest hour.

‘United’ was beautifully put together and the filming encaptured what 1950s England was like in every regard. The filmmakers had clearly done their research and the portrayal of the muddy pitches, the back streets of County Durham, to the watering holes in Manchester brought authenticity to the proceedings and this sense of realism had you gripped. The filming of the actual crash, whilst harrowing, was done tastefully and appropriately, without the need to over dramatise the shocking event. It is clear that no stone was to be left unturned in this production which showed great sensitivity to all those involved with the event.

I suppose it would have been easy to do a Hollywood-esque blockbuster around the crash, like so many other tragedies have been depicted before, but ‘United’ wasn’t about that but instead focusing on the human response to tragedy and how a community came together as one to fight through it. It is a deeply moving movie and I wholeheartedly recommend that everyone watch it.

See the trailor below:

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[youtube ZRL-gH85p18]

Wayne Bridge’s career at Manchester City seems to be in danger as we near the end of the transfer window, and it is hardly surprising given the kind of season he had. Loaned out by City to relegation strugglers West Ham in January, Wayne failed to make his mark at Upton Park and has been unable to reach the top-level that he seemed to be nearing at one stage of his career.

Off the field however, it seems as though Wayne has been more successful. Currently going out with Frankie Sandford from the Saturdays, it can’t all be doom and gloom for the 30-year old. The distraction of Frankie, 22, may well be the reason for Bridge’s lackluster performances on the pitch, and if we’re honest, we can’t really blame him!

Click on Miss Sanford below to see her in all her glory

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Whether Manchester United ever get round to signing Wesley Sneijder remains to be seen, but you can’t help feel that this current squad is certainly good enough to retain their title this coming season. The fringe players have certainly stepped up in pre-season and given Fergie some genuine food for thought.

At FFC this week we have seen a mixed bag of Manchester United blogs that includes five signings for Fergie to ponder; Javier Hernandez a footballing throwback, United braced for £18m approach.

We also look at the best Manchester United articles around the web this week.

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VIDEO – The ‘Greatest’ Premier League Goals Ever?

Have United’s rivals got what it takes to knock them off their perch?

Javier Hernandez – a throwback from the past

United star to finally etch his name among Europe’s elite?

Five signings for Fergie to ponder

Has Fergie simply ignored this pressing problem?

One rule for United and one for everyone else

Will injury see the changing of the defensive guard at Old Trafford?

Manchester United braced for £18m approach

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Best of MUFC

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So is it farewell Berba the magician, enigma and eternal frustration? – United Rant

VIDEO: Paul Scholes signs off in style thrashing the NY Cosmos – The Busby Way

The Only Time A Prince Could Ever Trumped Over A King – The United Religion

Why Sunday’s Game DOES Matter – Red Flag Flying High

VIDEO: Scholes’ Passing – RoM

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Click on Miss Suric below to see her in all here glory

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