Italy

The Italian national football team is the current world champion of soccer, having just won the 2006 World Cup. Italy is second in the world for overall wins of the World Cup, just one win behind Brazil. The national team is controlled by the Italian Football Federation which controls all league soccer in Italy.

The national team had its first match against France in 1910 and defeated them 6-2. In addition to their four World Cup wins they have also a gold medal from the Olympics, a European Championship win, and two Central European International Cups. 

In 2007 Italy was ranked number one through FIFA, but this has fallen to number three since the UEFA Euro 2008. 

Australia

The Australian national football team (the Socceroos) is the team that represents Australia in international competitions. In the 2006 World Cup held in Germany the Socceroos were placed in the same group as Brazil, Croatia, and Japan. Before competing with Brazil a British newspaper claimed that several people on the Australian team had taken bets, which is against FIFA regulations. Though some of the team members had made bets, it was amongst themselves and therefore did not break any rules. Australia went on to defeat Brazil and Croatia, but lost to Italy via a penalty kick. Australia is currently ranked 38th according to the FIFA world rankings and is currently competing for a spot in the 2010 World Cup to be held in South Africa.

Indomitable Lions or simply Cameroon

Cameroon

If South Korea is the most successful Asian soccer team, from the "Black continent" the only team that stood strong in front of the European and South American big names, is without doubt Cameroon. Their first appearance on the soccer world stage was 1982, when the FIFA world Cup was expanded from 16 to 24 teams. It turned out to be a wise decision. Cameroon left the 1982 World Cup in the first stage, but they haven't lost a game, even though they faced teams like Italy or Poland. But their main success was yet to come! At the 1990 "Copa del Monde"(FIFA World Cup held in Italy). They started by defeating the world cup holders Argentina, and made it all the way thorough the quarterfinals, where they lost to England after a dramatic game in extra time. By all means Cameroon was one of the most applauded and loved teams at the 1990 World Cup. While, they haven't repeated the the 1990 performance, they are currently ranked the 12th in the world. Not bad right!!

Asian soccer

Let's now take a look at the Asian soccer.
South Korea is said to be the most successful soccer team in Asia. Since its debut, 1948 Summer Olympics, South Korea qualified for 7 times to the FIFA World Cup. By far, they hold the best record for an Asian soccer national team to a FIFA World Cup Finals, the 4th place. Even though it was more than controversial, the way the official referees called some decisive plays in favor of South Korean team, they made their way through the semifinals by defeating both Italy and Spain. It is to be mentioned that the tournament was held by South Korea & Japan.But without doubt, Southern Korean's soccer team results in the past 10 years represent a clear progress and improvement for the Asian soccer. They are currently ranked 53rd in the world (according to FIFA rankings ) and they held a strong lead in the FIFA World Cup 2010 Qualifying round

Manchester United

Manchester United is a very popular soccer team amongst soccer fans. They have won many championships in Europe, and are known for many of their great players. They became the first European club to win the European Cup in 1968. Red and Gold are Manchester United's team colors and they are known as the red devils. Since the 1990's they have became one of the richest soccer teams in the world and are one of the top two teams in Europe. Soccer fans cant deny that Manchester United is a great team and today have some of the best players including Cristiano Ronaldo.-Timothy Menjivar

France

France has several soccer teams which are all managed by the French Football Federation. Their biggest team, which competes within FIFA, is the France National Football Team, also known as Les Bleus (The Blues). The national team is currently ranked 12 in the FIFA rankings though they actually made it to the finals in the 2006 World Cup. France was defeated in the final round by Italy with a score of 5-3. 

Despite doing very well in the World Cup, France did not make it into the quarterfinals of the Euro 2008 cup. This marked the end of ten successful years of competition. Although they did not do well in the most recent Euro Cup they have qualified for the 2010 World Cup to be held in South Africa.

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is host to several soccer teams. Association soccer in South Africa is somewhat complicated. The South African Football Association (SAFA) is the association that governs all soccer in South Africa. Soccer is composed of several leagues, its number one league being the Premier Soccer League, and its number two league is the National First Division. From there each league is made up of several teams which are called clubs. The sixteen best clubs in South Africa make up the Premier Soccer League. 

South Africa has competed and done very well in tournaments around the continent of Africa and in tournaments around the world. They are members the Confederation of African Football (CAF) which hosts tournaments all over the African continent.

South Africa is currently ranked number twenty in the CAF and eighty-five in the world. Though they are not ranked very high on the global scale South Africa is holding the FIFA World Cup in 2010. 

Senegal!

We have talked about teams in the United States, Europe, Asia, etc so now we are writing about a team in Africa. Senegal is from the African continent and made there first world cup appearance in 2002. In there first game of the world cup they had a huge upset beating world cup champions France 1-0. Also in 2002 they became the second team in the African continent to make it to the quarterfinals but lost against Turkey. They go by the nickname Les Lions de la Teranga (Lions of Teranga) and there team colors are red, white, green and yellow. They didnt make it to the world cup in 2006 but hopefully they will make it in 2o10. - Timothy Menjivar

The current German national football team has been in existence since 1990, when the East German and West German teams combined after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Since the two teams combined they have become one of the foremost teams in Europe. Though they do not always place first they are consistently within the top five. In 1993 Germany was ranked first in the FIFA world rankings. They are currently ranked third, in front of Brazil and behind Italy. 

Germany was the host of the most recent World Cup, which was held in 2006. Throughout the event, Germany scored a total of 14 goals, which was more than any other team. In addition to being ranked third by the FIFA world rankings, Germany placed third in the 2006 World Cup. Germany is unique in that it has qualified for every World Cup it has entered. In the UEFA Euro 2008 Germany made it to the final match, only to be defeated by Spain. 

England - where soccer began

England - or the place where soccer began - is one of the most prominent soccer teams in the world. Established in 1863, England paved the road of glory for game, which turned out to be the most loved in the world. Even though they won the FIFA World Cup only once, in 1966 on home soil, England is always regarded as favorite whenever the World or European Cup begin. Definitely, recent years have not been dear to the English fans, who had to watch the last European Cup - 2008 - in front of their TV and not by invading the European stadiums as they usually to do. Picture that : the European Champions without the inventors of the game!!! Dire moments the England soccer!! But, without doubt they'll be back before we know it. England always has and always will play the game to its ultimate passionate level, which drives millions of fans around the world. It can't go overlooked - the Wembley stadium - the home of the England national team, as well as to Manchester United. The White Horse Final, played on the Wembley Stadium on 28 of April 1923, has the highest ever unofficial "non-racing" sports attendance in the world, which is very unlikely to be broken in the near future - estimates of the number of fans in attendance range from 240,000 to well over 300,000

United States :)

So we have decided to write a post on the United States National Team. We are all americans so why not write a post on them? Soccer is the most played sport in the world and the United States has become one of the best soccer teams with many popular and great players. The United States is in the CONCACAF federation and is ranked 21st in the FIFA world ranking. The United States has not won a world cup but has came close by winning third place in 1930 which was their first appearance in the world cup. There team colors are red, white, and blue like the American Flag and have and had great players like Cobi Jones, Landon Donovan, and Erik Wynalda on their roster. Soccer will continue to grow in the United States and will continue to bring great players. -Timothy Menjivar

The Ultimate Match

There is nothing bigger, gracious and prestigious in the world of soccer then the FIFA World Cup. Since 1930, when the first world cup trophy was awarded, the FIFA World Cup stands by far as the most watched event of all sports. It takes place every four years, and the next one is being held in South Africa, the first African to ever organize such an important event. The current worls champs are the Italians (4 wins), but the most successful team is Brasil with 5 wins.

China

The Chinese soccer team was founded in 1924 as the Chinese national football team. They joined FIFA (International Federation of Association Football) in 1931. China has been a prominent figure in the Asian Cup and finished second in the AFC 2004. 

Many of China's best players have moved to Europe to gain more experience. The Chinese soccer team has had mixed results. They tend to do well in some of the qualifying rounds but then lose when it comes to the matches that really matter.

Though they have done well in the Asian arena, they have not done as well in the global arena. They have only qualified in one FIFA World Cup, the 2002 World Cup held in both South Korea and Japan.

Soccer is a very popular sport in China, with an estimated 300 million Chinese tuning into the 2002 FIFA World Cup. The Japanese and South Korean soccer teams are the two biggest rivals of China.

Los Angeles Galaxy

im not even mad jeesh

Since we all live in southern california, we chose to do an entry on the Los Angeles Galaxy. The Los Angeles Galaxy soccer club plays for the MLS soccer league and in 1995 they became one of the ten founding franchises of that league. The Los Angeles based team got their name "Galaxy" because Los Angeles is the home of the "hollywood stars". The Galaxy has won two MLS cups (2002,2005) and the US open twice as well (2001,2005). A few years ago they opened a new stadium called the Home Depot Center where the Galaxy plays there home games and shares it with there arch rivals Chivas USA. The Galaxy has grown in popularity when they signed David Beckham the English superstar of soccer. I have been watching the Galaxy for many years and will continue to do so because they are a great team. I have had the privaledge of seeing them play live and hopefully get the chance of doing it again soon. -Timothy Menjivar

brazil !!!

Brazil is said to be the best soccer team in the world,and this is why we are posting an article on them. By winning the world cup in(1958,1962,1970,1994,2002) they have became the most succesful soccer team in the history of the world cup championship. With that said they are the only team to play in every single world cup championship tournament. There team uniforms are either yellow and blue, or blue and white which are colors in the brazilian flag. There success would not have been possible without there great soccer players like Pele, Ronaldinho,Ronaldo just to name a few. There are many other great soccer teams in the world but we cant deny that Brazil has left a mark in the history of soccer.-Timothy Menjivar

Go rosoneri !!!

So far we have presented, probably the most beautiful array of soccer players, the national representative of Brasil. Well, in respect to soccer clubs, the options are wide open, thinking of the hundreds of clubs around the world. But we have to start from somewhere!!
When it comes to soccer clubs, the first thing that crosses my mind is AC Milan.
I love Italian league, and I'm a big fan of AC Milan (I'm curious to see how many " bianconeri " will interact). For those who don't know, rosoneri stands for red and black, which symbolize the AC's colors, while "bianconeri"" represent the all time rival Internationale Milan. AC Milan was established in 1899 and is by far one of the most successful soccer teams in the world. They won the Champions League for 7 times, best record on the "old continent", second only to Real Madrid, with 9 wins. How I would describe AC Milan? Perfect organization and lethal execution! and recently, amazing creativity...AC just bought Ronaldinho !!

what soccer stands for

160 million more viewers than the Super Bowl had in 2006, soccer stands without a doubt as the most loved game in the world. Organized soccer is played in over 144 nations, with nearly 20 million active players. Soccer Fans all over the world just can’t wait to see their idols, weather they play in the Champions League, Premiership(England league), Il Calcio (Italian league), MLS (USA league), Primera Division (Spanish League) or Brazilian League. These leagues went well beyond national borders.

Our Blog!!!!

We are the isds soccer blogger's! This blog is meant to inform readers on what we think are the best soccer teams around the world. Soccer is said to be the most popular sport in the world and this is why we chose to write on this. We are three guys Tim, Kyle, and Claudiu and we will write two blogs a week, each on a soccer team we enjoy watching. Hopefully you enjoy reading them, as much as we like writing them. Hopefully by writing these blogs we will gather a strong base of readers and be able to network with other soccer fans around the world. Enjoy and tell your friends :)- Timothy Menjivar