AZ Alkmaar win Dutch Super Cup

Having scored just 13 goals in nine matches in the MLS, the Houston Dynamo exploded to life with a 4-0 win at DC United on Wednesday.

The Dynamo went top of the Eastern Conference on goal difference from the New York Red Bulls both sides on 20 points courtesy of a brace to Will Bruin, while Giles Barnes and Andrew Driver also got on the scoresheet at the RFK Stadium.

Bruin has nine goals in as many matches against DC, as he helped Houston to back-to-back away wins to got top with two games in hand on the Red Bulls.

Houston have scored four goals in only three league matches since August 2010 with each instance coming against DC.

It was the third straight game DC conceded three goals or more, and was their sixth straight loss.

Elsewhere, New York r…

Alfie Barker has been sacked by Hitchin Town after the non-league footballer sent offensive tweets to Bournemouth midfielder Harry Arter about the death of his daughter.

Arter was the subject of sickening online abuse as Bournemouth played out a thrilling 3-3 draw against Premier League title hopefuls Arsenal on Tuesday, with the Irishman on the receiving end of tweets regarding his stillborn daughter.

The 27-year-old suffered heartbreak in December 2015 following the death of his newborn baby.

Hitchin Town have reacted by axing forward Barker, who had been playing at Langford and Codicote on a dual registration basis.

The club adopts a responsible approach to social media and would expect any player connected to Hitchin Town to do likewise, Wednesday s …

Although on Tuesday Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp refused FC Nordsjælland’s loan offer for Liverpool’s U18 forward Bobby Duncan, Fiorentina have now made an offer of their own with an option to buy the 18-year-old, Sky Sports reports.

Bobby Duncan, the cousin of Liverpool legend and current Rangers manager Steven Gerrard, joined Liverpool in August 2018 from Manchester City. The teenager signed a three-year contract with the Reds after the club agreed to pay a compensation fee.

Duncan was given an opportunity by Klopp to play for the first team during the club’s pre-season match this past July and scored a goal against Tranmere Rovers. Last season Duncan scored 25 goals for the U18 development squad.

When asked about Liverpool’s young players the German m…

John Terry s hopes of hanging on to his position as England captain have been bolstered by public backing from Stuart Pearce, one of the national team s coaches, who described the furore over the defender s alleged extra-marital affair as a witch hunt .

Head coach Fabio Capello is expected to decide by the end of this week whether to strip Terry of the captaincy in the wake of reports that the married 29-year-old had an affair with model Vanessa Perroncel, the former partner of international team-mate Wayne Bridge.

Pearce, who coaches England s under-21s as well as helping Capello with the senior squad, said: The one thing I would say is John Terry is a fantastic captain, in footballing terms on and off the pitch I think he is a selfless professional and his form is fan…

Drogba too strong for Vidic and co?

Saturday 7th November

Aston Villa v Bolton

Three draws in a row for Villa followed by defeat at West Ham but they still sit seventh in the league. I like the way they play but as they showed on Wednesday evening, I still feel they are a little short of making a serious challenge on the big four at the top.

Bolton will be reeling from two 4-0 thrashings by Chelsea in the space of a few days. They are sitting just outside the relegation places and I expect them to stay there or thereabouts all season.

I expect Villa to get back to winning ways here.

SoccerNews prediction: 2-0

Blackburn v Portsmouth

Fourth from bottom play bottom at Ewood Park. After defeats to Chelsea and Manchester United, conceding se…

Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha said he did not enjoy his time at Manchester United, admitting he felt depressed at times.

Zaha re-joined Palace on a permanent basis in February following a forgettable spell at Old Trafford, making only four appearances without starting a Premier League match.

The 22-year-old, who was signed by Alex Ferguson in a deal worth £15million in 2013, was plagued by rumours about David Moyes daughter and his application in training.

At times I was depressed. I felt a lot of things. When I don t play well nobody needs to say anything to me, Zaha said.

I beat myself up. It stresses me out if I mess it up.

He added: I played in all the pre-season games and then in the Wigan game I never played my best.

I pl…

Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao took a tentative step towards their second AFC Champions League title in three years by playing out a tense 0-0 draw with Al Ahli in the first leg of the final.

Luiz Felipe Scolari s team were unable to fashion victory at Rishad Stadium, with visiting midfielder Huang Bowen s attempt that cannoned back off the underside of the crossbar early in the second half the closest either team went to breaking the deadlock.

Al Ahli appeared to be building towards a rousing finish in front of their own supporters but they ended the match with 10 men after Abdulaziz Husain lashed out at substitute Gao Lin in an off-the-ball incident after 84 minutes.

The Chinese Super League champions remain favourites to hand Scolari the career World Cup and …

Best Odds: 6/4

Bookmaker:

In what is a real Italian heavyweight showdown this weekend, Napoli will welcome Juventus to the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on Saturday evening.

Napoli

Starting with the hosts, while Napoli s depleted squad might have been hit with a 5-1 defeat against Benevento in a friendly contest over the international break, it should not have dampened the mood in their camp. Making the call to appoint new boss Luciano Spalletti over the summer, the Blues do appear to have found an immediate boost under the former Inter Milan manager. Opening up the 2021/22 campaign with a deserved 2-0 win against Venezia at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, Gli Azzurri have landed themselves back-to-back Serie A wins. One of five sides who can boast a 100% st…

Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhalo Mudryk believes football is more than a game for the people of Ukraine amid the war with Russia, while adding he is open to a move to England in the future.

The 21-year-old has caught the eye in the Champions League, scoring twice in as many matches to help his side defeat RB Leipzig 4-1 and draw with Celtic in Glasgow.

Shakhtar s matches in the Champions League are being played in Poland following Russia s invasion of Ukraine in February, with the nation also playing host to Ukraine s Nations League clash against Scotland on Tuesday.

Mudryk believes these fixtures are important to those who remain affected by the war and that football can make people smile.

We must adapt because we don t have a choice. We must play becau…

Eintracht Frankfurt have announced the signing of Sparta Prague forward Vaclav Kadlec on a four-year contract for an undisclosed fee.

The 21-year-old scored 14 goals in the Czech Liga last season and has started this campaign well with three in five league matches.

Frankfurt will be hoping the Czech Republic international can arrest their early-season woes and give them a different option in attack.

Armin Veh s side have lost both of their opening fixtures, conceding seven goals in the process and are bottom of the table, but he is confident Kadlec can have an impact.

I am glad that it worked out, the coach said after the club announced his arrival. I must say that the player has cost a lot of money by our standards, but you should be careful with the expectation…