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Ahead of their semi-final match with France, in the FIFA Women’s World Cup, on July 13, USA must be considered the overwhelming favourites to win. But they must guard against overconfidence. Having beaten a strong team like Brazil in the quarter-finals, the notion of taking on a relatively weaker team like France, for a place in the finals, could induce complacency.

Soccer is easily one of the most widely played youth sports in America right now, and with the economy the way it is, purchasing equipment might be a little more financially challenging than it was before. Building your own soccer goal is an option being explored by many parents. this guide will help you build one yourself, however it is recommended that you do not build full sized goals, since DIY goals have been known to seriously harm children.

Sweden and Japan won their respective quarter-finals against Australia and Germany to set up a semi-final clash on Wednesday, in Frankfurt, in the FIFA Women’s World Cup. Sweden are bookmakers favourites to win this match, but don’t rule out the Japanese, yet. They are capable of surprising everyone. Ask the Germans.

There has been a lot reported in the media about the formation of a Great Britain and Northern Ireland Olympic football team for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games which will be hosted in London. There have been mixed reports from the Home Nations Football Associations with the English FA stating that they are “incredibly positive” that there will be a fully inclusive squad. In response to this statement the Scottish FA have said that although there is nothing that they can do if Scottish players wish to play for their team but they, as an independent body would not support the formation of a Team GB. Wales, Ireland and Northern Ireland have similar opinions on the matter so with this in mind I have had a look at the players from each of the home nations who have had Premier League experience. First up is Wales…

With Manchester City’s recent signing of Gael Clichy from Arsenal for £7 million and with possible moves made for both Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas this Summer it continues the trend of players moving away from North London to the Manchester club.   Since the takeover in September 2008 by the Abu Dhabi United Group, Manchester City have bought 3 players from Arsenal at a combined cost of £48 million. This means a massive return on investment for the incredibly shrewd Arsene Wenger as Kolo Toure only cost £150,000, Emmanuel Adebayor cost £3 million and Gael Clichy was only £250,000…

Reading reports in the papers recently about the likes of Neymar, Nilmar and Sergio Aguero expressing a desire to play their football in the English Premier League got me thinking about the amount of South American’s who are currently playing, or have previously played in England. Players from nine South American countries have played in the EPL with the majority coming from Argentina and Brazil. Although there have been a few failures, many of the players have adapted well to the Premier League’s style of play. Amongst the successes are Juninho, Carloz Tevez and Gilberto, the main failures being Veron, Forlan and Roque Junior. Manchester United top of the list of English Premier League clubs who have signed the most South American players with 10 players but Liverpool are a close second with 9. Manchester United currently have 4 South Americans in their squad while Liverpool have 5 players.

Copa America is the symbol of supremacy among South American football nations. I wouldn’t blame the reader if you wondered why anybody would support Paraguay ahead of their more accomplished rivals like Brazil and Argentina. The reason is actually not that hard to see. Paraguayan model Larissa Riquelme who had promised to strip if her national team won the FIFA World Cup in 2010, is at it again. Riquelme has once again promised to run through Asuncion, the capital city of Paraguay, in her birthday suit, if Paraguay win the Copa America.

Although it might be too early to speak about the possible threats to the defending champions Spain, but let us discuss about the possible teams who could lay their hands on the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Brazil, known to be the paradise for football, is all set to host the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

My headline would have seemed absurd, a year ago, when Arsene Wenger persuaded Cesc Fabregas not to quit a team that was on the verge of fulfilling its potential, both in the Premiership and the Champions League. What a difference a year makes; Arsenal are now finding it difficult to hang on to their stars, leave alone attract new players to the side. With a new owner, Stan Kroenke, at the helm, not only Arsenal’s but also Wenger’s future appears hard to foresee.

Latest news in the English Premier League is that former Chelsea player Roberto Di Matteo has joined the club as Assistant Manager to Andre Villas-Boas. Now this is a fantastic acquisition by the Chelsea board as it will go a long way to placate the small section of Chelsea fans that view the appointment of 33 year old Villas-Boas as a risk.

The long wait is finally over as spread betting punters once again turn their attentions to Champions League action and the first week should be an absolute belter. Spread punters have had plenty of time to decide their favourites for the competition and the Sporting Index traders have Barcelona at 55-58 pts to lift the trophy at Wembley.

The FIFA World Cup 2014 is due to be held in Brazil. However, the host nation is well behind schedule in its preparedness to host the prestigious event, according to FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke. Valcke has expressed concern at the slow progress shown by the host nation of the 2014 mega event. The lack of progress has been most obvious in Sao Paulo, where a new stadium is under construction. The stadium that was planned to be used in the 2014 world cup is unlikely to be ready by 2013…