Saturday Shorts

Ghana to play friendly versus Nice- Continuing in its string of tackling mid-tier European Club teams, the Black Stars announced a faceoff versus Nice on May 9th. A victory over current 11th place Nice would give some consolation to Ghana, who are looking for at least one victory in Europe this year.

Essien Wins Another League Title- With Chelsea’s impressive 3-0 win over Manchester United today, Michael Essien has clinched a second league title in three years (following his title at Lyon in 2004-2005). Essien’s all-around solid play in midfield was noted as the engine that drives the Blue Machine.

Underappreciated striker Isaac Boakye has become the second striker lost for the World Cup in this week’s Stuttgart match, suffering a torn meniscus that will take at least two months to heal. Like injured Lloyd Owusu, Boakye was a longshot to make the squad, but the continued injuries expose an already thin attack.