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	<title>Soccerlens.com &#187; Reviews</title>
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	<link>http://soccerlens.com</link>
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		<title>Champions League Tablet App Review: Ringier Studios </title>
		<link>http://soccerlens.com/champions-league-tablet-app-review-ringier-studios/91514/</link>
		<comments>http://soccerlens.com/champions-league-tablet-app-review-ringier-studios/91514/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 27 Mar 2012 06:58:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Soccerlens</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UEFA Champions League]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://soccerlens.com/?p=91514</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><p><a href="http://soccerlens.com/champions-league-tablet-app-review-ringier-studios/91514/">Champions League Tablet App Review: Ringier Studios </a> - originally posted on <a href="http://soccerlens.com">Soccerlens.com</a></p><p>Calling all Champions League die-hard fans. Just in time for this week&#8217;s Champions League quarter-finals, we had a chance to review the Champions League app for tablets, developed by Ringier Studios, a California company that designs apps for Fortune 1000 companies.  It&#8217;s a very cool and timely app as we head into the quarter-finals to...</p></p><p>From <a href="http://soccerlens.com">Soccerlens.com - Football News</a></p>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://soccerlens.com/champions-league-tablet-app-review-ringier-studios/91514/">Champions League Tablet App Review: Ringier Studios </a> - originally posted on <a href="http://soccerlens.com">Soccerlens.com</a></p><p>Calling all Champions League die-hard fans. Just in time for this week&#8217;s Champions League quarter-finals, we had a chance to review the <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/app/ringier-studios-champions/id482928250?ign-mpt=uo%3D6&#038;mt=8">Champions League app</a> for tablets, developed by <a href="http://www.ringierstudios.com/">Ringier Studios</a>, a California company that designs apps for Fortune 1000 companies. </p>
<p>It&#8217;s a very cool and timely app as we head into the quarter-finals to watch Madrid and Barcelona negotiate their way to a dream final and the likes of Bayern and Chelsea standing in their way (with due respect to the other four teams, those are the dream semi-finals we&#8217;d like to see). </p>
<p>Warning.  This is a highly engaging high-octane app, a little busy at times with the graphics (and takes a few minutes to download at the start).  However, as soon as you got it up and running, you can move quickly and smoothly between the different chapters and options available in this Champions League app. </p>
<p><a href="http://soccerlens.com/files/2012/03/Dream-Team-1.png"><img src="http://soccerlens.com/files/2012/03/Dream-Team-1.png" alt="Dream Team 1 Champions League Tablet App Review: Ringier Studios " title="Dream Team-1" width="620" height="465" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-91522" /></a></p>
<p>Some of the best features include exploring the top 10 best goals in 3D animation, including some of soccer&#8217;s greats, Charles-Edouard Coridon, Zinedine Zidane and Lionel Messi and saves by 10 heroic goalkeepers like Oliver Kahn, Victor Valdes and even Jerzy Dudek whose save was voted the best moment in the Champions League. You can also build your own Champions League dream team, pick from a list of Champions League winners, choose a coach (are you a Mourinho or a Guardiola?) and you can even share your dream Champions League team via Facebook and Twitter. </p>
<p><a href="http://soccerlens.com/files/2012/03/Goals-Saves.png"><img src="http://soccerlens.com/files/2012/03/Goals-Saves.png" alt="Goals Saves Champions League Tablet App Review: Ringier Studios " title="Goals &amp; Saves" width="620" height="465" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-91523" /></a></p>
<p>The content probably is the strongest feature of the app, paired with the animated graphics. The app was developed using extensive input from journalists and interviews with some of the greatest footballers and managers in the game. This Champions League app is the perfect companion for enjoying Champions League matches.</p>
<p><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/app/ringier-studios-champions/id482928250?ign-mpt=uo%3D6&#038;mt=8"><img src="http://soccerlens.com/files/2012/03/app-icon.png" alt="app icon Champions League Tablet App Review: Ringier Studios " title="app icon" width="170" height="170" class="alignright size-full wp-image-91521" /></a>For iPad users, for limited time, catch the app for download via iTunes <insert link: http://itunes.apple.com/app/ringier-studios-champions/id482928250?ign-mpt=uo%3D6&#038;mt=8> for only $1.99.  </p>
<p>Samsung tablet users can download the app for free via the <a href="http://www.samsungapps.com/topApps/topAppsDetail.as?productId=G00002451723&#038;listYN=Y#">Samsung Apps store</a>.  </p>
<p><strong>Additional Links: </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/#!/ringierstudios">Ringier Studios on Twitter</a><br />
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/RingierStudios">Ringier Studios on Facebook </a></p>
<p>You can catch this week&#8217;s Champions League quarterfinal previews and all related <a href="http://soccerlens.com/tags/competitions/champions-league/">Champions League action and news here</a>.</p>
<p>From <a href="http://soccerlens.com">Soccerlens.com - Football News</a></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Football betting made smarter by Hotvig</title>
		<link>http://soccerlens.com/hotvig-review-football-betting/91331/</link>
		<comments>http://soccerlens.com/hotvig-review-football-betting/91331/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 26 Mar 2012 17:40:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>garethmcknight</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Football Betting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://soccerlens.com/?p=91331</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><p><a href="http://soccerlens.com/hotvig-review-football-betting/91331/">Football betting made smarter by Hotvig</a> - originally posted on <a href="http://soccerlens.com">Soccerlens.com</a></p><p>The world of sports betting can be your best friend or your worst enemy, can make or break you, lead you to your fortune or leave you broke. Most of us like a cheeky bet on Grand National day or a flutter at the dogs, but betting on the beautiful game is increasingly the sport...</p></p><p>From <a href="http://soccerlens.com">Soccerlens.com - Football News</a></p>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://soccerlens.com/hotvig-review-football-betting/91331/">Football betting made smarter by Hotvig</a> - originally posted on <a href="http://soccerlens.com">Soccerlens.com</a></p><p>The world of sports betting can be your best friend or your worst enemy, can make or break you, lead you to your fortune or leave you broke. Most of us like a cheeky bet on Grand National day or a flutter at the dogs, but betting on the beautiful game is increasingly the sport of choice for the punter. For longevity and success when betting on football, you need to consult the experts; look no further than <a href="http://hotvig.com/?a_aid=4f7086c631666">Hotvig</a>.</p>
<p>Hotvig aim to give their customers the latest and greatest information on the big game to aid your betting experience and chances. By sending out ‘vigs’ or <a href="http://hotvig.com/?a_aid=4f7086c631666" target="_blank">soccer tips</a>, the customer is given the latest information on teams, players, competitions and factors that will play a part in winning betting. Hotvig collect decisive information from extensive resources about the latest games, and once the information is analysed, it is sent to the users as a betting aid.</p>
<p>The idea is to give you, the customer, as much information as possible so you can bet with confidence. Instead of just giving the user a tip, all the information collected is presented as a case of evidence for the potential tip, letting the user make informed decisions before parting with their money. All this betting-friendly data is guaranteed to be sent to participating customers at least two hours before the game starts, and can be provided by e-mail and SMS.</p>
<p>We are all connoisseurs when it comes to our own teams or the divisions that we follow, but are you confident of betting, and winning, on say the Ukrainian Premier League or the Eredivisie? Who’s your money on between Hamburg and Wolfsburg this weekend? Hotvig will tell you that the hosts have lost their last three games, whilst the visitors have won their last two, provide you with pre-match team news and the relevant statistical information to multiply the money you put on.</p>
<p>Not convinced? Hotvig’s phenomenal track record of success should be testament that the service works. In 2011, Hotvig had a 71% success rate, meaning that a $100 investment would give typical returns of $4640. So far in 2012 up until 15<sup>th</sup> March they have got even more on the money; a 74% success rate. Add to this that Hotvig offers a ten-day free trial to test the service at no obligation, and what have you got to lose??</p>
<p>No longer will you have to rely on gut instinct or luck; get the latest and most relevant information and turn a little into a lot with <a href="http://hotvig.com/?a_aid=4f7086c631666">Hotvig.com</a>.</p>
<p>From <a href="http://soccerlens.com">Soccerlens.com - Football News</a></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Want to watch the match with a pint? Matchpint of course!</title>
		<link>http://soccerlens.com/matchpint-review/91395/</link>
		<comments>http://soccerlens.com/matchpint-review/91395/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 22 Mar 2012 08:55:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>garethmcknight</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://soccerlens.com/?p=91395</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><p><a href="http://soccerlens.com/matchpint-review/91395/">Want to watch the match with a pint? Matchpint of course!</a> - originally posted on <a href="http://soccerlens.com">Soccerlens.com</a></p><p>The world of football is becoming decidedly smaller and all of us connoisseurs of the game want to watch more than just our local team or Super Sunday. We want to see Flamengo play in the Brasileiro, Dinamo Kiev in the Ukrainian Premier League and the Basque derby between Real Sociedad and Athletic Bilbao. We...</p></p><p>From <a href="http://soccerlens.com">Soccerlens.com - Football News</a></p>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://soccerlens.com/matchpint-review/91395/">Want to watch the match with a pint? Matchpint of course!</a> - originally posted on <a href="http://soccerlens.com">Soccerlens.com</a></p><p>The world of football is becoming decidedly smaller and all of us connoisseurs of the game want to watch more than just our local team or Super Sunday. We want to see Flamengo play in the Brasileiro, Dinamo Kiev in the Ukrainian Premier League and the Basque derby between Real Sociedad and Athletic Bilbao. We need to see FA Cup replays, the Intertoto Cup and Portuguese club friendlies. Need to.</p>
<p>What better to accompany a game of football than being in a pub, drinking a pint and a debating with your mates whether Werder Bremen’s latest playmaker would cut it at United or Liverpool. However, some drinking establishments do not share our blind faith in the fact that a Ligue 1 clash between Ajaccio and St Etienne could be a barnstormer – <strong>enter <a href="http://www.matchpint.co.uk/">Matchpint</a></strong>.</p>
<p>Matchpint have released an essential <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/matchpint/id502468923?mt=8">app</a> (iTunes link) and website to tell you exactly which pubs are showing which games, so you don’t have to miss a moment of the Copa Libertadores. Watch football and drink beer smarter; no longer is it a case of running to a pub with your fingers crossed that they will have a game on for your viewing delight; check the facts with Matchpint and don’t miss a minute of Copa Del Rey action.</p>
<p>The pub app been done before? Not like this it hasn’t. Each pub has a profile on Matchpint that they upload, update and maintain; that way if it says the AZ Alkmaar game is on, it’s on. The detail to help you decide which public house to frequent is awe-inspiring; learn how many screens it has, whether the bar has HD or 3D, whether it will show the game with or without sound and whether it serves food.</p>
<p>Matchpint is designed to be interactive; the world’s football (and beer) fans working as one to give each other information on enjoying a pub experience whilst watching the game we love. The site has the facility to allow you to rate your experience, read other supporters’ thoughts, upload photos and have your say.</p>
<p>The dedicated search engine means that you will find the match, pub or competition you are looking for, and be given a host of options for your viewing pleasure. Pubs are rated by viewers’ preference, so you will have a list of the best football-beer experiences in a specific city or town at your fingertips.</p>
<p>Matchpint is fully conversant with Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites, so you will never miss a game, and have the ability to interact with other users.  It is also free, easy to register and use, and, well, very cool.</p>
<p>So no longer let the television schedule dominate your life; ESPN or Sky are no longer the boss – you are. Pick the game, find a pub that is showing it and enjoy. Simple really. Thanks Matchpint, I’ll get the next round.</p>
<p><em>Special Offer: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/MatchPint/174406182587507">Like MatchPint on Facebook</a> or <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/MatchPint">Follow MatchPint on Twitter</a> for a chance to win a £50 bar tab at your nearest MatchPint Pub.</em></p>
<div align="center"><strong>MatchPint App screenshots</strong></div>

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<p><a href="http://www.matchpint.co.uk/">MatchPint</a> (website)<br />
<a href="http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/matchpint/id502468923?mt=8">MatchPint app</a> (iTunes)</p>
<p>From <a href="http://soccerlens.com">Soccerlens.com - Football News</a></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Online Soccer Manager Review: can you be the next Pep Guardiola?</title>
		<link>http://soccerlens.com/online-soccer-manager-review/91289/</link>
		<comments>http://soccerlens.com/online-soccer-manager-review/91289/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 17 Mar 2012 05:48:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>garethmcknight</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Online Football Games]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://soccerlens.com/?p=91289</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><p><a href="http://soccerlens.com/online-soccer-manager-review/91289/">Online Soccer Manager Review: can you be the next Pep Guardiola?</a> - originally posted on <a href="http://soccerlens.com">Soccerlens.com</a></p><p>We have all been there; &#8216;if only he&#8217;d played three in the centre of the park instead of two we would have dominated possession&#8217;. Everyone can be a master tactician or manager from your armchair when watching your favourite team, but now the chance to prove your football knowledge and tactical nous has arrived in...</p></p><p>From <a href="http://soccerlens.com">Soccerlens.com - Football News</a></p>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://soccerlens.com/online-soccer-manager-review/91289/">Online Soccer Manager Review: can you be the next Pep Guardiola?</a> - originally posted on <a href="http://soccerlens.com">Soccerlens.com</a></p><p>We have all been there; &#8216;if only he&#8217;d played three in the centre of the park instead of two we would have dominated possession&#8217;. Everyone can be a master tactician or manager from your armchair when watching your favourite team, but now the chance to prove your football knowledge and tactical nous has arrived in the form of <a href="http://www.onlinesoccermanager.com/">Online Soccer Manager</a>.</p>
<p>A free-to-play game online, this interactive and challenging game allows you to be the man or woman that makes the decisions from the bench. No longer do you have to shout instructions at players or question the boss&#8217; tactics; you are in charge and you will be given the task of leading your team to success. No longer do you have no voice amongst a sea of supporters; now you are the one to call the shots, and if things do not go well it will be you hearing the fans&#8217; frustrations.</p>
<p>Online Soccer Manager is has a thorough gameplay engine, which means that you can get involved in almost every facet of being a head coach. Orchestrate training to get the best of your existing squad and develop the next international superstar from your youth setup. Everyone has favourite players that they would like to see sign for their club, now you can break the bank to negotiate transfer dealings to bring new faces in, and cash in on the ones you don&#8217;t need. Lead your team into domestic and inter-country competition, facing the likes of Manchester United, Barcelona and AC Milan. You can tweak tactics before and during play, come up with match-winning strategy and see your decisions come to fruition.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.onlinesoccermanager.com/">Online Soccer Manager</a> is growing in popularity and currently over 100,000 people worldwide play this addictive and fun game every day. It is easy to get started as all you need to do is visit the official website, sign up and pick your league and team; from there all the decisions are down to you. With a range of different leagues, tactics and teams you will never run out of challenges, and you can prove your worth on the big stage.</p>
<p>Signing up for Online Soccer Manager is completely free, however a raft of bonus features are available if you opt to purchase a Season Ticket for a small fee., such as match commentary and scouting foreign leagues.</p>
<p>So just imagine; you have led your team to the Champions League final, where you face the current holders Barcelona. How do you stop Lionel Messi? Do you man-mark him? Doing so may leave space for midfield playmakers Xavi and Andres Iniesta&#8230;.</p>
<p>The decisions made at the club you love can finally be yours, and you can go one step better than that current manager that you have been criticising.</p>
<p>Watch the video below, then <a href="http://www.onlinesoccermanager.com/">get started with Online Soccer Manager here</a>.</p>
<p><iframe width="600" height="335" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/HZpTO34O18Q" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p>From <a href="http://soccerlens.com">Soccerlens.com - Football News</a></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>The M-Station &#8211; football training that&#8217;s endorsed by Arsenal and co</title>
		<link>http://soccerlens.com/mstation-review/87132/</link>
		<comments>http://soccerlens.com/mstation-review/87132/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 16 Feb 2012 10:42:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>garethmcknight</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Football Training]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://soccerlens.com/?p=87132</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><p><a href="http://soccerlens.com/mstation-review/87132/">The M-Station &#8211; football training that&#8217;s endorsed by Arsenal and co</a> - originally posted on <a href="http://soccerlens.com">Soccerlens.com</a></p><p>Munin Sports have released a new piece of football technology to aid footballers with training &#8211; the M-Station. Considerable time, effort and resources have been invested in making the M-Station a multi-purpose training tool, that has been incorporated into everyday use by some of Europe&#8217;s top football teams. The M-Station is a high-quality product manufactured...</p></p><p>From <a href="http://soccerlens.com">Soccerlens.com - Football News</a></p>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://soccerlens.com/mstation-review/87132/">The M-Station &#8211; football training that&#8217;s endorsed by Arsenal and co</a> - originally posted on <a href="http://soccerlens.com">Soccerlens.com</a></p><p><a href="http://muninsports.com/">Munin Sports</a> have released a new piece of football technology to aid footballers with training &#8211; the <a href="http://muninsports.com/mstation/">M-Station</a>. Considerable time, effort and resources have been invested in making the M-Station a multi-purpose training tool, that has been incorporated into everyday use by some of Europe&#8217;s top football teams.</p>
<p>The M-Station is a high-quality product manufactured in Denmark and made of stainless steel and lightweight aluminium. It has a rebound surface of 270cm x 270cm, currently the largest on the market, and is designed to be easy to use and move. The string surface is masterfully designed to generate the maximum rebound of the ball, with typically a less than 5% drop in speed.</p>
<p>The M-Station is easy to adjust, with ten different settings to impact upon trajectory and inclination. It can be easily moved by one person and is designed to be puncture free.</p>
<p><strong>Training with the M-Station</strong></p>
<p>The M-Station has been designed to be used in different drills and for a number of contrasting purposes. It can be used individually or as part of a group exercise, for attack, defence or goalkeeping. The most important feature of the M-Station is to allow young players to work on their control and touch in their own time.</p>
<p>For forwards the M-Station can act as an aid to finishing, as it can provide a cross for the prospective striker to convert. For all other players it can help them to work on their passing, timing and control, whilst it aids goalkeepers in working on their reflexes, handling and shot-stopping. In a team format the M-Station comes into its own; the training tool is typically used to help design new attacking plays and game like situations.</p>
<p><a rel="attachment wp-att-87133" href="http://soccerlens.com/mstation-review/87132/muninmstation/"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-87133" src="http://soccerlens.com/files/2012/02/MuninMStation.jpg" alt="MuninMStation The M Station   football training thats endorsed by Arsenal and co" width="800" height="500" title="The M Station   football training thats endorsed by Arsenal and co" /></a></p>
<p><strong>Endorsed by the Arsenal Youth Academy</strong></p>
<p>The M-Station has now become an important training tool for teams such as Arsenal and AC Milan, who deploy the aid in their youth ranks. English players have been acussed of not having the same technical ability as their European neighbours, however Arsenal youth coaches Carl Laraman and Lee Smelt feel the M-Station can help the stars of tomorrow hone their game.</p>
<div align="center"><iframe width="600" height="335" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/jKqpVCOmIzg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<p>So there you have it, a leading piece of training software designed in Denmark but fast becoming popular throughout Europe, the M-Station is a must for all budding professional footballers. Used individually or collectively, this Munin Sports tool is used on a daily basis and recommended by the best.</p>
<p>From <a href="http://soccerlens.com">Soccerlens.com - Football News</a></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>The story of Pelé life, in art</title>
		<link>http://soccerlens.com/artofpele/86387/</link>
		<comments>http://soccerlens.com/artofpele/86387/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 12 Dec 2011 12:56:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Soccerlens</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://soccerlens.com/?p=86387</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><p><a href="http://soccerlens.com/artofpele/86387/">The story of Pelé life, in art</a> - originally posted on <a href="http://soccerlens.com">Soccerlens.com</a></p><p>A sense of nostalgia sets in when thinking of Pelé, arguably the best footballer of all times, and the one that gave &#8220;Futebol bonito&#8221; to Brazil and to the rest of the world. Pelé&#8217;s memorable moments include the bicycle kick, winning three world cups for Brazil out of their total of five, and being one...</p></p><p>From <a href="http://soccerlens.com">Soccerlens.com - Football News</a></p>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://soccerlens.com/artofpele/86387/">The story of Pelé life, in art</a> - originally posted on <a href="http://soccerlens.com">Soccerlens.com</a></p><p>A sense of nostalgia sets in when thinking of Pelé, arguably the best footballer of all times, and the one that gave &#8220;Futebol bonito&#8221; to Brazil and to the rest of the world. Pelé&#8217;s memorable moments include the bicycle kick, winning three world cups for Brazil out of their total of five, and being one of the best ambassadors football could ever want and need. Nostalgia is only present because we can no longer see Pelé play football, now at 71 years of age. </p>
<blockquote><p>&#8220;When football stars disappear, so do the teams, and that is a very curious phenomenon. It is like in the theatre, in a play, where there is a great star. If the star is not well, the whole cast suffers.&#8221; &#8211; Pelé</p></blockquote>
<p>Pelé paved the way for other world greats, inspiring the football played by John Cruyff and his Dutch national team, Ronaldo and the great Brazil team he led to victory in 2002, and an endless list of attacking footballers that combined a touch of power, with a whole lot of finesse, unquestionable talent, and desire to become the best. </p>
<blockquote><p>&#8220;Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do.&#8221; &#8211; Pelé</p></blockquote>
<p>Pelé&#8217;s career started on the streets of São Paulo in poverty, where at a young age, Pelé could not afford a football but used socks stuffed with newspapers or grapefruits as replacement. Now the biggest name in the history of football, Pelé began with a promise to his father, at only 9 years of age, that he will win a World Cup for Brazil one day. The influence of street football and futsal are very clear in Pelé&#8217;s playing style and what made him different from other footballers. He describes his career as a hard working career, that he wasn&#8217;t born the best, that he worked his way into becoming the best. </p>
<blockquote><p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t believe there is such a thing as a &#8216;born&#8217; football player. Perhaps you are born with certain skills and talents, but quite frankly it seems impossible to me that one is actually born to be an ace football player.&#8221; &#8211; Pelé</p></blockquote>
<p>When hearing Pelé talk about his career, one thing is clear above all &#8211; he&#8217;s grateful for everything football has given him. Often &#8220;O Rei&#8221; describes football as the source of everything he has and that as he gets older, the desire to give back to the game becomes stronger and stronger. </p>
<h3>The Art of Pelé</h3>
<p><img src="http://soccerlens.com/files/2011/12/Pele__771-130x130.jpg" alt="Pele  771 130x130 The story of Pelé life, in art" title="Pele__771" width="130" height="130" class="alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-86394" /><br />
<blockquote>My life has been covered in books, magazines, newspapers and television more times than I can remember but this is the first time that it has been captured through art.</p>
<p>Art is in my heart. As a sportsman I expressed it on the pitch through the beautiful game, and now with the Art of Pele, I have the opportunity to express myself on canvas.</p></blockquote>
<p>Under the guidance of South African artist Athol Moult, Pelé has created a unique and colourful collection of 42 original art works. Bold and simple graphics capture the story of his extraordinary rise from selling peanuts on the streets to buy soccer boots, to scoring an incredible 1283 professional goals, 12 of them in World Cup final tournaments.  </p>
<p>It&#8217;s a fascinating collection of snapshots documenting Pelé illustrious career &#8211; and you can see the making of the art below:</p>
<p><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/16463966?title=0&amp;byline=0&amp;portrait=0" width="600" height="338" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></p>
<p>From each original piece there are Limited Edition Prints personally signed by Pelé, a highly valued item for the sport memorabilia collector or art enthusiast.  There are also high quality prints of each original artwork.</p>
<p><strong>To view the art collection, visit <a href="http://www.artofpele.com/index.php/?ref=sl">Art of Pelé</a></strong>.</p>
<p>From <a href="http://soccerlens.com">Soccerlens.com - Football News</a></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Two Left Feet</title>
		<link>http://soccerlens.com/two-left-feet/86102/</link>
		<comments>http://soccerlens.com/two-left-feet/86102/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 07 Dec 2011 07:42:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Soccerlens</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://soccerlens.com/?p=86102</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><p><a href="http://soccerlens.com/two-left-feet/86102/">Two Left Feet</a> - originally posted on <a href="http://soccerlens.com">Soccerlens.com</a></p><p>A brand new publication full of football tales provided by real life fans who have a love for the game.</p></p><p>From <a href="http://soccerlens.com">Soccerlens.com - Football News</a></p>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://soccerlens.com/two-left-feet/86102/">Two Left Feet</a> - originally posted on <a href="http://soccerlens.com">Soccerlens.com</a></p><p><em>A brand new publication brought to the general public courtesy of Football Friends Media. This is a book full of football tales provided by real life fans who have a love for the game rather than seasoned journalists.</em></p>
<p>There is a refreshing level of raw talent throughout the publication, names of aspiring writers who will be seen in print a lot more in coming years.</p>
<p>With so many magazines and football books on the market it was important to be different, this has been achieved by the team at Football Friends Media (FFM) recruiting writers by word of mouth, directly from universities and most importantly giving their readers the chance to write for the publication. </p>
<p>When you go to your local newsagents, scan the titles, you will always see copies of 442, Match and Shoot and in many places, When Saturday Comes. All of which have an excellent following, something that TLF aims to win over so they become their readers.</p>
<p>Whilst <em>Match</em> and <em>Shoot</em> are generally aimed at young readers, the other two are set to be long-term competition for TLF. The book is over 100 pages long and full of stories and anecdotes, something that made the read so much more enjoyable was that there was no need to battle past pages of advertising as there was not a single advert in it.</p>
<p>There was a huge variety in pieces, ranging from a fantastic and emotional tale of one of the first black footballers whose career never reached he its&#8217; full potential due to his skin colour. For those who can remember Ipswich&#8217;s fantastic UEFA Cup run in the last decade, there is a piece looking back at the adventure.</p>
<p><em>TLF is available via <a href="http://www.footballfriendsonline.com/">FootballFriendsOnline.com</a> for £4.99 if you want a hard copy, and for those who would prefer to download it to their Ipad or Kindle, then the digital version is £0.99. There is even a &#8216;try before you buy&#8217; option which allows you to read some examples of the work. </em></p>
<p>This is a fantastic publication, one that will hopefully become a regular one, it has the feel of a community project, where anybody can get involved if they want to.</p>
<p>From <a href="http://soccerlens.com">Soccerlens.com - Football News</a></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Review: Why Football Manager 2012 Will Rock Your World</title>
		<link>http://soccerlens.com/football-manager-2012-review/82736/</link>
		<comments>http://soccerlens.com/football-manager-2012-review/82736/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 17 Oct 2011 07:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ahmed Bilal</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Football Manager]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://soccerlens.com/?p=82736</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><p><a href="http://soccerlens.com/football-manager-2012-review/82736/">Review: Why Football Manager 2012 Will Rock Your World</a> - originally posted on <a href="http://soccerlens.com">Soccerlens.com</a></p><p>The first impression you get while playing Football Manager 2012 is how it&#8217;s improved as an imitation of the real thing &#8211; a genuine simulation of what it means to be a football manager, inasmuch as you can simulate the experience digitally. Granted, there are no fans screaming pedophile chants at you, the BBC isn&#8217;t...</p></p><p>From <a href="http://soccerlens.com">Soccerlens.com - Football News</a></p>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://soccerlens.com/football-manager-2012-review/82736/">Review: Why Football Manager 2012 Will Rock Your World</a> - originally posted on <a href="http://soccerlens.com">Soccerlens.com</a></p><p>The first impression you get while playing <a href="http://soccerlens.com/football-manager-2012/77673/">Football Manager 2012</a> is how it&#8217;s improved as an imitation of the real thing &#8211; a genuine simulation of what it means to be a football manager, inasmuch as you can simulate the experience digitally. </p>
<p>Granted, there are no fans screaming pedophile chants at you, the BBC isn&#8217;t running documentaries about your son and no one stopping you from managing Barcelona as your first job.</p>
<p>But when it comes to football, and specifically, the myriad of opportunities available to a person wanting the experience of managing a football club, Football Manager is miles ahead of what you can expect.</p>
<p><a href="http://soccerlens.com/football-manager-2012-miles-jacobson-interview/77806/">Miles has been talking about the new features</a> for the last month or so, but instead of features I&#8217;ll be talking about what broad changes you can expect in your playing experience.</p>
<p><strong>Delegate, Delegate, Delegate</strong></p>
<p>Your assistants are now better at &#8216;assisting&#8217; you. During training they will make recommendations on which areas a certain player needs a special focus in, or evaluate a player&#8217;s previous training levels and make recommendations accordingly. Leading up to a match you will get feedback on your match preparation and whether you need to change focus based on the next opposition&#8217;s strengths and weaknesses. You can also create &#8216;Shouts&#8217; &#8211; a set of touchline instructions that players can automatically apply, as they would in the real world based on their training. In other words you can ask your team to tighten up and defend better instead of asking them to do 5 different individual things. You know, as you would in real life.</p>
<p>The 2012 edition of Football Manager makes you realise more than any previous edition the sheer amount of work that goes into running a football club (thankfully SI stick to the footballing aspects of the game), and that you can be as involved as Arsene Wenger, running the rule over every player&#8217;s training and customising it, or delegating to a strong team of coaches and trusting your team like Alex Ferguson. </p>
<p><strong>Realism</strong></p>
<p>Player / Coach negotiations are now more realistic, thanks to the subtleties of personality, tone of voice and the ability to lock certain aspects of your contract offers (for example if you have a wage ceiling but can afford higher bonuses).</p>
<p>There&#8217;s a bit of randomness in there &#8211; in one installation Berbatov&#8217;s agent happily accepted a reduced contract extension, in the other he wanted a pay raise &#8211; but overall you&#8217;re at a more realistic set of interactions between yourself and the football world &#8211; press, players, coaches and fellow managers. </p>
<p>And it would be remiss to talk about realism without mentioning the improved match engine &#8211; The 3D match engine looks more <em>natural</em>, and like I said about the last edition, Football Manager is that rare game where your football team is simulated the same way you end up playing on FIFA yourself. </p>
<p>And slightly unrelated, but despite the quality of Berbatov as a player, you can&#8217;t play him and Rooney in the same team. Just like in real life, I had to drop Berba for Hernandez because he just didn&#8217;t move fast enough.</p>
<p>Still a bit surprised at Anderson&#8217;s low &#8216;shooting&#8217; rating though.</p>
<p><strong>Tactics</strong></p>
<p>The tactical / player instructions system has been upgraded and so have the coach recommendations on player roles. It all feeds into the overall philosophy of having your staff assist you in picking the right team and the right role for each player within that team. Phil Jones hasn&#8217;t had the # of games in my playing time to show if he marauds up the pitch as effectively, but watching Vidic snapping into tackles, Carrick plan interceptions to perfection and Chicharito breaking clear of the last man to race onto a through ball and bear down on the opposition goal &#8211; it&#8217;s all a combination of knowing what tactics to use and the match engine translating them accurately.</p>
<p>Some will say that this makes the game too easy. I would argue that SI&#8217;s purpose is two-fold &#8211; to open up the game to as wide a demographic of players as possible, and to <a href="http://soccerlens.com/football-manager-advanced-stats-live-odds-and-scouting/81658/">keep improving Football Manager to make it more realistic</a>. In the real world you have coaches and scouts telling you what position player is best suited to, whether he&#8217;s a good future prospect and what his training should focus on. It&#8217;s not an &#8216;easy&#8217; setting in real life, it&#8217;s how things are. The better your support staff are, the better the information they give you. At the end of the day it&#8217;s up to you (as it&#8217;s up to any manager) how they use the resources available to them &#8211; in terms of support staff, players, transfer kitty, wages budget and expectations from the board.</p>
<p>And you&#8217;ll find that if you cannot motivate your players, then it doesn&#8217;t matter how good they are, they won&#8217;t play to their potential. Sound familiar?</p>
<p><strong>Play The Game</strong></p>
<p>I could go on for hours &#8211; the squad strength screen, scouting options, enhanced player details, improved board negotiations, better training options &#8211; a lot of small upgrades and innovations, all of which are designed to make the game more realistic to play.  The 2012 edition of Football Manager can feel slightly overwhelming with the information overload but that feeling quickly gives way to excitement over how much control you have, and how good the game has become to allow you to manage your football club your way.</p>
<p><strong>Football Manager 2012 is out on Friday, 21 October. You can pre-order it through Steam, or <a href="http://soccerlens.com/win-a-free-copy-of-football-manager-2012/82718/">enter the Soccerlens competition to win a free copy of FM12</a>.</strong></p>
<p>From <a href="http://soccerlens.com">Soccerlens.com - Football News</a></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Stick Football: Keeping Football Fans Busy At Work</title>
		<link>http://soccerlens.com/stick-football-keeping-football-fans-busy-at-work/82559/</link>
		<comments>http://soccerlens.com/stick-football-keeping-football-fans-busy-at-work/82559/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 08 Oct 2011 16:14:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Eddie Griffin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://soccerlens.com/?p=82559</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><p><a href="http://soccerlens.com/stick-football-keeping-football-fans-busy-at-work/82559/">Stick Football: Keeping Football Fans Busy At Work</a> - originally posted on <a href="http://soccerlens.com">Soccerlens.com</a></p><p>FIFA 2012, PES 2012, and Football Manager 2012 are all sure to keep football fanatics occupied for the next several months, much to the chagrin of wives, girlfriends, parents, employers, and teachers around the world. However, if you’re looking for something much simpler but equally as fun and addicting, check out Stick Football, brought to...</p></p><p>From <a href="http://soccerlens.com">Soccerlens.com - Football News</a></p>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://soccerlens.com/stick-football-keeping-football-fans-busy-at-work/82559/">Stick Football: Keeping Football Fans Busy At Work</a> - originally posted on <a href="http://soccerlens.com">Soccerlens.com</a></p><p><a href="http://soccerlens.com/fifa-12-preview/70513/">FIFA 2012</a>, PES 2012, and <a href="http://soccerlens.com/football-manager-2012/77673/">Football Manager 2012</a> are all sure to keep football fanatics occupied for the next several months, much to the chagrin of wives, girlfriends, parents, employers, and teachers around the world.  </p>
<p>However, if you’re looking for something much simpler but equally as fun and addicting, check out <a href="http://soccerlens.com/stickfootball/">Stick Football</a>, brought to you by <a href="http://www.sticksports.com/">Stick Sports</a> (the company behind the cult classic Stick Cricket).  The graphics won’t wow you like FIFA or PES will, and there’s not the overwhelming depth that you can find with FM, but it’s highly unlikely you’ll stop at one game.  </p>
<p><strong>What Is Stick Football?</strong></p>
<p>Stick Football is a 2D, flash football game that brings back the nostalgia of simpler days, when the PS3 and Xbox 360 were only concepts and dreams.</p>
<p>Controls and gameplay appear to be simple enough on the surface, but if your fingers are faster than your brain, it could take quite some time to master Stick Football.  </p>
<p>It also brings an element of realism, with tackles, fouls, cards, and set pieces.  I’m still not certain whether or not there’s an offside rule, given how easy it can be to find holes in the defense, but as easy as it may be to find holes, it’s not nearly as easy to convert all of those potential chances into goals.  </p>
<p><strong>Playing Stick Football</strong></p>
<p><img src="http://soccerlens.com/files/2011/10/stickfootball.jpg" alt="stickfootball Stick Football: Keeping Football Fans Busy At Work" title="stickfootball" width="619" height="490" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-82699" /></p>
<p>Stick Football allows you to play the current round of fixtures for the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, the Bundesliga, and Australia’s A-League.  You’re able to take control of each side in any matchup, with an up-to-date, 16-team squad list, and six different formations to choose from: 4-4-2, 5-4-1, 4-5-1, 5-3-2, 3-5-2, and 4-3-3.  </p>
<p>In the league modes, the object is not only to win, but to win as comprehensively as possible.  The higher the margin of victory, the more points you can score for the team you’ve selected.  At the end of each round of matches, the team with the most points in each match is the winner, and each match’s results is reflected in an updated table.  And just like in the real Premier League, La Liga, and so on, at the end of the season, to the victor goes the spoils.  </p>
<p>Along with the league options that are offered, there’s also the option to play friendlies with and against a number of international and club teams.  </p>
<p>However, the most fun modes are the All-Star Strike and World Domination modes.  In the All-Star Strike mode, you pick your desired club or international team to take on an All-Star team featuring the likes of Lev Yashin, Franz Beckenbauer, Bobby Charlton, George Best, Pele, and Diego Maradona.  Meanwhile, in the World Domination mode, which is the deepest mode available, you take that same All-Star team and try to knock off 16 of the world’s top international teams.  You start with Uruguay, and with each win, you unlock the next opponent, culminating in a final match against Brazil.  </p>
<p><strong>Why Try Stick Football?</strong></p>
<p>Simply put, it’s a lot of fun.  As easy as it might look, it’s a great challenge, and it’s well worth your time to try out each league and each mode that Stick Football offers.  </p>
<p>With a mix of arcade-style fun, realism, the past, and the present, there’s a lot to like about <a href="http://soccerlens.com/stickfootball/">Stick Football</a>, and there‘s a lot to keep your attention and to keep you coming back at least every week, if not every day.  Just don’t try it at work, unless you’re the boss, that is.  </p>
<p>From <a href="http://soccerlens.com">Soccerlens.com - Football News</a></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Storelli Sports Review: Enhanced Protection For Goalkeepers</title>
		<link>http://soccerlens.com/storelli-sports-review/76085/</link>
		<comments>http://soccerlens.com/storelli-sports-review/76085/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 05 Aug 2011 12:08:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>markwhyy</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://soccerlens.com/?p=76085</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><p><a href="http://soccerlens.com/storelli-sports-review/76085/">Storelli Sports Review: Enhanced Protection For Goalkeepers</a> - originally posted on <a href="http://soccerlens.com">Soccerlens.com</a></p><p>Outside of gloves, the gear market for goalkeepers is relatively sparse. The number of manufacturers that focus specifically on the position is even fewer and further between. Outside of Reusch and Uhlsport, not many manufacturers come to mind. Enter Storelli Sports, the new boy that aims to put goalkeepers first in their effort to make...</p></p><p>From <a href="http://soccerlens.com">Soccerlens.com - Football News</a></p>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://soccerlens.com/storelli-sports-review/76085/">Storelli Sports Review: Enhanced Protection For Goalkeepers</a> - originally posted on <a href="http://soccerlens.com">Soccerlens.com</a></p><p>Outside of gloves, the gear market for goalkeepers is relatively sparse. The number of manufacturers that focus specifically on the position is even fewer and further between. Outside of Reusch and Uhlsport, not many manufacturers come to mind. Enter <strong>Storelli Sports</strong>, the new boy that aims to put goalkeepers first in their effort to make keeper shirts, shorts, and gloves more comfortable, more protective, and even sexier.</p>
<p><strong>The Gear</strong><br />
For this review, Storelli shipped me a pair of goalkeeper shorts, a pair of slider shorts, and a goalkeeper shirt. For my writing and your reading purposes, I&#8217;ll group the two pairs of shorts and dedicate a section to the shirt. The shirt has a suggested retail price of $79.99 while the goalkeeper shorts come in at $64.99 and the sliders at $59.99. In other words, it&#8217;s not exactly cheap stuff. Read on to find out whether the benefits outweigh the costs.</p>
<p><strong>The Tech</strong></p>
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<p>All of the products that Storelli offers focus on protection for goalkeepers. This usually means padding and lots of it. In my time between the posts, I&#8217;ve never worn a padded shirt, shorts, or pants. The feeling of hitting the ground on a diving stop is either the feeling of success after a brillant stop or the pain of failure as you turn to see the ball in the back of the net. Either way, I&#8217;m a firm believer in that feeling, no matter which it is, is a part of the game.</p>
<p>All of the products are based on compression fabric that hugs the body and wicks moisture away. This is good for a few reasons: one, most players wear some form of compression gear already, and two, because it goes under your shorts and jersey, the keeper doesn&#8217;t need multiple colors of the shirt and shorts to avoid a color clash with the other team.</p>
<p>The padding in the clothing is composed of an EVA foam (shorts) or PU foam (sliders and shirt) at varying thicknesses from 3 to 6 mm. The foam is manufactured by Poron XRD and is quite a fancy bit of tech on its own. The foam is soft and flexible enough to conform to the body but still dissipates most of the energy that comes to it on impact by absorbing more than 90% of it.</p>
<div align="center"><img src="http://soccerlens.com/files/2011/07/glove468x60.jpg" alt="glove468x60 Storelli Sports Review: Enhanced Protection For Goalkeepers" title="glove468x60" width="468" height="60" /></div>
<p><strong>The Shorts and Sliders</strong><br />
<a href="http://soccerlens.com/files/2011/08/KEEPERS_SIDEVIEW.jpg"><img src="http://soccerlens.com/files/2011/08/KEEPERS_SIDEVIEW-130x130.jpg" alt="KEEPERS SIDEVIEW 130x130 Storelli Sports Review: Enhanced Protection For Goalkeepers" title="KEEPERS_SIDEVIEW" width="130" height="130" class="alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-77241" /></a>The goalkeeper shorts offer quite a bit of padding on the sides of the legs. Tested over two days in two seperate shooting sessions by a number of forwards, they performed exceptionally. The final impact felt just like the first and my hips were no more sore at the end of the day than they were at the start. Playing on a turf field is rough from the start and turf burn is a very common result of a day on that surface. Because the shorts hugged the skin so well, there was no room for them to slide up and the leg to be cut up.</p>
<p>The sliders were an even better piece of equipment. The padding running down the legs is thinner and as a result you&#8217;ll feel the impact more but they are also much lighter than the goalkeeper shorts which helped keep me comfortable on a 90° day. The thinner padding was just enough to soften the blow of a diving stop and after the adenaline from the match kicked in, I wasn&#8217;t feeling a thing. The slider shorts would actually be quite brilliant for any field player as well. The fact that they weren&#8217;t at all bulky meant that the sliders didn&#8217;t impede movement. The padding actually made the feel of going to ground on a slide a somewhat pleasant one.</p>
<p><strong>The Shirt</strong><br />
<a href="http://soccerlens.com/files/2011/07/shirt_clean.jpg"><img src="http://soccerlens.com/files/2011/07/shirt_clean-130x130.jpg" alt="shirt clean 130x130 Storelli Sports Review: Enhanced Protection For Goalkeepers" title="shirt_clean" width="130" height="130" class="alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-77238" /></a>Much like the keeper shorts, the goalkeeper shirt is packed with strategically placed padding of varying thicknesses. The compression material is again extremely comfortable and allows for the body to breath in the mid afternoon sun. The back of the goalkeeper shirt is actually a compression mesh that allows sweat to be wicked away very easily. The choice to make the sleeves a 3/4 cut rather than full sleeve is one of the subtle things I quite liked. The sleeve length meant no wrestling with sleeves under/over the gloves or getting caught in the velcro of the strap.</p>
<p>The padding is strategically positioned and is extremely flexible do that it comfortably fits around the body&#8217;s countours without impeding movement. I personally like to roll my sleeves up just a little bit and the forearm/elbow padding conformed perfectly even though it was out of position.</p>
<p>One of the innovative design features on the shirt that I really came to love was a bit of padding right on the chest. Much like some of the most popular boots on the market like the Nike CTR 360 or Umbro Geometra, the Storelli Sports goalkeeper shirt uses padding to increase control by dampening the impact of the ball. The padding slows down the ball just enough where catching it becomes a thoughtless process.</p>
<p><strong>The Verdict</strong></p>
<div align="center"><img src="http://soccerlens.com/files1/slider600x150.jpg" alt="slider600x150 Storelli Sports Review: Enhanced Protection For Goalkeepers"  title="Storelli Sports Review: Enhanced Protection For Goalkeepers" /></div>
<p>If you hadn&#8217;t yet noticed, my review of the Storelli Sports goalkeeper shirt, short, and sliders has been nothing short of glowing. The equipment is brilliant and it is very easy to tell just how much thought has been put into the design and manufacturing of the product. Storelli have recognized a number of things that annoy keepers from the amateur to professional levels. This comes from the company focusing specifically on the goalkeeper market and putting personal experience into the final product.</p>
<p>The materials are comfortable, the pads are strategically placed so that they don&#8217;t get in the way, and the equipment is light so that the athlete isn&#8217;t weighed down or overly hot. Just a word of warning in that the equipment is not really made for beginners and the prices reflect that. That being said, the stuff is seriously good and performs as promised, if not better.</p>
<p><strong>Storelli Sports are offering a 20% discount on their product line as part of their launch this month. Browse all the products in more detail on www.storelli.com and take advantage of this excellent offer.</strong></p>
<p><em><strong>Mark Yesilevskiy</strong> is a goalkeeper in Rochester, NY and also writes for <a href="http://bolton.theoffside.com">Bolton Offside</a>, Feel free to contact him on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/markwhyy">Twitter</a>.</em></p>
<p>From <a href="http://soccerlens.com">Soccerlens.com - Football News</a></p>]]></content:encoded>
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