

Club World Cup
The Champions League (of Oceania) is Decided
By: Ian Rose |It’s a good day for Uniteds. For the second time in their history, Waitakere United of New Zealand have won the Oceanic Football Confederation Champions League, the top club competition for the seven countries that remain in the post-Australia OFC. It’s the smallest by far of the six FIFA confederations, but the win [...]
MLS and the Copa Libertadores Question
By: Christian |With the elimination of D.C. United and the Houston Dynamo in the CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinals for the second straight year, the questions have been flowing all week on what is needed for an MLS club to not only win the regional championship for the first time since 2000, but perhaps more importantly, to represent [...]
My Offside Favorites of 2007
By: Laurie |The end of the year is a time for looking back at where we’ve been. And where I’ve been is… Well, mostly here. Since its birth a little over a year ago, this site has been my favorite place to waste productively spend my time.
Today I decided to take some [...]
Amine Chermiti Scores the Most Determined Goal of 2007
By: Daryl |Third-place playoffs are normally lackadaisical affairs where no one really cares who wins. But when you’re Urawa Red Diamonds and Étoile du Sahel, and never really had a chance of winning the Club World Cup against the likes of Boca and AC Milan, then the third place playoff suddenly becomes a lot more important and [...]
Daily Dose 12.16.07
By: Laurie |Some news to peruse as you give your child Roadkill Teddies for Christmas:
The Club World Cup helps keep football afloat in New Zealand, and Sepp isn’t happy (Ian Plenderleith)
European vs. South American Starting XI (World Cup Blog)
Posh says yes, those photos are anatomically correct. And the rest of us lose our lunches. (NowMagazine)
The US [...]
A Little Bit About the Club World Cup
By: Laurie |So when was the last time an entire team was arrested after a match for their behavior on the pitch?
I’m not sure, but I think it may have been in 1969, after an Intercontinental Cup (precursor to the Club World Cup) game, with the Argentinian team Estudiantes de la Plata.
“Following a very violent [...]
FIFA to Punish Oceania for Being Rubbish
By: Daryl |I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: FIFA have got in for Oceania. Sepp Blatter and buddies treat the confederation like the fat kid you went to school with, the one who was always picked last for sports. Not content with offering them just half a World Cup spot, they also force Oceanina’s [...]
Club World Cup Final Set
By: Martha |It took more than an hour, but Milan eventually took advantage of their domination of Urawa Reds in Yokohama this morning, going ahead through Clarence Seedorf in the 68th minute and making the goal stand up to move into Sunday’s final against Boca Juniors.
Boca Into Club World Cup Final
By: Martha |No matter how Etoile Sportive du Sahal perform in the third place game later this week, the tiny Tunisian club will leave the World Club Cup with the heads held high, having knocked off Mexico’s Pachua and given the mighty Boca Juniors all they could handle in losing 1-0 today to the Argentine giants. The [...]
The Offside Podcast, Episode 5
By: Martha |It’s podcast time! Yaaaaay!
This week’s installment features your genial regular host Ian Rose and his frequent sidekick Ann Ramzy, along with guests Daryl, the king of the World Cup Blog and one of the contributors here on the main page, and Inara of the fantastic Lyon blog. Topics include improving the Club World Cup, the [...]
The Smart Ball is Back! Yipee!
By: Martha |I suppose the fact that hardly anyone has mentioned the presence of the Dreaded Smart Ball at the Club World Cup is a sign that things are going well with it, because nothing’s more fun that bitching about “innovations,” and how they’re destroying football.
The “smart ball” thing has been tried at a couple of other [...]
Etoile Sahel Dump Pachuca Out of Club World Cup
By: Martha |At their press conference on Saturday, everyone from Boca Juniors talked as if Pachuca were already their semifinal opponents, so sure were they that the Mexican club would see off African champion Etoile Sahel in Sunday’s match. Oops. In the first upset of the Club World Cup, Tunisia’s Etoile beat Pachuca 1-0 on a late [...]
Waitakere’s Club World Cup Dream Over in Four Minutes Flat
By: Daryl |Cheering for the underdog can be painful. Only yesterday I threw my lot in with New Zealand’s Waitakere United, who were competing in FIFA’s Club World Cup for the first time. Because FIFA hates Oceania, Waitakere had to get through a playoff qualification game to reach the tournament quarter-finals, and that alone made them worth [...]
Waiting on a Waitakere United Miracle
By: Daryl |AC Milan flew into Japan today for the FIFA World Club Cup, apparently dressed for success in very nice club blazers. It’s the fourth edition of the FIFA tournament (featuring champions from the world’s football confederations) and so far South America owns the trophy. Specifically Brazil owns the trophy with Corinthians winning the inaugural 2000 [...]





