The first mark of Theo Walcott madness today in London? I was wandering down a random street and casually glanced at a souvenir stand that sells those awful knockoff football shirts that look nothing like the real thing and probably come apart the first time through the wash. Someone had obviously gone through the England shirts that morning and ironed on a bunch of “No. 7s” on them all. Get em’ while they’re hot …. literally.

Expanding on Walcott a little more (you’ll have to forgive me, he’s the man of the moment), both Arsene Wenger and Wayne Rooney have made comments to try and keep the hype down. Rooney should know best how an English teenager can get all puffed up and suddenly be expected to carry the island nation. Having personal experience in the area, it’s only natural for the Manchester United forward to try and stop this youngster from going through the same struggles.

But perhaps even a bigger issue at this point is the future of David Beckham, as Golden Balls sat on the bench while Walcott starred last night on the field until replacing him late with the outcome assured. Check out this Soccernet article, in which Beckham is quoted as basically saying he doesn’t expect to play every game and just wants what is best for England.....

Read the rest at: http://www.examiner.com/x-642-Soccer-Examiner~y2008m9d11-The-Theo-WalcottDavid-Beckham-question 

Fabio Capello sat on the sidelines, idly watching without any show of expression as the shocker unfolded in front of him. It was like he had England’s 4-1 victory all planned out, and was simply marking off his pregame list.

Be the aggressor at the start? Check.

Score first? Check.

Enter halftime ahead? Check.

Have Theo Walcott score? Check…check….ah hell, give the kid three......

Read the rest at: http://www.examiner.com/x-642-Soccer-Examiner~y2008m9d10-Its-a-bird-its-a-plane-its-SuperTheo 

Check out the preview for today's big game.

http://www.examiner.com/x-642-Soccer-Examiner~y2008m9d10-Preparing-for-Englands-big-match-today 

Robinho is king of the faded out look as of late. Check out these hilarious pictures in recent weeks. How bout a smile?

 Check it out here: http://www.examiner.com/x-642-Soccer-Examiner~y2008m9d9-Robinho-aka-Mr-Photogenic

Here’s an interview with Spencer Richey, a keeper in the U-17 U.S. men’s national team residency program in Bradenton, Fla. Spencer and 39 other talented young players live at an academy full-time and train under a team of coaches while competing internationally and developing their skills. An interesting look at an intense training program. Check it out at Soccer Examiner.

Check it out at: http://www.examiner.com/x-642-Soccer-Examiner~y2008m9d9-QA-with-U17-US-mens-National-Team-residency-member-Spencer-Richey 

The San Jose Earthquakes are storming up the West table right now thanks to their mid-season pickups. Soccer Examiner breaks down the weekend.

http://www.examiner.com/x-642-Soccer-Examiner~y2008m9d1-Recapping-the-MLS-weekend

Forgot to mention that Arsenal cruised as well in the Champions League qualifying today with a much more convincing result at home – 4-0, 6-0 on aggregate – against FC Twente. Nasri, Gallas, Walcott and Bendtner gave the Gunners easy passage into the group stages – ensuring that the EPL now has four teams with Man United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal.

That can only be bad news for the other European squads, as the English clubs are making it an annual ritual to advance deep into the tournament. Some fans, no doubt, would prefer for the final to not be an all-EPL affair this season.

We’ll have some fun discussion tomorrow, as the draw for the Champions League draw takes place at 12 p.m. ET. I’ll put a poll out then after we get a chance to check out some of the group placements.

WANNA READ THE REST? CHECK IT OUT ON THIS LINK:

http://www.examiner.com/x-642-Soccer-Examiner~y2008m8d28-Fabregas--Champions-League-updates 

It’s hard to understand why Tottenham is handling the Dimitar Berbatov issue this way. First of all, they have most likely overvalued him at 30 million pounds, although most likely that’s because Manchester United possesses formidable financial capabilities and they believe that the Reds will spare no expense in obtaining a piece they deem crucial to securing another Premiership crown.

My fellow Soccer Examiner deemed in this post that Berbatov is not a need for United. Allow me to agree, as they hold the pieces right now to a team that can win titles. Berbatov would be, however, a luxury, and a luxury that in the long run would make the squad better, more potent up front and able to take a little of the pressure off of Cristiano Ronaldo to both control the game in the midfield and provide a majority of the scoring.

And luxuries my dear friends, for those of you familiar with the club, are not in short supply at Old Trafford. That’s why I still believe you will see this go through.

WANT TO READ THE REST OF THIS POST? Check out this link :

http://www.examiner.com/x-642-Soccer-Examiner~y2008m8d26-United-Tottenham-and-the-Berbatov-effect