A pint for Chelsea manager Luis Scolari. In Chelsea’s 1-1 tie against Manchester United in round 4 of the Prem, he refused to blame referees even though they did not allow Chelsea one last free kick from just outside the box in stoppage time. He called them “the boss” and pointed to the masterful play of both sides. I loved the way he avoided the lure from the media. I can see why Chelsea is delighted to have him at Stamford Bridge.

A red card for Newcastle United’s Danny Guthrie. He took a frustrated swipe at Hull City’s Craig Fagan and broke his leg. The replay showed no intention to play the ball. This was truly a reprehensible display by Guthrie. View the video of the vicious kick here, with the actual play coming in at eleven seconds and the replay at thirty seconds.

A red card for the English FA who gave Guthrie a meager three game ban. This is despicable concerning the severity of the injury. FA should have grown a pair and suspended Guthrie for as long as it takes Fagan to recover and return to play. Shame on you, England FA!

A pint for Hull City and its fans. Hull City has pulled off the improbable North London sweep, beating Arsenal 2-1 and Tottenham 1-0. This is the first time in their 104-year history that Hull is competing in top-flight football. From the games I’ve watched, their fans are as passionate as any other and are enjoying the ride. They have played in all levels of English football in the past five years and now are taking on and defeating England’s best clubs. They currently hold third in the league table which means they’d qualify for the Champions League next season. And I picked them to finish in dead last.

Shunsuke Nakamura

A red card for Japan’s National Team. They have taken the authority to call up midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura for a friendly against the United Arab Emirates and a World Cup qualifying match against fellow Asian group member Uzbekistan. This may pull the magical midfielder away from his Scottish club, Celtic, as they set to take on defending champion Manchester United in the Champions League just six days after Japan’s match with Uzbekistan. Japan already holds onto second in their group and probably do not need Nakamura to beat lowly Uzbekistan who has yet to score a goal in qualifying.

Jose Mourinho

A pint for Inter Milan manager Jose Mourinho. He was criticized for giving his assistant media duties after a game. The native Portuguese lashed back stating his respect comes from the fact that he is trying to learn Italian so that he may better suit the Italian media. The assistant he hired is someone with a good past with the club and also fluent in Italian. I like this move and I like that he addressed it. He’s making a concerted effort to learn a new language while managing one of the best clubs in the world – lay off the guy and be patient.

A red card for Jose Mourinho. In the same interview, he said that the AC Milan and Inter Milan derby was just “a normal game.” Ugh… give me my pint back, Jose.

A pint for Dave’s Football Blog. I’ve made this blog a regular stop. It covers everything football, from our American version to many, many versions found in the UK and Australia. This site is the Left Field of soccer for me; I learn something new every time. His analysis and writing is both entertaining and informative. His current article, “Fiscal Responsiblity,” examines the financial state of the English Premier League. Truly great stuff on this site, no matter your football preference.

A red card for Bayern Munich manager Jürgen Klinsmann. The former German striker has Germany’s most dominant and successful club (over forty German trophies) sitting in eleventh place. I can’t say that I follow Bundesliga very closely, so I don’t know if it is his blame or not. I’m red carding him regardless because he chose to take the toughest job in Germany. He stepped down as the German National coach after a third place finish in the 2006 World Cup. Now he’s trying to lead his former club but is off to a rocky start. Be careful, Jürgen; don’t tarnish your legacy because you can’t maintain the same success as a coach.

Pints all around for the Zimbabwe National Team, The Warriors. They were recently eliminated from World Cup contention. I wrote about their hopes in possibly hosting some games and also examined the impact soccer may potentially have on a politically corrupt country. Here’s to the brave team members for playing on and continuing hope during a time of turmoil.

A red card for the Senegalese fans. After Senegal was eliminated from World Cup contention, fans stormed the FA headquarters and vandalized the building, even setting fire to a bus. They were restrained with tear gas; however, many important documents were stolen and damaged.

Pints all around for the U.S. National Team! They’re doing it with defense in World Cup qualifying, giving up their first goal in four matches against Cuba this past Saturday night. The younger players are looking primed and ready to step into the spotlight, especially (Glasgow) Rangers product DeMarcus Beasely, who scored twice against Cuba (U.S. won the match 6-1). So cheers to the American squad and godspeed in the final qualifying round and finding success in South Africa come 2010! Wait a minute – bartender? Just a Pepsi for Freddy Adu, please.