Argentina Favored to End Host Germany’s Run at Soccer World Cup (Bloomberg.com)
June 30 (Bloomberg) — Argentina is favored to beat host Germany in today’s World Cup quarterfinal and continue its quest to win soccer’s biggest prize for the first time in 20 years.

Adidas Says World Cup Soccer Sales Beat Expectations (Update1) (Bloomberg.com)
June 28 (Bloomberg) — Adidas AG, the world’s No. 2 sporting- goods maker, said sales of Teamgeist soccer balls, team jerseys and F50+ boots exceeded its forecasts during the World Cup as it captures market share from rivals including Nike Inc.

World Cup (Times of Malta)
Classes of 2006 recall classic soccer rivalry When Germany play Argentina in the World Cup quarter-final in Berlin today it will be the third meeting of coaches Juergen Klinsmann and Jose Pekerman with the record all square. In…

World Cup: France must ignore Brazil’s soccer pedigree (Daily Record)
HAMELN, Germany (AP) — Stop to think about the quality of Brazil’s players, French striker Thierry Henry says, its record five World Cup titles, or its two Golden Ball winners — and already you have lost the match.

World Cup May Increase Appetite for German Soccer, League Says (Bloomberg.com)
June 30 (Bloomberg) — The World Cup may increase the appetite for watching German soccer, making it easier to sell television rights abroad to matches played by clubs such as Bayern Munich, according to the country’s top league.

Bring on the heroes
FIFAworldcup.com takes a look at players like Australia’s Tim Cahill and Italy’s Francesco Totti who have come off the substitutes’ bench to make winning contributions at Germany 2006…

World Cup fever infects Cuban children (AP via Yahoo! News)
Cuba, the land of baseball fanaticism, has caught World Cup fever. Children across the island are putting down their bats in favor of the ultimate foot game, turning patches of grass into soccer fields and using everything from basketballs to crumpled-up pieces of paper as balls.

Ronaldo: Brazil are ready for anything
After becoming the all-time leading scorer in FIFA World Cup history, Ronaldo told FIFAworldcup.com that “winning the Trophy” was his No.1 priority…

Past masters helping today’s hopefuls
Experience is a vital asset at the FIFA World Cup and hosts Germany are just one of the teams whose coaching staff includes former international stars ready and willing to pass on their know-how to the players under their charge…

Veteran Milutinovic gives his verdict
Bora Milutinovic, who has coached five different countries at five different FIFA World Cups , gave FIFAworldcup.com his impressions of Germany 2006…

English ref quits int’l soccer after World Cup mistake (The Arizona Republic)
BERLIN - English referee Graham Poll, who showed a Croatian player three yellow cards before sending him off in a World Cup match, is quitting international officiating.

Soccer numbers up on World Cup success (Sydney Morning Herald)
The Socceroos’ participation and success at the World Cup in Germany is being reflected in soccer playing numbers. -

Ukraine aim to teach masters a lesson
Ukraine’s pragmatic style of football has echoes of Italy’s old catenaccio and Oleg Blokhin’s side are now hoping it will help them get the better of the Azzurri in Hamburg…

Unsung Frings in the thick of things
Torsten Frings may keep a low profile but his form for Germany has made him a key figure in the hosts’ journey to the FIFA World Cup quarter-finals…

Group’s goal to halt alcohol promotionsat World Cup games (The Lufkin Daily News)
The local Chamber Coalition for a Better Community is asking the F d ration Internationale de Football Association to give alcohol promotion a red card at World Cup soccer matches.

Chinese fans sell ‘World Cup air’ (Reuters) Updated: 2006-06-30 09:17 (China Daily)
A Chinese entrepreneur who once tried to sell land on the moon is hoping to cash in on China’s obsession with the World Cup by offering fans bags of stadium air.

Argentina Favored to End Host Germany’s Run at Soccer World Cup (Bloomberg.com)
June 30 (Bloomberg) — Argentina is favored to beat host Germany in today’s World Cup quarterfinal and continue its quest to win soccer’s biggest prize for the first time in 20 years.

Rongen’s World Cup Notebook: Classics ahead, players to watch (Sports Illustrated)
Thomas Rongen is a former Dutch national-team player, but he made his name as a go-to coach in America. His r sum includes stops at four Major League Soccer franchises and as head coach of the U.S. Under-20 national team from 2001-05. Rongen was in Germany for much of the World Cup and continues his periodic analysis for SI.com.

Adidas scores big in World Cup sales (New York Daily News)
Sporting goods maker Adidas said sales of Teamgeist soccer balls, German team jerseys and F50+ boots have exceeded its forecasts during the World Cup as the company captures market share from rivals including Nike.

Advertisers overlook female World Cup soccer fans (Reuters via Yahoo! Canada News)
Record numbers of women are watching the World Cup soccer tournament, but advertisers have overlooked the trend and almost exclusively pitched male-skewed brands using familiar methods.

English ref quits int’l soccer after World Cup mistake (The Arizona Republic)
BERLIN - English referee Graham Poll, who showed a Croatian player three yellow cards before sending him off in a World Cup match, is quitting international officiating.

Adidas Says World Cup Soccer Sales Exceed Company Expectations (Bloomberg.com)
June 28 (Bloomberg) — Adidas AG, the world’s No. 2 sporting- goods maker, said sales of Teamgeist soccer balls, team jerseys and F50+ sport shoes exceeded its expectations during the World Cup as it captures market share from rivals including Nike Inc.

Soccer: AFC head blames weak leagues on Asian failure at World Cup (Kyodo via Yahoo! Asia News)
_ Asian Football Confederation head Mohamed bin Hammam has blamed the miserable showing of the Asian teams at the World Cup on the continent’s weak domestic leagues.

Grant Wahl: World Cup is about far more than just soccer (Sports Illustrated)
ON BOARD I.C.E. TRAIN 1003 BETWEEN HAMBURG AND BERLIN, Germany — And so, on the 20th and 21st days of the World Cup, they finally rested.

Adidas Says World Cup Soccer Sales Beat Expectations (Update1) (Bloomberg.com)
June 28 (Bloomberg) — Adidas AG, the world’s No. 2 sporting- goods maker, said sales of Teamgeist soccer balls, team jerseys and F50+ boots exceeded its forecasts during the World Cup as it captures market share from rivals including Nike Inc.

Bring on the heroes
FIFAworldcup.com takes a look at players like Australia’s Tim Cahill and Italy’s Francesco Totti who have come off the substitutes’ bench to make winning contributions at Germany 2006…