Cristiano Ronaldo is in ridiculous form. Everything the Man U winger touches seems to find its way into the back of the net. He’s gone beyond great, and has entered a realm that simply defies description. So why try?

The best free-kick he had ever seen in the Premiership.



Ronaldo scored two stunning goals in the midweek game against Portsmouth to give his team the full three points, and top spot on the EPL table. With the two goals, CR7 upped his league-leading tally to 19 for the season. And, the second strike had Sir Alex beaming from ear to ear, as he said it was the best free-kick he had ever seen in the Premiership.

Since C. Ronaldo debuted his new Mercurial Vapor IVs on January 12, he has been absolutely en fuego. He has played four games with the new boots and has scored eight goals. He has now scored in five straight games for Man U. It’s gotta be the boots, money!

The man is truly on fire. And, he is now being compared to the Best of the best.

In other soccer news from around the world, the African Cup of Nations continues this Sunday in Ghana. The last games of the group stage have taken place, and now the quarterfinals are set in stone. And, not surprisingly, African stalwarts, Ivory Coast and Ghana, are still alive behind the phenomenal play of Drogba and Essien, respectively.

Quarterfinal matches:

Sunday, February 3
Ghana v Nigeria
Ivory Coast v Guinea

Monday, February 4
Egypt v Angola
Tunisia v Cameroon

To get better you have to learn from the best. You have to surround yourself with people who live and breathe soccer; people who wake up with an eye for goal and go to sleep dreaming of the ball in the back of the net.

So, with no further ado, we introduce the greatest goal-scorer in US Men's National Team history - Landon Donovan. At just twenty-five years of age he's already stamped his name in the record books with 35 international tallies. Between breaking down defenses and training for his next match against Mexico, Landon took some time out of his busy schedule to chat with 365.

"My biggest pet peeve with youth soccer in America is that they treat finishing as a privilege - something to do at the end of practice as a reward."

So get your pen and paper and take some notes from the assassin himself, as he opens up about shattering records and, more importantly, what you can do to follow in his footsteps.

Now that you've had some time to process the game against Sweden, what is the significance for you on setting the US MNT all-time goal-scoring record?
I don't classify the record as significant, but I'm certainly proud of it. I think when I look back at it in a few years that's when it will set in and I'll be very proud.

What's your most memorable goal out of the 35?
The one that comes to mind first is the goal I scored against Mexico in 2002, because it was in a World Cup and it helped us get through to the quarterfinals. So it will always be high on my list. My goal in the 2000 Olympics was another huge one for me. And, as far as the best goal I've ever scored, the one I scored against Ecuador was definitely one of my all-time best - I'm talking about the last goal I scored that game.

What do you do in your training to emphasize finishing and being lethal in the final third?
We train on finishing all the time as a team, but for myself there's a drill I do before games to get myself in the right mindset. The day before a game I'll practice receiving a ball from all different angles with my back to goal and then turn and finish. I don't do it for too long, but long enough to get my mind focused and my body sharp.

How important do you think it is for club kids in the U.S. to work on finishing?
It's massive. My biggest pet peeve with youth soccer in America is that they treat finishing as a privilege - something to do at the end of practice as a reward. The kids in the rest of the world, in Europe and South America, work on finishing all the time. So when I do camps, I always work on scoring with the kids and try to emphasize just how important it is to finish.

Saturday was your first game in the new Mercurial Vapor IVs. How did they perform?
They felt great. You know whenever you come into the first camp of the year your feet haven't been in boots for a little while, so it can take some time to get used to them. But, in the first two or three days I broke them in, and by the time I played with them in the game they were very comfortable and soft, and, of course, looked amazing.

What are you focusing on now as an individual player and as far as the team goes?
What I focus on when I go into any game is being aggressive. When I'm not aggressive in a game, I'm not at my best. So if I go into a game focusing on being aggressive that's when I play my best and have the best chance of scoring.

As for the team, this is a big year. We've got a lot of young guys in the team, and even a lot of our veterans haven't been through a full World Cup qualifying cycle. So this is a very big year for us. There's definitely going to be a learning curve, but hopefully it's not a massive one. But overall, I'm very confident in the squad we've got right now.

When Landon laced up his magical Mercs for Saturday's match he was tied for the most international goals by a U.S. player with 34. When he unlaced them after the 2-0 victory against Sweden, he stood alone in the history books with 35. Big ups to the most lethal striker this land has ever known.

But, the levelheaded Donovan kept it all in perspective.

"I wouldn't classify it as important but it's something that I'm very proud of," said the striker. "More so than scoring goals, being part of the team for a long time is something I'm proud of. For me, the most important part of any game is helping the team get a victory."

Landon and the rest of the guys will now set their sights on February 6th, when they take on archrivals Mexico in Houston.

Don't let ‘em tread boys!

And, this just in, the Women's National Team bested China 1-0 to take home the title at the 2008 Four Nations Tournament. That's the perfect end to a weekend of dominance. Well done!

With so much action blowing up on all the pitches across the globe, it's hard to keep your finger on the pulse of the beautiful game. Well, that's where we come in. Just ‘cause you can't be at every game doesn't mean you can't know about every game.

We here at 365 are committed to bringing you the latest and the greatest soccer stories. So you never get caught offside. We call it Storming The Pitch. And, we promise to deliver the goods from the game you love. So don't forget to check back here at the beginning of the week to get your dose of the good stuff.

Speaking of the good stuff, they've got it by the boatload at the African Cup of Nations tournament. Europe may be where the game's best and brightest go to work each day, but with increasing regularity, Africa is where they call home.

Chelsea alone will have to resurrect its title hopes without the star services of Didier Drogba, Michael Essien, and 20-year-old John Obi Mikel. The club's loss is Africa's gain, as the continent is bursting with excitement.

The group stage of the African Cup of Nations is winding down, but aside from the Ivory Coast and Egypt, which teams will qualify for the knockout round is anyone's guess. Journalists have been reporting all week long that this year's tournament has been more exciting and unpredictable than ever before. Ghana and Nigeria should squeak into the last eight, but there are no guarantees. Our only prediction is that Drogba & Co. continue they're stampede over the competition.

On the home front, the US MNT continues training for the upcoming Border Battle on February 6th in Houston. It's been a long camp, but not without its fair share of side stories. EJ had to leave after signing with Fulham, and now there's a good chance one of his U.S. teammates will follow his lead. Distractions? No doubt, but the type that prove American soccer in 2008 is on the up and up.

One national teamer that's on fire is midfielder Michael Bradley. Mike has been absolutely killin' it with Heerenveen lately, scoring way too many goals for us to keep referring to him as a defensive or holding center midfielder. Check out some of his recent highlights. It's too early to seriously consider Mike alongside Tim Howard in the Premeirship, but just the fact that the gossip is swirling means that people are taking notice of his game (not to mention the new buzz-cut). In his own words....

On the European front there have been fewer surprises. In England, CR7 continues to score big goals for Man United. This time he came up with two Gs, one from the PK mark and one from the top of the box, against a strong Tottenham group. In Italy, Milan's Brazilian sensation Pato slotted home two more, as well. Can't wait to see him help Milan defend the Champions League crown against the best the game has to offer.

The Nike Mercurial Vapor IV’s were unveiled across Europe’s top leagues this weekend, and the fastest boots on the pitch didn’t waste any time finding the back of the net. Cristiano sported the orange in Man United’s 6-0 drumming of Newcastle, putting together a remarkable hat trick that reinforced his status as the Premiership’s #1 talent. His feet looked like they were on fire, but his behaviour in the box was cool and collected. The first goal – a sneaky free kick underneath the Toon’s jumping wall – was our favorite. It’s always better when it’s premeditated.

In Italy, Ibrahimovic laced up the orange too and found equally dynamic results, finishing a PK and setting up another Inter goal before blasting home an unreal strike for his second tally of the afternoon. Probably the best shot of the weekend.

The fastest boots on the pitch didn’t waste any time finding the back of the net.

Another striker to don the orange Mercurials this past weekend, was Brasil’s next wunderkind, Alexandre Pato. In his debut for Milan, Pato sped past the Napoli defense to latch on to a long through ball and then calmly slotted it past the keeper.

But refusing to be outdone by his fellow Milan striker, Ronaldo, took it back to the old school, as he tallied two strikes against Napoli, while sporting the classic Mercurial 98’s.

Remember, February 1st is only two weeks away, and then Cristiano, Ibra and Pato’s advantage becomes yours, too. Counting down the days? Same here.

But, if you can't wait to see just how fast these new boots can fly, check out Nikesoccer.com to see Cristiano go head-to-head with a Bugatti Veyron.