Fan Club Pre Season Meeting this Saturday!

Join the Ultras this Saturday, February 5th at 12pm at the Hollywood Ale House to finally creep out of your winter slumber and get back into soccer fanaticism shape.

Have you been bummed since the World Cup? Premier League action not enough to keep you going? Well the time has finally come to get out those flags, horns, drums and face paint and get geared up for a local pro soccer season.

It's time to start planning supporters rallies, road trips, opening day craziness and somehow someway getting an MLS team in South Florida.

Besides the Miami FC/Strikers season, we've got Gold Cup matches and even Barcelona versus AC Milan in the summer. Excited yet!

The Hollywood Ale House is located at 3215 Oakwood Blvd., Hollywood, FL 33020 (it's the same plaza as Home Depot, you know, where Six Flags Atlantis used to be).

See you there!

Ronaldinho: The One Man Show

Profile
Ronaldo de Assis Moreira (born March 21, 1980 in Porto Alegre), commonly known as Ronaldinho or Ronaldinho Gaúcho,[3] is a Brazilian footballer who plays for Italian Serie A club A.C. Milan and the Brazil national team.

Ronaldinho, Portuguese for "little Ronaldo", is known in Brazil by the nickname Ronaldinho Gaúcho, in order to distinguish him from Ronaldo, who was already called "Ronaldinho" in Brazil. Ronaldo simply went by his first name upon his move to Europe, thereby allowing Ronaldinho to drop the "Gaúcho" and remain simply as Ronaldinho.

He has played for Paris Saint-Germain, and FC Barcelona, with whom he won his first Champions League in 2006. He became a Spanish citizen in January 2007.[4]

Career
Born into a footballing family (his late father Joao played for Cruzeiro and his brother, now his manager, Roberto played for Gremio), the young Ronaldinho found more enjoyment in futsal and beach football before graduating to playing the standard game.

He began his football career at his brother's old club Gremio in the youth team under future Brazil World Cup winning coach Luiz Felipe Scolari and progressed to the first team aged 18 in 1998 and had made his Brazilian national team debut a year later in 1999.

His goalscoring exploits and sublime skill on the ball drew much attention from Europe and in 2001 Ronaldinho left Gremio to move to France and Paris St. Germain. His time in Paris was littered with fallings out with then PSG coach Luis Fernandez who disapproved of Ronaldinho's love of Parisian nightlife and after two mildly successful years in France he again packed his bags and headed for Barcelona.

In his first season at Barcelona Ronaldinho more than justified his reputed £18m price tag as he helped coax the Catalan giants into second place in La Liga and earnt himself the title of 2004 World Player of the Year.

Having caught the eye of big spending Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, Ronaldinho was the subject of a failed £60m bid from the West London club and despite the resignation of his friend Sandor Rosell as Barcelona's vice president of sports, he signed a new contract in late 2005 with the Catalan club.

As well as helping Barcelona to back to back La Liga titles in 2004/2005 and 2005/2006 and the European Champion's League in 2006, Ronaldinho has also won a host of personal awards including:

FIFA World Player of the Year in 2004 and 2005
FIFPro World Player of the Year in 2005 and 2006
European Footballer of the Year in 2005
UEFA Champions League Best Forward in 2004-05
World Soccer Player of the Year in 2004 and 2005
and UEFA Champions League Most Valuable Player in 2005-06.

Ronaldinho also became a World Cup winner with Brazil in 2002.

Adriano Joins Sao Paulo on Loan

Troubled Inter Milan striker Adriano is to join Sao Paulo on a six-month loan, the Brazilian champion said on Wednedsay.

"(Sao Paulo) concluded with Inter Milan the loan of striker Adriano until June 30, 2008," the club said on its website (www.saopaulofc.net).

The 25-year-old Brazilian, once the most feared striker in Serie A, has hardly featured for Inter in the last two seasons after battling fitness and reported alcohol problems.

The move came one month after the powerhouse striker began a fitness and psychological recovery program at Sao Paulo's training center.

He is the second big name to return to South American soccer looking to revive his career in the last month after Argentina's Boca Juniors re-signed Juan Roman Riquelme from Villarreal.

"I'm very happy with this deal," Adriano was quoted as saying. "Since my first day at the club, everyone has treated me very well.

"It will be an honor to win titles for this club. I'm going to work very hard for this and to return to the Brazil team."

Adriano has played only one international since his much-criticized performance at the 2006 World Cup. Previously, he was regarded as having a safe place in the national side along with Robinho and Kaka.

Adriano was linked with a move away in the European close season but refused to go out on loan despite interest from former club Parma and Premier League West Ham United.

If all goes well, Adriano will lead the Sao Paulo attack in the South American Libertadores Cup, the region's equivalent of the Champions League, which will be held in the first half of next year.

Sao Paulo has won the Brazilian championship for the last two years, was Libertadores winner in 2005 and runner-up last year.

Ronaldo - Great Brazilian Player

Name at birth: Ronaldo Luis Nazário de Lima

A brilliant and fluid forward, Ronaldo became one of international soccer's great stars of the 1990s and Brazil's biggest soccer hero since Pele. At age 17 he was a member of Brazil's 1994 World Cup-winning squad, though he did not play. The same year he joined the Dutch professional team PSV Eindhoven. His professional contract was purchased by Barcelona in 1996; the next year he moved again to Italy's F.C. Internazionale Milano, remaining until 2002 when he transferred to Real Madrid. He was named FIFA's World Footballer of the Year in 1996 and 1997, becoming both the youngest player to win the award and the only player to win the award in consecutive years. He also starred in the 1998 World Cup, scoring four goals in leading Brazil to the Cup finals, but he was criticized for their 3-0 loss to France in the championship game. Slowed by injuries in the 21st century, Ronaldo nonetheless made a triumphant return by leading Brazil to the World Cup championship in 2002. He won the Golden Boot as the tournament's top scorer (with eight goals) and scored both goals in Brazil's 2-0 final game win over Germany. Despite accusations that he had become overweight and less than energetic, Ronaldo scored three goals in the 2006 World Cup, giving him a total of 15 in World Cup play -- a new record. He transferred from Barcelona to A.C. Milan in January of 2007, signing an 18-month contract.