Scoring Defenders: Premier League weekend Dec 6th-8th

What were defenders doing in the Premier League last weekend?
Scoring goals that’s what!
There were 6 big goals scored in all, and each one had an implication on the result.

• Nemanja Vidic got one of the most important goals of the weekend. With Man Utd’s game vs. Sunderland heading to a stalemate, Vidic popped up in the box to knock the ball into the back of the net after it had cannoned off the post from Michael Carrick’s long range effort. The goal gave Man Utd a 1-0 win and kept them in touch with Liverpool and Chelsea. Vidic currently wears the New Puma v-Konstrukt III, which are set to be released in the US January 2009. To help with touch and control, Puma have created a new front design with padding around the shooting area. This is positioned to help with control and impact when striking the ball.
Check out PUMA v-Konstrukt II


• A double from Joleon Lescott did not help Everton beat Aston Villa, although they really should have snatched a point through Lescott’s second goal in added time. 60 seconds after he had tied the game at 2-2, Aston Villa had the ball in Everton’s net to win 3-2. Lescott wears Nike Total90 Laser II. Nike developed these cleats with swerve, power and precision in mind. Their focus was on developing a shooting sweet spot, and hence the front design of the cleat. Known as Shotshield technology, Nike placed rubber zonal rings on the strike zone with direct injected rubber.
More info on Nike Total90 Laser II


• Bernard Mendy helped Hull gain another 3 points. He scored the tying goal against Middlesbrough, getting lucky when his shot hit the post and then Ross Turnbull’s back before going into the net. Mendy, like Lescott, wears the Nike Total 90 Laser II.


• Abdoulaye Faye came back to haunt Newcastle by scoring for Stoke to snatch a point in their encounter. Faye has most recently been wearing Adidas adiPURE TRX in master blue/white. These cleats have an upper Kangaroo leather glove like fit. They are about as pure and simple as you can get cleat wise. At 9.6 ounces they are pretty light. Designed for the no-nonsense central midfielder who is not afraid to get stuck in on a tackle.
More Info Adidas adiPURE Indigo/Metallic Silver/Rave Green


• And finally, Ledley King did what Spurs strikers couldn’t do in their game against a poor West Ham -put the ball in the net! Spurs had several excellent chances to score before King popped up in the box for his first goal since 2005. King wears white Adidas Predator Powerswerve. Predators have been legendary since the Premier League’s creation in the 90’s. This version has two major advantages over other boots; Powerswerve impact and Powerpulse. Powerswerve allows a player to add swerve to the ball by using a rubber interface, allowing for extra control on contact with the ball. Powerpulse is the insole insert that has Tungsten powder filled elements. These shift as you swing into the ball adding extra power and increased flexibility. The newest version of the cleat comes in Dark Indigo/Metallic Silver/Pool.
  More Info Adidas Predator PowerSwerve White Metallic/Indiog/Rave Green

Ronaldo's new Nike Mercurial Vapor IV

Nike have unleashed Cristiano Ronaldo....in his new marina and volt Mercurial Vapor IV. At the weekend, Ronaldo debuted the cleats with a second half goal vs West Brom, and also wore them during the Champions League clash with Celtic. During both games, Ronaldo was his usual creative self, setting up some great opportunities with crosses from both the left and right hand side. The Vapors are designed for the fast paced player, someone who likes dribbling and pulling off tricks. They are aero-dynamic and have a large surface area for a cleaner strike zone. Players that currently wear the cleats include Theo Walcott and Robinho...flair players.

And it looks like Nike have picked up the right players! Robinho's big move to Manchester City, Theo Walcotts emergence with Arsenal and England(his hat-trick vs Croatia being the highlight) along with Ronaldo, who is one of the favorites for the World Player of the year has certainly helped their sales numbers and is helping them push ahead of Adidas in boot sales.

Buy Nike Mercurial Vapor IV FG - Marina/Volt/Metallic Silver

Tony Lochhead: Nike Legend II

Name: Tony Lochhead

Position: Left back/midfield

Team History: UCSB 2001-04

New England Revolution 2005-07

Wellington Phoenix 2007-

New Zealand National team: 17 senior caps

Cleat: 9.5US Sneaker: 10.5US

What cleats do you wear?
Last season i was wearing the Total 90 lasers but I have gone old school and now wearing the Nike Legends. I prefer leather boots, they dont last as long as the lasers but alot more comfortable and fit my feet better than this years Total 90.

How much would you pay for the 'perfect' pair?
I would pay a couple hundread, you cant really get a good pair without spending that.

What advice would you give to someone choosing a cleat?

I try to find a cleat that is going to fit my foot well, it has to be comfortable, especially in the conditions that we play in. Alot of the fields are hard as we play in the summer months.
Advice I would pass on would be to have a pair of cleats to train in and a pair just to play your games in, as I have been told that your cleats only have about 6 games of life in them before you should replace them. Because we play in the summer here, most of my cleats are molded and I only have one pair of studs. I have a couple of pairs to train in and a pair of game boots. These days I tend to wear the white cleats which I would have never done when I was younger but the majority of the boots seem to be white and it looks weird when you wear black, haha!!

What your soccer cleats say!!

Do you wear a pair of white, blue or even green cleats? Or are you a fan of the traditional, old school English black 'clogs'? Well, here is a recap of a recent English study conducted by top sports phsychologists. Find out before you chose you color!!

The Old Pro: Black Boots
- A safe colour and suggests certainty and authority. Always worn traditional black boots, and always will.

The Maestro: White Boots
- White represents purity and light and the Maestro oozes talent and class, and has everything except sweat-inducing work rate.
The Hot Potato: Red Boots
- Red is an intense colour which generates emotions. This fire-brand is impetuous and rash and will make their mark on the game, and their opponents.

The Veteran: Blue Boots
- We look for blue skies, for peace and tranquility. He is convinced that his experience and nous more than makes up for a lack of pace. He switched to blue boots to demonstrate his coolness and calmness under pressure.

The Enigma: Green Boots
- Here is a player who has the manager tearing his hair out in frustration. On his day, he can win a match by himself. One week, storming the barricades; next week, missing in action. Why? Who knows?

The Entertainer: Yellow Boots
- Yellow brings good cheer and optimism. Our yellow-booted entertainer is the life and soul of the team and shows lots of energy and enthusiasm.

The Organiser: Brown Boots
- Our brown booted player will be a smartly turned out defender, unyielding and dependable with a penchant for a sliding tackle.

The Golden Boy: Gold Boots
- The colour of sun brings warmth and wisdom. He is super talented, but he might believe too much in his own publicity.

The Headless Chicken: Silver Boots
- Silver offers light and balance, and he has speed and pace to burn. However he is sometimes known as a headless chicken and his passing can be erratic.

The Eccentric: Orange Boots
- Orange offers freedom and emotional release. Your orange booted player can be prone to impulsive decision making and heart stopping gaffes - the boots express his individuality and desire to be different.

Another Soccer Cleat review!!

Well, it is more reviews than just a review! Check out the latest soccer cleat reviews over at http://www.soccercleats101.com, (our sister site) where the team have been working hard to bring quality content and information on all the latest soccer cleat releases.

The site has also had a recent redesign and I recommend getting on the email subscription list as you will receive emails with all the latest coupons and discounts from online soccer stores, as well as information on the latest reviews. Rumour has it that they are currently testing the Adidas Predator X, which will be released in late October!

Chris Loftus: Adidas Predator

Name: Chris Loftus
Position: Forward
Team History: Duke University 03-06
New England Revolution 07-08
Limhamn Bunkeflo (Sweden) Current
Cleat size: 12
Sneaker size: 13

Preferred cleat? Adidas Predator
In one sentence why? I like the Adidas Predator because it fits my foot best and is a comfortable cleat.

Chris, thanks for taking the time to share advice with our readers.
First, What do you look for when choosing a cleat?
I have very narrow feet so Adidas shoes have always fit me best. The first and most important thing for me when having a cleat is comfort. I also like the end of the shoe near the toe to be more narrow and pointed like the end of a foot so that I can feel the ball. I've found that many shoes, like Nike, are wide and rounded so it makes it harder to feel the ball. I also prefer leather shoes asopposed to the synthetic shoes because I feel that the leather molds and forms to your foot better. I've also always been a fan of black shoes, but having a comfortable shoe that you can feel the ball andhave a good touch with is most important.

How much would you pay for the 'perfect' pair of cleats? $200

From your experience, what advice would you give to people choosing new cleat?
I think it's always important to have at least one pair of cleats for hard grounds and at least one for soft grounds. What I do when I first get a pair of cleats is to put them on and wear them in the shower. Once they have gotten really wet I wear them around for about 20-30 minutes so that the leather has a chance to stretch and mold to my foot. Alot of players don't break in their soft grounds until the first time they wear them. This can cause blisters and also hinder your touch on the ball. This shower technique has always worked for me. In terms of taking care of your cleats...if they do get wet make sure to leave them out to dry so that the stitching in the leather doesn't get too lose. Sometimes I will put newspaperinside of them to dry them out. Most importantly though when buying a shoe is to buy the one that feels most comfortable.

Finally, are there any other tips you would like to give our readers?
Whenever I get a cleat I usually have it one size smaller than my regular shoes. I do this because ithelps me feel the ball better. I've found that when the cleats get wet, especially leather cleats, they will stretch a little.

Chris played college soccer at Duke, making it the College Cup in 2004. After a year in the MLS with New England Revolution, he decided to try his luck in Europe where he currently plays for Limhamn Bunkeflo in Sweden.