PGA Championship POTW: Sergio Garcia vs. Jason Dufner

Welcome to our Picks of the Week game! Rules are simple: Each week Bernardo and I will select one golfer entered in the current tournament. Whichever golfer finishes highest earns one of us a point. Exceptions: 3 points if our golfer wins the whole thing, Major Championships are doubled (so that's a possibility of 6 points), and tied finishes result in 0 points. Oh, and once we use a golfer, we can't use him for the rest of year. We're doing this until the TOUR Championship. Bernardo has won this 2 times in a row, so let's see if he can go for the three peat! 

 VS

JJ: We are finally at the last major championship of the year. Once the U.S. Open comes into the picture, it's lightning fast to the PGA Championship. It's famously known as "Glory's Last Shot". We have Tiger with immense pressure to finally win. We have Rory here not just trying to defend his title, but to also make the cut. We have Phil trying to ride the momentum of his British Open win and start a little major champ streak. But with all of that said, I'm going to go with a "under the radar player" in this tournament: Sergio Garcia. I know Sergio has had a roller coaster year filled with controversy, but I think he can win this week at Oak Hill. He, like Tiger, is due for a major at some point, and with such a weird year already in effect, it wouldn't surprise me if he won. So, I'll hope for the best and pick him this week. Vamos Sergio!

Bernardo: For golf’s final major of the year, I’m going with Jason Dufner. This stud has been superb this year when it comes to playing in majors. He finished T4 at the U.S. Open and finished in the top 20 at The Masters and British Open. That’s a pretty solid resume for the year. Not to mention he finished T4 last week at Tiger’s tournament, I mean the Bridgestone Invitational. He’s looking for a win in 2013 and a bit of revenge after losing in a playoff against Keegan Bradley back in 2011 at this event. Good Dufnator!

JJ's used: Brandt Snedeker, Jason Dufner, Padraig Harrington, Luke Donald, Rory McIlroy, Billy Horschel, Retief Goosen, Jason Day, Charles Howell III, Ian Poulter, Justin Rose, David Toms, Keegan Bradley, Tiger Woods, Rickie Fowler

Bernardo's used: Keegan Bradley, Brandt Snedeker, Phil Mickelson, Aaron Baddeley, Tiger Woods, Graeme McDowell, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Steve Stricker, Brian Davis, Adam Scott, Justin Rose, Jason Day, Matt Kuchar, Nicolas Colsaerts

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2013 Gold Cup: USA defeat Panama 1-0

As the European club season starts to round back into shape, we had to say goodbye to the latest version of the CONCACAF Gold Cup. This year's final gave us a bit of a surprise, because many of us expected a USA vs Mexico showdown.

Instead, we got a clash between Panama and the United States. Panama shocked Mexico in the group stage and in the semifinals to arrive at the final game with a boatload of confidence. And while riding the greatest winning streak in it's history, the USA we're also high on their confidence.

Even though Panama is considered a "weak" team in CONCACAF, they put up a great fight, making the USA struggle to finish chances in the first half. They even had a few counter-attack chances that made me sweat (I'm a big USA fan).

The second half was a bit more like normalcy for the USA during this tournament. They started linking up well with another, and it culminated in a goal by Brek Shea that proved to be the game winner in the 69th minute. Although Shea hasn't had the most consistent tournament, he's been very clutch. He's scored twice, and they've both proved to be game winners against some of the best teams in the tournament (Costa Rica in the group stage, Panama today). After the whistle blew, the fans at Soldier Field went wild and the players went crazy. U.S. Soccer made their claim to be the best in CONCACAF.

The only downside to this game was the injury towards midfielder Stuart Holden. Many big USA fans know the talent & bad luck that Stu has. Injuries towards his knee have cost him a couple of years, and it's been a huge uphill battle just for him to get back to the national team. To see him going down today was horrifying. Luckily, it was only diagnosed as a sprained knee. Hopefully it's only a minor sprain and he can get back to playing well for Bolton. Our good vibes and prayers are with you, Stu! #NoHoldenBack

Open Championship POTW: Rickie Fowler vs. Nicolas Colsaerts

Welcome to our Picks of the Week game! Rules are simple: Each week Bernardo and I will select one golfer entered in the current tournament. Whichever golfer finishes highest earns one of us a point. Exceptions: 3 points if our golfer wins the whole thing, Major Championships are doubled (so that's a possibility of 6 points), and tied finishes result in 0 points. Oh, and once we use a golfer, we can't use him for the rest of year. We're doing this until the TOUR Championship. Bernardo has won this 2 times in a row, so let's see if he can go for the three peat! 

 VS

JJ: Ahhh. Here we are, the Open Championship, aka the British Open. Golf's version of Wimbledon for us Americans. The waking up early/staying up late is always a treat, and with no clear favorite to win the tournament, this tournament should be very memorable. So far, we've had major winners finally fulfill their potential. And because of that, I'm going to go with an American that has a lot of potential: Rickie Fowler. Rickie hasn't had the greatest of seasons, but he has had good memories here and definitely has the creativity to win here. Do work, Rickie!

Bernardo: Golf’s third major championship is upon us. The British Open tends to bring out the best and worst of most golfers. The most exciting part is seeing the distribution on the scoreboard. Rounds varying from a few under par (if lucky) to rounds reaching ninety.  With that said I’m going with someone whom I know very little of. I’m picking the Belgian star, Nicolas Colsaerts. Word on the course is he’s a pretty darn good player and I’ll take them up on that. Hopefully he can find some success at Muirfield since he seems to play well in majors. Good luck mate!

JJ's used: Brandt Snedeker, Jason Dufner, Padraig Harrington, Luke Donald, Rory McIlroy, Billy Horschel, Retief Goosen, Jason Day, Charles Howell III, Ian Poulter, Justin Rose, David Toms, Keegan Bradley, Tiger Woods

Bernardo's used: Keegan Bradley, Brandt Snedeker, Phil Mickelson, Aaron Baddeley, Tiger Woods, Graeme McDowell, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Steve Stricker, Brian Davis, Adam Scott, Justin Rose, Jason Day, Matt Kuchar

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Video: "This Is Sportscenter" featuring Rickie Fowler

It looks like ESPN and John Anderson have figured out why Rickie Fowler wears such colorful outfits. At first, I just thought he was a fashion trend setter, but now after realizing that he mixes up orange juice with milk, those outfits might not really be planned after all...

Check out the latest and greatest "This Is Sportscenter" video below to see what I'm talking about.

Video: Making A Driver For A Pro

Ever wondered how those guys in the equipment vans make clubs for their professionals? Say no more, as pgatour.com gave us a good insight on what goes down in these tour vans.

Pgatour.com showed us the ins and outs of the Taylormade golf van. In this video, Wade Liles shows us how to make a driver for Sergio Garcia. Everything from shaft customization to double checking the loft/lie angles is covered in this short video. For all of you that are fascinated with how clubs are created, especially for some of the best golfers in the world, check this video out.


Credit to pgatour.com

2013 Gold Cup: USMNT crush Belize

On Tuesday, the United States opened up their Gold Cup against Belize. The USMNT were clearly the better team, crushing their opponents by a score of 6-1. San Jose Earthquakes striker Chris Wondolowski scored a first half hat trick as the Americans controlled a majority of the game. The only worrisome moment for the USA was when Belize scored off of a set piece. Other than that, the US looked very sharp and should be set for a deep run in the tournament.

The USMNT play on Saturday vs. Cuba on 3:30 EST on FOX. They lead the group with Costa Rica (both have 3 points), while Belize and Cuba will play each other to get their first points of the tournament. Check out the highlights below:

Soccer/Football Transfers: Gomez to Fiorentina; Villa to Atletico Madrid

In the world of club soccer/football, 2 pretty big moves happened today. Two huge teams offloaded out of form strikers to some surprising teams.

In Germany, recent UCL winners transfered striker Mario Gomez to Italian club Fiorentina. Gomez, who has been riding the bench thanks to Mario Mandzukic, wanted more playing time elsewhere and has gotten it.  Overall, this move seems like a win-win, with Gomez probably getting good playing time at a decent team in Italy, while this move gives new coach Pep Guardiola more money to spend on other big name players.

Meanwhile, in Spain, Guardiola's old club FC Barcelona moved one of his former star forwards in David Villa. The scorer never regained his starting place in the squad after a horrific leg injury, and Barca looked to move him for some money. And since Radamel Falcao left to AS Monaco, Atleti needed a new striker. Villa should be a good fit for them, and now FCB have a clear pathway for Neymar to get a lot of playing time. One could say this move was a bit of a surprise, as many expected Arsenal to be able to snatch up his services.

What are your thoughts on these latest transfer events? Let us know in the comments.

Wimbledon 2013: King Murray... Pt. 2

Sorry for the hiatus, everyone! We were busy with work and school, and didn't have much time to be able to write about all of the crazy sports going on lately. But fear not, we are back, and should hopefully be able to pump out at least 1 post per day. Starting... now!

By now, everyone has known about Andy Murray and him being the best chance for a British man to win Wimbledon for the first time in a million years. He was considered the next great hope after Fred Perry won the last one for the Brits.

Well now, we can finally confirm that he your new Wimbledon champion, and has lifted the Wimbledon monkey off of the United Kingdom's back. He has ended their drought by defeating world No.1 Novak Djokovic by a score of 6-4, 7-5, 6-4. And although the score shows a straight sets victory for Andy, it wasn't that at all. This match could have easily gone 5 sets, and in my opinion, should have gone 5 sets. Andy just happened to raise his game at the right time a little better than Novak did.

It was nothing short of a battle, however. It took Murray 4 championship points just to close out Djokovic. And as hard as Novak fought, he just wasn't good enough today.

So after Andy's most coveted win, he now has his 2nd major title. In 2013, Djokovic has 1 (Australian Open), Rafa Nadal has 1 (French Open), and now Andy has 1 (Wimbledon). Only the U.S. Open is left. Does this mean it's Federer's time? The big 4 all won a major last year. I could see it happening again this year.

Congratulations, Andy! Enjoy the title.

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2013 Confederations Cup: Standings after Match 1

In case you didn't know, the 2013 Confederations Cup in Brazil is underway, as it began on Saturday with the hosts (Brazil) thrashing Japan, 3-0.

The tournament was then followed by a tightly contested game of Mexico losing to Italy, 1-2, and Spain defeating Uruguay 2-1.

Today, the final first round match between Nigeria and Tahiti ended with a big scoreline of 6-1 in Nigeria's favor.

The Confederations Cup works like this: it is held at the site of the next World Cup (2014 will be held in Brazil), and it features all of the FIFA confederation championship winners (6 of them), the previous World Cup winner, and the host nation. In this instance, Spain was the WC winner, Brazil was the host, and the other teams represented the other confederations.

So, after round 1, here are the group standings:

GROUP A:

1. Brazil (3 points)

2. Italy (3 points)

3. Mexico (0 points)

4. Japan (0 points)

GROUP B:

1. Nigeria (3 points)

2. Spain (3 points)

3. Uruguay (0 points)

4. Tahiti (0 points)

The next matches will be held on Wednesday on ESPN, and it will feature all of group A starting at 3:00 EST.

Photo via fansided

U.S. Open: Just-in Time

At the 2012 Ryder Cup, many would argue that Justin Rose's match vs. Phil Mickelson in Sunday Singles propelled the Europeans to a historic comeback. Rose made putt after putt, and eventually took down Phil to gain a crucial point.

Flash forward to Sunday of the 2013 U.S. Open, and we are in a similar situation. Rose and Mickelson were dueling it out to see who put this amazing trophy on their resume. After some wild play by Phil and some steady play by Justin, it was JR who came out on top. Phil needed a birdie to get into a Monday playoff, but a wild tee shot pretty much negated his chances, and Justin claimed the trophy.

Rose shot an even par 70 at the tough but fair Merion course, while Phil the thrill shot a 74 to lose by 2. Justin became the first Englishman to win the U.S. Open since Tony Jacklin. At 32 years of age, it is very possible that this won't be his only major title.

So to quickly recap, we've had two major winners who have, up until now, had somewhat disappointing careers: Adam Scott and Justin Rose. But since they now are major champions, the proverbial money is now off of their backs. That's got to mean someone who is long overdue is going to win the Open Championship, right? Luke Donald, Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood, and Dustin Johnson look like good odds right about now...

Anyways,

Congrats Justin!

Photo via pgatour.com

U.S. Open POTW: Tiger Woods vs. Matt Kuchar

Welcome to our Picks of the Week game! Rules are simple: Each week Bernardo and I will select one golfer entered in the current tournament. Whichever golfer finishes highest earns one of us a point. Exceptions: 3 points if our golfer wins the whole thing, Major Championships are doubled (so that's a possibility of 6 points), and tied finishes result in 0 points. Oh, and once we use a golfer, we can't use him for the rest of year. We're doing this until the TOUR Championship. Bernardo has won this 2 times in a row, so let's see if he can go for the three peat! 

 VS

JJ: As we head into the 2nd major of the year, the stakes continue to get higher as everyone is desperate to be in the golf history books. In my opinion, no one is more hungry to win a major than Tiger Woods right now, which is why I'm picking him to win this week at Merion Golf Club. I know he didn't play that well at The Memorial, but I know he'll be fully prepared for this week. There have been many comparisons to TPC Sawgrass and Merion, and we know how well he did at THE PLAYERS, so it should make for an interesting tournament for him. Let's go Tiger!

Bernardo: The U.S. Open is upon us and the excitement that comes with a major championship should make this a great week. Lets just hope the weather agrees as well. This week I’m going with the one and only, Matt Kuchar. Already a champion in 2013, Kuchar is looking for his first major win. He’s pretty won the top non-major events, now only needing a major to be placed amongst the best. Best of luck Kooch!

JJ's used: Brandt Snedeker, Jason Dufner, Padraig Harrington, Luke Donald, Rory McIlroy, Billy Horschel, Retief Goosen, Jason Day, Charles Howell III, Ian Poulter, Justin Rose, David Toms, Keegan Bradley

Bernardo's used: Keegan Bradley, Brandt Snedeker, Phil Mickelson, Aaron Baddeley, Tiger Woods, Graeme McDowell, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Steve Stricker, Brian Davis, Adam Scott, Justin Rose, Jason Day

Zimbio

2013 French Open: Return of the King of Clay

After the French Open epic that we got from Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic on Friday, most of us thought that the actual final was a mere formality for Rafa. Sure, David Ferrer didn't drop a set on his way to the final (which is an incredible feat), but it's pretty obvious he's no match for him. David doesn't have the power to give Nadal the problems he faced in the first week and vs. Nole. He has the endurance/speed, but no knockout power.

That set up perfectly for Rafa, as he coasted to a 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 victory over his Spanish compatriot to grab another French Open title. He never seemed too flustered, and it just seemed like it had more of midweek match feel than the feel of a Grand Slam final.

The Roland Garros clay has always been Rafa's favorite, only losing once in his entire career, which is a ridiculous stat. Some more ridiculous stats from this tournament: 8th FO title (most ever), most wins at Roland Garros (59), and he DROPPED to #5 in the rankings because of Ferrer's first ever final appearance.

With this win, Rafa will obviously be one of the favorites for Wimbledon. He's probably right in front of Federer and right behind Djokovic as most likely candidates to take home the grass championship. It should also free up the pressure on him for the rest of the year, as he seems quite healthy and may even challenge for the number 1 spot if he keeps this level of play up.

Congrats, Rafa!

Highlights:

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HTWD Report: The 2013 French Open Draw

Well, the draw for the French Open came out today, and I have to admit that I'm a bit surprised about the Men's draw. The women's draw wasn't very important to me; I have a lot of confidence that Serena is going to destroy everyone on her path to the title.

The Men's draw was interesting to see because the top seeds could have been placed anywhere. With Andy Murray & Juan Martin Del Potro both out, I was hoping for something unexpected.

That's exactly what we got.

For what looks like the first time since 2010, we could possibly get a Novak Djokovic v. Rafa Nadal SEMI final rather than a final. They are in the same half of the draw as the #1 and #3 seeds, and that would be crazy. It would definitely feel like the final right there, since they are the two best clay court players right now.

As for the other side of the draw, Federer and Ferrer take up that half. They both have slightly tricky draws, but should be able to meet each other in their semi. This is a good draw particularly for Federer, who has (in my opinion) had the toughest draws in the last 4 majors played. So, now with a draw that's considerably easier, we'll see how he holds up.

Check out the draw in the hyperlink above, and check out this little video ESPN made. Coverage begins Sunday!

NBA Playoffs: Grizzlies Finish Off Thunder

The Heat weren't the only team to advance to a Conference Final today. The Memphis Grizzlies did so as well by beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 88-84. They won the series 4 games to 1.

Oklahoma City had a chance to tie the game at 86 late in the 4th quarter, but Kevin Durant missed a jumper which basically ended the game for them. Durant had a disappointing game, going 5 for 21 when his team needed him the most.

And although KD deserves some blame, you have to give a ton of credit to Memphis. Their brand of basketball was just too much for the Thunder, and now they're 4 games away to a spot in the NBA Finals.

Check the highlights here:

HP Byron Nelson Championship POTW: Keegan Bradley vs. Jason Day

Welcome to our Picks of the Week game! Rules are simple: Each week Bernardo and I will select one golfer entered in the current tournament. Whichever golfer finishes highest earns one of us a point. Exceptions: 3 points if our golfer wins the whole thing, Major Championships are doubled (so that's a possibility of 6 points), and tied finishes result in 0 points. Oh, and once we use a golfer, we can't use him for the rest of year. We're doing this until the TOUR Championship. Bernardo has won this 2 times in a row, so let's see if he can go for the three peat! 

 VS

JJ: After a very controversial but memorable tournament that was the PLAYERS Championship, we now head to Texas for the HP Byron Nelson tournament. We probably won't get the drama of what happened last week, but I do expect to see some high quality golf. Teenage sensation Guan Tianlang will make his 3rd ever PGA Tour start here, and he'll be competing against a throng of major champions. One of those major champions is going to be my pick for this week: Keegan Bradley. I know he missed the cut last week, but I fully expect Keegan to bounce back and have a solid 4 days. He's too much of a competitor to not want to make up for his disappointing appearance at the PLAYERS, so I have the utmost confidence in him.

Bernardo: This week I'm going with one of my favorite Aussies, Jason Day. This has been a great year for Day, finishing solo 3rd at The Masters along with a few top 10s. Not to mention Day won this event back in 2010 for his first PGA Tour victory. 

JJ's used: Brandt Snedeker, Jason Dufner, Padraig Harrington, Luke Donald, Rory McIlroy, Billy Horschel, Retief Goosen, Jason Day, Charles Howell III, Ian Poulter, Justin Rose, David Toms

Bernardo's used: Keegan Bradley, Brandt Snedeker, Phil Mickelson, Aaron Baddeley, Tiger Woods, Graeme McDowell, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Steve Stricker, Brian Davis, Adam Scott, Justin Rose

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Photos via pgatour.com and weiunderpar.com

NBA Playoffs: Heat Beat Bulls

The Miami Heat took another step closer to a title defense tonight, by beating and finishing off the Chicago Bulls, 94-91. They won the series 3-2.

Dwyane Wade, who has been hurt for a majority of the season, stepped up and finished off a Bulls team with a ton of heart. He did so with a 4th quarter that showed us why he's still one of the best players in the NBA. And even though he's still hurting, he's looking better and better, which won't look good for their Eastern Conference Final opponent.

Carlos Boozer led all scorers with 26, but even that couldn't stop a very team-oriented Heat game plan.

Miami will now await for the winner of the Pacers/Knicks series to see who they face next.

Check out the highlights:

Europa League: Chelsea defeat SL Benfica

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Current UEFA Champions League title holders Chelsea FC defeated SL Benfica in the Europa League final today, by a score of 2-1.

Both teams were knocked out of the Champions League group stage and had to settle for the Europa League. After navigating through some close contests, both sides managed to meet up in the final with a chance to grab a trophy this season.

In the first half, Chelsea was quiet, while Benfica dominated but couldn't score. The second half was where all of the action began, starting in the 59th minute with a Fernando Torres goal against the run of play. Torres scored on a counter so quick that the television crew almost missed out on it. After rounding the keeper in a goal that looked similar to his effort vs. Barcelona last year in the UCL semi-finals, El Nino put CFC up 1-0.

Less than 10 minutes later, Benfica equalized. They kept pressing for a goal, and were rewarded with a penalty after a Cesar Azpilicueta handball in the box. Oscar Cardozo then beat Cech to tie it up 1-1.

Both teams were battling back and forth for the winner, but it seemed like they were headed for extra time. That was until about 30 seconds left in stoppage time, where Branislav Ivanovic got his head on the end of a corner kick to send CFC fans in Amsterdam into a frenzy.

Soon after that, the final whistle was blown and Chelsea were crowned Europa League champions.

Chelsea became the first team ever to hold the UEFA Champions League title & the Europa League title in the same year, although they'll be giving up their UCL trophy next week when the 2013 final is held.

With a Champions League spot guaranteed and a new trophy to celebrate, the "lost season" for Chelsea seemed to get a little bit better. We don't know what next season will hold with the new manager, but for now, they can just celebrate what's going on for them until then.

Congratulations Chelsea FC!

Check the highlights of this game here:

NBA Playoffs: Spurs crush Warriors

Earlier this evening, the Pacers beat the Knicks to take a 3-1 series lead. Immediately after that game, the Spurs went to work on the Warriors, and are now leading 3-2 in their series after their 109-91 win.

This game really came down to Steph Curry's health. He's been nursing some ankle injuries, and tonight he certainly didn't look very healthy. This allowed Tony Parker and a very experienced San Antonio team to feast and put up big points.

Although Parker led Spurs scoreres, SAS had 5 players in double digits, which showed us they emphasized team ball tonight. When they're rolling on all cylinders like, they're tough to beat. They're even harder to beat if you aren't at full strength like Golden State.

A pivotal game 6 will be held on Thursday at Oracle Arena. And for the Warriors, it's either win or stay home.

Check the highlights:

NBA Playoffs: Pacers defeat the Knicks

The Indiana Pacers handily beat the Knicks tonight, beating them by a score of 93-82. They also take a commanding 3-1 lead to New York, where they will look to finish off the Knicks on Thursday night.

George Hill led all scorers with 26 points on 9/14 shooting. Melo led NY with 24 points, but shot 9 for 23.

The Pacers clearly look like the better team. Their old-school brand of basketball is very effective against the Knicks, who seem to be in crisis mode now.

Check out the highlights below:

Amateur Analysis: Ashworth's Petition

Yesterday morning, golf company Ashworth decided to create a petition and send it to the PGA Tour.

Their petition is about allowing professionals to have the option to wear shorts instead of pants while they are playing in a tournament. They even created a video of their petition, which has Justin Rose, Sean O'Hair, Justin Leonard, and Retief Goosen showing us the benefits of wearing shorts over pants.

As light-hearted as the video seems, there's no doubt in my mind that they're completely serious. The talk of allowing shorts on the PGA Tour has been going on for years, and it finally seems that a company and their players really want to do something about it.

How do you feel about the video and petition? Personally, I'm still on the fence about it. I wear shorts when I golf sometimes, but if I were to see a pro wearing them in the final round of a major, I would feel weird. To me, shorts are meant to be worn casually, and wearing them in some big tournaments wouldn't feel right.

Let us know your opinion in the comments!

HTWD Report: Falcao to AS Moncao

Besides the Roberto Mancini sacking, the football/soccer world received another bit of surprising news today: Atletico Madrid star Falcao is set to join Ligue 2 side AS Monaco by next season.

According to multiple sources on Twitter, Falcao is set to be bought by Monaco for a fee between €50 and €60 million. His new contract with the French team also won't allow him to join Real Madrid anytime soon, which seemed to have been a big question if/when he was going to leave Atletico. For more details on the move, and why he didn't go to any of the bigger clubs in Europe, check here.

The Columbian striker is also set to make 300k per week, according to reports. And although you may ask how this is possible for a Ligue 2 team, the answer is simple: lots and lots of money. Monaco was purchased by Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybololev in 2011, and he set on making this team a French power once again.

With Falcao, Monaco are set to challenge the likes of PSG and Olympique Lyonnais for the French title and UEFA Champions League glory. Rybololev doesn't plan on making Falcao his last purchase, however. There are major rumors swirling that he plans on assembling a super team, much like his billionaire buddies have done in the EPL and in Ligue 1.

What's your opinion on this Falcao move? How will this impact French and European football? Let us know in the comments.

Photo via independent.co.uk

HTWD Report: Manchester City part ways with Roberto Mancini

What was reported by many sources is now confirmed by Fox Soccer and ESPN: Manchester City have decided to fire manager Roberto Mancini.

This sacking comes at some ironic timing; today marked the anniversary of the title that Mancini brought to The Citizens for the first time in over 40 years. In addition to that title, Mancini also brought home an FA Cup trophy, and made an appearance in the FA Cup final a few days ago where they lost to Wigan Athletic.

City's officials cited failure to "achieve its slated targets this year" as the reason for Roberto's dismissal. Mancini accumulated a record in his 3 and a half years as Manchester City boss.

As it stands, Brian Kidd will serve as interim coach for the last Barclays Premier League title and for their post-season US tour.

Thoughts on this shocking firing? Let us know in the comments.

Photo via telegraph.co.uk