Viva Futbol Volume 41

Premier League is Back in Full Swing

After a very interesting summer of transfers and World Cup Qualifying the regular season of the premier league in back into full swing. To be totally honest the premier league underwent so many changes this summer that it feels like a brand new league. By far the biggest news to hit me this summer was the transfer of Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid for an astronomical fee of over 100 million euros. Then Manchester United also sold Carlos Tevez to Manchester City. the result of these two transfers has put the red devils into a tight spot at the beginning of the season. Manchester United proceeded to spend more money by purchasing the likes of Adebayor from Arsenal. Of Course Burnley F.C., Wolverhampton, and Birmingham City joined the Premier League over the summer after promotions from the lower league.

Now that we are 4 gameweeks into the season, the changes that occured over the summer have appeared to have had a pretty major effect on the table. Going into game week five, the table looks like this. As a Tottenham Supporter i am very pleased to see Spurs sitting comfortably with Chelsea atop the table with 12 points and a perfect run. Of Course you can see that Both Liverpool and Arsenal have dropped out of the top four. Some of this is due to some luck especially on Manchester Uniteds part as they narrowly beat Arsenal last weekend thanks to and own goal.

Over all i am very excited about the premiership this season and maybe some new possibilities for some teams that we haven't seen alot of over the past few years. (Especially Tottenham)  

Viva Futbol Volume 36

Viva Futbol Volume 37

Premier League Roundup: 5/18/09

Well this weekend pretty much wrapped everything up in the Premier League, there are still a few unanswered questions like who will be the two other teams to be relegated with West Brom, and who will qualify for the UEFA Cup, and the Champion's League for next year. Anyways lets start with Manchester United.

Sir Alex and The Red Devils secured their 18th Premier League Championship win after a scoreless draw against Arsenal on Saturday morning. ( We all saw it coming) Besides Arsenal, both Liverpool and Chelsea secured wins over the weekend as well as their spots in next year's Champion's League group stage. Liverpool's 2-0 win over West Brom also proved to be the nail in the coffin for the now relegated West Brom side. Newcastle also lost over the weekend to Fulham, and Middlesbrough dropped all the way down to 19th place after a 1-1 draw with Aston Villa. Meanwhile Tottenham pulled themselves up to eighth place after a 2-1 win over Manchester City which showed some possibilities for next year for spurs. Also Everton routed West Ham 3-1 over the weekend. Today Sunderland and Portsmouth are playing at 3 in what is a very important game for both teams as 3 points would put either team clear of relegation fears.

Viva Futbol Volume 32

Iniesta Equilizer: Champion's League

Update: 5/14/09

First of all I would like to apologize for my lack of posts over the last few weeks, school is getting very close to finishing and the work just keeps piling up.

Back to football. There has been alot happening since i last posted, im going to try and keep it short and sweet. Starting with the Champions League. On May 5th Manchester United finalized their place at Rome with 3-1 win over Arsenal. The game featured a strong United defence as well as a huge Cristiano Ronaldo free kick from 40/35 yards out ( These things never cease to amaze me) . Manchester United probably didnt get everything that they wanted out of the game however, Darren Fletcher picked up a red card in a spot of bad refereeing which gave up a penalty as well. The real game came on Wednesday when Chelsea played Barcelona at the Bridge for the other spot in the Finale. For most of the game things were going against Barcelona, with Michael Essien returning from injury in style with a 9th minute volley into the back of the net. The game was far from over however. The game stayed at 2-0 favoring Chelsea all the way up till the 90th minute when Iniesta scored a remarkable goal that proved to be enough to knock the Blues out. The game went into 7 minutes of extra time with claims for penalties from Chelsea. Need less to say this game was very controversial. The referee was terrible, a total of 8 cards were given out including a red card to Barca's Eric Abidal, and a yellow to Dani Alves which means that neither player will be elligible to play in the Finale against Man U. I will write a Preview for the Finale sometime in the next two weeks so keep you eyes open for it.

Moving onto the Premier League, last weekend proved to be very big for some teams involved in both the relegation battle and the title race. Manchester United won again Manchester City on Saturday morning 2-0, and Today they beat Wigan 1-2. Together those two games put Manchester United up to 86 points 6 points ahead of Liverpool. Liverpool beat West Ham 3-0, Tottenham tied Everton, Fulham and Sunderland tied as well. But the two biggest games for me were the 4-1 Chelsea win over Arsenal, and the 3-1 Newcastle win over Middlesbrough. If you look at the table below you will see that Hull City, Sunderland, and West Brom are now the 3 teams at the bottom of the table. Sunderland and West Brom are olnly three points down so if they can pull off an upset next weekend we could see some serious termoil at the bottom of the table.

As far as next year goes we can be looking at Wolverhampton, Birmingham City, Sheffield United, and reading for possible inductees into the Premier league so be sure to keep an eye on that.

Here is the table as it stands now.

Premier League Roundup: 5/03/09

The Premier League continued on Saturday with some very important games to be played. Manchester United kicked things off with a very convincing 2-0 win over Middlesbrough, who now find themselves in a very bad place at 19th place on the table and a full 3 points behind 17th place Hull City. United's win pulled kept them at the top of the table and a full 6 points ahead of Liverpool who played on Sunday. Also on Saturday Chelsea beat 9th place Fulham 3-1 which pulled them up level with Liverpool. Manchester City also played Blackburn on Saturday; they also cam away with a 3-1 win. Jermain Defoe made his return from injury on Saturday in Spur's 1-0 win of West Brom. The one goal came from Jermain Jenas just before half time was enough to get all three points. West Brom are pretty much relegated now, They sit at the bottom of the table with a mere 28 points and will be playing two of their last 4 games against both Manchester United and Liverpool. Meanwhile Arsenal beat Portsmouth 3-0 , and Two teams from the middle of the table also battled it out on Saturday, Bolton and Wigan, the game ended in 0-0 draw. The final game on saturday saw West Ham triumph 1-0 over Stoke City.

Sunday's games proved just as bad for the other teams at the bottom of the table. Liverpool destroyed Newcastle 3-0 on Sunday and reset the top of the table leaving Manchester United on top with a 3 point lead and Liverpool in 2nd with a 3 point lead over 3rd place Chelsea. The last game on sunday pitted Everton against Sunderland who are currently sitting uncomfortable at 16th place. Everton won the game 2-0. There is one game on monday still to be played between Aston Villa and Hull City. If Hull could secure a win or even a draw, they would be able to put alot of pressure on the bottom three teams.

What's Wrong with American Soccer? Part III: Where is the Passion?

First of all let me clarify what i mean by " Where is the passion?" I am not talking about most players in the MLS or the National Teams, nor am i talking about Coaches. Players and Coaches have passion for the game or they wouldnt be playing, because most of these boys dont get paid too much anyways. I am talking about the pasion (or lack there of) of the citizens of this country. Answer this for me: How many times per day do you see someone walking around in an MLS jersey, for me it's about 0 times per day. Go over to Europe and look for soccer jerseys, and you could easily see more than 100 per day. Its not that we dont wear soccer jersey's in America it is simply that most Americans are not passionate about American soccer. Sure, people go to MLS games and National team games, but i think that they are there for the wrong reason. In order for American Soccer to succeed there has to be pure passion and love for the game. This "passion must encumpass not only the players and coaches, but also the fans and the community.

Champions lLeague Roundup: Semi Finals 1st Leg

Im not gonna lie to you and say that I enjoyed the Champion's League Semi Finals as much as i enjoyed the Quarterfinals, my hope is that the Final in Rome will produce some more exciting football. With that having been said, the 1st leg of the Semi-Finals did produce some results.

The most boring of the two games was easily the Chelsea vs. Barcelona match up at Camp Nou. The game ended in a 0-0 draw with each team only grabbing a few chances to score. The game became a huge battle on defence especially for Chelsea who had to keep a number of players back to contain Lionell Messi, Henry, and Eto. I personally feel that Chelsea came away the victors simply because they didnt allow Barca to score a goal. The second leg of this match up will be at Stamford Bridge and will be Chelsea's chance to attack, of course some would say that Barca have the advantage due to the away goal rule. After looking at the my predictions for the second leg are this:
Chelsea 1-0 Barcelona

For me atleast, the Manchester United vs. Arsenal game was way more fun to watch. The game ended 1-0 for Manchester United thanks to a goal from John O'Shea (immagine that) O'Shea's goal came in the 17th minute off a cross into the box. However, Manchester United could have easily won this game four or five to 0. Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, and Carlos Tevez all had a number of great looks on goal. The only reason that Arsenal came through down by only one goal was thanks to their keeper Manuel Almunia, who had a very impressive game. Besides that Arsenal had a few chances to score here and there, but it seemed to me that the game was United's all night long. For the second leg at Emirates Stadium I would put my money on the boy's from Old Trafford once again. My prediction:
Manchester United 2-0 Arsenal

Heroes

A new compilation series by Alarazboy.

Champion's League Preview: Chelsea vs. Barcelona

It feels like only yesterday since Chelsea and Liverpool played each other in the second leg of the Champion's League quarterfinals, but the Champion's League is back tomorrow for the first game of the Semi-finals: Chelsea vs. Barcelona at Camp Nou. There are so many factors going into this game, that it is almost impossible for me to predict a sure winner. Both of these teams are huge European Powerhouses, but there are a few things that i believe could prove to be game changing factors. First of all there is Chelsea manager Gus Hiddink, Hiddink is a good coach who has 100% of the Chelsea player's respect. Secondly for Chelsea is their ability to score goals which was very appearant in the last Champion's League games against Liverpool. Barcelona has alot going for them too. First of all they are playing at home which is a huge advantage (especially at Camp Nou). Secondly there is the Star Studded attacking force of Thierry Henry, Lionel Messi, and Samuel Eto. Together these players cause huge problems for the Chelsea defenders who are already short handed with the loss of Carvalho and Ashley Cole. John Terry has to keep Eto at bay. Right now i see the game going to Barcelona, but just Barely. This game has alot of goal scoring potential, and Chelsea could easily grab the all important Away goal.

My prediction: Barcelona 2-1 Chelsea.

Tottenham vs. Manchester United

Enjoy,

Weekend Roundup 4/27/09

This weekend's premier league action started off with a Manchester City 2-1 win over Everton in which Robinho scored one of the two goals for City. Robinho has been the victim of a good deal of criticism over the last few weeks due to the lack of goals that he has scored for his new club. Solomon Kalou grabbed the win for Chelsea on Saturday beating West Ham 1-0. These three points added to Liverpool's reacent draw allowed Chelsea to move within 3 points of Liverpool. Also on Saturday Bolton pulled off a 1-1 draw against 5th place Aston Villa. Stoke suffered a 1-0 defeat to Fulham, and in an amazing relegation battle West Brom beat Sunderland 3-0. The win for West Brom could prove to be vital to their survival in the premier league. Liverpool beat Hull City 3-1 on Saturday ( no surprise there.) The big game this weekend turned out to be the Tottenham vs. Manchester United that ended in a 2-5 Manchester United Victory. The first half of this game was probably enough to put many United fans on the verge of a heart attack. Tottenham's Darren Bent and Luca Modric each scored goals in the first half. The second half was a much different story. United won a very controversial penalty kick which Ronaldo finished cooly. However, upon replay it was evident that the penalty was falsely awarded. According to Spur's boss Harry Redknapp, " the penalty changed the game." United followed up the penalty with 3 more goals in quick succession, and the fifth goal came from ex- Tottenham player Dimitar Berbatov. All of United's goals were the result of poor defending on the part of Tottenham, who could have come away with the win at Old Trafford. Man U remain at the top of the Table 3 points ahead of Liverpool and Tottenham dropped down to 10th. On Sunday Arsenal beat Middlesbrough 2-0 thanks to 2 goals from Cesc Fabregas, also on Sunday Blackburn beat Wigan 2-0 despite the return of striker Amir Zaki for Wigan who was in sensational form at the Beginning of the Season.

Viva Futbol Volume 31

Another great video compilation from Alarazboy.

Enjoy,

The Players That Make Football Special

Enjoy

Shootout at Anfield

Andrey Arshavin and the Gunners pulled off a 4-4 draw against Liverpool on Tuesday. Russian striker Andrey Arshavin was responsible for scoring all 4 goals for the Gunners and very nearly pulled off a victory, if it hadnt of been for Yossi Benayoun who scored a last minute equilizer for Liverpool. The game went back and forth with each side possessing the lead at different points. Durring the entire game Arsenal scored all four of its shots on Target while Liverpool only produced on 4 out of 14 shots on goal. I guess you could say that its just bad luck for Liverpool, but i feel that Liverpool were lucky to get off with a tie. For now the point that Liverpool earned is enough to pull them to the top of the table, unfortunatly for Liverpool Manchester United is playing Portsmouth tomorrow, and Man U are the big favorites to win that one.

Cheers,

Weekend Roundup 4/20/09

Last weekend proved to be just as exciting as last weekend if not more so .Obviously the biggest news from this past weekend was Everton's big win over Manchester United in the FA Cup Final. The game went even at 0-0 all the way to the 120th minute where a penalty shootout would decide the winner. Sir Alex faced a great deal of criticism over his starting 11 for the final which only featured 2 or 3 of the usual starters, although Berbatov did eventually come in as a Substitute. The penalty shootout started with a miss from Everton's Tim Cahill followed by a miss from Dimitar Berbatov for Man U. Everton made the next 4 of their pentalties, however Manchester United's Rio Ferdinand missed his penalty which gave Everton the win.

The Premier League was kicked off in great style on Saturday morning when Aston Villa tied West Ham 1-1 at Villa Park. Middlesbrough managed a 0-0 draw against Fulham as well, however one point isnt enough to help Middlesbrough's relegation troubles. The big upset on Saturday came when Sunderland beat Hull City 1-0. The three points were enough to pull Sunderland out of the lower three teams. Stoke City also beat Blackburn 1-0 on Saturday afternoon. On Sunday Tottenham beat Newcastle 1-0 thanks to a Darren Bent goal. Newcastle's recent string of defeats is making me wonder whether or not they are worthy of playing in the premier league, and they had better hope for better results or they wont be playing in the Premier league for much longer. Also on Sunday Manchester City beat West Brom 4-2. I have decided to Pre-Relegate West Brom there is no way for them to make it.

Here is the Premier League Table after this weekend's game. The biggest thing to remember at this point is that Chelsea, Liverpool, and Manchester United all have games either on Tuesday or Wednesday this week, so the battle will continue in a few mere hours.

Cheers,

Ronaldo Talking about his Howitzer

Cristiano Ronaldo's Howitzer from Champions League 2nd Leg vs. Port

Seattle Sounders Article

http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/clubfootball/news/newsid=1048430.html#schmids+soaraway+sounders

A worthwhile read seeing as they are everyone's new favorite MLS team.

Champions League Roundup : 4/16/09

Did i say it, or did i say it. That boy Ronaldo showed up for Wednesday's game in Portugal, and United are moving onto the Semi-Finals. Manchester United played a pretty solid game, as did Porto but in the end Ronaldo's "Howitzer" in the 6th minute was enough to do the Job for United. Manchester United triumphed also because of a much more convincing defensive effort. Rio Ferdinand was back from injury along with Dimitar Bervatov, and the change from the first leg was evident from the very first minute. However the game was close. Both Man U and Porto had a number of shots on goal and on another day the game could have gone Porto's way. The Arsenal vs. Villarreal game also played out as i thought it would, with Arsenal winning 3-0 at the Emirates.

So we have Chelsea, Barcelona, Arsenal, and Manchester United in the Semi-Finals. To be totally honest i feel like all the best football was in the Quarterfinals and it wont get much better in the Semi-Finals or even in the Final in Rome, but i could be wrong. Here is how the Semi-Final Games look

May 5,2009
Arsenal vs. Manchester United @ The Emirates

May 6,2009
Chelsea vs. Barcelona @ Stamford Bridge.

I have a feeling that we are gonna see the same final that we did last year. Manchester United can definatly handle Arsenal, and im pretty sure that Chelsea will get past Barcelona if the can pull their defence together.

Chelsea vs. Liverpool 2nd leg Highlights

Man U vs. Porto : Second Leg Preview

It has been eight days since the Porto vs. Man u Champions League 1 st Leg at Old Trafford that ended 2-2 thanks to a late Carlos Teves Equalizer. United have a tough task ahead of them today when they take on a surprisingly resilient Porto side away in Portugal. If Manchester United hope to make it to the Final in Rome, they will have to do something that no English side has ever done: Beat Porto at Porto. If anyone can do it I would say that Manchester United has as good of a chance as any other team, however this depends on a few things. First of all Cristiano Ronaldo needs to have a big game for United tonight. Ronaldo hasnt been a big threat on the field in the past couple Champions League games for United. Unfortunately for United i dont see this as their biggest problem right now. Sir Alex really needs to fix his defense which has been consistently bellow par for the last few games. The main culprits are Johnny Evans and John o'Shea. Things are looking good for Porto, infact many people believe that a win against United today could lead to a win in the Final a few weeks later. Porto havent lost to Manchester United at home ever, and havent lost a game to an English side in the last 11 games.

The second leg of the Arsenal vs. Villarreal matchup shouldnt be nearly as interesting. Arsenal did quite well in Spain last week, and they will be looking to do the same this afternoon. A task which really shouldnt be too dificult for the Gunners.

Predictions: I can easily see Arsenal going through to the Semi-finals, and i am also going to go out on a limb and predict that Manchester United will follow as well.

Cheers,

Manchester United vs. Porto 1st Leg Highlights

More Highlights to come, Stay posted

Can the Blues Do it?

With a spot in the Semi- finals of the Champions League now secure. The question is whether the Blues can really make it all the way now. The way i see it is that either way Chelsea is gonna have to get past Manchester United or Porto. These are the only two teams that i can see causing any kind of problem for Chelsea. John Terry will be back after missing the game against Liverpool due to suspension. With a perfectly healthy team the one problem that i can see for Chelsea concerns whether or not they will play 100% for the entire game which has been the big problem against Liverpool in the 4-4 draw and last weekend against Bolton. Chelsea cant afford to give up any more goals, if they can start doing that i dont have a problem seeing them holding up the cup in Rome.

Barcelona vs. Bayern Champions League Review

I didnt actually get to watch this game, but there wasnt really too much to watch anyway. Barcelona tied 1-1 getting the away goal and will advance to the Semi- Finals along with Chelsea with a 5-1 win on Aggregate.

Barcelona vs. Bayern 1st Leg Highlights

Once again sorry i got these updates on so late.

Chelsea vs. Liverpool 1st Leg Highlights

Sorry it took me so long to find these highlights, I will try to get the second leg highlights up sooner

Chelsea vs. Liverpool: 2nd Leg Champions League Quarterfinal

To be 100 % honest, I still hadnt recovered from last weeks Champion's League games, the Manchester United vs. Porto tie, and of coarse the huge upset that Chelsea pulled on Liverpool last week. Nonetheless I had decided that there was no way that this week could be any more exciting than last week. I was pretty sure that Chelsea was going through even though Liverpool might try to put up a fight. I was right about Chelsea going through to the Semi Finals, however I was very wrong about the size of the fight that was left in Liverpool. I watched most of the game with my mouth wide open, and my eyes glued to the screen. The game ended in a 4-4 draw with Chelsea advancing into the Semi finals with aggregate win of 7-5. All in all the Chelsea vs. Liverpool match up produced a huge upset at Anfield, 12 goals, and a ton of exciting football.

Im not exactly sure what i should say about the game it's self. Both clubs entered Tuesday's game without their regular captains. John Terry was suspended in the first leg because of a yellow card, and Steven Gerrard was out with a Groin Injury. Rafa Benitez had been saying that Liverpool had nothing to lose going into the game, and almost seemed to have moved 100% of his focus towards winning the Premier League. By the 30th minute of the game all of this had changed. Liverpool was up 2-0 thanks to goals by Fabio Aurelio with a clever free kick, and Xabi Alonso who put away a penalty kick. Liverpool was one goal away from reaching the Semi-Finals and looked to be very capable of scoring that goal. Chelsea looked like they had given up from the very beginning of the game, and didnt get alot of possession during the first half. Going into halftime Liverpool looked like they were heading towards a big win. However it didnt take long for Didier Drogba to turn things around off a great cross from Anelka that went in off of Reina's glove. 5 minute later Alex scored again for Chelsea off a brilliant bending free kick ( it was one of the best free kicks i have ever seen). Once again it seemed as though Chelsea had secured their place in the Semi-Finals. Frank Lampard's Goal in the 76th minute seemed to be the nail in the coffin for Liverpool. Things turned for Liverpool almost as quicly as they had turned for Chelsea only 15 minutes prior with two quick goals. One from Lucas whose shot took a deflection off of Essien, and then a minute later Kuyt scored a header making the score 4-3. The whole game seemed to slow down for the last 10 minutes with both teams getting a few looks at the goal. Liverpool needed just one Goal to clench the spot in the Semi-Finals. Frank Lampard had different plans, Lampard's shot in the 89th minute bounced off both goal posts before finding some net. 3 minutes of added time later the game was over and i was trying to make sure that i wasn't dreaming.

One week ago when i wrote a previe for the Chelsea vs. Liverpool game i said that Liverpool would walk away with the win. I figured that the Aggregate score might be somewhere around 2-1. It's times like these that i dont mind being completely wrong. When two teams of this caliber play each other, its always hard to guess the outcome, but the outcome of the two Chelsea vs. Liverpool games left many people on the edges of their seats, and possibly some Chelsea fans going to get a heart check up. I just hope that tomorrow's games, the Semi-finals, and the final in Rome can live up to this matchup.

Cheers,

Manchester United vs. Sunderland

Aston Villa v Everton

Premier League Roundup: 4/13/09

One thing is for sure about the Easter weekend, there were plenty of goals to go around. Liverpool really kicked things off on Saturday with a 4-0 win over Blackburn Rovers, in which golden boy Fernando Torres scored twice. Chelsea didn't get away quite as cleanly, but they did manage to get away with all three points in the bag. Chelsea was up 4-0 before the 70th minute, however Bolton got three quick goals which was probably enough to send Guus Hiddink to his knees. Luckily for the Blues they managed to come away with the win. Also on Saturday Middlesbrough beat Hull city 3-1 , Manchester United were able to remain on top of the table with an away win against Sunderland. However it was close and United were only able to win thanks to the super sub Frederico Macheda who came on in the 75th minute for Berbatov and scored only a minute later with a well placed deflection off a Michael Carrick shot. Tottenham Hotspur come away with three points as well on Saturday with a 1-0 win over West Ham. Roman Pavlyuchenko scored the winner in the 65th minute after coming on as a Sub for Darren Bent. At Fratton Park on Saturday, Portsmouth drew 2-2 with West Brom. West Brom remains at the very bottom of the table with only 25 points while Portsmouth stays not too far away from Relegation trouble with 34 points. On Sunday the relegation battle raged on between Newcastle and Stoke City the game ended 1-1 with Newcastle's Andrew Carroll scoring a late equalizer. Newcastle sits 2 points behind Sunderland and safety from relegation. Meanwhile Aston Villa and Everton came to a 3-3 draw in a thrilling game at Villa Park on Sunday. The result keeps Villa only one point ahead of Everton. My favorite game of the weekend was Fulham's 3-1 win over Manchester City, in which American Midfielder Clint Dempley scored twice. City had to sit a few placers out including Robinho and Sean Wright Philips. The reason that i liked this game so much is simple, Clint Dempsey, An American, had a very big game.

As far as what all of this means for the title and relegation battles, very little has changed from before. Manchester United still find themselves at the top of the table with a one point lead on Liverpool, while West Brom, Newcastle, and Middlesbrough remain at the bottom of the table. Both the battle for the title and the battle to fight relegation are still very close, and by close im talking 1 or 2 points. The next few weeks are very important especially for Manchester United and Chelsea who will play two games within the next ten days. This will give Manchester United a chance to extens it's premiership lead and will give Chelsea the chance to catch up to Liverpool.

Cheers,

Premier League Preview - 4/09/09

Unfortunately I am leaving for a few days I wont be back until Sunday night so all of you are gonna have to enjoy this weekend's premier league action without any more updates.

Champions League Roundup 4/08/09

" WE WANT MORE, WE WANT MORE...." This is exactly what the Chelsea faithful were chanting as the final whistle blew on Wednesday night at Anfield. Chelsea walked away with a 3-1 away win thanks greatly to the efforts ( or lack there of) of a tired and uninterested looking Liverpool side. Liverpool were the clear favorites going into the game having not lost a game at home since last February, and actually started the game off quite well with a goal from Fernando Torres in the fifth minute. However, it was all downhill from there for Liverpool. In the 38th minute Chelsea Defender Branislav Ivanovic scored off a corner kick in what proved to be the turning point of the game for Chelsea. The second half looked even worse for Liverpool, most of the players on the pitch for Liverpool looked like they had somewhere else to be, this lack of effort resulted in sloppy defence and plenty of bad balls. On the other hand, things could only get better for Chelsea. Ivanovic, who played only because Carvalho was unavailable scored again in 62nd minute off another cross. Drogba quickly found the back of the goal again for Chelsea in the 67th minute which really was the nail in the coffin for Liverpool. Rafa Benitez used all three of his substitutions in an attempt to bring some form of life back to his side. The game ended at 3-1 with a huge away win for Chelsea ,and it is very likely to pull them through to the Semi- Finals even though John Terry will not be able to play in next weeks game due to a suspention that he recieved in the first half. Liverpool find themselves in a very deep hole going into net weeks game at Chelsea and will need atleast 3 goals and a win to have a chance of going through to the semi-finals, but if there is one thing i have learned it is never to doubt Liverpool on the European stage.

Liverpool vs. Chelsea

Good Jozy Altidore Link

Good FIFA article about Jozy Altidore and all his recent success with an interview.

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/newsid=1046255.html#altidore+im+hungry+player

Champions League Preview: Chelsea vs. Liverpool

I am very exited about today's Champions League match with Chelsea playing Liverpool at Anfield. It isn't too much of a stretch for me to see Liverpool coming away with a big win today, but don't count on it. For starters Liverpool hasn't lost a game at Anfield in 14 months. Liverpool is coming off a 1-0 win against Fulham, and they are very much contending for the Premier League Title being only one point behind the leaders Manchester United. On the other hand, Chelsea is also coming off their weekend win over Newcastle and will be wanting to get another chance to play Manchester United in the Semi-finals or maybe even the Final in Rome. For me if Chelsea wants to come away with a win or atlest an away goal Drogba needs to have a big game, as he seems to be one of the few strikers in the world that can make Liverpool's defence look average.

Prediction: Liverpool 2-1 Chelsea

Champions League Roundup 4/07/09

Tuesday's Champion's League quarterfinal matches brought some unexpected results with it. The picture pretty sums up Manchester United's day. United tied Porto 2-2 at Old Trafford. United gave up a goal in the 4th minute due to some sloppy defense. Ten minutes later Rooney tied things up when he took advantage of a terrible back pass from a Porto Defender. Tevez pulled United in front with only a few minutes to play, but at the last minute Porto substitute, Mariano Gonzalez found and equilizer. Manchester United have a tough road ahead of themselves when they go to play FC Porto on April 15th; they will need to find the back of the net at least once and pull away with a win ( an English team has never beat Porto at home). In Tuesday's second game, Arsenal vs. Villarreal, Emmanuel Adebayor a brilliant Equilizer in the 66th minute to pull off the 1-1 draw against Villarreal. Arsenal have the lead in aggreate as of now with the away goal, and would go through to the semi finals if they can hold off Villareal at the Emirates on April 14th.

Champions League Preview 4/07/09

Villarreal vs. Arsenal FC
Manchester United vs. FC Porto
Liverpool vs. Chelsea
FC Barcelona vs. Bayern Munchen

2 Good 2 Bad

Viva Futbol Volume 30

Seatle Sounders: The Golden Child of the MLS

On March 19 at Seattle's Quest Field the MLS's new franchise, The Seattle Sounders, opened the 2009 MLS season against the New York Red Bulls. It came as surprise to many that the Sounders pulled a huge 3-0 upset against the Red Bulls that night. I was thrilled to see a new team with some big potential make a huge entrance into the MLS, the fact that im from Washington State made me even more excited. However, i wasnt sure if The Sounders could keep it up. But they did the very next weekend with a 2-0 win against Real Salt Lake. This weekend Seatle continued their winning streak with another convincing 2-0 win against Toronto in their first away game. The Sounder's success in these first few weeks has been phenomenal and has in many ways restored some of my faith in the MLS's future potential. All MLS teams could do well to learn a few things from the Sounder's example.

First of all the Sounder's have had a ton of help from the Seattle community, especially from Drew Carey who wanted to built an MLS team that was more like a European team instead of a typical MLS team. Carey not only helped financially, but also built up the hype surrounding the Sounder's opening game. The end result was a sold out season opener. The biggest question for me concerns the success of the actual team. There really isn't very much that stands out about the Sounder's roster. They picked up Steve Zakuani as the first pick of the 2008 draft, and Kasey Keller and Fredrik Ljungberg took up the roles of the experienced players on the team. However the big star that emerged was Freddy Montero. The Columbian youngster score two goals in the opener followed by another in the game against Real Salt Lake. The Sounder's capability on offense allows them to score plenty of goals, while the team's defense with the help of Keller's goal keeping hasn't given up a single goal this season. The Sounders now lead the western conference of the MLS with Chivas at 9 points each. The Sounders will play their next game against San Diego on the 25th of April at Quest Field. I hope that the Sounders are able to continue their unbeaten run and maybe bring about some change into the MLS.

Juventus vs. Chievo Verona

AC Milan vs. Lecce

Malaga vs. Real Madrid

Real Valladoloid vs. Barcelona

Fulham vs. Liverpool

Premier League Roundup: 4/05/09

Overall it was a pretty exciting weekend of football in the Barclays Premier League. The weekend started off with a pretty controversial upset. Tottenham lost to Blackburn 2 to 1 with a red card being shown to Wilson Palacios late in the game before both Blackburn goals were scored. Saturday afternoon Arsenal shutout Manchester City 2-0, and Chelsea gave Alan Shearer a pretty good idea of what might lie ahead for Newcastle with a covnvinving 2-0 win. Middlesbrough fell deeper into the clutches of relegation after a 4-1 defeat to Bolton on Saturday. Stoke City beat West Brom 2-0, while Hull City managed a 0-0 draw with Porthsmouth. Yossi Benayoun pulled Liverpool to the top of the table on Saturday with a dramatic injury time goal that gave Liverpool the 1-0 ein against Fulham.

On Sunday Everton destroyed Wigan 4-0. But perhaps the most exciting game of the weekend was the Manchester United vs. Aston Villa game. Cristiano Ronaldo earns my man of the match award with two stunning goals that held the game at a draw, but then with the game tied up 2-2 in injury time substitute Federico Macheda sent Manchester United back to the top of the table with a stunning goal in the third minute of extra time. Macheda came on in the 60th minute to replace Nani and opened his scoring account at Manchester United durring his debut for the first team.

Whats Wrong With American Soccer? Part II: Turf

In part one of my "what is wrong with American soccer?" article I talked about the terrible and uncreative commentary that all too often accompanies an American Soccer Game whether it's MLS or US National team. Another thing that just pushes my buttons is the number off American soccer fields that now use Synthetic turf for a playing surface.

I know from personal experience that playing soccer on a synthetic turf field is much different from playing on a field with real grass. Turf can have huge negative effects on a game especially from a technical aspect. The ball tends to bounce twice as much on a synthetic turf field, and sometimes the ball will even change directions due to the small pieces of rubber in the turf. The ball can roll farther, and in general turf makes a player have to make huge adjustments to his touch. David Beckham as well as other European players who were used to playing on nice grass fields all found the adjustment to turf a hard adjustment to make.

But perhaps the biggest problem that i have with turf fields is that they just look tacky. The only thing that i hate more than a Synthetic soccer field is a Synthetic soccer field with faded (American) football markings every ten yards. I understand the economic advantage off having synthetic fields, but if there are any other people like me out there that hate to see the beautiful game being played on synthetic turf than maybe the MLS should consider buying real grass to earn some more viewers.

If you share my feelings on this matter, or you have any for part three of the series than please send me an email

Thanks,
Alex.garner@yahoo.com

Where has Jozy Altidore Been?

After a stunning performance in Wednesday's WCQ for the United States against Trinidad and Tabago Jozy Altidore has thrust himself into the limelight. Altidore scored all three goals in the 3-0 thrashing against a injured and unorganized Trinidad and Tabago, but many people still ended up asking themselves who is Jozy Altidore and why does he ride the bench for the U.S. National Team most of the time?

At the age of 16 Altidore entered the MLS draft as what was expected to be one of the top picks. However, he ended up being the 16th pick of the draft. The MLS had been negotiating with a number of European clubs for quite some time over Altidore's services, and received offers from many clubs including Everton and Villarreal. In the end Altidore ended up signing for the Spanish Giants Villarreal, however Altidore's lack of playing time for The New York Red Bulls only earned Altidore a small amount of playing time at the Spanish Club. Villarreal sent Altidore out on loan to Xerez of the Spanish second division in the hope that Altidore would get a large amount of playing time. To this day Altidore hasnt played a single minute.

Back on the U.S. Men's National Team Jozy's troubles only continued with only 2 goals in 10 games and a lack of playing time. Altidore has steep competition on the National Team from the likes of Clint Dempsey, Brian Ching, and Landon Donovan all of whom have considerably more experience and play regularly for their clubs.

The fact is that good players like Altidore turn into great players like Cristiano Ronaldo by getting experience early on in their careers. The United States needs to cherish players like Altidore who have the skill and determination to play at the highest levels. Hopefully Jozy Altidore's performance under the lights in Tennessee on Wednesday night will prove to be Altidore's chance to earn playing time for Villarreal when he returns from Xerez this summer.

WATCH ALL THREE OF ALTIDORE'S GOALS ON THE USA VS. TRINIDAD AND TABAGO HIGHLIGHTS VIDEO BELOW.

Viva Futbol Volume 29

Great Video compilation by Alarazboy. Check out the rest of the Viva Futbol Series on Youtube.

Fair Play First ?

I have never seen anything like this before, a player actually REFUSES to take a penalty kick. It was a clean tackle, but i still would have taken it.

U.S.A vs. Trinidad and Tabago

Aaron Lennon Wins PFA Award

Aaron Lennon has been phenomenal for Tottenham over the last weeks, and even got a starting spot on England's squad for Wednesday's World Cup Qualifier against the Ukraine. I myself am a huge Tottenham fan and there is no doubt in my mind that Lennon deserved the award over the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Fernando Torres. Thankfully spurs will be holding onto Lennon for quite some time as the winger just recently extended his contract for Spurs.

Be Sure to vote Aaron Lennon for the PFA Player of the Year Award.
You can vote for him by clicking on the link below.

http://fansaward.givemefootball.com/

What's Wrong with American Soccer? Part I

What's wrong with American Soccer? I cant keep track of how many times I have asked myself this question. There are so many bad things about American soccer, but at the same time the US National Team is continuing to grow stronger and the MLS is atleast for me beginning to Improve. I have decided to put forward my thoughts on this matter with a number of articles with each one focusing an individual problem that is holding back the American Soccer Revolution.

Part I: Commentary.

For me watching and enjoying a football match is just as much a matter of listening to good commentary as is viewing the actual football itself.( If you are JP Dellacamera and you read this, PLEASE STOP COMMENTATING). Too many times i tune into a USA World Cup qualifier, or an MLS game and hear his voice. There is no possible way for this too improve, so it really isnt even his fault. The truth is that espn and foxsoccer need to hire some good old english commentators. Espn has done this on their Champions League coverage by allowing Derek Rae and Tommy Smyth to commentate. This alone made viewing the Inter Milan and Manchester United game much more enjoyable. So There you have it we need better commentators.

Premier League Preview - 4/02/09

With only eight weekend left in the Premier League season, this weekend's matches are very important for quite a few teams. The relegation battle is still very close with the lower six teams being separated by a mere eight points, meanwhile Manchester United, Liverpool, and Chelsea are all still in the fight for first place. Manchester United will play Aston Villa on Sunday in a match that could prove to be the most important of the season. Aston Villa has only won one of their last six games and will be looking to get back into form after having last weekend off. Chelsea could also have their hands full on Saturday with a match against Newcastle and newly appointed manager Alan Shearer. Shearer will be hoping to pull his new club out of the relagation zone in the next eight weeks and needs to start things off on the right foot on Saturday. The Chelsea vs. Newcastle game will be the game to watch this weekend.

Premier League Week 31

Blackburn vs. Tottenham
Arsenal vs. Man City
Bolton vs. Middlesbrough
Hull City vs. Portsmouth
*Chelsea vs. Newcastle*
West Brom vs. Stoke City
West Ham vs. Sunderland
Fulham vs. Liverpool
Everton vs. Wigan
*Man Utd vs. Aston Villa*

World Cup Qualifiers 4/01/09 Roundup.

Wednesday's World Cup Qualifiers not only showed off a lot of great football, but also produced some interesting results. England continued their qualifying run with a decisive 2-1 win over The Ukraine with Peter crouch scoring as well as John Terry. Argentina suffered an embarrassing 6-1 defeat at the hands of Bolivia, while Robbie Keane gave Ireland a 1-1 draw against a 10 man Italian team. Scotland secured an important win against Iceland that could prove just enough to earn a place in the 2010 World Cup. Other notable wins included a Spanish win in a rematch from last summer's as well as a 3-0 win for the United Stated against Trinidad and Tabago in which Jozy Altidore scored all three goals for the CONCACAF Giants.

Bolivia vs. Argentina Highlights

Italy vs. Ireland Highlights

England vs. Ukraine Highlights

Newcastle Appoint Shearer as Manager

Newcastle have confirmed that the once England skipper will be taking over the club on thursday. Shearer has undoubtedly been given the task of keeping the club out the relegation zone. Newcastle is currently two points away from safety, but this weekends clash with Chelsea promises to be a challenge for the newly appointed Shearer.

World Cup Qualifiers 4/01/09

April 1, 2009

Kazakhstan vs. Belarus
Bulgaria vs. Cyprus
Estonia vs. Armenia
Latvia vs. Luxembourg
Liechtenstein vs. Russia
Hungary vs. Malta
Northern Ireland vs. Slovenia
Wales vs. Germany
England vs. Ukraine
Scotland vs. Iceland
Georgia vs. Montenegro
Denmark vs. Albania
Austria vs. Romania
Poland vs. San Marino
Switzerland vs. Moldova
Czech Rep. vs. Slovakia
Andorra vs. Croatia
Netherlands vs. Macedonia
Bosnia-Herz vs. Belgium
Italy vs. Rep. of Ireland
France vs. Lithuania
Turkey vs. Spain
Greece vs. Israel
U.S.A vs. Trinidad and Tobago
Honduras vs. Mexico
Costa Rica vs. El Salvador

Welcome 4/01/09

Whether you call it soccer, football, or futbol. There is always something happening in the huge world of The Beautiful Game. I have played soccer for nearly all my life, and this morning when i got up out of bed i decided to make a Blog that is 100% dedicated to keeping people up to date on whats going on in the world of the best game on earth.