Inter Milan got their new Champions League campaign off on the wrong foot on match day one with a loss to Trabzonspor at the San Siro. That was one of the big factors that got Gasperini canned. Inter needed a result in Moscow to keep the quarterfinals in sight.
One of the biggest problems they had against the Turkish side was that they failed to come out and take control of the match. That was not the case in Moscow. Inter jumped on the Russians right away. Lucio took advantage of horrible gaff at the back for CSKA to notch the first Inter goal on 6 minutes. The Milanese continued their all out attack through the opening 25 minutes. Joel Obi had a great header that was well saved in the 11th, and Diego Milito sent a screamer in on 14 minutes that was barely held on to. Finally Inter capitalized again in the 23rd minute when Pazzini volleyed home a cross from Nagatomo to make it 0-2.
Then for some reason, Inter took their foot off the gas. They went into a defensive shell, which doesn't always work when there's still 2/3 of the match left to play. CSKA got one back at the stroke of half time off of a free kick by Dzagoev to make it 1-2 at the interval.
The goal did not really wake Inter up much either, and CSKA continued to claw their way back in the second half. Finally in the 78th minute, Wagner Love took a ball in from Aldonin and slotted it home to equalize the match at 2-2.
That woke the Italian giants up, finally. Just less then 2 minutes later, Zarate slammed in a goal for Inter from outside the 18 to make it 2-3. Inter killed the match off after that and held on for all 3 points. 3 crucial points for advancing in the Champions League.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Thursday, September 29, 2011
UCL: BATE Borisov vs. Barcelona
Unlike Ajax and Real Madrid, there was no match history between BATE and Barca. I decided I really wanted to take in this match because one of two things was going to happen. Either BATE was going to pull one of the shocks of the soccer season, or Barca was going to put on a hell of a show.
Even if you didn't watch the match, I'm sure you can guess what happened.
BATE tried an interesting defensive tactic to start the match. Banking on the fact that because Barca lacks size, they wouldn't be able to beat them from wide, they clogged the midfield with as many as 9 players at a time, making Barca try to solve them from the wings.
It took about 20 minutes, but Barca did solve them. In the 19th minute Alves sent a cross toward the far post where Lionel Messi waiting. He banged a shot toward goal that was deflected in by a BATE defender to make it 0-1 Barca. It was officially ruled an Own Goal.
Then just 3 minutes later Pedro got in on the action, heading in a cross to make it 0-2. Barca would add one more before half time. In the 38th minute the BATE 'keeper spilled the ball off of a cross, and Messi was right there to hammer the ball into the net and make it 0-3 Barca at the break.
Barcelona wasn't going to sit on the lead either. They like to score, and they like to get as close to perfect as they can. They opened the second half with a barrage on the BATE goal, with Messi and David Villa leading the way. In the 56th minute Messi completed his brace, smacking home a top shelf goal after another cross from Alves. David Villa added the finishing tough in the 89th minute, taking advantage of a BATE giveaway in their own end and slotting past the keeper to make the full time score 0-5.
In the end, it was simply a dominant performance by Barca. BATE played hard, and played well at times, especially on defense, but they just lacked the quality to keep up with the European Champs for any more than that first 20 minutes.
Even if you didn't watch the match, I'm sure you can guess what happened.
BATE tried an interesting defensive tactic to start the match. Banking on the fact that because Barca lacks size, they wouldn't be able to beat them from wide, they clogged the midfield with as many as 9 players at a time, making Barca try to solve them from the wings.
It took about 20 minutes, but Barca did solve them. In the 19th minute Alves sent a cross toward the far post where Lionel Messi waiting. He banged a shot toward goal that was deflected in by a BATE defender to make it 0-1 Barca. It was officially ruled an Own Goal.
Then just 3 minutes later Pedro got in on the action, heading in a cross to make it 0-2. Barca would add one more before half time. In the 38th minute the BATE 'keeper spilled the ball off of a cross, and Messi was right there to hammer the ball into the net and make it 0-3 Barca at the break.
Barcelona wasn't going to sit on the lead either. They like to score, and they like to get as close to perfect as they can. They opened the second half with a barrage on the BATE goal, with Messi and David Villa leading the way. In the 56th minute Messi completed his brace, smacking home a top shelf goal after another cross from Alves. David Villa added the finishing tough in the 89th minute, taking advantage of a BATE giveaway in their own end and slotting past the keeper to make the full time score 0-5.
In the end, it was simply a dominant performance by Barca. BATE played hard, and played well at times, especially on defense, but they just lacked the quality to keep up with the European Champs for any more than that first 20 minutes.
UCL: Real Madrid vs. Ajax
Last year these same two clubs met in the Champions League group stages. Madrid dominated both of those contests. The Dutch champions were hoping to do a little better as they made the trip to Spain to take on the 9 time European champs.
It looked like they might have a chance in the early going. Trying to emulate AC Milan's 1st minute success vs Barca, Boerrigter got off a shot almost right from the kickoff, only to see Iker Casillas save it. For much of the first 20 minutes Real's defense resembled the Keystone Cops, but Ajax wasn't really able to create much up front.
Madrid's offense was a little slow to respond at first as well, but eventually the chances started coming. Benzema had a couple of great looks, one particular chance fell for him in the 17th minute. However, facing a wide open goal, he smacked his shot wide of the post.
Madrid wasn't stagnant all night though. Cristiano Ronaldo saw to that. Los Galacticos finally struck in the 25th minute. They blistered Ajax on a counter, getting, if I remember right, 6 different men involved. The play culminated in a brilliant finish from CR7 to put Real up 1-0. Then in the 41st minute Kaka slotted home a second to give Real Madrid the 2-0 lead at the half.
The second half was mostly Real Madrid on cruise control. While Ajax had done some good things with the ball, they obviously lacked the finishing quality up front, especially against a team like Madrid. Benzema put the last nail in the coffin just 4 minutes after half time to make it 3-0, and Real Madrid coasted home rest of the way to all three points.
It looked like they might have a chance in the early going. Trying to emulate AC Milan's 1st minute success vs Barca, Boerrigter got off a shot almost right from the kickoff, only to see Iker Casillas save it. For much of the first 20 minutes Real's defense resembled the Keystone Cops, but Ajax wasn't really able to create much up front.
Madrid's offense was a little slow to respond at first as well, but eventually the chances started coming. Benzema had a couple of great looks, one particular chance fell for him in the 17th minute. However, facing a wide open goal, he smacked his shot wide of the post.
Madrid wasn't stagnant all night though. Cristiano Ronaldo saw to that. Los Galacticos finally struck in the 25th minute. They blistered Ajax on a counter, getting, if I remember right, 6 different men involved. The play culminated in a brilliant finish from CR7 to put Real up 1-0. Then in the 41st minute Kaka slotted home a second to give Real Madrid the 2-0 lead at the half.
The second half was mostly Real Madrid on cruise control. While Ajax had done some good things with the ball, they obviously lacked the finishing quality up front, especially against a team like Madrid. Benzema put the last nail in the coffin just 4 minutes after half time to make it 3-0, and Real Madrid coasted home rest of the way to all three points.
Match Thoughts: Real Salt Lake vs. Chicago Fire
I hate having to write these entries on a tough night like tonight. Bleh. However, with the good comes the bad. Tonight at the RioT was an example of the bad.
It didn't have to start that way though. Sabo had a great look in the opening minutes, but his shot sailed just wide of the far post. After that the match changed for the worse for RSL.
In the 9th minute Pappa scored the first of his three for Fire, left totally alone in the box. Then less than a minute later Kyle Beckerman received a red card for a nasty head butt that will probably cost him some games.
RSL just never really got it going after that. As coach Kries said, totally undisciplined. Pappa dropped two more on us to make the final score 0-3. The only positive tonight was the return of Javi Morales after his broken ankle. That was really nice to see.
It didn't have to start that way though. Sabo had a great look in the opening minutes, but his shot sailed just wide of the far post. After that the match changed for the worse for RSL.
In the 9th minute Pappa scored the first of his three for Fire, left totally alone in the box. Then less than a minute later Kyle Beckerman received a red card for a nasty head butt that will probably cost him some games.
RSL just never really got it going after that. As coach Kries said, totally undisciplined. Pappa dropped two more on us to make the final score 0-3. The only positive tonight was the return of Javi Morales after his broken ankle. That was really nice to see.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
CONCACAF Champions League: Comunicaciones vs. Seattle Sounders
First off, congrats to Seattle. Their draw tonight makes them the first team to punch their ticket through to the knockout stage of CONCACAF Champions League. They've represented the league well.
This was a tough match for them tonight in conditions that were far from ideal in Guatemala City. They faced a crappy plastic pitch and an absolute downpour through most of the match. Comunicaciones got on the board first in the 7th minute off of a counter attack. Transito Montepeque slipped behind the Seattle defense and chipped the ball into goal over Keller to give Las Cremas the 1-0 lead.
Seattle responded well though. They didn't panic. Their patience finally paid off in the 44th minute. After a set piece, the ball went loose and Osvaldo Alonso pounded it past the Cremas keeper to tie the match at 1-1 going into half time.
I know Seattle wanted to take all three points. Their starting lineup reflected that. However, it looked through much of the second half like they were willing to settle for the draw and the ticket to the next round. This came back to haunt them in the 64th minute when Keller failed to punch a ball away from goal and Rafael Morales punched in the rebound to give Las Cremas the 2-1 lead.
After that it looked like the group was going to be thrown into disarray, but Alonso came to the rescue of the Sounders once again. This time he blasted home the equalizer in the 89th minute to stun the crowd in Guatemala, particularly since the home side had gone to such great lengths to run time off the clock. The match finished at 2-2.
The draw moves Seattle to 10 points and a slot in the next round. They enjoy the tie breaker over Comunicaciones by virtue of a win and a draw. In two weeks they will meet Monterrey in Seattle to decide who wins the group. Comunicaciones will need a Seattle win to have any hope of advancing.
This was a tough match for them tonight in conditions that were far from ideal in Guatemala City. They faced a crappy plastic pitch and an absolute downpour through most of the match. Comunicaciones got on the board first in the 7th minute off of a counter attack. Transito Montepeque slipped behind the Seattle defense and chipped the ball into goal over Keller to give Las Cremas the 1-0 lead.
Seattle responded well though. They didn't panic. Their patience finally paid off in the 44th minute. After a set piece, the ball went loose and Osvaldo Alonso pounded it past the Cremas keeper to tie the match at 1-1 going into half time.
I know Seattle wanted to take all three points. Their starting lineup reflected that. However, it looked through much of the second half like they were willing to settle for the draw and the ticket to the next round. This came back to haunt them in the 64th minute when Keller failed to punch a ball away from goal and Rafael Morales punched in the rebound to give Las Cremas the 2-1 lead.
After that it looked like the group was going to be thrown into disarray, but Alonso came to the rescue of the Sounders once again. This time he blasted home the equalizer in the 89th minute to stun the crowd in Guatemala, particularly since the home side had gone to such great lengths to run time off the clock. The match finished at 2-2.
The draw moves Seattle to 10 points and a slot in the next round. They enjoy the tie breaker over Comunicaciones by virtue of a win and a draw. In two weeks they will meet Monterrey in Seattle to decide who wins the group. Comunicaciones will need a Seattle win to have any hope of advancing.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Italian Match Thoughts: Parma vs. AS Roma
The first half of this match was a total snoozer. Literally. I had a hard time staying awake. The only two decent chances of the half came in the first 11 minutes. Roma had some nice development play early, and it culminated in a shooting chance for Angel in the 2nd minute. However, he hit it over the bar. Parma had their best chance in the 11th minute when Lucarelli got his head on the ball, but saw his shot also float harmlessly overt the bar.
The half time result was 0-0.
Finally in the 50th minute Roma got on the board. Osvaldo took a nice cross and headed it down, back across the goal into the bottom far post corner to make it 0-1 to Roma. This had the effect of finally opening the match up a little since Parma was now forced to chase the equalizer on their own home pitch.
They should have gotten it too. In the 72nd minute Biabiany came sprinting up the Roma left and had a great look at goal, pretty much a sure thing. He blased the shot wide though, much to the dismay of his two teammates that had made runs into the 18 and could have easily tapped it home had he passed.
After that Jadid tricked a shot just wide off of a Parma corner, but that was all she wrote. Roma took the 0-1 win, and it becomes the first victory for new manager Luis Enrique
The half time result was 0-0.
Finally in the 50th minute Roma got on the board. Osvaldo took a nice cross and headed it down, back across the goal into the bottom far post corner to make it 0-1 to Roma. This had the effect of finally opening the match up a little since Parma was now forced to chase the equalizer on their own home pitch.
They should have gotten it too. In the 72nd minute Biabiany came sprinting up the Roma left and had a great look at goal, pretty much a sure thing. He blased the shot wide though, much to the dismay of his two teammates that had made runs into the 18 and could have easily tapped it home had he passed.
After that Jadid tricked a shot just wide off of a Parma corner, but that was all she wrote. Roma took the 0-1 win, and it becomes the first victory for new manager Luis Enrique
EPL: Liverpool vs. Wolves
Both Liverpool and Wolves came into yesterday's match at Anfield on a down run of form following bright starts to the new Premier League season. For Liverpool, this was about trying to keep pace with the 2 Manchester clubs and Chelsea, for Wolves, 3 points was needed in order to avoid a continued tumble down the table.
Wolves got things off to a great start in the first 5 minutes. They had a lot of possession and seemed to put Liverpool on their heels a bit. Their nice play culminated in a good free kick chance just outside the 18. However, O'Hara blasted it into the wall and then picked up a yellow for pulling a Liverpool player down on the ensuing counter attempt.
The bad news for Wolves was the first half got progressively worse after that. In the 11th minute Captain Roger Johnson was trying to defend a ball in when he got bulldozed by Andy Carroll. The ball fluttered over to Charlie Adam, who smacked it toward goal. Johnson tried to get up and defend it, but he ended up deflecting it into his own goal to hand Liverpool the 1-0 lead. He tried to argue that he should have had a free kick against Carroll, but the ref wasn't buying. Then in the 38th minute Luis Suarez appeared to put the icing on the cake by slicing a brilliant goal in from an angle to give Liverpool a 2-0 lead at the half.
However if Liverpool thought Wolves were going to come out and roll over, they were wrong. Fletcher entered at half time and scored a goal for Wolves in the 49th minute to make it 2-1. Wolves were hunting a point.
The rest of the game turned into a pretty entertaining, wide open affair, but most of the quality chances went to Liverpool. Hennessey just managed to deny Suarez a brace in the 50th, then in the 52nd Carroll had a header clang off the post. Just one minute later, Downing nearly struck off of a counter, but again Hennessey made a great save to keep Wolves in it. Unfortunately for them, they could never quite threaten the equalizer, and Liverpool took the win 2-1.
On a side note, Steven Gerrard played the last 10 minutes or so for Liverpool and looked pretty sharp. This was on the heels of his Carling Cup run out earlier in the week.
Wolves got things off to a great start in the first 5 minutes. They had a lot of possession and seemed to put Liverpool on their heels a bit. Their nice play culminated in a good free kick chance just outside the 18. However, O'Hara blasted it into the wall and then picked up a yellow for pulling a Liverpool player down on the ensuing counter attempt.
The bad news for Wolves was the first half got progressively worse after that. In the 11th minute Captain Roger Johnson was trying to defend a ball in when he got bulldozed by Andy Carroll. The ball fluttered over to Charlie Adam, who smacked it toward goal. Johnson tried to get up and defend it, but he ended up deflecting it into his own goal to hand Liverpool the 1-0 lead. He tried to argue that he should have had a free kick against Carroll, but the ref wasn't buying. Then in the 38th minute Luis Suarez appeared to put the icing on the cake by slicing a brilliant goal in from an angle to give Liverpool a 2-0 lead at the half.
However if Liverpool thought Wolves were going to come out and roll over, they were wrong. Fletcher entered at half time and scored a goal for Wolves in the 49th minute to make it 2-1. Wolves were hunting a point.
The rest of the game turned into a pretty entertaining, wide open affair, but most of the quality chances went to Liverpool. Hennessey just managed to deny Suarez a brace in the 50th, then in the 52nd Carroll had a header clang off the post. Just one minute later, Downing nearly struck off of a counter, but again Hennessey made a great save to keep Wolves in it. Unfortunately for them, they could never quite threaten the equalizer, and Liverpool took the win 2-1.
On a side note, Steven Gerrard played the last 10 minutes or so for Liverpool and looked pretty sharp. This was on the heels of his Carling Cup run out earlier in the week.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Rafa Marquez Rips His Own Team After RSL Thrashing
So today Rafa Marquez made some more waves in New York. Not the good kind either. Last night the Red Bulls got their clocks cleaned on their home pitch by Real Salt Lake. Of course, it wasn't Rafa's fault at all. It couldn't be, I mean he's a DP. Today, through an interpreter, he leveled some pretty harsh words at his team.
First off, the Mexican super-ego said: "I think this is a team game and unfortunately there isn't an equal level between my teammates and me." Wow. I don't think you'd even hear that of Cristiano Ronaldo, the king of soccer egos. So, Rafa, how many MLS cups has NY won since your Golden Ass signed up? Oh, right, none. How has your individual performance been, particularly since Gold Cup? Oh, right, HORRIBLE.
He then called out Tim Ream and Teemu Tainio saying: "two terrible individual mistakes changed the game." Now, this is a true statement. Both Ream and Tainio messed up big time leading to RSL goals. However, it's one thing to have your coach call you out, it's another thing to have a teammate do it. Especially a teammate that gets payed a hell of a lot of money to play like garbage.
So we'll see what happens. The Red Bulls are obviously imploding. The only other team in the league right now that is failing as bad is the Rapids. *snort*
If Rafa and Ream want to check out some good central defense, all they need to do is watch Olave and Borchers.
First off, the Mexican super-ego said: "I think this is a team game and unfortunately there isn't an equal level between my teammates and me." Wow. I don't think you'd even hear that of Cristiano Ronaldo, the king of soccer egos. So, Rafa, how many MLS cups has NY won since your Golden Ass signed up? Oh, right, none. How has your individual performance been, particularly since Gold Cup? Oh, right, HORRIBLE.
He then called out Tim Ream and Teemu Tainio saying: "two terrible individual mistakes changed the game." Now, this is a true statement. Both Ream and Tainio messed up big time leading to RSL goals. However, it's one thing to have your coach call you out, it's another thing to have a teammate do it. Especially a teammate that gets payed a hell of a lot of money to play like garbage.
So we'll see what happens. The Red Bulls are obviously imploding. The only other team in the league right now that is failing as bad is the Rapids. *snort*
If Rafa and Ream want to check out some good central defense, all they need to do is watch Olave and Borchers.
Italian Match Thoughts: AS Roma vs. Siena
One other nice thing about having ESPN3, or watch ESPN or whatever they call it now, is that I can watch some of the Serie A matches that Fox Soccer doesn't carry. I was really kind of bummed that Fox wasn't carrying this match, but was very happy to be able to watch it via Interweb.
Through the first few rounds of the Serie A season, we've heard a lot about how Roma is a work in progress. This is true to an extent. They have a new coach and a lot of new faces, they still have a pretty solid squad though, and one wonders how long the "work in progress" excuse will hold when they can't beat teams like Siena at home.
The Romans got off on the right foot though, with a ton of possession in the opening minutes. They looked to be in total control. Totti took a great free kick that sailed high in the 6th minute. About 5 minutes later, Osvaldo had a shot that was barely deflected. Roma was looking good.
However Siena created some chances of their own in the first half, despite being behind on possession. Calaio had a shot blocked off the counter in the 14th, and then just 1 minute later Franco Brienza smacked a glorious header on goal that Lobont just barely knocked away for Roma.
The first half spoils belonged to the Romans though. In the 25th minute they finally capitalized on their possession and development play. Boriello sent a nice ball across the 6 and Osvaldo was there to knock it in. Roma would take their newly acquired 1-0 lead to the half.
Unfortunately for the fans in the capital though, Roma did not quite put on the same display in half number two. A lot of credit has to go to Siena, who worked hard and played well all night. They were very organized on both ends of the pitch, and it really gave Roma fits late.
There were a ton of chances for Siena down the stretch, but they couldn't convert. Finally they got their well deserved equalizer in the 88th minute. Brienza sent a shot in that looked to be a sure equalizer, only to see it rebound off the post. However, defender Roberto Vitiello was in the right place at the right time to smack home the rebound and tie the match at 1-1, which was the full time result.
After the match, a few boos and jeers were heard starting to rain down on the pitch for Roma. Just ask Gasperini, football is a results business. However, Siena fully deserved the point they took from Rome today.
Through the first few rounds of the Serie A season, we've heard a lot about how Roma is a work in progress. This is true to an extent. They have a new coach and a lot of new faces, they still have a pretty solid squad though, and one wonders how long the "work in progress" excuse will hold when they can't beat teams like Siena at home.
The Romans got off on the right foot though, with a ton of possession in the opening minutes. They looked to be in total control. Totti took a great free kick that sailed high in the 6th minute. About 5 minutes later, Osvaldo had a shot that was barely deflected. Roma was looking good.
However Siena created some chances of their own in the first half, despite being behind on possession. Calaio had a shot blocked off the counter in the 14th, and then just 1 minute later Franco Brienza smacked a glorious header on goal that Lobont just barely knocked away for Roma.
The first half spoils belonged to the Romans though. In the 25th minute they finally capitalized on their possession and development play. Boriello sent a nice ball across the 6 and Osvaldo was there to knock it in. Roma would take their newly acquired 1-0 lead to the half.
Unfortunately for the fans in the capital though, Roma did not quite put on the same display in half number two. A lot of credit has to go to Siena, who worked hard and played well all night. They were very organized on both ends of the pitch, and it really gave Roma fits late.
There were a ton of chances for Siena down the stretch, but they couldn't convert. Finally they got their well deserved equalizer in the 88th minute. Brienza sent a shot in that looked to be a sure equalizer, only to see it rebound off the post. However, defender Roberto Vitiello was in the right place at the right time to smack home the rebound and tie the match at 1-1, which was the full time result.
After the match, a few boos and jeers were heard starting to rain down on the pitch for Roma. Just ask Gasperini, football is a results business. However, Siena fully deserved the point they took from Rome today.
CONCACAF Champions League: Alajuelense vs LA Galaxy
Nothing happened in this match. Period. La Liga Captain Pablo Gabas lasered in a Golazo free kick in the 29th minute to give the Costa Rican side the only goal they would need to beat the Galaxy, who seemed more interested in yelling at the ref and screaming at the Costa Rican players than trying to equalize.
First off, MLS fans, get over it. Central American teams play like this, period. They dive, they spit, they delay, they knock you around. They're not going to stop because the Americans in their perfectly manicured kits come to town. David Beckham and Robbie Keane? Fuck that, they got beat. They couldn't even score. Landon Donovan? Invisible, except when he was getting the crap beat out of him.
The fans for Alajulense were loud, vulgar, and proud. The article on MLS's website mentions the bad language. You know what? It happens. MLS fans get chided for doing the YSA chant while Mexican fans sitting a few rows over chant PUTO all day long. It's not going to change.
LA got manhandled and the Costa Ricans really got in their heads. I thought Mike Magee was gonna have a stroke when a Liga player flopped down late. De la Garza jumped all over another Costa Rican that he perceived to be taking too long on a throw. It just plays right into their hands. The Galaxy whined, and lost. Let your soccer do the talking.
For the most part, that's what RSL did last year. They stayed disciplined and played soccer. If American clubs want to continue to have success in this tourney, they need to do the same thing. It has been an ugly couple of weeks.
First off, MLS fans, get over it. Central American teams play like this, period. They dive, they spit, they delay, they knock you around. They're not going to stop because the Americans in their perfectly manicured kits come to town. David Beckham and Robbie Keane? Fuck that, they got beat. They couldn't even score. Landon Donovan? Invisible, except when he was getting the crap beat out of him.
The fans for Alajulense were loud, vulgar, and proud. The article on MLS's website mentions the bad language. You know what? It happens. MLS fans get chided for doing the YSA chant while Mexican fans sitting a few rows over chant PUTO all day long. It's not going to change.
LA got manhandled and the Costa Ricans really got in their heads. I thought Mike Magee was gonna have a stroke when a Liga player flopped down late. De la Garza jumped all over another Costa Rican that he perceived to be taking too long on a throw. It just plays right into their hands. The Galaxy whined, and lost. Let your soccer do the talking.
For the most part, that's what RSL did last year. They stayed disciplined and played soccer. If American clubs want to continue to have success in this tourney, they need to do the same thing. It has been an ugly couple of weeks.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
CONCACAF Champions League: FC Dallas vs. Pumas
So this is my first blog about a bad night for MLS in CONCACAF Champions League play. A few weeks back FC Dallas gave the league a lift by beating Pumas in Mexico to become the first MLS team to win on Mexican soil. That all seems so long ago.
Obviously Pumas really didn't take Dallas seriously in that one. Tonight was a whole different story. They came into Dallas looking to paste the Hoops, with the local Mexican population behind them, and that's exactly what happened.
Dallas spurted and sputtered right out of the gate. They did get some possession, but they just never really got off the ground. They looked like an exhausted team that was just giving up. Even Brek Shea was nowhere to be found tonight.
Things really got interesting in minute 42. The match had been pretty physical, but it went up a level. Pumas player Luis Fuentes head butted Jackson, who replied with an elbow to the Mexican's head. Both players received red cards and were ejected. That was about all that was exciting in the first half though. It ended scoreless.
The match didn't end scoreless though. Through moat of it, Dallas had done a pretty good job absorbing the Pumas pressure. They couldn't do it for 90 minutes though. Pumas tallied two goals late. One by Aguirre in the 84th, and another by Izazola in stoppage time to give Pumas the 0-2 win. Not a good effort at all from Dallas.
Throughout the entire match, FC Dallas failed to register a shot on goal. Pumas takes over the group lead and TFC is right there with Dallas.
Obviously Pumas really didn't take Dallas seriously in that one. Tonight was a whole different story. They came into Dallas looking to paste the Hoops, with the local Mexican population behind them, and that's exactly what happened.
Dallas spurted and sputtered right out of the gate. They did get some possession, but they just never really got off the ground. They looked like an exhausted team that was just giving up. Even Brek Shea was nowhere to be found tonight.
Things really got interesting in minute 42. The match had been pretty physical, but it went up a level. Pumas player Luis Fuentes head butted Jackson, who replied with an elbow to the Mexican's head. Both players received red cards and were ejected. That was about all that was exciting in the first half though. It ended scoreless.
The match didn't end scoreless though. Through moat of it, Dallas had done a pretty good job absorbing the Pumas pressure. They couldn't do it for 90 minutes though. Pumas tallied two goals late. One by Aguirre in the 84th, and another by Izazola in stoppage time to give Pumas the 0-2 win. Not a good effort at all from Dallas.
Throughout the entire match, FC Dallas failed to register a shot on goal. Pumas takes over the group lead and TFC is right there with Dallas.
Match Thoughts: Houston Dynamo vs San Jose Earthquakes
Honestly, I think I just like to watch the Quakes because they're so unpredictable. They have the firepower to play with anyone in MLS. However, they just seem to be too inconsistent to pick up results. On the other hand, Houston has been solid at home all year. It looked like it might be an interesting match.
San Jose is at a point where they need 3 points in every match to have a shot at the playoffs, and they tried to put the Dynamo under pressure early in this one. Wondo looked active early, hitting a shot just wide in the 7th minute. Khari Stephenson got a shot on frame in the 9th, but it wasn't a problem for Tally Hall. Still, the Quakes had served notice that they had come to play.
As I said earlier, Houston has been pretty good at home, and they're proud of that. Their playoff position isn't exactly secure, so they really needed to tie up the 3 points at home. Adam Moffat got a weak shot in on goal in the 14th, and Brad Davis took a dive in the box in the 17th trying to earn a PK. All he got for his trouble was a yellow card. Costly got a look on a header from a Davis free kick in the 29th, but it was brought down without incident by John Busch. Then a couple minutes later, Carr missed badly on a break. This all left the crowd pretty frustrated.
Stephenson made it worse for the Dynamo fans. In the 40th minute he put the Quakes on top 0-1 with a smart volley off of a chip that left Hall scrambling. Goal in hand, the Quakes went to the half with the 0-1 lead.
The lead didn't last long in the second half though. The Quakes conceded a PK in the first minute of the new frame. Houston Captain Brad Davis stepped up to do the job himself and smashed home the spot kick in the 47th to make it 1-1.
After that the match got kind of ugly as desperation set in for the Quakes. Stephenson had a quality look in the 71st, 1 v 1 with Hall, but ended up missing badly. The Quakes would go on to regret that as Will Bruin entered the match, then proceeded to slot home the game winning goal in the 79th minute to give Houston the 2-1 win. The loss sends San Jose's playoff hopes reeling.
San Jose is at a point where they need 3 points in every match to have a shot at the playoffs, and they tried to put the Dynamo under pressure early in this one. Wondo looked active early, hitting a shot just wide in the 7th minute. Khari Stephenson got a shot on frame in the 9th, but it wasn't a problem for Tally Hall. Still, the Quakes had served notice that they had come to play.
As I said earlier, Houston has been pretty good at home, and they're proud of that. Their playoff position isn't exactly secure, so they really needed to tie up the 3 points at home. Adam Moffat got a weak shot in on goal in the 14th, and Brad Davis took a dive in the box in the 17th trying to earn a PK. All he got for his trouble was a yellow card. Costly got a look on a header from a Davis free kick in the 29th, but it was brought down without incident by John Busch. Then a couple minutes later, Carr missed badly on a break. This all left the crowd pretty frustrated.
Stephenson made it worse for the Dynamo fans. In the 40th minute he put the Quakes on top 0-1 with a smart volley off of a chip that left Hall scrambling. Goal in hand, the Quakes went to the half with the 0-1 lead.
The lead didn't last long in the second half though. The Quakes conceded a PK in the first minute of the new frame. Houston Captain Brad Davis stepped up to do the job himself and smashed home the spot kick in the 47th to make it 1-1.
After that the match got kind of ugly as desperation set in for the Quakes. Stephenson had a quality look in the 71st, 1 v 1 with Hall, but ended up missing badly. The Quakes would go on to regret that as Will Bruin entered the match, then proceeded to slot home the game winning goal in the 79th minute to give Houston the 2-1 win. The loss sends San Jose's playoff hopes reeling.
Inter Milan Fires Gasperini
From the "Well Duh" department: Today Inter Milan sacked Manager Gian Piero Gasperini. Under his short 5 game reign, Inter drew 1 and lost 4. The losses included a home loss in their Champions League opener and a Serie A loss to newly promoted Novara.
Gasperini tried playing with a 3-4-3 look that just was not working with Inter's players.
Later tonight, Inter announced that former Chelsea, Juventus, and Roma boss Claudio Ranieri, who had been working as a broadcaster for Italian State TV, would take over as the new manager.
Gasperini tried playing with a 3-4-3 look that just was not working with Inter's players.
Later tonight, Inter announced that former Chelsea, Juventus, and Roma boss Claudio Ranieri, who had been working as a broadcaster for Italian State TV, would take over as the new manager.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
CONCACAF Champions League: Seattle Sounders vs. Herediano (CRC)
I just realized I got my teams switched up on my previous blog about the match between these two down in Costa Rica. Oops. Oh well.
Anyway, Seattle had a little something to think about coming into this one tonight. They had max points after three games in the group, and they already had arguably their toughest match, at Monterrey, behind them. While a win tonight would have punched their ticket to the next stage, they also have the Open Cup final to contend with as well as an MLS stretch run to make.
Knowing all this, they decided to rest some guys.
It almost worked out too. Seattle was the better side most of the night, but the 15 or so minutes that they let off the gas in the first half cost them. Arrias drilled home a free kick for a GOLAZO in the 35th minute to give the Costa Ricans a 0-1 lead. Oops. That was also our score at half time.
Seattle turned up the heat in the second half, bringing in Montero and Alonso. However, as much as Montero tried to create, the final ball from Seattle was just not there all night long. Both Jaqua and Noonan were pretty much horrid in front of goal. Both of them failed to get shots on target that should have been routine. In the end, despite the pressure from the home side, Herediano held on for the 0-1 win.
Anyway, Seattle had a little something to think about coming into this one tonight. They had max points after three games in the group, and they already had arguably their toughest match, at Monterrey, behind them. While a win tonight would have punched their ticket to the next stage, they also have the Open Cup final to contend with as well as an MLS stretch run to make.
Knowing all this, they decided to rest some guys.
It almost worked out too. Seattle was the better side most of the night, but the 15 or so minutes that they let off the gas in the first half cost them. Arrias drilled home a free kick for a GOLAZO in the 35th minute to give the Costa Ricans a 0-1 lead. Oops. That was also our score at half time.
Seattle turned up the heat in the second half, bringing in Montero and Alonso. However, as much as Montero tried to create, the final ball from Seattle was just not there all night long. Both Jaqua and Noonan were pretty much horrid in front of goal. Both of them failed to get shots on target that should have been routine. In the end, despite the pressure from the home side, Herediano held on for the 0-1 win.
CONCACAF Champions League: Toronto FC vs. Tauro FC
So tonight in Toronto it was Canada vs. Panama. Both of these sides needed 3 points to have any chance of staying relevant in a group topped by FC Dallas and Pumas. So, knowing that, you'd think this might be a pretty fun match to watch, right?
Wrong.
Toronto took control of proceedings right from the outset. They had a lot of good development play and a nice, attacking look about them. However, they seemed to be having a hard time getting quality chances. It looked like Tauro was largely trying to soak up the pressure and maybe catch a goal on the counter. We've never seen that from a Central American side before, right?
Danny Koevermans was by far the most active and effective offensive player all night for TFC. He continued to look impressive after dropping a brace on Colorado over the weekend. He had a couple of nice strikes and headers on target. He finally broke through for TFC in the 40th minute with an ugly back header that managed to elude the keeper and trickle over the line. It wasn't pretty, but it counted all the same. The Reds led 1-0 at half time.
Tauro tried to push things in the second half, but honestly never seemed to trouble Kocic in goal for TFC. They got a couple balls in on target, but not much that was very threatening. However, both sides got physical late as frustration set in for Tauro, and several yellows were issued. In the end TFC held on to the 1-0 win and three points to keep them at least in the picture for the next round should Dallas or PUMAS slip up. Stuck on 2 points through 4 games, you have to figure Tauro is pretty much toast.
Wrong.
Toronto took control of proceedings right from the outset. They had a lot of good development play and a nice, attacking look about them. However, they seemed to be having a hard time getting quality chances. It looked like Tauro was largely trying to soak up the pressure and maybe catch a goal on the counter. We've never seen that from a Central American side before, right?
Danny Koevermans was by far the most active and effective offensive player all night for TFC. He continued to look impressive after dropping a brace on Colorado over the weekend. He had a couple of nice strikes and headers on target. He finally broke through for TFC in the 40th minute with an ugly back header that managed to elude the keeper and trickle over the line. It wasn't pretty, but it counted all the same. The Reds led 1-0 at half time.
Tauro tried to push things in the second half, but honestly never seemed to trouble Kocic in goal for TFC. They got a couple balls in on target, but not much that was very threatening. However, both sides got physical late as frustration set in for Tauro, and several yellows were issued. In the end TFC held on to the 1-0 win and three points to keep them at least in the picture for the next round should Dallas or PUMAS slip up. Stuck on 2 points through 4 games, you have to figure Tauro is pretty much toast.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
EPL: Everton vs. Wigan
If you just saw the result of this match yesterday, like I did, you didn't get the whole story. 3-1. On the surface it looked like Everton took care of business against Wigan. However, you actually watch the match, and you get a little bit different story.
Everton probably could have put it away early though. They had a lot of good ball movement and build up play. Unfortunately, once again, the final ball or two in the 18 seemed to elude them. Tim Cahill got off a nice shot in the 16th minute, only to have it just nick off a defender's leg. In the 25th minute Osman got a great look at goal, but floated his shot high.
It didn't look like Wigan had even come to play offense at all until the 30th minute. Former Crystal Place man Victor Moses actually managed to get a shot toward Tim Howard's goal, only to have it deflected wide. However on the ensuing corner Di Santo got his head on the ball and had it deflect off of Tony Hibbert and into goal out of the reach of Howard. For all of Everton's possession, they trailed 0-1.
That only lasted about 90 seconds though. Everton worked a corner of their own in the 35th minute. Phil Jagielka scored on a lunging header from the corner and equalized the match 1-1 at the half.
The second half was dominated by sloppy passing from Everton and totally ineffective long balls from Wigan. It actually got a little frustrating to watch, and the Everton fans started to voice their uneasiness.
Finally Everton took the lead for good in the 84th minute. Hibbert sent a decent early ball into the area, where young forward Apostolos Vellios was waiting to head it into the net to give Everton the 2-1 lead. They finally sealed it deep into stoppage time as Real Madrid loaner Drenthe took a Howard kick, got on the end, and slotted it in goal to make the final result 3-1 to Toffees.
Everton are currently sitting 7th in the table, is it safe to say they're off to a better start than usual?
Everton probably could have put it away early though. They had a lot of good ball movement and build up play. Unfortunately, once again, the final ball or two in the 18 seemed to elude them. Tim Cahill got off a nice shot in the 16th minute, only to have it just nick off a defender's leg. In the 25th minute Osman got a great look at goal, but floated his shot high.
It didn't look like Wigan had even come to play offense at all until the 30th minute. Former Crystal Place man Victor Moses actually managed to get a shot toward Tim Howard's goal, only to have it deflected wide. However on the ensuing corner Di Santo got his head on the ball and had it deflect off of Tony Hibbert and into goal out of the reach of Howard. For all of Everton's possession, they trailed 0-1.
That only lasted about 90 seconds though. Everton worked a corner of their own in the 35th minute. Phil Jagielka scored on a lunging header from the corner and equalized the match 1-1 at the half.
The second half was dominated by sloppy passing from Everton and totally ineffective long balls from Wigan. It actually got a little frustrating to watch, and the Everton fans started to voice their uneasiness.
Finally Everton took the lead for good in the 84th minute. Hibbert sent a decent early ball into the area, where young forward Apostolos Vellios was waiting to head it into the net to give Everton the 2-1 lead. They finally sealed it deep into stoppage time as Real Madrid loaner Drenthe took a Howard kick, got on the end, and slotted it in goal to make the final result 3-1 to Toffees.
Everton are currently sitting 7th in the table, is it safe to say they're off to a better start than usual?
Italian Match Thoughts: Napoli vs. AC Milan
Well not much has gone according to script at the start of this new Serie A season. This is particularly true if you're a supporter of one of the Milan clubs. I don't know that many people would have predicted that both Inter and AC Milan would be stuck on just one point after two weeks of play. That, however, is where we find ourselves. It must be said though that AC Milan have had the tougher of the two schedules so far.
To end this week's action in Serie A, AC Milan took it's show on the road to San Paolo to take on Napoli. Napoli has been on the rise the last couple of seasons in Serie A, and find themselves sharing the Champions League spotlight with Milan and Inter. This promised to be a very interesting match.
Unfortuately, the first 10 minutes of the match were anything but interesting. Both teams seemed to come out hesitant, and it was like they didn't know what to make of each other. For Milan, they were also without the services of Ztlan Ibrahimovic, which didn't help matters. Milan did get off the ground first though. In the 12th minute, Cassano sent a ball into the box that was brilliantly headed in by Alberto Aquilani. The bullet header put Milan up 0-1.
Napoli didn't wait long at all to respond though. Milan's lead only lasted about two minutes. In the 14th Edinson Cavani volleyed home a free kick from Maggio to equalize the match at 1-1. Cavani was not finished either. In the 36th minute Walter Gargano slipped all by his lonesome into midfield space and sent it in to Cavani, who promptly drilled it into the net to give Napoli the 2-1 lead. That was the score at the intermission.
Napoli put the match out of reach in the second half, again through the foot of Cavani. The Uruguayan completed his hat trick in the 52nd minute. He jumped on a failed Milan clearance and blasted it into the net to make it 3-1.
After that, Napoli just killed the match. They deliberately did everything they could to unsettle the Champions and slow down the game. It worked. Cavani got one more chance with about 5 minutes to go, but Abbiati turned it away. The 3-1 score was the final and leaves Napoli top of the table on goal difference.
To end this week's action in Serie A, AC Milan took it's show on the road to San Paolo to take on Napoli. Napoli has been on the rise the last couple of seasons in Serie A, and find themselves sharing the Champions League spotlight with Milan and Inter. This promised to be a very interesting match.
Unfortuately, the first 10 minutes of the match were anything but interesting. Both teams seemed to come out hesitant, and it was like they didn't know what to make of each other. For Milan, they were also without the services of Ztlan Ibrahimovic, which didn't help matters. Milan did get off the ground first though. In the 12th minute, Cassano sent a ball into the box that was brilliantly headed in by Alberto Aquilani. The bullet header put Milan up 0-1.
Napoli didn't wait long at all to respond though. Milan's lead only lasted about two minutes. In the 14th Edinson Cavani volleyed home a free kick from Maggio to equalize the match at 1-1. Cavani was not finished either. In the 36th minute Walter Gargano slipped all by his lonesome into midfield space and sent it in to Cavani, who promptly drilled it into the net to give Napoli the 2-1 lead. That was the score at the intermission.
Napoli put the match out of reach in the second half, again through the foot of Cavani. The Uruguayan completed his hat trick in the 52nd minute. He jumped on a failed Milan clearance and blasted it into the net to make it 3-1.
After that, Napoli just killed the match. They deliberately did everything they could to unsettle the Champions and slow down the game. It worked. Cavani got one more chance with about 5 minutes to go, but Abbiati turned it away. The 3-1 score was the final and leaves Napoli top of the table on goal difference.
Match Thoughts: Real Salt Lake vs. Sporting Kansas City
If you've read any of my previous entries about Sporting KC, you'll know that I'm not exactly sold on them as a MLS powerhouse. I do think they have a good team, but I think next season will be a better barometer for them. I mean hey, if TFC got to play the entire second half of the season at home, they might make a run too, especially when you factor in all the travel that takes place in MLS.
Sporting did worry me a little going into the match last night though. Specifically 3 players: Bravo, Zusi, and Kamara. Kamara in particular gave us a lot of trouble during the first half. He drew a lot of fouls up our left side and even a yellow from Schuler, playing fullback with Wingert and Beltran not available.
RSL sat back and soaked up the SKC pressure for most of the first half. When they did manage to get the ball, Sporting pressed them really high, and they couldn't quite seem to break the pressure. They tried a few long balls to Sabo and Fabian, but couldn't connect. KC had some chances as well, all of which were directed away by the the Wall of the Wasatch, NICK RIMANDO. Homeboy was in spectacular fashion. The match was scoreless at half time.
RSL started to make some inroads in the second half. It was obvious from our seats that SKC was getting tired. Nat Borchers put RSL up for good in the 54th minute, heading in a free kick from Captain Kyle Beckerman to make it 1-0. Rimando turned away a great shot from Cesar in the 61st, and Nielsen stopped Fabian at point blank range in the 87th. The final score was 1-0 to RSL.
It was their fourth win in a row. RSL has ten wins at home this season, the most in MLS.
Sporting did worry me a little going into the match last night though. Specifically 3 players: Bravo, Zusi, and Kamara. Kamara in particular gave us a lot of trouble during the first half. He drew a lot of fouls up our left side and even a yellow from Schuler, playing fullback with Wingert and Beltran not available.
RSL sat back and soaked up the SKC pressure for most of the first half. When they did manage to get the ball, Sporting pressed them really high, and they couldn't quite seem to break the pressure. They tried a few long balls to Sabo and Fabian, but couldn't connect. KC had some chances as well, all of which were directed away by the the Wall of the Wasatch, NICK RIMANDO. Homeboy was in spectacular fashion. The match was scoreless at half time.
RSL started to make some inroads in the second half. It was obvious from our seats that SKC was getting tired. Nat Borchers put RSL up for good in the 54th minute, heading in a free kick from Captain Kyle Beckerman to make it 1-0. Rimando turned away a great shot from Cesar in the 61st, and Nielsen stopped Fabian at point blank range in the 87th. The final score was 1-0 to RSL.
It was their fourth win in a row. RSL has ten wins at home this season, the most in MLS.
EPL Blurb: Manchester United vs. Chelsea
Well as a Chelsea fan, all I can really say is..."It could have been worse." Wayne Rooney really missed some chances. However, I can also say...."It could have been better." Despite having one of his better games for the Blues and putting the ball in the back of the net, Torres missed a wide open look late that could have made it 3-2 with a few minutes to play.
All credit to United for this win. I think the League is theirs to lose. Chelsea needs to get some more consistency on front of goal. Great match by Nani as well.
Hopefully the Blues can learn what they need to from this and move on. At least the yearly trip to Old Trafford is behind them now.
Oh, and at least we're not as bad as Arsenal. Lol.
All credit to United for this win. I think the League is theirs to lose. Chelsea needs to get some more consistency on front of goal. Great match by Nani as well.
Hopefully the Blues can learn what they need to from this and move on. At least the yearly trip to Old Trafford is behind them now.
Oh, and at least we're not as bad as Arsenal. Lol.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
CONCACAF Champions League: Seattle Sounders vs. Herediano
I could probably cut and paste my FC Dallas entry into this one for the most part. Here again, we had an MLS side in the driver seat and a Central American side trying desperately to claw their way into the picture in the group.
Seattle got on the board early as Fredy Montero took a through ball in the 3rd minute and torched the 'keeper to make it 0-1. However, like FC Dallas, Seattle let their opponent back in it late in the half with a PK. The difference was that in the case the call against the Sounders was crap as the Herediano player took a blatant dive. Still, former MLS man Jose Cancela knocked the spot kick past Kasey Keller to equalize at 1-1 going to half time.
That's where the path diverged for Dallas and Seattle tonight though. Seattle took the lead back again for good in the 54th minute, again off the foot of Fredy Montero. This time Roger Levesque sent a ball across the 6 that might have gone in anyway, but Fredy wasn't taking any chances and poked it home to make it 1-2 to the Sounders. Herediano tried to get back into it late but really couldn't test Keller and Seattle took all 3 points on the road.
The win, coupled with a Monterrey loss (smirk) puts Seattle firmly in control of the group with max points from their first three games. Very nice.
Seattle got on the board early as Fredy Montero took a through ball in the 3rd minute and torched the 'keeper to make it 0-1. However, like FC Dallas, Seattle let their opponent back in it late in the half with a PK. The difference was that in the case the call against the Sounders was crap as the Herediano player took a blatant dive. Still, former MLS man Jose Cancela knocked the spot kick past Kasey Keller to equalize at 1-1 going to half time.
That's where the path diverged for Dallas and Seattle tonight though. Seattle took the lead back again for good in the 54th minute, again off the foot of Fredy Montero. This time Roger Levesque sent a ball across the 6 that might have gone in anyway, but Fredy wasn't taking any chances and poked it home to make it 1-2 to the Sounders. Herediano tried to get back into it late but really couldn't test Keller and Seattle took all 3 points on the road.
The win, coupled with a Monterrey loss (smirk) puts Seattle firmly in control of the group with max points from their first three games. Very nice.
CONCACAF Champions League: FC Dallas vs. Tauro FC
Well, there's really not a lot to say about this one. Tauro is having trouble getting anything going in the group, and they're probably already toast. FC Dallas was missing some key folks, including Brek Shea. Still, after winning their two previous matches, they knew a point would suit them just fine in this one.
That's pretty much exactly how it all unfolded. Dallas got a goal in the very first minute. Jackson received the ball right off the kick off and dished in to Daniel Cruz who calmly slotted it past the stunned Tauro keeper to make it 1-0.
Dallas didn't exactly take their foot off the gas after that, but you could tell that the match was going to lack intensity. Both sides traded half chances until right before half time, when Ugo Ihemelu needlessly hacked down a Tauro player in the box to concede a PK. Tauro captain Luis Moreno stepped up and slipped the PK just under Kevin Hartman to equalize at 1-1 as we went to the interval.
The second half was more of the same, perhaps a touch more sloppy and physical. Tauro did a great job of wasting time, of course. They also had a shot bounce off the crossbar with about 15 minutes to go, but that was about it. The match puttered to a 1-1 finish. Dallas will take the point, and a point wasn't really enough to save Tauro's bacon.
That's pretty much exactly how it all unfolded. Dallas got a goal in the very first minute. Jackson received the ball right off the kick off and dished in to Daniel Cruz who calmly slotted it past the stunned Tauro keeper to make it 1-0.
Dallas didn't exactly take their foot off the gas after that, but you could tell that the match was going to lack intensity. Both sides traded half chances until right before half time, when Ugo Ihemelu needlessly hacked down a Tauro player in the box to concede a PK. Tauro captain Luis Moreno stepped up and slipped the PK just under Kevin Hartman to equalize at 1-1 as we went to the interval.
The second half was more of the same, perhaps a touch more sloppy and physical. Tauro did a great job of wasting time, of course. They also had a shot bounce off the crossbar with about 15 minutes to go, but that was about it. The match puttered to a 1-1 finish. Dallas will take the point, and a point wasn't really enough to save Tauro's bacon.
UCL: Barcelona vs. AC Milan.
Well, talk about opening the new season of the UEFA Champions League with a marquee match up. Defending Serie A Champions AC Milan paid a visit to the Nou Camp to take on defending La Liga AND European Champions Barcelona. This is the one that everyone wanted to see.
It did not take long for the sparks to fly on the pitch either. Just 25 seconds into the match, Alexandre Pato took a nice through ball and cleanly beat Valdes to spot the ball in the back of the net and give Milan a shock 0-1 lead.
Barca was clearly stunned, and it took them a few minutes to recover and establish their usual passing and possession game. They did though. It just took a bit longer. Of course, Lionel Messi was at the heart of the Barca show, and he was creating and shooting. Generally the little genius was doing everything he could to equalize. It worked in the 36th minute. Messi slipped through the AC Milan defense, which had been playing well, and slipped it across the goal to Pedro who knocked it in to tie the match at 1-1.
Coming out into the second half, Barcelona continued to dominate proceedings. It looked like just a matter of time until they took the lead. David Villa scored on a marvelous free kick in the 50th minute to make it 2-1 Barca.
However, just when you thought it was all over, AC Milan threw a wrench into the Barca opener. They earned a corner at 90'+2 and Thiago Silva headed it in to equalize at 2-2, which was the full time result.
Obviously the result was huge for Milan. Nobody expected them to come out with a point, despite the early goal from Pato. However, they exposed Barca's central defense twice, both on Pato's goal and Silva's header at the end. It just goes to show you that Barca CAN be scored on, if you can get the ball away from them.
It did not take long for the sparks to fly on the pitch either. Just 25 seconds into the match, Alexandre Pato took a nice through ball and cleanly beat Valdes to spot the ball in the back of the net and give Milan a shock 0-1 lead.
Barca was clearly stunned, and it took them a few minutes to recover and establish their usual passing and possession game. They did though. It just took a bit longer. Of course, Lionel Messi was at the heart of the Barca show, and he was creating and shooting. Generally the little genius was doing everything he could to equalize. It worked in the 36th minute. Messi slipped through the AC Milan defense, which had been playing well, and slipped it across the goal to Pedro who knocked it in to tie the match at 1-1.
Coming out into the second half, Barcelona continued to dominate proceedings. It looked like just a matter of time until they took the lead. David Villa scored on a marvelous free kick in the 50th minute to make it 2-1 Barca.
However, just when you thought it was all over, AC Milan threw a wrench into the Barca opener. They earned a corner at 90'+2 and Thiago Silva headed it in to equalize at 2-2, which was the full time result.
Obviously the result was huge for Milan. Nobody expected them to come out with a point, despite the early goal from Pato. However, they exposed Barca's central defense twice, both on Pato's goal and Silva's header at the end. It just goes to show you that Barca CAN be scored on, if you can get the ball away from them.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
CONCACAF Champions League: Colorado Rapids vs. Santos Laguna
There's just not much to say about this one. It was a bad night all around for MLS in CONCACAF play. However, Santos literally just spanked the Rapids on their own field. Honestly, it was hard to watch.
I don't wanna kick the Rapids when they're down. Even though I hate them. They have a great group of supporters and they deserved a lot more than they got tonight. Honestly, it seemed like a Santos home match. I know what that's like. About this time last year RSL played Cruz Azul here in Salt Lake, and I suspect Azul fans outnumbered RSL fans by at least 2-1. The Mexican supporters bring a whole different dynamic to the match. It's hard when your home pitch isn't yours anymore.
Still, Colorado just got blasted. Santos was in control from the opening whistle. Throughout the match the Rapids looked to be trying to play a high line offside trap, but it was getting them nowhere. Santos just torched their defense time after time. If there's one thing that's going to keep the Rapids from repeating their MLS cup success, it's defense. They give up way too many goals, even though both Pickens and Ceus are quality 'keepers in my book.
Anyway, Santos got two gorgeous first half goals. One came from Luduena in the 14th, the other from Oribe Peralta in the 27th. The second came as the Rapids were too busy looking for an offside flag. While the initial angle suggested that Peralta might have been off, CONCACAF showed a different angle later that showed he was on. At any rate, you gotta play to the whistle. In Champions League, you can't count on PKs or offside calls to save you.
Santos tacked two more on for good measure in the second half. Carlos Quintero finally broke free in the 64th, again torching the Rapids defense and scoring to make it 0-3. Then in the 71st, Cristian Suarez found a goal inside the far post to make it 0-4.
Brian Mullan, who was about the only Colorado player to show up tonight, got a cosmetic goal in the 77th minute to make it 1-4, which was the full time result.
Metapan beat Real Espana tonight, which drops Colorado to 3rd in the group. They're going to need to win 2 of their last 3 matches to have a chance to get through the group stage. It's going to be hard because their last two are on the road. They're going to need to win one of those matches. The hit to their goal differential tonight won't help either.
I don't wanna kick the Rapids when they're down. Even though I hate them. They have a great group of supporters and they deserved a lot more than they got tonight. Honestly, it seemed like a Santos home match. I know what that's like. About this time last year RSL played Cruz Azul here in Salt Lake, and I suspect Azul fans outnumbered RSL fans by at least 2-1. The Mexican supporters bring a whole different dynamic to the match. It's hard when your home pitch isn't yours anymore.
Still, Colorado just got blasted. Santos was in control from the opening whistle. Throughout the match the Rapids looked to be trying to play a high line offside trap, but it was getting them nowhere. Santos just torched their defense time after time. If there's one thing that's going to keep the Rapids from repeating their MLS cup success, it's defense. They give up way too many goals, even though both Pickens and Ceus are quality 'keepers in my book.
Anyway, Santos got two gorgeous first half goals. One came from Luduena in the 14th, the other from Oribe Peralta in the 27th. The second came as the Rapids were too busy looking for an offside flag. While the initial angle suggested that Peralta might have been off, CONCACAF showed a different angle later that showed he was on. At any rate, you gotta play to the whistle. In Champions League, you can't count on PKs or offside calls to save you.
Santos tacked two more on for good measure in the second half. Carlos Quintero finally broke free in the 64th, again torching the Rapids defense and scoring to make it 0-3. Then in the 71st, Cristian Suarez found a goal inside the far post to make it 0-4.
Brian Mullan, who was about the only Colorado player to show up tonight, got a cosmetic goal in the 77th minute to make it 1-4, which was the full time result.
Metapan beat Real Espana tonight, which drops Colorado to 3rd in the group. They're going to need to win 2 of their last 3 matches to have a chance to get through the group stage. It's going to be hard because their last two are on the road. They're going to need to win one of those matches. The hit to their goal differential tonight won't help either.
CONCACAF Champions League: Monarcas Morelia vs. LA Galaxy
Remember when, just a couple weeks back, it looked like MLS had finally broken down the wall that kept them from getting regular results in Mexico? I mean, going back to last season, MLS had a three match unbeaten streak in Mexico. RSL drew Monterrey, Dallas beat PUMAS, and Seattle beat Monterrey. Well...not so fast my friend.
Morelia sits over 6,000 feet above sea level. After watching the Galaxy play here in SLC, I can tell you they don't like the altitude, and I think it was a factor late in this one. The real unfortunate thing for LA is, I think they played good enough for at least a point, but you don't always get what you deserve in soccer.
LA's strategy, minus David Beckham, looked to be sit back, absorb the pressure, and try to hit on the counter. Give them credit, it worked for about 3/4 of the match. Thing of it is, you have to be picture perfect to play that way and win. As I heard a couple of times during both CCL matches tonight, Mexican teams will kill you when you screw up. You're not playing Vancouver anymore.
The first half went scoreless. Morelia had most of the possession, but LA really did have the best chance. They had a free kick that was headed just into the crossbar. That goal would have come in handy later.
Morelia really turned up the heat in the second half. Josh Saunders came under heavy attack in the LA goal, but for the most part tonight, he played totally out of his mind, making some unbelievable stops. He also triggered the counter that led to LA's goal in the 52nd minute. After a nifty throw out, the ball ended up at the foot of Landon Donovan who effortlessly found Robbie Keane. The Irish international captain schooled the keeper and put it in the net to make it 0-1. A few minutes later, he about scored from beyond midfield. He saw Vilar out of goal and smacked it on target. Vilar got back and just managed to tip it over the bar.
After that it was all Morelia. In the 82nd minute Adrian Aldrete hit a scorcher that seemed to be right at Saunders. However the LA 'keeper couldn't hold it and it squirted under him, as he dove back for it, he carried it over the line and we were level at 1-1.
LA looked to take the lead in the 90th as Robbie Keane knocked in a goal off of a Donovan corner, but Keane was ruled offside. Replays suggest that this was an incorrect call. It came back to haunt LA in stoppage time as Miguel Sabah hit a first class header on a corner to give Morelia the 2-1 victory.
Morelia sits over 6,000 feet above sea level. After watching the Galaxy play here in SLC, I can tell you they don't like the altitude, and I think it was a factor late in this one. The real unfortunate thing for LA is, I think they played good enough for at least a point, but you don't always get what you deserve in soccer.
LA's strategy, minus David Beckham, looked to be sit back, absorb the pressure, and try to hit on the counter. Give them credit, it worked for about 3/4 of the match. Thing of it is, you have to be picture perfect to play that way and win. As I heard a couple of times during both CCL matches tonight, Mexican teams will kill you when you screw up. You're not playing Vancouver anymore.
The first half went scoreless. Morelia had most of the possession, but LA really did have the best chance. They had a free kick that was headed just into the crossbar. That goal would have come in handy later.
Morelia really turned up the heat in the second half. Josh Saunders came under heavy attack in the LA goal, but for the most part tonight, he played totally out of his mind, making some unbelievable stops. He also triggered the counter that led to LA's goal in the 52nd minute. After a nifty throw out, the ball ended up at the foot of Landon Donovan who effortlessly found Robbie Keane. The Irish international captain schooled the keeper and put it in the net to make it 0-1. A few minutes later, he about scored from beyond midfield. He saw Vilar out of goal and smacked it on target. Vilar got back and just managed to tip it over the bar.
After that it was all Morelia. In the 82nd minute Adrian Aldrete hit a scorcher that seemed to be right at Saunders. However the LA 'keeper couldn't hold it and it squirted under him, as he dove back for it, he carried it over the line and we were level at 1-1.
LA looked to take the lead in the 90th as Robbie Keane knocked in a goal off of a Donovan corner, but Keane was ruled offside. Replays suggest that this was an incorrect call. It came back to haunt LA in stoppage time as Miguel Sabah hit a first class header on a corner to give Morelia the 2-1 victory.
EPL: Manchester City vs. Wigan
So there were a few interesting aspects to this match. One, Mancini left Dzeko out of the lineup, totally screwing over my fantasy team. On a less personal level, Carlos Tevez made his return to the Man City lineup, though his game was one he'd probably like to forget.
As for Wigan, well, they probably left Manchester thanking their lucky stars the score wasn't more lopsided.
It was apparent right from the opening kickoff that City was going to control this match. They had pretty much all the possession and all the chances. They were having a hard time putting the ball in the back of the net though. They played some really wonderful football, and it was pretty fun to watch.
Sergio Aguero got City on the board first in the 13th minute. The Argentinian took a ball from David Silva and nutmegged a Wigan defender to make it 1-0 to City. Silva really had a great game, and a lot of his work seems key to City's success.
Silva won a penalty kick as well. He was brought down in the box by a nasty challenge from Wigan's Adrian Lopez. Carlos Tevez, so talismanic for City last year, stepped up to the spot. Unfortunately, he hit about the weakest PK imaginable, and it was easily saved by Wigan 'keeper Al Habsi. Despite all of City's pressure, they only led 1-0 at the half.
Well, cue up more offense from Aguero. City did have problems finishing early in the second half, but that came to an end in the 63rd minute as Samir Nasri found Aguero with a nifty ball that Aguero put into the net for a pretty goal, 2-0. Aguero got his hat trick and rounded out the scoring 6 minutes later, taking a through ball from Silva and easily beating Al Habsi to make it 3-0, which was the full time result.
Not too much to cheer about from Wigan. They had to know their chances would be few. Both Di Santi and Victor Moses had good looks in the first half, but neither could capitalize. In the end, there was just too much City.
As for Wigan, well, they probably left Manchester thanking their lucky stars the score wasn't more lopsided.
It was apparent right from the opening kickoff that City was going to control this match. They had pretty much all the possession and all the chances. They were having a hard time putting the ball in the back of the net though. They played some really wonderful football, and it was pretty fun to watch.
Sergio Aguero got City on the board first in the 13th minute. The Argentinian took a ball from David Silva and nutmegged a Wigan defender to make it 1-0 to City. Silva really had a great game, and a lot of his work seems key to City's success.
Silva won a penalty kick as well. He was brought down in the box by a nasty challenge from Wigan's Adrian Lopez. Carlos Tevez, so talismanic for City last year, stepped up to the spot. Unfortunately, he hit about the weakest PK imaginable, and it was easily saved by Wigan 'keeper Al Habsi. Despite all of City's pressure, they only led 1-0 at the half.
Well, cue up more offense from Aguero. City did have problems finishing early in the second half, but that came to an end in the 63rd minute as Samir Nasri found Aguero with a nifty ball that Aguero put into the net for a pretty goal, 2-0. Aguero got his hat trick and rounded out the scoring 6 minutes later, taking a through ball from Silva and easily beating Al Habsi to make it 3-0, which was the full time result.
Not too much to cheer about from Wigan. They had to know their chances would be few. Both Di Santi and Victor Moses had good looks in the first half, but neither could capitalize. In the end, there was just too much City.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Italian Match Thoughts: AS Roma vs. Cagliari
There are a lot of questions surrounding AS Roma as the new Serie A season kicks off. They've got some new players in the side, and a new coach as well. Their new coach, Luis Enrique has only coached in Spain before, and it's a whole different beast than the Italian Serie A.
Still, for about 2/3 of the match it looked like Roma was the better team. They had the better quality possession and certainly the better chances. Francesco Totti was doing a wonderul job distributing. Osvaldo got a nice header down for the Romans in the 21st minute, only to see it gobbled up by the keeper.
Roma got two quality chances late in the first half. In the 35th minute, Miralem Pjanic smacked a rocket on target but Agazzi held on in goal for Cagliari. Then in the 39th Osvaldo put in another outstanding effort, only to have Agazzi come up with another quality save. The half ended scoreless.
Cagliari had done a lot of their best work on the counter all night. It finally paid off for them in the 68th minute. Conti, the former Roma man, found pay dirt after the Romans failed to get back and organize on defense. 0-1 to Cagliari. Then just a minute later it all went south for Roma as Jose Angel cut down a Cagliari player in frustration and was shown the red card.
The rest of the drama happened in stoppage time. Moestafa El Kabir caught Roma on the counter again and slotted it home from an angle at 90'+4. Daniele De Rossi tallied a consolation goal at 90'+7 on what proved to be the last kick of the match. The full time result was 1-2 to Cagilari. A nice start for them.
Enrique has some work to do, although I don't think the Roma performance was poor by any stretch.
Still, for about 2/3 of the match it looked like Roma was the better team. They had the better quality possession and certainly the better chances. Francesco Totti was doing a wonderul job distributing. Osvaldo got a nice header down for the Romans in the 21st minute, only to see it gobbled up by the keeper.
Roma got two quality chances late in the first half. In the 35th minute, Miralem Pjanic smacked a rocket on target but Agazzi held on in goal for Cagliari. Then in the 39th Osvaldo put in another outstanding effort, only to have Agazzi come up with another quality save. The half ended scoreless.
Cagliari had done a lot of their best work on the counter all night. It finally paid off for them in the 68th minute. Conti, the former Roma man, found pay dirt after the Romans failed to get back and organize on defense. 0-1 to Cagliari. Then just a minute later it all went south for Roma as Jose Angel cut down a Cagliari player in frustration and was shown the red card.
The rest of the drama happened in stoppage time. Moestafa El Kabir caught Roma on the counter again and slotted it home from an angle at 90'+4. Daniele De Rossi tallied a consolation goal at 90'+7 on what proved to be the last kick of the match. The full time result was 1-2 to Cagilari. A nice start for them.
Enrique has some work to do, although I don't think the Roma performance was poor by any stretch.
Chris Pontius Suffers Broken Leg vs. Chivas USA
Another MLS midfielder became a casualty of Chivas USA Saturday night. In the 68th minute, DC MF Chris Pontius collided with Chivas USA's Junior Lopes. Lopes was given a red card on the play, Pontius was stretchered off the pitch at the Home Depot Center.
According to DC United, Pontius has a non-displaced fracture of his right tibia. There is no estimation of how long he will be out as of yet. Pontius had three assists on the evening prior to the injury.
Honestly I don't think there was any ill intent on the play, but it happened nonetheless. Just like Javi Morales. However, as a Real Salt Lake supporter, I'm biased. I hope Pontius isn't out too long.
According to DC United, Pontius has a non-displaced fracture of his right tibia. There is no estimation of how long he will be out as of yet. Pontius had three assists on the evening prior to the injury.
Honestly I don't think there was any ill intent on the play, but it happened nonetheless. Just like Javi Morales. However, as a Real Salt Lake supporter, I'm biased. I hope Pontius isn't out too long.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Italian Match Thoughts: Palermo vs. Inter Milan
I am an Inter supporter. All I have to say is.....ouch. There's a part of me that thinks that this is going to be a long season for them. I know they got a ton of money for the deal, but I wouldn't have sold Eto'o. That's just me. That being said scoring goals wasn't our problem today. Giving them up was.
Diego Milito scored two for Inter, including 1 from the penalty spot. Both kicks gave Inter leads. The second putting them up 1-2 at the interval after Miccoli had equalized for Palermo.
It didn't take longer than a few minutes for Palermo to equalize again after the break. This time Miccoli was the provider as he got the ball to Hernandez, who smashed it past Julio Cesar to equalize.
For most of the rest of the match, it looked like it was going to end in a draw. I'm sure a point away to Palermo would have suited Inter just fine. However, Palermo would have none of it. In the 86th minute Miccoli struck again. This time from a free kick that seemed to baffle Cesar. 3-2 to Palermo. Then the nightmare continued for Inter as just two minutes later Mauricio Pinilla slammed another past Cesar to make it 4-2.
Diego Forlan, who played a pretty good game got his first Inter goal in stoppage time. That made it 4-3. However, there was not a total comeback in the cards, and that was the full time score.
I'm not sold on Gasperini as coach, and he's got some work to do. However, it's safe to say that Cesar didn't have a great game in goal. To his credit, he took responsibility for it. He's going to have to be better. Not a good start to the new Serie A campaign for Inter.
Diego Milito scored two for Inter, including 1 from the penalty spot. Both kicks gave Inter leads. The second putting them up 1-2 at the interval after Miccoli had equalized for Palermo.
It didn't take longer than a few minutes for Palermo to equalize again after the break. This time Miccoli was the provider as he got the ball to Hernandez, who smashed it past Julio Cesar to equalize.
For most of the rest of the match, it looked like it was going to end in a draw. I'm sure a point away to Palermo would have suited Inter just fine. However, Palermo would have none of it. In the 86th minute Miccoli struck again. This time from a free kick that seemed to baffle Cesar. 3-2 to Palermo. Then the nightmare continued for Inter as just two minutes later Mauricio Pinilla slammed another past Cesar to make it 4-2.
Diego Forlan, who played a pretty good game got his first Inter goal in stoppage time. That made it 4-3. However, there was not a total comeback in the cards, and that was the full time score.
I'm not sold on Gasperini as coach, and he's got some work to do. However, it's safe to say that Cesar didn't have a great game in goal. To his credit, he took responsibility for it. He's going to have to be better. Not a good start to the new Serie A campaign for Inter.
EPL: Fulham vs. Blackburn
Luckily my Sundays off have started again in time for the new EPL season. I hope they continue that way. I set my alarm this morning to be up in time to make some coffee and catch the Fulham versus Blackburn match live on Fox Soccer. I love watching and tweeting about matches on my DVR, but nothing compares to being able to watch and interact live.
Usually we get one of the big four on a Sunday match. Not this week though. On the surface, Fulham v Blackburn isn't that attractive a match up. Both teams came into the match winless in the new season in the EPL, Blackburn with no points at all after three losses. Fulham has the fire power, and you would have considered them favorites to pick up the three points at Craven Cottage. Blackburn had other ideas though.
Ideas weren't something that abounded in this match. Fulham got off to a pretty bright start. They held the ball for a good portion of the first 10 minutes or so, but were unable to fashion any real chances except for a shot in the 8th minute that Sidwell sent just wide.
After the initial period of Fulham possession, things really evened out. Blackburn finally got their feet under them and pushed the ball up the pitch. Goodwillie had nice acrobatic volley in the 15th minute that just barely went wide and should have served to wake Fulham up a bit.
Blackburn finally opened the scoring in the in the 32nd minute. Ruben Rochina took the ball on a slight angle near the top of the area and roped it in past Schwarzer. The ball hit the crossbar first, then bounced around and in, giving Blackburn the 0-1 lead.
The lead didn't last long however. About 6 minutes later Bobby Zamora put Craven Cottage on his back and absolutely blasted home an equalizer from an acute angle. Great shot. It too hit the post, but there was no doubt where it was going to end up and we went to the interval tied at 1-1.
Unfortunately the second half resembled most of the play in the first half, not the wide open 6 minutes that produced both gorgeous goals. All the drama in the second half took place in stoppage time. Clint Dempsey looked to have a sure winner in the 91st, only to be denied by a gorgeous save from Paul Robinson. Then a couple of minutes later Mark Schwarzer and Junior Holiett collided at the top of the Fulham 18. Both men went down in a heap. Schwarzer was given a yellow card, but play was stopped for about seven minutes while medical attended to Holiett. There was no malice involved, just two guys going hard for the ball. Rovers reported after the match that he likely has a concussion and took some stitches in the side of his head.
The Rovers looked for a winner on the ensuing free kick, but it was to no avail. It went into and through Fulham's wall and trickled right to Schwarzer. The full time score was 1-1. Luckily for Blackburn there wasn't too much time added after the injury. They had already used all three subs, and with Holiett off, they were down a man.
Usually we get one of the big four on a Sunday match. Not this week though. On the surface, Fulham v Blackburn isn't that attractive a match up. Both teams came into the match winless in the new season in the EPL, Blackburn with no points at all after three losses. Fulham has the fire power, and you would have considered them favorites to pick up the three points at Craven Cottage. Blackburn had other ideas though.
Ideas weren't something that abounded in this match. Fulham got off to a pretty bright start. They held the ball for a good portion of the first 10 minutes or so, but were unable to fashion any real chances except for a shot in the 8th minute that Sidwell sent just wide.
After the initial period of Fulham possession, things really evened out. Blackburn finally got their feet under them and pushed the ball up the pitch. Goodwillie had nice acrobatic volley in the 15th minute that just barely went wide and should have served to wake Fulham up a bit.
Blackburn finally opened the scoring in the in the 32nd minute. Ruben Rochina took the ball on a slight angle near the top of the area and roped it in past Schwarzer. The ball hit the crossbar first, then bounced around and in, giving Blackburn the 0-1 lead.
The lead didn't last long however. About 6 minutes later Bobby Zamora put Craven Cottage on his back and absolutely blasted home an equalizer from an acute angle. Great shot. It too hit the post, but there was no doubt where it was going to end up and we went to the interval tied at 1-1.
Unfortunately the second half resembled most of the play in the first half, not the wide open 6 minutes that produced both gorgeous goals. All the drama in the second half took place in stoppage time. Clint Dempsey looked to have a sure winner in the 91st, only to be denied by a gorgeous save from Paul Robinson. Then a couple of minutes later Mark Schwarzer and Junior Holiett collided at the top of the Fulham 18. Both men went down in a heap. Schwarzer was given a yellow card, but play was stopped for about seven minutes while medical attended to Holiett. There was no malice involved, just two guys going hard for the ball. Rovers reported after the match that he likely has a concussion and took some stitches in the side of his head.
The Rovers looked for a winner on the ensuing free kick, but it was to no avail. It went into and through Fulham's wall and trickled right to Schwarzer. The full time score was 1-1. Luckily for Blackburn there wasn't too much time added after the injury. They had already used all three subs, and with Holiett off, they were down a man.
Italian Match Thoughts: AC Milan vs. Lazio
After a players' strike eliminated week of the Italian Serie A, things finally got off the ground this weekend in fairly spectacular fashion all over Italy. The first match took place on Friday at the San Siro in Milan between the reigning champions AC Milan and Roman club Lazio.
Honestly, just looking at the result it might be hard to believe that was an Italian game. Both sides started with a bang, and all the goals came in the opening 32 minutes, but it was a great match to watch all the way around.
Lazio especially got started off on the front foot. Their new summer signing, the German International Klose opened the scoring for the 2011-2012 Serie A season in the 12 minute, banging a shot past Abbiati to give Lazio the 0-1 league. The Milan defense looked to be somewhat in disarray. In the 18th minute, Nesta and Gattuso collide right outside the area and created an open shot for Cisse, but Abbiati managed to save it and keep it 0-1. There was a rebound but Klose put the shot wide.
However, Lazio did manage to double their lead in the 21st minute. Cisse came through and headed the ball into the back of the net to make it 0-2. Up until this point, it looked like Lazio was the home side and defending champs.
Milan was not to be outdone. Prince Boateng had been the most post potent offensive plaver for Milan and started to get some shots on goal. Then in the 29th Ibrahimovic took a nice pass from Cassano and banged it into the empty net to make it 1-2. Then just 4 minutes later Cassano made his presence known again, this time heading in a corner kick to equalize at 2-2, which was the score at half time.
The second half was mostly Milan, but neither they nor Lazio could manage to break the draw and the match finished at 2-2. it was obvious that the two sides were a little spent after the fantastic display in the first half. The match ended with the 2-2 score. All in all it was a great way to start the new Serie A season.
Honestly, just looking at the result it might be hard to believe that was an Italian game. Both sides started with a bang, and all the goals came in the opening 32 minutes, but it was a great match to watch all the way around.
Lazio especially got started off on the front foot. Their new summer signing, the German International Klose opened the scoring for the 2011-2012 Serie A season in the 12 minute, banging a shot past Abbiati to give Lazio the 0-1 league. The Milan defense looked to be somewhat in disarray. In the 18th minute, Nesta and Gattuso collide right outside the area and created an open shot for Cisse, but Abbiati managed to save it and keep it 0-1. There was a rebound but Klose put the shot wide.
However, Lazio did manage to double their lead in the 21st minute. Cisse came through and headed the ball into the back of the net to make it 0-2. Up until this point, it looked like Lazio was the home side and defending champs.
Milan was not to be outdone. Prince Boateng had been the most post potent offensive plaver for Milan and started to get some shots on goal. Then in the 29th Ibrahimovic took a nice pass from Cassano and banged it into the empty net to make it 1-2. Then just 4 minutes later Cassano made his presence known again, this time heading in a corner kick to equalize at 2-2, which was the score at half time.
The second half was mostly Milan, but neither they nor Lazio could manage to break the draw and the match finished at 2-2. it was obvious that the two sides were a little spent after the fantastic display in the first half. The match ended with the 2-2 score. All in all it was a great way to start the new Serie A season.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Match Thoughts: Chivas USA vs. DC United.
So I actually took in an MLS match live for the first time in a couple of weeks. Too bad only one of the teams showed up. Really they both should have as both Chivas and DC United are fighting right in the thick of the hunt for the final playoff spots in MLS.
This game was over in the first 15 minutes. Chivas never really did threaten, and their defense was all over the place throughout the entire match. Very uncharacteristic for them indeed. I'm sure Robin Fraser wasn't very happy. Charlie Davies put United ahead in the 11th minute after taking a beautiful pass from Pontius and hitting the back of the net to make it 0-1. Kennedy's defense left him totally exposed, and it wouldn't be the last time.
Just 4 minutes later Davies got his second of the night. Zemanski had a horrid clearance for the Goats, and the rest of their defense just stood there and watched as CD9 completed his brace. It was 0-2 to United. Davies had another chance in the 40th when he was left totally unmarked, but hit the shot wide. It was 0-2 to DC at the half.
Chivas tried to step it up in the second half but it really didn't work. They never really got anything but half chances. Every time DC got the ball they slowed the game way down, and who could blame them? In the 66th minute Davies completed his hat trick, slotting home another goal after another nice pass from Pontius. It was all over, 0-3 to United.
However it would get worse for Chivas. Just a minute later there was a nasty collision between Lopes and Pontius. It looked innocent enough as far as intent, but Lopes was shown the red card. Pontius had to be stretchered off the field. I hope he's ok, he had a great match. Down a man, Chivas couldn't muster anything and the match concluded at the 0-3 score line. Three big points for DC United.
This game was over in the first 15 minutes. Chivas never really did threaten, and their defense was all over the place throughout the entire match. Very uncharacteristic for them indeed. I'm sure Robin Fraser wasn't very happy. Charlie Davies put United ahead in the 11th minute after taking a beautiful pass from Pontius and hitting the back of the net to make it 0-1. Kennedy's defense left him totally exposed, and it wouldn't be the last time.
Just 4 minutes later Davies got his second of the night. Zemanski had a horrid clearance for the Goats, and the rest of their defense just stood there and watched as CD9 completed his brace. It was 0-2 to United. Davies had another chance in the 40th when he was left totally unmarked, but hit the shot wide. It was 0-2 to DC at the half.
Chivas tried to step it up in the second half but it really didn't work. They never really got anything but half chances. Every time DC got the ball they slowed the game way down, and who could blame them? In the 66th minute Davies completed his hat trick, slotting home another goal after another nice pass from Pontius. It was all over, 0-3 to United.
However it would get worse for Chivas. Just a minute later there was a nasty collision between Lopes and Pontius. It looked innocent enough as far as intent, but Lopes was shown the red card. Pontius had to be stretchered off the field. I hope he's ok, he had a great match. Down a man, Chivas couldn't muster anything and the match concluded at the 0-3 score line. Three big points for DC United.
EPL: Arsenal vs. Swansea City
After finally opening up their wallets at the end of the summer transfer window, Arsenal came into this match hoping some of the new signings would contribute. Three points were desperately needed to get their season on track.
Swansea has been a hard working team all season, and they'd had pretty good defense and goalkeeping form so far. Their problem has been that they cannot score goals. At all. If they failed to score at the Emirates, they would go through their first 4 EPL games without tallying a goal.
Arsenal started the game really well, controlling possession and getting all the chances. Arteta had some great passing and was really looking to make things happen. Not a Cesc Fabregas performance, but pretty good. In the very first minute he fired a through ball in to Ramsey, but the Welsh Captain put his shot wide of the target. Theo Walcott had a couple of great chances too. He had one shot saved in the 9th minute then nearly opened the scoring in the 15th. After taking a nice pass from Arshavin he beat the 'keeper only to have his shot cleared off the line at the last second by Caulker.
Ultimately it was poor goal keeping that was the Swans' undoing today. In the 40th minute their 'keeper, Michel Vorm, took a ball in the 18 and rolled it right at one of his defenders, who unfortunately wasn't expecting it. The ball bounced off and rolled to Arshavin who slotted it in from a weird angle to make it 1-0 to the Gunners.
Swansea really responded after half time. In fact, despite a couple of chances from Robin Van Persie, they looked the better side. Unfortunately, they just could not get it done in the final third at all. They came closest off of a free kick by Sinclair in the 54th minute that rattled the cross bar, but that was the sum of it and Arsenal took their first EPL win of the season 1-0.
It wasn't really an inspiring performance by the Gunners, but hey, 3 points is three points, and they really needed them. Hopefully for their supporters, they can take the win and use it to build on further for their new side.
Swansea has been a hard working team all season, and they'd had pretty good defense and goalkeeping form so far. Their problem has been that they cannot score goals. At all. If they failed to score at the Emirates, they would go through their first 4 EPL games without tallying a goal.
Arsenal started the game really well, controlling possession and getting all the chances. Arteta had some great passing and was really looking to make things happen. Not a Cesc Fabregas performance, but pretty good. In the very first minute he fired a through ball in to Ramsey, but the Welsh Captain put his shot wide of the target. Theo Walcott had a couple of great chances too. He had one shot saved in the 9th minute then nearly opened the scoring in the 15th. After taking a nice pass from Arshavin he beat the 'keeper only to have his shot cleared off the line at the last second by Caulker.
Ultimately it was poor goal keeping that was the Swans' undoing today. In the 40th minute their 'keeper, Michel Vorm, took a ball in the 18 and rolled it right at one of his defenders, who unfortunately wasn't expecting it. The ball bounced off and rolled to Arshavin who slotted it in from a weird angle to make it 1-0 to the Gunners.
Swansea really responded after half time. In fact, despite a couple of chances from Robin Van Persie, they looked the better side. Unfortunately, they just could not get it done in the final third at all. They came closest off of a free kick by Sinclair in the 54th minute that rattled the cross bar, but that was the sum of it and Arsenal took their first EPL win of the season 1-0.
It wasn't really an inspiring performance by the Gunners, but hey, 3 points is three points, and they really needed them. Hopefully for their supporters, they can take the win and use it to build on further for their new side.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Euro 2012 Qualifying: England vs Wales
Both the English and Welsh teams had nice results in the first round of this qualifying weekend. England took out Bulgaria on the road and Wales beat Montenegro at home. England was in the driver's seat in the group but Wales has started to look a lot better.
Unfortunately there wasn't much to this match. Both sides started out very tentatively. The commentators pointed out that this was perhaps due to the fact that so many of these players know each other so well, and are good friends. Perhaps that altered the approach to the match. Intensity was not something really exhibited by either team throughout.
England had the better moments for the most part, and they had the only moment that ended up counting. In the 35th minute Ashely Young took a nice cross in the area from Stewart Downing and slotted it just inside the near post to give England the 1-0 lead. They held that lead through the half time interval and the rest of the match.
Wales did have one glorious chance though. In the 77th minute, a rebound off of a set piece fell right to Earnshaw in front of goal, but he missed, putting the ball high from point blank range. Wales put up quite a fight in the last 10 minutes, but couldn't really trouble Joe Hart. England went on to win 1-0. A lackluster effort to be sure, but 3 points, and it put the Three Lions very close to qualification.
Unfortunately there wasn't much to this match. Both sides started out very tentatively. The commentators pointed out that this was perhaps due to the fact that so many of these players know each other so well, and are good friends. Perhaps that altered the approach to the match. Intensity was not something really exhibited by either team throughout.
England had the better moments for the most part, and they had the only moment that ended up counting. In the 35th minute Ashely Young took a nice cross in the area from Stewart Downing and slotted it just inside the near post to give England the 1-0 lead. They held that lead through the half time interval and the rest of the match.
Wales did have one glorious chance though. In the 77th minute, a rebound off of a set piece fell right to Earnshaw in front of goal, but he missed, putting the ball high from point blank range. Wales put up quite a fight in the last 10 minutes, but couldn't really trouble Joe Hart. England went on to win 1-0. A lackluster effort to be sure, but 3 points, and it put the Three Lions very close to qualification.
FoxSoccer.com: FIFA Considering Cutting International Friendly Dates.
Really interesting article on Fox Soccer's website tonight. Apparently FIFA is considering dropping some of the international friendly dates or even merging some dates, in order to try and please major European Clubs.
Now I'll readily admit that I am more a fan of club football than internationals. I enjoy the World Cup, of course, as well as the Olympic Tournament and the major Championships, but I hate seeing the club season interrupted so we can have friendlies, though many of those dates coincide with Championship qualifying.
More than that, I wish MLS would sign on to the FIFA calendar, at least for international breaks. Having to play a vital home match down the stretch without half of your team kind of sucks.
Here is the article at Fox Soccer. I recommend checking it out.
Now I'll readily admit that I am more a fan of club football than internationals. I enjoy the World Cup, of course, as well as the Olympic Tournament and the major Championships, but I hate seeing the club season interrupted so we can have friendlies, though many of those dates coincide with Championship qualifying.
More than that, I wish MLS would sign on to the FIFA calendar, at least for international breaks. Having to play a vital home match down the stretch without half of your team kind of sucks.
Here is the article at Fox Soccer. I recommend checking it out.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Arsenal's Wilshere Out 2-3 Months.
Arsenal and England MF Jack Wilshere confirmed on his twitter account what multiple sources have been reporting. He will be out 2-3 months with an ankle injury, missing some critical matches for both the Gunners and England.
The 19 year old said that he is "gutted and will be back stronger than ever." He sustained the injury in the July 31 match against the New York Red Bulls.
It's tough to tell if his absence will effect England or Arsenal more, in light of the Gunner's recent signings. Still, Wilshere is a quality young man and I wish him a speedy recovery.
The 19 year old said that he is "gutted and will be back stronger than ever." He sustained the injury in the July 31 match against the New York Red Bulls.
It's tough to tell if his absence will effect England or Arsenal more, in light of the Gunner's recent signings. Still, Wilshere is a quality young man and I wish him a speedy recovery.
Euro 2012 Qualifying: Scotland vs. Czech Republic
Can I just say that I really love the fact that ESPN3 has the all the Euro 2012 qualifying matches? This makes it so I can see some of the teams I'm interested in, but would never see because neither Fox Soccer or ESPN over the air would carry their matches unless they were playing Spain, Germany, or England. Scotland is one of those sides.
This was a big match for both teams. Scotland really needed a win to keep their hopes of qualifying alive, and even then they'd need to keep winning. The Czechs were in a little better spot. All they needed was a draw on hostile turf to put them in the driver's seat for the chance to finish second to World Champion Spain.
The Scots nearly blew it right off the bat as the Czechs missed two glorious chances in the opening ten minutes. In the 5th minute, Striker Milan Baros took a great ball in, but put the ball over the bar at point blank range in front of a wide open goal. Less than a minute later, the Czechs could have capitalized on a gorgeous set piece, but Jan Rajnoch hit the free header off target. The Scots were left to count themselves lucky.
Late in the first half, it seemed like Scotland started to get their feet a little bit. Right before the stroke of half time, Kenny Miller got in a hard strike that ricocheted off the 'keeper's foot and in to give the Scots a 1-0 lead at the break.
The second half continued to be a gritty affair. When these two teams met the first time, Scotland deployed in a 4-6-0 formation and tried to defend for 90 minutes. In the second half of this one, they didn't use that formation, but played very defensively. Again, it didn't work. The Czechs equalized in the 78th minute off of a strange, almost chested in goal from Jaroslav Plasil. Ugly, but it counted, 1-1.
The Scots didn't give up though and fought back with a fury. In the 83rd minute, Kenny Miller made a nice connection with Darren Fletcher, who slotted it home to put the Scots back up 2-1. Then the controversy came.
Scotland were whistled for in what my opinion was a pretty bad penalty in the 89th. Danny Wilson got the ball, but Rezek was looking for the PK and went down. The ref gave the spot kick, which Michal Kadlec nailed into the roof of the net to equalize at 2-2. A couple minutes into stoppage time, Scotland begged for a PK after Christophe Berra went down in the box, it was probably more of a penalty than the Reznek foul was, but the ref gave Berra a yellow for diving and the match ended at 2-2, pretty much crushing any chance the Scots had at qualifying. Tough breaks in the end.
This was a big match for both teams. Scotland really needed a win to keep their hopes of qualifying alive, and even then they'd need to keep winning. The Czechs were in a little better spot. All they needed was a draw on hostile turf to put them in the driver's seat for the chance to finish second to World Champion Spain.
The Scots nearly blew it right off the bat as the Czechs missed two glorious chances in the opening ten minutes. In the 5th minute, Striker Milan Baros took a great ball in, but put the ball over the bar at point blank range in front of a wide open goal. Less than a minute later, the Czechs could have capitalized on a gorgeous set piece, but Jan Rajnoch hit the free header off target. The Scots were left to count themselves lucky.
Late in the first half, it seemed like Scotland started to get their feet a little bit. Right before the stroke of half time, Kenny Miller got in a hard strike that ricocheted off the 'keeper's foot and in to give the Scots a 1-0 lead at the break.
The second half continued to be a gritty affair. When these two teams met the first time, Scotland deployed in a 4-6-0 formation and tried to defend for 90 minutes. In the second half of this one, they didn't use that formation, but played very defensively. Again, it didn't work. The Czechs equalized in the 78th minute off of a strange, almost chested in goal from Jaroslav Plasil. Ugly, but it counted, 1-1.
The Scots didn't give up though and fought back with a fury. In the 83rd minute, Kenny Miller made a nice connection with Darren Fletcher, who slotted it home to put the Scots back up 2-1. Then the controversy came.
Scotland were whistled for in what my opinion was a pretty bad penalty in the 89th. Danny Wilson got the ball, but Rezek was looking for the PK and went down. The ref gave the spot kick, which Michal Kadlec nailed into the roof of the net to equalize at 2-2. A couple minutes into stoppage time, Scotland begged for a PK after Christophe Berra went down in the box, it was probably more of a penalty than the Reznek foul was, but the ref gave Berra a yellow for diving and the match ended at 2-2, pretty much crushing any chance the Scots had at qualifying. Tough breaks in the end.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Euro 2012 Qualifying: Bulgaria vs England
Unfortunately, the story of this match hasn't been the great performance by The Three Lions to grind out a convincing road win in a hostile atmosphere. It's been about the racist chants hurled at the England players from the Bulgarian fans. I'll get to that in a minute.
The match itself was indeed very impressive for England. You could tell that the hostility had them a bit unsettled in the opening minutes. After all, the not so tasteful among the Bulgarian supporters booed and jeered all the way through "God Save the Queen." England had a bit of a hard time getting a hold of the ball in the opening minutes, but Bulgaria couldn't carve out any chances on Joe Hart's goal.
England started to settle rather quickly though. In the 13th minute, defender Gary Cahill got his first goal for England as he poked it past the keeper to give England the 0-1 lead. Just eight minutes later Wayne Rooney headed a corner home to make it 0-2. The Red Devil ace completed his brace right before half time with a nice little tap in to make it 0-3 at the half.
The second half was pretty much all England again, even though there were no goals scored. Aston Villa's own Stiliyan Petrov got a header on goal in the 55th, but it really didn't bother Hart. A bit later Downing had a chance for England, but his nifty header clanked off the far post. The match ended with the same 0-3 score line.
Unfortunately the specter of racism in big time football showed up again, as the Bulgarian fans directed monkey chants at the black players for England. Theo Walcott said he heard it, but didn't offer much comment other than that he expected the FA would deal with it. Captain John Terry said:
"It was a great spectacle for everyone to watch this evening. Let's not let that spoil it."
England did complain to the Bulgarian FA and the UEFA delegate at the match. Bulgarian coach Lothar Matthaus apologized on behalf of the Bulgarian FA.
At any rate, the win puts England in control of the group and very close to qualification. They take on Wales on Tuesday.
The match itself was indeed very impressive for England. You could tell that the hostility had them a bit unsettled in the opening minutes. After all, the not so tasteful among the Bulgarian supporters booed and jeered all the way through "God Save the Queen." England had a bit of a hard time getting a hold of the ball in the opening minutes, but Bulgaria couldn't carve out any chances on Joe Hart's goal.
England started to settle rather quickly though. In the 13th minute, defender Gary Cahill got his first goal for England as he poked it past the keeper to give England the 0-1 lead. Just eight minutes later Wayne Rooney headed a corner home to make it 0-2. The Red Devil ace completed his brace right before half time with a nice little tap in to make it 0-3 at the half.
The second half was pretty much all England again, even though there were no goals scored. Aston Villa's own Stiliyan Petrov got a header on goal in the 55th, but it really didn't bother Hart. A bit later Downing had a chance for England, but his nifty header clanked off the far post. The match ended with the same 0-3 score line.
Unfortunately the specter of racism in big time football showed up again, as the Bulgarian fans directed monkey chants at the black players for England. Theo Walcott said he heard it, but didn't offer much comment other than that he expected the FA would deal with it. Captain John Terry said:
"It was a great spectacle for everyone to watch this evening. Let's not let that spoil it."
England did complain to the Bulgarian FA and the UEFA delegate at the match. Bulgarian coach Lothar Matthaus apologized on behalf of the Bulgarian FA.
At any rate, the win puts England in control of the group and very close to qualification. They take on Wales on Tuesday.
Great Win For RSL Versus Philly
It's been awhile since I've blogged about RSL. Not really because of that bad patch we were in, but because with the start of the EPL Season and the transfer window drama, I just haven't been paying too much attention to MLS. With tonight's victory against the Union, RSL has strung together back to back gritty wins against both Chivas USA and Philly, both of which are sides that play solid defense and have great 'keepers.
This one was always going to be a tough one for RSL, they had a lot of players out. Alvarez with El Salvador, Will Johnson with Canada, Jean Alexandre with Haiti, Nat Borchers with a suspension, Chris Wingert with an injury, Javy Morales close but still not back. Yikes. Captain Kyle Beckerman started tonight but trained with the USA team all week. Alvaro Saborio played for Costa Rica last night against the USA, but he returned to RSL for the game starting on the bench. On the plus side, Paulo Jr. is back from injury and got the starting nod, he was active all night. Ned Grabavoy also came back from injury, coming in as a second half sub.
Most of the action, and all the goals came in the first half tonight. In the 18th minute, Beckerman put RSL in the lead. He played a short corner, took a pass back from Schuler then absolutely BLASTED a GOLAZO from outside the area. Nobody got in the way, if they had, it probably would have removed their heads. Mondragon stood no chance. 1-0 to the Claret and Cobalt. Then in the 25th minute, Schuler made his presence felt by rising above EVERYBODY on a corner kick and heading the ball down and into the net to make it 2-0. Sebastian Le Toux, who I really like, got one back for the Union just a few minutes later, getting on the end of a Justin Mapp cross and making it 2-1, which was the result at the interval.
The second half was more gritty and less end to end stuff. Mondragon left the game at half time with a broken finger. The Union brought in rookie MacMath, who did an excellent job for them in goal in second half, keeping RSL off the board. RSL also had two men make their team debuts in the second half. Cody Arnoux made his MLS debut after being injured most of the season. New acquisition Blake Wagner also came in late for Robbie Russell. Freddy Adu entered in the second half for the Union, and unfortunately the RSL fans booed him pretty good. I think that's pretty lame. Anyone probably would have made the same jump he did. He's a good guy and a solid player.
There were no goals in the second half as RSL held on for the victory, 2-1. The win puts RSL into 4th place in the West, 1 point ahead of the Rapids.
This one was always going to be a tough one for RSL, they had a lot of players out. Alvarez with El Salvador, Will Johnson with Canada, Jean Alexandre with Haiti, Nat Borchers with a suspension, Chris Wingert with an injury, Javy Morales close but still not back. Yikes. Captain Kyle Beckerman started tonight but trained with the USA team all week. Alvaro Saborio played for Costa Rica last night against the USA, but he returned to RSL for the game starting on the bench. On the plus side, Paulo Jr. is back from injury and got the starting nod, he was active all night. Ned Grabavoy also came back from injury, coming in as a second half sub.
Most of the action, and all the goals came in the first half tonight. In the 18th minute, Beckerman put RSL in the lead. He played a short corner, took a pass back from Schuler then absolutely BLASTED a GOLAZO from outside the area. Nobody got in the way, if they had, it probably would have removed their heads. Mondragon stood no chance. 1-0 to the Claret and Cobalt. Then in the 25th minute, Schuler made his presence felt by rising above EVERYBODY on a corner kick and heading the ball down and into the net to make it 2-0. Sebastian Le Toux, who I really like, got one back for the Union just a few minutes later, getting on the end of a Justin Mapp cross and making it 2-1, which was the result at the interval.
The second half was more gritty and less end to end stuff. Mondragon left the game at half time with a broken finger. The Union brought in rookie MacMath, who did an excellent job for them in goal in second half, keeping RSL off the board. RSL also had two men make their team debuts in the second half. Cody Arnoux made his MLS debut after being injured most of the season. New acquisition Blake Wagner also came in late for Robbie Russell. Freddy Adu entered in the second half for the Union, and unfortunately the RSL fans booed him pretty good. I think that's pretty lame. Anyone probably would have made the same jump he did. He's a good guy and a solid player.
There were no goals in the second half as RSL held on for the victory, 2-1. The win puts RSL into 4th place in the West, 1 point ahead of the Rapids.
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