If you have any questions you would like to ask go ahead and post and I will try my best to answer them later in the week.
Best performances…..
Montreal Impact continued their fantastic run in the CONCACAF Champions league with a 4-1 away win to ####mp;T’s Joe Public. With three wins and a draw in four games the USL side is within a whisker of qualifying for the knock stage.
Serbia bounced back from a loss to France in the last round of play to beat Lithuania 3-0 in Belgrade. Lithuania started the game top of group 7 and with wins in their first two games. The win sent Serbia top with a trip to Vienna to play Austria on Wednesday.
Costa Rica was the first CONCACAF country to make it to the final round of six. Only a couple of hours later they were joined by the USA.
Congratulations to the Vancouver Whitecaps who beat the Puerto Rico Islanders 2-1 to win
a second United Soccer League championship in three seasons.
Best forgotten…..
Two early goals put Peru behind the eight ball and they eventually lost 3-0 in La Paz to Bolivia. The loss leaves Peru at the bottom of the COMNEBOL standings and with little chance of qualifying for South Africa 2010. With half the games already played Peru have only one win and look set to extend to seven their run of unsuccessful qualifying campaigns.
Another Canadian World Cup qualifying failure and there is more than enough blame to go around. Most of it is following on the shoulders of Coach Dale Mitchell. The merits … or not … of Mitchell are being debated by Canadian supporters and in the last few days some high profile players have shown little hesitation to stick the boot in. Coaches are paid to bring success and for that reason alone Mitchell will be fired although it is difficult to see who in their right mind would now take on the job.
Underlying another qualifying failure is the Canadian Soccer Association – an organization that has been inadequately led at the board and staff level for as long as most Canadian fans can remember. The dysfunctional leadership has shown itself to be totally incapable of making the changes that are needed to bring the governance of the association into line with the needs of the last century let alone this one.
A volunteer board of directors that in most countries would not be allowed to control a Sunday morning pub team appoints senior staff including the national team coach. A governance and performance study done a few years back by external consultants has been largely ignored which only goes to prove the old adage that the people that get you into problems are never the ones equipped to get you out.
You can blame the players, you can blame the coach but if you do the real villains in blazers are going to get away scot-free once again. In this case this is something that should not be forgotten.
Best goals….
It was Costly goal in more ways than one. Carlos Costly’s perfect strike from 30+ yards gave Honduras a 2-1 lead against Canada that they did not surrender. It cost Canada the game and any remaining hope they might have had of a place the final round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying.
A cracking effort from way outside of the penalty by Robinho put Brazil two up against Venezuela. The Manchester City striker cut in from the left and unloaded a terrific shot.
Eddie Gaven drilled home a great first time effort from the edge of the penalty box for the Columbus Crew against Chicago Fire.
Two notable efforts came in UEFA World Cup qualifying. A Carles Puyol header was Spain’s final goal in an easy 3-0 win over Estonia and Jakub Blaszczykowski scored what was to eventually be Poland’s winner against the Czech Republic. After a lengthy run the Borussia Dortmund coolly chipped the on-rushing Petr Cech. “Kuba” who missed the European Championship Finals through injury also helped to set up the first Polish goal.
It was not a breathtaking effort but Toronto FC’s Marvell Wynne deserves mention for his work over the last two weeks. Wynne, assists and goals and rarely been mentioned in the same breathe during his MLS career but over the last three matches he has been the offensive catalyst that has kept Toronto’s thin play-off hopes alive.
He scored the equalizer against Houston Dynamo and then followed it with a galloping 60 yard run that set up a goal for Chad Barrett against the New York Red Bulls. With two minutes to go on Saturday against FC Dallas Wynne struck again with only a couple of minutes left and he looked to have notched what was to be an unlikely winner. However, a late, late penalty squared things and left Toronto still in with a slight chance of a play off place.
Best Players….
Yoann Gourcuff helped set up Franck Ribery’s goal and scored the equalizer that pulled France back from an early two goal deficit to draw 2-2 with Romania. Gourcuff is currently on loan at Bordeaux from Milan and is benefitting from seeing more playing time.
Jimmy Conrad played the consummate captain’s role on Saturday. He was a big part of holding the New England Revolution off the scoreboard and popped up to score his sixth MLS goal of the season to seal the win and snag three big points.
Another goal double for Kenny Cooper(FC Dallas) including a last minute retaken penalty. Cooper showed tremendous composure to score again after his first effort was called back for encroachment.
Goal feast……
The USA became the second CONCAF country to make it to the final round of six by dispatching Cuba 6-1. DaMarcus Beasley send the Americans on the way with two first half goals. Shortly after Cuba pulled to within a goal but before half time they were down to ten men after Colome was sent off. Four second half goals from Donovan, Ching, Altidore and Onyewu ran the score up.
Biggest Howlers……
By rights he should have been flagged offside but he wasn’t and so Chris Iwelumo’s open goal miss from four yards will go down in Scottish football folklore as one of the worst – and perhaps most crucial – misses of all time. Iwelumo had come on as a substitute for James McFadden only nine minutes before Gary Naysmith found the big Wolves striker and presented him with the entire Norway net to choose from.
Heard on GolTV – in Gareth Bale, Wales may have the best player in the group. That would be the Gareth Bale who the likes of Ballack, Arshavin, Klose and Zhirkov aspire to? – right you are.
From the same source – David Weir, a player who would never refuse a call from the Scottish national team. That couldn’t be the same David Weir that quit Scotland in 2002 after being criticized by then manager Berti Vogts and did not return for two years?
Left-backs Philipp Lahm (Germany) and Ashley Cole (England) should be hanging their heads after concentration lapses allowed Russia and Kazakhstan to score.
Stat facts…..
Marcello Lippi is now one game short of matching the record of legendary national team coach Vittorio Pozzo. Between late 1935 and the summer of 1939 Pozzo went unbeaten in 30 games (24 wins).
Ashley Cole’s error helped Kazakhstan to their first goal in eight away games.
This one courtesy of FIFA.com. “7 - The number of years Israel have now gone unbeaten away from home in FIFA World Cup qualifiers. The last time the Israelis lost on their travels was back in March 2001, when they went down 2-1 to Austria.”
France shared four goals with Romania and are now winless in their last 11 trips to Eastern Europe. It was their fourth draw in the sequence.
What was said….
The Times on the effect of the financial unraveling on sports.
More World Cup qualifying action with the following being the pick of the action.
Portugal vs. Albania – Portugal with one draw in their opening two games need to get their ship pointed in the right direction. Belgium vs. Spain –These two countries sit second and first in group 5 and along with Turkey they are unbeaten- so far.
Slovakia vs. Poland – Poland leads group 3 with a couple of wins and a draw and faces a tricky trip to Bratislava to play third place Slovakia.
Norway vs. Netherlands – When the draw was made the Netherlands stood head and shoulders above the other countries drawn in group 9. With two wins in two starts there has been nothing to indicate that the assessment the Dutch was wrong. Norway is also unbeaten after two games but have dropped four points on account of two draws.
Chile vs. Argentina – Argentina broke out of their run of four consecutive draws in World Cup qualifying with a 2-1 home win over Uruguay. Chile let a big chance go by when they lost 1-0 to Ecuador. The result pulls Ecuador back into contention are they are now only a single point behind fourth place Chile. Chile are three points behind Argentina who lie third but will be missing Ismael Fuentes and Gonzalo Jara who were both sent off against Ecuador.
Brazil vs. Colombia – After going unbeaten in their first six games in South American qualifying the roof has caved in on Colombia. Three consecutive losses – two at home – has seen them crumble like the Dow and now they face Brazil in Rio. Brazil thrashed Venezuela 4-0 in Caracas and sits second ahead of Argentina on goal difference.
Henry14 - 1 Bobby what do you learn about United's attack today (Sunday), and l remember you talking about how Samuel Eto'o is probably the most valuable player in the planet because he is so difficult to replace and we saw how it affected Barca, using your same argument do you feel than Tevez and Rooney will complement that well in against deep defending teams and good solid teams with good defenders? 2 Bobby what did you make of the three promoted teams and their performance and especially Birmingham? l thought they look better than people think of them 3 Can you help me about how Wenger is 13/2 to get fired and do you think martin Jol will be at spurs next season if they do not win a trophy or break into the top four? 4 Do you think Ronaldo looks fat or there is something wrong with my TV 5 There is talk of Alves going to Chelsea and l do not think he is a good defender he is just like Evra and Eboue , not good defenders but excellent going forward, how would you describe Mr. Alves
Bobby 1. Rooney and Tevez will work fine together when the chance presents itself and they get a few games together under their belts. Even if they don't it is a gamble well worth taking. 2. If a newly promoted team stinks in the first couple of games then they generally have no chance of staying up. This is particularly true at home. Even then there are a good number of examples of promoted teams that flew out of the blocks only to be relegated. 3. My error – should have read 13/1. It was corrected in last week’s blog response and in the preview. 4. I don’t know I haven’t seen your TV. He might be big boned. 5. He’s really more of a wingback than a full back – the heir to Cafu (although Maicon looks pretty good as well).
Ohphuque – I’m surprised more folks aren’t in for the Portuguese fullback Miguel; he seems perfect for the EPL. I didn’t see much of Valencia last term so I don’t know how his club season went, maybe atleti can fill us in, but he looked a real menace at the World Cup. How do you rate this player?
Bobby – Excellent player and he had an excellent Euro 2004 when he replaced Ferreira.
Venti_vidi_vici - 1. What to you make of the incredible number of foreigners in the EPL this season? At last count there were 330 from 66 different countries; 50 more than last season, and for the first time ever they outnumber their English counterparts. In the inaugural EPL season in 1992 there were a total of 11 foreigners in the league. Arsenal has 22 foreigners and 2 locals; Liverpool's ratio is 18 and 5. This without mentioning that all the major managers and owners are also foreign.
2. What is the British Government trying to do about this? What can they do and why are they considering intervening? Is this because they fear that this is a short term phenomenon which could leave the English game in ruins, or are they just trying to help the national team?
Bobby – 1. The EPL is caught in their own marketing hype. To match what they claim about being the best league in the world the teams are “forced” to buy foreign players – mostly because they are better than the home-bred variety – and foreign clubs know that EPL teams will overpay. Having said that the league is infinitely better than it was 15 years ago. It will come at a price and the price is performances at the international level. If you go back and read about the formation of the EPL one of aims was to improve performances at the international level. The FA got sucked in on that one! 2. The government is limited to granting or not granting work permits to foreign players. You have to differentiate between players with an European Union passport (that entitles them to sign and play for any UK team) and non EU passport holders such as South Americans and Americans. Because of EU rules concerning freedom of movement for workers the “foreign player” numbers are somewhat distorted. What you really need in numbers by English players, other UK, other EU and foreign players. In addition any government that starts to stick a nose too deeply into the affairs of a national association runs the real risk of FIFA withdrawing sanction for the teams to participate in club and international competition.
Bigdavedisaster - I believe you said last year that you believed Berbatov was the transfer that made the biggest impact. Who will it be this year? Along the same lines who will be the bust?
Bobby – I will go for Malouda as the player to make the biggest impact and Roque Santa Cruz as one of the biggest busts. Santa Cruz’s goals coring in Germany has averaged around a goal every five games (in a league in which more goals are scored than the EPL) and I don’t see Bayern Munich selling a 25-year-old striker who looks to have all the tools if they didn’t have good reason to doubt his consistency.
Usa2010 - What really stuck out in the first round of the EPL was the value o####ood GK. While we all know that a good GK is invaluable, it was painfully obvious when you look at the Man Utd/Reading game and the Chelsea/Birm game. Put average keepers in goal for Reading and Birm, and Man Utd wins easily and Birm ties, or even wins. Also, with all the goal keeping woes at Man Utd, why don't you think SAF never looked at Friedel a few years back? I was always surprised his name was never mentioned. The guy is consistent in goal at a very, very high level.
Bobby – I’m assuming you mean when he signed Van der Sar. As for why SAF didn’t go after him – I have no idea.
Neophyte - I hope you read all the way down here. I have a question for you. Of the American goalkeepers in the EPL, who do you rate #1, 2 and 3? Do you think Chris Seitz (the US U-20 keeper) will get his turn to keep for a European club anytime soon?
Is there another midfielder from England as skilled as Gerrard in your opinion? (I officially don't like Liverpool but I will watch them play anytime Stevie G is playing. That free kick was incredible)
Bobby – GK Friedel, Howard, Hahnemann. Goalkeepers mature a lot later than outfield players so I don’t think there is any rush to get to Europe. He would be just as well getting experience and playing time – waiting a few years doesn’t seem to have hurt the other US keepers. If you are meaning an English midfielder rather than a midfielder playing in England then I would have to say that nobody can match Gerrard in my opinion.
George11Best - What is your take on Cagliari and Mallorca?
Bobby – Nice places to visit? As far as their fooball teams are concerned - the upside is mid table with a relegation fight in their respective leagues a possibility.
Ian Bell with a scathing article to kick off the European season.
An interesting piece on Sven’s record as a club manager.
An article on Marcus Hahnemann – of the three US keepers playing in the Premiership the one that receives the least amount of press coverage. Writen before his Old Trafford shut out.
Footie fan - Do you think Tevez and Rooney combo will work upfront?
Bobby – We discussed this topic on Monday’s show and I don’t see how these two can’t play together. Both attract multiple defenders when they get the ball so I can see lots of opportunities being created. More importantly I can’t see how any coach worth his salt would turn down having two players like that on your team.
Ulsterson - Heinze (or his agent) seems to badly want the move to Liverpool and first team football, but I'm not sure Heinze would start in that back four. Would he move to the middle? Riise?
Bobby – I think Heinze’s versatility as well as his aggressiveness is what Benitez likes about him. Riise has often pushed forward into the midfield as well so overall it gives Benitez a lot more options to pick from.
CIAO - I'm not sure if you read Atleti's blog, but we from her blog, were wondering if you would participate in a fantasy footie league with some of us? That I know of Atleti, gabemar, Verbal, LGB, VVV, ulsterson and last but not least, the crowd favorite, Ringo were also interested in the idea.
Bobby – You can forward details to fsr@mts.net and the e mail should reach me. No promises.
LetsGoBuffalo - Why doesn't Liverpool build the new stadium to full capacity? After seeing United draws in 3 million pounds per match, what are Hicks and Gillette thinking?
In the same article it talked a little about Man U's transfer activity. First, are most deals between clubs now performance based with escalators? Secondly, seeing as two of United's signings have a hard time with injuries(Anderson and Hargreaves) Who do you see as doing the best with their money out of England's top five?
Bobby – Sorry can’t help you on the stadium issue. In terms of transfer deals there are certainly a lot more incentive based deals than you would have found even five years ago. Re best with their money – it would be Chelsea. They needed more depth in certain positions and they have achieved it.
CIAO - will you also have a review of the upcoming Serie A season?
Bobby – A Serie A preview will be up the week of August 20.
CIAO - Since you will not review the Bundesliga can you please give us your opinion on how Bayern, Stuttgart and Werder Bremen prepared for the new season? I know that Stuttgart added Basturk (a big +), but lost Hildebrand and replaced him with a goalkeeper named Schafer. Do you know anything about him? Bremen lost a defender to Real and Klose to their main rivals. Speaking of, Bayern hit the jack pot with all the talent coming to Munich. What do you make of these three teams in their domestic vs UEFA/CL cups?
Bobby – I haven’t had time to look at the Bundesliga yet so I don’t think I can be of much help. Here’s what I know. Stuttgart was the youngest side to win the Bundesliga for 30 odd years so I’m not surprised that they have not made many moves. Schafer was with Nurnberg and played in the side that beat Stuttgart in the German Cup Final in May. Werder Bremen is one of these teams not somehow find a way to replace players when they move on – almost seamlessly. They have signed Carlos Alberto who played and scored when Jose Mourinho’s Porto side won the Champions League in 2003. Bayern has splashed some serious dollars this summer and none to early. They should have done this a couple of summers ago instead of allowing the team to grow stale.
Neophyte - What do you think of DeMarcus Beasley at Glasgow Rangers? This seems to be in complete contradiction to his slight frame and easily bumped off the ball style. Do you see this working out? Ally McCoist has been complimentary of him so far. Your thoughts....
Bobby – It was DaMarcus Beasley’s performance for the US against Scotland in November 2005 that set the move to Ibrox off. Walter Smith was managing Scotland that day and in the press conference he was very complimentary about Beasley’s performance and remarked that he was the type of player Scotland use to produce but no longer. Beasley needs a shot of confidence and if he gets it you won’t find him being bumped off the ball so much. I don’t think it has anything to do with his “slight frame.”
Henry14 - 1 What happened to Nakamura, he looked like a guy who had a big club waiting to take him? 2 Who do you think are favourite to win the champions league? 3 Do you understand the ac milan transfer policy because they have money and are linked with everyone but are not buying
Bobby–1. He plays in front of 60,000 every second week, how much bigger can it get? I doubt that there are another ten clubs in the word that attract crowds like that. 2. The bookies say Barcelona. 3. They are linked with everyone because that is how it is with big clubs. There is still over three weeks left before the transfer window closes so it is a bit early to draw the conclusion that because they haven’t spent money they won’t spend money.
Craigyf - So Bobby, love to see if you have any opinions you can publish or share on the coverage of the MLS, how it's packaged, what it could learn from the more established football broadcasters (if anything) and do you have broadcasters/commentators you like.
Also we have had the Beckham stuff play out a little - what is your take on the whole pulava so far?
Bobby – Because there are multiple MLS broadcasters there is no standard presentation. I have seen good and I have seen awful this year. However, the MLS site is excellent and MLSTV is great. To be able to sit down and watch a game on the laptop or to grab the highlights is fantastic. In terms of broadcasters/commentators in general there are a lot more bad ones than good ones unfortunately - particularly in the area of colour commentators. There are far too many that seem to think that their job is to (a) second guess the officials courtesy of replays or (b) act as back-up play-by-play announcers. The colour guy’s job is to tell us why something happened not to repeat what we can see for ourselves.
As for David Beckham – I have a self imposed Beckham embargo in place until he kicks a ball in anger. Until then I don’t care.
Roy Collins compares the arrival of David Beckham to that of Wayne Gretzky’s move to the Los Angeles Kings in the late eighties. Given the NHL’s almost joke-like status in the US it is not something that MLS should try hard to emulate.
Canada has shown that they are a legitimate challenger for one of the CONCACAF spots on offer at the 2010 World Cup. However, at this moment that is probably of little consequence given the nature of their controversial loss to the USA in the Gold Cup semi-final.
With only seconds left and Canada pushing for an equalizer a ball was lofted forward towards the US penalty box. Onyewu stretched for the header and finished up heading the ball to the feet of Atiba Hutchinson who calmly side footed it past Keller in the US goal.
From the limited TV replays we received in Canada – apparently the Toronto thingies were playing a game of rounders – Hutchinson was not in an offside position when the initial ball was played forward and although he was in an offside position when he benefited from Onyewu’s wayward header the only way it could have been judged offside was if the ball had deflected of the big US defender.
It would require an active imagination to construe Onyewu’s header as a deflection. But an active imagination apparently is exactly what the assistant referee has as he immediately flagged and the referee accepted his call. If there are any referees out there who might shed some light on this decision I know a good number of Canadian fans would love to hear from you.
The first thirty minutes of the match consisted of the USA trying to play a bit too quickly while Canada could have done with a bit more pace to their game. Although the US may have had the better of the play Canada had a couple of set piece opportunities that might have turned profitable.
But it was the USA that opened the scoring through full back Frankie Hejduk. Hejduk may have trouble with his distribution at times but you have to admire the enthusiasm and energy that he brings to every game. And you have to admire the way he struck the ball from just outside the box to put the US into the lead.
The second goal came from the penalty spot after Beasley was tripped by Canadian keeper Pat Onstad. Beasley was played in by the simplest of passes inside full back Paul Stalteri. Donovan drilled his penalty down the middle.
The two goals the USA scored in the last ten minutes or so of the first half served to change the shape of the game in the second half. The play spread out and as Canada tried to push forward there were acres of space for the US midfielders and forwards to run at the Canadian defence. As the second half progrressed the US’s bad habit of spurning chances reemerged and it proved costly, although thanks to the officiating, it was not fatal.
The emergence of Ian Hume was a turning point for Canada as the wee man starting hustling the US defence and running at the them at every opportunity. Suddenly Canada’s attacks became more intense and threatening and when Hume equalized with a quarter of an hour left we knew we were in for a barnstorming finish.
Ratings Canada Onstad (6) – Had no chance with either of the two US goals. Otherwise rarely tested.
Stalteri (4) – Was guilty of a sloppy back pass in the second half. Was unable to get forward into attacking positions.
Hastings (6) – Handled Dempsey and Johnston well.
Hainault (6) – Ditto.
Jazic (7) – A very competent performance.
Bernier (6) – Pace of the game was a bit too quick for him but he made few mistakes.
Hutchinson (7) – Never imposed himself on the game but he showed again that he is type of player who can turn a game in an instant.
Nash (4) - When given time he sprayed a couple of great passes but in close quarters he was ineffective.
De Guzman (7) – Victim of a brutal challenge in the first half but De Guzman was Canada's most consitent performer over 90 minutes.
De Rosario (5) – Looked like he was going to pull off something special in first half but faded in the second.
Gerba (6) – A thankless task being the lone striker with little support for long stretches of the match. Fought valiantly.
Subs. Hume (8) – A terrific performance off the bench only reinforced the unanswered question as to why he was used so sparingly in this competition.
Nakajima-Farran – no rating
USA Keller (6) – Handled what he came his way.
Hejduk (8) – Scored a call and was here, there and everywhere…although you may not want to see that in your right back.
Onyewu (3) – He might be a fan favourite but too often he is an accident waiting to happen.
Bocanegra (4) – Was lucky to be on the park after a spectacularly late challenge on De Guzman in the first half.
Bornstein (5) – Showed great promise and energy in the first half but suffered in the second half as much of the US attacks avoided the left side.
Dovovan (6) – The upside his Donovan continued to look for the ball even though he struggled most of the evening. He will want to remember his set up for the first goal and his well-struck penalty. He will want to forget his wiff with an open goal in front of him. That was in the 50th minute and would have killed the game as a contest.
Bradley (4) – Was prominent in the early stages of the first half but his performance dropped off alarmingly as the game progressed. Rightfully shown a straight red card for a challenge that was late, high, from behind and designed to stop a player breaking away from him – the referee got that one spot on!
Mastroeni (7) – Patrolled his area well with a minimum of fuss as a good holding midfield should do.
Beasley (6) – Everytime I watch Beasley I am left with the feeling that he could have contributed so much more.
Johnson (4) – Poorly timed runs and failed to link well with Dempsey and the midfield.
Dempsey (5) – Absolutely starved of the ball but failed to go and get as well.
Nicky Campbell delves into the vaults for the story of Joe Baker. One of the comments mentions that Joe’s brother Gerry played for the USA. Something I thought the writer would have mentioned. Joe Baker was a legend at Hibs and scored 42 goals in the 1959/60 season.
The Stevens’ Inquiry looks to moving to the arrest and charges stage.
And to this weekend’s football.
Gillette Stadium is host to a triple header on Saturday with two Gold Cup quarter finals (Canada vs. Guatemala and USA vs. Panama) and New England Revolution vs. Columbus Crew in MLS.
Traditionally Canada has found goals difficult to come by but are scoring on a regular basis at the moment. In Guatemala they face a country that they have only ever lost to twice in their history – 11 games in all. However, on both occasions the losses were costly. In World Cup 2006 qualifying Canada lost 2-0 at home in the first game of the semi final round robin group stage. Canada did pull off a notable 1-0 win in the return fixture but the opening game loss was devastating.
Back in 1988 Guatemala inflicted on Canada their worst ever win!! Sound strange then let me explain. The two countries were drawn against each other in an early stage of qualifying with the winners moving on to the group stage. Two years earlier Canada had made it to the World Cup Finals in Mexico and was favourite to beat Guatemala.
Guatemala won 1-0 at home and the return was at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby, British Columbia. My recollection is that the game was at least partially played in a downpour and Guatemala led 2-0 at half time. Although Canada came back (Ian Bridge and now soon to be national team coach Dale Mitchell with 2) and won 3-2 they went out on the away goals rule.
You may remember that Mexico was suspended for the 1990 World Cup for using ineligible players in age group competitions and the USA – courtesy of Paul Caligiuri’s goal against Trinidad and Tobago – went to Italy representing CONCACAF together with Costa Rica. In those days I think it is fair to say that Canada got the better of the US more times than not. The defeat to Guatemala and with it, a possible chance to return to the World Cup Finals, coincided with the second season of the fledgling Canadian Soccer League.
Given that a number of the national team players played in the CSL a successful World Cup qualifying campaign might have been enough to provide the new league with some traction. As it was the league died a lingering death and was deceased before the 1994 World Cup was held in the United States. In my opinion the loss to Guatemala was a pivotal moment in Canadian soccer history and one that I would suggest it has yet to fully recover from.
The USA picked up the pace against El Salvador and has now scored seven goals in three matches. The goals have come from six different players with DaMarcus Beasley notching a double on Tuesday. Despite some reports to the contrary there is no indication that Rangers have in fact signed the American winger from PSV Eindhoven. In the second quarter final the 2005 Gold Cup Final will be repeated with Panama providing the opposition. Panama continues to grow in stature and should provide the USA with a stiff challenge.
After last weekend’s sensational finishes in La Liga it is probably unrealistic to think that there could be a repeat. However, with the title to be decided, UEFA Cup spots still in doubt and four teams trying to avoid the last two relegation spots you can bet that there is going to be drama somewhere.
The Spanish League has opted to split the final round of La Liga matches on Sunday into two batches. Generally the first group of games at 9:00 EST will decide the drop spots. (Celta Vigo v Getafe, Racing Santander v Real Betis, Valencia v Real Sociedad, Athletic Bilbao v Levante and Espanyol v Deportivo Coruna).
Four hours later the matches to decide the champion club and UEFA Cup qualification will kick-off. (Gimnastic v Barcelona, Osasuna v Atletico Madrid, Sevilla v Villarreal, Real Madrid v Real Mallorca and Recreativo Huelva v Real Zaragoza).
It is extremely likely that the tie breaker rule will need to be used to decide final placements. So here for your ready reference is the rule. 1. Most points obtained in the games between the teams in question 2. Goal difference in the games between the teams in question 3. Goals scored in the games between the teams in question 4. Goal difference in all league games.
There are another three criteria but given the standings it the first four should suffice. At the top of the table there appears to be the following permutations. Real Madrid wins the league if they at least match the results of Barcelona and Sevilla. Real Madrid would also take the title if they drew as did Barcelona and Seville won. All three teams would finish on 74 points but Madrid would win based on a mini-league table.
Barcelona can win the league if they can produce a better result than Real Madrid even it was only a draw. In that situation Sevilla could win and tie with Barcelona on points but still lose on the head to head rule. The only way for Sevilla to win the league is for both Barcelona and Real Madrid to lose and Sevilla to win or for Real Madrid to draw, Barcelona to lose and Sevilla to win. That would leave Sevilla and Real Madrid tied at the first three levels but Sevilla would win on a better league goal difference.
Sevilla has the least chance of winning and they have to play a rampant Villarreal side that has won their last seven league games and now sit in fifth spot. However, Sevilla has a cracking record against Villarreal and have only lost twice in the last 13 head-to-head meetings.
Barcelona is at already relegated Gimnastic and would seem to be a banker bet to win. That leaves Real Madrid in the poll position. Unless you have been asleep under a rock it will be the final game in Madrid colours (if white is a colour) for David Beckham. The same goes for Roberto Carlos. A final game win would be a remarkable triumph for a Madrid side that for most of the season played quite poorly.
However, it would also mark an incredible season for Ruud Van Nistelrooy. Van Nistelrooy has scored in seven consecutive matches equaling a club record set by Hugo Sanchez. He has scored 25 league goals and is one behind the current Golden Shoe leader Francesco Totti who has completed the Serie A season.
Should Madrid stumble on the final day of the season it will not be the first time in recent memory. In 1992 and 1993 Real Madrid lost their final game of the season at Tenerife and allowed Barcelona to take the title.
At the wrong end of the table four teams are fighting to escape the two remaining relegation spots. Real Sociedad (34 points), Celta Vigo (36), Athletic Bilbao (37) and Real Betis (37) are involved in a fight to the end. There are so many possible permutations it drives you nuts trying to come up with them – I know I have tried. Suffice to say that Real Sociedad (away to Valencia) is in the most difficult position, followed by Celta Vigo (home to Getafe) and Athletic Bilbao (home to Levante). Bilbao has never been relegated but they are cutting it mighty close this season.
Real Betis is in the best position and cannot be relegated as long as they at least match Athletic Bilbao’s result. In most of the possible tie situations Real Betis holds an advantage although they would lose out if they finished equal with Real Sociedad alone. In the event of a four way tie then the mini-table would be Real Betis (10), Real Sociedad (9), Celta Vigo (8) and Athletic Bilbao (5). Celta and Athletic would be relegated.
Recently retired FIFA Vice President David Will gives his view on the world governing body. I remember when Will was the chairman of Brechin City - at that time Brechin were usually battling out with East Stirlingshire as the worst team in Scotland. Even then when I played against Brechin in a mid-season friendly - our ground was one of the few playable in the area - we lost 5-2. There was a noticeable gulf between a very good amateur team and a poor professional team.
Rangers fans are frustrated at the lack of transfer activity. However, DaMarcus Beasley is noted as a possible Ibrox target.
Graham Hunter believes that Fabio Capello’s fitness regime has given Real Madrid the edge in the chase for La Liga title.
Jonathan Northcroft on Sam Allardyce’s first efforts to turn Newcastle around.
Hugh McIlvanney on the resurrection of David Beckham and England’s Euro 2008 hopes.
Simon Turnbull with a look at the man who won the FA Cup for Sunderland in 1974, Ian Porterfield. Porterfield is currently in charge of Armenia and is battling cancer. He spent time at Chelsea as well as ####mp;T.
Nick Harris with a very un-English view of MLS albeit with some factual errors.
Thanks for all the feedback and suggestions on the blog last week. Please do not hesitate to post links to your own blogs when you post something.
Things look to be hotting up with Dempsey and Onyewu on the verge of joining Fulham.
There is a page within the FSC site for "completed" transfers although I would question the listing of Figo to Al Ittihad and I think that Tavano to Roma from Valencia is a loan deal.
Here's your chance to comment on deals as they are done.
Porto vs. Chelsea - A good draw for Chelsea, but perhaps a little more difficult than many of the pundits will have you believe. Jose Mourinho and Porto boss Jesualdo Ferreira are no strangers to each other. Ferreira has a reputation as a shrewd and cunning tactician who gets the most out of his players.
Premiership buffs may turn up their noses when they see Helder Postiga leading the Porto line but under Ferreira Postiga has recaptured the scoring touch that made him one of the most sought-after youngsters in Europe.
Porto made a poor start to group play but three successive wins and a draw turned it around. A 2-0 away win in Moscow against CSKA was pivotal. Goals from Argentine midfielder “Lucho” Gonzalez and former Barcelona winger Ricardo Quaresma did the trick that day and both players are enjoying good seasons. Brazilian striker Adriano Vieira has just returned from injury and he should be back to match-fitness by February.
Celtic vs. AC Milan - These two teams have met four times before in European competition and Celtic has yet to record a victory. In 1969 Celtic returned to Parkhead after achieving a scoreless draw at the San Siro. But Prati took advantage of a McNeill error early on in the first half of the return leg and Milan went on to beat reigning champions Manchester United in the semi-final and then to beat Ajax 4-1 in the final at the Bernabeu.
Two seasons ago the teams met again with Celtic losing 3-1 at the San Siro. Two goals in the last two minutes by Inzaghi and Pirlo flattered Milan. The return leg finished in a scoreless draw. Milan fans will have noted that their team again made it to the final that season.
Celtic fans need no reminding of their atrocious away record in the Champions League - one draw and 11 defeats. In his four Champions League away games in charge of Celtic, Gordon Strachan has seen his side concede 14 goals.
However, Celtic's record at Parkhead is quite imposing. Including qualifying games, Celtic has only lost one of the last 19 home games with four draws.
PSV Eindhoven vs. Arsenal - Arsenal is unbeaten against PSV in their four meetings in the last four years. Although they lost two games - their last two - PSV cruised through as runners up in group C to Liverpool. PSV was unlucky to lose to Milan at the semi-final stage two seasons ago and last season they lost in the round of 16 to Lyon 5-0 on aggregate.
PSV supporters are used to a continual turnover of players but they also saw for their manager Guus Hiddink leave this past summer. However, his replacement Ronald Koeman is an extremely experienced manager when it comes to European competition and he also lifted the European Cup as a player.
The PSV squad is a veritable United Nations with thirteen countries represented in the first-team pool. Gomes (Brazil) provides the Dutch side with consistent goalkeeping while the back four normally comprises of a Dutchman (Jan Kromkamp), a Portuguese (Manuel da Costa), the Brazilian (Alex) and a Mexican (Carlos Salcido). Csaba Feher (Hungary), Tommy Simons (Belgium) and Phillip Cocu are often joined in the midfield by Australian Jason Culina or Edison Mendez (Ecuador). In attack Jefferson Farfan (Peru) and Arouna Kone (Ivory Coast) round things off.
Lille vs. Manchester United - Although Lille beat and drew with Manchester United in the group stage last season neither team qualified for the last 16. In fact the goal Lille scored against Manchester United was their only marker in the Champions League last season.
This season they scored 8 goals, only lost one game and qualified for the knockout stage of the Champions League for the very first time. However, they did need to beat Milan in the San Siro in the last game of group play in order to qualify. Goals appear to be coming more freely this season for Lille but much of their strength still resides in defense and particularly midfield. Cameroon international Jean Makoun is an all action figure in midfield and is complemented by the young French attacking midfielder Mathieu Bodmer. Both have been rumoured to be Premiership targets in the past.
Roma vs. Lyon - This is new territory for Roma given that they have never qualified for the knockout stage of the last 16 of the Champions League. Although there are signs that some younger players are successfully breaking into the Roma squad and contributing, it will still come down to the likes of Totti, Chivu, Pizarro, Mancini and De Rossi to do the heavy lifting.
Lyon's ambitions extend beyond the last 16 and by that I do not mean the quarter- final stage at which they have departed the competition in the last three seasons. Domination of the French league is one thing, but it is the Champions League where Lyon needs to succeed. The French champions should have Brazilian striker Fred back in time when the tournament resumes in February and that should provide Lyon with a major boost.
Barcelona vs. Liverpool - Not surprisingly this game is being held heralded as the tie of the round. This match up is intriguing on many levels - the Champions League winners from the past two seasons; Rafa Benitez facing a club that he has triumphed over before; the number of Spanish players plying their trade at Anfield; and two teams with worldwide support and fabled histories.
I suspect that this is not the match up Barcelona would have preferred but there again I doubt Liverpool are overly impressed either. Benitez has been heavily criticized for his rotation policy at Liverpool. With the team now running into form the pay off for Liverpool may not necessarily come in the Premiership but in the Champions League.
Real Madrid vs. Bayern Munich - These two sides are certainly no strangers to each other having faced each other 16 times in the last 30 years in European competition. And it is Bayern Munich who holds the upper hand with nine wins and two draws over that time.
Neither side was ever in any danger of not qualifying for the knockout stage. Real Madrid finished as runners up to Lyon while Bayern Munich won group B, seven points ahead of third placed Spartak Moscow. Bayern Munich has only failed to make the group stage once in the previous five seasons but have not progressed beyond the quarter-final stage.
It is a far cry from the turn of the century when they reached the semi-final in three successive years, and finished runners up once (to Manchester United) and won the trophy when he beat Valencia two years later. It was of course Real Madrid who knocked them out at the semi-final stage, and Madrid went on to lift their eighth champion European Champions trophy by beating the unfortunate Valencia.
This game might have stirred the blood a few years back, but it is likely to be a dour 180 minutes…. or maybe even more.
Inter Milan vs. Valencia - Valencia must be hoping that the injury hoodoo that they have suffered through during the early part of the season will be long gone by the time February rolls around. During the summer, Valencia was aggressive in the transfer market signing Ferdinando Morientes from Liverpool, Asier Del Horno from Chelsea, Empoli striker Francesco Tavano, speedy winger Joaquin from Real Betis as well as reclaiming David Silva who had been on loan at Celta Vigo.
While the signings encouraged Valencia fans that the team could mount a legitimate challenge to Barcelona in Spain, injuries to a number of key players have taken a toll domestically. However, it did not seem to affect their European form as they finished top of group B three points ahead of Roma and seven points ahead of third place, Shakhtar Donetsk.
With three wins in their first three games Valencia was very much in the driving seat right from the start. A draw away to Donetsk in the fourth game of qualifying was a minor bump in the road and by the time Valencia traveled to Rome qualification was secure and Roma’s 1-0 was largely inconsequential.
Inter's route to the last 16 was very different and after two games the Italian side looked to be odds-on favourite to become a high-profile casualty at the group stage.
Losses to Sporting Lisbon and Bayern Munich (without scoring a goal in either game) placed Inter firmly behind the 8-ball. But the Milan side roared back with three successive wins, and by the time they traveled to Munich progress to the last 16 had been secured.
The ties are to be played on 20/21 February and 6/7 March with the final in Athens in May.
The Money Prize money to be paid out to the 32 group teams-$363 million. Pool money from TV to be shared-$355 million. Estimated prize money for the eventual winner-$29 million. Total sponsorship and TV revenue generated by the Champions League-$986 million.
neophyte - I didn't know Don Williams was still alive! Just a couple of off the wall comments: Where is the Reading firepower up front? Is Convey really that important because they have looked horrid up front?
Bobby – Ted, Tennessee and Hank are deceased but not Don! I’m sure that they are missing Convey’s left foot but you have to consider the schedule that Reading as had the last few weeks. Has any side had a tougher run than Manchester United, West Ham, Chelsea, Arsenal, Portsmouth and Liverpool? They face Spurs on Sunday and then it looks a bit brighter – Charlton, Fulham, Bolton, Newcastle, Watford, and Blackburn. They will need to pick up points because the holiday schedule is on the tough side – Everton, Chelsea, Manchester United and West Ham.
AlexMorph - Who is your pick among the current crop of England 'wingers'; Joe Cole, Lennon, SWP, Downing, et al. To my mind Cole is really the most creative (besides being the most complete player), and after him I would take Lennon. SWP and Downing never seem to show any guile in taking on a defender, and Phillips always needs about 10 feet of space or he'll lose control.
Bobby - Actually, I think you can make a case that Cole is more effective in a central role. Until Mourinho got a hold of him, I thought Cole was just going to turn out to be another unfulfilled talent. Lennon on his game is tremendous. If he can make as much progress this season as he did last season then he will be some player come May 2007. Some players are quick – certainly Lennon is – but Lennon is sharp as well. That is maybe your issue with SWP – he seems to need more space to work in. Downing is blessed with a great left foot which is a wonderful advantage. I would say that the next 12 months or so are critical for Downing and it will decide whether he goes on to become an international class player or just a very good club player.
venti_vidi_vici - Why is Mourinho starting Hilario now that Cudicini has been declared fit? Is Hilario really the better option, or is JM repaying a debt to Hilario, or is this part of a larger scheme? I believe it is part of a scheme to get to Buffon in January. Benching Cudicini will naturally force him to seek a transfer, and I’m sure he wouldn’t mind joining Juventus. The bianco-neri have shown a great interest in Mascherano, whose contract is basically owned by Abramovich. I think it’s safe to say that the whole Abramovich/MSI connection is hardly a secret anymore! I think Juventus would accept the Cudicini and Mascherano trade for Buffon with the right amount of cash, which is obviously not an issue! Juventus will need the transfer money next year, and may even get an option for Cech when he’s healthy. Or it could be that Cudicini is actually not quite fit yet, and Mourinho is just being cautious !!!!
Bobby – A couple of questions in there. Cudicini has been in a tough position since Cech arrived – how do you hope to stay match fit when you rarely see action? Having said that Cudicini is prone to costly gaffs and perhaps his best days were during the Vialli/Ranieri eras. I don’t know about the Abramovich/MSI connection though. It seems to me that since the double Argentine move to Upton Park there has been more to indicate that Abramovich and MSI are not one and the same. The more I think about this I can’t come up with a credible reason why a man who could buy all the players he ever wanted would want to mess around with a share of what is in effect for him, a small scale operation.
Henry14 - 1.as I was watching the Arsenal game I was frustrated as you can imagine with the lack of determination, l think Wenger will clearly take a swipe at his players if he has never did. West Ham deserved to win; they were hungry and the gunners let talk of beautiful football get to their head. l feel that Wenger 's outburst was as a result of the frustration of losing points while he lied that he was impressed by the team's performance and I bet that if he had been hit by a ball from a player he would have been on his throat. If you would have asked Wenger how many point he would get in his past three games including the Hammers he would have said 7 to 9 and that why I feel he snapped, what do you think caused him to lose his cool
2. My question is if Ashley Cole is the best left back in world football then the standard of left backs in world football is low, Il have seen him since he has been to Chelsea and has not got his best form. l think this is because Chelsea are more defensive minded than attacking and his defensive awols are now being exposed than ever b4, he was toasted in the Barca game by Messi and Lennon made him look average, and to be honest Chelsea’s weakness are wingback. Do you think it is Chelsea’s weakness and what do you make of Cole’s poor form since joining Chelsea in comparison to a Gallas?
3. What do you make of Cole’s allegations towards Graham Poll, I did not feel he had a bad game and do you thing if a Neil Warnock, or Adie Bothroyd had complained about ref treatment would the ref chief go to speak to him or it is just one of those moves that only happen to the big boys as the case with Mourinho and if so what causes the bias?
Bobby –1. Frustration. 2 – It could be that Ashley Cole is showing the effects of the long drawn out move from Arsenal to Chelsea as well as his run-in with the FA plus he just got married etc. He is not playing well but few good players in the prime of their careers suddenly become bad players. At Arsenal he had a system that he was comfortable in and he had an understanding with Pires and Henry. Now he has to learn how Jose Mourinho wants him to play. Perhaps one of Cole’s strengths with Arsenal was he often forced the wide midfield player to mark him. At Chelsea that doesn’t seem to be happening too much at the moment. I don’t think you can write him off in his first three months and make comparisons to Gallas. Chelsea fans would rightfully point out that even if Gallas is playing better Chelsea still lead Arsenal and I am willing to bet that Ashley Cole is still playing years after William Gallas has retired. 3. It sounds as if Poll actually said what Cole claims, then the referee assessor and the assistant referees would have heard it as they are all connected. We will know sooner rather than later. If it turns out that Poll didn’t then Ashley Cole will be the starting left-back for the Pinocchio X1.
4Everton- Is Kanu injured? Just wondering why he hasn't playing as much.
Bobby – He was on the bench on Saturday but didn’t get on. He has started 8 games and came off the bench once this season. That means apart from Saturday there has only been one other Premiership game where he hasn’t made an appearance.
davard - How was "The Don?"
Bobby – It was great stuff. Unfortunately this tour is billed as a farewell one.
bigdavedisaster - I thought your comments on Mondays show about Robbie Keane were spot on. He has become a fan favorite at Spurs because of his tenacity and great work rate and he seems to take a leadership role when he starts games. I criticized him earlier in the year but he seems to be back in his form of last year the more that Jol plays him I hope it translates to Ireland. He and Berbatov seem to play well together and I think Jol should stick with them. I like Defoe but he does not see the field well and though he has great pace and quickness I think that he rarely creates chances for other players and needs the ball at his feet a lot to create his own chances. Mido and Defoe are sloppy with the ball whereas Keane and Berbatov tend to be a settling presence allowing other players to get forward and create scoring opportunities. Do you think Jol will stay with the Bulgarian and Irishman and does that mean that Defoe might be dealt in January?
Bobby – I think the Bulgar-Irish duo looks to be the most promising but Martin Jol is another manager that rotates so I am not so sure that you will see anything resembling a settled partnership.
verbal97 - Thanks for not adding to the ridiculous hyperbole that is crowning Ferguson the greatest manager in the history of the world. Although, I personally think Paisley is better than Busby as he had to take over for a legend in Shankly and was even more successful.
Bobby – Not doubt Bob Paisley was more successful than Shanks but rather like Busby, without Shankly would Paisley have had the foundation to build on? It really comes down to what you place a higher value on – trophies or the instilling of a culture of good football and high expectations which in turn leads to winning trophies. In doing research for the Busby piece I discovered that Bob Paisley arrived at Anfield just before WWII and that Busby, who was club captain at the time, apparently took the young Paisley under his wing.
neophyte - I noticed that many of you have Buffon listed as the #1 keeper, as well as FIFA. My son even tells me he is one of the best keepers in his FIFA video game. Maybe VVV can help out here since I haven't seen Buffon a lot but I didn't see much in the way of "the best keeper" in the WC. His backline was incredible and I don't remember him getting tested. I have seen Dida-impressive, and a couple of other keepers in La Liga that were impressive. Why doesn't Van Der Saar get more love? He looked great in the WC (as well as Ricardo-Portugal) and plays in a league that scores more than any other. I am sure I'm missing something but what is going on with the Buffon man-crush everyone is feeling? VVV-educate me. Bobby-help me see the light.
Bobby – I would pick Buffon as the best in the world. A few years back I was a bit surprised when Juventus sold van der Sar to Fulham and spent a fortune on Buffon. I thought van der Sar was a bit of a scapegoat for a blunder that essentially handed Roma the scudetto a few years back. He made a hash of a Nakata shot after Juventus was 2-0 up and the game finished in a 2-2 draw. Shortly after that he was gone. But over the years Buffon has been very consistent – even as a teenager with Parma – and he very rarely makes a mistake. He seems to do everything that a keeper needs to do very well.
