Gooooooooooooal!  Amazon has adidas World Cup 2010 Official Match Soccer Balls on sale for $99.98  this week.

It’s nice to finally see these on sale. More soccer balls on sale at Amazon. No sales tax for most of you.

I’m really not sure how long this will last. We just disovered two stackable codes that will get you 35% off of EVERYTHING. Search “SOCCER” after you click either of our links. *EXPIRED*

 The Samba classic shoes came out $30 + $1 shipping for us after coupon codes. *EXPIRED*

At checkout enter these two stackable codes for an additional 35% off + 99 cent shipping per item.

COUPON CODES: UTAKE20 and AUGUSTLPS

In case you didn’t know, Amazon offers free shipping on $25 orders and no sales tax for most states.

Right now they have soccer gear up to 40% off. Soccer Balls, Shinguards and more on sale.

Soccer Gear On Sale Link - I buy most of my soccer gear from Amazon when it’s on sale.

Take an extra 15% off soccer shoes on sale at Dicks Sporting Goods. At checkout use coupon code dsp_welcome15

We noticed they are offering free shipping on shoes. The code above takes an extra 15% off their already low prices. It worked for us on most Adidas shoes but not on all the Nike shoes.

This link takes you to their clearance soccer shoes.

Maradona where are you? Remember Zanetti and Cambiasso? Well, they have been recalled for Argentina’s next friendly  match against World Cup Champions Spain on September 7.

Maradona, left both off of his World Cup Squad in South Africa and it cost his nation dearly. The Inter pair dominated at their position in Serie A last year. Oh yeah, for those of that didn’t know Maradona was given the boot after the world cup. I wonder how well Diego Maradona sleeps at night knowing he left these guys (and many others) at home this summer.

From time to time throughout the season (unless we get distracted by a pretty girl or something) we’ll be highlighting some of the world’s greatest football clubs. In no particular order, we’ll start with perhaps the game’s most accomplished club of all…

Real Madrid

- Founded in 1902. They are one of the founding members of soccer’s governing body – the Federation International de Football Association (FIFA).

- Most successful club in the history of Spanish Football and FIFA has voted them the most successful of the entire 20th century!

- The world’s richest club, Real Madrid has about 400 million Euros in annual revenue.

- Winner of 31 Spanish League Championships.

- winner of 9 UEFA Champions League titles (between the best club teams in all of Europe). No team has won as many. They have reached the semi-finals of the tournament a stunning 21 times.

- Winner of 3 Intercontinental Cups (between the winner of the European and South American Club Championships.)

- The “Real” in their name means Royal, and is a designation given to them by the King of Spain in 1920, hence the crown in their team emblem.

- Though Atletico Madrid is their crosstown enemy, their real rival (for titles and hearts) is Barcelona. Some of the greatest football in recent history has been played in the match between them called “el Clasico”.

- Real play their home matches in the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium (named after a former president of the club who was responsible for it’s creation). It was built in 1947 and rebuilt after the Spanish Civil War. The stadium has a capacity of about 80,000.

- The list of great players to don the Real Madrid jersey is too lengthy to print here, but it includes Alfredo Di Stefano, Ferenc Puskas, Emilio Butragueno, Hugo Sanchez, Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo, Santillana and recently both Cristiano Ronaldo and Ricardo Kaka.

- The list of big name Real managers is also long. Fabio Capello, Miguel Munoz, Vicente Del Bosque, Guus Hiddink, Carlos Queiroz are just a few of football’s household names who have coached them.

- As usual, their roster this year includes a bevy of superstars like Ronaldo, Kaka, Benzema, Carvalho, Diarra, Xabi Alonso, and more. Their World Class goalkeeper, Iker Casillas is back and the team look strong on paper. Lately though, their star studded lineups have had to bow down to the superior technicality and consistency of the likes of Leo Messi and Xavi of Barcelona. Will this be the year that Real manages to get the most out of their superstars? Stay tuned…

Enjoy the games!
Jerrito

**SOLD OUT** Wow this is pretty hot people. Target has FIFA World Cup DVD Collection on sale for $39.99

We looked around and saw Amazon and others selling it for $80-$90. What a nice gift for any huge world soccer fan.

Hot deal. CLICK HERE and search for item # B003UQN4VS -  SoccerDeals.net

World Soccer Shop has over 200 t-shirts on sale this week. Check them out today.

World Soccer Shop

This promises to be a fantastic year to watch football from places East, West and around the globe. So much has happened that we can’t wait to get going. And so, before you have yourself welded to your couch to get prepared for for a long year of matches, check out our list of things to watch for in world football this year…

Who will be the World Player of the Year?

Robben? Rooney? Messi? Sneijder? Nope. We say Xavi Hernandez of Spain edges his National Teammate David Villa by a nose. Xavi was the human command center of La Furia Roja’s ball control attack, after another great season with his club team Barcelona, and a deserved winner of any award. One of the great players of his generation, and the praise he is finally receiving is long overdue.

What will prove to be the most important transfer of the offseason?

Ricardo Carvalho has moved to Real Madrid. Mario Balotelli will try and earn his stripes at Manchester City and Yaya Toure and David Silva will join him. Juventus midfielder Tiago is heading to Atletico Madrid. Joe Cole has moved to Liverpool on a transfer that cost the Reds nothing. But the most significant move of all is David Villa’s 40 million Euro move to Barcelona. Try to imagine a better front four in the history of the game than Villa, Messi, Xavi and Iniesta. Barcelona scored a ton of goals last year without him. How many will they score now? Could they put up 10 in one match? Seriously. It’s sick.

What young player will officially become a superstar?

The list of up and coming players is long and impressive, as we witnessed at the most recent World Cup. 17 year old Philippe Coutinho is showing signs of becoming a future great at Inter. 21 year old Mesut Ozil of Werder Bremen has future midfield giant written all over him. Alexandre Pato of Milan could be Brazil’s next great striker. But our pick to be the best of the pack is 21 year old Thomas Muller of Bayern Munich. The World Cup Golden Boot AND Best Young Player Award winner has all the tools and a nose for goal. Watch every match you can that this kid plays.

Which among the top leagues will display the best football?

Though we are partial to Serie A of course, the clear choice is between Spain’s La Liga and England’s Premiership. With the large number of superstars in both leagues, it’s a tough call. The Prem is more physical and played at a high pace, while the Spanish League is more crafty and technical. While England has 4 or 5 “big” clubs, Spain is known for Real Madrid vs. Barcelona. Because they have more “giants”, there is a better chance that you’ll see a great club play on the weekend every time you turn on the television, we think the Premier League squeaks by in this race. But time will tell, as always…

Enjoy the Games!

Jerrito

Young Pele: Soccer’s First Star Book only $11.50 + $1 shipping.

“With handsome oil paintings and a stirring story, this picture-book biography will first grab children with its action. Just as exciting, though, is the account of Brazilian-born Pelé’s personal struggle—his amazing rise from poverty to international soccer stardom. The focus is on Pelé’s childhood in Bauru, Brazil, in the 1940s and early 1950s. The pictures show him in his multiracial community, especially on the soccer field.”