USA wants the World Cup

Officials trying to bring a World Cup soccer tournament to the United States are touting more than just the well-prepped cities with state-of-the art stadiums.

The tournament would also create between 65,000 and 100,000 jobs total across all of the host cities, said real estate and economic consulting firm AECOM.

Atlanta should take note: the study used the city for the national and international media headquarters, saying that alone would bring in $80 million. The study estimated more than 9,000 journalists would be housed at the media headquarters, dubbed by the World Cup as the International Broadcasting Center, or IBC.

Atlanta is one of 27 cities that are part of the committee's bid package to lure the World Cup to the United States in either 2018 or 2022. The study says hosting five or six soccer matches could bring in between $400 million and $600 million to a metro area's economy and create between 5,000 and 8,000 jobs.

Atlanta is also second in an online petition created by the bid committee to host World Cup soccer matches. The tournament will include favourites Brazil football shirt and England.

The committee chose AECOM, formerly Economics Research Associates, to look at the projected economic impact because the firm had done so for the 1994 World Cup as well as for several Olympic games.

David Downs, executive director of the U.S. Bid Committee, said his group has shared the economic-impact figures with each of the 27 cities.

The U.S. is competing against Netherlands-Belgium and Portugal-Spain, which have submitted joint bids to host either a 2018 or 2022 World Cup tournament. Qatar and South Korea have submitted bids to host the 2022 tournament.

The 24-member FIFA executive committee will select the hosts on Dec. 2

AFL raid on NRL stars

"There is room for us all ... we don't have an argument with the rugby league."



And then came the bombs.



Just 54 days after the AFL sent Sheedy to Sydney, on what looked suspiciously like a reconnaissance mission, with helicopter and all, the southern raiders sent a scud missile crashing into our shores.



Without warning, Karmichael Hunt crossed enemy lines and became their star recruit.



Paraded before us holding a Sherrin and in a sleeveless jersey, Hunt told us of months of secret talks and lunches with AFL boss Andrew Demetriou.



No this wasn't a war - it was an ambush.



But Hunt was only a soldier. A good soldier, but a soldier all the same. Today the AFL dropped their second bomb, and it could potentially cause more damage than the first.



Now the Mexicans have announced Grant Mayer had signed on as second-in-charge of the Western Sydney offensive - and unlike Hunt, Mayer is no soldier.



This former Manly boss is a rugby league general. A man who knows the Western Sydney battleground like Samuel Colt knew guns.



He spent many years in Western Sydney with the Bulldogs as a marketing man before becoming the CEO who led the Sea Eagles to a premiership.



Rated one of the best up-and-coming administrators, Mayer knows rugby league's strengths and also its weaknesses.



And armed with an arsenal of cash, Mayer will now go all Sun Tzu on rugby league.



Andrew Demetriou is building an army. And now he has a weapon capable of inflicting some real damage.



The AFL has already sounded out arguably the game's best administrator, Bulldogs jersey boss Todd Greenberg, and despite their denials are likely to pursue a top-flight rugby league player in the mould of Jarryd Hayne.



Yep, make no mistake, this is war.

A fairer Premier League?

This Premier League season was set to be an intriguing one before it even started. Manchester City's overspending, Ronaldo's overdue departure and Arsene's over-vocal critics all left us watering at the mouth for a season of change; a season where the big four became a big five or six.

And some would argue that it is shaping up to be just that season; Villa, Tottenham, Manchester City and, to a lesser degree, Sunderland, have all shown signs that the established order is being brought down. But is this really the case?

Tottenham have spent rather less than Manchester City shirt and sit in third, albeit having played a game more. Redknapp has instilled a confidence and workmanship that could well see them up there by the end of the season.

Similarly, City themselves boast a great record so far - sitting pretty in fifth with an extra game that could see them leapfrog Spurs if they win it.

Villa beat Chelsea last weekend to enhance their own credentials.

Sunderland have pulled off some great results - a draw at Old Trafford combined with a brilliant win over Liverpool have won them many sympathetic faces up and down the country.

Meanwhile, Liverpool have struggled to establish the form that saw them finish second last season; they lack a playmaker until Aquilani returns and with Torres and Gerrard injured they have lost their way in recent matches, culminating in tonight's home defeat by Lyon.

Arsenal are plagued by their usual problem; great football, great players but a simple inability to grind out results when it matters - both Manchester games serve as proof of this.

Certainly, there are two Champions League spots up for grabs. But is it so simple? I don't think so.

First of all, take Manchester United. They have been far from brilliant this season. At times, they have been downright lucky. But look at the table - they sit at the top!

Wins against Arsenal and Manchester City may have been somewhat fortuitous, but in the scheme of things that doesn't matter. They are there. When it comes to the run in, you can count on them to hit their top form, and if the current lacklustre performances can see them top the pile, they've almost already got it in the the bag.

Similarly, Chelsea. Blips against Wigan and Villa aside, where Terry and Carvalho had off-days, they have simply demolished every team that came their way. Spurs, who have so far looked almost the real deal, simply could not deal with their midfield. Liverpool were almost lucky to keep it at only a 2-0 loss.

By contrast, the other current top teams can not produce this sort of form.

City have been great going forward, but for all their spending their defence is still a complete joke.

Spurs have looked vulnerable to direct teams such as Bolton.

Villa have a small squad and lack the spending power and the quality edge of other big teams.

Liverpool's opening couple of months have been a disaster; Arsenal had to scrape fourth place last year and unless they toughen up may have to do so again, although granted they have been very impressive so far.

My point is this; the top four may well change this year. Based on current form, predictable results and a bit of guesswork, it will most likely be Liverpool shirt who drop out, if anyone does. Arsenal look the next most likely.

But Manchester United and Chelsea are light years ahead of anyone else. I don't see a big six, a more competitive league.

I see a big two of United and Chelsea who leave everyone else to fight for scraps.

Wolfsburg on top

The Wolfsburg coach has explained that rotation in his squad is a normal occurrence, and the Brazilian forward was happy to accept the decision...

Reigning Bundesliga champions Wolfsburg shirt locked horns with Borussia Moenchengladbach at the weekend and picked up a 2-1 victory, but eyebrows were raised as Grafite was left on the bench.

"It is quite simple: we have three good strikers and I think it is absolutely normal that I swap them around," head coach Armin Veh explained.

The highly-rated striker was left out of the starting XI, with Obafemi Martins preferred to partner Edin Dzeko up front. Grafite had no problems accepting his coach's decision, though.

"It was not a problem at all for me to be on the bench," he told reporters. "The coach came to me before the game and explained it to me and I took it in a relaxed way and even shared his view.

The important thing is the team and [at the weekend] we won three points as a team. I will now work hard and fight to be in the starting XI next time."

The 30-year-old scored 28 goals in 25 league games last term, but has found the net only twice in nine appearances in this Bundesliga campaign. Bayern Munich shirts are currently off the pace in this season's Bundesliga campaign.