"Defenders are tall, strong and fighters, and the referees only give you a foul once you are bleeding."

-- Liverpool's Spanish striker Fernando Torres on life in the English Premier League. (Irish Times)

[CLUB WORLD CUP] Manchester United beat Japan's Gamba Osaka 5-3 to reach Sunday's Club World Cup final against LDU Quito of Ecuador. Read the whole story

[U.S. UNDER-18 NATIONAL TEAM] Mike Matkovich, who founded the Chicago Magic youth club and served as an assistant coach at Toronto FC and Chivas … Read the whole story

[UEFA CUP] In Thursday's final night of UEFA Cup group action, Tottenham, Sampdoria, Stuttgart and Paris St. Germain were among the teams to qualify … Read the whole story

[EUROPE] The winner of the UEFA Champions League could reap up to $160 million. The 16 teams that have reached the knockout stage, and … Read the whole story

[MUSIC] The latest hit single by Manu Chao, the French-born singer of Spanish descent, is "La Vida Tombola," a tribute to Diego Maradona, currently … Read the whole story