Maryland United FC

The Return!

2006-07-20T20:26:00.000-04:00

The Good news! I finished with physics, and am now into my easier have of summer school. Which means I can talk about soccer again.

The Bad news! Well for starters, Italy won the world cup. More on that later. And i've got less than 3 weeks before Maryland Football starts, which is going to once again cut into posting. Luckily, working for Maryland Football is awesome. Ok, forget the rest, lets talk about the world cup.

One of the best reasons to get into the World Cup is that it offers you a chance to witness history in the making. What happens every 4 years is talked about for 40 years afterwards. This World Cup was no different. Here are what I believe were the 'historical events' of Germany 2006.

US Soccer Failure: The worst part of the USA's abysmal performance in Germany was that they squandered what has up until now been the best chance to put soccer on the map in America. No one was watching in 2002 when we achieved success, so that result only helped build the hype for 2006. For once, everyone i know, soccer fan or no, was really into this world cup and the USA's chances. Yes, the general public here always gets into the world cup, but for once they thought we were a force to be reckoned with. They were led to believe this by cocky marketing ("We're ranked 5th in the world, and still get no respect") and inflated friendly results. Apparently the team and coaching staff was also fooled by this.

What I'm not trying to say is that if the US had done well here that soccer could rival America's big 3 sports. However, I think it would have been a huge step forward, and it would have ensured that soccer was here and it was here to stay.

But that didn't happen. The US players all sucked, Bruce Arena did a horrible job preparing and managing the team during the World Cup, and now we're back to square 1. Sadly, this is the cycle of US Soccer. Because the sport is so fragile in the States, if a team does well at one world cup they are given so much leniancy that they become complacent. Then the next world cup this complacent team does poorly (big surprise), and there is a major overhaul of the team which brings success in the next world cup. World Cup 90 was a huge failure (but an expected one). Nevertheless, the team was revamped and did well in 1994. A combination of aging players and terrible coaching (Steve Sampson will always be worst coach ever in my mind) led to the apocalypse that was France 98. Then all the old men are thrown out and a successful MLS coach and promising young talent are introduced. With a bit of luck, the US shines in 2002. Then Bruce and Donovan can sit on their laurels and not improve a damn in the next four years. And now that we failed again, Bruce is out. The big question is not who will coach us next, but where is the young talent we need to survive?

Let me also throw in my 2 cents about the vacent coaching position. Yes, we all want Klinsmann. Being a huge Germany, Bayern, and Tottenham fan (who Jurgen has all played for), I love this guy to death. Nothing would make me happier than him coaching his semi-adopted country to glory. However, its not going to happen. Klinsmann is a German at heart, and even considering that he turned down the chance to really win his country some silverware at Euro 2008. If someone as passionate about Germany as him turns down his native land, I have serious doubts about him picking up the USA. The backlash in Germany would be tremendous.

I also don't think that a current MLS coach should take the job. Lets see, every team in MLS sucks right now except for DC United (whoo!), who is playing international quality football. While I think Nowak would do well with US Soccer, I want him to win a few (read: many) more trophies with DC.

So who should be the next coach of US Soccer? No Fox Soccer, not Mourinho. What are you people smoking over there? Intead of dreaming up names that are quite literally impossible, lets focus on WHAT, not who. Klinsmann and Nowak are both former players with little or no coaching experiance. However, they have both achieved amazing results as coaches. I believe that because they lacked coaching experiance they were able to shake up a dying system, breath new life into it that only a former player could do.

Hmmm... Former player... willing to shake things up.... Call me crazy, but I think Eric Wynalda is the man for the job. This is where most of you who know soccer will stop reading, but hear me out! His commentary during the World Cup on the US was harsh, scathing, and 100% correct. He nailed everything, so I'm sure he knows exactly whats wrong, which gives him a headstart in trying to fix the problem. As a forward (like Klinsmann), I think he can instill passion and American attitude back into this team. He's got a do or die attitude, which was completely missing from the team that played in Germany.

If not Wynalda, then I say go with Harkes. Another former player, Harkes has youth development experiance, which the US is in desperate need of. I would dearly miss his commentary on Comcast SportsNet, but having a US Soccer team I can be proud of is far better than hearing "handbags at 20 paces" (but just barely).

Apparently there is rolling rails at Cornerstone for the next hour, so my roommate and I are hurrying off to enjoy some downtown CP night life. Much more on the World Cup tomorrow!

I'm not quite dead

2006-06-05T20:30:00.000-04:00

Wow, haven't updated in a while. Finals hit, then it was back home for a few days and then melting away in College Park. So I've had some excuses, ranging from damn good to pathetic. And now worst of all, my summer is over. June 5th marks the beginning of summer school.

HOWEVER, despite my sudden development of a lot of crap to do, the World Cup is coming up and I plan on watching every game possible. So expect some good rants on that.

And how bout that DC United? nice.

Wish I could say more, but sadly I have to try to succeed in life. 3 hours a day in the bottom of the Physics building *tear*.

Stay tuned for World Cup reports and more if I can get the freaking time!! Stay strong Soccer America.

Poison! Arsene! High Altitude!

2006-05-08T16:11:00.000-04:00

Its hard to say I didn't see at least some of this coming.

Weekend Wrap: Bayern Munich ties Kaiserslautern 1-1, more importantly Hamburg lose 4-2 in Berlin. DC United falls 2-1 away in Colorado. Tottenham lose 2-1 to West Ham and Arsenal win 4-2 at home, taking 4th place and the last champions league spot with them.

TERP WATCH!! A new feature here at Maryland United. Maryland soccer won't be back in full force until the fall semester, so the best thing we've got is Terps tearing up MLS! You knew it was going to come eventually, but Jason Garey (All time leading scorer for Maryland) scored his first professional goal this weekend to lead Columbus to a 1-0 victory of Real Salt Lake. Yeaaah booy congrats to Jason! His goal was pure Garey. Give him the ball in the box and he'll take no time in putting it in the back of the net. Calm, collected, a great finish. I've seen him do this at Maryland, and he's gonna be doing it a lot more you can count on that.

Unlike most soccer players I talk about here, I've had the priveledge of having met Jason Garey and actually talked with him. This guy was the far and above star on the national championship University of Maryland soccer team, but despite that he is the nicest and most humble guy I've ever known, athlete or no. 100% total class. When a guy like this succeeds at the highest level, I think it makes it all the sweeter. So Congrats again to Jason, and we'll be rooting for you all the way buddy! Keep those goals coming (just not against DC)!

Bayern Munich: Lets start off with the positive. Bayern Munich win the Bundesliga with a tie and a Hamburg loss. Not a loss, actually. I watched the game on FSC after i got back from my 5k. It was a beating, and an amazing game if you had the chance to catch it. Hamburg were never the same after they lost Rapheal Van Der Vaart to injury? suspension? i dont remember. All that matters is that they lost, which allowed Bayern to collect the historical Double Double. So why isn't this nearly as satisfying as it should be?
1. No bier!! After the 'successful' tie, there was a distinct lack of beer being spilled on everyone. Beer is what winning the Bundesliga is all about!!!! (Clearly its not about doing well in Europe the next season). All they had was a bucket of water they poured on Magath at the end. Reminds me of those Aquafina commercials where everyone in the beer hall is drinking water out of steins. You guys ARE german, right?
2. Winning on a tie is lame. You want to put your stamp on the finale, remind people of why you've been the best team in the league all season. Relying on Hamburg getting destroyed is not something to be proud of.
3. Lack of progress. Yeah we won the Double again, but our form was a lot worse this year than last. Last year we also advanced further in the Champions League. And honestly, what good is ruling over Germany with Blood and Iron if you are a European disgrace? Despite having a stronger domestic record in the last 2 years than almost any other team in Europe, we are almost never favorites at any stage of the Champions League. This is far and away our biggest problem. General Manager Uli Hoeness, when asked about Bayern's expectations for Europe next season, replied "to survive the group stage". Well, the past 2 seasons we've put the pressure on ourselves to make it to the final, so I'm up for any change in the status quo. Liverpool and Arsenal made it to the final without expecting to, so lets give it a shot.
4. Bye Bye Ballack. Herr Ballack's time at Bayern is over. While he's been a fantastic player at Bayern in his time here, people have been critical of his lack of ability to take control of the game. They also say he underperformed in the big games. I challange you to tell me who DID perform in the big games, because no one on our team did. He's gotten way too much flak and was often underappreciated by management. Lets see how life is without him next (I guarantee you we wont be winning the Triple Double).
5. Big name successor? Not likely. Because no one wants to play for us because of our terrible European form, we have to rely on someone inside the club to take up Ballack's spot. Santa Cruz? mmmm no. Dos Santos? wtf this kid has zero first team experiance, and we're talking about him being the next big playmaker for Bayern Munich? Maybe in 10 years. The situation is grim.

Well i HAD written a big thing about the DC and Spurs games, but there was a terrible blog accident and now its gone. So check out any other DC United or Spurs blog, they probably said all the same things, albeit with less explitives.

Finals are here at the University of Maryland, and that means I won't be updating for a while. Probably not until middle of next week. However I do have some fun things planned for when I can return to sanity. Season reviews and wrap ups for Spurs and Bayern, stuff like that. Keep it real ya'll, because the next week is going to be living hell for me.

Championship Weekend

2006-05-05T13:20:00.000-04:00

So far we've had Rivalry weekend and Maryland Day weekend. Both have been highly successful, and very enjoyable.

Which brings us to Championship Weekend!!

Whats on Tap: Ohh the bier will be flowing this weekend. Bayern need only a point away at Kaiserslautern to clinch the Bundesliga title, Spurs need a win away at West Ham to assure themselves of 4th place, DC travels to Mile High to ride the Rapids and I've got a 5k run at 8am on Saturday morning.

Bayern vs. Kaiserslautern: This could be Deja Vu weekend for the Bayern boys. Last year Bayern were able to clinch their 19th Bundesliga title away to Kaiserslautern, although with a slightly bigger buffer. While for most of the crew this is a "been here done that" scenario, this is Phillip Lahm's first chance at domestic hardware. We're going to be seeing a lot of Germany's best defender in the future, and it will be exciting to see him get what should be the first of many accolades. If we needed the full win I might be a little worried, because the Red Devils have seen a modest run of good form lately, but I am supremely confident we'll get at least a tie and be pouring Weissbier all over each other in no time.

DC United vs. Colorado Rapids: There are a few teams in MLS who I expect DC to beat every year. Until Chivas and Salt Lake entered the fray (who fall into this category), this list was limited to Colorado and Columbus. When i see that dreary black and blue kit, I immediatly think win. Saturday's matchup is no different. KC plays slumping Chicago this weekend, so we could really use the win away to keep pace with the Wizards going into our showdown next week. Granted, we have yet to wear our cursed white kits this season (wore black away to NY), so we'll see. However, if we DO get the win in white, than truely nothing will stand in our way!

Spurs vs. West Ham: I would like to take a short interlude to point out how ugly West Ham's jerseys are. I mean seriously. West Ham and Aston Villa should be relegated from the Premiership on fashion reasons alone. Anyways, back to business. Out of the 3 games this weekend, this is the one that worries me the most. Spurs are in the middle of a 'mini injury crisis', what with Keane, Carrick and Stalteri all probably out with knocks. Not only that, but we're playing away, and West Ham are looking for a strong performance leading up to their FA Cup showdown with Liverpool. You just know they want to spoil the party. Spurs have also been known to choke last season. Granted, it has normally happened way before the last game, but having followed Tottenham for more than a few seasons now I know its never too late to 'pull a Spurs'. And with so much riding on the last game of the season, the pressure will be greater than ever. CMOOON YOUUU SPUUUURSS!!!!!

With any luck, the Double Double in Germany and Champions League for Spurs will all be wrapped up. I've had some good luck the past couple of weekends, so hopefully I'm not due for some bad luck until next weekend.

It will be ours. Oh yes, it will be ours.

2006-05-03T20:06:00.000-04:00

Bayern Munich moved on step closer to the legendary Double Double today! Actually it cant be legendary because its never been done before. But it will be soon!

Bayern 3
Stuttgart 1

We started a little sloppy (as usual), and they scored pretty quick off a poorly defended corner. But not to worry. Roque Santa Cruz, filling in for the suspended Ballack, equalized after Lucio showed everyone that Brazilians can play offense even on defense. Fantastic ball control from both of them, and a nice goal. In the 44th minute the lead would be ours thanks to, who else, but Pizzarro! A nice set of moves on the side from in form Owen Hargreaves, who produced a perfect cross to Pizza. If that wasn't enough, in the first minute of the second half my BOY, my DOGG, Bastian Schweinsteiger puts the game out of reach at 3-1 with a fantastic one time shot with his left foot. Later in the game he also had a bomb from 30+ yards out that was only stopped by the crossbar. Yeaaah booooy!

And so Bayern lead the Bundesliga by 5 points with 2 games remaining. According to Lothar Mattheus we've already won the league, but Lothar is cursed and crazy, so I can only hope we win inspite of his 'blessing'. One more win and we clinch it, or if Hamburg screws up at all.

Its good to be the King.

World Cup Roster reaction

2006-05-02T20:23:00.000-04:00

I'm gonna get straight to the point here. Ben Olsen got the call up he deserved, and Bruce dropped the ball and then some with Twellman.

Lets get something else straight. I don't like Josh Wolff. I never have. Good for him, he can score goals for KC. But has he EVER shown ANYTHING at the national level? 100% no. And has he really established himself on the upper echelon of MLS players? No. As Jamie Trecker over at FoxSoccer put it, "Wolff cleary has all the skills, but too often fails to finish the play at the top level of the game". Yeah, and its for this reason that he should NOT be on a plane to Germany. In my opinion Wolff has been given too much respect by Bruce because he's been around longer than most. Yeah he's been around, but like Hedjuk, sucks. I may be harsh, but when it comes to United States soccer I want the best of the best. And Wolff is simply not.

Twellman on the other hand was everything the US needs in a forward off the bench. Unlike Wolff who seemed to realize that his time hanging around the teamhouse would get him the plane ticket, Twellman had to earn a spot on this team and in record time. When first called up to the national team, it took the frequent MLS leading goal scorer a while to get on the scoresheet. But once he did, he scored MORE goals for the Nats this year than anyone else!!! I believe it was 4. If you saw any US National game this year you noticed Twellman for all the right reasons. He had the heart and desire, and clearly proved he can make it happen at the next level.

That brings us to Brian Ching. Bruce basically said that its Ching's form in MLS that has earned him the call up. Ok, lets get some head to head stats for a sec:

Twellman: 2005 Honda MVP. 2003 (15), 2005 (17) Golden Boot winner. 2005 All star game MVP. 2002, 2003, 2005 MLS All Star. 2002, 2005 Best XI

Ching: 2004 "Comeback" Player of the Year. 2004 Golden Boot winner (12). 2004 Best XI

Good job Bruce. Looks like you really picked the guy with more cred in MLS. Since Trecker said it best, I'm gonna let him end this tirade: "Sadly, Taylor Twellman, who has unquestionably been more effective in MLS, failed the same test that Ching passed; were I Twellman, I'd be wondering just what this test was."

Oh yeah, and Taylor Twellman attended the finest university in the world, the University of Maryland. RECOGNIZE

Maryland Day weekend wrap up

2006-04-30T20:17:00.000-04:00

The brief hits: Chelsea beats Man U 3-0, the Red and White scrimmage is a waste of time, DC United ties 1-1 with Dallas, Bayern clinch the German Cup, Spurs defeat Bolton 1-0, and the Baltimore Blast win the MISL championship.

A lot more was going on this weekend than I had originally anticipated, but you won't see me complaining! Lets get to it.

Woke up at 7:30am to watch Chelski play Man U. If you had doubts about Chelsea being the worst thing to ever happen to England, saturday morning put all those doubts to rest. Not only did they destroy Manchester 3-0, but Chelsea broke Wayne Rooney's foot and now he's expected to miss the first two games of the World Cup. Kudos Chelsea, kudos. Rooney was inspirational at Euro 2004, and Gerrard was quick to point out that "success without Rooney is impossible". And what's with Mourinho throwing a hissy fit after the game? He throws his medal into the crowd and bemoans that he's coaching at the worst club ever?? Crying because he'll never get coach of the year because Chelsea has so much money they can buy any player. Well DUH chief. Coach of the year goes to someone who doesn't have the cheat codes. Also, sign #4824 that Jose Mourinho is pure evil: After Chelsea went up 1-0 on a fantastic corner play in the 6th or so minute, the entire bench erupts... except for Mourinho. Who literally didn't blink an eye. It was creepy stuff.

Luckily I had Maryland Day to cheer me up after the Evil Empire wrapped up another title. Nothing really soccer related happen there, it was just awesome. Except for the Red and White football scrimmage, which planted the seeds of doubt into my mind about next season. CMON guys we need to go to a bowl!!!

Bayern Munich defeated Eintracht Frankfurt 1-0 on a second half Pizarro header to claim their 13th German Cup. I've seen the highlights, and we weren't exactly convincing, evident as much in the scoreline. Kahn was required to make an amazing reflex save late in the second half to save the game for Bayern though. Yes ladies and gentlemen, he's still got it. Now we just have to pick up form in the league and clinch a first time EVER double double! Also of note was Der Kaiser slamming Ballack for a poor performance. According to Franz, Ballack is already in west london and is just saving his strength for when he makes the complete switch to the dark side. I tend to take Der Kaiser's word as gospel, and Ballack has been slumping as of late. As long as Ballack puts his world cup duties ahead of future club duties, I don't really care. Lets get our double double, dump Darth Ballack and get someone new in here. I loved Ballack as a player and leader, but I have NO TIME for Chelski lovers!!!! EVIL

Next up was the DC United game vs. Dallas. I sat in section 226 with Uberparent and some college possee, although according to the stadium map inside RFK section 226 doesn't exist. Luckily we found it ok, opposite the great divide from La Norte. Now I've been to a lot of DC United home games, but this game was particularly awesome. The placed seemed packed (18,889), which created a great atmosphere. Every game DC United has been playing progressively more attractive football, and this game was no different. We created chance after chance, dominating possession and the entire game. The Ben Olsen goal was incredible, especially since Bruce was in attendence (100% National Team material). Dallas equalizing was quite unfortunate, and it seemed a mirror image of the Olsen strike. Nothing much Troy, who played outstanding as usual, could do. Not really the D's fault either, just a great strike. Now the Dallas celebration was something else. Honestly, wtf were they thinking? Lets go taunt Barra Brava by bouncing around and mocking them?? How many fans do you guys have jumping up and down in Pizza the Hut Park, huh jackass (O'brien)?? Did they plan this celebration before the game? "Hey guys, lets go make fun of how DC has the best fans in the country". If we can still pack the house at RFK, just wait until we're selling out at the new stadium. The other thing I hate about Dallas is Ruiz, but luckily he didn't come on until the dying minutes of the game. Still had enough time to piss everyone off with a cheap foul though. Mmm I hate that guy. At the end of the day, it was an incredibly enjoyable experiance, and DC United is really playing some good football. However, "Unlucky" has never been a better term to use to describe a result. Esky has lacking the killing blow, and Gomez's senSATIONAL free kick was only stopped by save of the month. If DC can keep playing like this, we'll find the luck and find ourselves back on top of the league.

I didn't dish out the money for the Spurs v. Bolton match, but I'm happy with the result!! I predicted Keane to score and the game to end 2-1. Well at least I got the margin right. And even better than Keane was Lennon getting on the scoresheet. I've been saying it since I first saw him play, this kid is special. He's amazing on the ball and he's a hard worker, and he just put Spurs over the last significant hurdle. All we have to do is beat West Brom in the season finale, and the Champions League is ours!! Nevermind the .01% chance that Arsenal win the Champions League, we all know better than that.

When I awoke today to eat breakfast at 1pm, I noticed that there was an MISL game on tv. Lo and behold it was the championship match, between the Baltimore Blast (Go Maryland!) and the St. Louis Steamers. Nevermind which city I kept thinking the Steamers were from. I've never been to a Blast game, but I did attend my fair share of Washington Warthog games back in the day. Despite never having attended a game, I've been to First Mariner Arena for various reasons, and have noticed the numerous championship banners hanging from the rafters. In the form we know today, the Blast have won the MISL title in back to back season (2002-2003 and 2003-2004). Oh yeah, and their coach made the front page of cnn.com when he strangled a ref and was banned for 2 years this season. Hey, thats Bmore for ya. Anyway, apparently the Blast won the first game of the home and home series 4-2. They ended up losing this game 4-1 in front of a respectable crowd in St. Louis, which plunged the game into a golden goal 3rd game. Apparently there is no aggregate scoring, they just consider it a series tied at one a piece. Overtime was a thrilling and high paced affair, and the Blast came away victorious with a fantastic strike with 7:33 left on the clock in the first period of OT. So congrats to the Baltimore Blast for bringing another title home to Maryland!

Overall Maryland Day weekend was a resounding success.

2 top o' table clashes, the DFB Cup final and the world's biggest strawberry shortcake.

2006-04-28T15:41:00.000-04:00

While nothing can beat last week's Rivalry Weekend, the next couple of days are shaping up to be pretty good on the soccer front.

For the early birds out there (and hungover masochistic college students), we've got Chelsea vs. Man U at 7:30 on FSC. Sure the result of this game means little to either team, as Chelsea only need 1 point from their last 3 games which they WILL get. To find the attraction of this match you have to look beyond the table. Chelsea know they've got the title locked up, as does everyone else in the world, but they'll still be motivated to officially be crowned champs by beating up on Man U. Especially since Sir Alex has already proclaimed that next season Man U will be the ones lifting the trophy (in not so many words). Chelsea can deal their closest foes one more black eye before everyone heads into the offseason. In a way, I want Chelsea to win so we can just get it over with. But on the other hand, I NEVER want Chelsea to win, so I'll be rooting for Rooney, aka "The Hamburgler".

Next up, MARYLAND DAY!!! That's right, as soon as the Chelski Man U game is over I'm running to campus for the 10am unveiling of the World's Biggest Strawberry Shortcake. I will eat a slice, and it will be good. If you are in the Maryland area you should definately stop by Maryland Day, its probably the best day of all time.

At 20:00 hours German time (no idea when that is American time), Bayern will square off against underdogs Frankfurt for the German Cup in Berlin!! Bayern are in great position to win back to back doubles, and if we lose to Frankfurt it would be humiliating. So I'm just gonna wear one of my Bayern jerseys to Maryland Day and hope we win. FC BAYERN STERN DE SUDENS!

After Maryland Day I'll be heading with UberParent666 and some of my DCU possee down to RFK for the big game. Yeah its early in the season, but there are only 2 undefeated teams in MLS and they just happen to be playing each other tomorrow night at 7:30pm a short distance from where i live. This is a great chance for DC United to plant the flag early and proclaim our dominace over the league. There can only be one!!!

Spurs vs. Bolton is on sunday (boo) and PAY PER VIEW (double boo!). Sorry Spurs, I spent all my money on rivalry weekend and I am but a poor college student. I'm a little worried about this game anyway, Bolton are a very decent team. Sure Spurs know they pretty much HAVE to win out to be extra sure of that champions league spot, but Tottenham does have a tendency to choke at times. I'm gonna go with a 2-1 scoreline in favor of Spurs, with Keane getting at least 1 goal.

Looks like another great weekend ahead of us. Prost!

Arsenal ramblings/bashing

2006-04-26T20:11:00.000-04:00

So it has come to be that Arsenal will square off against Barcelona in Paris (home field advantage for the gooners). Let me just throw in my two cents about these teams and their road to the final.

I believe one brief exclamation can sum up Arsenal's path: "Are you KIDDING me!?" This looks more like they played in the UEFA Cup, took a wrong turn somewhere backstage and have somehow landed themselves in the Champions League final! The group stage was pathetic: Ajax, Thun, and Sparta Prague. I don't know about you, but Ajax is the only recognizable name on this list, and they haven't been good for a loooong time. Not to mention this year they got blown out in their domestic competition, but might somehow still play CL football thanks to, whats this, Playoffs??? So a long fallen power and two nobodies in the group stage. Shocker that Arsenal managed to finish undefeated in their group. Next up was Real Madrid. Hopefully none of you actually follow this worthless club, but you should at least be aware of their trophy case as of late. Cobwebs don't count as trophies. Madrid hasn't won a major trophy in 3 straight years. Like Ajax, their hayday has come and gone. It's also one thing to be a bad team, but even bad teams can play well when they need to. Real Madrid, not so much. The best way to describe their play is, "rolled over and died". This would be a reoccuring theme for opponents of the Gunners.
Next we have Juventus. Now this is a good team! They're going to win the Italian Snorey A this year, they have to be good. But look out, it's the mighty Gunners! with all their zero european trophies! I watched the second leg of this game, and much like every other Arsenal champions league game it was a sad day for soccer. I know Italian teams like to play boring, dull, and overly cool, but seriously. When you're minutes away from getting dumped out of the Champions League, and you're playing at HOME, it would be nice to at least look like you're trying to score. Juventus didn't look bothered for one second that they were down 2-0 on aggregate with the seconds ticking away. When the final whistle blew i half expected them to celebrate getting a 0-0 draw, because lets face it, its the only thing Italian teams are good at. I guess the take home message of this paragraph is, "Juventus are a good team who played 2 of the worst games of soccer I've ever seen".
Sigh. I don't even want to talk about the semifinals. Villareal. Sucks. Arsenal. Boring. 1-0. There, that should be sufficient. Villareal were completely incompetant at home. It was Juve all over again. Lehmann was never tested until the 88th minute penalty shot. This incident is part of a much larger saga, the Kahn vs. Lehmann battle, which I will invariably post about later. For better or worse, Lehmann deserves credit for his performance stopping the PK. It can't be easy staying sharp all game when there is no decent action on your end, and then suddenly having intense pressure placed upon you during a last minute PK that could knock your team out of the CL. Granted it was a pansy effort on goal, but Lehmann read it perfectly. The best part of the PK was that it was taken by a Mexican and stopped by a German. Being an Uncle Sam's diehard, it should come as no surprise to you that I'm no fan of El Tricycles. Also being a supporter of the German national team made it all the sweeter.
So now Arsenal have to finally play a decent opponent. Juve was decent, but Juve didn't just beat Chelsea and AC Milan. Not only did Barca knock off the two other favorites, but they did it with power and style. They dominated every game, even ones that ended 0-0. On paper and on the field, they look better than Arsenal. Their path also suggests they deserve to be in the final a lot more than Arsenal. The gooners also have zero experiance when it comes to European Cup finals. Barca have been 5 times and won only once, not a great record, but its better than nothing. I also can't see anyone stopping Ronaldinho, i mean this guy is on a mission. Anyone notice Henry's form in the Villareal game? Did anyone notice Henry period? Didn't think so. He should do everyone a favor and just come out of the tunnel in Paris wearing those hideous stripes.

The final will end 2-0 to Barcelona. Ronaldinho might not score, but he'll get at least an assist. You heard it here first.

Weekend Wrap

2006-04-23T20:04:00.000-04:00

The trouble with so many tantilizing soccer games in one weekend is that they could all go terribly wrong and ruin your day. It's happened before, and Rivalry Weekend had such a potential. But instead it lived up to hype, and Saturday was a day I will long remember.

The Basics: Tottenham and Arsenal go 1-1 thanks to a 'controversial' goal and Henry being, well, Henry. Chelsea loses the double thanks to two great Liverpool goals, and Peter Cech sitting on the bench. Hamburg loses to Leverkusen 2-0, and Bayern ties Mainz 2-2 which increases our lead at the top to 5 points with 3 games remaining. DC United plays amazing and crushes NY Red Bulls 4-1, with Alecko proving that his concussion let him forget how bad he was playing last season.

Spurs vs. Arsenal: I would first like to point out that I was up until 3am on Friday night like the good Maryland student I am, but nothing was going to stop me from watching this game at 7:30am. Regardless of what anyone says, I believe this game proved that Spurs deserve to be where they are in the table. Sadly, the goals were hardly the best part of this fixture. Martin Jol and Wenger standing nose to nose yelling at each other, simply amazing! The best was Jol's post game comments on the matter, claiming that he was trying to hold back because Wenger doesn't realize how strong he is. Now THIS is a derby between hated rivals. Arsene can whine and insult Jol all he wants, Arsenal is 100% to blame for that goal. When two of your own players collide and the ref waves play on, Tottenham has ever right to continue play. And catch you with your dirty gunner pants down. Sadly, Henry's masterclass was enough to provide Arsenal with an ultimately deserved point, but I can't remember a happier tie for me. Tottenham's destiny is in our own hands.

Chelsea vs. Liverpool: When will Mourinho learn that when you LOSE, it generally means you were NOT the better team. I'm really tired of him whining about, "ohh tonight the better team lost". Chelsea screwed up on both goals, not to take anything away from Liverpool. They were terrific strikes on the part of Riise and Garcia, but if the wall hadnt caved in (cough Terry) and Chelsea's defense hadn't headed it back TWICE to Garcia, things would have been different. Mad props to whoever decided to have the game at Old Trafford. Seeing the stadium split right down the middle between blue and red was really amazing, and added to a great game. It was also great to see all the red fans standing and singing traditional songs, while the best the sitting blue fans could muster was "clap, clap, clap clap clap, clap clap clap clap, Chelsea!" I'm sorry, but if you are from West London there is only one team you root for (Fulham! We are Fulham! F*ck Chelsea!). And if you aren't from West London and you root for Chelsea, you're a bandwagon parasite with no sense of honor or loyalty. So really, there should be no Chelsea fans. As long as Liverpool keep winning the important matches, I'm ok with that.

DC United vs. NY Red Bulls: Oh how sweet it is. DC's form in this game was astonishing, with the exception of half the time Erpen touched the ball, which was astonishingly bad. Luckily he bombed Tony the Tiger from 35 yards out, which kind of makes up for it. DC's performance on saturday justifies our newfound position atop the East, and I for one hope the good times continue to roll. And how about ALECKO!! Man is he back. At this rate he's the reincarnation of Gerd Muller, "Der Bomber". Two fantastic goals, and an opening celebration to trump them both. When he grabbed that Red Bull and spit it out, I lost it. Crushing a hated rival is one thing, but crushing them at home and spitting in the face of their corporate buyout? AMAZING. Tricks and cheap shots like this are what rivalries should have. I imagine New York will try to plan a rebuttle, although I'm not quite sure what they could do. Drink and spit out the potomac? Be my guest.

Bayern Munich vs. Mainz 05: Lucky for me and you that I'm a card carrying member of Bayern so I get to see the highlights of every game online. Under normal circumstances, I would not tolerate Bayern tying lowly Mainz, but with all of our competition losing, I am more than satisfied with the 1 point. The Bayern defense looked like swiss cheese this game, but lucky for us Makaay is back on track. During the second half both teams squandered countless golden opportunities to take the lead, so in the end it was a deserved draw. What caught my eye the most was the performace of US international Conor Casey. He looked incredibly impressive pressing forward into the heart of the Bayern D, and after seeing some of his moves I think Bruce needs to play him more for the Nats.

In Conclusion: 2 draws and 2 wins, but 4 victories. And DC needs to wear our black uni's on the road more often. Next weekend is probably going to feel empty compared to the smorgasbord of soccer I got.

Rivalry Weekend

2006-04-20T20:28:00.000-04:00

It is weekends like this one that soccer fans like me dream of!

To kick things off, we've got Arsenal vs. Spurs at 7:30am on FSC. Sure I've got a big party to attend friday night, but this game is unbelievable! Not only is this the most important game of Tottenham's season, but this could be the most important game for them EVER in the Premiership. For years, (well pretty much since the EPL was formed) Spurs have underperformed. Any Spurs fan or Spurs hater will tell you that we've never finished in the bottom or top 6. Suddenly we find ourselves with 4th place, the coveted Champions League spot. Millions of $$ at stake, as well as a seat at the big kids table (CL). And who of all teams would stand in our way? In more ways than one, its our most hated and bitter rivals from across the way in North London, the gunners.
The Good for Spurs: We are currently 4 points ahead of Arsenal, so if we tie we're still 4 points ahead. Arsenal might also rest some of their big 'guns' due to their Champions League second leg date with Villareal.
The Bad for Spurs: The game is at Highbury. Spurs have also played a game more than Arsenal, so in reality that '4' point lead may only be 1. Not to mention that if Arsenal wins the Champions League, 4th place goes from being the backdoor into the Champions League to the front door into the UEFA Cup. I think this change is total crap (they gave Everton a chance last year!), but at the end of the day playing in Europe period is good enough for me, and Martin Jol.

Next up we have probably the best rivalry in soccer today, the Evil Empire vs. the Rebel Alliance. I mean, Chelsea vs. Liverpool in the FA Cup semi's. Its on PPV at 12:30 for only $15 bucks, or so my Liverpool roommate tells me. Whenever these two teams clash I grab a bowl of popcorn and watch 90 minutes of the next chapter in a great modern rivalry unfold. What will happen this time? Drogba scoring a hand of god from midfield and getting away with it? Jose Mourinho celebrating by ripping off his lucrative trenchcoat to reveal an American Express t-shirt? Steven Gerrard signing with Chelsea in the 45th minute but then changing his mind by the start of the second half? An army of squirrels? Sadly the last is the most likely to happen, but whatever transpires, it will be good.

4:00pm. ESPN2. DC United vs. "Red Bull" NY. or NY Red Bulls. I still haven't decided what stupid name to call them, but you can bet the sparks will fly during the second game of the Atlantic Cup. It doesn't matter how either team is doing at the moment, when DC and NY collide it rocks. Yellow Cards WILL outnumber goals, this you can count on. The first game went 2-2 because DC didnt realize the season started until the second half (and because the Refs also rode the bus down from New York).
The Good for DC: We've got our midfield and free kick maestro back in Gomez, who sat out the first game due to suspension. We've also looked better since that first game, picking up two decent wins. Still haven't looked convincing, but what better time to step it up a notch than in New York against our hated enemies! New York is also going through a total makeover in the office and maybe on the coaching staff as well, which could work to our advantage. It certainly can't help them.
The Bad for DC: MARVELL WYNNE. I remember seeing this guy play for the Jr. Nats, and thinking "wow he's fast". I can also remember a Marvell Wynne fueled UCLA beat up on Maryland early in last season (but where is your national championship ring now biatch?) He was outstanding in the first game vs. DC, terrorizing any player who stepped near him. This guy is the real deal. Buddle is also appearing as lethal as ever. Boswell really needs to 'break' this guy, if you know what I mean. We also get to catch our first glimpse of the infamous DC away form. We've destroyed them in New York before, but I never feel good seeing those white jerseys.

Not sure how this weekend is going to end. Ideal scenario: Highbury in flames, Old Trafford painted red (no blue!) and Freddy with a hat trick. Also Ben Olsen not getting sent off would be nice, but I've got a feeling he might be involved in a scruff or two. But we'll see wont we!

God Bless the USA, but not THAT much!

2006-04-19T21:24:00.000-04:00

While I love my club teams to death, nothing can compete with my love for good ol' USA soccer. I honestly believe that US Soccer is the purest and most patriotic form of the American spirit. When our boys put on that jersey, they play like they're from the best country in the world every game. No team in the world faces greater odds at home and abroad than the US Soccer team. The world disrespects us, and most Americans couldn't name 2 people on the national team (Freddy doesn't count). I guess the take home message of this rant would have to be, GO USA!!

That being said, it has just come to my attention that we are currently ranked 4th in the world. I was all on board FIFA ranking us as high as 7th, but 4th??? Was it our convincing defeat of powerhouse Norway? Our demolition at the hands of Germany? or our confident tie with JAMAICA?? I'm not sure how well sarcasm travels over blog space, but you get the idea.

Yeah i know we didn't play anywhere close to full strength squads in those games, but my point is there is absolutely no reason our ranking should have increased at all! We didn't have a single good win vs. a solid opponent. Granted we should be higher than Mexico, who currently resides in 6th. But Mexico has ALWAYS been overrated, and probably always will be. But come on, do you really think we shoudl be ranked higher than Argentina? England? Italy?

You may be saying, "Who cares? The rankings dont actually mean anything." Yeah thats true, they dont determine anything. But the USA has always been an underdog, and we have THRIVED on that position. Lets compare 2 games for a second. USA vs. Portugal in the 2002 World Cup. We were up against the then #4 ranked country in the world, with the USA the definitive underdogs. Yet because we were underdogs, we came out with something to prove, came out firing on all cylinders, and came out to a 3-0 lead. Now lets fast forward. USA vs. Germany friendly in 2006. The US wasn't fielding a full strength squad and the Fatherland was, but that's hardly an excuse for our performance. At the time we were ranked around 7th, maybe even 6th in the world. And we played like we THOUGHT we were. Kasey Keller, aka the man, summed it up best after the game: "Sometimes we look at the ranking too seriously." Most of the team PLAYED like they thought they were hot shit, like they could step on the field and beat the shit out of anyone (Keller's words, although I wish they were mine). Sounds like Portugal in 2002!

The bottom line is, this ranking will do nothing but hurt the US. There is a better chance it gets in our heads and takes the drive out of our game. I don't want us to step on the field and start passing it around the back like we invented the sport, I want us to score a goal in the 3rd minute because we know we've got to hit em hard and hit em fast!! While I still dont think teams will respect the USA, they might stop and think a little bit harder when they see that cursed #4 ranking attached to us. Its the bullseye we dont need.

First post!!!

2006-04-17T18:30:00.000-04:00

Whats all this then?
Simply put, this is going to be a blog about soccer. If you know me or if you've read the title, you probably figured that out already.

Who am I?
I am but a simple college student at the mighty University of Maryland (2005 Mens Soccer National Champs)! We also won Womens Field Hockey and Womens Bball national championships this year, as well as Competitive Cheer?? but who's counting. The big Dubya said it himself, "Fear the Turtle".
Kinesiology is my game here in College Park. What is kinesiology?? Lets break it down. Kines = sports n stuff, iology = 120 credits to graduate. Sports writing is not in my future in the least, I'm more of the 'hands on actually knows stuff' side of kinesiology. I've worked as a student athletic trainer with UMD baseball, womens soccer, mens lax (kinda) and in Fall 2006 I'll be working with Ralph Friedgen and the Football team. This will be the only time i deviate talk from the beautiful game to the less beautiful one, or if the Giants win the superbowl (well one Manning has got to do it, right?).

Soccer Cred
DC United: With summer approaching (all too slowly), the European leagues are winding down with only 4 games left in many. Thus, the majority of my insight and babble will be focused on MLS, and specifically the best American soccer team of all time, DC UNITED. I've been going to DC United games at RFK since the beginning, and US National team games there before MLS was created. My closet is filled with DC United jerseys, my current jersey of choice being the Gros pre-adidas league buyout model (winning goal vs. Houston anyone?). Mounted proudly behind me on the wall is my old school DCU poster, featuring Harkes, Moreno, Pope and even pony tailed Agoos. During the Ray Hudson years this kept me going. In summary, I'm living the Black and Red life, and it is good.

Bayern Munich: I'm proud of my roots, as almost anyone is, and mine just happen to be predominantly German. So back in the day (waaay back, like middle school style) I purchased a random german soccer jersay at Rockville Soccer. Bayern Munich was the name on the back, and the first taste of Bayern I got was on ESPN2. Yup, it was the Champions League final vs. Valencia. The image of Prince Valiant, Kaaaahn! diving to stop that last penalty kick and win the game! Thats stuff that stays with you. Needless to say, I was a solidified fan after that. Technically I'm not bandwagon because I was 'in' to them before that, but that was the point I really became a die hard Bayern fan. And I've stood by them through every failed European campaign since then. During the summer I had the honor of traveling Europe, and was lucky enough to stop in Munich for 2 days and visit the Allianz Arena. Heaven on earth.

Tottenham Hotspur: It seems easy to root for two highly successful clubs as the ones mentioned above, so Spurs seems a little out of place (until this season that is *fingers crossed*). The story goes as follows: 3 or 4 years ago, my family was to finally take a vacation to jolly old England. I had seen some Premiership games on tv before that, and heard that the EPL was the best league in the world. While I love my Bundesliga and will fight any Bundes haters, I also recognized the importance of having a team to call my own in the world's best league. When my dad announced he had bought tickets to see Tottenham Hotspur play SS Lazio in an exhibition game at White Hart Lane, the decision was made for me. I was a Spurs fan! Back then Kasey Keller was still the man between the pipes, and Teddy Sherringham was captain. That game ended 2-2, with Sherringham netting a fine volley. Christian Ziege, a very underrated German international at the time, also played for Spurs at the time. At this time I also learned how the English jersey system worked, and had my Ziege #23 jersey pressed right after the game. On the tubes home I tried to explain to the locals that the game ended in a 'tie', but they literally just stared at me when I spoke. Luckily someone was able to translate 'tie' into 'draw' for me.

Marland Terrapins: Last but certainly not least are the Terps! I attended practically every home game last year, tolerating The Crew to get amazing seats behind goal. God bless em for their support, but if you've ever sat back there they can get really annoying and stupid, haha. Me and my 'crew' of 4 also made the trip down to Durham for the away game vs. Duke, and we were the only 4 Maryland fans there save the field hockey team which stayed for the first half. Hells yeah, we got all kinds of face time on Fox Soccer Channel and got mad props from the team afterward. Oh yeah, and we beat the Dukies 3-1 in the rain ;-). I also gave Jason Garey stim one time in the training room. Thats my claim to fame.

Well I'm glad we got all that out of the way. I could go on and on about how much I love each team, but I think this gives you a good idea. Its probably going to take me a while to get my style down, but I have hope! Maryland United FC is here! Game on!