September 27th, 2008 - The Big Four

While Manchester United, Chelsea FC and Liverpool FC came out on top on Saturday, the other top ranked English team vying for the UEFA Champions League title fell. Arsenal FC lost 2-1 to Hull City AFC yesterday, making it their first home game loss since April 2007.

Arsenal couldn’t handle Hull’s physical play or their aggressive attacking offense. Although Arsenal had more time of possession in the first half, they couldn’t pull it together and beat the strong Hull defense. The loss is a big blow to Arsenal, dropping them from first to fourth standings in the league.

Arsenal is not out of the championship race by any means, however they really need some big wins to keep them up on top. Man U, Chelsea and Liverpool are playing very good soccer and with the lost to Hull, Arsenal needs to keep their confidence up.

September 25, 2008 - New Addition

Today marks the first Thursday that I will bring a new feature into my blog. Every Thursday I will be reviewing a player from one of the European leagues, including their past, present and future accomplishments and pitfalls.

First player review - Sotiris Ninis

This youngster (shown on the left in image from www.extra-football.com) is making headlines this week by becoming the highest paid 18-year-old in Greek football. Yesterday Ninis extended his contract with Panathinaikos FC by four years.

Ninis came on the scene in 2003 when he started playing for one of the younger teams within PAO (Panathinaikos FC). The Albanian born player always had an intense passion for futbol and was the star of his school team.

Even at his young age, Ninis already has numerous records to his name. In January 2007 he first etched his name into the record books by becoming the second youngest player to play in the Greek Superliga. He was just 16 years old.

Only 20 days later, Ninis broke another record, becoming the youngest player in history to score in a Greek championship.

Since these early record moments Ninis has become a fan favorite in Greece, captivating fans with his speed and skill. In Greece his moves have been compared to Messi, however at his young age he still has a lot learning to do.

Even though he's inexperienced, he has shown that he can handle the pressure of the big games. He's scored in major games in both the Greek Superliga, as well as the Euro Cup. Unlike other adolescent players like Freddie Adu, Ninis has constantly lived up to his hype.

Other big name teams like Arsenal, Real Madrid and Manchester United have expressed interest in the Greek player, however after his recent contract extension with PAO, I don't think he's going anywhere to soon. The fact that he did resign with his original club is huge for both PAO and it's fans, and gives them all hopes of a sucessful future.

For more information about Ninis' contract, click here.

September 20th, 2008 - Young Guns

At the age of 16 I was trying not to fail advanced algebra and stressing out about my upcoming driving test. Instead of worrying about normal teenage things, many young footballers are nervous about how they’re going to perform for their professional debuts.

Every year there are 17, 16 and even some 15-year-old players entering football clubs all over the world. These young players are a double edged sword, bringing the goodness of fresh legs and new skills to the game, all the while plaguing their leagues with their inexperience.

Wayne Rooney was 16 when he scored his first professional goal for Everton and has only gotten better since. Rooney brought a high amount of energy to his team, along with quick moves and an awesome knack for goal scoring. He is turning into one of the soccer greats.

Although some new teens come in and light up the league with their abilities, some end up folding under the pressure. Freddy Adu is a perfect example of this. Adu came into the MLS when he was only 15. He was greeted with all kinds of hype, with many people saying he was going to be the next Pele. Only a couple of years later he is sitting on the bench and hearing talk of how overrated he is. In my opinion it’s not his fault. Some players end up coming into the league to early, before their skills can develop to their optimal level. This is what happened to Adu.

So are these youngsters helping or hindering their clubs?

September 19th, 2008 - Chelsea 3 Manchester City 1

As requested, I'm making an entry about analyzing the Manchester City vs. Chelsea game that took place last Sunday.

Before I talk about the game, first a little recap about the recent news involving these two teams. A couple weeks ago, Robinho, switched teams from Real Madrid to Manchester City. Before making the switch, there were other teams trying to get him, among them Chelsea. But Chelsea wasn't promising the big bucks like Man City was, so Robinho turned them down for Man City.

Ironically Robinho's debut game was against Chelsea this past Sunday. It was promising to be the ultimate showdown, and it was. Chelsea won 3-1.

Robinho lived up to his worth with the goal early in the first half, however he didn't give as great a showing at the end of the first half and the rest of the second half. Although he didn't play as well as he was supposed to, Robinho can't be expected to carry the entire Man. City team to greatness. Despite his inconsistent play throughout the game, he did do what he was brought in to do...score. He's only one guy, not eleven. The entire Man. City team is to blame for the loss, not just Robinho.

On the other side of things, Chelsea had a real good showing. Unlike Man. City, Chelsea concentrated on team play and it worked out in the end. Carvalho, Lampard and Anelka made some really amazing magic with their goals, giving Robinho a little taste of what he could have had. It was an important win for Chelsea, proving to their fans, the world and most importantly themselves that they're contenders.

Click here for more game highlights.

September 15th, 2008 - Top 10 most memorable sports moments in the last 10 years

1. Michael Phelps wins 8 gold medals.
August 2008
In the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Phelps broke the world record for most gold medals won at a single Olympics, by wining 8 in multiple swimming events. The record was previously held by Mark Spitz, who set the record at the 1972 Olympics with 7 gold medals.

2. Lance Armstrong wins 7th consecutive Tour de France.
July 24, 2005
After overcoming testicular cancer, Armstrong became the only person to win seven Tour de France’s in 2005.

3. Tiger Woods becomes youngest Masters champion
April, 13, 1997
Woods made history by becoming the youngest player in Masters history to win by 12 strokes over the rest of the field.

4. U.S. women’s soccer team win’s 1999 World Cup
July 10, 1999
Personally, this is my most memorable sports event of all time. The U.S. women’s team winning the World Cup in penalty kicks was one of the most inspirational events for female athletes all over the world.

5. The Bartman game
October 14, 2003
Cubs fan Steve Bartman reaches out for a foul ball that could have been caught by Cubs outfielder Moises Alou. This play led to the demise of the Cubs dream to make it to the World Series since 1945.

6. The New York Giants beat the New England Patriots in the 42nd Super Bowl
February 3, 2008
The undefeated New England Patriots loose 17-14 against the underdog New York Giants.

7. Wayne Gretzky retires
1999
After playing for 21 years in the NHL, Gretzky retires. At the conclusion of his career he holds or co-holds over sixty records in the NHL.

8. Barry Bonds breaks home run record
2001-2007
Despite steroid allegations, Bonds breaks Mark McGwire’s single season home run record as well as Hank Aaron’s career home run record.

9. Andre Agassi beats James Blake to advance to the U.S. Open semifinals
September 2005
Agassi comes back after being down two sets to win the match against a much younger Blake to advance to the semifinals of the U.S. Open.

10. Dale Earnhardt dies on track
February 18, 2001
Dale Earnhardt dies in the last lap of the Daytona 500.

September 10th, 2008 - Second Half of U.S. vs. Trinidad and Tobago

(U.S. soccer fans pictured in photo below by Tony Quinn / isiphotos.com)

Second Half (start 8:14pm)

Strengths
-In the first minute of the second half Trinidad and Tobago already showed signs of changing their offense up. Within the first minute they already had a shot on goal and in the next minute had a corner kick and another shot on goal. Already an improvement from the first half. Trinidad and Tobago also changed from the first half by creating counterattacks with more than two people involved. They kept coming at the U.S. defense and it paid off with two corners within four minutes of the start of the second half. Although the Caribbean team made some significant offensive changes, they were going to need to keep hammering the U.S. defense if they wanted some score changes.
-The U.S. defense really played well in the second half despite gaining stiff legs in the second half. Steve Cherundolo really came up big in the 53rd minute by doing what all defenders are taught to do for a corner kick…stay on their post. He solely prevented a Trinidad and Tobago goal by getting in front of the ball that was headed behind U.S. goalie and into the corner of his goal. The sole goal that went into the back of the net was only one that was “scored” in the offside position. Only after the Trinidad and Tobago team and fans stopped celebrating did they notice the ref’s flag.

Weaknesses
-Almost no offense in the second half for the U.S. Although there was another goal and a couple other good runs, there wasn’t nearly as much offense in the Trinidad and Tobago defensive 3rd as there was in the first half. There were subs made in the second half, however the starting offensive threats for the U.S. were taken out only to be replaced by the equally capable non-starters. If the U.S. is going to be successful in upcoming games, they’re going to need to be able to count on their bench to come in and pick up the play of the tired players. They need to be able to rely on the depth of their bench and veteran players to get the job done.

-Trinidad and Tobago had a real inability to finish. They had numerous opportunities at scoring, however they could never put any away. The U.S. really let their opponents get a lot of good looks and luckily for the U.S., Trinidad and Tobago couldn’t capitalize.

Goals
-In the 56th minute the U.S. scored yet another goal this one on a ball crossed by Beasley. The goal was scored by Brian Ching who really played the cherry picking position; being able to get a foot on a ball that was bouncing around in the box. It was sloppy, but it was a goal and that’s all that mattered.

Second Half Final: United States 3 Trinidad and Tobago 0

Final Notes:
-Although it was a pretty good showing for the U.S. they were still unlucky at playing to their full potential. I would really like to see them be able to keep up the strong offensive pressure the entire match, regardless of substitutions and previous goals.

-On a more positive note, the U.S. were able to hold Trinidad and Tobago scoreless. This is a change from previous matches where the U.S. broke down mentally towards the end of the game. They’re going to need to keep up this trend if they want to be considered a strong contender, or a contender at all, in the 2010 World Cup.

-All in all it was a decisive win for the United States.

September 10th, 2008 - First Half of U.S. vs. Trinidad and Tobago

My next two posts are going to go together in as tandem piece. They both will be about the U.S. vs. Trinidad and Tobago World Cup Qualifying game.

This entry is one regarding things I saw during the first half of the game and the second one will be my observations from the second half. By doing this I can note the strengths and weaknesses in the first half, and then the second, so I can note the changes that are made by both teams at half.

Here we go…

First Half (start 7:12pm)

Strengths
-U.S. counterattacks were met by a sea of red players. Trinidad and Tobago got back, picking up open men and even more importantly covering the backside. Whenever possible the Trinidad and Tobago defense steps up to put U.S. strikers that are lagging behind into the offside position.

-The U.S. really took advantage of the large amount of space that Trinidad and Tobago was giving them in their offensive 3rd. The U.S. playing some very nice through balls lead to the second goal by Clint Dempsey.

Weaknesses
-Sloppy play by both teams. Bad first touches seemed to plague both the teams at the start of the game, however as time went on the team’s settled down.

-The U.S. is has to play early and more quickly if they’re going to catch Trinidad and Tobago in a bad position. The U.S. can play balls through slots between the defense, instead of trying to dribble. Just like in basketball, passing is quicker than dribbling. Switching the fields (passing the ball from the right side to the left side (or vice versa) in one pass) and one touching will also allow for quicker play.

-Although Trinidad and Tobago has numbers on defense, they don’t seem to have any on offense. Whenever Trinidad and Tobago controls the ball and tries to push forward into the U.S. half, they don’t seem to have players are joining the counterattack. In order to win in soccer you need to score goals, which can’t happen when you don’t step foot on the other team’s half.

Goals
Michael Bradley scored in the 9th minute on an outstandingly placed ball by Landon Donavan. The goal came as a result of a foul kick just outside the box. The foul was the first one made by Trinidad and Tobago in their defensive 3rd. I think they learned their lesson about how deadly the U.S. will be on free kicks by the Trinidad and Tobago box.

Clint Dempsey scored only 9 minutes later on a through ball behind the defense from Damarcus Beasley. Although Dempsey looked to be offside, the replay showed that he made his run just as the ball was being released. Trinidad and Tobago is going to have to figure their defense out if they’re going to want to have a chance to do something in the second half.

First half final: United States 2 Trinidad and Tobago 0

September 8th, 2008 - Man or Myth?

When people think the name Ronaldinho they think of flashy football, amazing moves and all the flair of that goes in between. Best known for his golden shoes (shown in YouTube video) and outstanding performances it is very safe to say that Ronaldinho (The one on top in Foto-net picture from Fifa.com) is one of the best players in the world.

Even though many people argue that he’s only the most popular player in the world, not the necessarily the best, I believe this to be completely untrue. Soccer fan’s love or hate him because of his outstand ability to play the game. He wouldn’t be a fan favorite if he wasn’t good. If his moves weren’t amazing and he didn’t play up to his potential that would be one thing. However he constantly delivers, proving time and time again why so many people love him.

Yes, he missed a pk in the game against Chile on Saturday. Big name players are supposed to make big time plays. But he’s also human. All players have their ups and downs, but what sets the best in the world apart from all the others is their ability to bounce back. Ronaldinho has bounced back time and time again.

When he was traded to Milan a while ago he was fat, lazy and out of shape. After the trade he quickly got back into form, determined to prove that he could be the player he once was. He has stepped up for both his club and country’s team by getting back in the soccer shape and stepping back out on the field again regardless of the bad press he received about his health.



Over time I believe he’ll only get better. He fell out of favor with the football gods once, and I don’t think he’s liable to do it again. If Ronaldinho can get past the whole of the soccer world talking about how out of shape he is, he can certainly bounce back from a missed pk. When his confidence gets a little stronger again, I do believe that he is headed towards leading his home country’s team to another world victory. With the help of some of the other amazing players in the world it’s sure to be Brazilian world domination.

He has won the World Footballer of the Year award and led the Brazilian national team to their fifth world title in the 2002 World Cup by scoring goals in the quarter final. People can say all they want, but you can’t argue with fact. He’s the best and he’s only going to get better.

September 8th, 2008 - The good, the bad and the ugly

As promised this past weekend's 2010 World Cup qualifying matches were anything but boring. While many teams, as predicted, came out on top, some of the heavy hitters were not so lucky.

The Good
Saturday was a big day for the United States as they pulled out a 1 to 0 win over Cuba. The U.S. surprisingly played well regardless of the weather, crowd and lighting issues, however they still didn’t play their full potential. Although the U.S. won, I think it’s safe to say that it was hardly an amazing match. Cuba is ranked 92nd in the world and the U.S. is ranked 28th. In my mind, when a team that is ranked that high in the world, they should put up a couple more against a team that is so much lower in standings. The fact that the U.S. only scored because of some shoty defense by Cuba early in the game, is more lucky play than good play. Beasley and the rest of the offense really needs to step it up if they expect to make it farther than group play in this tournament. After the qualifying round, the U.S. won’t be able to play the way they did and expect to win. The United States now leads their Group with 6 points.

The Bad
England barely came out on top in their game against Andorra winning only 2 to 0. The two teams were at a stalemate until midfielder Joe Cole came in during the end of the second half to score both the goals for England. Coach Fabio Capello should be kissing Cole’s golden shoes after him coming in and saving the day yet again. In England’s last game Cole also came off the bench to score the game winner for England. Capello hopefully has learned from his last two mistakes of not starting Cole and if he’s smart, he’ll start Cole on Wednesday’s match against Croatia. England underestimated Croatia two years ago in the UEFA EURO and suffered an embarrassing loss. If they want to win on Wednesday they’ll have to show a lot more effort than the game on Saturday and the game against Croatia two years ago.

The Ugly
The biggest upset of Saturday was the France vs. Austria game. Austria trounced France in a 3 to 1 win, which could have easily been much uglier if had… It was obvious that the French team couldn’t keep their heads out of the past, letting their previous failure at the UEFA EURO 2008 get the best of them. The lack of player experience played a big part in the loss, with the newer players not being able to bounce back as quick as older players would. Using this game as an example, it is easy to say that the French team has a long road to recovery in order to even resemble the team that they once were. The young French team many times looked clueless on the pitch, causing countless fouls and running around like chickens with their heads cut off when they had to set up. In fact, this inability to play defense after unnecessary fouls caused all of Austria’s three goals. Unless this team pulls it together soon, they’re bound to have even more disastrous losses in the near future.

September 5th, 2008 - The World Stage

There are 53 2010 FIFA World Cup matches that are going to be played this Saturday the 6th.

Although they're only qualifying matches for group play, the majority of the matches are bound to be just as exciting as the real tournament, which, according to the countdown on the FIFA site will happen exactly 643 days, 4 hours, 23 minutes and 47 seconds from right now.

Among the teams that are going to be playing this weekend are England, the USA and France. These three teams are some of the most hopeful about making it to the WC, as well as are some of the teams that have the most prove.

England
After failing to qualify for UEFA EURO 2008 during the summer England has a lot to prove to their fans and more importantly themselves. The loss to Croatia is really going to stick in the minds of the players, but their minds can't stay in the past. If they dwell on the mistakes that were made in that game, it's really going to hinder their ability to focus on the game against Andorra on Saturday. The upcoming game will also undoubtedly bring back memories of some of the worst crowd abuse the English team has ever had to endure. The March 2007 win over Andorra was anything but pretty when English teams were ridiculed by their own fans for taking 54 minutes to end a 0-0 deadlock. The English team is really going to have to push these goasts of their recent past out of their minds to get a much needed with for both their fans and themselves.

USA
The USA team has the hard task of keeping the 14 year win streak against the teams of the Caribbean going on Saturday, when they will face the Cuban National team. Although the American team is projected to win the match, they have will really have to play up to their potential, which is not something that they always do. The match, which will be held in Havanna, is the first time an American team has played in Havanna in 60 years which means high expectations for both sides. Because two countries have been at odds for many years, winning the match will not only mean something on a sports level, but also on a small political level as well. A win for the Cuban team will be a huge home game win that will defend the image of Cuba, while the American's are just looking forward to seeing how they will be recieved by Cuban fans.

France
After getting thrown out early in UEFA EURO 2008, the French team is looking forward to proving themselves in the 2010 World Cup games. The buised and battered team is going to need to scrape their pride and confidence off the floor to focus on their match against Austria on Saturday. The team is also under additional stress from the FFF who is trying to change the image into one that practices more humility and genorosity (the FFF's new slogan is "Generosity, humility, commitment and accessibility"). With major image changes at hand, the French team will have to focus on acting in a more civil way than they usually do, as well as try to gain some confidence back from their devistating last tournament. The team has a lot to prove after winning the World Cup in 1998.

Check back for the results and rundowns of these games next week!

September 3rd, 2008 - The Battle of the Manchester's

Today Manchester United scored in a big way by signing striker Dimitar Berbatov, formally of Tottenham, for a staggering €38m.

Berbatov, who has 10 goals in 27 games in the Champions League, joins United soon after it's leader Louis Saha left for Everton FC. He will fill this void in a big way with his strong leadership abilities that he showed on both Tottenham and Bayer Leverkusen.

The team will also benefit from his striker abilities up front, by being able to work with fellow offensive players Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo. These three are all great players with some of the most exciting skills in European soccer, however it might turn out to be to much of a start studded front. It will be a task to get these three to balance their egos to make the team cohesive. Ronaldo is going to have to step out of his comfort zone and make a few more passes to let Berbatov step up into a central striker position.

Another Manchester team made a big move on Monday by also snatching up superstar forward. Manchester City FC seems to be making a run for the top of League by picking up Robinho from Real Madrid CF. Although it looked for a minute as though Chelsea FC had their foot in the door to make the trade instead, City outlasted and picked up the up and coming Brazilian. In the 2007-2008 season alone, Robinho scored in almost half of the 33 matches he played in to become on of the leading scorers of his Real Madrid team.

Robinho is not the only recent addition to the City team. City has also recently added defender Pablo Zabaleta, from RCD Espanyol, and Shaun Wright-Phillips, Chelsea FC. It seems like Manchester United is not the only one who's stocking up their team.

But which Manchester is better off...Manchester United or Manchester City?

United has made the better addition in my mind. Although Robinho has done well the past couple of seasons, he's nothing compared to the Rooney/Berbatov/Ronaldo mix. These three combine for a dominant offense for the United team, who will most definitely blast though other team's defenses (as long as they work TOGETHER).

They're 3 via 1 against City's new recruit Zabaleta, and Robinho can't score as long as United's offense is controlling the ball.

September 1st, 2008

Hey all. I'm Ally, a senior majoring in Journalism and Studio Art at Iowa. I'm a small-town girl from Wisconsin and I grew up loving everything sports related.

I played all different kinds sports from an early age, however the one I found I loved the most was soccer. For 17 years I played on all sorts of club and school teams, learning just about everything there is to know about soccer from a whole slew of world-class coaches.

In my blog, I will merge my love for the game with my knowledge of the sport to talk about the happenings of the European soccer leagues (mostly in Spain, England and Italy). Along with talking about current events in the league, I will also include my opinions about matches, players and the leagues in general.

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For my first blog entry I figured I'd briefly explain why I picked to talk about the European leagues over MLS (the US soccer league).

Although it's hard to believe, soccer is the most popular sport in the world. I only say it's hard to believe because of the domination of other sports in the US like baseball, basketball and football.

This dominance has caused the spread of soccer to be kept at a minimum in the US, with many kids only playing until they're to big to fit into the YMCA uniforms. Some of the lucky kids keep going, but only if they're rich or good enough to get onto the club teams. When you grow up in the US you don't see Landon Donovan and Damarcus Beasley playing one via one on the field, you see the mainstream sports. Only the one's that are televised. Kids don't want to grow up to be Michael Owen, they want to be Michael Jordan. This lack of appreciation and knowledge for the sport of soccer in the US is one of the main reasons why I chose to talk about the European leagues.

Europe is the believed to be the birth place of soccer. Take people in the US' excitement about the Chicago Cubs or Los Angeles Lakers and multiply that by 1000. That equals the fan's hype about soccer in Europe and even South and Central America.

But the hype isn't for nothing. The world's top players all play in Europe (with the exception of the overrated David Beckham). Ronaldinho on AC Milan. Robinho on Manchester City (previously on Real Madrid). Robin Van Persie and Eduardo on Arsenal. The list goes on and on.

Put any club team in Europe against any MLS team and 99.9% of the time you're going to see the European team run away with a victory.

With the premiere soccer teams, coaches and fans in Europe, it was an easy decision to make.

The US just doesn't compare.