Now Euro 2008 is in full swing, spare a thought for those not invited to the party. 36 European nations failed to make it to the Alps. England might stand out among them, but also missing is 2006 World Cup quarter-finalists Ukraine, plus nations of th e calibre of Belgium, Serbia, Denmark, Slovakia, Norway and Ireland. \ England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland really should have revived the British Championship this summer and for extra spice added the Republic of Ireland and as a wild card, Gibraltar. A friendly with Gibraltar from any of the four UK nations with an empty diary this month would be a nice affirmation of the peninsula's desires to stay British. The Rock is not affiliated to UEFA, thanks to Spain's filibustering, so like an ugly girl or boy, they are desperate for any date. Given that it is customary to play a reciprocal fixture at your visitors' stadium after inviting them to yours, England could easily drop by for 90 minutes, though the apes would probably nick the half-time oranges. England are on the quayside looking on again but looking tasty too after dispatching the USA 2-0 at Wembley last week. David Beckham is clearly a new man and seemed to be glowing post-match having seen off the challenge of his young pretender David Bentley, with a top-drawer 45 minutes. That Becks could figure in a fourth World Cup finals seemed impossible when he gave his tearful resignation speech in Germany 2006, but now the prospect grows ever likelier. England finally have found a rhythm under Fabio Capello and on that performance, could surely have made more of an impression at Euro 2008 than some of the qualifiers and 'qualifers' (host nations). 2010 now beckons for England fans hopeful of a renewed assault on the big prize. The USA took more of a psychological blow than anything from Wembley. Having lost by the same score 14 years ago at the same venue, the States were looking to prove progress had been made. In the meantime the States have achieved a World Cup quarter-final finish in 2002, have won three of the last four CONCACAF Gold Cups and enjoyed recent away wins over Euro 2008 qualifiers Poland and Switzerland. Barring an almighty catastrophe, the US will be in the World Cup finals forever more, given CONCACAF, one of FIFA's weaker regions, with coincidentally two large TV markets, is handed a generous three and a half places for the finals. But the US is most eager to impress against European nations like England, which makes Wembley's 2-0 defeat all the more depressing. "We're Americans, we want to be the best at everything," said winger DaMarcus Beasley post-game, and he meant it. The Republic of Ireland and Colombia squared up at Fulham a day later in front of a passionate and colourful 18,000 crowd. Both nations have been off the world radar for the past few years. Ireland did reach the second round of the 2002 World Cup where they lost on penalties to Spain, but their campaign was wounded by Roy Keane's furious outburst and exiling from the camp. While the Jack Charlton years were always going to be a one-off era, Giovanni Trapattoni looks to have what it takes make Ireland a regular qualifier for tournaments once again. Trap, a coach of enormous experience, belied his white hair and 66 years, by whistling as loudly as ever to his players (they nickname him 'il fischio' - the whistle, in his native Italy) and gesticulating manically as only he can on the touchline. Post-game, Trap had the enthusiasm of a teenager for the game, speaking as if he was in his first job and certainly in no mood for retirement. He mentioned Greece's unforeseen Euro 2004 win as his inspiration, explaining it thus; "If you are a pianist, you play the piano, if you are a singer, you sing, so I say to my players, 'What are we? We are a team." Eire played a solid, and almost Italian defensive game against Colombia, grabbing an early goal through Robbie Keane and then defending it against an increasingly rampant opponent. But it was no catenaccio night. Ireland showed impressive teamwork and a fluid organisation sadly lacking under previous incumbents Steve Staunton and Brian Kerr. Colombia look to be on the up too after defeating Argentina and drawing with Brazil in their 2010 World Cup qualifiers. Having not qualified for the past two finals, Los Cafeteros seem to be set fair to retake the place behind South America's big two which in the early 1990s seemed would be theirs for some time. Unbelievably, Colombia only entered World Cup qualifying in 1958 but made it to the finals in Chile four years later. Their next appearance in 1990, saw them draw 1-1 with eventual winners Germany in the group stage, a curious game in which captain Carlos Valderrama, the first Colombian ever to play in Europe, appeared to feign injury and be stretchered off before quickly r ecovering during the first half before his team left the soon-to-be world champions chasing shadows with some amazing passing football. Colombia seemed to be toying with the Germans, who then shocked them by taking the lead in the 89th through Pierre Littbarski, sending Colombia towards elimination. Freddy Rincon saved their bacon by nutmegging Bodo Illgner in injury time. Crazy goalkeeper Rene Higuita, he of the scorpion kick, monkeyed around against Cameroon in the next round and was dispossessed a good 40 yards out of his goal by Roger Milla, who went on and scored and sent Colombia home. Colombia hit the headlines for the wrong reasons in 1994 when they lost 2-1 to the USA in a game many have fingered as being fixed by drug baron Pablo Escobar and friends. His namesake Andres Escobar scored an own goal and was promptly murdered on his return to Colombia. Times have changed, Pablo Escobar is dead, the Medellin cartel and the FARC no longer hold sway, and the national team is undergoing renaissance too. Jorge Luis Pinto has fashioned a neat passing team with plenty of pace and technique, although against Ireland they showed the classic shortcoming all great passing teams suffer from, the lack of a powerful striker. Euro 2008 might be underway, but those not at the party still have the future to dream about. (c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

He came, he saw, he danced and drove his one direct free-kick into the wall. Overall, David Beckham’s trip to Seoul with LA Galaxy was a success though not quite a complete triumph. The former Manchester United and Real Madrid star is, of course, big news in South Korea. However, not enough to fill more than half of Seoul’s 65,000 capacity World Cup Stadium when the MLS took on FC Seoul in an exhibition match on March 1. Organisers were disappointed with the turnout and put it down to cold weather. It is true that the American team arrived in a city blanketed by snow four days previously but the temperature had risen a few degrees above freezing on Saturday afternoon. Ticket prices were a bigger problem. The cheapest was around $32 – more than three times more than what entry to a K-League match would set you back. The player did his promotional duties as professionally as one would expect and was followed around the city by a host of reporters. He gave most of them the slip last Thursday evening when visiting a Seoul nightclub on Thursday evening. The 32 year-old headed to ‘Circle’ in the trendy Cheongdam district. The following day, 'Seoul Sports' described how “girls competed against each other to dance sexily” in front of him. Refusing to head to the VIP section, he was regaled with shouts of “sexy Beckham” to which, the reports went, he shyly said “thank you". Beckham wasn’t quite so polite on the pitch after being caught late by Lee Chung-yong. The ex-England skipper gave the young winger a mouthful and later exacted revenge by chopping Lee down. The referee went as if to produce a yellow card before realizing that it the day was all about Beckham. Lee, a player with a bright future, mostly outshone the LA Galaxy star on the pitch though Beckham played well. His crosses and set pieces created a number of chances for his team-mates, especially in the first half. All but one were wasted. Alan Gordon managed to smartly chest down and volley home one floated free-kick in the first half but new strike partner Carlos Ruiz was guilty of a missing a couple of sitters. As the game progressed, the visitors looked tired. Beckham looked tired for most of the week. Seoul can be a draining high-energy city especially when there are many media and sponsor events to attend. FC Seoul didn’t impress too much a week before the start of the new season. New big-money signing Dejan Damjanovic somehow missed from two yards as the K-League team enjoyed the better of the second half. But as most FC Seoul games tend to do, the match finished in a draw. The tv broadcasters didn’t even bother to show the subsequent, slightly-pointless, penalty shootout. Beckham wellied his shot high into the net but four of his team-mates saw their shots saved by stand-in goalkeeper Kim Ho-jun, who looked increasingly bemused by his success. Then it was all over. Perhaps it was telling that there were a lot more reporters in the post-match press conference than in the press box during the match. Becks and the boys then headed onto Shanghai where he has to do it all again. Copyright: John Duerden & Soccerphile Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

LA Galaxy are heading to Asia at the beginning of March for a tour that will include stops in Seoul and Shanghai. Soccerphile.com had a chance to exchange a few e-mails with the owner of the California club -Alexei Lalas. Lalas, who played 96 times for the US National Team, was, of course, the man behind the David Beckham transfer. Is Asia important to LA Galaxy’s plans to become a seriously big club? You can't be in business and ignore the Asia markets. Asia holds huge potential for clubs hoping to expand their brand and business. There is incredible interests in the sport, the teams and the players. Our hope is that when someone in places like Korea, Japan or China thinks about American soccer, they think about the Galaxy. Right now we have the unique opportunity to expose the Galaxy brand to million of potential fans and ultimately customers, and we're not going to waste it. How can Galaxy maintain the same sort of profile when Beckham retires/leaves? David is completely unique. His ability to produce on the field, create interest and and generate business off it, is hard to find. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. But we're thinking of our next big move. We've set the bar pretty high with David but there will be other stars. Can Beckham ever repay the investment made in him? He already has. Some of it is quantifiable and some of it isn't. But there is definitely a method to any perceived madness when it comes to the amount we have invested. You will play FC Seoul in March... We're excited to come back to Seoul, Korea. The Galaxy played there in 2003 and it was a great experience on and off the field. It will be the first trip to Seoul of many of our players, including David Beckham, and they are looking forward to experiencing the wonderful football and culture of the country. What about Beckham is different that the public’s preconceptions? What about him surprised you? Apart from his family, soccer is really what he cares about the most. He understands the machine that swirls around him and he recognizes the responsibility that comes with it. Class player, class guy. At first glance, the MLS has many similarities to the Korean league –same number of teams, similar attendances and no promotion/relegation. The last point is the subject of debate in Korea. How about the US? Can a league be strong without promotion and relegation? There will not be promotion and relegation in MLS anytime soon. We are in sport that is still striving to succeed and our investors have enough to worry about without having to worry about their team not even playing in the highest division. What is the next step for the MLS to continue its development? Expansion and more stadiums. At some point we also are going to have to figure out a way to play mid-week games. Our TV rating must increase. I think all of this comes over time, but we need to be pushing at an accelerated rate in order to continue to attract business. We cannot continually rely on being the sport of tomorrow, eventually we have to transition into the sport of today. What is one (or more) thing that you think the MLS could teach other leagues? A realistic business plan and a willingness to stick to it are crucial. At times it's painful but it enables you to survive long enough to thrive. There are few (if any) US players playing professionally in Asia? Is there a reason for this? I don't think that the Asian leagues look at American players as quality. LA Galaxy will take part in a pan-pacific tournament with J-League and A-League teams. What is the purpose of this and why those leagues? It's a league initiative but I think it's wonderful to bring teams from all the regions together. The more integration and competition we can have the better for all league. We love playing against teams from other countries and leagues. It's a great way to advertise your sport a The J-League started at around the same time as MLS and has become a real success story. Are there lessons that the MLS, or Galaxy, has learned from Japan? It doesn't happen overnight and you can't build a league with old players looking for a vacation and a big paycheck. LA Galaxy recently played in Australia and New Zealand – was that a successful trip? Great trip. We had a wonderful time in both countries and we may return in the near future. Are there any plans to forge links with any clubs in Asia? We're always looking for potential partnerships with quality clubs around the world. It has to be the right club at the right time. There is a large Asian, especially Korean, population in LA. Are there any plans to sign some Asian? Korean players? Good Asian players are very expensive, but if there was the right player we'd definitely look to sign him. But we still haven't come across the right player. Why did you appoint Ruud Gullit? He has experience and he welcomes the pressure of being the coach of the LA Galaxy. Do you get annoyed with European arrogance towards US football? Because of our structure, MLS is the most competitive league in the world. It may not be the most beautiful or exciting, but it is the most competitive. There is horrible soccer being played all over the world, and much of it is coming from what many perceive to be the elite leagues of the world. There's no accounting for bad taste. Copyright: John Duerden and Soccerphile.com Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

Japan begin their quest to qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa when they meet Thailand at Saitama Stadium tonight. The Blue Samurai warmed up for the fixture by recording a 0-0 draw with Chile at the National Stadium in Tokyo on January 26, before beating Bosnia and Herzegovina 3-0 at the same venue four days later. Koji Yamase came off the bench to score twice against Bosnia and Herzegovina, but the Yokohama F. Marinos star is not expected to start against Thailand. 19-year-old Kashima Antlers youngster Atsuto Uchida is widely expected to feature in the run-on side in place of experienced Gamba Osaka defender Akira Kaji. Coach Takeshi Okada has also named a 35-man interim squad for the upcoming East Asian Championship in China. Kashima midfielder Mitsuo Ogasawara was a notable omission, while there was a surprise recall for Alessandro Santos, who recently rejoined Urawa Reds after spending a season at Austrian club Salzburg. Okada looks set to become embroiled in a club versus country row with Urawa Reds coach Holger Osieck. The German-born Osieck has asked for the club's new star signing Naohiro Takahara to be excused from the East Asian Championship, with another long J-League campaign set to kick-off in March. Japan kick-off their East Asian Championship campaign against DPR Korea on February 17, before they take on hosts China and finish off with a clash against arch-rivals Korea Republic. Pan-Pacific Championship The inaugural Pan-Pacific Championship gets under way in Hawaii on February 20, with J-League side Gamba Osaka set to take on David Beckham's Los Angeles Galaxy, in a match that is sure to generate plenty of interest in Japan. The other clash sees fellow MLS side Houston Dynamo take on either Sydney FC or Queensland Roar, with the outcome of the A-League finals series set to determine which Australian team makes the trip to Hawaii. The respective winners of the two matches meet in the tournament final on February 23. Japanese Players Overseas Shunsuke Nakamura and Koki Mizuno : Celtic Shunsuke Nakamura has returned from a knee injury that plagued him towards the end of 2007 and was instrumental in Celtic's recent 5-1 Scottish Cup thrashing of Kilmarnock at Rugby Park. New signing Koki Mizuno was not included in the squad having only just completed his move from JEF United. Tsuneyasu Miyamoto : Salzburg With Alessandro Santos having rejoined former club Urawa Reds, ex-Gamba Osaka defender Tsuneyasu Miyamoto is now the sole Japanese player at Austrian club Salzburg. Miyamoto is currently injured and is unlikely to feature in the Salzburg starting eleven when the Austrian Bundesliga resumes on February 15. Daisuke Matsui : Le Mans Former Kyoto Sanga FC man Daisuke Matsui is enjoying a stellar season in the French Ligue 1, and he scored the winner in Le Mans' 1-0 win over glamour side AS Monaco last weekend. Shinji Ono : VfL Bochum Injury-plagued former Japan international Shinji Ono has joined Bundesliga club VfL Bochum from 2006 J-League champions Urawa Reds, and the ex-international made a dream start, coming off the bench to set up both goals in Bochum's come-from-behind win over high fliers Werder Bremen at the weekend. Naoya Kikuchi : Carl Zeiss Jena Former Jubilo Iwata star Naoya Kikuchi injured ligaments in training shortly after signing for 2.Bundesliga strugglers Carl Zeiss Jena. The midfielder, who is serving a year long domestic ban after his arrest for having sex with a 15-year-old-school girl last year, is expected to miss between four to six weeks of action for his new club. Copyright © Michael Tuckerman & Soccerphile.com J.League News Tags J-League soccer football Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting