Premiership Wrap: Top Three Hold Their Spots

Things stayed the same at the top after the top three all won their games, all in dicey fashion.

First, Arsenal saw off an (as usual), unlucky Tottenham at the Emirates. At 1-1 Tottenham saw a late penalty saved, and then let in Nicklas Bendtner for the winner, seems to be par for the course in these London derbies. It looks more and more as though Spurs will not overcome their curse against the Gunners any time soon.

On Sunday, Manchester United took on a determined Everton team. To a man United were the superior side, however, the Everton players came together as a dedicated team and were unlucky to not come away with a vital point. Every player on the pitch for the Toffees committed to winning 50-50 balls and giving 100 percent on every challenge. I have to say I was impressed with Moye's boys. But as it usually goes with the Red Devil's, Ronaldo finished off a very, very late penalty to earn all three points. Chelsea played their luck card, coming away with three points at Ewood Park. Rovers certainly looked the better side for much of the match, but couldn't find a reply to Joe Cole's screamer.

In other games: Liverpool bounced back from back to back league loses to crush Portsmouth--Pompey never looked likely to score enough goals to contend. Manchester City stayed above Liverpool by drawing away to Villa. Other than that, no real news: the bottom three mimicked the top three, and stayed put as well.

Up next: a Merry Christmas, Boxing Day and the best match of the day: Chelsea-Villa?

Premiership Wrap: Big Guns Clash

Well, here's the week's update, coming at you a little late, and from the other side of the country. This week's action saw everything go back to the way it was before with the big guns. First up, let's look at Sunday's matches. It was a day to savor for soccer fans, that's for sure.

Liverpool-Manchester United: as usual the tension was a thick in the air at Anfield, but Manchester United were the team coming out looking for a relaxed stroll in the park. They seemed content to play a counter attacking style that looked to get them no where for much of the first half. They certainly were lucky to be even after some school boy style defending, and to the chagrin of the Scousers, were ahead on the stroke of half time (Liverpool with some absentminded defending of their own). In the second half, their lie back and counter attack plan worked well, with the scorching pace of United, sealing the win, and condemning Liverpool to back to back league defeats.

Arsenal-Chelsea: well, this one didn't quite live up to the billing. Chelsea's offense was conspicuously absent, and when they did show up, Almunia was on top of his game to deny the Blues. Gallas swooped in, again at the stroke of half time, as in the first match to secure the points-- albeit with a gift from some dreadful goaltending. The second half saw Arsenal squandering a few glorious chances, and Cech doing his best to redeem himself. But that can take nothing away from Almunia, who deserves man of the match honors in turning this game from what could have easily been a dull draw to an important victory for Arsenal.

On to the Saturday’s games, the most exciting of which, saw Wigan (yes, Wigan) defeat Blackburn 5-3. This was an incredible game, with Wigan coughing up a 3-0 lead to 10 man Rovers, before piling on two more goals in a game with very little to speak of in the way of defending. Everton and Man City remained hot in the league, and Spurs found a way to win against at Pompey--they are definitely on the way out of the basement.

A last note, Carling Cup midweek: Arsenal defeated Blackburn in extra time, City finally lose at home to a resurgent Tottenham side and Chelsea see off Liverpool at the bridge.

Champions League Match day 6

There was still much to be decided going into the final match day in the Champions League group stage. Despite the obvious tension in many of the match ups, their were virtually no surprising results. Liverpool cruised past Marseille—apparently the reds have decided the Champions League is the one they want. Elsewhere, Schalke dumped Rosenborg, to claim the spot behind Chelsea, Olympiacos qualified, and will surely be one of the weaker teams in the next round, along with Fenerbahce, who sailed past CSKA to claim the second spot behind Inter.

And lastly, in Scotland, the score line certainly flattered Lyon, where unfortunate Rangers let their nerves get the better of them during the first half and handed Lyon the lead. Despite their flowing play and great spans of possession in the second half, they just did not have the quality (or perhaps the composure) to find the final ball they needed to bag a goal and eventually Lyon ran away with the match.

Premiership Wrap: Undefeateds Falter

Well, it’s been a busy last few weeks for me, so I missed a week. The week before last didn’t produce nearly as much excitement as last week. There were certainly some interesting results, with both Arsenal and Liverpool seeing their unbeaten streaks crash and burn: Arsenal losing to erratic Middlesbrough and Liverpool losing to bottom dwellers Reading. It really is beginning to look more and more like Liverpool have packed up their league ambitions and are setting their sights solely on the Champions League.

The other top clubs: Manchester United squashed helpless Derby, Chelsea eased past Sunderland and Manchester City lost at the death to Tottenham—perhaps Spurs will find their way out of the cellar before Christmas, they really are a better team than what they’ve shown so far this season.

Sunday will be an exciting day, with Manchester United traveling to Anfield to take on arch-rivals Liverpool. Perhaps the Mercysiders will be willing to put forth a winning effort in the league if it's against Manchester United. We'll have to wait and see.

It will also be interesting to see what happens in the weekend’s other big match up between Chelsea and Arsenal. After last weekend, where Arsenal were flat outplayed at the Riverside (even Wenger said so himself), we will have to wait and see if Arsenal can rediscover the stunning quality of play they’ve displayed all season. Neither team have much to worry about in their midweek Champions League games, so they should have the full assortment of stars available (with the exception of Drogba, who is injured).

Champions League: Match day 5

The long and the short of the champions league matches: Liverpool & Rangers have their fate in their own hands. Liverpool enjoyed a late outburst of goals to win 4-1 (a score line that really did flatter the reds). Rangers, on the other hand, did themselves no favors, losing 2-3 to a determined Stuttgart side in Germany. Now they must produce at least a point against Lyon in Scotland. Yes, Ibrox is a fortress, however, Lyon looked strong in their draw with Barcelona. Truth be told, Lyon are the better team, but a little grit may go a long way in getting Rangers through to the knockout stages.

In other games, Chelsea romped past Rosenborg in chilly Trondheim, in a match-up that really never was-- and Ronaldo scored a brilliant stoppage time freekick to assure victory of the group for Manchester United.

My picks for the groups:
A-Porto, and Liverpool will fly on through as though they'd never been on the brink of elimination.
B-Chelsea have already staked their claim; it could be a difficult ending for the Norwegians, who very well may stumble away from home, opening the door for Schalke to qualify.
C-Real Madrid, and Werder Bremen should advance
D-Cut and dried, AC Milan & Celtic.
E-Barcelona are through, and Lyon will use their quality to snatch the last spot.
F-This one was long ago decided: Man Utd & Roma, in that order.
G-Inter have already qualified in the top spot, so look for an under powered side to fall in Holland. And will a little luck (and help from CSKA), PSV will sneak through.
H-Another boring group: Sevilla & Arsenal, in that order.

Premiership Wrap: Arsenal Tops as United Crash

This weekend there was lots of booing around England, and rightfully so. The fans had every right to be disgusted as the big names (Gerrard, Lampard, etc.) came out and played their usual domineering style for their respective clubs. Why they can't manage for England, well that will remain a mystery. The top teams all held their ground, some in more spectacular fashion than others, with the exception of Manchester United who watched all three points disappear at Bolton. And I can't really say the Red Devils deserved anything more than they got, they seemed to have taken a page out of England's book, playing a truly uninspired match.

Everton trounced Roy Keane's sad little Sunderland in the biggest score line of the weekend. And it's time to take in the bets on which manager will be next to go: my money's on Southgate, whose Middlesbrough again couldn't take away an end product. Other safe bets-- Allardyce, Sanchez, and even old Rafa is getting closer the sharp end of the axe every time he opens his mouth. Next weekend we'll see which of the aforementioned bosses continues their woeful ways and gets the hook.

Goal of the week: Ireland's last minute volley, absolutely delicious. And fortunately for us watching at home we didn't have to see his underpants this time.

The match of the weekend for next week: Portsmouth v. Everton, maybe both sides will have goal explosions?

Euro 2008 Qualifiers

There really isn't much to add to the commentary on England's defeat at Wembley. At first I wanted to add the word "shock" in front of defeat, but it really wasn't a shock. England have been so mediocre, that I don't really find myself disappointed at their upcoming absence in Euro 2008. I know it's been said over and over, but the team lacks passion; the big names come together, but they can't seem to set aside their arrogance and play as a devoted unit. It almost seemed as though the English team (and supporters) thought they had it made after Israel's victory. And underestimating Croatia cost them dearly-- obviously the timid 4-5-1 was partly inspired by a lack of strikers, however, it was time to crank it up a notch after 15 minutes when England found themselves down 0-2. Instead they waited to infuse an attacking spark, and it almost worked. Now they'll get another crack at Croatia in World Cup qualifying.

Euro 2008 Qualifiers

Well, well, well! What a set of games. It was a surreal sort of weekend, where suddenly the footballing world was holding their collective breath to see who would win between Israel and Russia. Yes, that's right, Israel and Russia. And shockingly (and luckily for English fans), it was Israel (that's what the picture indicates). The Russians haven't put forth much excitement, or had tons of success since the their USSR days, but certainly defeating (or at least drawing) with Israel didn't seem too much to ask. At any rate, this hands England a lifeline. We'll just have to wait and see what type of side the Croatians put forth on Wednesday, and if jolly old England can find a final way to bungle up their qualification.

Other matches, saw heartbreak for Scotland, who lost at the death and are now eliminated. I don't suppose they were going to dash forward and grab a winner, but the free kick leading to the equalizer was a scandalous call. I can see why McLeish was incensed.

There is still a bit to be decided on Wednesday. Of course, England's fate lies in their own hands again. Portugal need a draw against the Finns to assure safe passage. Norway need Turkey to stumble, as qualification now lies out of their control after throwing away at least a point at home to the Turks on Saturday. And lastly, and most unlikely, Northern Ireland could still qualify: if they defeat Spain and Sweden lose to Latvia.

My predictions: England and Portugal sneak in with tight fought draws, Norway or Turkey- it's too close for me to call and Sweden will claim their spot with a win.

Premiership Wrap: As Expected

This was a weekend with some interesting match-ups-- that produced no surprise results. The big guns all came through as expected, with the exception of Chelsea, who dropped two points in their match with Everton. Manchester United and Arsenal cruised to victory, both teams playing a smooth flowing style of soccer that just makes you want to do nothing but watch them play. Liverpool dawdled about for most of the game before snatching the points at the bitter end. Kudos to Fulham for hanging tough for most of the game, especially as the second goal shouldn't have been a penalty; so at least the Cottagers can take away a small moral victory. In their match, Chelsea couldn't quite put away the game, and Tim Howard played a huge role in picking up an impressive point for Everton at the Bridge.

The weekend's big grudge matches: Birmingham v. Aston Villa and Sunderland v. Newcastle proved exciting. The former saw Villa stealing all the points in a match that certainly could have gone the other way and the later ended in a draw. Sunderland have shown grit, but if they're to survive, they're going to need to find a little luck as well. And on to the other relegation favorite, sorry old Derby were destroyed by West Ham. The Rams just don't have what it takes to even play with the big boys, and they showed this over the weekend, as generally unimpressive West Ham played circles around them. The Hammers looked as though they were merely playing pick-up soccer in the park. Which brings me to Tottenham's much needed win against Wigan. Both Jenas and Berbatov played in a relaxed and dominating fashion and juked and flicked about the field like they were playing against a gang of school boys. But only time will tell if Tottenham will truly show a revival in form.

Next week: The teams are off, and England's (and McClaren's) fate will be decided.

Champions League: Match day 4

Liverpool made an emphatic announcement over the mid-week: don't write us off! Unfortunately for the reds, things aren't quite so simple, but their fate is still in their hands: Given that they beat Porto and then beat Marseille (provided Marseille and Porto both beat struggling Besiktas) by at least one goal they should be in the clear. Whew, that wasn't confusing at all. It'll be tricky beating Porto and you can never assume any of the other stuff will go as it should, so we'll just have to wait and see. The home match against Besiktas this Tuesday was quite an offensive display, although, three points are still three points; it doesn't really matter how much you run up the score, but it should be a good confidence booster as well as three necessary points.

Manchester United and Arsenal continued their all-around dominance, easing into the next round with still two matches to play. Again Rooney and Tevez looked sharp in combination, if they really begin to click, this could be a lethal combination. Probably the most shocking match of the week was in Spain, where Valencia went down 0-2 against minnows Rosenborg of Norway. Much is still left to be decided though and the standings could be turned upside down in the two remaining matches. Look for Rangers and Rosenborg to be the surprise survivors of the first phase; their northern fortresses will prove the critical factor clinging to their second place spots.

Premiership Wrap

The premiership brought November in with style, the much anticipated match between Arsenal and United lived up to its billing. Arsenal stopped United's win streak, and in doing so showed that they've got desire as well as skill. Some how or another the Gunners showed a little heart and dug out an equalizer in the dying minutes of the match. Arsenal are still undefeated, but keeping it up for the whole season for only the second time in only a handful of years doesn't sound likely.

The other unbeaten side, Liverpool were lucky to escape the first half against Blackburn. Rovers controlled the game and rattled the crossbar two times before the interval. However, Liverpool came out of the locker room looking like a completely different team and were the better side in the second half. Perhaps a draw was a fair result, although the match could have a used a goal or two. Chelsea and Man City were both back to their usual ways: with Chelsea winning a dull match 2-0 at Wigan and City scrapping up all the points against lackluster Sunderland. Next weekend City will take on Pompey who absolutely destroyed Newcastle with a flury of early first half goals; looks like we may see which one is the real deal.

I'll be anxiously awaiting next week's match-up between Man Utd and Blackburn, it will be televised, for those of us with FSC, and Blackburn have a habit of troubling United, so we'll let you know how it goes.

Arsenal still top, Chelsea and Man Utd Romp

I have to preface this entry by saying that I am not an Arsenal fan, not in the slightest. However, after their two stunning performances this week, as a fan of the sport in general, I love the way they are moving the ball around right now. Their runs are cutting and dynamic and their quick passing and movement is fantastic. Sunday's match at Anfield was really quite fun to watch and the Gunners will surely be kicking themselves for not claiming all the points after outplaying Liverpool and letting not one, but two open netters go begging.

The other big guns were on the rampage over the weekend, particularly Chelsea, who finally clicked (like perhaps their stars should more often) and simply let fire on a defensively poor Manchester City. I do believe I counted four (of the six total) goals went directly through goalkeeper Joe Hart's legs. And Richards all but eliminated himself from the game after his skirmish with Lampard (which only seemed to fire up the Chelsea man). Manchester United again scored four goals as they soundly defeated Middlesbrough at Old Trafford. Rooney was again truly running riot, playing a very pacey, attacking style. And the doubters had to be silenced as he laid on a clever little ball to Tevez after a lovely set-up. Perhaps they can play well together?

Tottenham have ousted Jol, but didn't fare any better over the weekend and fell in stoppage time to a persistent Blackburn team that have been red-hot lately. It'll be interesting to see how they handle themselves when they take on Liverpool and then Manchester United in their next two matches.

Also, Robert Green was exceptional in goal rescuing West Ham with several brilliant saves, including a last minute penalty stop at Portsmouth; maybe we'll be seeing him in goal for England in the near future?

Next weekend: An absolutely mouth-watering encounter between Arsenal and Manchester United. I can hardly wait.

Champions League: Match day 3

The were several interesting developments after the mid-week Champions League fixtures: most notable was Liverpool's loss in Turkey to Besiktas. While the other big boys from the England cruised in their matches (including Arsenal's 7-0 dismantling of Slavia Prague), Liverpool truly struggled to find their rhythm. This leaves the Anfield men at the brink of elimination from the tournament altogether. They're going to have to look a heck of a lot sharper (perhaps a new rotation is in order?) if they're going to get anything out of their upcoming weekend date with the rampant Gunners.

While most of the European superpowers claimed the expected three points, Barcelona could not find the breakthrough against pesky Rangers in Glasgow. The Scottish side produced a valiant effort and certainly earned their point. With most of the groups still extremely close, the last three games of the first round will provide some mouth watering encounters.

To come: Will Liverpool pull out another miracle (as they did in the group stages of '04-'05)? And will Rangers continue their super start and relegate either Lyon or Barcelona to the UEFA cup?

US Women's National Team Update: Coaching Change

Well, I waited a couple of days to see what the general response to US Soccer's decision not to renew Greg Ryan's contract would be, and as it turned out, there hardly was one. I was somewhat baffled at how quickly a supposed controversy could disappear from the radar. But I guess this isn't really all that surprising, as most of the media frenzy was centered around the cat fight between outcast Solo and the rest of the "girls of summer" gang.

Unfortunately for all involved, Solo's outburst took away from the larger issue, that of Ryan's ability to coach the national team. It is reassuring to see that while the rest of the world may have forgotten about Greg Ryan, US Soccer has not. Ryan, who had a lengthy, although not particularly successful, career as a college soccer coach, took the helm of the program with very little notice from the soccer community. It has almost been the assumption that the team is so great that victory will come regardless of who coaches the team. Perhaps fans were lulled into this false sense of security by the past two previous coaches: the skillful Tony DiCicco and the lucky April Heinrichs, or perhaps it was the fact that most fans only take notice of the team around major tournament times.

At any rate, US Soccer has made the right move. Depending upon who they replace Ryan with, they can show that they are serious about this team; that they are running the team as any powerhouse nation would manage their men's team. The focus needs to move away from idolizing the original heroes of the Women's game and realize that the team cannot survive on their legacy alone. The team needs to get serious about the Olympics: they're not anybody's heroes, they're not even the favorites-- they are simply one of the many that could mount a challenge, or on the other hand, fall very far short. So it is time to cast off those ridiculous gold jerseys, stop scheduling victory tours before the tournaments begin and bring in a new coach who will give the new women of the US National Team the leadership that they need.

Weekend Wrap-Up

Whew, what a weekend! Well, I missed my weekly dose of the recap show on account of an ALCS game 7. However, I did catch four of the weekend's games, including Manchester United's dismantling of Villa. Despite Villa scoring first, United were absolutely rampant, terrorizing the Villains at every turn. It's hard to believe this is even the same side we saw at the beginning of the season. Rooney ran riot in attack and the Red Devils linked up in more flowing offensive moves than I can remember. A very entertaining and offensive game.

Among the other leaders, Arsenal and Blackburn won games that they needed to and should have won. And Liverpool scored two penalties to steal all the points right at the death against archrivals Everton. There really wasn't any other choice for the ref than to give the two spot kicks, but my oh my, the calls that weren't made for Everton. For me the most glaring was that Kuyt was not sent off for his horror two-footed jump kick and Everton definitely had reason to believe they should have been given a penalty of their own. The Toffees will certainly think they've been hard done, should have at least garnered a point. Man City kept up their form with yet another goal from, guess who-- Elano.

Both Birmingham and Sunderland continued playing competently and coming away empty-handed. And today's Spurs-Newcastle match surely has Jol pushed to the brink. One can only imagine that anything less than a fabulous week will see him gone in a seven day's time.

Euro 2008 Qualifiers

Obviously, today's big news is that England lost. I was out and about enjoying the eastern fall in the mountains today and didn't see much of the action. But I arrived home to read all about the crying McClaren and how a horrible call has now ruined everything for England. If I'm not mistaken, hasn't a whole slew of pathetic performances ruined everything for England? Come on now, blaming the ref is just sad, but I suppose England need to point the finger at someone... Now while I don't give a rip about Russia, it would be refreshing to see England out of a major tournament. And if that does indeed happen, McClaren will likely be out as England boss. I suppose sacking McClaren is the right response, however I have this sneaking suspicion that it's not really the coach after all. We can see McClaren's past successes, and we can certainly see how well Sven is doing with sorry old Manchester City (who, frankly, look pretty damned sharp these days). Perhaps England's supposed superstars are just not capable of playing as a unit, and additionally and more likely, their world-class midfield is just simply mediocre. And is Robinson really the best England have got?

In other games: The Czechs demolished Germany to qualify, Scotland (back to their old ways) folded against Georgia, making it look more like France and Italy will go through (just as everyone would have guessed) and the holders Greece also qualified today. Again, there is still so much left to be settled---more to follow, next month.

Euro 2008 Qualifiers

It is certainly getting down to the nitty-gritty for Euro 2008 qualifying. The main surprise of the weekend's matches was Scotland's impressive performance against the Ukraine. If Scotland could somehow manage a result in their final match against Italy, this would leave either France or likely Italy (the top two teams in the last World Cup, lest anyone should have forgotten...) completely out of the tournament. Although this scenario is hardly one I see as probable, neither is Scotland leading the group at this late stage.

In England's much hyped match, the team produced the result they needed by beating a weak Estonian side. Despite a 3-0 score line, the English were once again less than convincing. Two fluky goals and some instances of skaky defense will again leave a host of question marks about England as a team. The midweek match in Russia could be a far more telling encounter, particularly with England lacking defender Ashley Cole, although playing on a turf field (welcome to the world of soccer in the north) leaves room for England to place the blame, should the match go poorly.

Other results were as expected with Germany being the first team to qualify for the tournament. The qualification picture should be much clearer by this time next week.

Premiership Wrap: Arsenal and Man Utd fly high, Liverpool escape, and Elano is sensational

Manchester United finally flexed their muscle destroying sorry Wigan 4-0. Tevez finally showed why United worked so hard to get his services, and Ronaldo was rampant. United poached on every mistake made by Wigan, who seemed to have simply given up by the second half. Arsenal kept their spot atop the table after two wonderful goals by Robin Van Persie, the hottest player right now in the Premiership. To Sunderland's credit, they fought back and nearly stole a point off the leaders, kudos to Keane's side, but again they head home empty handed.

In Sunday's featured match, Tottenham came out and put on a display of how an attacking soccer team should play together. Unfortunately for Spurs, their defense is a leaky ship, just waiting to sink; and sink it did as Robinson gifted Voronin his goal and nearly gave Liverpool another before the sputtering defense finally gave up two points in the waning moments. It likely would have been worse had it not been for the strong effort of Didier Zakora, who continually cleaned up the mess left by Tottenham's other hapless defenders.

And a final note in the weekend's matches, spectacular Elano led third place Man City to all the points. The striker has been nothing less than sensational, scoring two incredible goals after last week's cracker from long range. Other crucial matches showed Michael Owen coming back from hernia surgery to grab the winner for Newcastle, Blackburn snagging all the points from unlucky Birmingham and Chelsea sneaking past Bolton 1-0.

Champions League: Match day 2 Groups A,B,C,D

Today's fixtures produced some truly lackluster soccer. The game featured on ESPN displayed a dull game between Liverpool and Marseilles. The game seemed destined to be a scoreless draw as neither team looked dangerous or even remotely interested in attacking. The only point of interest was when Valbuena scored the game's only goal with a delightful shot that left Reina frozen on the line. Liverpool was completely flat and couldn't even come close to finding a response. Looks like Benitez needs a new rotation.

In other action, Chelsea came from behind to beat Valencia, which must be an enormous relief to Avram Grant, whose days at Chelsea are surely numbered. Real Madrid failed to hold their lead twice as they settled for a draw versus Lazio. And lastly, the shock result of the day came at Parkhead, where Celtic scored a late winner to claim all the points against AC Milan. The game will be remembered, however, for an altercation between a fan and Milan keeper Dida. Although I haven't seen the replay, I get the sense that the injuries sustained by Dida will not leave any permanent scars; guess the Scots just can't compete with the Italians for fan violence...

Champions League: Match day 2 Groups E,F,G,H

Today's matches produced few surprising results, apart from Rangers' 3-0 thrashing of hapless Lyon in France. In a match that just never looked to go Lyon's way, Rangers jumped at their chances (including a goal and an assist from American DeMarcus Beasley), pushing the French side to the brink of elimination after only two matches. Despite controlling the possession for large portions of the match, only Juninho seemed to be interested in getting anything out of the match. Amazing stuff from Rangers, who look to be in a great position to advance after their match day one victory over Stuttgart. Barcelona also flexed their muscle in the group, seeing off Stuttgart 2-0 and making it two for two so far.

In other action, both Manchester United and Arsenal took home all three points with 1-0 victories. Rooney broke out of his slump with a delightful goal after a smooth set-up from Nani. Arsenal again snatched all the points through a strike from the red-hot Van Persie.

Group G action saw Inter take a big step towards qualification, capitalizing on their chances in a fairly even game, beating PSV 2-0 at home. PSV didn't take their chances and were left to rue missed points after Inter went down to 10 men with 25 minutes remaining and then down to nine at the death of the game.

Lessons from today's matches: The English big guns can (and will) be toppled and beware Barcelona...

Premiership Wrap

The weekend's games showed each of the top four winning their respective matches. Chelsea again lost ground and in the end were lucky not to lose all the points to an inspired Fulham.

Man City v. Newcastle (3-1): City came from behind to beat Newcastle, and Elano capped off the victory with a stunning free kick, which the excellent Shay Given had absolutely no chance at saving.

Sunderland v. Blackburn (1-2): Roy's Keane's men looked sloppy and in the end it was a comfortable win for Blackburn.

Chelsea v. Fulham (0-0): Fulham squandered two glorious chances to pick up all three points at the death, but still earned a valuable point at the Bridge. The match also saw Drogba sent off for two yellows and John Terry pick up cheek bone fracture that could sideline him for as many as six weeks.

West Ham v. Arsenal (0-1): Van Persie headed home the crucial winner as Arsenal prevailed by their usual score line.

Derby v. Bolton (1-1): A battle of the bottom-feeders saw Derby keeper Stephen Bywater make a crucial double save to preserve a precious point for struggling Derby.

Wigan v. Liverpool (0-1): Liverpool dominated proceedings, however, it took a late goal by Benayoun to secure all of the points.

Portsmouth v. Reading (7-4): An incredibly wild game, with seemingly no defense, mistakes and smooth moves led to goal after goal... for both sides. Pompey looked strong and Benjani was rampant ending his scoring draught with a hat-trick.

Birmingham v. Man Utd (0-1): A very lucky Man Utd took away all three points after Ronaldo capitalized on a defensive error to score the game's only goal. Van der Sar and Kuszczak (Van der Sar left with an ankle injury at the half) both needed to be sharp, and they were. Steve Bruce will be cursing his bad luck as his team was flying for large portions of the game, but came away empty-handed. Another 1-0 victory leaves United with only seven goals in eight games... not what you'd expect from the champions.

Everton v. Middlesbrough (2-0) : A fairly even overall match, but it was the Toffees that took their chances and a brilliant Arteta led Everton to their first victory at Goodison since the opening day of the season.

The Final: Brazil v. Germany

This was a sad game for me, even sadder than the semi-final where the US lost. And as a die-hard American fan, that's saying something. Brazil, despite their abundant talent, just couldn't put it together today. They dominated for long stretches and looked dangerous, but just never found that killer touch in front of goal. Germany, on the other hand, played the boring game that their men's side is known for, but put away their chances and killed off the game with time wasting and some good old-fashioned luck.

Prinz's finish wasn't brilliant, but it was enough. The frightening Angerer was excellent in goal for the Germans, saving a poorly taken penalty from Marta and making an amazing save on a free kick moments later. The Germans stayed organized and, in typical form, were deadly when given a glimpse in front of goal.

I'm left to rue what might have become of the game had Marta managed a decent penalty. I suppose this will give the Brazilians something to ponder until Beijing 2008. I think I found this final most disappointing because it means Brazil may very well remain in the dark-ages, with non-existent team funding. For me the Brazilians were by far the most exciting team to watch in the tournament, and one can only imagine how strong the Brazilians could become given the proper nourishment.

A side note about the third place game: The Americans dominated the sorry Norwegians (who apparently agree with me that the third place game is a waste of time, so they didn't bother to show up...). And good old Scurry actually looked pretty sharp. What a difference a little recent game experience makes.

Solo v. Ryan: The Aftermath

So I figured this was an important issue on which I should at the very least make a short entry. So it will be just that: short.

Solo-She was right, but she should have kept her mouth shut. I wouldn't be surprised if Barnhart (the third keeper) plays in the final match. She came off reeking of immaturity and further damaging poor Scurry who'd been put in such a difficult position already.

Ryan-He was wrong, but he wouldn't stand up and admit it. His player selection throughout the tournament has been bizarre and quite frankly, downright poor.

And the winner of the big slug fest...

No one, least of all the US Women's Soccer team. Solo will ride the pine for awhile until she proves she's sufficiently penitent, and with any luck someone else will be steering the American ship towards the Olympics, as serious revamping and preparation are necessary.

WWC Semi-Final: USA v. Brazil

Well, well. Couldn't you just see this coming, on some level anyway? Those prone to "I told you so"s will be wallowing in their ability to predict the future. However, I think this result was inevitable. The luck the US would have needed to even compete with Brazil just wasn't there today.

To address a few important issues:
First-The goalkeeping. What can I say? I told you so. I guess that's an apt comment. Why on earth Ryan thought this gamble (sabotage move) would pay off I don't know. I mean, of all positions, the goalkeeper holds the defense together as one smooth operating unit. When you compare a team like the US with Brazil, the strength of the US lies in their organization. By swapping goalkeepers at the last minute, Ryan completely dismantled the US's best hope of victory, or even of competing. Secondly, the change also had to have disrupted the players' focus on preparing for the game. Enough about the controversy, what's done is done, now if US Soccer had a little more backbone, Ryan would be gone before the Olympics.

Second-What was up with man-marking Marta after the US was down 3-0? Ellertson is quick and can hardly be faulted for her inability to stick with that sick no look back heel self-pass that led to the fourth goal... but if the plan was to neutralize Marta, starting at the beginning of the game would have been the thing to do.

Third-If you're down by a few goals and need some offense, sub in offensive players. Isn't this simple? What was with the damage-control substitutions in the second half? It didn't work anyway...

Fourth-The Boxx red card. Worst call ever.

That's enough re-hash for a game that was never competitive.

Predictions:

Final: Brazil 3, Germany 2
Consolation: US 2, Norway 1

Welcome to the scoop, I hope you enjoy reading my articles. Please feel free to comment on my content, or anything you think I should discuss in my blog. The general idea of this blog is to be a weekly update, of course when huge events are happening, new entries may be added more than once a week. Happy reading!

Carling Cup Round Up

Carling Cup... who cares, right? With some of the bigger clubs sporting impressive line-ups this week in the third round, it's clear that someone does. And it's still a piece of hardware in England, and sometimes all a team gets for the season. So here's a look at the action from the mid-week:

Tuesday:

Arsenal v. Newcastle (2-0) - The young gunners came through for Arsenal, and even the league leaders' reserves are looking sharp.

Man City v. Norwich (1-0) - Man City take it at the death.

Blackpool v. Southend (1-0)

Reading v. Liverpool (2-4) - A stacked Liverpool line-up get the job done.

Burnley v. Portsmouth (0-1)

Luton v. Charlton (3-1)

Sheffield United v. Morecambe (5-0)

West Brom v. Cardiff (2-4)

Wednesday:

Aston Villa v. Leister (0-1)

Hull v. Chelsea (0-4) - Is anyone surprised by this result? Mourinho or not, this task could have been handled by the Chelsea youth squad, and to some degree it was, although the Chelsea line-up backed a firmer punch of stalwarts than some of the other big clubs' line-ups...

Sheffield Wednesday v. Everton (0-3)

West Ham v. Plymouth (1-0) - Sad, that the hammers needed 7+ million pound man Dean Ashton to put away Plymouth...

Blackburn v. Birmingham (3-0) - One of the few interesting third round matches in the draw. Although with Blackburn clicking on all cylinders, Birmingham looked like a team destined for the Championship, again.

Man United v. Coventry (0-2) - Shameful performance by a squad of United youngsters, not likely to earn call-ups any time soon, and another sorry exit for the Premiership Champions. Credit to Coventry for coming to Old Trafford and taking the game to the hosts.

Tottenham v. Middlesbrough (2-0) - Was this the boost Jol needed to stick around? Unlikely, he'll be gone before the team plays their fourth round match.

Fulham v. Bolton (1-2) - An extra time goal from Giannakopoulis decided the match. The battle between the two premiership sides produced a thrilling affair, with bottom-feeders Bolton producing the win.

WWC Semi-Final: Germany v. Norway

What a game today, what a first half anyway. The Norwegians came out of the gates inspired today, playing the best soccer I've seen out of their team in ages (well, since 2000 anyway). Unfortunately their quality in front of goal is still what it has been of late, weak. Nevertheless the team created chances, had countless corners (some taken better than others, as the previously excellent Stensland proved erratic today) and should have gone ahead in the first half.

Instead what happened is why soccer can be such a fickle sport, one bad break and it was the momentum shift the mighty Germans needed to crush the Norwegians beyond recognition. There wasn't much Nordby could do about any of the three goals. Bente Nordby that is, as Siri Nordby handed the Germans the third goal, as if the wounds weren't bleeding enough by that stage. So now the Germans are looking to repeat. The result is not a surprise, however, the nature of the game, particularly the first half should give their next opponent some cause for optimism.