So far the UEFA Euro2008 hasn't offered any big surprises. With half
of the teams having completed two of the three matches correspondent
to the group stage, 23 goals have been scored, for an average of 2.3
goals per match. Three of those goals were scored by Spain's David
Villa, who broke the hat-trick silence that had plagued the
competition since the Netherlands' Kluivert achieved the feat in the quarter finals of Euro2000. Four of those goals have been scored in overtime, half of them in games involving the Turkish squad. While one of the late goals sealed the Turkish side's loss against Portugal, the second one gave them a life line in the competition. On Wednesday, everything pointed to a draw between the co-hosts, Switzerland, and Turks, a situation that would have left both teams in a precarious position. But a last minute effort by Arda Turan changed things. The Turkish squad gets a chance to qualify to the next round in a match in which they will see (or play) eye to eye with the Czech for their group's second ticket to quarter finals. What we saw in Basel confirms that goals don?t need to be accompanied by a thunderous "GOAL!!!" from the crowd; sometimes just putting the home team?s fans to rest is
equally satisfying.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Find your "match"
If you are involved with someone who is not a soccer fan then chances are you already have an excuse for the amount of time you'll be spending in front of the TV starting this weekend.
Uefa's "World Cup Preview Tournament," aka Euro2008, will kick-off today when the Swiss face the Czech. After that match we'll have a chance to check out last edition's runners-up, Portugal, when they play Turkey to complete group A's inaugural day. Action continues tomorrow with group B matches and you can figure out which group plays after that.
On this side of the Atlantic, Mexico and the U.S. will try to make it up to their fans after disappointing mid-week performances. The U.S. will face FIFA No.1 ranked Argentina, while Mexico will take on another South American team, Peru. The stars and stripes hope to not forget their legs in the locker room during half time, as they did against Spain. The Aztecas are counting on nothing but the good luck that the pitch at Qualcomm Stadium has given them in 16 of 18 games they've played there.
Other Concacaf matches include the Haitians' visit to Honduras for a friendly that will serve as a final tune-up before their World Cup qualifiers next week. The Catracho's had a good start last Wednesday when they lengthened their unbeaten streak to 8 matches by beating Puerto Rico 4-0. Les Bicolores have yet to play their first match against Netherland Antilles.
And if you're a real junkie you won't really care about Concacaf's ongoing futsal tournament in the brand new Domo Polideportivo in Guatemala, but you will still watch the video recaps .
Whatever your excuse for the obscene level of neglect to your relationship, remember plan B: update your profile on eHarmony and find a truly compatible soul with whom you'll have kids like this.
Uefa's "World Cup Preview Tournament," aka Euro2008, will kick-off today when the Swiss face the Czech. After that match we'll have a chance to check out last edition's runners-up, Portugal, when they play Turkey to complete group A's inaugural day. Action continues tomorrow with group B matches and you can figure out which group plays after that.
On this side of the Atlantic, Mexico and the U.S. will try to make it up to their fans after disappointing mid-week performances. The U.S. will face FIFA No.1 ranked Argentina, while Mexico will take on another South American team, Peru. The stars and stripes hope to not forget their legs in the locker room during half time, as they did against Spain. The Aztecas are counting on nothing but the good luck that the pitch at Qualcomm Stadium has given them in 16 of 18 games they've played there.
Other Concacaf matches include the Haitians' visit to Honduras for a friendly that will serve as a final tune-up before their World Cup qualifiers next week. The Catracho's had a good start last Wednesday when they lengthened their unbeaten streak to 8 matches by beating Puerto Rico 4-0. Les Bicolores have yet to play their first match against Netherland Antilles.
And if you're a real junkie you won't really care about Concacaf's ongoing futsal tournament in the brand new Domo Polideportivo in Guatemala, but you will still watch the video recaps .
Whatever your excuse for the obscene level of neglect to your relationship, remember plan B: update your profile on eHarmony and find a truly compatible soul with whom you'll have kids like this.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Clockwork Orange
Back in the 80's, before European Union laws blurred borders between nations, clubs in the continent could only have three foreign players on the field in a given moment. AC Milan's success during the end of that decade had a lot to do with the fact that they filled those slots with one of the best known trios in football history: Marco Van Vasten, Ruud Gullit, and Frank Rijkaard. The Dutch trio led Milan to consecutive titles of the Champions League, then known as the European Cup, in 1988 and 1989.
The Dutch national team also benefited from the magic that emanated from the trio's boots. West Germany hosted the Euro 1988 which saw the Clockwork Orange dominate the tournament with precision in the passes and beauty in the goals. The championship final, a rematch between the USSR and the Dutch who had met in the first stage, was the perfect scenario for one of the best executed goals in history. Marco Van Basten was the author of that goal and the star of the tournament.
Twenty years later, the trio is still making history, or at least attempting to, but this time from the bench. Ruud Gullit is now the head coach of Beckham's club, the L.A. Galaxy, while Rijkaard was, until recently, the coach of Spanish club FC Barcelona, with whom he had quite an impressive run. Van Basten is again leading his national team, this time as a coach. While the fate of Barcelona and Galaxy has pretty much been established for this season, the Oranje are still bidding for a much needed title, that of European champions. If succesful, Van Basten will again make history by becoming the first person to ever win that title both as player and as coach(1). With a tough first stage in their path, the question is: will the generation of players he inspired deliver for the soccer legend?
NOTE: (1)A reader asked if the German player/coach Verti Vogts had also won the championship both as player and coach. Click on the comment link to read more.
The Dutch national team also benefited from the magic that emanated from the trio's boots. West Germany hosted the Euro 1988 which saw the Clockwork Orange dominate the tournament with precision in the passes and beauty in the goals. The championship final, a rematch between the USSR and the Dutch who had met in the first stage, was the perfect scenario for one of the best executed goals in history. Marco Van Basten was the author of that goal and the star of the tournament.
Twenty years later, the trio is still making history, or at least attempting to, but this time from the bench. Ruud Gullit is now the head coach of Beckham's club, the L.A. Galaxy, while Rijkaard was, until recently, the coach of Spanish club FC Barcelona, with whom he had quite an impressive run. Van Basten is again leading his national team, this time as a coach. While the fate of Barcelona and Galaxy has pretty much been established for this season, the Oranje are still bidding for a much needed title, that of European champions. If succesful, Van Basten will again make history by becoming the first person to ever win that title both as player and as coach(1). With a tough first stage in their path, the question is: will the generation of players he inspired deliver for the soccer legend?
NOTE: (1)A reader asked if the German player/coach Verti Vogts had also won the championship both as player and coach. Click on the comment link to read more.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Furia Roja
This week the kick-off for the Euro2008 will take place in Basel, when local team and co-host nation Switzerland (Nagin's wet dream: a chocolate COUNTRY) face the Czech Republic in group A. In group B, Austria, the other host, will play against Croatia on match day 2. As always, there's a group which has been given the title of the "death group", this time composed of Italy, France, the Netherlands, and Romania. The world champions are hoping to emulate the French side's performance in 2000, when they won the European tournament two years after being crowned World Champions. The scenario's set for the feat.
Although death group matches are usually the most anticipated, I personally look forward to seeing Spain play in group D, just because I usually root for the underdog. Even though Spain hosts one of the most competitive leagues in the world, its national team cannot boast great accomplishments in either European nations cup or World Cup competitions. No matter how much analysis has gone into evaluating the streak of poor performances, the conclusions reached in a given cycle never seem to hold true for the next. Perhaps the only consistant fact is that contrary to the Iberian's dreams otherwise, he team's nickname, "Red Fury," seems to refer only to the collective sentiment of the fans who have witnessed failure after failure.
Although death group matches are usually the most anticipated, I personally look forward to seeing Spain play in group D, just because I usually root for the underdog. Even though Spain hosts one of the most competitive leagues in the world, its national team cannot boast great accomplishments in either European nations cup or World Cup competitions. No matter how much analysis has gone into evaluating the streak of poor performances, the conclusions reached in a given cycle never seem to hold true for the next. Perhaps the only consistant fact is that contrary to the Iberian's dreams otherwise, he team's nickname, "Red Fury," seems to refer only to the collective sentiment of the fans who have witnessed failure after failure.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Sancocho or Pupusas?
With Concacaf's stage 2 of the World Cup Qualifying round looming, upsets are unlikely. Half of the teams will have their dreams of visiting South Africa shattered, while some others will be using next month's games as warm-ups for the third and more competitive stage. The U.S. and Mexico expect easy wins over Barbados and Belize, respectively. The Belizeños aren't even pretending to care about home court advantage. They will "host" Mexico in Houston, perhaps hoping the Aztec fans will leave some cash in the small country's federation coffers.
The only series with some excitement seems to be the one between Panama and El Salvador. History between the two teams favors the Guanacos who have won twice as many games. Lately, though, things have improved for the Panamanians. It has been almost four years since the Salvadorans won a match against the Canaleros, a side which outscored them 5:0 in the past four matches.
We will have to wait a couple of weeks to see what happens at Estadio Rommel Fernandez in Panama City. In the mean time soccer fans will enjoy the more competitive and slightly more alluring Euro2008.
The only series with some excitement seems to be the one between Panama and El Salvador. History between the two teams favors the Guanacos who have won twice as many games. Lately, though, things have improved for the Panamanians. It has been almost four years since the Salvadorans won a match against the Canaleros, a side which outscored them 5:0 in the past four matches.
We will have to wait a couple of weeks to see what happens at Estadio Rommel Fernandez in Panama City. In the mean time soccer fans will enjoy the more competitive and slightly more alluring Euro2008.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Drama in Luzhniki Stadium
One of the most anticipated matches of the year is a whistle away. On Wednesday, the UEFA Champions League will see its last 90 minutes of play for the season '07-'08 and, as usual, expectations run high. But this year the much awaited battle has added value as two things will happen for the first time in the history of the competition:
1) Chelsea will make its first appearance at this stage of the tournament
2) Both finalists are English teams, the other being Manchester United
It is not the first time two teams from the same country make it to the final. In 2003 AC Milan and Juventus battled on the pitch for 120 minutes before the feared coin toss that are the penalty kicks went in favor of the Milano squad. Four years earlier Real Madrid held the cup after beating Valencia 3-0.
This time around the fans that will witness the match at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium have extra reasons to expect a great display of soccer. Just eight days ago Man U and Chelsea were neck-in-neck in pursuit of the English Primier League title. Luck favored the Red Devils, leaving the Blues thirsty for revenge. There will be extra motivation for the London stars Drogba and Lampard who will try to show Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo that they too are worthy of a European title.
1) Chelsea will make its first appearance at this stage of the tournament
2) Both finalists are English teams, the other being Manchester United
It is not the first time two teams from the same country make it to the final. In 2003 AC Milan and Juventus battled on the pitch for 120 minutes before the feared coin toss that are the penalty kicks went in favor of the Milano squad. Four years earlier Real Madrid held the cup after beating Valencia 3-0.
This time around the fans that will witness the match at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium have extra reasons to expect a great display of soccer. Just eight days ago Man U and Chelsea were neck-in-neck in pursuit of the English Primier League title. Luck favored the Red Devils, leaving the Blues thirsty for revenge. There will be extra motivation for the London stars Drogba and Lampard who will try to show Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo that they too are worthy of a European title.
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