Posts Tagged ‘ Men in Blazers ’

MatchDay Memory–America’s Next Top Soccer Fan

Men in Blazers is currently running a competition to determine “America’s Next Top Fan”. Here is my submission:

Once I heard about the Savile Rogue competition, I immediately stopped checking Europa League scores and started scribbling down all the reasons why I am America’s Next Top Fan. Me I’m just a guy, struggling to balance work, family and the beautiful game.  Over the years it has slowly overtaken my life to the point I’ve had to enter couples’ therapy with my wife in an attempt to save my family rather than descend into a state reminiscent of Fever Pitch narrated by David Peace’s Brian Clough.  In the beginning I would just watch an occasional game, play once in a while, pick up a copy of Four Four Two and search the burgeoning internet for info and a crappy game feed.  That routine evolved into playing almost every night, coaching several teams, spending money on PPV games and going to MLS games in the formative years of the league.  

Then I got married and my wife and I had a child.  An equilibrium was maintained until a wedding anniversary weekend when I watched Arsenal v Manchester United on my computer while my wife waited for us to go to breakfast.  Or the time I missed my son’s floor hockey game to rush to the bar to drink in another match and a couple of pints.

The game has consumed my life.  Like any good American I eventually started a blog with the simplest of intentions—write a couple of thoughts on what happened over the weekend.  That lasted a couple of weeks until I started blogging three to four times a week, including writing for sites that found my work and asked me to contribute for them.  Watching a game or two on the weekend became a half dozen games, catching up on highlights of the games I missed, listening to dozens of podcasts, reading every single soccer article on the internet, and constantly writing to keep up with my commitments.  After my wife and I started counseling, I finally caved and gave up the blog and after like three days without my fingers hitting the keyboard, I started a podcast, which I now spend any free moment editing and planning.

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The pod is a change for me as I don’t talk that much in day to day life but nearly got punched out in a men’s room in a Florida bar because I told a stranger that Gareth Southgate was a twat for missing a penalty at Euro 96.  (Turns out the English stranger was a big Southgate fan.) And put a couple of beers in me and a dose of tension, and I become another person—screaming, pacing, even more anti-social.

Plus I help run a local supporters group: setting up watch parties, including the dreaded 7:45am Saturday kickoff or the 8:30 Sunday morning games; planning pick up games at crappy parks; talking trash on facebook and twitter with other supporters throughout the week; developing a new logo for the group; and working on possible road trips for the future.

As for work, HA!  I have a pirated ESPN3 feed and illegal internet windows going so that I can watch games while “working”.  Great plan except when FCB mounted a stirring comeback only to nearly throw it away in the last 10 minutes, with me pacing my office, willing the ball to stay out of Valdes’ net and screaming and slamming my desk when Alba ran the length of the field to score the fourth and send Milan packing.  And don’t tell my boss about the inordinate amount of time I spend on twitter and facebook interacting, reading, and learning.  I would say in a given week, I do about 15 minutes of real, actual work.  I bank all of my personal and vacation days. Why?  So I can go on a relaxing trip with the fam?  Hell no.  So I can watch Champions League all spring and take MLS trips.  Last summer I took a week off to go to the Pacific Northwest to see the amazing supporters in Portland and Seattle.  By myself.  No wife, no kid.  Best vacation ever.

manchester united

I have a drawer full of kits.  Even after several purgings, I could wear a different kit every day for a month without repeating.  And I wear them all the time.  If I am not constrained by work or socially accepted norms—weddings, funerals, or jacket required restaurants—it’s what I wear.

The game makes me nuts.  During United v Real Madrid, I turned red, not with devilish pride but with murderous rage when Nani got sent off.  In a surprising moment of self-control, I removed myself from the group at the bar and put myself in time out, finding a TV off in the corner so that I could die a slow, painful death without raging against friends, acquaintances and strangers or throwing my glass at the TV.

time out corner

And why?  Why risk everything on men I will never meet, on results I cannot control no matter how many kit variations I try or seats I switch or Jedi exercises I do.  Why?  Because of Iniesta’s moment of brilliance against Chelsea, Donovan’s goal against Algeria, Cantona against Liverpool in 1996, Zakuani’s return, the current generation of La Furia Roja, Del Piero against Madrid, and that glorious spring of 1999.

After going through an entire pen’s worth of ink and all the napkins at the coffee bar, I took a breath and realized that I am not even the biggest fan in my city—Lansing, MI.  Just over a year ago, I joined forces with Aaron Passman, who started Mid-Michigan United, the supporters group I mentioned.  We have John who has a mancave in his basement with flags and banners from around the world, complete with a mankini that makes an appearance from time to time; then there’s Cedrick who takes over the bar screaming obscenities at the TV in several languages while amassing a list of soccer players he wants to die in a bus crash.  I’Shawnna who supports several clubs based on a mix of charitable contributions, talent, and injustice in an equation that makes your head spin trying to unravel it.

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But back to me, a topic I’m very fond of, if I could take one thing from Manchester City, it wouldn’t be Ya Ya or Kompany or the petro dollars, it would be Mancini’s scarf style.  If the Italian manager put a video on YouTube about how to properly tie and wear a scarf I would study it like the Zapruder film.  But alas, I’m stuck with acrylic scarves in a culture that doesn’t quite get why a grown man has something tied around his neck while wearing a full strip during matches.  But if I had a Savile Rogue scarf, made of the finest cashmere, I think I could turn things around.

2013
03/26
CATEGORY
MatchDay Memories
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Recent Media Intake

Here’s some of the stuff I’ve been reading/listening to over the last week . . .

Eddie and Robert broke down the fallout of Shirtgate for the Manchester United Redcast, with Rio failing to wear the Kick It Out T-shirt, which left Fergie out on a limb.  Is this the beginning of the end for the defender or just a simple miscommunication?  As for the Chelsea game, they noted that once Rooney starts scoring, he usually scores in bunches and they hope that Fergie doesn’t make a mistake like the one against City last year, ie highly defensive 4-5-1.

Speaking of Manchester United, I found an excerpt from Rob Smyth on Guardian Sport.  He wrote a piece on Roy Keane for an upcoming book Life’s a Pitch: The Passions of the Press Box about Smyth compared the Manchester United midfielder to pop icons Tyler Durden and Tony Soprano, which was interesting.  Reading this piece you understand why he will never be a good manager—he simply demands a level of performance that is impossible to consistently attain.

Moving on to Arsenal, Nick Hornby was on last week’s Men in Blazers to talk about the release of the 20th anniversary of Fever Pitch, the future of fandom, comments on the season thus far and thoughts on his e-book Pray, which recounts the dramatic 2011-12 season.

As for the Premier League in general, looks like the US EPL rights are going to the Peacock.  After a relationship of over 15 years with Fox (regional channels, the creation of Fox Sports World which morphed into Fox Soccer Channel and even led to the Champions League Final being shown on FOX), and leased games to the four letter network, the biggest league in the world is being shown the money and is moving to elsewhere.  Richard Deitsch posted Friday on SI.com that NBC, in particular NBC Sports Network, looks to be in the driver’s seat, with BeIN also a possibility.  It will be interesting to see if NBC shows games a la FOX national and if they develop an online platform and/or use their vast array of channels.

Nike sold Umbro.  Yawn.  The company will not exist in 10 years. Get over it.

Finally, there was lots of buzz this week about the possibility of the US hosting the 2016 Copa America.  At first it seemed like a done deal but there has been significant back tracking and conflicting details.  Would it be a 12 or 16 team tournament?  If it is 16 teams and involves several CONCACAF teams, does not seem like a Copa America but a Copa of the Americas? I don’t mind the US hosting and being and invited participant but it does seem weird that this country would host the 100th anniversary of a South American tournament, radically changing the structure and make up of the competition.  Just sayin.  Grant Wahl offered some other considerations for SI.com.

One player who probably won’t be there is Landon Donovan.  Roger Bennett sat down with US star for ESPN FC.  The long time face of MLS and the USMNT spoke about his future, including possibly not playing at the 2014 World Cup.  I appreciated his self-analysis about motivation and his desires for the future.  He has given a lot to his clubs and his country and maybe it’s time to move on.

2012
10/29
CATEGORY
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Old Futbol Buffet–Footy Free

This weekend, I did not watch a single game.  You’re welcome.  Why? You ask.  By me not watching I created an environment of drama and goals.  Chelsea on 4-2 at White Hart Lane; United won 4-2 against Stoke; City grabbed three points at the death against WBA; Barcelona won 5-4 at the Riazor; and Valencia stole the match late at home against Athletic Bilbao.

Spooky at Dear Mr Levy saw Spurs’ start slow in part due to the absence of Dembele and Bale, rebound with a higher tempo second half but in the end capitulate due to defensive lapses.  Watching the highlights, what was Walker doing in the second half?  Not tracking, not marking, not shielding the ball out of play.  Spooky addressed and asked for patience towards the young player.  As MOTD stated, Spurs asked questions (at least for a little bit) and the Blues responded.

James Martin of ESPN FC summarized an open game in which he felt that Chelsea stepped it up.  See above.  Walker went missing and gave Chelsea plenty of room to operate.  James mentioned Gallas’ struggles as well as his clearances led to two of the visitor’s goals.  In the Blues won three more points as they look to cement their claim as title contenders.

Danny at Bitter and Blue saw the Champions (still have a hard time writing/saying that) grab all three points at the Hawthorns.  Despite Milner being sent off in the first half, City took the game to WBA and were eventually rewarded.  Stat Attack from Danny:

Eight of City’s 17 goals this season have been scored in the final five minutes, with five of these netted in the final five minutes. Nine of Dzeko’s last 11 goals have been to earn a draw or get the win.

This last statement led to Danny wrapping up the post.  Is Dzeko a super sub or what?  Have to say that watching the run in to last season and the early part of this season, he fits the bill.  After Aguero, Tevez, Silva and Balotelli run defenders ragged, he steps in and seals the deal.  The storyline will be whether he remains happy with that role.

Musa Okwonga of the Manchester United Blog for ESPN FC looked at the attacking triangle of Welbeck, van Persie and Rooney for Manchester United.  The three of them combined for all four goals, showing a cohesion that could put the Reds back in to the title chase.  Unfortunately the defense still needs shoring up and may ultimately prove the deciding factor come May.

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Articles and Pods

During the international break, I skimmed the internet, visiting sites previously unknown or ignored in my routine.  I came upon a post on Bleacher Report about players that United might get rid of in January and possible replacements moving forward.  Out: Nani, Josh King (striker I don’t know too much about), Bebe (forgot he was even on the team), Macheda, and Robbie Brady (a possible left back option going forward but if he wants to stay in contention for Ireland, he needs to be playing).  Who to bring in?  Hangeland to rebuild the center of the defense and Strootman to strengthen the center of midfield.  Yes to all of the above.

Occasionally I’ll check out the Pitch Invasion podcast.  Episode 8 looked back at the found of the Chicago Fire, with Peter Wilt, the founding General Manager of the Chicago Fire Soccer Club recounting the forming of the club, including the badge, the name (original name was going to be Chicago Rhythm?), the kit and development of the supporter culture.  I remember going to early games at Soldier Field, actually cheering against the home team so that I could support DC United.  Good times.

The USMNT has moved on to the next round of qualifying after a tougher than expected semi-final round.  A lot has been written and said in the last week regarding Klinsmann’s time in charge, just over 14 months.  I listened to two podcasts that examined his time thus far: Beyond the Pitch and Men in Blazers.  Both pods touched on the fact that a massive sea change has not occurred under the German and that is big ideas have not become concrete actions.  Alexi Lalas was on Men in Blazers to discuss this as a former player and current pundit, which made for an interesting conversation.

Finally, Grant Wahl looked at the emergence of beIN Sport in theUS and Europe for SI.com.  The network has the US rights to several leagues—Italian, French and Spanish—plus it has picked up USMNT away games, which previously were impossible to find.  From a US viewing perspective, the channel has essentially combined GolTV and Fox Soccer Plus, with the real losers being the German Bundesliga (still on GolTV, which has been dropped by DirecTV per Wahl’s article) and the English Championship (Bueller, Bueller).

But another loser may be the American soccer consumer.  BeIN has all of these leagues but only one feed.  (Sorry, that’s not fair.  They have the Spanish feed but guess what?  Americans would like to watch games with English commentary.)  My question is this: How do you show everything?  A recent example was the massive one time convergence of rivalry games that occurred two weeks ago: El Clasico, the Milan Derby and PSG v Marseille.  Here’s what beIN chose to do in their infinite wisdom: viewers only got to see the second half of the Milan Derby live as it was shoehorned in between El Clasico and the French game.  What?  That will be the norm as important games in Italy and Spain are typically shown in late afternoon Eastern time.  With no online platform, you can only see the live games that they show.  The rest are shown on delay, and in the internet age, they should be able to do better.

Every time they make a decision between leagues, they piss off people.  A couple of weeks ago, the Juve/Roma game (typically a big rivalry game, especially more so this year with Zeman in charge of the Romans) was not broadcast live.   The Juventini were PISSED and with good reason.  This is a big game and fans were not able to see it live, having to go into media blackout if they wanted to watch it without knowing the result.  Where will the channel put their focus as they to strike a balance between all of the leagues?

So far we’ve got a terrible name, poor distribution and only one screen for three important European leagues.  Can’t fix the first one without MAJOR re-branding.  I pray every day for a better name.  Distribution will be fixed over time.  I can’t believe that they won’t be in more homes by next summer.  Comcast will come around and so will AT&T.  As for the third, that’s where it gets tricky.  If they don’t add an online option to provide customized viewing and then we are at their mercy as I see it.  Maybe I want to watch Getafe v Osasuna or Genoa v Catania or Le Havre v Sochaux.  And I can’t because it conflicts with another match in another league.  And there is no option beyond illegal internet feeds.  That doesn’t seem right.

On top of all of this, is their pursuit of the EPL.  If they get that, everything I have mentioned will be negatively affected at a rate of 10, while causing the probable collapse of FSC.  While I don’t really like the channel (studio shows, graphics, choice of live Champions League games), you can’t argue with the access they provide to the game—constant repeats, online options, two channels. If they go away then beIN has a virtual stranglehold on the American soccer viewer.  I’m not really in favor of that.  Not only do I find that wrong on a very basic level, but basically I’m swapping Rob Stone for that annoying skinny blond that is constantly on in between games doing her best deer in the headlights routine.

2012
10/22
CATEGORY
Old Futbol Buffet
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Old Futbol Buffet–Up and Running

Back in the saddle again.  The EPL kicked off on Saturday, and Mid Michigan United got together to watch Newcastle host Spurs.  The Spuds are my second English team so I was anxious to see how they would set up shop this year.  Plus I wanted to see if the Magpies first game since a surprise fifth place finish last year.

I walked into Buffalo Wild Wings and was greeted with a host of African descent sporting pulled back dreadlocks.  No not Edgar Davids.  Mario Melchiot.  What the what?  Found him very hard to understand (of what I could hear).  And where was AVB’s London Fog jacket?  Redoing his image perhaps?  Anyway people started trickling in and I ended up keeping my kid under control and talking to Damon Rensing, Head Coach of the MSU Men’s Soccer team for a while, so I missed almost the entire first half.  From what I could tell I didn’t miss too much.

One thing that stood out was Newcastle’s corner kick routine.  It seemed as if two players were slow dancing at eighth grade Catholic dance (enough room for the Holy Spirit in between) before being joined by a third player.  Very weird.

The second half turned out to be more entertaining as Ba got things started with a lovely finish.  Chances came and went before Defore smashed home after Krul made the initial save.  There was a hint of offside but no matter.  Then it was a race to the finish as the substitutes maintained the energy and the attempts on goal.  The decider came from two Spurs attacking players doing something idiotic—VdV and Lennon had Hatem Ben Arfa on lock down just outside the area but allowed him to wriggle his way between them.  To compound that error there was a slight trip and an awkward clattering that led to a penalty which HBA dispatched to seal the three points.

A decent game highlighted by several quality efforts on both sides and a moment of madness from Pardew who shoved the assistant referee for a supposed blown call.  Not smart.  Plus he couldn’t get the walkie talkie to work up in the stands.  By the way, why don’t coaches have to go sit in the corner aka the locker room like players?  Anyway, hopefully United get off to a good start Monday afternoon and then next weekend it is Liverpool v City.

Spooky’s song sheet for the upcoming season reads: patience and positivity as AVB tries to put together pieces which may or may not be in place yet.

Zonal Marking looked at the match, pointing out the impact Ben Arfa had on the match.  He also looked at Pardew’s tactical change for the Magpies at halftime when he switched to a 4-3-3.

——

To get ready for the upcoming season, I listened to several pods, covering a wide range of topics.

Phil and Anto had Sandy Jardine on Beyond the Pitch to talk about Glasgow Rangers.  To be honest I had no idea who he was, but this Scottish legend discussed the current situation for the Scottish giant.  Unfortunate circumstances got them to this point, but there is hope for the future.

The gang at Juventiknows dedicated a whole week to Alessandro del Piero, including photos, posts and a pod devoted entirely the Juve legend.  ADP generated some many great memories and it was a joy to take a look back.

Finally, in an attempt to up to speed for the upcoming EPL season, I checked out the first pods from Men in Blazers and the Manchester United Redcast.  Roger and Michael predict a weird season on the horizon while the panel at the Redcast are pessimistic that the Reds can take back the title from the Blues of City.

Found some more stuff throughout the week . . .

Ben Lyttleton looked at ten possible EPL story lines for the upcoming season—from matching the drama of last year’s final day to all of the coaching to the players moving from team to team.

James Horncastle examinted the impact Conte’s suspension might have for Juve.

2012
08/20
CATEGORY
Old Futbol Buffet
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Old Futbol Buffet–Tell Me When the FA Cup is Over

So I took the weekend off from non-La Liga games this weekend.  As I talked about in my Weekend Warrior post, I just don’t get into the FA Cup.  I should, but I looked at the fixture list and nothing really jumped out at me. Honestly, with United out, I probably won’t watch until the semis or the final.  May not watch at all.  Don’t think I’ve watched a Final since Portsmouth beat Cardiff in 2008.

Watched bits and pieces of Spurs game against Stevenage, and when I left Liverpool was tied 1-1 with Brighton.  The pressure must surely be mounting on Arsene at the Emirates as the Black Cats dumped the Gunners out of the FA Cup andMilanabsolutely thrashed them in the Champions League.  The battle for fourth in the Premier League is going right down to the wire and I’m not sure Arsenal has the stomach for the fight.

As for Juventus, I find them hard to watch right now.  As a fan, I should support them not matter what, but game after game of grinding play and poor finishing has left me struggling to carve out time in my calendar.  Of course I didn’t watch Sunday’s match against Cataniaand, from what I’ve read, missed a commanding performance from Pirlo as the Old Lady won 3-1.

I didn’t watch the Juventus game and Aaron’s post match wrap mocked me as I missed an open game full of chances and mistakes and goals.  Catania could very well have taken all three points but the Old Lady, orchestrated by Pirlo, won the match and set up a big time game with AC Milan.

Paolo looked back at a weekend in Serie A that saw Inter running off the rails and Napoli surging back up the table.  Their fortunes continued in the Champions League with Napoli beating Chelsea 3-1 and Inter falling to Marseille 1-0 in France.

One thread I hope to develop this summer is the nature and quality of my fandom going forward.  I can’t see how I can fully devote myself to three clubs (Manchester United, FC Barcelona and Juventus).  I never really have but maybe it’s time to invest in one to the exclusion of others.

I missed the Napoli v Chelsea first leg so read Zonal Marking’s recap of the game, which focused on high positioning of Ivanovic and the lack of organization from the Blues that the hosts were able to exploit.  Down 3-1 heading back to Stamford Bridge, don’t see how Chelsea turns it around.

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Podcasts

I spent a lot of time on the road on Thursday and Friday so was able to keep up with my podcasts.

On the SI roundtable, the panel discussed the Suarez/Evra fiasco, gave some thoughts on the African Cup of Nations and talked about some possible stories this season in the MLS.

The Men in Blazers pod featured a host derby as Chelsea played Everton. Again, HandshakeGate (what a stupid name) was discussed before Aaron Ramsey’s deadly penchant for scoring was mentioned.

Anto had Phillip Delves Broughton on Beyond the Pitch to talk about his interview with Silvio Berlusconi.  Great conversation and interesting insights into the former Prime Minister and AC Milan President.

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Jersey Leaks

This week I also came across possible jersey leaks for next season.  Underwhelming to say the least.  The Men in Blazers had snapshots of the US kit, which hearkens back to the 1994 World Cup kits from adidas.  After watching highlights on 101greatgoals.com, I clicked on a post with mockups up kits from Barcelona, Arsenal and Manchester United.  Ugh.

2012
02/20
CATEGORY
Old Futbol Buffet
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Old Futbol Buffet–Schedule Overload

This weekend was jam packed for me. Saturday started with the Liverpool/Manchester United game, which was followed by my son’s floor hockey game, and then I was off to run a community event at a local church. Instead of getting a nap in afterwards, there were almost 10 boys running around the house, engaging in a NERF war of epic proportions. Eventually things calmed down and I went back out to watch the replay of Osasuna against FC Barcelona.

Sunday was busy as well as I had to put my house back together. Then I headed out to meet with Aaron of Mid Michigan United to talk about future watch parties and events in the Lansing Area. Finally it was back home for church and then a well deserved rest before heading back to work this morning.

With a busy week at work and at home my reading and viewing were a little light but here we go.

Saturday

Manchester United 2 Liverpool 1

Originally I was going to watch this game later in the day because 730am is early, especially since I knew I would be out late the night before and had a long day ahead of me, but the my local pub was opening early and some of the guys were going to be there so I couldn’t resist.

I called my friend at halftime and he was like United is dominating. I told him I wouldn’t say there were dominating but they were in control. The game was much better than the league game at Snfield, but the opening goal wouldn’t come. Felt that Scholes and Carrick were able to handle a subpar Liverpool midfield and Suarez was only dangerous when he got one on one in space.

But what a second half. An absolutely blinding start from the Red Devils with a Rooney brace early to all but seal the game. Once again I felt they took the foot off the pedal as they did in the City FA Cup game and it almost bit them in the ass. The Liverpool goal was a complete cluster. First a non foul on Suarez, although to be fair it looked bad in real time, which led to the free kick that bounced off Rio’s nether regions to allow the villain to score. After that Liverpool just kept hammering away, almost getting rewarded with a Suarez header (off target and offside) and a blistering effort at the end.

United were the better team but just. They are far from the irresistible force of several years ago and may win the title only because City and Mancini don’t know how. As for Liverpool they were toothless for the most part. United were able to keep them at arm’s length pretty easily until Bellamy came on, although I felt he should have come on earlier. As for the rest of the team, they are simply not good enough. Spearing is not a replacement for Lucas, Johnson is decent but disappeared and Jose Enrique simply cannot deal with Valencia.

Zonal Marking summarized the game and focused on Giggs’ position, which was a narrow left sided midfielder, that created a numbers up behind Gerrard and Henderson and around Spearing.

I checked out the Red Rants blog to get their perspective on the game. Daniele gave a quick summary of the game before chiming in on the actions and comments of King Kenny and Suarez, ending the post with, “Liverpool should worry about clinching a place in Europe for next season, rather than spending energies to defend Suarez.”

Sunday

After my meeting with Aaron I had planned to watch Bologna versus Juventus, but the game was cancelled by the recent coldsnap in Italy.  I believe of their last three matches, only one has come off.  AC Milan’s late win against Udinese put the Rossoneri two points up but Juventus has two matches in hand.  Lazio has moved up to third with Inter truly out of the race after several recent poor performances.

Adam Digby examined the lack of creativity in this year’s Juventus squad.  Although the Old Lady is battling Milan for the title, the scudetto may have been out of sight had some of their draws been turned into wins, but goals have been hard to come by, especially against well organized provincial sides.

Paolo Bandini looked back at a Serie A weekend during which Novara did the double over a fading Inter, Milan stunned Udinese and Lazio held on to third.

Avi Creditor gave an update on Charlie Davies, back at Sochaux and fighting for a spot in Europe.  Had totally forgotten about that guy.

Podcasts

Rog and Mickey of Men in Blazers had another great show with a fantastic I Testify telling the story of one couple’s discovery of each other and soccer.

Gabriele Marcotti was on Beyond the Pitch to review the transfer window in Serie A and the futures of some of the teams.

I got to the 2/7 SI.com Soccer pod a little late, so the news that the panel covered (the draw between Chelsea and Manchester United and Suarez’s return against Spurs) was a touch stale but their comments about the managerial situation at Chelsea were interesting.  Steve Davis also shared some notes about MLS preseason.

Last weekend’s World Football Phone In was pretty entertaining as the panel discussed the nature of fans of Argentinean league; Porto post-AVB; the drama at  Ajax; and an African Cup of Nations final preview.

2012
02/13
CATEGORY
Old Futbol Buffet
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Old Futbol Buffet–White Knuckle Sunday

A rough week really got in the way of growing my soccer knowledge.  Late last Sunday night I started getting sick, but I went to work and was in a fog, which didn’t help because I actually had work to do.  By Wednesday I crashed and stayed home.  When I went back to work I was so behind that I really had to get on it.  So no midweek games, no Copa games, very little in the way of reading.  Not good.

Saturday morning I woke up to start a busy day.  In checking scores and texts and twitter, I knew something was happening at the Emirates, but my god, what a performance by the Gunners.  My guess is that they were inspired by my Strip Club post on Friday.

This is how sad I am.  I went to pub, with the family, to watch a game . . . online.  I watched Athletic Bilbao against Espanyol as I nominally put in Family Time, and I didn’t even bother having the bartender turn on the City/Fulham game because a) I didn’t want to be distracted any further, b) I have not caught Deuce Fever, and c) I was hoping that by not watching, somehow the Cottagers would further dent City’s title charge.  No dice.

Sunday morning I headed back to the pub for Chelsea v United.

Chelsea 3 Manchester United 3

In the lead up to the game, all I could focus on was United’s poor form at Stamford Bridge and their injuries, so I wasn’t very confident heading into the game.  But the game kicked off and the Reds were in control, not necessarily dangerous but having Chelsea in their pocket.  And then it went sideways.  Sturridge skinned Evra and his cross went off de Gea, struck Evans, and then fell into the back of the net. Chelsea and United traded blows and I felt that if United got a goal before halftime, they would be fine.  But to score you have to shoot and for some reason, the Red Devils, in particular Rooney, wouldn’t pull the trigger.

After halftime I expected United to move through the gears and maybe get a point but instead the Blues added a second.  As I tweeted right after the goal: wow. as scrappy as 1st goal was, the 2nd was absolute class.  Torres’ cross was inch perfect and Mata’s finish was spectacular.  From there things went from bad to worse, as Rio didn’t get tight to Sideshow Bob, who headed in to put the hosts up 3-0.  At this point, I was having flashbacks to the game against City in October.  Even the first penalty I felt was nothing more than a consolation but from there United pressed on, winning the second penalty.  At 3-2, I started shaking and went white knuckle as United tried to find the equalizer, which came from the Little Pea.  After that my nerves were shot as both teams had chances to win, especially Mata’s free kick, stunningly saved by de Gea.

The game was not fantastic on a technical level, with both teams guilty of loose passes, poor positioning and lapses in concentration but more than made up for it in fire and finishing. Chelsea are ashambles.  Malouda and Essien were simply passengers, especially for the last 30 minutes.  As for Torres, he was great in the link up play but man is he struggling in front of goal.  How does a player that short of confidence try to dribble three guys in the box?

As for United, their performance as a whole was good.  The move of Welbeck to the outside is a waste.  (Not was a waste because it’s happened before.)  Not sure why Sir Alex does that.  I would have brought in Park for that position much earlier.  De Gea got off to a slow start came into the match, culminating with fantastic saves on Mata and Cahill.  Rooney was muted for most of the game, but the penalty conversions seemed to wake him up.

Couple of thoughts about Howard Webb.  If he is England’s top ref, then that’s not good.  Several very questionable calls and no calls and a couple of dodgy penalties.  Inconsistent game to say the least. Chelsea didn’t deserve to win but the ref of the 2010 World Cup Final did not help.

In the end, United dropped two points but in an away match at a tricky venue, down 3-0, and your best player is not on song, I’m ok with it.  My final tweet of the game was: great fightback but shouldn’t have been in that hole. regardless stay within touching distance.

The comments from The Republik of Mancunia were spot on, especially regarding Fabio, Rooney and Fergie. Make sure to check out the post.

The post game comments from Zonal Marking were informative as well, as he focused on the tactical permutations during the game.

The panel on the Manchester United Redcast contributed a lot to the swear jar this week in their recap of thrilling game against Chelsea and their preview of the game against Liverpool.  Add a little talk about Suarez and Terry and this pod was not for the faint of hear.

——–

Transfers

I really missed the boat on transfers.  Zamora and Cisse to QPR?  Saha to Spurs?  Some Belgian guy to Chelsea?  Everton brought in a load of players in their effort to finish tenth in the EPL.  Of course Arsenal were involved as well, picking up Thomas Eisfeld from Dortmund who, as Amy Lawrence noted on Football Weekly Extra, ticks all of the boxes, “young, technical and injury prone.”

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Stuff

The boys on Men in Blazers reviewed the week that was in the Premier League and FA Cup, with Rog on a high after Everton’s week and Mickey at a low asChelsea continue to wallow in fourth.  They interviewed Gerry Baker, who was the firstUS player to score a hat trick in the English First Division.  Sounds like he was a pretty decent player as well.

Uli Hesse looked at the situation in the middle of the Bundesliga table, in particular Hoffenheim,Stuttgart andLeverkusen.  I wish I could make time for German football, but unless I give up Juventus and Serie A, don’t see how I can make that happen.

Marco and Aaron reviewed another solid effort at home against Siena from the Black and Whites.  Unfortunately they only gained a point, and it may be these sorts of results that cost them the title.  I’m hoping to catch the game against Bologna this weekend and see how they are doing.

Tim Vickery gave a quick preview of the Copa Libertadores on the SI.com soccer page, pointing a couple of key players and clubs to watch, including possible swan songs for Riquelme and Ronaldinho.

The SI Soccer Podcast panel looked at transfer deadline day and the goings on at the Philadelphia Union.  Plus Grant Wahl interviewed Jay Demerit about his time thus far in Vancouver.  Still have not seen The Jay Demerit Story.  Hoping to pick it up this

2012
02/06
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Old Futbol Buffet–The Reds Beat The Reds

Last week the last four of the Coppa Italia were determined.  Juventus put Roma to the sword 3-0 at Juventus Stadium and Marco at Juventiknows gave his comments, which were positive.  The Old Lady faces off against AC Milan over two legs in the semis with Napoli andSiena on the other side.

Moving on to the weekend . . .

Liverpool 2  Manchester United 1

Friday night I had a small poker party at my house, which didn’t run too late but complicated me getting up at 7:30am ET to watchLiverpooland Manchester United in the FA Cup.  When I got up, I started executing my media blackout, which consisted of cleaning the house, doing research on La Liga news and taking Larry to his floor hockey game.  After lunch I was still in the clear but in checking facebook, it all went wrong as one of the pages I follow had a headline: Ferguson, I can’t believe we lost.  So that was that.

I still went out to the pub to watch the replay with a Liverpool fan who had tried to watch the game live, but a) he woke up late and missed the first 20 minutes and b) his satellite went out just before the decisive goal.  So we watched the game, both knowing the result, and I couldn’t quite believe what was happening.  United played well, much better than the league game at Anfield a couple of months ago. Valencia continued his rich vein of form, rattling the post, and causing havoc on the right wing.  But then Liverpool scored off a corner kick.  De Gea pushed Carroll out of the way to create space for himself but then Carrick, who I blame for the goal, ducked, allowing Agger to score.  The game became more balanced but United equalized shortly before halftime as Rafael shook off Jose Enrique (which ensured he will be cut from Spain’s Euro 2012 squad) to square the ball for Park, who amazingly finished it off.

The second half was more in United’s favor without many clear cut chances. Liverpool made several changes and reorganized the team to more of 4-4-2.  I don’t know that it changed the game too much, and the winning goal was basic and straightforward with a huge gaffe.  Goal kick lumped up, headed on to Kuyt, who Evra completely lost track of, and he whacked it past De Gea, who probably could have done a little better.  And that was that.

In the end, the aging and hardworking midfield did ok; thought the backline was decent, with Evans doing pretty well against Carroll; Welbeck was not playing the same game as any of his teammates and hurt the cause; Valencia’s influence fading the second half; substitutes were meh, with poor Berbs getting like 30 seconds to make impact.  I still don’t know why Rooney and Nani were not even on the bench.  I don’t feel the surge coming this season and United may endure a trophyless season.

Zonal Marking broke down the game as follows:

There were essentially two games here. One was 4-5-1 v 4-5-1 for 75 minutes, when United were better because they had better passers in midfield. The other was 4-4-2 v 4-4-2 for 15 minutes, whenLiverpoolgot the winner because they had a big centre-forward more suited to more direct football.

My plan on Saturday had been to take Larry over to friend’s house and watch the Juventus game and the second half of the Barcelona game.  It was clear after lunch that this wasn’t happening because Larry’s friends were embedded at our house.  I tried to watch the game from home but after seeing about five minutes and trying to figure out why Juve were wearing their pink kits at home, my air card from work went on the fritz.  So I was left to follow both games on twitter.

Juventus beat Udinese 2-1 to stay atop the table.  Looks like Matri put his poor couple of games behind him to score both goals.  According to the lineups and confirmed by Zonal Marking (summary here), The Old Lady went with a 3-5-2, and was able to dominate possession.  Once they went up at the end, they were able to close out the game.

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Podcasts

The Men in Blazers gave their impressions of Fox Soccer’s Epic Sunday coverage, talked about Liverpool and Chelsea’s struggles, and Rog interviewed Judah Friedlander.  Have no idea how much of their banter was serious or sarcastic but hilarious nonetheless.

David Beckham was on the Dan Patrick Show this week to talk about his new MLS contract.  He seemed so down to Earth, talking about his family and living in LA and discussing American sports, but I wonder how much it was real and how much was a PR shield.

Sean Mann from the newly formed Detroit City FC was on the Pitch Invasion podcast to talk about the how the team came together and their goals for the upcoming season.  The result of civic service and the Detroit City Futbol League, this is a great story with right blueprint of growing the team: building supporter culture and community involvement.  Something well worth checking out.

 

2012
01/30
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Old Futbol Buffet–Manchester 2 London 0

This weekend was another feast of footy.  I got started early, taking the day off on Friday and heading over to Soccer Zone for lunch time drop in soccer.  From there, I took in as much as I could.

Friday

Earlier this summer I came across Ty Schalter’s post about the US Men’s National Team after one of several debacles during the Gold Cup.  Little did I know that this was his first post on footy and that he was an expert on American Football, particularly the Detroit Lions.  I added him to my twitter timeline, and through his tweets was able to talk semi-intelligently (my fault, not his) with my Lions friends.  Last week he posted that he was going to a local indoor soccer facility to try to play the game he had discovered.  The result was this post, which I highly encourage you to check out.  Anyway, I asked him how it went and that I would try to get out there.  My Friday opened up and off I went.  True to his word he was wearing his 2010 USMNT Away jersey with Dempsey on the back.  I brought my personalized jersey (JUNIOR #7) of the same year and joined in.  Great guy with a desire to learn about the game.  Check him out on twitter (@lionsinwinter) and on his blog.

It has been years since I’ve played pick up at Soccer Zone but not much has changed.  Too many people on the field, too much dribbling, too much of another language.  The teams were dominated by Hispanics, which is fine but they do enjoy dribbling, which is fine at the beginning when everyone is full of energy.  By the end, it just becomes a series of 1 v 1 battles and counter attacks.  In the end, it was a good run, and thank goodness I knew a couple of people so that at least I would get a pass once in a while.  Afterwards, I headed to the bar to watch Borussia Monchengladbach against Bayern Munich.

Borussia Monchengladbach 3  Bayern Munich 1

I didn’t know anything about BMG but now I know: Marco Reus.  (Raphael Honigstein examined the move of Reus to Dortmund instead of Munich.)  Slight but quick, he terrorized the visitors every time he got the ball.  He opened the scoring after a comical clearance from Neuer and then pulled the strings the rest of the match, setting up the third as the hosts crushed the winter break leaders.  Die Roten were blunt in front of goal with very few ideas and chances, as Gomez had a decent header saved and the goalkeeper saved a long range shot in the first half.  In the second half, Jupp Heynckes brought in more attackers but it made little difference.  BMG just sat farther and farther back to hold the visitors at arms length and eased to victory.  I have no idea how the Bundesliga title will end, and really don’t have time to keep track of it, but the league is filled with very talented players that will soon be playing for Bayern or another big time in a big league.

Uli Hesse looked at who might be pulling the strings in an unbelievably dramatic Bundesliga season, with three teams tied for first and another just one point behind.

——–

Saturday

I had been checking scores throughout the day, so I knew that Chelsea had drawn and that Deuce had scored a hat trick, and I headed up to the bar for the Juventus game, forgetting that Liverpool was playing Bolton.  I looked up at the screen and ignored the bartender as I stared at a score that could not possibly be true: Bolton 3 Liverpool 1.  After the shock wore off, I looked around and saw a man in red with his face buried his hot cider.  “Tough day at the office?” I asked.  “What?  Yeah.”  And that is how I met Roger, a Liverpool fan in pain.  He told me he wasn’t even disappointed in the result and that the team is beyond words.  We talked through several tactical and player adjustments, but Liverpool’s current situation is beyond me.

Atalanta 0 Juventus 2

It had been several weeks since I had seen The Old Lady live, so I wanted to see how Conte’s men were doing.  They got off to a great start with Pepe dragging his shot past the far post early.  Then utter despair set in for me and several Juventini I follow on twitter.  There was about a 15 minute stretch that was truly painful to watch.  Desperate defending, horrible possession (literally could not put three passes together) and a lack of energy.  Atalanta were on top and the ball was bouncing dangerously around the Juve penalty area, usually cleared by Chiellini.  But ten minutes from the interval, the Bianconeri started moving through the gears, creating several dangerous chances, and looking a much better prospect.  Would this be a sign of things to come or just a momentarily blip?  Turns out it was the former.

Juventus came out firing and were finally rewarded after ten minutes, Pirlo crafted himself some space to deliver a simply wonderful ball to the far post that Lichtsteiner headed home to give the visitors the lead.  A moment of genius and quality.  Juve built on their pressure and were in the ascendency but did not land the killer punch (Matri was particularly wasteful) while looking susceptible to a low blow (see last week’s game).  Pepe had to be subbed after an injury and on come Marrone.  Ten minutes from time, he surprised everyone with a flick through the Atalanta rearguard that Giaccherini dutifully scored to put the game beyond doubt.  A truly beautiful goal.

The Old Lady are Winter Champions.  Hollow title.  The title is far from decided but say what you want, Conte has done everything he can to bring silverware back to Turin.  Here’s hoping that the shield is sown on the famous black and white jersey next season.  (And that Juve are one step closer to the third star).

Marco and Aaron at Juventiknows commented on Juventus’ latest victory.  Juventus were in control, especially for the last 55 minutes but I feel that the poor section in the first half was ignored.  I still don’t get what Vidal does but obviously it’s something.  One red flag the guys raised was fatigue and that will be critical to the Old Lady’s chances, especially if they go on any sort of Cup run.

Paolo Bandini remarked on Juventus’ position thus far in the season, noting several key factors—coaching, hard work, and the emergence of several players.

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Sunday

So I put together a watch party at the local party for Epic Sunday (Fox’s ad campaign for the day).  Had a nice turnout and it was fun to watch the game with fans of different rooting interests, whether that be in the teams or players for their fantasy teams.

Manchester City 3  Tottenham Hotspur 2

Spurs needed at least a draw to keep their title hopes alive, and a win would turn the title chase on its head.  The first half was awful, being the very definition of cagey, but the second half had it all—goals, ref decisions, and drama.  City got up 2-0 as Spurs lost the organization that had kept them in the match, yet responded by capitalizing on a mistake by Savic and equalizing on a wonderful goal by Bale.  The game was creeping towards the end with both teams content sharing the points when disaster struck.  City lumped the ball into the penalty area and once the ball bounced there was only one outcome: King scissored Balotelli who stepped up and converted the penalty to win the three points.  All this despite the fact that the Italian should have been sent off earlier for a foul on Parker.  Devastating loss for Spurs who did well to recover.  What remains to be seen is if they are the Valencia of England, the best of the rest (ie third) but not a title contender.

Arsenal 1 Manchester United 2

Piers Morgan was fantastic on the FOX pregame, using the word “we”, ignoring Eric Wynalda and bringing a passion to the pre-game festivities.  The first half that followed was a slightly less cagey version of the City/Spurs game, with United grabbing a goal just on the stroke of halftime when Giggs found Valencia at the far post.  The second half was enthralling as Arsenal rallied to put United on the back foot, creating an end to end game that was decided on two mistakes.  The Gunners equalizer came through Rafael’s action going forward.  His decision was fine; his execution was poor.  When he got into the penalty area, he needed to create a goal, a goal kick or a corner kick.  Instead he got tackled, lost the ball, and the resulting counter attack led to RvP’s goal in the area Rafael had vacated.  Arsenal deserved a goal and got it through a United error instead of their play.  Then Wenger subbed Chamberlain for Arshavin.  Why?  If anything, he should have subbed off Walcott, as the England International created havoc but couldn’t cross, pass or shoot.  Shortly after coming on, the Russian was tortured by Valencia, who came inside him pretty easily, got a return pass from Park and found Welbeck who slammed the ball home from close range.  Based on the Oxe’s play, I doubt that would have happened if he had been on the field, but Wenger defended the decision afterwards. Gunners fans have to be scratching their heads about the Professor’s decisions.

As for United, Jones’ injury looked serious, only because it was self-inflicted.  There have been conflicting reports about whether it is a knee or an ankle.  If he goes down, I fear for United’s challenges on several fronts.  Basically they will be down to Smalling and Evans in the back, and some sort of Giggs, Scholes and Carrick combo in the middle.  It will take some real smoke and mirrors to win the title with those players.  Also, there was some conversation around the bar about where Chicharito was.  Not worried.  Fergie is going to ride Welbeck for as long as he can.  The Mexican will still have a say this season, it will just be after Welbeck’s run is over.

At The Republik of Mancunia, spirits were high after the game against Arsenal, with key contributions overcoming an inspired side and several injuries.  Even they had a word to say about the Arshavin sub as everyone gets their boot in to Arsene.

Zonal Marking reviewed the game and concluded that Ferguson got things right over the 90 minutes while Wenger played the cards he was dealt but may have made critical errors in his substitutions.

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Podcasts

The Off the Ball pods were solid last week.  On Wednesday, the guys had Leighton James on to discuss the new Welsh National Team coach Chris Coleman, and Rapheal Honingstein informed listeners on Cisse, who signed for Newcastle, as well as some additional background on this year’s surprise Demba Ba.  Graham Hunter made his usual appearance on Thursday to reflect on yet another El Clasico and the possible futures of each club, and Martin Lipton to talk about John Terry’s legal situation.

Roger and Michael looked back on the issues of the EPL from the previous week on the Men in Blazers pod that will be quickly forgotten after another round of action.  Roger also talked his trip to the San Siro for the Milan Derby, which seemed to be more entertaining for the fans rather than the game itself.  I drank Boddingtons during the United game as a tribute.

The panel on the latest World Football Phone In talked about the legacy of the African Cup of Nations and World Cups for hosts countries; Beckham staying in the US; George John’s loan from MLS to West Ham; the quality of play at the African Cup of Nations; and FIFA’s failed World Cup rotation policy.

2012
01/23
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Old Futbol Buffet
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Old Futbol Buffet–Gunners Go Down, Spurs Sputter, United March On

Saturday

I missed the Manchester United match against Bolton due to my son’s floor hockey game, and wasn’t able to catch the replay. Scholes’ continued his signing of the year campaign with a goal and United ran out 3-0 winners. Spurs, who caught United on Wednesday after their win against Everton, were not able to keep pace as Wolves held them to a draw at White Hart Lane. After watching Sevilla against Espanyol, I switched over for the second half with Spurs down 1-0. The hosts pressured their guests and finally got the equalizer through a well struck shot by Modric. Spurs were very fluid but lacked a cutting edge in front of goal. The winner never came and the London team dropped two huge points ahead of their monumental clash against City next Sunday.

Sunday

My friend and I switched over for the last 15’ of the Arsenal game when we saw that it was 3-2 to Swansea. The Gunners could not find an equalizer and lost vital points in the race for Champions League qualification.

This might have been the weekend when the race for the Scudetto well and truly kicked off. Juventus were pegged back at home by Caligari, so the Milan Derby kicked off with AC Milan knowing that a victory would take them three points clear of Juve and deal a crucial blow to Inter. However, Ranieri’s men left the San Siro with a 1-0 win which keeps their hopes alive for domestic honors. With Udinese losing as well and Lazio rebounding from last week’s hammering, the top of the table is getting tight.

Juventus 38
AC Milan 37
Udinese 35
Lazio 33
Inter 32

Despite being unbeaten in the league and at the top of the table, things are not necessarily rosy for the Old Lady.  Aaron points to fatigue, form and a lack of rotation as Juventus were pegged back at home again againstCagliari.  Hopefully the Winter slide will be avoided as Juve try to win back the Scudetto.

Inter have worked themselves back in the title chase, thanks to Ranieri and Milito, as they beat city rivals AC Milan 1-0.  Paolo Bandini looked at the Nerazzuri’s resurgence, which is looking a lot like Roma’s amazing run two years ago.  In the rest of the league, top teams are struggling and Fiorentina are in trouble on and off the pitch.

Podcasts

Men in Blazers went over the old man tour (Henry and Scholes) while discussing the FA Cup and other results. Plus they had Macca on to discuss hair product, Darkie and the Euro 96 video.

Grant Wahl & Alexi Lalas had interesting comments regarding Messi’s legacy; Americans in Europe and MLS short term loans on the latest SI Soccer Roundtable.

Gabriele Marcotti was on the Off the Ball last Tuesday and started talking about Roberto Mancini the player and stated that he was the best player of his generation, a generation that included Baggio and Zola. Wow. Coming strong.

The guys at the Manchester United Redcast looked back at the victory over Bolton, the return of Paul Scholes, and the enigma of Anderson.  The panel also touched on Morrison’s situation before reminiscing about games against Arsenal, particularly in the FA Cup.

2012
01/16
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