3 August 1950 - Lyon Takes A Leap

On 3 August 1950, a group led by Dr. Albert Trillat founded Olympique Lyonnais, one of France's most successful clubs.

They were originally part of Lyon Olympique Universitaire, a multi-sports club who established a football section in 1899 and went on to win the French title in 1910. But by the late 1940s, rifts appeared in the club over the question of whether to allow professional players. Unable to come to a resolution, a group led by Dr. Trillat left LOU to form a separate club, which they named Olympique Lyonnais.

Starting in the French second division, Lyon played their first official match on 26 August 1950, beating CA Paris 3-0. They won promotion to the top flight in 1951, but dropped back down one year later.

They won their first major honor in 1964, beating Bordeaux in the Coupe de France final, then repeated as champions in 1967 and 1973. After a lengthy lull that included another spell in Ligue 2, they roared back in 2002, winning the first of seven consecutive league titles (and another Coupe de France in 2008).

Since that historic run, they have yet to win another league title, most recently finishing in fourth, but they added another Coupe de France in 2012.

2 August 1908 - The King Of All Clásicos

On 2 August 1908, Boca Juniors hosted River Plate in the first Superclásico between the two teams and won, 2-1.

River, the older of the two clubs, formed in Buenos Aires's La Boca district in 1901, while Boca Juniors arrived there two years later. Despite their proximity, they did not meet until 1908 in a friendly. Records from the day are sparse, but indicate that Boca won by the score of 2-1. Despite losing that first match, River got a measure of revenge by winning the first competitive meeting 2-1 in 1913.

Since then, the rivalry has grown to become one of the most passionate in football. The teams have played each other a total of 338 times, including friendlies, league matches, Copa Libertadores meetings, and other competitions. Of those, Boca have 132 wins, River have 119, and there have been 115 draws.

1 August 2010 - A Second Big Bang For The Cosmos

On 1 August 2010, Pelé announced the return of the New York Cosmos after a 25-year hiatus, with the former star serving as the club's honorary president.

The earlier incarnation of the Cosmos existed from 1971 to 1985, during which time they captured a global audience through the signings of such high-profile international players as Pelé, Franz Beckenbauer, and Giorgio Chinaglia alongside homegrown players like Werner Roth and Shep Messing. But the five-time NASL champions went dormant in 1985 after the implosion of the league.

Former general manager Peppe Pinton acquired ownership of the Cosmos, including the rights to the name, logo, and all club records. With the introduction of MLS in 1996, several groups sought to acquire the rights from Pinton, but he refused to sell, citing a belief that the new league would not respect the club's history. But  he eventually relented and sold the rights in 2009 to a group led by former Tottenham vice-chairman Paul Kemsley.

The new owners moved quickly to link themselves with the club's legacy by appointing Pelé as the honorary president and expressed their intent to play in MLS. They soon added Chinaglia as the club's global ambassador and appointed former Manchester United star Eric Cantona as the team's director of soccer. They held their first match on 5 August 2011, playing against Manchester United in a friendly.

Despite the ambitious relaunch, the Cosmos were unable to secure an MLS spot. In July 2012, they announced that they would compete in the North American Soccer League starting in 2013.

31 July 1948 - India's Day Of Firsts

On 31 July 1948, India played their first official international, losing 2-1 to France in the first round of the Olympics.

Football in India dates back to 1889 and the national governing body, the All India Football Federation, formed in 1937. While the AIFF created a national team to tour neighboring countries, India did not join FIFA until 1948, making that summer's Olympics their first official tournament.

They met France in the first round at Cricklefield Stadium in Ilford, East London in front of a crowd of approximately 17,000. The day was wet and cold, which proved to be a problem for the Indian players, most of whom were playing barefoot, the dominant style in India at the time.

Nevertheless, they kept the game close, despite missing two penalties. After France took the lead with a 30th-minute goal from René Courbin, India's Sarangapani Raman (who had missed one of the penalties) equalized in the 70th minute, scoring the national team's first official goal. But France pulled ahead again in the 89th minute with a goal from René Persillon to claim the 2-1 victory.

30 July 1996 - Shearer Comes Home

On 30 July 1996, Newcastle signed 25-year old striker Alan Shearer from Blackburn for a world record fee of £15M.

Shearer, who was born in Newcastle, started his career with Southampton, where he scored 43 goals in 158 appearances across all competitions from 1987 to 1992. But he blossomed at Blackburn, claiming the Premier League Golden Boot in the 1994-95 and 1995-96 seasons, with Rovers winning the league in 1995. He scored over thirty league goals in his last three years there, for a four-season total of 130 in 170 appearances. His scoring prowess attracted the attention of several clubs, including Manchester United. But shortly before he was set to move to Old Trafford, Newcastle manager Kevin Keegan persuaded him to join Newcastle.

He maintained his form at St. James's Park, collecting another Golden Boot for the 1996-97 season with 25 league goals. But injuries and a succession of managerial changes hampered his effectiveness, resulting in uneven production from him over the next several years (he crossed the 20-goal barrier in the league only three more times in his ten seasons at Newcastle) and he retired in 2006. Still, his Newcastle total of 206 remains the most of any player in club history.

Shearer returned to Newcastle as manager in 2009, taking over from Chris Hughton for the last eight games of the season in a bid to save the club from relegation. He was unable to prevent the drop, however, and left at the end of the season.

29 July 2008 - FIFA Brings Out The Big Stick Against Ethiopia

On 29 July 2008, FIFA suspended Ethiopia from international competition, ending their World Cup qualification campaign after only four matches.

The decision was a political one, stemming from the Ethiopian Football Federation's removal of their president, Ashebir Woldegiorgis the previous January. Although the EFF cited the national team's poor performance as the basis for their decision, FIFA refused the recognize the decision and ordered the federation to work with Dr. Woldegiorgis to "normalise the situation of the EFF and to bring back unity within the Ethiopian football community." They also established a "roadmap" of events intended to guide the process.

But by July 2008, the EFF had failed to meet the requirements set by FIFA, so the governing body issued its suspension, effective immediately. Ethiopia, who were four matches into the qualification campaign for the 2010 World Cup, were forced to withdraw. They also missed the 2008 CECAFA Cup for countries from East and Central Africa.

The suspension lasted for one year, with FIFA lifting it in 2009.

28 July 2008 - Making £7M The Easy Way

On 28 July 2008, Tottenham confirmed the £19M sale of striker Robbie Keane to Liverpool, but his stay at Anfield lasted barely 6 months.

Keane had already been well-traveled, playing for Wolves (1997-99), Coventry City (1999-2000), Inter (2000-01), Leeds United (2001-02) before joining Spurs in August 2002. He had a very successful six years at White Hart Lane, scoring 82 times in 197 league appearances and helping to victory over Chelsea in the 2008 League Cup Final.

His success drew the attention of Liverpool, who pried him away from Spurs. The four-year deal included £1.3M in performance incentives that raised the total value to a potential £20.3M. Upon arriving in Liverpool, Keane announced that he had "been a Liverpool fan all [his] life" and that the move was "a dream come true."

But it was a short-lived dream, as he failed to replicate his previous form. After only five goals in nineteen league appearances, Liverpool sold him back to Spurs for £12M. He later went on loan to Celtic and West Ham before joining the LA Galaxy in 2011.