WCQ Weekend

Another World Cup qualifying weekend is upon us. There are a lot of games in the next couple of days. Here are a few that I think will be interesting from each zone as well s my assessment of Italy's matchup against Montenegro. I hope to watch a number of games and hopefully give my take on what I saw on Monday. Enjoy!

Oh and if you'd like to check out all the games there's no better place than Fifa.com.

Europe

Portugal v. Sweden: While it is still early both of there perennial contenders find themselves towards the bottom of Group 1. Group leaders Denmark are sure to pick up full points away to Malta so each team will be looking for a maximum take with the losers sure to face an uphill battle from then on. Good news for Portugal as the always dangerous Deco has been cleared to feature in this match.

Northern Ireland v. Poland: Both are tied with 7 points in a tight Group 3. Look for David Healy to add to his storied international career. I don't know why but I'd love to see Northern Ireland in South Africa.

Republic of Ireland v. Bulgaria: At the beginning of the campaign I'd had slated Bulgaria as stronger than Ireland but they sit 7 points back of the Irish and will need this game if they hope to gain any ground on their hosts or Italy. But the Irish had the smarts to hire an Italian to lead them and I think they'll take this one in Dublin despite Dimitar Barbatov's best efforts.

Spain v. Turkey, Netherlands v. Scotland, and Israel v. Greece are also games I expect to be competitive. I do like the home side in each though.

And of course there are the Azzurri. I love that Lippi is back in command and the attacking style he employs which is not always typical of the Italians. Montenegro will look to stifle the world champions and have a solid back line. With that said I think Lippi will use a 4-3-3 with Udinese pair Di Natale and Quagliarella complimenting the in-form Iaquinta up front. It might be tight but as an Italy fan I'm quite used to that and I expect the group leaders to take full points away from home.

Africa

Togo v. Cameroon: Arsenal's Adebayor has the OK to play in this match which could be a high-scoring display of attacking African soccer.

Mozambique v. Nigeria: I won't pretend to know a ton about African soccer but I do know the classically dominant teams and Nigeria certainly fits that description. From what I have read however a Mozambique team that recently tied the Ivory Coast could prove a stern test for the Super Eagles away from home.

South America

Uruguay v. Paraguay: Top of the standings Paraguay will face a tough trip to Montevideo especially without Roque Santa Cruz who should sit despite being named to the squad. I expect Paraguay to play conservatively as they are sitting pretty right now and a Uruguayan playmaker like Forlan will have the quality to catch them napping.

Ecuador v. Brazil: Ecuador are a quality side despite many who claim their best asset is their location. Quito is indeed a difficult place to play and Brazil's record there is not stellar but I expect the Selecao to be raring to go.

I just picked these matches at random since all of the South American qualifiers are always rife with passion and quality.

CONCACAF (North, Central America and Caribbean)

3 games since only 6 teams remain in contention. The US is sure to have it's hands full in El Salvador but I do expect a close win. Trinidad and Tobago will face a tough match against the Hondurans in Port of Spain. Both teams are without key players in Yorke (T&T) and Suazo (Honduras) and the Soca Warriors have a pretty poor record against Honduras, even at home.

The most intriguing matchup here is Mexico v. Costa Rica. Mexico and their manager, former England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson, desperately need not only a win but a strong result but Costa Rica have proven to be no pushover in the past and recently with a 2-0 defeat of Honduras. I expect El Tri to take it at home but it is sure to be a heated match.

Oceania

Haha. I imagine few care but New Zealand has predictably already won the right to face the 5th place AFC team in a home and home playoff for a spot at South Africa 2010.

Asia

Japan v. Bahrain: Japan can distance itself from the bottom of its group with a win at home over Bahrain. I expect they'll do so and rumor has it that Nakamura's free kicks have been a focal point for the Japanese and I'll call the Celtic hitman to tally at least one goal.

Iran v. Saudi Arabia: Both teams have experience and one win can vault them into better position to catch the two Koreas which top the group. I can't imagine Tehran is a very welcoming place to play.

Whoa that took a long time, doubt I'll do another one of these for the second slate of games in a few days but who knows? We'll see how much I enjoy this weekend.

International Soccer

Don't get me wrong, I love club soccer. I follow my clubs passionately and most of the year it's leagues and cup competitions that dominate the headlines. But as we get closer and closer to another World Cup the international games start to pick up.

International sports in general are a great leveller. Take the Olympics for instance. For the majority of the time no one gives a damn about who the best pole vaulter or speed skater is. But strap a flag on their uniform and all of a sudden it means something totally different. While MLS struggles to build up more of its fan base, U.S. Soccer at least seems to draw interest. That may mean that there is more interest in the sport as a whole but I think some kind of nationalism has at least a little but to do with it.

With that said, many of these games mean 10x as much to other countries. I will never forget the USA/Honduras Gold Cup match I saw at Giants Stadium. Sam's Army was there doing a great job as usual but one look at the colors throughout the stadium proved who had the real support of the crowd. When Honduras scored to go 1-0 up, the place went nuts. I love the passion soccer fans exhibit in general. Add passion for one's country to this and it's hard not to get caught up.

FSC has some OK Asian qualifiers on this weekend but GolTV actually has a few I'm waiting eagerly like Spain v. Turkey and The Netherlands v. Scotland. Way too many games to even begin a comprehensive analysis but I'll post a few teams and players to watch tomorrow with maybe a few little previews. I'd also like to analyze the groups in each qualifying zone sometime soon but until then, later days.

Reds Run Riot...Again

Wow, another smashing of a quality opponent. Stevie G with the hat-trick, add in Riera's blast and Kuyt's typical johnny-on-the-spot heroics and you have a 5-0 thrashing of Villa at Anfield. Villa put on some pressure early and I have to give credit where credit is due. Pepe Reina is not my favorite keeper by any means but he made some quality stops when the game was still in doubt and his assist on Riera's goal was something to behold. He's actually a very effective distributor of the ball which I feel is an underrated quality in a goalie. Great game all around but especially by the man between the posts.

Milan, well, that was a different story. Very frustrating game against Napoli who were very spirited at home. The Rossoneri were actually lucky to escape with a point.

In more good news though my picks continue to improve. I was 5 out of 10 for the EPL and 4 out of 5 for Serie A. I got a couple exactly and even my upset pick of Tottenham over Chelsea was spot on. Maybe someday soon I'll match myself up against a real journalist and see who does better.

International games coming up very soon, can't wait!

Big Game Gets Bigger

All of Liverpool's remaining matches must be treated as big games if they are going to catch Manchester United but yesterday's results have made this one of the utmost importance. It's one thing to win to keep up, but this win can help them catch up as Fulham shocked a surprisingly undisciplined Manchester outfit 2-0. Chelsea's loss to Tottenham (which I called, by the way) means a win would also give Liverpool full possession of 2nd in the table. Aston Villa will be a tough test but let's see the boys take it at home.

C'mon you Scousers!

My Favorite Time of the Week

Weekends mean that soccer will be on. Real soccer, not like the kind displayed by the Energy Drinks on Thursday. Good win for the Sounders, bad defense and goalkeeping for NY. Also a rough day Friday for my BC Eagles whose men's basketball and hockey teams both had their seasons ended today.

Let's hope my soccer teams fare better.

Here are my picks:

English Premier League

Playing on Sunday, game I hope I get to see, are Liverpool and Aston Villa. 2 top five clubs so you think it should be a close match but Liverpool are healthy and red hot while Martin O'neill's men are free-falling. Aston Villa will be the more desperate but Liverpool more confident. I'll call it 3-1 for the Reds at home at Anfield.

Portsmouth v. Everton: I know that Pompey will be desperate for points at home but I can't overlook Everton's advantage on paper, even though they were soundly beaten in the corresponding fixture. 2-1 Everton.

Blackburn Rovers v. West Ham: 1-1

Fulham v. Manchester United: 1-2

Stoke City v. Middlesbrough: 1-0

Tottenham v. Chelsea: My upset special of the week. 2-1 Spurs.

West Bromwich Albion v. Bolton Wanderers: 2-3

Newcastle v. Arsenal: I really hope Newcastle avoids the drop and they have drawn so many times this seson that I think their desperate need for points earns them another. 1-1.

Wigan Athletic v. Hull City: 2-0

Sunderland v. Manchester City: 2-1

Italian Serie A

Milan play away to Napoli this weekend. I don't know a ton about Napoli and can't recall seeing them this year. They are mid-table but they just changed coaches, hiring former Rossoneri midfielder Roberto Donadoni, and drew lowly Reggina last week. I just like the form Milan are in and will take them 0-2 over Napoli.

AS Roma v. Juventus: A big game for Roma but they will not be able to overcome the amount of injuries and suspensions they face. 1-3 Juve.

Internazionale v. Reggina: No contest 3-0.

I'll pick Genoa and Fiorentina to both pick up wins also as they continue to fight for the 4th spot.

I might be able to finally watch some games now that my cable is fixed!

MLS Kick-Off

So Major League Soccer kicks off it's 14th season tonight, 9 p.m. here on the East Coast with the expansion Seattle Sounders hosting finalists from last year, the New York Red Bulls.

A lot of people ask me what I think about the MLS when they find out I am a huge soccer fan. Honestly I have mixed feelings. I think it's natural for the U.S. to have a league and ultimately no matter what the quality of the league, it's good for soccer in America. It builds the sports' profile here with young people and is an OK venue for some home-grown talent to emerge.

By the same token, the quality of the league is still not to the point that it can retain it's top talent, even the U.S. based players. Sure there are exceptions (Landon Donovan, Brian Ching) but most Americans who really want to hit it big eventually ply their trade elsewhere. Soccer in the US has the unenviable task of competing with already established sports like baseball, basketball, and football. In other countries it's soccer first with those other sports developing later, if developing at all. So the main problem for MLS naturally seems to be interest, and thus revenue.

While the US might be the biggest market of all, the MLS is mighty poor in comparison to other domestic leagues. In order to combat this the MLS needs to find ways to appeal to fans.

In the early years I thought the MLS was completely inept at this. They were gimmicky, tried to be too flashy, and screwed around with their own rules (There were originally no ties. Every tie game ended in a shootout, and not a PK shootout. Think about the shootouts the NHL has these days and that's basically what you had. Lunacy.) This was all done in the hopes that it would make soccer more appealing to the average American sports fan.

What I really think they need to do is cater primarily to people that are already fans of soccer. People that are already fans of the sport just want to see quality soccer and they want to see facets of the formats that work so well overseas. Soccer as a sport already has a big fanbase in the US as exhibited by surges in ratings for international tournaments and European leagues and cups. The MLS doesn't need to convert people, it needs to bring in people who already love soccer. I think the current administration is doing a good job. Things like the increase of soccer specific stadiums, partnerships with other international clubs, participating in more cup tournaments (such as the CONCACAF Champions League), and a focus on bringing in more foreign talent have all greatly helped the game in the states. The fact that expansion continues to occur is also an encouraging sign.

So what next? Like I said more needs to be done to raise the profile of the league among already die-hard soccer fans. The atmosphere at new stadiums needs to continue to improve and I think as rivalries develop this will also. Something more concrete that I would like to see is to get rid of the very American notion of conferences and playoffs. The MLS should adopt the table format used in most other leagues with each team playing a home and home against the others and the points leader taking the cup. It's definitely a foreign concept but there is a reason it works: every single game is important.

I pledge to do my part and support the MLS more than I have. I rooted for the Red Bulls (god what a bad name though) back when they were the MetroStars and my interest has renewed over the last few years. They fielded a good squad last year and obviously made a deep playoff run. Also, with the prices for sporting events skyrocketing MLS games are still pretty cheap and I have been had a good time with a few (many) drinks and friends at New England Revolution matches since my relocation to Boston. So go to a game, see the ever-changing face of MLS and show your support if you are a true soccer fan.

It'd be cool if the expansion team could get its first win in its first home game. But I'll never root against NY. Go Energy Drinks.

If you wear a Celtic jersey because you think it's Irish...

You are an idiot. If you can actually describe to me the origins of the club which does have Irish roots and talk about the historical, religious, and social background and justify it that way I might even agree. But if you think it's an Irish jersey because of the colors, and you think it's an Irish team, or worse yet, if you actually think that it's a Republic of Ireland jersey then you my friend (first swear in my blog coming up), are an asshole.

And you are my least favorite part of St. Patrick's Day.

Weekend Wrap-up

Well I did a little bit better with my picks this week. I even got my first exact call with Inter's 2-0 win over Fiorentina. Called another scorer right too, not that I'm bragging. Anyways a quick recap:

I can't really gloat because it's still unlikely either of my teams, Liverpool and Milan, will win their respective leagues. But that only makes the routs over the weekend a little bit less awesome. Great performances all around by the Reds and the Rossoneri with special work put in by Gerrard, Torres, Inzaghi, Pato, Pirlo, Beckham, and give Pepe Reina some credit. Not my favorite keeper even though he's on my team but he made some good stops and at least one great one.

Other Notes:

Poor Aston Villa. Falling to a bottom-half Tottenham side saw them continue their slide and Arsenal have now taken fourth place back over. I'm pretty sure they won't meet again so Aston Villa really need to collect all the points they can get. But, the road gets rougher as they draw Liverpool and Manchester United in successive weeks. I was kind of hoping this was the year the "Big Four" got shaken up a bit but we might be back to business as usual.

Finally, I have already professed my admiration for him, but some more dap is in order for Pippo Inzaghi whose brace against Siena saw him reach the incredible milestone of 300 goals. Hats off to Pippo. Love him or hate him no one can dare deny that he is indeed one of the most prolific goalscorers in modern soccer.

MLS starts soon. Anyone care?

I'll try to.

Weekend Picks

Going down to visit my lady friend in NYC this weekend so I'll throw my picks up here now and we'll see how I did and have a recap on Monday.

English Premier League

Arsenal v. Blackburn Rovers: Despite a nice win over Fulham during the week I don't see how Rovers can contend with a resurgent and increasingly healthy Arsenal side. 3-1 to the Gunners.

Bolton Wanderers v. Fulham: A tough one to pick. I like what Fulham has done this season but every time I doubt Bolton they surprise me and I like them at the Reebok. 2-1 Bolton with Kevin Davies on target.

Everton v. Stoke City: Everton sit in sixth while their opponents here are in a relegation scrap. The Potters haven't won away all season and while they do seem to have more to play for I don't see that changing. A valiant effort might see them snatch a point and I'll back them to do so, 2-2 at Goodison Park.

Hull City v. Newcastle: Picking against Hull never seems to be wise this season but they've cooled considerably and the returns of Owen, Butt, and Duff will tip the scales in Newcastle's favor on this occasion. A 1-2 scoreline snatches 3 vital away points for the visitors.

Middlesbrough v. Portsmouth: Portsmouth have an atrocious away record and Middlesbrough have proven tough at home after defeating Liverpool at the Riverside Stadium a few matches ago but my gut says that Portsmouth is simply the stronger side. Both clubs need the points desperately but I think Middlesbrough lack of scoring hurts them in this one. 0-2 to Pompey.

Sunderland v. Wigan Athletic: Sunderland want to distance themselves from the drop zone but Wigan have their eyes on a still attainable spot in Europe. A hard fought match ends all square, 1-1 at the Stadium of Light.

Manchester United v. Liverpool: With both teams coming off European victories and the usual war of words swelling beforehand I expect nothing less than title match atmosphere at Old Trafford on Saturday. Liverpool were more convincing than United and have an extra days rest. I could go on and on, but of course I'm going to pick my boys. 2-1 Liverpool. C'mon you Scousers!

Chelsea v. Manchester City: Both of these squads are also coming off of solid European performances but I have to take Chelsea at home. 3-2 to the home side in a fast and furious affair at Stamford Bridge.

Aston Villa v. Tottenham Hotspur: Tottenham look resurgent with a revamped strike force led by the returning Robbie Keane. One of the biggest questions in the EPL these days is whether or not Villa can deal with a pressure they've never faced and hold onto the final Champions League spot. I'm not sure of the answer, but I don't think this is the game in which they falter. Villa wins 3-1.

West Ham v. West Bromwich Albion: West Brom only have pride left to play for but I don't think that will be enough. Zola's men win Monday's match 2-0.

Italian Serie A

I'll be picking a select few games this week for Serie A, and that will probably be the norm.

Siena v. AC Milan: Milan have been, much to my dismay, very inconsistent this season. I think the club has settled down a but though after a rough week or so with a UEFA Cup exit and all the Beckham hub-bub. There are still some injury concerns but I think they'll take this one comfortably. 0-2 to the Rossoneri.

Juventus v. Bologna: Juventus could field a fine squad with just their injury list and Bologna have Serie A's top goalscorer in Marco Di Vaio. A surprise 1-1 draw in Turin.

Sampdoria v. AS Roma: Roma's injury woes continue and a little hangover from their valiant but ultimately unsuccessful effort against Arsenal during the midweek will see them fall to an enigmatic Sampdoria side, 1-0.

Inter Milan v. Fiorentina: Mourinho knows that the Scudetto is the biggest honor his club can now win after crashing out to Manchester United in the CL. This might be the best match in Italy this weekend. I expect Inter to win but I think it will be tight. 2-0 to the Nerazzurri.

Lots of action this weekend and I'll miss it all for the Ms. Good thing Comcast threw in that DVR.

Champions League: Round of 16

Well I got 5 out of 8 right, and that was even after the first leg, but at least it was better than my first foray into picking the EPL. Here are some quick recaps of the games from this week.

Atletico was held to a scoreless draw at Porto which allowed the Portuguese to go through thanks to the away goals rule. All accounts state Porto's dominance and after their 2-2 win away from home a ticket to the next round seems well deserved to me.

Villareal came out 2-1 winners against Panathinaikos in a hostile Greek environment. The win put them through 3-2 on aggregate.

Chelsea left it late, Didier Drogba scoring in the 83rd minute against Juventus to tie the score at 2-2. The Ivorian's winner at home pushed Chelsea through 3-2 on aggregate. Hiddink looks to have his Blues firing on all cylinders.

Bayern, well...what can you say? The German giants humiliated Sporting Lisbon once again and go through with an astounding 12-1 aggregate.

Roma were the 1-0 victors at the Stadio Olimpico yet suffered heartbreak in the penalties as Arsenal's earlier victory by the same score put the tie into extra time. Tonetto's miss put the Gunners through. I was really rooting for Roma as I am a huge Totti fan and it would have been cool to have a team play a final in its home stadium.

A game Inter side was not enough to knock off the Manchester United juggernaut. Inter acquitted themselves well but goals early in each half from Nemanja Vidic and Christiano Ronaldo sent the 3rd Italian team of the week home. United remain on course for an unprecedented 5 trophies.

No one would count out a scrappy Lyon side after they drew at home with Barcelona but the Spanish proved too talented at Camp Nou. Goals by Messi, Eto'o, and Henry (2) within 18 minutes in the first half ultimately led to a comfortable 5-2 victory for the Spanish side and push them through 6-3 on aggregate.

But the most important match of course...

Liverpool ran riot on Real Madrid. 4-0. Unbelievable! I predicted they'd play it safe with a lead and an away goal in hand. They've adopted this strategy before and it's actually led to them losing some second-leg home matches while still managing to progress. But this time Rafa went for the jugular and it payed off big time. Liverpool piled on from the whistle and dominated play in the early stages with goals from Torres and a fortunate spot-kick from Gerrard seeing the Reds 2-0 up at the break. Stevie G added some insurance right after halftime with a sweet half volley. Iker Casillas who actually had an outstanding match for Madrid, was finally beaten for the 4th time on a classic Liverpool break out finished by onrushing defender Andrea Dossena.

Wins like this make it all the more frustrating that Liverpool gets snagged up by lesser sides in the EPL every year but besides that I can't begrudge a classic European victory like this. Knowing they won't have to run into my other favorite team, again, I'm riding high with Liverpool, hopefully to the CL final.

Wednesday's CL Picks

I'll have my review of all the Champions League action up after the entire round wraps up. Here's my picks for Wednesday.

FC Porto v. Atletico Madrid: (2-2 first leg) 1-2
Atletico advance with a 3-2 aggregate.

Barcelona v. Lyon: (1-1) 3-1
Barcelona advance with a 4-2 aggregate.

AS Roma v. Arsenal: (0-1) 2-0
Roma advance with a 2-1 aggregate.

Manchester United v. Internazionale: (0-0) 2-0
Manchester United advance with a 2-0 aggregate.

Tuesday's CL Picks

Here are my picks for tomorrow's second leg matches:

Bayern Munich v. Sporting Lisbon: (5-0 first leg) 2-1
Bayern advance, 7-1 aggregate.

Panathinaikos v. Villareal: (1-1) 1-1
Panathinaikos through on penalties.

Juventus v. Chelsea: (0-1) 2-1
Chelsea advance on away goals rule.

Liverpool v. Real Madrid: (1-0) 0-0
Liverpool advance, 1-0 aggregate.

Super Pippo

Hey I called something correctly! As usual, the player to pop up with a spectacular effort when Milan needed it the most was none other than Filippo Inzaghi. A hat-trick featuring his usual poaching style sunk Atalanta and with Fiorentina going down to Palermo, Milan has tightened its grip on 3rd place in Serie A. A good performance by David Beckham as well.

Let me just take a minute to declare my admiration for Pippo Inzaghi. If you were to see the man on the street and someone asked you to guess his profession, you would never guess a professional athlete of any kind. He's under 6 ft. tall and stringy as hell and looks much older than he actually is (35). But I love the passion that he plays with. Inzaghi celebrates every goal as if it were his first. The best part is that they are often what you might call "garbage goals". The ultimate poacher has poked balls in after they hit both posts, claimed wild deflections, and even nudge one in with his nose like a seal and celebrated them all as if he'd gone upper-90 from 30 yards away. You might forget about him all game as he gets caught offside time and again. But in the biggest games and at the biggest moments he always seems to pop up.

Sir Alex Ferguson has been quoted as saying that Pippo "was born in an offside position," and I've read at least one other editorial saying his face looks "like a smacked arse." Most people I know can't stand him. But I bet even they would admit that they would rather have him on their side.

Milan and Ancelotti

Milan play Atalanta tomorrow. Atalanta is still clawing for a UEFA Cup spot and I have seen them play a few games this year. Milan need to be on their toes. They should be able to win comfortably even with their lingering injury woes but they need to play all 90 minutes. Fiorentina are breathing down their necks to get into 3rd place and while they have a tricky match against Palermo I think they will putt it out. Milan needs all 3 points and head coach Carlo Ancelotti will still be under pressure.

It is basically confirmed that if Milan do slip out of 3rd Ancelotti's time at Milan is over. He is the longest tenured coach in Serie A and has led Milan to Champions League glory 2 times and 1 Scudetto. But like Benitez the league really has been his weakness and I think that even if Milan stay in third it might be time for a change. I personally like him and often agree with his tactics. I love the 4-3-2-1 Christmas tree formation and many of the players he has brought in have been immense for the Rossoneri. However it has been a long time and many of the players too are getting fairly old. I think, like Rafa Benitez, that he should be given (if he wants it) one more year to bring home some more serious hardware but I at the same time I would be a lot more worried if Liverpool lost Benitez.

So we'll see how the rest of the year pans out. As for tomorrow I predict Milan wins it 2-0 at the San Siro with at least one goal from my man Pippo Inzaghi.

A Few Saturday Picks

I'm not even going to bother predicting any FA Cup results as it might be the most unpredictable competition in soccer. It's like the NCAA Basketball Tournament in a way except even bigger odds are overcome sometimes.

There is one EPL game on today. Sunderland v. Tottenham is an interesting match up because they have the exact same record. There's really not much to choose between them. Sunderland have been in spotty form but Tottenham are coming off a 4-0 dismantling of Boro. Still, I'm cautiously going to go with Sunderland 2-1 at the Stadium of Light

In Serie A action I'll take Roma 2-0 over Udinese at home and Juventus 1-0 in the Turin derby over Torino. I also predict (and sort of hope) that Inter will continue their little slump and, with one eye surely on the Champions League coming up against Manchester United, Genoa will hold them on their home turf. 1-1 draw.

I also hope to watch some of the Madrid derby today. I don't see too many Spanish games but I've seen these two sides in European action enough to think it could be an exciting game. I'm going to choose Real over Atletico, 3-1.

Thursday Notes

This one's actually left over from yesterday but I thought I'd include it anyways. Sampdoria thumped Inter in their Coppa Italia semifinal, booking their place in the final along with Lazio who defeated Juventus previously. The 3-0 scoreline admittedly had much to do with Inter fielding what amounted to a B-team but Sampdoria are in form also and proved their recent success over Milan was no fluke. Goalscorers Cassano and Pazzini are both red hot and I sure hope Italy boss Marcello Lippi is taking notice.

A pretty quiet day Thursday saw one shocking result as Kuwait (125 in the FIFA rankings) went into Canberra and beat Australia (27) in Asian Cup qualifying. I have a soft spot for Australia as I like many of their players like Harry Kewell and Tim Cahill and it's pretty hard not to like Australia in general, but this is a pretty bad loss. I mean Kuwait did win the tournament once... in 1980... when they hosted it. The Socceroos did field mostly domestic A-leaguers however and I'm confident they'll win their group which also includes Oman (87) and Indonesia (137)

There was some good news for my fellow Liverpool fans today however as Fernando Torres stated, on his personal website, his intentions to remain with Liverpool even if Benitez leaves. How good his word is we have no way of knowing but it seems for now at least that Torres sees himself in Red at least until the end of his contract.

Wednesday Recap

I'm not sure if the EPL results today and their contrast with my picks has more to do with the fact that I am by no means an expert or the fact that it's just a competitive, unpredictable league. Probably both. I only got one right and that was a predictable win at Newcastle by Manchester United. At least I managed some decent pre-match analysis as the Magpies took an early lead and played hard only to be finally outclassed and defeated thanks to goals from Rooney and Berbatov on either side of the break.

West Ham keep chugging towards Europe with a 1-0 win at Wigan (I didn't get that one too wrong). Carlton Cole scored the winner before being sent off for getting two yellows.

A poor match by most accounts saw Blackburn hold Everton to 0-0 at home. A better result for Rovers than I predicted but not enough to keep them from sliding back into the bottom 3.

I should have had more respect for Stoke City's home form as they produced another fine win at the Britannia Stadium with Bolton the unlucky victims. 2-0 to Stoke with one goal provided by James Beattie who has been an important acquisition for the Potters.

Middlesbrough couldn't gain any momentum from their upset of Liverpool and got thumped by Tottenham 4-0 at White Hart Lane. Aaron Lennon, with a brace, joined Keane and Pavlyuchenko on the score sheet.

Hull City earned a dramatic win, and a vital 3 points, with a 1-0 scoreline against Fulham.

The only game I got to watch was Manchester City v. Aston Villa, a game I predicted would end in a draw. Manchester City definitely came out with more purpose with good chances by Stephen Ireland, who has had a great season, Felipe Caicedo, who is a bull of a man, and Shaun Wright-Phillips all going begging. They should have been up more but Elano converted a definite penalty after Wright-Phillips was taken down. It could have been closer to the draw I predicted after the break if Villa had taken their chances but like many of City's they went by the wayside. Good goalkeeping by Bran Friedel kept Villa in the game before Wright-Phillips made sure of maximum points for the home team late on. 2-0 to Manchester City.

Having picked these games kind of made it more interesting to follow them throughout the day (when I should have been working), and I'm excited that this makeshift pseudo-journalism will add another dimension to my love for soccer.

A bit of Italian action and my thoughts on my other favorite team's manager are up next.

Midweek Action

It's that time at the end of every EPL season when clubs are playing what seems like match after match after match. I work at both of my jobs on Tuesday so I didn't get to post a few picks or any kind of Liverpool preview like I will in the future. The results today were all pretty predictable. Arsenal beat West Brom 3-1 at The Hawthorns and Chelsea went down south to the seemingly always wet Fratton Park to defeat Portsmouth 1-0.

I didn't get to see the game but from what I read the first half was a bit choppy with Sunderland being denied at least one great chance by Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina. But all accounts say things settled down and David Ngog's first league goal and another by Yossi Benayoun, both opportunistic chances, sealed the 3 points for the Reds.

Some picks for tomorrow...

Manchester City v. Aston Villa - I honestly find myself rooting for City in this just because I don't want Villa any closer to 3rd place. I'm also not sure how to pick this game. I've seen these two teams quite a bit this season and they're been in some very different types of games. City are missing some key players in Robinho and Bellamy but my gut tells me this one will be close with some back and forth action and maybe an exciting finish.
Aston Villa: 3-2

Newcastle v. Manchester United - My friend and I always talk about how Newcastle should be better because come on, they're Newcastle. I really hope the Magpies stay up and I believe they will. I am not as optimistic about their chances of fending off United but I think they'll play it tough.
Manchester United: 2-0

Stoke City v. Bolton - Stoke are very scrappy, and have been in solid form at home all year but Bolton has played well in recent weeks when I have seen them ans I think they'll eventually outmatch the home squad.
Bolton: 2-1

Wigan Athletic v. West Ham - Two teams in good form sitting at 8th and 7th in the table, separated by 1 point. I'd give Wigan the edge at home but Zola has his men playing the kind of soccer he wants. All square at the JJB.
Draw: 1-1

Blackburn Rovers v. Everton - Everton has had a good season while Blackburn suffered heavily in the offseason with transfers and all year with injuries. My buddy is a big Blackburn fan and I'd like to pick them but I just can't.
Everton: 3-1

Fulham v. Hull City - Hull City can count me among their fans now because of the way they came storming out of the gates this season but they have understandably cooled and now sit only three points from the drop zone. They need to take all the points they should get but unfortunately for them I don't think this is one of those games. The Cottagers have impressed me lately and their defense just did a good job frustrating Arsenal.
Fulham: 2-0

Tottenham v. Middlesbrough - Middlesbrough sit in 18th but they are actually unbeaten in their last 4 matches. Tottenham on the other hand just lost the League Cup Final and were ousted from the UEFA Cup to continue a season to forget. Middlesbrough will want to ride the energy after defeating mighty Liverpool but I think Tottenham has at least enough to match them at home.
Draw: 2-2

We'll see how I did tomorrow!

Rafa Benitez

There has been a lot of uncertainty lately regarding the future of Liverpool's manager, Rafael "Rafa" Benitez and I thought I take a few minutes to think out loud about the coach and the situation.

I'll say right off of the bat that I do like the guy. He's ok with the media, doesn't usually get too into it with other managers, and seems an honest enough guy. He's brought a lot of talent to Liverpool, much of it Spanish. During his tenure Liverpool have won some major trophies like the Champions League in 2005, in that unbelievable final versus Milan, and the FA Cup in 2006, with Steven Gerrard the likely hero once again. Both matches ended in penalties. So they have shown great skill and mental toughness through the course of 2 somewhat grueling tournaments. Why then, can't they win the coveted league title?

This is basically why the pressure is on Benitez now. The club has enjoyed wonderful success while he's been in charge. His rotating wheel of players and lineups I will admit I could do without. It just doesn't seem to let some players get into a rhythm as I think was the case with Keane. Sure you could say that's just the system the striker needs to fit but I think in this case it drove away a player they could really be using now and its made for some dicey matches. His recent lineup away to Portsmouth was quite baffling with the likes of Torres and Xabi Alonso on the bench. His blushes were spared. But beyond that his overall record and collection of other trophies wouldn't suggest he should be considered unfit for the job. But why can't he win it? No one knows for sure. Injuries have certainly been a nuisance and not just this season. Rafa might argue that he has not been given the control over transfers that he would like. But there's another fairly simple answer that it is pretty hard for a Liverpool fan to admit.

Look who they have to play! As good of a form as Liverpool have maintained for the last couple of years, United's has been just a bit better. Since 2004 when Benitez took over at Liverpool, United have won two Premier League Titles, two League Cups, and have Champions League and FA Cup trophies of their own. They look to be heading towards another. You might argue that another manager might be up to their challenge but so far few other managers have been.

So in conclusion I think Rafa should stay. They should give him one more year and a little bit more control over the transfers. That way when we get to arguing about this next year he will have no excuses and neither will I. But as long as he's the manager he's got my support, whatever that's worth. (Hint: nothing)

Tough Times

The start of this blog finds my two favorite clubs each hitting a bit of a rough spot. Liverpool had their best ever start to a Premier League season but now look to have squandered the chance at another title race. Milan, after a derby setback to Inter, have simply continued to slide.

Liverpool has frustrated me the most since they topped the table for a large part of the season but Manchester United has simply overcome them. That game in hand they seemed to have forever loomed and loomed and once Sir Alex's squad took over they haven't looked back. Liverpool has wasted key points including their shock 2-0 defeat at Middlesbrough this weekend. It was a typical Liverpool late season performance as they dominated long stretches but simply didn't take the most of their chances. I fear it looks like that will also be a microcosm of their campaign. They need to get their act together to stay in at least 3rd place in the EPL for a crucial automatic Champions League place. Aston Villa is nipping at their heels and it took a scrappy 2-2 effort from Stoke City this weekend to keep them 3 points below Liverpool.

Milan enjoyed a brief spell a bit surprisingly (at least to me) coinciding with the addition of David Beckham and (not surprisingly) the return of Kaka, but since their derby loss against Inter, which put them 11 points back, hopes are slim. Losing at a game but still, 14th in the table, Sampdoria squad this weekend certainly didn't help. They were also knocked out of the UEFA Cup, a competition they really could have, and in my mind should have won, losing on the away goals rule in the first knockout stage to Werder Bremen.

So things look dire for my favorite teams. Liverpool still has the Champions League where they hold the advantage after a good win at Real Madrid. They have had a great deal of success in this competition under Rafa Benitez (whom I will express my opinion on tomorrow) so there's still some hardware to play for. Neither team is mathematically eliminated from either of their domestic leagues but it'll take quite a bit of good fortune.

Fingers crossed.

My Personal Approach to Soccer Fandom

My girlfriend asked me a few weeks ago which of the sports teams I follow I like the most. It was a very good question and a hard one to answer and when I did, I initially left out my favorite soccer teams. The teams I named first were the New York Giants, New York Mets, and New York Rangers and the BC Eagles. I'm trying to get into the Knicks but I can't make any promises. Anyways when she asked why I didn't name my soccer teams I had a good long thought about it. I do root as hard for them as I do for my other sports teams. My mood might change depending on a win or loss for them just the same. But I guess what it really comes down to is the connection I have to the teams in particular. For my other sports teams the connection come from things like geography (I am originally from the great state of NY), the fact that I went to school at BC, and from other important things like my parents being fans and most of the people I grew up with also being NY fans. With soccer the natural connections are a bit fewer but the reasons I chose the teams I choose to support help explain a little bit of my approach to soccer fandom.

With no real connection to non-American soccer leagues, geographic or otherwise, and a scarcity of soccer on American TV anyways, I believe the reason I chose to fall in love with my first soccer team really was simply that it was one of the few teams I ever got to see. The Italian Channel that we got on cable, I don't remember its name, always showed AC Milan matches. I couldn't understand anything but I just remember from a young ages watching matches at the San Siro, the passion, the colors, the pace. I loved it all and since I could follow their progress somewhat consistently they became my first club team. My national team came first.

Italy is my favorite international soccer team. I am in fact from an Italian American family on my lovely mother's side but I don't think this played to much of a role in my adopting Italy as my team. It would make more sense to support the US geographically here but as I alluded to in my first post the first time I really payed close attention to soccer was during the '94 World Cup. I would have been seven then and I doubt I had any kind of self-identity about my ancestry playing a part in choosing what I did and did not like. But I liked Italy, particularly Mr. Roberto Baggio. Italy's number 10 enthralled me all tournament. His miss in the final, when he participated despite being injured, was heartbreaking but I have been un tifoso of the Azzurri ever since.

My association with Liverpool and why I support the Reds is the best example of how I generally view soccer. I started watching Liverpool because I liked one particular player: Michael Owen. I thought it was awesome how young Owen was and how skilled he was. Never the biggest, he was always hustling, and scored some spectacular goals. I started following his Liverpool squad and the rest is history. When Owen left Liverpool I remained a casual fan of his but remain a die hard fan of the boys from Anfield. So basically now that I have some set teams to root for I'm basically back to the way I was with Owen. I tend to root more for players than for actual teams. There are of course different levels of my like and dislike for certain teams but usually besides my favorites I am pretty neutral. As long as they play good soccer and have some good players they're fine by me. Even teams that would fall closer to the dislike side of the spectrum have players that I admire and respect such as Chelsea's Joe Cole, Terry, Lampard and Kalou, and Inter Milan's Hernan Crespo and goalkeeper Julio Cesar.

So throughout the course of this blog you'll see me shift my feelings for certain clubs and countries as well as players based on actions and performance. But I'll be a Red, Rossonero, and Azzurro all the way through.

New Blog!

So I understand that probably nobody is reading this right now and perhaps no one will be reading it for quite some time but, in the event that eventually someone might want to check out my blog I suppose an introduction is in order.



I go by Dave. I am an American. I love soccer.



While I do agree that the proper name is "football" I am not going to be one of those snooty Americans who refuse to call it soccer. That's just what we call it here, get over it.



Enough about me. More about my blog.



I started this blog basically because of my love for The Beautiful Game and my lack of someone to talk about it with. Did I mention I'm an American?



This will just give me a space to articulate my thoughts, opinions, and analysis (amateur though it may be) about the sport that I love. I rather enjoy talking about soccer but rarely do any of my friends engage in conversation about it and the non-Americans I try to accost at the market I work at rarely stick around to chat. This will be my outlet.



I will try to present a comprehensive look at soccer around the world but this will surely prove to be an exhausting task. And of course I have my biases so I might as well be up front about them now. For starters my coverage of domestic leagues will probably heavily favor the English Premier League and the Italian Serie A. These are the two leagues I follow the closest because A) They are prominently featured by my go-to soccer channel FSC and also the leagues of my two favorite clubs: Liverpool FC and AC Milan. I will be biased towards these two teams hopefully more in terms of the amount of attention I pay them and in my hopes for their success rather than in my analysis of their players, chances, tactics, matches etc. There are very few teams, if any, that I can say that I hate. If I had to choose, Chlesea and Inter Milan would be the natural subjects of my scorn. I also love international soccer and seeing as how World Cup qualifiers are in full swing I should have plenty of opportunities to cover that as well. My favorite international squad is, without a doubt, Italy. I am also a fan of U.S. Soccer but my feelings for them are more complex and I plan to address them another time. I will also certainly cover important competitions like the Champions League and UEFA Cup. Any other leagues and stories will be covered when they interest me or when I can.



What are my credentials? I have none. I graduated from a fine Jesuit Catholic university in Chestnut Hill, MA with a degree in History. I have no formal journalistic training. I have played soccer since I was about 6 years old and for the vast majority of that time plied my trade as a goalkeeper (so there will definitely be some bias favoring them too). I have loved watching soccer ever since staying inside for a month in the summer to watch the '94 World Cup in the US. The result of the final crushed me, but I was hooked.



I'm very excited to have a forum to share my thoughts and I hope anyone who stumbles upon it will feel free to share theirs in the comments as well.



Peace.