Daves On Soccer

News Flash: Arsenal are Inconsistent

2006-12-25T22:04:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas, everybody!

I haven't written anything about Arsenal's 2-2 draw with Pompey or their more satisfying 6-2 dismantling of Blackburn, mostly because I wasn't able to see either game. And what can you say? When the Gunners were down 0-2 in the Pompey game, I was convinced we would see their first loss in Ashburton Grove. And yet they were able to fight back for the win, nearly finding a winner in the dying minutes. One point is better than none, and it's good to see that the boys can fight with their backs against the wall. Still, Portsmouth is the kind of team they should handle easily at home, so it's not helpful to see another 2 points left on the floor.

Then, the Blackburn game. Once again, the Gunners gave up that silly early goal -- this time handing a penalty to David Bentley before two minutes were gone. Yet this time Arsenal fought their way back into it, led once again by Messers. Silva and Adebayor. Those two are leading the team in Thierry Henry's absence, and doing a good bit of work with it. 3-1 at the half felt safe, but another preventable Rovers goal made for an uncomfortable 3-2 before the wheels came off and Arsenal ran off three more in quick succession. It looks like a spectacular win, but at times it felt like a nail-biter.

That match is a perfect illustration of the Gunners this season. This Arsenal team is frustrating precisely because they're so inconsistent. It's great to see them dismantle Liverpool, or to get the win at Old Trafford. And the draw at Stamford Bridge was well-earned too. Yet they've been crap against the more mediocre teams. I've gone on before about my thoughts on what's wrong with Arsenal at the moment. Suffice to say that the Portsmouth and Blackburn games didn't change my mind. But then I started to wonder, are Arsenal really that inconsistent?

Well, yes.

Let's compare to the other Big Four teams: Chelsea, Liverpool, and Manchester United. Including Arsenal, these are clearly the top teams in the Prem. In the past five years, none of them have finished below fifth, and only twice has another team cracked the top four. The Gunners fully expect to stay among that elite group.

So then we need to define consistency. I'd say that you're always going to have a difficult game against the other Big Four teams; consistency is how well you do against the rest of the league. That's 16 teams, so in a season you could take a max of 96 points against the 'other guys'.

So I took a look at that, back over the last 4.5 years, counting up how many points the Big Four took against the other teams, and marking that as a percent of possible points. So, for instance, this year Arsenal have taken 21 points from a possible 45 against the non-Big Four teams, giving them 51%. I compared those to the team's finishing position. How does that stack up?

    Team    Year            Pos     % points vs 'others'
    Man Utd 2006/2007*      1       89%
    Chelsea 2004/2005       1       84
    Lvrpool 2005/2006       3       81
    Arsenal 2004/2005       2       81
    Chelsea 2006/2007*      2       81
    Arsenal 2003/2004       1       79
    Chelsea 2005/2006       1       79
    Chelsea 2003/2004       2       75
    Man Utd 2005/2006       2       75
    Arsenal 2002/2003       2       74
    Man Utd 2002/2003       1       72
    Man Utd 2003/2004       3       72
    Lvrpool 2006/2007*      3       70
    Man Utd 2004/2005       3       68
    Arsenal 2005/2006       4       66
    Chelsea 2002/2003       4       65
    Lvrpool 2002/2003       5       61
    Lvrpool 2004/2005       5       57
    Lvrpool 2003/2004       4       56
    Arsenal 2006/2007*      4       54
   *Current on 25 Dec 2006.

So. There are a couple interesting things about this list. First, teams that take care of business against the non-Top Four tend to win the league. No surprise there. And this year's Arsenal, so far, are absolutely the worst of all these teams at taking points from lower-placed sides. Thankfully there's still half a season to cover.

But this can't tell the whole story. Teams that do poorly against both good and bad teams will be at the bottom of the list. But that's just consistent, isn't it? Arsenal this year are so maddening because of their inconsistency.

So let's look at it this way. Arsenal have taken 54% of possible points against the non-Big Four teams. But they've taken 7 of 9 against the Big Four; that's 78% of possible points. From 54% to 78% — that's a swing of +24%. How do other teams stack up?

    Team    Year            Pos   %-oth   %-big4    diff
    Arsenal 2006/2007*      4       54      78      +24
    Man Utd 2002/2003       1       72      78      +06
    Chelsea 2005/2006       1       79      83      +04
    Man Utd 2004/2005       3       68      67      -01
    Arsenal 2003/2004       1       79      78      -01
    Chelsea 2004/2005       1       84      78      -06
    Man Utd 2005/2006       2       75      61      -14
    Chelsea 2006/2007*      2       81      66      -15
    Lvrpool 2003/2004       4       56      33      -23
    Lvrpool 2002/2003       5       61      28      -33
    Arsenal 2002/2003       2       74      39      -35
    Chelsea 2003/2004       2       75      39      -36
    Chelsea 2002/2003       4       65      28      -37
    Man Utd 2003/2004       3       72      33      -39
    Lvrpool 2004/2005       5       57      17      -40
    Arsenal 2005/2006       4       66      22      -44
    Man Utd 2006/2007*      1       89      45      -44
    Arsenal 2004/2005       2       81      28      -53
    Lvrpool 2005/2006       3       81      22      -59
    Lvrpool 2006/2007*      3       70       0      -70
   *Current on 25 Dec 2006.

Yes: This year's Arsenal are so far the most inconsistent team. Now, that doesn't mean much in itself. Several other top inconsistent teams won the league. But that's because they just didn't drop many points overall. For instance, the Man Utd of 02/03 took 78% against the Big Four, but they also took 72% against everybody else. They were just a solid team overall. Last year's Chelsea were much the same, and many of the points they did drop came at the end of the year when their title was virtually certain.

And those are the only other teams who did better against the Big Four than everyone else. Which makes sense: you don't expect a team to play better against the league elite than they do against the rabble. I looked at 20 teams, and that was true for 17 of them — and nearly true for two more. What makes Arsenal so unusual?

I've a few thoughts on that, but this post is too long as it is. I will say this, though. It's tempting to blame it on the coaching, and many signs point in that direction. Arsène may have to rethink some things... but in the end, the players have more to answer for.

I'll write on that later. But for now, I'm looking forward to watching Arsenal take on Watford tomorrow. Let's get the second half kicked off right. COME ON YOU GUNNERS!

Chelsea 1-1 Arsenal; Wigan 0-1 Arsenal

2006-12-13T18:24:00.000-05:00

It's not easy, but the Gunners are making progress.

Continuing my tradition of "better late than never," I thought I'd put in a few words about the 1-1 draw with Chelsea on Sunday. Heck of a match, wasn't it? It's the classic kind of tense draw: at different times you're thinking your team will win, lose, and draw; in the end, you feel exhausted and reluctantly satisfied to call it even.

Both teams wanted the three points, but in the end Arsenal feel better about taking one. Chelsea will rue their missed chances, especially from Drogba and Lampard, and the Gunners had to leave feeling a bit lucky there. But on the other hand, it took a seriously good strike from Michael Essien to even bring the Blues level. Were it not for his one good moment, Chelsea could have lost at home for the first time in forever.

And Arsenal? They had some nervy moments in defense, most notably from a few Senderos miscues, and from the fullbacks after Mourinho switched gears with Robben and Wright-Phillips. But they were hard in the tackle all day, and the Flamini goal was extremely well-worked. Mathieu is starting to take on some leadership with the club, and it's gratifying to see him have an impact in games like this and with Liverpool. And I have to give a shout for Gilberto, who has backed up the captain's armband with some magnificent performances.

The quality of play was excellent from both sides; Chelsea are not the dour defenders that they were last year. Which makes their whining and diving even more annoying. It's always hideous to see Drogba throwing himself to the floor, but it's even worse (if possible) when he's having such a great season. As it is, he'll never have a solid reputation if he can't stop his flailing. And the whole team is just pathetic in how they argue with the referees. I have no idea why it is tolerated; were it me, I'd be very tempted to show an early yellow (or two!) for dissent to put a stop to it.

But despite that, it was an interesting match, with good ebb and flow, and a thrilling finish. The draw is a fair result, though both teams will feel they should have done better. The rematch should be an interesting affair.

And then, three points today as Arsenal nick it from Wigan, 0-1 on the late Adebayor goal. Another match that could have gone either way; Henri Camara did much to trouble the Gunners, and Wigan could have easily had a couple goals. But this time, there was no Essien wonder-strike, and instead Arsenal's surging pressure finally forced open the gates.

I haven't seen the game — I heard it online from ATVO. It sounds like the Gunners missed some chances and gave Wigan some too, but in general held the upper hand for much of the match. That's gratifying, particularly when Arsenal fielded a reduced lineup after Sunday's game. Adebayor continued his frustrating but rewarding run, missing a few chances before getting the crucial winner. (His play is fascinating to me, due to its inconsistency, but that's a post for another time.) Much will be made of the fact that it took a Fabregas pass to crack open Wigan; Cesc sat out until 75' and may be seen as the Gunners' savior. But Arsenal did a lot even before he and van Persie came on.

And full credit to Wigan. In their 1.5 seasons in the Prem, they've been a genuine threat despite their short history. Unlike the standard dour relegation candidates that settle like sediment to the bottom of the table every year, Wigan always look to play a positive match, and have earned some surprising and rewarding wins because of it. It surprises me that Paul Jewell has lasted this long without being snapped up by a larger club, but for now I'm glad to see him craft a team that looks up for a win on Any Given Saturday.

So after three solid performances on the road, Arsenal return home to face Portsmouth. Pompey aren't in their best form, with 2-3-2 in their last 7. But this can be a dangerous team. If you haven't yet, see their goals against Everton from Matt Taylor and Kanu. If the Arsenal defense falls asleep, we could see another early goal for the visitors.

Klinsmann Withdraws. Dammit.

2006-12-07T15:06:00.000-05:00

Well, Klinsmann is out as the next US Men's coach.

I'm convinced he would have been a great choice. What's more troubling is the reason behind it -- if rumors are true. Sports Illustrated is reporting that it's due to questions of control:

Klinsmann and USSF president Sunil Gulati apparently are far apart on issues of executive control over the U.S. program, which is more of an issue than money. It was earlier reported that Klinsmann was looking for a deal of up to $2 million a year.

If that's true, it's quite disappointing. It's not as if US Soccer has a great reputation for managing the Men's National Team, particularly in terms of achieving international success. These guys think too much about marketing and not enough about soccer. We can live without Klinsmann. But if the suits are looking to assert control? Watch out.

Evidently, US Soccer will make an announcement later this afternoon. We'll see what happens. But I'm worried that it will not be good news.

Update: The more I think about this, the more disappointed I get. At any rate, US Soccer is holding a conference call tomorrow (Friday) afternoon. We'll see what the deal is then.

What's The Story With Arsenal?

2006-12-07T14:02:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted much about the last few games; frankly I haven't known what to say in any depth. Up and down doesn't even describe it. Let's recap. Since the win over Hamburg, we've seen:

Bolton 3-1 Arsenal: What a depressing game. Everyone knew this would be a tough match; Bolton have been a struggle for the Gunners for some time now and they're playing pretty well again this season. But still, the match and the result were depressing. Despite their respective reputations, it was Bolton that looked to have all the ideas, while Arsenal were naive and uninspired.

That was followed by...

Fulham 2-1 Arsenal: If the Bolton match had a feeling of doom wrapped around it, the trip to Fulham was like a nightmare. And we couldn't wake up. Fulham are better than their reputation, but still the Gunners should have been able to keep them in check. Not so; once again an early goal put us under the gun and even a late run forward by Jens Lehmann couldn't buy us a second goal.

Then came relief, in the form of...

Arsenal 3-0 Tottenham: Finally, the breaks went Arsenal's way. Some close refereeing decisions resulted in all three Arsenal goals, as the Gunners took the lead at 20 minutes. Once again, Arsenal showed that an early lead is the prescription; it allows them to attack and relieves the pressure on the defense. And it helped that Spurs were just about woeful.

Finally, we had the spectacle of...

Porto 0-0 Arsenal: There's not much to say about this one, other than the Gunners (and Porto) did what they needed to do. Porto looked more likely to score, but the woodwork was kind and the danger evaporated.

So, there you have it. In 11 days, Arsenal are 1-1-2. Two punishing, humiliating losses, a huge derby win, and a functional draw that saw Arsenal to the top of their group. Emotionally, it's a roller-coaster. But despite the inconsistent outcomes, there's a clear pattern, and I'm not the first to see it.

The first goal is the key. If Arsenal score first, they win. If not, it's a draw or a loss. Rarely this season have Arsenal come from behind to win. Once was the second leg against Dinamo Zagreb, and that's misleading as the Gunners already had a 3-0 lead in the tie. Once was against woeful Charlton. And once was against disappointing Hamburg.

This is fairly surprising, as Arsenal are a high-scoring team (1.64 goals per game so far). With their potent offense, Arsenal should have the ability to come back against anyone. And yet, once they're behind, they struggle to even get the first goal. And lately, they've been behind a lot. Here's a list of all games where Arsenal's opponents have scored, and when the goal came:

19 Aug D vs Villa:     53' (Mellberg )
23 Aug W vs D Zagreb:  12' (Eduardo)
26 Aug L  @ Man City:  41' (Barton pen)
 9 Sep D vs Boro:      22' (Morrison)
13 Sep W  @ Hamburg:   90' (Sanogo)
30 Sep W  @ Charlton:  21' (Bent)
17 Oct L  @ Moscow:    24' (Carvalho)
28 Oct D  @ Everton:   11' (Cahill)
 5 Nov L  @ West Ham:  89' (Harewood)
18 Nov D vs Newcastle: 30' (Dyer)
21 Nov W vs Hamburg:    4' (van der Vaart)
25 Nov L  @ Bolton:     9' (Faye)
29 Nov L  @ Fulham:     6' (McBride)

To put it another way: In the 13 matches where Arsenal have given up a goal, on average it comes at 31'. Only 3 times has that goal come in the second half; 5 times that goal came in the first 15 minutes.

That's shocking.

And compare that to some of the matches that Arsenal have won. Just two recent examples, quoting from the BBC:

Liverpool: "Liverpool thought they had taken the lead after 13 minutes when Peter Crouch turned home Alonso's cross, but he had strayed offside. The visitors had enjoyed more than their fair share of possession and territory in the first half..."

Spurs: "Their one and only moment of note came in the 11th minute."

What's going on here?

Well, no surprise from my comments above, but I think it all begins with the defense. Those early goals make the opponents comfortable, allowing them to defend aggressively and counterattack. Defenders lose confidence, becoming jittery and nervous. The midfield bunkers down, afraid to pass to the defenders or to take risks going forward. And the strikers receive no service since the midfielders are tied up. I don't want to oversimplify -- this doesn't explain our poor finishing -- but I do believe it's the root of our challenges. The defense provides the foundation for the team, and the shaky foundation we're seeing now results in an inconsistent team.

You can see it on the flip side, too. No team has come back against Arsenal this year. Once they take the lead, they don't give up goals. The only exceptions are late, meaningless goals in both Hamburg games. Arsenal are a great team once they have the lead. The pressure's no longer on the defense, and that steadies the whole ship.

Which brings us back to the key question: why are the Gunners conceding those early goals? In a word: organization. Watch the tapes. It's not simply poor defending at set pieces; we have given up goals on counterattacks too. But it's confusion and missed assignments that cut us open: a man left unmarked, indecision between two defenders, a poor pass. Even when the goal comes from a great shot, like Anelka's first goal, you can see that the defenders didn't communicate who should pick up the man.

I put that down to two reasons. First, this is a very young defense. Gallas is 29 and Toure is 25; they are the veterans of the back line. After that, you have Eboue (23), Hoyte (22), Senderos (21), Clichy (21), and Djourou (19). Those are young ages for any player, but defenders take longer to bloom because their role depends more on knowledge and decision-making than physical skill. Gallas and Toure have been starters for years, but none of the other players have seen significant playing time in the first team before last year.

That ties to the second reason: the defense has been anything but stable over the last two years. Injuries and youth have driven Wenger to constantly improvise the back line. I'm not going to go look it up, but I suspect we've had seven or eight different defensive alignments this year. Think about it -- if you're Kolo, you have to react differently depending on whether it's Gallas, Senderos, Djourou, or Hoyte playing next to you. And then you have players like Djourou and Hoyte who have switched back and forth between center-half and fullback. That's a hard enough transition for a veteran, but for the kids it has to be daunting. It's no coincidence that our two worst performances (Bolton and Fulham) came right after Gallas was injured. That leaves three players getting on-the-job training for every match.

Look, I'm not offering excuses. If the kids want to be Arsenal players, they have to do better than they have. And that includes times when we lose players due to injury or suspension or whatever. The time to learn is now. The good news is that these kids are talented players. For every mistake, we've seen flashes of brilliance. Once the dust settles -- once the kids get experience and confidence -- the Gunners could have another legendary Back Four.

But in the meantime, Arsenal face Chelsea. Toure is suspended, Djourou may have a hamstring injury, and Gallas is only 20% to play. More turnover in defense.

So there's only one solution: get that early goal! COME ON YOU GUNNERS!

Arsenal 3-1 Hamburg

2006-11-22T07:32:00.000-05:00

Isn't it great when a loved one gives you a pleasant surprise?

Now, it's no surprise for Arsenal to win over Hamburg. They started the night at 0-0-4 in Group G and had nothing to play for. Which of course gave them every freedom to attack the game. And they did so, taking the early lead through a killer shot from Rafael van der Vaart at 4':

This was a plot that every Gunner will recognize from this season: lower-ranked team gets an early goal at the Grove. Arsenal fight hard, and work a goal to equalize, but are never able to take the lead. (See also: Boro, Everton, Newcastle.) It is always incredibly frustrating, not least because Arsenal has had dozens of chances in these games, with tons of pressure but not enough end product. This game was no exception, with Alexander Hleb hitting woodwork and Robin van Persie going just over the bar in the first half alone.

The Gunners got the requisite equalizer soon after the half, on a fine goal from van Persie. But the goal was created by the excellent pass from Cesc Fabregas. Watch how Cesc never looks at van Persie before putting the ball right at his feet. Simply magic.

So, 1-1 with 38 minutes to play. But Arsenal fans have seen this before, and we're not fooled by extended possession or near misses. We know that 1-1 is in the cards. Even for an optimistic guy like me, the sour taste of disappointment began to take hold around 80'.

But fortunately, Emmanuel Eboue didn't read the script. At 83' he cut into the box and fired a low, hard shot that skipped past keeper Stefan Wachter. It was a tight angle and might easily have been saved. But note this: for once, the box is filled with Gunners attacking the goal. Cesc, Adebayor, Baptista, and Henry are all in quality attacking positions, and that's going to give the defense fits. And instead Eboue takes the shot. Hard. It was a high-quality goal despite Wachter's miss, and no less than Arsenal deserved (though perhaps more than we expected).

To their credit, Hamburg continued to fight for a goal, but that's bread and butter for the Gunners and led to their third. Theo Walcott continued his super-sub performance by hanging a pinpoint cross for Baptista to thunderously head home. It's a classic Premiership-style goal and hopefully a sign of things to come for both Walcott and the Beast.

And there you have it, 3-1 to the Arsenal. It's good to see them finally overcome the frustration they've faced with other disappointing results. Time and again they've threatened to score, only to see wasted chances and bad luck. What was different this time?

Tactics. Arsenal started once again in the 4-5-1 (really a 4-1-4-1) they've used so often this year, but at halftime they switched to 4-4-2. I'm not against using the 4-5-1 in many situations; it was the key to our run to the CL Finals last year and it's worked well at other times too. But it's been less effective against the more workmanlike formations of less polished teams. In those situations -- and particularly if it's clear that the opposition is looking to close shop and get behind the ball, such as when they score a goal -- we need that second striker in the attack.

Scrappiness. Look again at the Eboue goal and notice two things. First, Eboue is willing to take an imperfect shot. Wachter had a good chance to save it, and Eboue didn't try for either the far post or high at the near post. But he did put the ball on frame, with a hard shot. He got lucky... but he made that luck. Second, it's great to see the other attacking players in the box. Even if Wachter makes the save, there's a very good chance the ball would spill to another Gunner well positioned to hammer it home.

In normal Arsenal play, I would expect to see several of those players dropping back or making horizontal runs to open themselves for passes. That kind of unselfish play can result in the kinds of beautiful Arsenal attacks that we love to see. But sometimes you just need pressure.

Egalitarianism. Thierry Henry is perhaps the best pure player in soccer right now, and one of the all-time greats. He can do amazing, wonderful things, and at times can carry the Gunners on his back. But. If Arsenal rely on him to score their goals, they won't win many games. He can do a lot, but if he's the only significant scoring threat, the defense can adjust to (usually) stop him. So we need other players to pick up the slack.

And we saw this last night. Look at the Baptista goal. Henry is making a great run down the throat of the defense. And they're forced to react -- after all, it's Thierry effin' Henry coming at them! He's been in that situation before, and it's his genius that he can sometimes work himself open even with two defenders shadowing him. So he was still looking hopefully for the pass from Walcott. But Theo had a better idea, spotting Baptista's unmarked run.

Think about it -- who's going to criticize a kid like Theo if he passes to Henry? It takes a lot of confidence in yourself and your teammates to overlook him for another option. It's a combination of things: other players having the aggressiveness to seek out chances, the confidence to take them, and the willingness to look at all the options. When guys like van Persie and Eboue and Baptista are scoring goals, that will just open things up for Henry. And that's when Arsenal will be at their best.

So the Gunners surprised us all and pulled out the victory. They're now well-positioned in Group G, needing just one point to advance when they visit Porto next week. (They can even advance with a loss, if Hamburg win or draw over CSKA Moscow... but nobody wants to rely on that scenario.) Yesterday's win was crucial for that, but more importantly, it was an important victory for the mental health of the Gunners -- and their fans.

Video Review

2006-11-21T12:08:00.000-05:00

Should soccer move to using video replays?

Landry and I have debated this before, and I tend to be rather skeptical about it. But it would seem I'm in the minority. Arsene Wenger and Mark Hughes, among others, have called for it. And now the call is coming from Keith Hackett, which is pretty important because he's in charge of the Premiership referees. If the Prem wants it, it's likely to happen.

Most of the English arguments for and against video review are based on its use in rugby and cricket. I don't watch either, so it's impossible for me to judge how well it works there. But I have seen it used often in American football (gridiron) and it's clear that this model wouldn't work in soccer. (Here are the American football instant replay rules.) The key factor is that the referee has 90 seconds to review the play. In reality, it takes far longer. For one thing, the referees tend to take as much time as they need, and often will take two minutes or longer. Add to that the time that it takes the referee to walk to the monitor on the sideline, get the headphones on, and then to walk back after the review, and the whole process can take three or four minutes.

That kind of delay would be hideous in a soccer game. The arguments I've heard -- and this is from people who I respect -- say that it would never take so long. I'm unconvinced. For one thing, the referee has to travel to and from the monitor on the sidelines; there's no way around that. And if there's any situation that's less than completely obvious, the referee will need to see things several times to make a decision. That includes any situation where there's a very close decision, or a player blocking the camera, or multiple camera angles to consider. Again, other people will argue that it can be quick. But I remain convinced that a video decision would take between 90 seconds and three minutes to complete. That's all added to the existing stoppage time, of course.

So what kinds of things would be reviewed? It's important to be clear about what things the referee can and can't consider. The current discussion is around whether the ball crossed the goal line. And I can see that this would be a reasonable application. But these situations are quite rare -- maybe one or two in a season. Are there any other situations where video replay could be used?

Offsides? It's a notoriously difficult call to make, and one that can have a huge impact on the game. If offsides was not called, and a goal was scored, you could review it. But in the opposite case -- offsides is whistled incorrectly -- the video review will do no good. Once the whistle blows, the scoring opportunitiy is gone. So if you can review one case but not the other, you're really balancing things towards the defense. Verdict: NO.
Penalties? This suffers from the same problem. If the ref whistles a foul, you could review to see if it's valid or not. But you can't stop play unless the whistle blows, so reviewing these would again serve to take away penalties but not restore them where deserved. Verdict: NO. But... the one area I could see it apply to is when a foul is called close to the edge of the box. The referee could use video evidence to check whether it should be a penalty or a free kick. In that specific case -- verdict: YES.
Yellow cards? Too frequent, too much based on judgement. Verdict: NO.
Red cards? In the case of a straight red, I can see a referee taking another look at the foul before deciding to send a player off. If it's limited to fouls where there's a serious consideration of a red card, then... Verdict: MAYBE.
Other questions? There are a few other situations that could maybe use a video review, but everything I can think of is either so common that it's impractical to review it each time, or so uncommon that it's not worth the effort. The best I can come up with is whether a corner kick curved out of bounds before coming back in... but that's pretty obscure. I may be missing something big, though.

So there are a very few situations where video review could possibly be used. But in the end, I don't expect that it would make a huge difference in the quality of games we would watch. The one situation that seriously needs refereeing help -- offsides -- is not going to be reviewable. And the situations that are practical are uncommon enough that they won't make a major impact.

There is one area where I would be a big proponent of video review, however. And that's for post-game analysis. Leagues already do this to review violent play and other offenses. I would extend this practice, so that players can accumulate red and yellow cards based on events that the ref doesn't see -- as well as allowing the ref to subsequently upgrade a yellow card to a red if the incident was more serious than he realized.

I'd also use video evidence to review diving. It's much easier to see some of the blatant dives in slow motion, and retroactive yellow cards would be a very reasonable deterrent. Five dives and you're suspended for a game -- that works for me.

But perhaps most importantly: video review of games should be a regular practice -- in order to evaluate how well the referees perform. Maybe this is done already, but if so it's secretive. I would personally love to see referees held to public account for their performances. Even with a perfect video review system, there would still be hundreds of unreviewable refereeing decisions in every match, so referees will always have the ability to screw things up royally.

Which is comforting, if you think about it. Can we really afford to lose the best excuse for a team's poor result?

US MNT Makeover

2006-11-20T13:38:00.000-05:00

With action gearing up for the US NATs, what changes should we expect in the new squad? Here are some predictions:

OUT
Several players have already announced their international retirements: Claudio Reyna, Eddie Pope, Brian McBride. Of those who haven't, I see these as the most at risk of not earning more caps.

Kasey Keller - So many times, the savior of the U.S. back line, Keller's just a bit too old to be the starter in South Africa '10. And with so many talented understudies- Howard, Hahnemann, etc.- it's time to pass the goalkeeping torch.

Gregg Berhalter - Always a fringe member of the Nats, a younger crop of defenders should displace him from future squads.

Eddie Lewis - Guilty of some slack defending against the Czech Republic, Eddie's crossing abilities aren't enough to earn him a recall.

Josh Wolff - Unless he can catch on with a European side and prove his fitness and form over a few season, it's time to look elsewhere for front line help.

IN
What new faces should the NATs incorporate? How about these:

Jay DeMerit - It's been a long road to overnight success for Jay, but the Watford defender has earned the chance to win a spot in a new look back line.

Freddy Adu - The phenom's been maturing, both personally and professionally, these past few years and might be able to provide that bit of vision and creativity the Nats have always lacked.

Marvell Wynne - A man among boys at the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship, Wynne has quietly been improving his game. He still needs experience at the highest level, but his natural abilities shouldn't be overlooked.

Jonathan Spector - Spector's been gaining invaluable experience in the EPL for the past few seasons with Manchester United, Charlton and, currently, West Ham. He should become a fixture in the back line.

These youngsters should get some looks also: Eddie Gaven, Santino Quaranta, Preston Zimmerman

US MNT Update

2006-11-15T20:46:00.000-05:00

Well, it's been almost five months since the US lost to Ghana to crash out of the World Cup finals, and four months since Bruce Arena was canned. And there's been little news out of South Prairie Avenue. So what's going on?

Well, I had some good news in my email inbox this morning. The US Men are close to taking action again. They'll begin with a friendly, taking on Denmark on January 20 at the Home Depot Center. I'm pretty darn jealous, given that the other Dave has just relocated to the greater Los Angeles area. (You'd better be getting tickets, boyo.) It's not a bad way to begin the recovery. Denmark are a quality opponent, yet also reasonable, and if you want a January match, southern California's not a bad place to be. (I expect a lot of sunburned Danes.) It's good to see that things are taking off again.

The US men have also recently announced their next competitions. Of course, the Gold Cup is coming up in 2007. CONCACAF is once again hosting the tournament in the US, which makes things easier for the hosts (and defending champions). However, there's a significant change in that no non-CONCACAF teams will participate. It's pitched as a move that shows the strength of the region, but it has to lower the quality of the teams in the tournament. Replacing Colombia with Haiti, or South Africa with Grenada, is a simple loss of talent. The region's teams need to face top-quality opposition if they want to improve, and so the news is a bit disappointing.

Yet that news isn't as hard to take given the other US tournament news: the Nats will participate in the 2007 Copa America, the top COMNEBOL tournament. There's nothing better for our national team than to play top-quality opponents, and they don't get better than Brazil and Argentina (not to mention the other fine teams in the region). Plus, playing in the surely hostile stadiums of Venezuela will provide a useful preparation for other harsh international venues. The US hasn't played in the Copa America since 1995, so it's great to see them get involved once again. A solid performance in Venezuela will be a good first step to taking the sour taste of Germany 2006 from the mouths of fans.

All in all, there will be plenty of Nats soccer to see next year. And that's great... but who's going to coach the team? Well, that news may only be a few weeks away. US Soccer President Sunil Gulati said "I am still very hopeful and expect that we will announce a coach in November" or early December. And who will that be? Gulati of course wouldn't say, but he did indicate that five candidates are in serious consideration, and specifically mentioned that Juergen Klinsmann (the perennial DavesOnSoccer favorite) was one of the five.

There were a few hints in the conversation about other possibilities. It sounds like a few of the candidates may be currently coaching in Europe, and there's probably an MLS coach or two in there as well. He did specifically rule out Arsene Wenger (whew!), Felipe Scolari, and Guus Hiddink. Scolari and Hiddink have been mentioned as candidates before so that does clear the picture a bit. There was no mention of Sven Goran-Eriksson, so he may still be on the list. (Oh, please please, not Sven!)

There are plenty of possibilities but hopefully we'll know the answer in a few weeks. That will really mark the transition; we can then move past Germany 06 and start thinking about the upcoming cup competitions. It's been a while since I've been eager to discuss the Nats, but that era is coming to a close. I can't wait.

Dowie Out

2006-11-14T09:51:00.000-05:00

Well, Charlton have sacked Iain Dowie. With the Addicks in last place on 8 points, it was perhaps inevitable.

Still, it's a bit disappointing to see him go. I've been a fan of Dowie for a couple years, after watching Crystal Palace in the Prem. They almost avoided relegation, but got demotion on the last day of the 2005 season -- a wild day that saw four teams fighting for the last safe spot. Palace were perhaps a bit naive, but they always came to play and produced entertaining soccer even when they lost. Aside from Andy Johnson, Palace had arguably the lowest overall level of talent in the Prem, and it was an accomplishment to even have a chance for survival so late in the year.

Palace's subsequent promotion campaign faded in the second half of the season, and Dowie left Palace and quickly moved to Charlton. The move came with controversy and court cases -- Palace felt that Dowie had misled them about a move to another London team. But from a soccer standpoint, it seemed like a good move for Charlton. Led by Alan Curbishley, they'd been stuck in neutral for years, generally unable to compete with the better clubs. Since promotion in 2000, they've finished as follows: 9th, 14th, 12th, 7th, 11th, and 13th. That's almost the definition of midtable obscurity. And speaking subjectively, Charlton have been bland and uninteresting (kind of like Curbishley, come to think of it). They definitely needed a shake-up.

Dowie is an interesting character. He has a Master's degree in mechanical engineering, and worked for British Aerospace before starting his playing career. On the sideline, he is animated and entertaining, shunning the standard manager's suit and tie for a warm-up suit and athletic shoes. And he's known for having a progressive approach to fitness and match preparation. So signing Dowie seemed like a good move for Charlton. Maybe he could bring a fresh spark that would light a fire in the team.

Unfortunately the results have been more of a wet blanket. Charlton have faced an early-season rash of injuries that left them uncompetitive, completing 12 Prem matches with a record of 2-2-8. That record wouldn't leave many managers confident in their continued employment, but still it's surprising to see Charlton walk away from a manager that they worked so hard to bring in.

I've long felt that Charlton needed to see something dramatic to shake them out of their midtable complacency. A credible campaign for a spot in Europe would do that. But relegation would have that effect too. Maybe changing the management will help them avoid the drop. But my suspicion is that losing Dowie makes it more likely rather than less. Either way, here's hoping that the Addicks can find a path to becoming a more interesting team -- and that Dowie can find another club that's interested in his services.

Arsenal 3-0 Liverpool

2006-11-13T07:21:00.000-05:00

Arsenal 3-0 Liverpool
It is obvious to me that I have a finite amount of luck to share among the teams I follow. In the fall, it's a very simple equation. There are three teams that I want to win on a given weekend: Arsenal, the Indianapolis Colts, and the University of California. And I have about enough luck for 1.5 of them. This week, it deserted the Golden Bears, who lost a game against Arizona that they should have won. And Indianapolis barely had enough to get by, winning 17-16 against the lackluster Buffalo Bills.

So that leaves the Arsenal, and their fine win over Liverpool. The stories today are all about Liverpool's poor performnace, but it's important to remember that this was a tense, cagey match until the first goal at 41'. Both Arsenal and Liverpool had the ball in the back of the net earlier, but both were (correctly) ruled out. Most of the game had been played in the middle third of the pitch, with two teams scrapping for the ball and refusing to yield ground. At 35', a draw seemed a distinct possibility.

And then the Gunners broke through. I'm sure you've seen the goal, which featured both the precise passing the Gunners are known for and the scrappy opportunism that they often miss. Both Alexander Hleb and Cesc Fabregas had great runs and sweet passes, but I would single out Mathieu Flamini for his willingness to throw himself at the goal. We need to attack the net like that more often.

At halftime it wasn't a done deal, but things turned quickly and the Gunners were soon in control. The second goal came at 56' and what a sweet goal it was. Despite a dodgy first touch, Robin van Persie hit a beautiful pass, and Kolo Toure finished sweetly. Kolo has been coming forward more often of late, regularly enough that it must be on orders from the manager. He always looks good doing it, and it's great to see his effort rewarded.

After the second goal, Liverpool went from inconsistent to consistently bad. The third goal seemed inevitable, but when it came it was due to amazingly bad defensive work from Liverpool on a corner. It understates things to say that William Gallas was unmarked. He was two yards from any defender -- and that's in the center of the six-yard box.

After the game, much of the talk is about whether Rafael Benitez should have played Steven Gerrard in central midfield. Which rather misses the point that Gerrard was worse than useless yesterday. He was rarely involved, but when he did get into the run of play, it was most often to promptly yield possession. He was also at fault for failing to mark Gallas on the corner, and when moved to the middle, promptly shot well over the goal. Gerrard is generally a legitimate top talent, but yesterday he was a liability, and it's unfair to blame Benitez for it.

The net result will be much debate and media attention for Liverpool. They are miles from contending for the title, and look like a team that's lost it's way. In the second half, they looked on the verge of collapse, with arguing teammates and senseless fouls born of frustration. Fortunately for Liverpool, their next few matches are winnable -- away to Middlesbrough, home to Man City, and home to Portsmouth. But if they take less than 7 points from these three games, I think there's a real chance that Benitez will be gone before January.

But for Arsenal, things are looking up. The previous two league games were quite disappointing, but winning over one of the Big Four will surely restore their confidence. Hopefully next week's home match with Newcastle will continue that, because the following week brings a road trip to Bolton, and Sam Allardyce seems to know how to frustrate the Gunners. They'll need all the confidence they can muster.

Fixing MLS

2006-11-07T11:09:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to the New England Revolution and the Houston Dynamo for reaching this year's MLS Cup. I do try to be a supporter of MLS, but Revs keeper Matt Reis' comments will tell you why I find that a difficult proposition.

"It really doesn't matter what you do during the year as long as you get into the playoffs," Reis said. "And once you're in the playoffs, that's when the season really starts."

While hardcore soccer fans have been pushing for a single table format for the MLS for years, it seems doubtful that such a system will be implemented any time soon. The primary argument against the single table is that with relegation be strictly verboten in U.S. sports leagues, bottom dwelling teams will have little incentive to play hard in the final weeks, leading to many meaningless, boring matches. And while there is some validity to this notion (just watch EPL games between mid-level teams in the final weeks), I still believe it's possible to devise a single table system that rewards ALL teams in proportion to their final position in the table, thereby providing late season incentive to teams in lower positions.

There are many ideas out there and much discussion of possible changes. Until the MLS regular season actually starts to mean something, I can't be bothered to care too much about it.

Weekend Update

2006-10-14T08:14:00.000-04:00

Hi folks. My apologies for my long absence here. It's a busy time for me, first I had a long vacation, and now I have my wedding coming up next week (followed by a honeymoon of course...). All in all, it's been a busy few months. I'm incredibly thankful that Mr. Landry has been able to keep up in my absence, but he's got a busy time coming up too, and so posts might be a bit sparse here until November or so. But we'll do our best to keep up.

Just a few notes. It's been an incredibly boring couple weeks due to the international break in Europe. There have been a few interesting results, but in the end it's just not that exciting. I'm sure I'll eventually find Euro 2008 exciting, but it's just too soon after the World Cup finals right now. UEFA should rework the qualifiers; it's just silly to have a 'group stage' with so many mismatched teams. International matches like Faroe Islands - France or Czech Republic - San Marino are frankly not worth the bother, and it's even worse when it takes so much time away from the club seasons that are just heating up. The big teams had most of their players away for international duty, will have league games this weekend, and then Champions League games in midweek. UEFA have to rebalance their priorities and reduce the international burden, if they want to stay relevant.

And now we're back to the club scene, not a day too soon. The big teams will feel the pain of the internationals; as I write, Manchester United are down 1-0 to Wigan early on. Several players are missing due to injuries picked up while away, and even players who aren't injured will be a bit fatigued after the travel and the matches. Which is all to say that there could be some upsets this week. Beyond Man Utd - Wigan, we could see some competitive matches out of Arsenal - Watford, Liverpool - Blackburn, or Reading - Chelsea. A bit unfair to the big clubs, perhaps, but it does make the league a bit more interesting.

It's a crucial point in the season, when we start to see if the early results are just anomalies or if the surprising early form will continue. The key questions I expect to see answered in the next few weeks:

Will the close race at the top of the Prem continue? Will either Man Utd or Chelsea start to run away with things -- or will they both continue to drop points and keep it close?
Will the trio of Portsmouth, Aston Villa, and Everton be able to hang around and keep the top of the table active? Or will they all fade into midtable obscurity?
Will Arsenal keep up their recent excellent form and march back to challenge the leaders? Or will they revisit their early-season poor form? Likewise, will Tottenham be able to pull themselves together, or will they continue to be the most surprising failure of the season?
Will Charlton be able to turn their season around and live up to expectations? Or will they continue to drop points and lead the relegation candidates?
Will Reading (and Fulham too, I suppose) be able to capitalize on their early-season success and stay away from relegation danger?

I suspect that this weekend will begin to answer many of these questions. We're still early into a long season, and there will be many plot twists along the way. But I think this weekend marks the end of the beginning. It's been an interesting season so far, and I fully expect that to continue.

Thanks, Mooch

2006-10-10T15:41:00.000-04:00

The untimely passing of Glenn Myernick marks a very sad day for U.S. Soccer. He, along with Bruce Arena, have played pivotal roles in improving the quality of soccer in the U.S. Cheers, Mooch!

U.S. Nats Next Steps?

2006-10-04T09:35:00.000-04:00

Three months have elapsed since this summer's World Cup and it's time for the U.S. Men's National Team to pick itself up from the disappoinment of Germany '06 and start the rebuilding process for South Africa '10. The MLS season is drawing to a close and the Nats need to start the gradual build-up to the summer competitions. The first step on that road is to name a successor to Bruce Arena.

A number of candidates have been tipped for the post, none more intriguing and better suited than Jurgen Klinsmann. Bruce Arena did a tremendous job of developing players and establishing the U.S. as a dominant regional team, but now it's time to take the next step. Klinsmann could build on the solid foundation that Arena has laid and bring some much needed style and saavy to the national team's play. Rumor has it, Klinsmann has already been offered the job.

Whoever is named coach will need to temper his rebuilt team through stiff competition. In order to become a true World Cup contender, the U.S. must gain valuable experience playing top teams in hostile environments. That means a return to the Copa America. Sunil Gulati, president of the USSF has some big decisions to make in the coming weeks. The choice of a new coach will be difficult, the choice of whether or not to participate in Copa America shouldn't be. If you want to beat the best, you need to play the best, and our boys desperately need more experience playing in top competitions. As this summer proved, being the best in Concacaf doesn't amount to much on the world stage.

There is a petition afoot to encourage the USSF to participate in Copa America. I urge you to sign it.

Xavi Alonso. From Distance.

2006-09-21T09:03:00.000-04:00

Xavi Alonso scored a ridiculous long range goal to help Liverpool secure a 2-0 win over Newcastle yesterday. Admitedly, his effort benefited from the poor footwork of Steve Harper, who was deputising for the injured Shay Given.

It's not the first time Alonso's scored from distance either. Check out this previous goal against Luton Town from last season's FA Cup clash. It's a bit of an "empty netter", but it nevertheless takes some huevos to attempt a shot like this - with his weaker left foot no less.

Don't miss this one either. No luck involved here, just a quality strike.

Once in a Lifetime

2006-09-18T15:17:00.000-04:00

Maybe I enjoyed the distractions of summer too much, but I've only just caught wind of a new documentary that looks very intriguing - the rather verbosely and unimaginatively titled Once in a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos.

The true story of the team that brought Brazilian star Pele to the U.S. It shows the Cosmos' ascent set against the decadent, crime-ridden backdrop of 1970s New York, as well as its decline along with the North American Soccer League in the early 1980s.

I can remember watching Pele's final game and lap of honor, but only the vaguest notion of what it was like to play in that era. The trailer looks interesing enough, heck, the disco tunes and polyester suits alone should make it worthwhile. It airs on ESPN2, Wed. Sep. 20, at 8:00 pm EDT. Set your Tivos.

Oops...

2006-09-14T16:57:00.000-04:00

In case you missed it, there was an absurd incident in a Brazilian soccer match over the weekend in which a ball boy actually scored a goal. I have no idea how such a lapse of concentration can happen, but here's the footage to prove it. Let it also be noted and commended that the Brazilian Football Federation is one of the few to allow women referees to arbitrate men's matches.

Streaming Champions League Matches

2006-09-14T13:01:00.000-04:00

On the eve of the first Champions League match day, UEFA announced a series of innovations for this season's competition. Foremost among these is the availabilty of live internet feeds. The feeds are available in both English and Spanish via ESPN at this site for the reasonable price of $9.95.

Weekend EPL Action

2006-09-08T13:38:00.000-04:00

Domestic league action cranks up again after the international break and there are some exciting match-ups in the Premiership. Here's a quick overview of the action ranked in order of most intrigue.

Everton - Liverpool
There's added excitement surrounding this installment of the classic Liverpool derby given that both teams are likely to contend for European places this season. Everton have shown good early form while Liverpool have yet to fully hit their stride and integrate all their new signings. It should be a lively, highly entertaining match. Expect goals and a draw.
Prediction: 2-2

Manchester Utd. - Tottenham
Man. U. are off to a flying start to the season having scored a league best ten goals in winning all three of their games. Tottenham have disappointed by contrast, losing at home to Everton in their last outing. Expect Spurs to make it difficult, but Man. U. should prevail.
Prediction: 2-0

West Ham - Aston Villa
The atmosphere should be phenomenal at Upton Park as Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano make their debut appearance for the Hammers. There's a lot of excitement at Villa as well with a new owner, Randy Lerner, and new coach, Matin O'Neill. As the home side, I might favor the Hammers a touch, but Villa could well earn a draw.
Prediction: 2-1

Portsmouth - Wigan
The rebirth of Kanu has inspired Portsmouth to its current second place standing in the table, but Wigan will prove a more difficult side to break down. Paul Jewell has made once again made some astute signings (Emile Heskey aside) and they should do enough to snatch a point.
Prediction: 1-1

Arsenal - Middlesborough
The additions of Jonathan Woodgate and Robert Huth should greatly improve Boro's porous back line, but the central defenders will take some time to achieve solidity. Besides, Arsenal has had some rather lopsided wins against Boro recently (7-0 in the last meeting). This is a great opportunity for the Gunners to find some form.
Prediction: 3-0

Sheffield Utd. - Blackburn
I'm not sure how much entertaining football this match will produce, but it will surely be physical. The Blades will depend on their results at home to keep them in the EPL. Even though Blackburn have looked awful so far this season, they should have enough to scrape a draw and point at Bramall Lane.
Prediction: 1-1

Chelsea - Charlton
It never ceases to amaze and annoy me that a team with the unmatched talent that Chelsea possess can produce such generally uninspiring on-field displays sprinkled with flashes of brilliance. Still, they should have no trouble disposing of a Charlton side still searching for an identity under new manager Iain Dowie. Poor Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink must surely ponder what might have been.
Prediction: 3-0

Reading - Manchester City
Reading have looked capable of both scoring goals at this level and of giving them up. They'll need to defend much better and avoid injuries, but I'm backing them to stay up this season. Man. City have stronger side on paper, but their away record is fairly dismal.
Prediction: 2-1

Newcastle - Fulham
It's going to be a long season of struggle for Fulham, I'm afraid. Newcastle, depleted though they may be, should have enough class (Nolberto Solano alone, should do it) to get past the Cottagers.
Prediction: 1-0

Bolton - Watford
Both teams employ a very "English" style of play- a very physical approach with lots of long balls. Bolton can be very disruptive to opponents' midfields and I don't believe Watford can cope with their pressure. It won't be pretty, but Bolton should win handily.
Prediction 2-0

UPDATE: I'm not quitting my day job. 5 correct results (but no correct scorelines), 5 incorrect results.

How Long for the Hammers?

2006-09-07T08:55:00.000-04:00

Norman Hubbard provides some good analysis of the machinations and impact of the arrival of Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano to West Ham. The Argentinian duo have already sent ripples of anticipation through the entire EPL, but it's doubtful they will have anything but the briefest of tenures with the Hammers. Still, it should be a great show, how ever long it lasts.

Deadline Day. Whew.

2006-09-01T09:55:00.000-04:00

The transfer deadline has passed. And what a day!

I don't know why this year seems worse than previous years. Perhaps it's just because Arsenal had such a difficult transfer season. Or maybe everything was delayed because of the World Cup. In any event, it was a chaotic last day.

Arsenal of course had a very trying day. The team lost three players and gained two. It's rare to see trades in world soccer, but Arsenal had two. Jose Antonio Reyes went to Real Madrid in exchange for Julio Baptista, and Ashley Cole went to Chelsea in return for William Gallas and about £5m. Additionally we lost Pascal Cygan, to the secondhand Arsenal home of Villareal.

If you look at it in absolute terms, I think the Gunners didn't do terribly well in the deals. Cole is probably better than Gallas at left back, and Reyes is at the least a better fit than Baptista. But both players were severely damaged goods, and it's difficult to imagine that either one would play for Arsenal again. And frankly, they'd worn out their welcome. Gallas will prove to be very useful and flexible in defense, while Baptista has a lot of talent and may be a better player for Arsenal than he was for Real Madrid.

I'm actually more disappointed to lose Cygan. It's not that he was a great player -- far from it. But he was much better than fans gave him credit for. All he ever did was perform when he was called on, give his best, keep quiet, and do his job. Battleship Cygan: We will miss you.

Perhaps the biggest transfer news was with West Ham. They made the stunning -- dare I say unbelievable -- twin signings of Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano from Argentine club Corinthians. Both players were big stars in the World Cup and it's no surprise that they would move to Europe. But it is a very huge surprise that they would end up at a relatively small club like West Ham, when multiple other clubs were interested in the duo. The players are both 'owned' by Media Sports Investments (MSI)... who had a failed bid to buy West Ham last year. MSI is owned by Kia Joorabchian, who also has a substantial ownership stake in Corinthians. And now there is a new takeover bid on the table. West Ham deny that the transfer deals are contractually tied to the takeover bid, but there's certainly a lot of reason to be suspicious. I don't know much about the business rules in the FA or the Premiership, but I suspect this might cause some problems for West Ham.

As much as I'd like to see Arsenal get Mascherano in particular, I'm not that disappointed that West Ham were the winners here. Certainly it's better that West Ham make a signing like this rather than Chelsea or Man United or Real Madrid or Inter Milan. The Premiership only gets better if more teams are competitive; frankly, it's boring when only three or four teams have a legitimate shot at winning the league.So I guess I hope that this is all kosher. But it's just very unusual, and I wouldn't be surprised if a controversy brews up over this.

So what about everybody else? Let's see:

Portsmouth made some big moves. Andrew Cole, Roudolphe Douala, and Niko Kranjcar have all moved to Pompey. Joining the rest of the big names that have moved south, the last-minute deals could make for a different team.
Wigan had a lot of turnover. David Cotterill, Kevin Kilbane, and Svetoslav Todorov all joined the Latics, but Pascal Chimbonda, David Connolly, and Graham Kavanagh all left the team. Whether they succeed or fail, Wigan is an immensely changed team from their success last year.
Tottenham had some useful additons, grabbing Pascal Chimbonda from Wigan and Steed Malbranque from Fulham.
Manchester City probably didn't make a huge move, but I'm happy to see DaMarcus Beasley coming to the Prem. He'll join fellow American Claudio Reyna at Camp Blue this year.
Middlesbrough have made some quality additions. Jason Euell joined, along with defender Robert Huth from Chelsea. Combined with Jonathan Woodgate's loan from Real Madrid, Boro have done a lot to shore up their defensive weakness.
Newcastle added Antoine Sibierski to the recent signings of Obafemi Martins and Guiseppe Rossi.

So what's odd about this list? The big clubs are mostly missing. Chelsea grabbed Ashley Cole but lost Gallas and Huth. Arsenal had movement but stayed pretty much even. Liverpool moved out Jan Kromkamp and Florent Sinama Pongolle (though they did make some decent moves earlier). And Manchester United didn't make any moves.

So things could get very interesting. Several mid-tier teams have done a lot to improve, while the top teams are more or less static. It's not trivial to integrate a lot of new players into a team, and there's nothing guaranteed for these teams. But all of a sudden, West Ham, Pompey, Middlesboro, and Wigan join Tottenham and Newcastle as teams that can really hope to compete with the big boys. And even if they can't stay good consistently, they'll have the capability to win on any given Saturday. There are a lot fewer sure-thing wins than there were a few days ago. And that can only be a good thing.

This could be a very, very interesting season in the Prem. Stay tuned.

Thatcher, Mendes, Gallagher

2006-08-25T08:42:00.000-04:00

What a horrid, horrid tackle. If you haven't seen it, check out the video. Fortunately it sounds like Mendes will be OK.

If that's all there was to it, I wouldn't bother to comment, other than perhaps to wish Mendes well. But what's interesting to me is the controversy over how to punish Thatcher. See, the problem is that he received a yellow card from referee Dermot Gallagher. According to the FA's inscrutable rulebook, that means that his punishment has been dealt with, making it very difficult to punish him further.

Gallagher has a history of misjudgments like this, as I've commented previously. Once again, the FA is in agreement with me and have sent Gallagher back to the Colaship. Again. One might ask why they haven't learned their lesson with Gallagher, but nevermind that for now. Perhaps the third time is the charm.

But the larger question is, why is the FA so stupid about this rule? Regardless of Gallagher's failings, it's easy to imagine how a referee can miss an isolated call like this. If he sees it from the wrong angle, it looks less damaging. Or he just makes a mistake. Why in the world should that limit the FA on video review?

I'm a firm believer that the referee's decision is final... when it comes to the game. So there's no way that a match should be replayed or a result changed based on a reevaluation of a referee's call. Nor am I a fan of in-game video review. But neither of these points has anything to do with punishments that extend beyond the game itself. And this is an ideal example of a situation where the FA should have full authority to mete out punishment.

There are clearly major issues with the way soccer is officiated and judged. Beyond this sort of thing, you also have:

Goal-line decisions
Offsides calls
Penalty calls
Stopping play for injuries
Diving

I don't want to get into all this today. But this is one example of a way in which video evidence can really help out the FA, without any negative impact to the game. Perhaps the Ben Thatcher incident will be enough to cause a change. We can only hope.

And a final note. Reports indicate that Greater Manchester Police pursuing a criminal investigation of the incident. I find this sort of thing rather troubling. There may be some cases, involving serious injury, where it's warranted. But I would be very reluctant to involve police in any more cases than absolutely necessary.

Cisko's EPL Predictions

2006-08-19T09:56:00.000-04:00

OK. Landry has tossed down the guantlet. A case of Fat Tire? Very well, I accept. And besides, you're clearly wrong on your positioning of the scum. Wish you were wrong about Chelsea though; I have hopes, but not expectations, that they might fade a bit this year. We'll see.

Chelsea
Arsenal
Liverpool
Man Utd
Tottenham
Portsmouth
Newcastle
Bolton
Aston Villa
West Ham
Blackburn
Charlton
Everton
Reading
Wigan
Middlesboro
Man City
Fulham
Sheffield Utd
Watford

06-07 EPL Predictions

2006-08-17T15:28:00.000-04:00

After a glorious summer of World Cup action, it's once again time to raise the curtain on another season of enthralling EPL action. Once again, I'm throwing down the guantlet and challenging my blog partner to predict the standings at the end fo the 2006-07 campaign. Bragging rights, plaudits and, most importantly, a case of Fat Tire to the winner.

Here are my predictions for how the EPL table will look at the end of the 2005-06 campaign. Chelsea will have a much tougher go of it this season, but will still prevail. There's simply to much depth of talent on the squad. Reading will be the surprise of the promoted team and I'll be following their progress avidly. I can't wait to see how it will all play out!

Chelsea
Liverpool
Man Utd
Tottenham
Arsenal
West Ham
Everton
Bolton
Newcastle
Aston Villa
Reading
Charlton
Portsmouth
Wigan
Blackburn
Middlesboro
Fulham
Sheffield Utd
Man City
Watford

05/06 EPL Predictions - Final Accounting

2006-08-17T14:28:00.000-04:00

Back in August, Cisko and I both made predicitions as to how the EPL standings would look at the end of the year. Lets see how we fared. I've calculated how many positions off each of us are based on the final standings and how the teams are fared against last season's finishing postions. Here's how things shake out...

		Landry	Cisko	2004/05
1	Chelsea	*	+1	*
2	Man Utd	*	+2	+1
3	Liverpool	+1	*	+2
4	Arsenal	-1	-3	-2
5	Tottenham	*	*	+4
6	Blackburn	+7	+9	+9
7	Newcastle	+2	+4	+7
8	Bolton	-1	+2	-2
9	West Ham	+7	+7	na
10	Wigan	+9	+9	na
11	Everton	-3	-4	-7
12	Fulham	+6	+5	+1
13	Charlton	-3	+1	-2
14	Middlesboro	-8	-8	-7
15	Man City	-1	-3	-7
16	Aston Villa	-5	-8	-6
17	Portsmouth	-1	-8	-1
18	Birmangham	-6	-5	-6
19	West Brom	+1	-1	-2
20	Sunderland	-3	*	na
total positions off		66	80

Really these numbers just confirm what we already know...

Wigan and West Ham outperformed after being promoted.
Blackburn, Newcastle and Tottenham had excellent campaigns.
Middlesborough, Manchester City, Everton, Aston Villa and Birmingham were the season's biggest disappointments.
It is very difficult to break into the elite of the EPL (though Spurs nearly did).

Transfer Momentum

2006-08-16T07:23:00.000-04:00

Good morning. Again, not so many posts here for a while, but that's because the biggest thing that's happening is nothing. At least publicly. Many of the biggest rumors center around Arsenal, but there's been no actual movement as of yet.

The Ashley Cole situation has settled down, in the sense that the volcano is no longer spewing lava, though it could erupt at any time. Both Wenger and Mourinho had set deadlines of last week for anything to happen... and nothing did. It appears that Arsenal are simply asking a price that Chelsea won't pay. So what now? There are still 2+ weeks for a deal to materialize, but both teams are probably looking to move on. The biggest news today comes from the Sun, which says that Cole's book will be held or edited if he stays with the Gunners.

Frankly, that's unlikely. Cole has burned his bridges, with the club, with his teammates, and with the fans. It's almost impossible to imagine him donning the colors again. But he's a top-quality English player, with a contract that runs through 2008, and there's no way the club should let him go without getting value for him. Perhaps they will look to sell him abroad, but of course that would need agreement from Cole also which complicates the deal. At this point, I'd say there's a 50% chance he still goes to Chelsea, a 10% chance he leaves England, probably for Spain, and a 10% chance he stays with the Gunners. That leaves a 30% chance that nothing happens, and he sits on the sidelines stewing until the January transfer window.

The story with Jose Antonio Reyes is something else entirely. On the one hand, it's looking very likely that he will leave for Real Madrid. If I read the tea leaves right, the deal is nearly there, and the clubs are working out the specifics. Real Madrid are probably going to send someone back the other way -- Baptista most likely, though Beckham is an intriguing possibility -- and involving an additional player will complicate things. But Reyes is clearly excited about the prospect, and has continually indicated his interest in the move.

And yet, I don't think fans are too upset with him. For one thing, he's been very complimentary to Arsenal in public. He's said that "Wenger has acted like he exactly is - a gentleman. I want to thank him publicly for everything he is doing for me." Emmanuel Adebayor returned the favor, stating that "Jose looks happy in training. He laughs and jokes and gets on well with the other players." So unlike Ashley, Jose isn't burning his bridges. But he wants away, and he'll probably get his wish. The latest news is that a delegation from Real Madrid are to arrive in London today. So it would not surprise me to see news on Reyes come out today. Here's hoping that it becomes a good move for player and club.

So we'll see what happens. I doubt we'll see either player on Saturday. Will Arsenal have any signings to report? We can hope!

Arsenal Begins: 06-07

2006-08-08T07:18:00.000-04:00

Good morning folks. Sorry about the gap in posts, but there's been eff-all to talk about. Lots of rumors but little action. For Arsenal, it's been a frustrating summer in many ways, and it's only tolerable because we've been through this all before, so many times.

The one definite piece of Arsenal news is that Sol Campbell goes to Portsmouth. It's a fairly big surprise in that Sol was supposed to go overseas. But he'll stick around England instead. It'll be interesting to see how he performs for his new club. I know it's fashionable to slag on Sol, and he certainly earned some of it. But it's obvious he's got problems and I wouldn't mind if he was able to turn things around and do well down south.

But otherwise things are moving slowly for the Gunners. The talk about Ashley Cole is beyond rumor stage at this point; it's obvious that Chelsea and Arsenal are negotiating. Ashley's done everything he can to burn his bridges, but it's not like Chelsea are desperate for a left back and Arsenal aren't going to let their only remaining major England player go cheaply. A swap is possible and troubled William Gallas is the obvious target, but Chelsea are doing everything they can to make him seem settled. And Gallas' major complaint is that he'd prefer to play center-half, so it's not like he's eager to take Ashley's place. Regardless, I fully expect to see this move complete. Wenger has set a deadline of the end of the week, and that's probably about right. Expect something on Thursday or so.

Added to the Cole rumors are the stories brewing about Jose Antonio Reyes is in the mix too. It's no secret that he hasn't adapted well to life in the UK and that he would prefer to play in Spain, for Real Madrid of course. And perhaps he'll get his wish. But even when he's failed to score, he works hard and has put in a lot of effort for Arsenal. He's at a great stage of experience mixed with potential, and I would hate to see him leave the Gunners right now.

Going the other way, rumors continue to circulate about Franck Ribery. It's difficult to see how Ribery would fit in... unless Reyes is really going to go. But we have a surfeit of wide midfielders, and Ribery is nothing but. Perhaps the plan is to play Aleksander Hleb or Tomas Rosicky or both in a central role. Other rumors have appeared, including Alou Diarra from Lens, Eric Abidal from Lyon, and Luca Toni from Fiorentina. (Warning: Italian exodus!) The boss himself has admitted that he's looking at a few players, including at least one with experience. But of course nothing concrete has developed yet.

So that leaves all us Gunners a bit unsettled going into the first match of the season. Arsenal are in Croatia to visit Dynamo Zagreb in the first leg of their Champions League qualifier. It's clear this is going to be a difficult match. Zagreb are already into their league season, and Arsenal are missing quite a few players. Ljungberg, Senderos, Clichy, and Diaby are all injured, while Henry and Cole are not yet match fit. The absence of Ashley of course is significant in other ways, as it keeps him available to play for a different team in the Champions League. And if Reyes doesn't play, I think you have a clear sign that he's leaving. In any event, Arsenal will have to field a young and unfamiliar team in a difficult and important match, early in August. Not a situation that relaxes the fans.

So lots of questions at the moment but few answers. That will begin to change tonight though; we'll know where we stand with Zagreb, while the transfer situation should start to settle out as well. But let's not lose sight of the most important thing: the season is starting. The Gunners are taking the field for real in a few hours. Get out your colors and warm up your voices...

Transfer Season Heats Up

2006-07-20T07:12:00.001-04:00

Well, it's official: The exodus has begun. Real Madrid kick things off by signing Fabio Cannavaro and Emerson from Juventus. Until the activity started, I supposed that players would wait until the clubs' appeals were complete. But now that two of the big names have moved, it may be that we start to see more players trying to find their spots.

And there are good players to be had, due to the Italian scandals. Three teams -- Juventus, Lazio, and Fiorentina -- are relegated to Serie B and docked points as well, so there's a very good chance they will spend two years at least before winning promotion. (And no European tournaments either.) That could be 20% of a player's career, and so most of the quality players will be desperate to find work elsewhere.
even from Juventus alone. The Turin side have claimed that Alessandro del Piero and Pavel Nedved will be staying with the club, but that still leaves an impressive list of names available. Buffon. Thuram. Zambrotta. Viera. Camoranesi. Ibrahimovic. Trezeguet. Mutu. Lazio and Fiorentina have some quality talent as well, with names like Toni, Ujfalusi, and Oddo. It's a who's who of world class talent and has the potential to shift the balance of power in multiple European leagues.

AC Milan is a more interesting question. They get to stay in Serie A, but they lose 15 points. So they'll be playing in the top Italian division, but will miss European play this year and probably next. That's a less-extreme situation, but still we can expect some departures. Even a couple names -- say, Kaka and Pirlo -- could have a major impact.

So there's plenty of talent to be had. And paradoxically, this may be good for the teams with a bit less money. Normally it's the Real Madrids and the Chelseas that snap up talent like this. And for sure, we've seen that already for both (with Shevchenko going to Chelsea). But there are only so many players that even a Chelsea can sign. So with a glut like this, many players should find their way to other teams.

There's been some speculation about Arsenal of course. Surprisingly, much of it centers around Italian keeper Gianluigi Buffon. It would be harsh on Jens Lehmann to sign Buffon, but Buffon is one of a short list of goalkeepers that are better than Lehmann -- and he's only 28 as well.

But Arsenal are in even more need of defensive help, with the departure of Sol Campbell, the injury to Philippe Senderos, and the probable exit of Ashley Cole. So there are natural rumors around Lilian Thuram, the experienced French defender. He had a great world cup, and would provide a solid addition to any team. And in this case, his age (34) would be an advantage, as Arsenal won't want to block the path for their young defenders.

But only time will tell. There's sure to be plenty of news in the next few weeks, especially as the World Cup players return from their vacations. Keep your eye on the transfers, and cross your fingers for your favorite team.

Klinsmann To The US?

2006-07-11T19:58:00.000-04:00

It could be true. German sports news agency SID is reporting that Klinsmann will not renew his contract. Now, they also say that "Klinsmann... has dismissed reports he received a lucrative offer to coach the United States and has said he has no interest in coaching another national team such as England or Italy."

But it would make so much sense. Klinsmann lives in the US, and would have a much more relaxing and media-free time of life as the US coach. And I believe it would be exactly what the US needs.

Bruce Arena was a great builder of the USMNT. He developed players, brought respectability, and kept an even keel. But now the US needs to change things around a bit, to bring some more excitement, create some energy within the team, and to challenge players to perform. "I have done this before," he could say, "and I know what it takes. And you need to find more within yourselves if we are to succeed." But he can balance that with a modern (American) approach to fitness, mental health, and focus. It's a great match for American players and would give us a great chance for success in South Africa 2010.

Of course, that's a long time from now, and the US doesn't have a competition quite like Euro 2008 to prepare for in the meantime. Maybe Jurgen will manage a club team for a bit. He'd be a great fit in England, though none of the biggest jobs are available. Of course, that would take him away from his California home for a big part of the year, and he may not want that. But even if he does, maybe 2 years would be enough, and he could return to the US... perhaps in 2008 to prepare for qualifications! Hm...

WC Final: Italy 1-1 France (Italy 5-3 on penalties)

2006-07-10T08:07:00.000-04:00

So Italy are the champions. Congratulations to them; they were probably the most consistently good team in the tournament. They were winners of the toughest group, and did very well through the second round as well.

But it was a near thing. France played very well, and in the second half looked more likely to score than did the Italians. For long stretches, Italy couldn't even get the ball out of their half, and France brought wave after wave of attack. But I think the overall exhaustion began to tell on both teams, and while that allowed France to retain posession, it kept them from coming up with the creative, incisive move that could beat the Italian defense. France deserve a lot of credit. They made the group stage a close thing, but got the key win over Togo that saw them through. Then they had a very tough run through the elimination rounds, including solid wins over Spain, Brazil, and Portugal. Italy had an easy route through the octos and quarters (Australia and Ukraine), though their last-gasp victory over Germany makes up for it.

So two deserving teams, and a very close match. The early penalty was very soft but with this ref (Argentine Horacio Elizondo, who gave so many cards in the Czech Republic - Ghana match) it was not surprising to see it given. Zinedine Zidane almost missed it but didn't; the early goal then brought Italy out of their shell. The answering goal came quickly and was a beautiful corner, followed by a solid header from Marco Materazzi. But with equality restored, the game deflated, with Italy generally soaking up French pressure but unable to mount sustained pressure of their own. Both teams had a few chances, but as exhaustion took its toll penalties seemed inevitable. And so it proved.

But first we had the spectacle of Zidane's (well deserved) red card. It's not clear why he reacted as he did; clearly something was said that set him off. It's no excuse though. A player of his stature should know better and it's a disappoinment that he couldn't control himself. It's a shame that he will be remembered for this, particularly because it had little impact on the penalty shootout. David Trezuguet was always going to take his penalty, even if Zizou was around, and it was his miss that made the difference. So I hate to see the stories that link his ejection to the French loss, particularly because his excellent play was a major factor in bringing France to the finals in the first place. It's a shame that Italy are 'winners' and France 'losers', as the margin between the two teams was razor thin. But that's the way the game is played.

So it's all done and dusted. We have 34 days before the English season kicks off with the Community Shield. Arsenal will start a bit earlier, with the Champions League qualifiers beginning on 8 August. So 29 days from now. I feel for the players, particularly Thierry Henry. He suffered a nasty knock in the first minute yesterday that left him semiconscious on the Berlin turf. He had a fine game afterwards, but was taken off in extra time, either from injury or exhaustion. He has a mere two weeks to relax before Arsenal reconvene to train for 06/07.

More thoughts on the World Cup will come later. But for now, allow me to offer my congratulations once again to Italy. Despite the close match, there's no doubt that they are deserving champions. And now they're only one behind Brazil!

WC: Quarterfinal, Game Of The Year

2006-06-30T07:06:00.000-04:00

So the Quarterfinals kick off today and what a day it will be. In the afternoon we have Italy vs. Ukraine. My fear is that this will become a boring, defensive stalemate, moving into extra time at 0-0. But Italy is a strong team, and I have hopes that they can break through the Ukranian defense fairly early. Either way, though, I can't see Ukraine winning... unless they can somehow hold out for penalties. A big ask.

But the early game, the one to watch, is Germany vs. Argentina. Ever since the first games, when Germany romped over Costa Rica and Argentina looked deadly in defeating the Ivory Coast, the buzz has been building around both teams. I'm not one for hype, but this is probably the premier match of the entire tournament. I'd say the odds are better than even that whoever wins here will win the whole thing.

And I don't have a real clue who will win here. Germany would be the safer bet. Their attack has been ruthless and clinical, which is not surprising for a German team. But it's also been creative, which is surprising. The home crowd advantage isn't to be sneered at either. So it's easy to imagine them winning the match.

On the other hand, Argentina have looked very, very dangerous as well, with an equally impressive assault on the opposing goal. But Argentina haven't exhibited the defensive weaknesses that Germany hasn't entirely hidden. And Argentina have a secret weapon: they had to grind out a tough win against a very dangerous Mexico team. That victory will give them a confidence and a resiliency that will serve them well today. Germany have been able to coast so far, and haven't yet needed to gut out a tough situation.

So I just don't know. Two evenly matched teams in the quarterfinals would typically result in a 0-0 match, decided by penalties. I desperately hope it doesn't come to that, and I don't think it will. We have here two very good attacking teams, and I suspect one or the other will break through early on. I hope so... because from that point forward, hold on to your seat. This could be the best match of 2006, and I can't wait.

WC: Top Player Names

2006-06-28T07:42:00.000-04:00

One of the great joys of soccer, and the World Cup especially, is that it provides a glimpse into other cultures. One of the simplest and most entertaining ways it does so is through the names of the players themselves. In addition to twisting the tongues of ESPN/ABC commentators, they're just darn fun to pronounce. So what are the most interesting and intriguing names at Germany 06? Here's my list:

Angola	Mendonça
	Love
Brazil	Fred
Côte d'Ivoire	Yapi Yapo
	Boubacar Barry
Croatia	Dado Pršo
Czech Republic	Tomáš Ujfaluši
France	Zinedine Zidane
Ghana	Otto Addo
	Razak Pimpong
Holland	Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink
Paraguay	Aldo Bobadilla
Switzerland	Hakan Yakin
	Pascal Zuberbühler
Togo	Ludovic Assemoassa
Ukraine	Ruslan Rotan
USA	Oguchi Onyewu

WC: Second Round Update

2006-06-27T07:12:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the gap in posts; I was out of town for a good friend's wedding. (A side note: I now have a lot of sympathy for all you west-coasters. The time zones don't help, do they?) What did I miss?

The second round has been fairly interesting so far. From six games so far, only one was decided by more than one goal. Germany is looking quite solid still, and is very arguably the current favorite to achieve glory.

Meanwhile, everything else has been very close and interesting. Portugal 1-0 Holland was a bit of a fiasco, thanks to Russian referee Valentin Ivanov. England lasted until 60' before they solved Ecuador; Italy fought into stoppage time with 10 men before beating Australia; Argentina needed a flukey goal in extra time to overcome Mexico, and Ukraine needed penalties to outlast Switzerland. The Argentina-Mexico game was clearly the best of the bunch, but all the others have had their share of interest.

I was saddened to see Switzerland go out last night. I've grown to enjoy watching them play; they don't have the most innovative attack, but they get forward and go after the game, while their defense is well-organized and doesn't panic. (And my friend who got married over the weekend grew up in Basel.) The first half of the match was exciting if unproductive, with Switzerland's building pressure matched by Ukraine's quick counterattack. But they all lost their way in the second half, with most of the pressure coming from Ukraine. By the end of regulation time, both teams looked drained, and penalties were inevitable. And it was perhaps the worst performance I've seen on penalties, with Ukraine winning by default at Switzerland's unwillingness to score. But a great deal of credit goes to Mexican referee Benito Archundia Tellez, who stood out by calling the game well and with restraint. It made for a much more entertaining contest than if, say, sixteen yellows were shown.

Today sees perhaps the best match of the octofinals. I'm not referring to Brazil vs. Ghana, though that might be interesting too. Brazil haven't looked on form, and Ghana will at the least work tirelessly and fight to the end. But without Michael Essien, they'll have a difficult task, and I expect that Brazil will progress with ease in the end.

No, of course I'm talking about Spain vs. France. These two teams have the potential to play a very exciting and competitive game. They match up well, with similar strengths and an ability to create breathtaking play. Of course, with so much at stake, it's likely to become a very cautious match; an early goal would do a lot to open up the game. I don't have a favorite: Arsenal connections are there for both teams, while either one is stylish and entertaining enough to be worthy of the quarterfinals. So here's hoping for a good game, with a few goals, and a result decided before penalties.

WC: Culture of Losing

2006-06-26T08:09:00.000-04:00

One of the wonderful things about the World Cup is that it's not only a celebration of soccer. It's also a celebration of cultural diversity, and different nations certainly react differently to getting dumped out of the cup.

Costa Rican fans were evidently upset the team lost all its games and didn't hide their disappointment. I can empathize with the Ticos' fans only to a certain extent. Realistically, how much can you expect from a team whose members nearly all play domestically? Costa Rica helped to set the tone for this World Cup with their brave, attacking style in the inaugural match. Take some pride in that Ticos.

On the other end of the spectrum are the Japanese supporters. While they harbored very real dreams of reaching the second round, the fans nevertheless gave the team a hero's welcome. And this is in spite of Japan's last minute capitulation to the overachieving (and overrated) Australians in their opening match. Seems it's possible to lose with honor, just don't smile about it.

WC: Ghana 2-1 US

2006-06-22T16:02:00.000-04:00

Ghana 2-1 US.

I'm crushed.

It's so, so bitter to see the US go out like this. We played so well through qualifications, but just didn't ever look very good in the World Cup. Lacking skill. Lacking effort. Lacking ideas. Always missing something. We were decent for maybe the first 15 minutes against Italy, and perhaps the first 20 against Ghana. and that's about it.

We did have some decent stuff at the beginning of the game. But as with Italy, we left ourselves open for a silly opportunity at the back. I'm not sure what happened with Reyna, he usually doesn't make errors like that. It's possible that his knee was damaged before the challenge came it. But in the event, he lost the ball, left Dramani alone... who took his chance nicely.

The US came back pretty hard, and in particular Damarcus Beasley finally stepped up. The goal was largely his creation. He lost posession in the attack, but cleverly read the pass, intercepted it, and sprinted goalward. His cross was inch-perfect, and Clint Dempsey's one-touch shot was rifled into the goal. 1-1 and game on.

But then, horror. The penalty call was just wrong, and Markus Merk is now on my sh*t list too. Sigh. The penalty was nicely taken, Kellar's not getting to that even if he dives the right way. And suddenly, our 1-1 at the half is 2-1 and the US has its back broken.

The US struggled to bring an attack in the second half, and spent long periods of time looking at a loss for ideas. They had a few good chances -- Donovan's shot over the bar, as well as McBride's header just onto the post. But they played too many long balls that had no hope of finding anyone. And spent much too much time in the back, trying to decide what to do. All in all, it was a shockingly passive display.

I'll post later, probably after the final, on what I think the US needs. But in short: time for Arena to move on. Thank you, Bruce, for some fantastic service. You've built the US into a legitimate threat and you deserve credit for it. But it's time for some new ideas. Anyone have Phil Scolari's number?

And it's also time for some of the "golden generation" to take a long, hard look at what they're going to do. In particular, we need to figure out the middle of the park. Reyna will retire from internationals before 2010 (and if he's still playing, we're in trouble). But Landon Donovan, I'm looking at you. After this World Cup, you can see why he turned tail and fled Germany for LA.

More later of course. But for now, it's just a sad, sad day. David and I did our best to support these guys through qualifications. I know others have done a lot more, but we saw several of the key games. Grenada. Costa Rica. Mexico. And Morocco too. All that has come to nothing now. And so we'll mourn for a while. For what might have been.

WC: Final Games -- Groups E and F

2006-06-22T08:34:00.000-04:00

Possibly the most exciting day for all the group finals.

Group E

                     W   D   L  GF  GA  GD  PTS
Italy                1   1   0   3   1  +2   4
Czech Republic       1   0   1   3   2  +1   3
Ghana                1   0   1   2   2  +0   3
United States        0   1   0   1   4  -3   1

Italy vs. Czech Republic, Hamburg
Ghana vs. United States, Nuremberg

They're both the games to watch! I fully expect an exciting two hours, with many backs and forths on the status as scores change. Italy vs. Czech Republic is exciting in its own right, even without considering what's at stake. And US against Ghana has the potential to be a very tight match as well. The US has a lot of ground to make up in goal differential, so they really need Italy to win if they're to go through.

SCENARIO:

	US wins	US/Ghana draw	Ghana wins
Italy wins	Italy, US advance	Italy, Ghana advance	Italy, Ghana advance
Italy/Czechs draw	Italy advance. US or Czech Rep advance based on goal diff.	Italy advance. Czech Rep or Ghana advance based on goal diff.	Ghana and Italy advance.
Czech Rep wins	Czech Rep advance; US or Italy advance based on goal diff.	Czech Rep advance; Italy or Ghana advance based on goal diff.	Czech Rep and Ghana advance.

Group F

                     W   D   L  GF  GA  GD  PTS
Brazil               2   0   0   3   0  +3   6
Australia            1   0   1   3   3  +0   3
Croatia              0   1   1   0   1  -1   1
Japan                0   1   1   1   3  -2   1

Brazil vs. Japan, Dortmund
Australia vs. Croatia, Stuttgart (game to watch)

Group F is nearly as exciting as E. Brazil are already qualified, to be sure. So that takes the pressure off them... but that only makes things more interesting for Japan. Brazil will rest several key players, and that will give the Japanese hope. Now that may be a false hope, as Brazil's second-stringers will be eager to prove their worth. But still, it's better than facing the world's best. Meanwhile, Croatia vs. Australia has the potential to be highly entertaining. Croatia have shown flashes of excellence but haven't really broken out yet. And Australia are probably the least deserving team to have 3 points after two games; they've only looked good for about 15 minutes so far.

SCENARIOS: Brazil are through regardless, and would need to lose pretty big to miss first in the group. Japan need to win, need Australia to not win, and need to make up a couple goals on differential. Australia are through if they win and possibly if they draw (unless it's Japan). Croatia need to win and need to beat Japan on goal differential if Japan win.

It's gonna be a real barn-burner today. The Group E games start in an hour. COME ON YOU NATS!

WC: Argentina, Portugal Win Groups

2006-06-22T07:57:00.000-04:00

Another day, and two more groups closed out.

Group C

Holland 0-0 Argentina: It's too bad that this was on the last day of the group. It could have been a fantastic game, but instead it was ho-hum. I don't think either team really cared whether they will play Mexico or Portugal, and while there was some effort, it wasn't focused. I could say more, but why bother? It was boring, end of story. With the win, Argentina win the group and face second-place Mexico, while Holland will match up with Portgual.

Ivory Coast 3-2 Serbia & Montenegro: This was the game to watch. I know I made a (tiny) joke yesterday about 'playing only for pride', but it was anything but a joke to these two teams. Serbia & Montenegro were eager to prove their worth to the home fans, and if anything, Ivory Coast were even more hungry.

The game itself was kind of a mess, though exciting. Seven yellow cards, two reds, and two penalties will put the referee front and center. But Ivory Coast combined a headlong attack with a rather casual defense to offer both threat and opportunity to S&M. I was glad to see Ivory Coast win, as they had played well against two excellent teams and deserved soemthing to show for it. Still, as exicting as the match was, it affects nothing really at this World Cup.

Group D

Portugal 2-1 Mexico: Mexico's fate wasn't certain, which made this game a bit more interesting. When Portugal went up 2-0, that put Mexico pretty close to elimination and brought some excitement to the proceedings. But then Mexico scored, which eased the pressure. As the Angola game progressed, it became clear that Mexico were safe, and so they took their foot off the gas.

It was another really snippy game, with 10 yellows and a red, when Luis Perez was carded a second time, for a dive. It probably was a dive... but compared to some of the histrionics observed, it certainly wasn't card-worthy. I'm sure the players are at sixes and sevens trying to figure out how they're supposed to comport themselves, with all the heavy-handed refereeing going on.

Anyway, Portugal win the group and face Holland, while Mexico are rewarded with Argentina. That's probably the most interesting matchup anyway, as Mexico are less likely to be impressed by their hemispheric rivals than the European side would be.

Angola 1-1 Iran: This was an incredibly exciting game for about 15 minutes, after Angola scored. But they waited too late, and built too little threat, so in the end it never looked likely for them to progress. Overall though, both Iran and Angola represented themselves well in the tournament. While they'll be disappointed to be going home, they can at least say that they gave a good effort in a tough group.

So the games could have been better -- particularly Holland-Argentina -- but they weren't bad either. Today could be even better; certainly there's more to play for. Hang on to your hats!

WC: Final Games -- Group C and D

2006-06-21T08:23:00.000-04:00

Another ho-hum group in C, but at least D has some interest. Things are starting to pick up as the week goes on.

Group C

                     W   D   L  GF  GA  GD  PTS
Argentina            2   0   0   8   1  +7   6
Holland              2   0   0   3   1  +2   6
Ivory Coast          0   0   2   2   4  -2   0
Serbia & Montenegro  0   0   2   0   7  -7   0

Netherlands vs. Argentina, Frankfurt (game to watch)
Ivory Coast vs. Serbia & Montenegro, Munich

Again, a group with nothing to play for. Argentina and Holland will be playing for the top of the group. Since these are the later games, they will know who their opponents would be, probably either Mexico or Portugal. I would expect to see a few key players rested here. Ivory Coast and Serbia & Montenegro play for... wait for it... pride only.

SCENARIO: Argentina win the group with a win or a draw (thanks to goal differential).

Group D

           W   D   L  GF  GA  GD  PTS
Portugal   2   0   0   3   0  +3   6
Mexico     1   1   0   3   1  +2   4
Angola     0   1   1   0   1  -1   1
Iran       0   0   2   1   5  -4   0

Portugal vs. Mexico, Gelsenkirchen (game to watch)
Iran vs. Angola, Lepizig

A bit more to play for here. The situation is similar to Group B yesterday, but Angola have much more hope than Trinidad & Tobago did, thanks to better goal differential and a more beatable opponent. Iran are certainly not bad, but they don't boast the oppressive defense of Paraguay. They need to make up a four-goal differential on Mexico, but that's not as big as it sounds. Since they need to win and to see Mexico lose, that means they would get two goals back right there.

Meanwhile, Mexico and Portugal could be a very interesting game. Mexico won't feel certain of qualification, so they will fight to at least get a draw. But both teams will prefer to finish atop the group, in order to avoid the potential Argentine juggernaut. So hopefully we'll see two close, hard-fought games.

SCENARIO: Portugal need only a draw to win the group. Mexico need a draw to advance, and a win would get them first in the group. Angola need to win, to have Mexico lose, and to make up an additional two goal besides (for instance, a 2-0 win for Angola plus a 0-2 loss for Mexico).

This could be decent, but tomorrow should be incredibly exicting as all the teams in groups E and F still have hopes of qualifying. Not to mention, the US is going to play. Hold on to your hats!

WC: Germany and England Win Groups

2006-06-21T07:18:00.000-04:00

Despite showcasing two of the premier teams in the tournament, Tuesday's games weren't very interesting. The England-Sweden match was, however, calculated to put most England fans into a paroxysm of dread.

Sweden 2-2 England
Perhaps the biggest news was the injury to Michael Owen. Just 1' into the game, Owen tried to pass across his body, with nobody near, and his knee just gave out. It's clear he knew right away what had happened. I'm not a big fan of Owen, but still I felt horrible for him. He didn't scream or make faces, but the disappointment and resignation he revealed told everything. He is done for the tournament, and I hope his recovery goes well. But frankly, the England attack looked better without him, and I don't think England will miss him too much.

As for the game, it was a show, just not in a good way. Four goals, four huge defensive mistakes. Let's break it down, shall we?

Cole 34': On the corner, Sweden finally come up with a weak but forgiveable clearance. But when it falls to Cole, the Swedes are jogging up the field as if a goal kick has been called... including keeper Andreas Isaksson. With no defender within five yards of Cole, Isaksson was a good three yards from his line. The eventual lob was nicely taken, but completely saveable.

Allback 51': Probably the best goal of the four, but still much too easy. Sweden execute the set piece on the corner, with Markus Allback finding himself wide open to flick towards the far post. The play was fairly simple, with Allback gaining space by running to the corner of the six-yard box. But his marker, David Beckham, couldn't be bothered to stay within a couple yards.

Gerrard 85': Once again, poor marking allows a free header that Gerrard nicely puts on goal. Niclas Alexandersson should be marking him, but instead is caught ball-watching (and dithering about marking Peter Crouch).

But of course England save their best for last...

Larsson 90': What can you say? Truly a masterpiece of goofy defending, something I would be disgusted with if I was involved with it in a rec game. The long throw comes in, and is completely misjudged by John Terry, who misses his attempted header by a yard. The ball bounces, and Sol Campbell does a nifty little dance as it loops completely over him, finishing with a laughably feeble attempt at an overhead kick. Finally, the ball finds the onrushing Larsson at the back post, who puts it away, mercifully ending the gradeschool show.

These were the first goals given in the tournament by either team, but with defending like that, you can bet that several more are likely to come. But regardless, England and Sweden both do enough to get through, where they will face Ecuador and Germany respectively.

Germany 3-0 Ecuador
Germany looked very, very good in this match. Miroslav Klose took two quality goals, while Ecuador were unable to create any threat to Jens Lehmann in Germany's goal. The German performance brought out the urgency in the Sweden-England match, as neither team wanted to face the on-form Germans in front of their home crowds.

But I wouldn't read too much into Ecuador's performance. They clearly were looking ahead to the knockout stage, resting about half their usual starting team. It's a quite canny move on the part of coach Luis Suárez. There was no way to know who the potential opponents would be, but he would probably see little to choose between Sweden and England anyway. And while those two teams had a hard-fought battle, Ecuador were able to rest their players ahead of Sunday's showdown.

And to digress for a moment... I know that Ecuador's knickname is "La Tri", but how cool would it be if they were the Vampire Finches? Answer: very cool.

In other news: Poland 2-1 Costa Rica, and Paraguay 2-0 Trinidad & Tobago. Ho-hum. I'm actually very disappointed that both Poland and Paraguay were able to win, because it will make their 2006 World Cup performance look less abject than it really was. Poland were overmatched in both of their games. And while Paraguay had two good defensive performance, that's balanced by their complete inability to mount a goalscoring threat. At least Costa Rica contributed to an entertaining opening match, while Trinidad & Tobago will feel that their tournament was successful, thanks to the draw with Sweden and a quality match against England.

So Germany take on Sweden on Saturday, while England will face Ecuador on Sunday. Sweden will need to score an early goal if they want to challenge Germany. England will need to stiffen up their defense if they want to handle Ecuador. That's certainly the most interesting of the two matchs, and I'm curious to see how Ecuador do with a full squad against a big-name side.

WC: Final Games Begin -- Group A and B

2006-06-20T08:24:00.000-04:00

The final group-stage matches are a real mixed bunch. If everything is still up for grabs, with four teams playing for everything, the simultaneous matches can be a real hair-raising, frenetic experience. But sometimes everything is decided, or nearly so, and the games are rather uninteresting.

Today is mostly the latter. The good news is that there are some intriguing matchups; the bad news is that there isn't quite so much at stake. So we'll see what transpires.

Group A

             W   D   L  GF  GA  GD  PTS
Ecuador      2   0   0   5   0  +5   6
Germany      2   0   0   5   2  +3   6
Poland       0   0   2   0   3  -3   0
Costa Rica   0   0   2   2   7  -5   0

Ecuador vs. Germany, Berlin (game to watch)
Costa Rica vs. Poland, Hanover

Nothing much to play for. Poland and Costa Rica are out, and playing solely for pride. Germany and Ecuador still have to determine who will win the group, but that's not a huge factor. The winner will face the #2 team from Group B, while the loser will face the #1 team. I would guess that either team would have a slight preference to face Sweden over England, but there's no guarantee that England will finish atop the group. So a win is important, but the top priority for both teams has to be staying healthy and getting ready for Saturday's octofinal games.

SCENARIO: Ecuador win the group with a win or a tie. Nobody is suspended for either team.

Group B

                   W   D   L  GF  GA  GD  PTS
England            2   0   0   3   0  +3   6
Sweden             1   1   0   1   0  +1   4
Trinidad & Tobago  0   1   1   0   2  -2   1
Paraguay           0   0   2   0   2  -2   0

Sweden vs. England, Cologne (game to watch)
Paraguay vs. Trinidad & Tobago, Kaiserslautern

Group B is only slightly more interesting than Group A. Although Paraguay is eliminated, Trinidad & Tobago still have a small possibility of progressing. But the fight is mostly between England and Sweden for first place in the group. It's possible that both teams would prefer Ecuador to Germany, so things become interesting if Ecuador win Group A. It's unlikely that either team would play to lose, but they might not try so hard if Germany (and the home-team crowd) is the reward for first place.

SCENARIOS: A win or a draw for England nets them first place. Sweden get first if they win. Trinidad & Tobago need to beat Paraguay, need Sweden to lose, and need to make up at least 3 goals in differential. No players are suspended for any team.

WC: Group E: US 1-1 Italy; Ghana 2-0 Czech Rep.

2006-06-17T23:10:00.000-04:00

All I asked for today is a performance we could be proud of. And we were given that and more. Time and again, the US were knocked down, but we got up and got on with it.

Goal to Italy? Get up and get on with it.

Our scoring threat, dripping blood? Get up and get on with it.

The heart of our midfield, sent off for a silly challenge? Get up and get on with it.

Our experienced central defender, sent off for another challenge? Get up and get on with it.

The end result was a draw, one point to each team. And in some ways a stalemate was the fair result. But make no mistake, this was a moral victory for the US. Playing a man down for almost the entire half is not an easy prospect. But 9 on 10 is even worse than 10 on 11. There's so much more field to cover for every player. Yet the US looked more likely to score for much of the game, and nearly did until the interpretation of 'active position' did them in. Italy came storming back late, but this time the huge efforts of Kasey Kellar held Allesandrio del Piero at bay.

I'm not going to go on about the refereeing, because there's no point now. But suffice to say that Italy figured out the referee much earlier than the US. The Italians drove hard at the Americans, daring hard tackles, which is fine. They also spent a lot of time clutching ankles, rolling on the turf, and screeching like sick baby birds. Yeah, part of the game -- whatever. Let us know when you get your testicles back, ok? But the US had huevos to spare and dropped everything on the field. It was never going to be pretty, but it was most definitely inspiring. More than anything, I wanted to see a performance that we could be proud of. Thank you, Nats, for giving us that performance.

Ghana 2-0 Czech Republic
Meanwhile, the Black Stars did their part by disassembling the Czechs and throwing the group wide open. The first goal came at 68 seconds and it did to the Czechs what they did to the US on Monday. There were chances, to be sure, but as many went to Ghana. The penalty was a slightly bizarre sequence, with a slooooooow red card followed by an early penalty, yellow card, and a shot off the bar. They did get the final goal, to add to their goal differential tally.

And that could prove crucial as Group E is in a mess. Every team can go on or go home on Thursday. It could be a real zoo, with Italy and the Czechs facing off at the same time as US and Ghana. I fully expect that the situation will change multiple times during the games. But here's how it comes out:

	US wins	US/Ghana draw	Ghana wins
Italy wins	Italy, US advance	Italy, Ghana advance	Italy, Ghana advance
Italy/Czechs draw	Italy advance. US or Czech Rep advance based on goal diff.	Italy advance. Czech Rep or Ghana advance based on goal diff.	Ghana and Italy advance.
Czech Rep wins	Czech Rep advance; US or Italy advance based on goal diff.	Czech Rep advance; Italy or Ghana advance based on goal diff.	Czech Rep and Ghana advance.

So the US need to win, no question. The US is currently worst in goal difference at -3, so they would need to score a LOT if they want to make that up -- right now the difference is 4 with Czech Republic and 5 with Italy.

In short: Group E is the real "Group of Death". We will see how this plays out on Thursday. Until then: COME ON YOU YANKS!

WC: Group C and D Results

2006-06-17T11:18:00.000-04:00

A real mix of games yesterday, wasn't it? A blowout, a tight one-goal win, and a dour scoreless draw. Something for everyone in the end.

Argentina 6-0 Serbia & Montenegro
A humiliation dished out by Argentina. Frankly, Serbia & Montenegro deserved it. They hung tight for the first 30 minutes, but after the second goal, they just gave up. They were respectable against Holland, but as it stands this World Cup has to be a huge disappointment for them and their fans. Not to get political about it, but at this stage you have to say that only Croatia look capable of reviving the excellent soccer legacy of Yugoslavia. Serbia won't lose too many players when Montenegro divests -- potentially goalkeeper Dragoslav Jevrić and striker Mirko Vučinić -- but otherwise they should keep most of the team.

But Argentina? The real question here is whether anyone else can equal them. Their performance on Friday really makes them into the favorites to take the trophy. And it's not the six goals either. Three of those came after S&M were down to ten men anyway. It was the precise, one-touch passing that will really frighten their potential future opponents. Everyone knows Argentina will have amazing skill with the ball; but it's their perternatural ability to forsee the runs of their teammates that drives their threat. The second goal in particular was a product of about 30 seconds of the best ball movement I've seen -- and I'm an Arsenal fan.

I'm not completely willing to jump on the bandwagon yet. Almost any team can look godlike for one game, and Argentina were not nearly so amazing against a talented but inexperienced Ivory Coast team. The real questions will be asked when they face Holland next week. But if they can duplicate even a portion of yesterday's performance, it's difficult to pick another team that can stop them.

Holland 2-1 Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast will have to be disappointed. They've taken two goals but no points from two of the quality teams in the tournament. They've earned a lot of respect from the fans, but with nothing to show for it they'll be awfully hungry for 2010 in South America.

The game was a close affair. A short lapse of concentration saw two Holland goals in three minutes, and from there Ivory Coast had probably too much to do in chasing the game. A fine individual effort from Bakari Kone halved the deficit, but Ivory Coast were not able to pull back another, despite an unrelenting attack.

The biggest story from this game, for me, was the quality of the Dutch defense. Holding Serbia & Montenegro scoreless was nice but not shocking; absorbing more than a half of frantic Ivorian attack was a more substantial accomplishment. There will be much to prove for both teams when Holland meet Argentina. If the Dutch can keep the Argentines under control, that too will worry a lot of potential opponents.

The only disappointing part of all this is that Group C, one candidate as Group of Death, is now over and done, with very little fuss. Neither Ivory Coast nor Serbia & Montenegro could live up to the expectations and take points from the two powers. It may be that Argentina and Holland are just that good... but in any event the group had very little fireworks. They will probably fight fairly hard in the last game, prefering to avoid Portugal if possible, but they know they're advancing regardless.

Mexico 0-0 Angola
Group D, unlike C, is still alive and well following this susprising draw. Mexico can't follow up their good performance in the first game, and Angola demonstrate that they really have some potential. With Mexico facing Portugal in the final game, Angola have kept their hopes alive, though they will need to make up a 3-goal gap in goal differential to avoid elimination.

Mexico were disappointing in their inability to find the net. They really should have the capacity to finish against a team like Angola, but a tenacious if frantic defense were able to keep them from many solid chances. If Argentina face Mexico in the second round, as would appear likely, I fear for the reputation of CONCACAF.

Portugal 2-0 Iran
Meanwhile, Portugal continue to roll along in the group. The 2-0 win today over Iran was a bit dicey for a while, and Portugal were feeling the pressure. But the Deco goal at 63' returned them to the comfort zone, and despite some good attack there was no real sense that Iran would recover a point.

Portugal could quietly establish themselves as a dangerous opponent, particularly if they do some damage against Mexico. They will want to win the group, in order to avoid Argentina. So they could begin the knockout stage against a very beatable Group C team, giving them a clear road into the quarterfinals.

And I'll be rooting against them all the way. The Portugese team has a lot of qualities worth appreciating, but any team with Christiano Ronaldo is one to oppose. It's not overstating it to say that he represents all the worst qualities of soccer: style over substance, lots of flash but no grit, minimal ability to read the game, a propensity for cheap fouls coupled with the willingness to dive at the slightest hint of contact. It's even worse because he has an undeniable skill in both controling and striking the ball. There are many players who I can hate but respect. I have no respect for Christiano Ronaldo. He brings nothing to the game that I want to see.

Enough negativity. It's time to get ready for the Group E matches. I'm working myself up to be positive about the US chances, though it's difficult. Really at this point, the one thing we need to see is a solid, gritty, energetic performance from the Nats. Italy are a formidible obstacle. But on the positive side, a result today will give US a real badge of honor in world soccer.

WC: Group A & B Results: Ecuador 3-0 Costa Rica, England 2-0 T&T, Sweden 1-0 Paraguay

2006-06-16T07:25:00.000-04:00

Some good games yesterday, and now both Group A and B are mostly settled. Group A sees Germany and Ecuador go through, while Group B will probably send forth England and Sweden to do battle.

Ecuador 3-0 Costa Rica: La Tri are the real underdog surprise in the tournament, and they're becoming a very fun story. It's not like Ecuador is completely unheralded, but they certainly weren't picked to be a dominating force. Not only have they won, they've won handily, against two very different teams. They're just fun to watch, and that bodes well for the second round.

Costa Rica never looked like a serious threat to win the match. With Ecuador scoring their first at 8' the Ticos were on the back foot all day. Ecuador took their chances well and scored three classy goals. I particularly liked the second Ecuador goal, which resulted from a weaving interplay between Edison Mendez and Agustin Delgado, resulting in a venemous shot that beat Jose Porras to his near post.

So Ecuador are through. Their Tuesday match against Germany will prove interesting; it may be the first real test of the tournament for La Tri. Unfortunately there will be little to play for, as both teams are guaranteed to advance, while their second-round opponents won't be decided until later the same day.

England 2-0 Trinidad & Tobago: A frustrating but ultimately victorious game for England. England fans are frustrated at the lack of ideas and the wasted chances. But England have accomplished everything they needed, and are through to the knockout stage. Despite the loss, Trinidad & Tobago can hold their heads high. They played well above themselves for most of two games, and have earned the respect of world soccer.

The match held a few chances for T&T, but England held most of the posession and looked able to score at any point. Frustratingly, their chances were spolied by poor finishing, particularly from Peter Crouch and Frank Lampard. Michael Owen and Steven Gerrard were anonymous; Wayne Rooney was more involved for his 30 minutes but didn't find any clear chances.

All changed at 83' when Crouch finally, finally found the net on a wicked diagonal cross from much-maligned David Beckham. Gerrard got in on the action in stoppage time, in a futile bid to fool fans into thinking he had some say in the outcome. So you could say that the 2-0 result was unduly flattering to England. But they did hold a huge amount of posession and fashioned several good chances; converting two of them is probably as much as they deserve.

Sweden 1-0 Paraguay: TFor 89 minutes, this match looked completely like it would end a 0-0 draw. As with their first match, the Swedes were active and attacking but somewhat incoherent in their approach. Paraguay defended hard and rarely attacked, forging few chances for themselves but keeping Sweden at bay. After the 0-0 draw with Trinidad & Tobago, Sweden were obviously frustrated, and this match only made things worse.

So when Freddie Ljungberg scored at 89', three hours of pent-up frustration were released from the Swedish fans in an immense and formless shout, a giant "AAAARRRRRRGH!", a roar of relief rather than a celebration of victory. If the English fans think they have it bad, they just need to look across their group to see the fans who are really feeling the pressure.

Sweden could still miss the knockout stage. If Sweden loses to England, and Trinidad and Tobago wins over Paraguay, they will be even on points, and T&T would win out on goal differential. So the key question is how hard will England fight against Sweden? Much will depend on Germany vs. Ecuador, which will happen earlier the same day. I suspect that England will prefer Ecuador, as they've had poor results against Germany. So if Germany wins Group A, expect England to fight harder than if Ecuador take the prize. I fully expect Paraguay to fight hard against Trinidad & Tobago, in order to salvage their pride. So next Tuesday could be very interesting, with the overall situation changing minute by minute.

What Is A Soca Warrior?

2006-06-15T12:02:00.000-04:00

Well, Soca is a musical style: "Soca is a modern form of calypso with an up-tempo beat." Contrary to what Dave O'Brian says, it's not a soul-calypso fusion; rather it includes (east) Indian sounds with a calypso beat.

So a Soca Warrior? Sounds like a group that knows how to have a good time. We will see how today's game plays out. I generally root for England, but it's hard to ignore such a good underdog story. But Trinidad & Tobago are going to be stretched a lot more by England than they were by Sweden; I would imagine a 3-1 final.

But regardless, it should be entertaining. Fight on, you Soca Warriors!

Volz Blog

2006-06-15T09:13:00.000-04:00

Maurice Volz, the Fulham defender and German native, is having one helluva time at the World Cup. Not that I'm jealous, mind you.

WC: Top Ten Goals (thru first 16 matches)

2006-06-14T15:18:00.000-04:00

Sixteen games in and goals aplenty, including eight in the first two games and eight in the last two. I haven't seen today's goals yet but here are the best ten from the others; I'll update later if we have any more worthy inlcusions.

10. Tim Cahill 89', Australia 2-1 Japan. Cahill fires through a forest of defenders to find both posts and put Australia in the lead.

9. Kader Mohamed 31', Togo 1-0 South Korea. Takes the ball off his knee and, in full stride, rifles a strike low onto the far post. But mostly worthwhile for a goal celebration that keeps us from talking about the Crouch robot.

8. Arjen Robben 18', Holland 1-0 Serbia & Montenegro. The great pass from Robin van Persie springs the offside trap, and Robben finishes clinically under the keeper. Why Serbia & Montenegro were defending so far up the pitch is beyond me.

7. Didier Drogba 82', Ivory Coast 1-2 Argentina. This is what Drogba does so well. It's a killer pass, cut back from the touch line, but still the ball is behind Drogba. Watch how quickly he moves to reach behind and fire at goal.

6. Andrea Pirlo 40', Italy 1-0 Ghana. The ball moves outside, then BACK inside, and finds the far post. Beautiful.

5. Torsten Frings 87', Germany 4-2 Costa Rica. Frings strikes from 35 yards with power, movement, and placement. I think the ball swerves four or five yards. Loses a few points only because he's all by himself.

4. Tomas Rosicky 76', Czech Republic 3-0 United States. Completely different from his first goal. Rosicky is sprung near midfield with a precise pass from Pavel Nedved. And then he's gone, leaving Eddie Pope in the dust. Kasey Keller does all he can, staying wide and high, but Rosicky hits a precise strike over the keeper.

3. Zinha Naelson 79', Mexico 3-1 Iran. Zinha starts the move from the midfield, making a dangerous run at goal before cutting the ball wide. Mario Mendez fires back a perfect cross, which Zinha heads cleanly into goal. Great run, great teamwork and understanding, and an unstoppable goal.

2. Tomas Rosicky 36', Czech Republic 2-0 United States. Simply a fabulous strike. Results from a bit of a poor clearance, but still Rosicky doesn't appear to be in a dangerous position, 30 yards from goal and with two defenders in the way. But he cracks a frightening shot, curling it into the side netting just out of Keller's reach.

1. Phillip Lahm 6', Germany 1-0 Costa Rica. Simply a wonderful strike, taken from the corner of the area, and placed right into the corner of the goal, at the far post. Don't forget, Lahm is a defender. Made even better because it really kicked off the World Cup in style.

WC: First Matches Complete

2006-06-14T15:10:00.000-04:00

As of 8PM in Germany (2PM here in Indiana), everyone's played once. The World Cup is well and truly underway. So how are we doing so far?

In a word, wow. The initial round of matches have, for the most part, been exciting and close contests, with few of the cagey draws we've come to expect in previous World Cups. We began with the six-goal festival in Munich, and finished today with Spain 4-0 Ukraine and Tunisia 2-2 Saudi Arabia. We've had 39 goals in 16 games, averaging over 2.4 per game. (That's a lot.) The only downside is that there haven't been any huge upsets, but most of the underdog teams have represented themselves well even when they haven't won.

Leading Contenders: Germany and Brazil maintain their positions atop this list, though the poor German defense and narrow Brazilian win will raise questions. Spain, Argentina and Italy started very well, while England and Holland did just enough. All seven teams remain leading candidates to progress to the finals. Mexico and the Czech Republic have worked their way onto this list with their 3-goal performances.

Pleasant Surprises: Ecuador is probably the top team on this list. Not only did they look solid in their win over Poland, they played an attractive match as well. Trinidad and Tobago looked good and gutty in their draw with Sweden, so they also are a story to watch. Australia weren't a huge upset to win over Japan, but they'll be brimming with confidence now. I also was impressed with Switzerland, who came very close to winning against France.

Several teams impressed despite losing: Ivory Coast, Iran, Ghana, Croatia, and Togo all had credible performances and will remain threats in their groups. In particular, Croatia looks well-positioned to advance, while Ivory Coast could be a real threat in a challenging group.

Major Disappointments: For me, the United States have to head this list. There's certainly no shame in losing to a very good Czech side, but the ineffectual American performance did no credit to our aspirations. Poland is a close second, as they looked quite poor against unheralded Ecuador. Ukraine were quite poor against Spain. Sweden also should have done much better, though they seemed to have a very unlucky day. France's draw will leave their fans despondent, though at least they took a point and can easily recover. Paraguay were easily the most negative team, with hardly any chances or attack despite being behind for the whole match. And Japan have to be gutted, losing after leading most of the game.

Best Matches:
5. South Korea 2-1 Togo: Togo take the early lead, but have a man sent off and give up a goal to the Koreans.
4. Tunisia 2-2 Saudi Arabia: Only suffers because neither team is expected to succeed. But this match could loom huge if Ukraine continues to falter.
3. Australia 3-1 Japan: Japan took the early lead and did their best to hang on. They made it until 86' but Australia exploded to eviscerate the Japanese hopes.
2. Germany 4-2 Costa Rica: Really kicked the World Cup off in style. A back-and-forth match that Costa Rica refused to relinquish.
1. Trinidad & Tobago 0-0 Sweden: Yes, a 0-0 draw was the most exciting match. But the storyline made up for the scoring, and Sweden had several good chances to take over the match. Down to 10 men for an entire half, Trinidad & Tobago fought tooth and nail, holding off Sweden by the thinnest of margins.

Germany now face Poland to begin the second set of games. Let's hope that things stay as exciting as they've been to this point!

WC: Group F, G, H Overview

2006-06-14T07:05:00.000-04:00

OK... I'm getting behind so I'll finish these in one orgy of overview.

Group F

Group F is Brazil, and three other teams with hopes of reaching the knockout stage. The fight for second place here could be very tight indeed.

Australia
In their second-ever trip to the WC Finals, Australia will be looking first to establish themseleves as a legitimate participant. But with a roster heavy in EPL standouts, they have hopes of doing more than that.

Success: Reaching the knockout stage.
Disappointment: Finishing last in the group.
Previous Best: Reached the WC Finals in 1974, finishing fourth in Group 1 with a record of 0-1-2.
2002: Failed to qualify, losing the COMNEBOL/Oceania playoffs to Uruguay.

Brazil
They've already retired one trophy and given it to Brazil. When will it be time for the second one?

Success: Winning the championship again.
Disappointment: Anything else.
Previous Best: Five-time champions: 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, and 2002.
2002: Won it all, defeating Germany 2-0 in the final.

Croatia
Croatia get a lot of stick for their eye-breaking kit, but they're a stylish side in the ways that matter, playing an attractive and effective style of soccer. Their fans will expect much, after the fine run to the semifinals in 1998.

Success: Reaching the quarterfinals.
Disappointment: Missing the knockout stage.
Previous Best: Third place in 1998.
2002: Finished third in Group G, behind Mexico and Italy, on a 1-0-2 record.

Japan
The overachieving co-hosts of 2002 will be eager to prove their success was no fluke, but that will be difficult in this group.

Success: Reaching the knockout stage.
Disappointment: Finishing last in the group.
Previous Best: Round of 16 in 2002.
2002: Lost 1-0 to Turkey.

Group G

This is a group that wil present some intriguing matchups. The biggest team is France, of course, but their abysmal performance in 2002 won't intimidate the other three teams. Anyone could advance from Group G.

France
Are they the champions of 1998? Or the goats of 2002? They'll need to score some goals if they want to reclaim their reputation.

Success: Reaching the semifinals
Disappointment: Missing the quarterfinals.
Previous Best: Champions in 1998.
2002: Finished last in Group A, behind Denmark, Senegal, and Uruguay, with a record of 0-1-2.

South Korea
As with Japan, they want to prove their 2002 run was no home-field fluke. Their boundless energy makes them a challenging opponent for anyone.

Success: Reaching the quarterfinals.
Disappointment: Failing to reach the knockout stage.
Previous Best: Semifinals in 2002.
2002: Finished fourth, losing 1-0 to Germany in the semifinals and 3-2 to Turkey in the third-place match.

Switzerland
A young, disciplined side who will be another tough opponent for other teams. Emotion could play a huge role due to their inexperience. Only qualified by the thinnest of margins.

Success: Reaching the knockout stage.
Disappointment: Finishing last in the group.
Previous Best: Quarterfinals in 1934, 1938, and 1954.
2002: Failed to qualify, finishing fourth in UEFA Group 1.

Togo
Another of the four African debutants. Togo have created all sorts of challenges for themselves, most notably with a coach who quit just three days before their first match.

Success: Reaching the knockout stage.
Disappointment: Finishing last in the group.
Previous Best: First-time qualifiers.
2002: Failed to qualify, finishng fourth in CAF Group 1.

Group H

Similar to Group G, in that the top team faces question marks. But Spain look more solid than France, while there's more of a spread in capabilities among the other three teams. Fortunately Ukraine and Spain face each other to begin, or this would appear a boring group.

Saudi Arabia
Seem to show up in quite a few World Cups, generally going home early. Their main problem is a wealthy but weak domestic league; their players receive little overseas experience.

Success: Reaching the knockout stage.
Disappointment: Finishing last in the group.
Previous Best: Round of sixteen in 1994.
2002: Last in Group E with a record of 0-0-3. Scored 0 goals and gave up 12, including a 0-8 humiliation from Germany.

Spain
The other leading candidate (with Holland) for the best team never to win the World Cup. Once again they have a very strong team, and should easily reach the knockout stage.

Success: Reaching the semifinals.
Disappointment: Missing the quarterfinals.
Previous Best: 4th place in 1950.
2002: Lost on penalties to South Korea in the semifinals, after a 0-0 draw.

Tunisia
Tunisia are the most experienced team in the WC Finals, but their lack of success makes that experience no comfort. This team will have reasonable hopes of advancing to the knockout stage, given a relatively weak group and a favorable first match.

Success: Reaching the knockout stage.
Disappointment: Failing to win a game.
Previous Best: Three trips to the WC Finals, but have never advanced to the knockout stage.
2002: Finished fourth in Group H, behind Japan, Belgium, and Russia.

Ukraine
Part of the Soviet Union until 1991, the Ukraine has never before qualified for the WC Finals. However, they're a strong team, featuring the world-class striker Andriy Shevchenko, and are the clear #2 team in the group.

Success: Reaching the knockout stage.
Disappointment: Finishing last in the group.
Previous Best: First-time qualifiers.
2002: Finished second in UEFA Group 5, but lost to Germany in the playoff match.

WC: USA 0-3 Czech Republic, Additional Thoughts

2006-06-13T09:21:00.000-04:00

This was a very, very discouraging start for the U.S. Not just for the fact that they lost to a more skillful and better organized team. More worrisome was their lack of energy and ideas. Reyna calls it out when he describes the U.S. team as "hesitant". As much of an icon as he is, you have to throw some of the blame at Bruce. Arena's game plan was soundly defeated along with the U.S. team. For a team that thrives on crosses, the U.S. flank play was pathetically inadequate. Time for a rethink and some reorganization, before the now, must-win matchup against Italy. There is still a chance to salvage some pride at this World Cup for the U.S. but they must play with more conviction and intensity. Look for Eddie Johnson and Dempsey to get more minutes.

WC: USA 0-3 Czech Republic

2006-06-13T08:16:00.000-04:00

What a disappoinment for the US. It's a given that the Czechs would be more talented. It's perhaps not surprising that they were better organized and more creative. What's so disappointing was that the US were so static and unenergetic.

The signs were bad from the start, with Koller's goal coming at 5'. Even some threat on goal would have brought the Americans back into the game, but they created very little opportunity, until after Tomas Rosicky had scored again at 36'. From there the rout was on. If Claudio Reyna's fine shot goes in, then perhaps some US pride would surface and they would fight on. But it didn't. The US failed to mount any sustained pressure until later, and after the third goal it was all for pride anyway.

The Czechs had a defensive, counterattacking game plan that was supremely frustrating to the Americans, with aggressive tackling and a no-fly midfield. That left the US at a loss for how to slice into the last third, without the precision passing they needed to move the ball the way they intended. After the early goal, the Czechs could afford patience and an opportunistic attack that the US generally was able to handle... except fot the two times it didn't.

I don't want to be too negative about it, but there wasn't much to applaud among the US players. Despite the ABC hype, Landon Donovan was missing for most of the match and was probably the biggest disappointment. I will single out Eddie Johnson as the brightest light for the Nats, with some good opportunities and some useful runs. He's still a bit raw but it's probably time to work him into the starting lineup. Maybe his speed will give the Italians some trouble.

So a tough road ahead for the US. With the Italy victory over Ghana, they'll need to win on Saturday if they want to have a chance to advance. Even a draw is little help, though it would at least salvage some self-respect. And that frankly would be a good step at this point.

WC: Group E Overview

2006-06-13T07:36:00.000-04:00

Two games gone already. But this one, I'd already thought out beforehand. This is arguably the Group of Death. It's a close race with Group C; the ultimate answer depends a lot on how the US and Ghana play. Some of these questions have been answered already... but I'll write as if they haven't.

Czech Republic
The Czechs have a team loaded with talent; the questions center around their health and their team play. This is a team that could go quite far, or they could prove a disappointment.

Success: Reaching the knockout stage.
Disappointment: Finishing bottom of the group.
Previous Best: Runners-up in 1934 and 1962 (as Czechoslovakia).
2002: Failed to qualify, losing to Belgium in the UEFA playoffs.

Ghana
Ghana are an intriguing team. They have one world-reknowed player, Michael Essien, but several others who play around the globe. Their players come from a surprisingly diverse group of twelve leagues, including England, Italy, Germany, France, and the Netherlands. Like the other newcomer African teams, they are not to be taken lightly.

Success: Reaching the knockout stage.
Disappointment: Finishing last in the group.
Previous Best: First time in the WC finals.
2002: Failed to qualify, finishing fourth in CAF Group 2 behind Nigeria, Liberia, and Sudan.

Italy
Italy are a perennial favorite and are one of the stronger European favorites for 2006. They have supplied some dominating performances in the last year and could easily go all the way. Questions mainly center around the overall chaos within Serie A, as scandal and potential harsh penalites are playing out at home.

Success: Winning it all.
Disappointment: Failing to reach the Semi-finals.
Previous Best: Champions in 1934, 1938, and 1982.
2002: Lost in the round of 16, to South Korea, 2-1 AET.

United States
Working desperately to establish themselves on the international scene, the US team enjoyed a very successful qualifying campaign, winning CONCACAF handily. However the US have not had much success playing in Europe, and the difficulty of this group will be a real challenge.

Success: Reaching the knockout stage.
Disappointment: Finishing last in the group.
Previous Best: Semifinal in 1930; Quarterfinal in 2002.
2002: Lost in the quarterfinals, 1-0 to Germany.

WC: Sunday Action Summary

2006-06-12T07:08:00.000-04:00

Yesterday kept up the run of good games and close matches, but provided no upsets.

Serbia & Montenegro 0-1 Holland
It was expected to be a close game and it was. It wasn't however expected that Arjen Robben would have a free run on goal at 18', and right after he was barely ruled offsides too. S&M tightened up the defense after that, though the Dutch had several more chances. But the defensive approach of S&M wasn't able to pose a serious threat to Edwin Van der Sar's goal, and Holland cruised to full time with a solid win.

Holland have to be happy about their performance, while Serbia & Montenegro will be desperate to build a better goalscoring threat. But, as tight as this group is, both teams could find surprising results in their second games.

Mexico 3-1 Iran
The scoreline here flatters Mexico a bit. They certainly deserved all three goals, and worked them rather well. But Iran mounted more of a threat than they were expected to. The Iranian attack was surprisingly effective, and only a late outburst from the Mexican subs stole the draw. Mexico are well on their way to the knockout stage, while Iran will need point from Portugal to keep hopes alive.

Angola 0-1 Portugal
Angola did a credible job against their former colonial masters, but they're probably a bit lucky to only give up a single goal. They did threaten the Portugese goal at times, and could prove to be a surprising team for Mexico in the second round. But Portugal were probably a bit unlucky not to get another goal, particularly as the Angoaln keeper João Ricardo looked out of his depth at times.

WC: Group D Overview

2006-06-11T14:16:00.000-04:00

Gropu D is an interesting mix. Anyone could come out of the group, but there's a good chance we will see a dominating performance from one team or another. Mexico and Portugal have to be considered the favorites, but either Iran or Angola could do some damage.

Angola
Angola are another team new to the World Cup finals. They are perhaps the least heralded African team, and may be happy just to be in Germany.

Success: Reaching the knockout stage.
Disappointment: Losing all three games.
Previous Best: First time in finals.
2002: Failed to qualify, finishing second in African Group 1 qualification behind Cameroon.

Iran
Iran is a team that's had rare appearances in the World Cup. Their lone victory over the US in 1998 was more of a moral victory than anything. Much like Angola, they face an uphill battle to make an impact in the tournament, particularly since the two minnows don't face each other until the last group match, when they may already be eliminated.

Success: Reaching the knockout stage.
Disappointment: Finishing last in the group.
Previous Best: 1998, finished 3rd in Group F with a 1-0-2 record.
2002: Failed to qualify, losing a playoff with Ireland 2-1 agg. in the UEFA-AFC playoff.

Mexico
Mexico are one of the better teams to never win the World Cup. Their long domination of CONCACAF has recently been challenged by the US, but they retain a dangerous form and should be expected to reach the knockout stage in a fairly weak group.

Success: Reaching the semifinals.
Disappointment: Failing to reach the quarterfinals.
Previous Best: Quarterfinals in 1970 and 1986.
2002: Reached the knockout stage, losing 2-0 to the US.

Portugal
Portugal are a team knocking at the door of Europe's elite, following their trip to the finals of Euro 2004. The team boasts some quality talent, a mix of veterans and fresh faces, and a reasonable group. They should expect success and a trip deep into the tournament.

Success: Reaching the semi-finals.
Disappointment: Missing the quarterfinals.
Previous Best: 3rd place in 1966.
2002: 3rd in Group D, winning 4-0 over Poland, and losing 2-3 to the US and 0-1 to South Korea.

WC: Group B and C results

2006-06-11T11:32:00.000-04:00

Three matches yesterday and three more today. I'll never see every game, and I'm losing my battle to catch significant moments of them all. But there were some very interesting matches yesterday, and today has started well. So far it's been an engaging World Cup, with some very watchable matches.

England 1-0 Paraguay
The British press is amazing, isn't it? England gets a win in its first group match, in a very tricky match against a dogged Paraguayan side, and yet the press coverage is all about the tactical mistakes made by Eriksson.

The fact is, England took three important points. The early goal could easily have been multiplied, but Paraguay didn't offer many clean chances, and England wisely chose to defend the lead and rest Michael Owen. Peter Crouch was a bit stupid to pick up a yellow card, though he certainly had reason to be frustrated with the referee.

Paraguay meanwhile will take heart that they didn't concede after the fluky early goal. But frankly they look more like spoilers than a team with legitimate aspirations. They will need to uncover a more positive game if they want to mount a serious challenge to advance.

Sweden 0-0 Trinidad & Tobago
I was surprised that ABC chose to televise this match on network TV, but their gamble payed off nicely. Casual fans who tuned in were treated to a gutty performance from the ten-man Soca Warriors, and it was easy to feel the excitement generated by their frantic (but not panicked) defense.

Trinidad & Tobago can be rightly proud of their draw here. They threatened at times, especially in the first half. I still think they'll be lucky to take any further points, but at the least they will have given England and Paraguay food for thought. If Shaka Hislop continues his fine form... they will have cause to worry.

However Sweden were a bit of a disappointment. They faced a keeper on his best game, to be sure. But still they had every chance to score. They just needed something else -- a bit more on a run, a slightly better first touch, one more shot on goal. But it wasn't to be found, and the players didn't react well under the pressure. Freddie Ljungberg is perhaps the only Swede who can hold his head high, but it wasn't enough. They now face the challenge of scoring on a dogged Paraguayan team; that match could prove to be snippy.

Argentina 2-1 Ivory Coast
I'm of two minds about this match. On one hand: Argentina started with a solid win, and looked pretty good doing it. Ivory Coast had a valiant effort but just couldn't threaten enough, and were sliced apart by the Argentine attack. On the other hand: Argentina let Ivory Coast attack much more than they should, and came pretty close to dropping points to a dangerous team.

So how to read it? In the end, Argentina have the three points, so they're well on their way. And that's the important thing. The team looked very good at times, and if all continues to gel, they could quickly become a favorite to win everything.

Ivory Coast though can take a lot of hope from the match. They did get the late goal, which could make a big difference in a tight group. They got better in the second half, especially defensively. If that effort continues, they could play themselves back into the tournament... but they will need a win over Holland to make it happen.

Serbia & Montenegro 0-1 Netherlands
I have seen very little of this match, though I was able to see the Robben goal. What I did see -- and what I've read -- says good things about the Dutch. S&M are a tough defensive side, so taking a single goal from them is no disappointment. Robben and van Persie bring some wicked pace up front, and will be deadly for any team that tries to hold a high line against them.

The only disappointment? If both Argentina and Holland continue to play this well, we may see them face off in the final group match with very little to play for.

WC: Group C Overview

2006-06-11T10:40:00.000-04:00

Falling... behind... must... update... overview! Again this happens after the first games, but I don't suspect that it has a major effect on what I'd write anyway.

This is one of several candidates for the "Group of Death". It definitely has the biggest set of unknowns, as Holland and Argentina in particular have the potential to either exhilirate or disappoint. But all four teams were disappointing in 2002, so there are questions around them too. But there will probably be two strong teams to emerge from this group.

Argentina
Argentina are a perennial favorite in the World Cup, despite a lackluster performance in 2002. This year's team has an excellent mix of talent and could be a true contender for the title.

Success: Winning the championship.
Disappointment: Failing to reach the semifinals.
Previous Best: WC Champions in 1978 and 1986
2002: Finished 3rd in Group F, winning over Nigeria, losing to England, and drawing with Sweden.

Ivory Coast (aka Cote d'Ivoire)
One of the newcomers to the Finals, Ivory Coast are a favorite of mine, due in large part to the Arsenal pair of Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Eboue. As newcomers, the hopes should probably be low, but a high number of established stars (starting with Chelsea frontman Didier Drogba) makes this team an easy dark horse to pick.

Success: Reaching the knockout stage.
Disappointment: Finishing last in the group.
Previous Best: First time in WC Finals.
2002: Failed to qualify, finishing second in African Group 4 qualification behind Tunisia.

Netherlands (aka Holland)
Despite failing to qualify in 2002, Holland are a team that have the potential to go deep into the tournament. If they can establish a consistent scoring threat behind Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie, they can challenge anyone. Perhaps the most successful team that's never won a World Cup.

Success: Reaching the finals.
Disappointment: Failing to reach the quarterfinals.
Previous Best: Second place in 1974 and 1978.
2002: Finished third in UEFA Group 2 qualification, behind Portugal and Ireland.

Serbia and Montenegro
The last remnant of the Yugoslavian teams, and in fact Serbia and Montenegro are officially separate countries as of 5 June 2006. So these are two separate countries, competing as one.

Success: Reaching the knockout stage.
Disappointment: Finishing last in the group.
Previous Best: Semi-finals in 1930 (as Yugoslavia)
2002: Finished third (as Yugoslavia) in UEFA Group 1 qualification, behind Russia and Slovenia.

Group B Action: England - Paraguay

2006-06-10T09:51:00.000-04:00

I've been watching the match as I've been working on the previous post. It's now halftime, with a 1-0 lead to England. It hasn't lived up to the Germany - Costa Rica game, but it's had some good moments too.

The early England goal will probably go down as an o.g. to Carlos Gamarra but it was due to a beautifully dangerous Beckham free kick. This crazy Adidas ball may prove to be a godsend for Mr. Posh. England didn't have anything else as threatening, but they brought a good amount of pressure all half, while Paraguay built little threat. Instead, they decided to hack at the England players, while hamming up any imagined contact going the other direction. Based on their first half performance, I would be happy to see Paraguay make a quick exit; let's hope they put together something more constructive in the second half. They did have a late shot from Nelson Valdez that came very close, and that will give them hope.

England have looked pretty good, producing several good ideas but not yet finding that final touch after the early goal. Michael Owen and Joe Cole could stand to get more involved, but Beckham, Crouch, Lampard and Gerrard have all had their moments. I would like to see Gerrard and Lampard to shoot from distance; Gerrard put a couple well high, but he will get on target soon enough. Defensively they've not been too bad, though I'm always suspicious of Rio Ferdinand who produced one difficult back-pass.

The second half is getting underway; I'll update as events warrant. But one last comment. The stadium, Commerzbank-Arena in Frankfurt, just looks horrid on TV. There are shadows all over the pitch and ABC seems to have all kinds of trouble with the contrast. I don't know what the giant suspended structure is for -- video screens I assume -- but it ruins the stadium for TV.

UPDATE: Michael Owen is subbed off at 55' for Stewart Downing. This is a bit defensive; it may be due to the Owen injury history but I suspect Sven Goran-Eriksson is concerned about Paraguay's improved posession in the early minutes of the second half.

UPDATE: Now Paul Robinson punts into the video screen. It wasn't a great punt, but still -- it's unforgiveable that that thing is in the field of play.

I'm incredibly frustrated with the broadcast direction. I'm not sure whether ABC controls this directly, or if they're consuming a general feed. But whoever's responsible, it's a common mistake from those who don't understand soccer -- showing too many closeups and cutting awy from the wide view too much. The action moves around so fast, that more often than not the ball is gone by the time the camera finds the player. It makes following the match quite painful.

Dave O'Brien is probably about as bad as I would expect. At least he's trying to focus on the match -- he's not making a spectacle of himself, like Tommy Smyth does -- but it's obvious that he doesn't know soccer well, and he's taking Marcello Balboa down with him. The endless references to "Bend It Like Beckham" are just embarassing. I know ABC is trying to pull in soccer neophytes. But talking down to them is the wrong idea, and menawhile O'Brien is alienating the true fans.

UPDATE: 73', and Lampard has a great shot, forcing substitute keeper Aldo Bobadilla into a good save. That 20-yard shot is exactly what England needs.

UPDATE: FT, England 1-0 Paraguay. One last difficult bounce that nearly beat Paul Robinson, but ultimately Paraguay had far too little threat. England would like to see a better effort from themselves, but the early win is the most important thing.

WC: Group B Overview

2006-06-10T09:04:00.000-04:00

Group B will get more attention than any other -- due to the presence of England, which comes with a media frenzy due to the batshit insane British press.

England
England of course are never good enough for their country, but this year they may have a chance. They've looked very good in the warmup friendlies. No team is under more pressure, and that may limit their chances to advance deep into the knockout stages.

Success: Realistically? Making the semi-finals. But the England fans will complain if they don't win it all.
Disappointment: Failing to reach the quarterfinals.
Previous best: Champions in 1966.
2002: Lost in the quarterfinals, 2-1 to eventual champs Brazil.

Paraguay
Paraguay are slowly working to establish themselves among the quality of South America, and have now qualified for three WC finals running. They're being challenged by Ecuador as the #3 team in the region but Paraguay have the better history. Their performance may go a long way to determining how competitive Group B is.

Success: Reaching the quarterfinals to better their last two runs.
Disappointment: Missing the knockout stage.
Previous best: Reached knockout stage in 1998 and 2002.
2002: Lost 1-0 to Germany in the round of 16.

Sweden
Sweden are a team with a lot of quality, and they have the capability to make a rn deep into the tournament. But many of their top stars are aging, and this may be the last hurrah before a changing of the guard. It's definitely the last World Cup for Henrik Larsson, while Freddie Ljungberg and Olof Mellberg are probably on the tail of their careers.

Success: Reaching the quarterfinals.
Disappointment: Missing the knockout stage.
Previous best: Second place in 1958.
2002: Lost in the round of 16, 2-1 to Senegal in extra time.

Trinidad and Tobago
This is T&T's first trip to the World Cup, and they got there by a thin margin. They were the fourth-place team in CONCACAF, and had to beat Bahrain in a playoff. (Now that's a culture clash!) They are a brittle team and have given up plenty of goals, but they can score too.

Success: Winning a game.
Disappointment: Failing to take any points.
Previous best: First time in the WC finals.
2002: Finished 6th in CONCACAF, bottom in the regional finals.

WC Group A: Ecuador 2-0 Poland

2006-06-10T08:01:00.000-04:00

Another wide-open game in Group A. Ecuador have now positioned themselves as the other favorites to go through to the knockout stage, while Poland have some serious questions to answer, and will be a serious disappointment unless things change in a hurry.

Ecuador looked pretty good. They were very patient in the attack, working few opportunities but getting quality out of their chances. They defended very deeply -- sometimes allowing Poland access up to the six-yard box -- but they maintained their organization all along and never made any serious errors. And those qualities (if they can be maintained) are all very good harbingers of success in the World Cup.

Poland, frankly, looked bad. They had some moments of pressure, particularly in the last 15 minutes. And they did hit the post twice. But they went long periods with no threat. The defense was equally poor: brittle, passive, and prone to mistakes. I can only hope that they pull it together for the next two games, or they could end with three losses. That would be disappointing as they have more quality than that.

So Ecuador joins Germany atop Group A, while Poland and Costa Rica will have to scramble to resurrect their chances. Poland are facing Germany next, so things are only going to get worse. Germany have shown a real ability to score, particularly from distance, and that's not something Poland are going to want to see right now. Poland will be desperate for a win; Germany will be careful, but a win would seal their progress to the knockout stage, so they'll be looking for chances. Unless Poland get themselves figured out, the next match could look like September 1939.

Costa Rica has a better chance to resurrect their campaign. Ecuador did look vulnerable at times, and they don't have the long-range threat that Germany used to open up Costa Rica. But Ecuador will be looking for a tie, playing cautiously and holding posession. Ecuador is unlikely to hold the same high defensive line that the Ticos exploited against Germany, so they'll have to find their attack from somewhere else.

So, two very exciting games on Matchday One. Based on today's games, I think we can expect to hear a lot more about the new Adidas ball. The "Teamgeist" already appears to have a lot of motion and a slippery surface. We've seen some wicked long-range shots, as well as vicious free-kicks. But I also noticed some really tricky bouncing shots; none of the keepers have seemed comfortable with short-hop balls, and I wonder if that's due to the slick surface of the ball. We'll see if it holds up but I suspect this will become an ongoing topic for conversation.

WC: Group A Overview

2006-06-09T12:57:00.000-04:00

I'm cheating a bit -- doing this after the first game. Oh well!

Germany
The host nation, they can rely on the support of every crowd they play to. It's a powerful team, with an excellent blend of experience and youth. Their attack has already been spectacular, but the defense is rather suspect.

Success: Winning it all.
Disappointment: Missing the semis.
Previous best: Won in 1954, 1974, and 1990.
2002: Lost in the finals to Brazil.

Poland
Poland are a fairly anonyous team. Their best known player is probably keeper Jerzy Dudek, but he's not even in the squad. They've shown an ability to score -- they were not shut out in any of their qualifiers -- so it's their defense that will be under the microscope.

Success: Reaching the quarterfinals.
Disappointment: Failing to reach the knockout stage.
Previous best: 3rd place in 1974 and 1982.
2002: Bottom of Group D, losing to South Korea and Portugal before winning over the US in a meaningless game.

Ecuador
Ecuador are trying to establish themselves as the #3 team in South American soccer, behind Brazil and Argentina. They do well in qualifications, as teams don't like to play at altitude in Quito, but they've had difficulties translating that into success away from home.

Success: Reaching the knockout stage.
Disappointment: Finishing last in the group.
Previous best: Reaching the WC Finals in 2002.
2002: Finished 4th in Group G, losing to Italy and Mexico, and winning over Croatia.

Costa Rica
Costa Rica are the #3 team in CONCACAF due to the emergence of the US as a consistent leader. The Ticos seem to run hot and cold, beginning their qualification run with several bad performances, before making a strong run to the finals. Unfortunately, their performance in the opening match doesn't bode well for their campaign.

Success: Reaching the knockout stage.
Disappointment: Finishing last in the group.
Previous best: Knockout stage in 1990.
2002: 3rd in Group C, winning over China, drawing 1-1 with Turkey, and losing 2-5 to Brazil.

World Cup Underway!

2006-06-09T11:49:00.000-04:00

Hi folks. We could have posted all kinds of World Cup previews and so forth... but work and life intruded. Frankly though, I think that's for the best. The World Cup is truly amazing and exciting, but the lead-in hype is completely crazy. And frankly I don't think we need to add to it.

But right now, that's all over. I have the day off, waiting on my sofa for the first match to start. Germany and Costa Rica are about to kick off the month-long soccer celebration. Aaaaand... HERE WE GO!

We'll see how things play out, but it would be no surprise to begin with a very cagey and cautious match. So I'll offer up a few initial thoughts as I'm watching the game. Germany are playing without Michael Ballack, which is going to make their job more difficult. Frankly I don't know the Bundesliga too well, so I'm not familiar with the players as much as I'd like.

And... SHOT! A nice effort by Torsten Frings is just over the bar. If Germany keeps this up, they could prove my prediction of a cagey match to be wrong.

Costa Rica are the clear #3 team out of CONCACAF. They're a big rival and I'm not interested in seeing them perform well. However I don't know that I'll have much to worry about. They've seemed a bit overmatched in the warmup matches, and it's possible that they will be one of the disappointments of the tournament.

GOAL FOR GERMANY! More pressure, but before the suspense can build, Philipp Lahm comes forward from his fullback position, cuts inside to the corner of the area, and fires an absolute rocket into the far corner, "where the spiders build their webs." It's only 6' and Germany lead, 1-0. The crowd is ecstatic and it's easy to see why -- Germany have started their World Cup in fine form.

So what about the group? Group A consists of Germany, Costa Rica, Poland, and Ecuador. Germany would be the clear favorites to win the group in any event, but as the host nation, anything else will be a huge disappointment. Any of the other three teams could go through as well, with Poland the most likely, followed by Ecuador and Costa Rica in that order. But all three have a reasonable chance to advance.

OMFG! GOAL for Costa Rica! Paolo Wanchope gets in behind the defense, played onside by the right back Per Mertesacker, and juuuust barely beats Jens Lehmann's right toe for the goal. 11' and it's 1-1. Holy cow! This match has really been end-to-end, not at all what I would expect. Costa Rica have had far fewer chances, but the German defense appears hugely suspect. This could be an amazing match. Germany now look to be nervous and tentative, with a much more conservative attack.

I'll keep up with the match, and post updates as events warrant. Tomorrow I'll take a look at the Group B teams and matches. For now... it's time to just sit back and watch.

UPDATE: 17' -- GOAL! Bastian Schweinsteiger cuts into the box, looks to shoot but instead puts a beautiful ball onto Miroslav Klose's boot for a clean shot on goal. Germany 2-1 Costa Rica. Wow, just... wow!

UPDATE: 60' -- GOAL! Germany continues to hold most of the posession, and it tells again. Lahm's cross is tipped, and (unlucky for the Ticos) it falls onto Klose's head. His near-post shot is saved by Porros, but he can only parry it straight out, and Klose follows it to punch home. It's now over for Costa Rica, unless the German defense falls completely asleep. Germany 3-1 Costa Rica.

UPDATE: 73' -- GOAL! Once again Germany gets burned by the offside trap, though this time it looks like the call was wrong. Germany's trap has been dangerous all day and once again Wanchope gets through, and calmly chips over Lehmann's legs to score again, bringing the Ticos to within a goal. Germany 3-2 Costa Rica.

UPDATE: 87' -- GOAL! Germany plays a free kick to Torsten Frings, central at almost 40 yards, and he fires an absolute howler, curving wickedly into the net. Porros can't get to it and Germany seal the game. Germany 4-2 Costa Rica.

And now the match ends, 4-2 to Germany. It's an exciting match, not at all what you expect from the World Cup. Germany should not get too excited about this, particularly as their defense has been suspect all day. Their offside trap was hideous. However, their attack looks very good, particularly from distance. Costa Rica have shown a solid threat, particularly through Wanchope, but their defensive effort has been abject, and unless something major changes they have no chance to advance.

USA 0 - 1 Morocco

2006-05-25T10:48:00.000-04:00

Cisko and I made the road trip to Nashville to lend our voices to Sam's Army and catch the Nats warm-up game against the Atlas Lions (African teams have the coolest nicknames) of Morocco. While the end result was disappointing, it's always a pleasure to watch top quality soccer with a knowledgeable and passionate crowd. Look for Cisko to post some photos soon.

It would be a mistake to read too much into the below par performance of the team on this day. Clearly, they still have some work to do to gel as a unit. There were some moments in defense where players looked uncertain and markers lost their men. Going forward, the U.S. lacked imagination and vision, and there were far too many errant passes and poor touches. But this is exactly the right time to have a poor outing. Hopefully, it will help to focus the players. I'll only be concerned if they don't improve over the next two games.

Full credit to Morocco who played an intelligent, if unattractive game. They were well organized, had plenty of men behind the ball and defended well. The U.S. found it difficult to create quality scoring chances and definitely needs to show improvement in the attacking third of the field.

I was a little surprised by the inclusion of Josh Wolff in the starting eleven. And to be honest, I think he did little to bolster his case, especially in the first half. His work rate was simply unacceptable and he was consistently beaten in the air. Eddie Johnson was a much livelier and more dangerous strike partner for Brian McBride.

John O'Brien was another surprise starter and had a very inconsistent first half before being subbed. He worked hard and was very involved, but his touch was often poor. He was a tremendous player for the U.S. in Korea/Japan, but he might only get one more half to prove he can be something more than a substitute during this World Cup.

Cory Gibbs got a start also and acquitted himself quite well I thought. He showed good speed, strength in the air, and tackling ability. He even got forward on a few occasions, but wasn't very effective at crossing or attacking. For this reason, I think Eddie Lewis will be the starter at left back, even though he's not the best defender.

The hamstring injury that Claudio Reyna suffered doesn't seem serious, but don't look for him to return before the Latvia game. It should prove interesting to see what adjustments Arena makes for tomorrow's match against Venezuela. I'd expect both the team's performance and the result to improve.

Tuesday Transfer News: Rosicky now a Gunner

2006-05-23T07:15:00.000-04:00

Well it's not taking long for transfer news to accumulate.

Much of it is speculative. Mahamadou Diarra is the subject of much of it, with reports sending him from Lyon to either Real Madrid or Manchester United. However, his agent is cooling the speculation (which to me says that he's deep into contract negotiations). Dirk Kuyt has been linked with Newcastle, perhaps after hearing from van Nistelrooy and van Persie the joys of the Prem. Many rumors circulate around Chelsea's surplus, primarily Wayne Bridge (Fulham, Tottenham) and Robert Huth (Fulham, Everton, Wigan). There are managerial rumors too; Iain Dowie left Crystal Palace and is probably in the running for several spots including Middlesbrough, Charlton and Ipswich.

But the biggest news yesterday (just confirmed this morning) centers around Arsenal. Arsenal have now confirmed that Tomas Rosicky has moved to the Gunners from Borussia Dortmund. Rosicky is a Czech international with 53 caps. (All US fans of course hope he has a poor group stage, particularly in the first match!) Unlike many of Arsenal's recent signings, Rosicky has proven success, but at 25 he's young enough to have many of his best years ahead.

Rosicky has usually played in a central midfield role to this point, but Arsene Wenger is more likely to use him on the left side, particularly if Robert Pires departs. In general, Arsenal suffered a drought of goalscoring from its wide midfielders, with unproductive years from Robert Pires, Jose Antonio Reyes, and Freddie Ljungberg in particular. He can be compared to Aleksander Hleb in some ways, but Rosicky spends less time on the ball and has a better shot. Here's some video:

Of course this is exciting for Arsenal fans. His actual success with the team is yet to be proven of course. Don't judge early; Hleb provides a good cautionary tale, taking several months to really integrate into the team. But Arsenal have now signed an established player, early in the transfer window -- two attributes that have escaped us of late. So good for us!

I'm off to Nashville later today for the US - Morocco match. I'll post photos and an analysis either late tonight or tomorrow. So for now: Come on you Nats!

Birmingham Summer Clearance Begins

2006-05-22T10:49:00.000-04:00

Now that the season's over, talk naturally turns to the transfer market as teams try to reload for next year. Clearly Birmingham City is the most talent-rich of the relegated sides. A quick look at their roster reveals a dozen names that won't be around next season for the Blues. Indeed, Steve Bruce has already confirmed the release of 8 players.

Definitely Gone

Jermaine Pennant	The former Arsenal man was a consistent top performer for the Blues this season and several clubs are interested in obtaining the youngster. Liverpool, Tottenham and Fulham have all shown interest.
Jiri Jarosik	I'd look for the Blues top scorer and Czech national to head back east. Zenit St. Petersburg were interested back in January. His former club CSKA Moskow is also a possibility.
Emile Heskey	I thought Heskey was simply awful for Birmingham. But he's English and experienced, so another EPL side will likely nab him. Portsmouth and Blackburn are rumored to be interested.
David Dunn	He was a big contributor at former club Blackburn and Rovers will certainly be looking to bolster their midfield for next season's European campaign.
Mario Melchiot	The dutchman still has a few good years of top flight football left. Manchester City are rumored to be interested. A return to Ajax might be a possibility also.
Nicky Butt	Butt was on loan from Newcastle and would be only too eager to return. He is certain to have a difficult time breaking in to the starting lineup however.
Chris Sutton	The veteran striker couldn't save the Blues from relegation after being purchased in January and has already been released. Even though his old club don't want him, I'm sure there are many Colaship sides who would jump at the chance to have a player of his caliber.
Walter Pandiani	At 32, it's doubtful that any big European clubs will be interested in the former Deportiva la Coruña striker who never broke through at Birmingham. I'd look for a move back to South America for the Uruguayan.
Jamie Clapham	Looks like former club Ipswich Town are interested in signing the English defender. He probably doesn't have many other options.
Kenny Cunningham	It just might be a career for the 34-year-old former captain. If so, it's a cruel ending.
Stan Lazaridis	A return down under is in order for the 33-year-old Aussie.
Nico Vaesen	Although 36 isn't that old for a keeper, the EPL options for this Belgian are limited. It's either off to a lower league side or back home for Nico.

Probably Gone

Julian Gray	I'd expect Steve Bruce to fight hard to retain this promising young striker to help next season's promotion campaign, but another EPL side might swoop.
Maik Taylor	He had a bit of an inconsistent season, but would make a valuable back-up for another EPL side.
Olivier Tebily	The French defender impressed in the final few weeks of the season and also apparantly had a falling out with Steve Bruce. I'd expect him to be a substitute for another EPL side next season.
Mikael Forssell	He was a revelation last season, but saw his goal production slow to a trickle. Still, last season's performance is probably enough for an EPL side to try to sign the former Chelsea man at a bargain price.

Transfer News Roundup: Monday

2006-05-22T07:01:00.000-04:00

A good morning to you all. Despite reaching the end of the club season, it's a busy time for soccer news. The World Cup finals are less than three weeks away which of course keeps things hopping. More importantly, because of the world cup. much of the transfer news is getting fleshed out early. So, nothing earth-shattering as of yet, but there are a few juicy tidbits.

Let's start with Arsenal (of course) and some more about Thierry Henry. Of course he did agree to a four-year deal with Arsenal last Friday. Gunners everywhere rejoiced. Not only is he a fantastic player, the kind who can lift a whole team onto his shoulders at times, but he's also a class act. His comments at the news conference were like music to the fans' ears, complimenting the club, the fans, and English soccer as a whole. He was relaxed and happy in the news conference, and that as much as anything made for a happy weekend for Gunners fans. He declared that "I think with my heart and my heart told me to stay," and what Gunner wouldn't love him for that?

Evidently the club agrees. The stories out yesterday stated that Aresnal rejected two £50m bids for Henry, from Barcelona and Real Madrid of course. That's a record for a transfer fee, a crazy sum of money. With the two Spanish giants bidding against each other, who knows if the price would have risen? And yet the club chose to keep Henry over such financial windfall. And of course it's the right decision, even beyond the pitch. Having Henry in an Arsenal shirt guarantees publicity and worldwide fandom for the club. I suspect we'll see even more TH14 jerseys this summer.

Other Arsenal transfer news is developing too. There's no news on either Robert Pires or Ashley Cole, so we'll just have to wait on those. There is a story circulating that Sol Campbell is moving to Fenerbahce for something like £8m. It's unlikely that the club would turn down a bid like that, but it's also a bit difficult to believe that it's accurate. That price is too high for the current value. Still, Campbell appears to have worn out his welcome with the club and it would not be surprising to see him leave. Toure and Senderos are the clear first-choice defensive partnership. Pascal Cygan is still around, and Johann Djourou has been promising so far as a substitute. That's perhaps not as much cover as one would like, but maybe another signing is close, or perhaps Mathieu Flamini will now reveal his skills in central defense.

So we'll see what happens. Of course the biggest transfer news so far is that German star Michael Ballack has signed with Chelsea. He's a great player and will add to Chelsea's quality, but the real debate now is how will Ballack share time with Frank Lampard? This presents a selection and tactics problem for Jose Mourinho. He'll face some pressure to find space for both in the lineup, but at what cost for the team's tactics? It's easy to forget, but the pre-Mourinho Chelsea of 03/04 had essentially the same talent as today, but suffered immensely from an unsettled lineup and player squabbling. That's the risk that Chelsea face, and it's always possible that a signing like this will upset the apple-cart.

Chelsea are the focus of other transfer rumors too, notably the perennial speculation around Andriy Shevchenko, and the dissatisfaction of Shaun Wright-Phillips. Manchester United have the future of Ruud van Nistelrooy to consider, while Liverpool have been relatively quiet in the rumor front. Many rumors swirl around Wigan, beginning with Pascal Chimbonda's ill-timed transfer request. It's no surprise that Wigan's success has brought attention to their crop of players, and it's understandable that they would look to move into more prominent clubs. Still, Wigan have been a wonderful story for the past season, and it would be unfortunate to see that success put at risk with many players leaving. Here's hoping that they're able to solve that issue.

That's probably enough highlights for now. I plan to give a season recap for both Arsenal and the Premiership as a whole, perhaps in a week or so. In the meantime we have World Cup preparations to consider. The US have left training camp and have three preparatory friendlies before heading to Germany. They play Morocco on Tuesday in Nashville, Venezuela on Friday in Cleveland, and Latvia on Sunday in Connecticut. I'll be going to the Morocco match with the other Dave, and so I'll give a full report on the US Men's Team after that.

Thierry Henry Stays!

2006-05-19T09:27:00.000-04:00

Good news for the Arsenal!

A report went around last night that Thierry Henry had told the Sun that he is going to stay with Arsenal. Now the BBC is reporting that Arsenal have called a press conference for 2PM in the UK (that's 11AM in the US) to confirm the deal.

Of course this is absolutely fantastic. Thierry Henry is arguably the best player in the world, and he's certainly among the top five. And he will remain a Gunner for the forseeable future. The rumors have been thick for months that he was leaving, probably to Barcelona. But while watching the CL final Wednesday, I became convinced that Henry would stay.

Henry is clearly a complex and private person. But from what I can see, he is motivated more than anything by a love for the history of the game, and by a desire to seal his place in it. That's why winning the Champions League has been so important to him. And so the debate about him leaving all comes down to: where can he build his strongest legacy for the future?

Barcelona are a fantastic team, and it's clear that Henry would shine in that lineup. Imagine him playing alongside Eto'o, with Ronaldinho feeding them both and also getting balls in return. All three would complement each other and it would work great. But what would Henry's legacy be? Like another Dream Team that played in Barcelona, the story would be about the abundance of talent rather than one particular player. And Ronaldinho would be the first among equals in that lineup. Barca is and will remain Ronaldinho's team, and so Henry would have to be one of 'the other guys' in that lineup.

Compare that to Arsenal, which are unquestionably Henry's team. Whatever Arsenal achieve, it will be added to his legacy. He will be surrounded by some amazing talent in London too, so he can expect some fantastic play, but still he will remain the leader of the team. And after Barca won on Wednesday, what could he prove with them? If they won the CL next year, Henry would look more like the guy who signed up to get a trophy rather than the guy who made the difference.

It's clearly the right call. But still, you never know for sure what someone is thinking, particularly a man as unique as Henry. He's never been a stereotypical player, either on or off the pitch, and so it's dangerous to predict how he will think, what will drive his decisions. So having this confirmed is an amazing relief for Gunners fans everywhere.

Thierry Henry will lead the squad out next August at Emirates Stadium. Gunners fans everywhere are smiling. Cheers, Thierry! Here's to you!

Barcelona 2-1 Arsenal

2006-05-18T07:07:00.000-04:00

A crushing disappointment for the Gunners.

Before I get started though, congratulations to Barcelona. Despite all the drama from yesterday, the reason they won was because they were the better team. They've marched through the Champions' League like a team of destiny, and despite the man advantage they had to fight hard to wring a win out of the game yesterday. I tip my cap to them, they are a worthy winner.

For Arsenal, I can't help but be gutted. The match played out like so many of our earlier Champions' League ties: we built early pressure, took a crucial lead midway through the first half, then hung on for dear life. Only this time, Barcelona had an extra man, and that made all the difference.

Having Lehmann sent off at 17' was just too much to overcome. The team fought hard in defiance, and when they took the lead at 37' it was surprising but hard-earned. In the end though it was too big an ask. The Gunners had to withstand almost 80 minutes of assault from perhaps the top team in the world. In the end they held out for 69 before conceding. By then Arsenal were competing on will alone, exhausted from the endless chasing that Barcelona forced them into. The first goal broke their hearts, and the second then seemed enevitable. And so it was.

I don't think anyone can argue that Lehmann didn't deserve the red card. The foul itself was the product of poor defending and one split-second poor decision from Jens. But Lehmann's decisions and aggressiveness have kept us alive all season; let's not forget how crucial he was in getting the Gunners to the finals in the first place. It was a mistake, but with an extra tenth of a second, it's a brilliant play.

Referee Terje Hauge had some leeway on the call and could have made another decision. Had he played advantage, Barcelona would have scored, he could have awarded Jens a yellow, and the match would have been much more exciting. Hauge even said so himself. But he didn't. Other refs, in other games, probably split 50/50 on calling it as Hauge did or as I describe. Wenger and Henry both excorciated Hauge, and in general he had a poor match. His calls were inconsistent and unpredictable, and in several cases clearly wrong. The foul on Eboue that led to the Arsenal goal was debateable at best. The yellow card for Henry was perhaps the most wrong call I've seen all year; not only did Henry get nothing but ball, but he hardly touched the Barca player either. I won't blame Hauge for the result. His calls definitely ruined the aesthetics of the game, turning what should have been a beautiful final into grim trench warfare. But he didn't change the outcome of the match.

I am proud of the team. They fought hard and did everything in their power to hold on to victory. When Barcelona took the lead at 80', it was a sign of their respect that they did nothing other than hold on to the ball for the next ten minutes. I can't even fault Jens too much; as I said, his aggressiveness got us into the final in the first place. There were other mistakes too, but I don't want to dwell on them. Barcelona are a team that are going to expose any hint of weakness they find. Yesterday the Gunners nearly won, despite losing a man, and that should be the legacy of the match.

Arsenal fans will see this match through the lens of what happens in the next few weeks. We already know that Dennis Bergkamp will play no more, and it appears likely that Robert Pires will move to Villareal. There are questions about the future of Sol Campbell and Ashley Cole. And looming largest is the future of Thierry Henry. We could face a future where the heart of the recent Arsenal success have all played their last for the club, and that would forever color our thoughts of 17 May and the Stade du France. Perhaps not all is lost; Campbell and Cole certainly gave classic performances yesterday, and Henry himself offered a subtle hint that he will be back, leading the Gunners onto the pitch at Ashburton Grove.

Time will tell. For now: I congratulate Barcelona and salute a vailant Arsenal performance.

CL Final: Barcelona-Arsenal Tonight!

2006-05-17T07:08:00.000-04:00

We've done everything we can. Barcelona fans, Arsenal fans... all the preparations are made. If we got tickets, we're in Paris. If not, we know where we will watch the match. We're observing the rituals, keeping our lucky traditions. The elation of making it to the final has faded; now it's all about winning the trophy. The butterflies are starting, probably as soon as we awake if not sooner. One match. Today at 8:45PM in Paris -- 2:45 in Indianapolis -- it will all be decided.

And it should be a humdinger of a game. Cup finals have a reputation as defensive, conservative affairs, but they can be exciting goalfests too, as Saturday's FA Cup final demonstrated. Tonight, neither team will overextend themselves, yet they will be fighting to score; a draw doesn't help anyone. Much has been made of Arsenal's lack of attack in the match at Villareal, but don't forget, 0-0 was enough for the Gunners. They didn't need a goal, but they do tonight. And if either team gets an early goal... watch out!

Both squads are nearly set. The good news for Arsenal is that both Mathieu Flamini and Phillipe Senderos are in the squad. The consensus is that Ashley Cole will start at left back in place of Flamini. The center-half situation is a bit less certain, but it's probable that Sol Campbell will get the spot. I think most Gunners fans would prefer to see Senderos, both because he's earned it and because he's playing better. But he's not seen a match in a couple weeks so that makes it a tough choice. The other key question is whether Jose Antonio Reyes or Robert Pires will start wide in the 4-5-1. The Sun is reporting that Pires is the man; I'm skeptical but we'll see. If he is, that would give Arsenal the following lineup:

Lehmann
Eboue - Toure - Campbell - Cole
Hleb - Ljungberg - Gilberto - Fabregas - Pires
Henry

It's a proven lineup and one that can beat Barcelona. Barca are also mostly set; the one remaining question is whether Lionel Messi will start or not.Barcelona are the deserved favorites; there's a reason that they've been all but anointed as the best in Europe this year. They play a game based on a swift technical attack and organized passing. It's odd, but that seems an easier task for Arsenal to defend than the hoof-and-run of a Bolton or a Southampton. Still, they will threaten the Arsenal goal, and any free kick within about 40 yards will be cause for concern.

From an Arsenal perspective, the key to the match will be how well we can hold posession in the midfield. That was a struggle against Villareal and I don't like our chances if we struggle again today. Barcelona are too threatening and they won't miss the chances that Villareal did. But if we can sustain our attack, we should be able to break down Barca. Everyone knows about our threat through the middle, with Fabregas and Henry. Our wide threat has been a new development though and one that should prove productive tonight. Hleb and Eboue have created some real threat on the right side, and the familiar combination of Pires (or Reyes) and Cole on the left should help there too. And of course, Henry is a threat like none other.

I believe that the intangibles favor Arsenal as well. Barcelona have a successful season no matter what, with a domestic title, while Arsenal carry all their hopes in tonight's game. And Arsenal have a very good (and lucky) history with cup finals, most recently with last year's shootout win over Man Utd. It's really nothing like the previous home-and-home ties, and we'll just have to see which team is ready to get the job done.

So that's the paper matchup. As for the reality? I've done everything I can. I'm wearing the same redcurrant button-down shirt I've worn for all the Champions League matches this year. I'm wearing the Livestrong bracelet that I wore for the FA Cup final last year. Now, all there is to do is watch the match. Oh boy.

COME ON YOU GUNNERS!

CL Final: Barcelona-Arsenal Buildup

2006-05-16T07:13:00.000-04:00

It's not been a quiet few days; there's been an FA Cup final and the World Cup Teams were announced. But for me, it all takes a back seat to the Champions League final. There's no way that this game would be anything but huge to Arsenal fans, but events this season have conspired to make the Champions League the solitary focus of our hopes. Everything from a successful season, to a fond farewell to Highbury, to our hopes of keeping Thierry Henry have been wrapped up into this tournament.

And it all comes down to this. The best part is that it's truly an exciting match to think about, for the neutral as well as the fan. Barcelona have earned their status as favorites through fantastic play and attacking flair. Arsenal have built Champions League success on tight defense, but they also come out to play and have the capability to attack as well as anyone.

Which is not to say that this must be a thrilling, end-to-end game. Like most cup finals, this game will probably begin conservatively, with both teams afraid to take early risks. An early goal would change everything, with both teams picking up the pace. My gut feel is that an early Barcelona goal would be very dangerous for the mindset of the young Gunners, while an early Arsenal goal would bring Barcelona out and herald a classic contest. But my gut says that the game could well remain scoreless until deep in the second half.

Time will tell. Of course the British press are covering the heck out of the game, particularly now that the FA Cup is awarded. A collection of some interesting articles:

History beckons for Gunners (Richard Jolly, Soccernet)
'This final is like our own World Cup' (Donald McRae intervews Gilberto, The Guardian)
A great match awaits, but best is yet to come (Henry Winter, Telegraph)
Henry the born winner who can't get no satisfaction (Jon Brodkin, The Guardian)
Dixon bullish over Arsenal hopes (John Sinnott, BBC)
Wenger's pledge gives fans cause for optimism (Henry Winter, Telegraph)
Wenger: 'We will win Champions League' (Reuters via Soccernet)

All are worth a read. I conciously avoided the numerous stories about the future of Arsenal's players, in particular Ashley Cole, Robert Pires, and Thierry Henry. There will be plenty of time for that after the game is complete; for now, the correct focus is on the match at hand.

And what a match it will be. I'll offer a tactical analysis tomorrow. For now, I'll say that I like Arsenal's chances, but in no way do I expect an easy game. I will predict a traditional victory: 1-0 to the Arsenal.

The tension is building. This is huge.

Arsenal 4-2 Wigan; West Ham 2-1 Tottenham

2006-05-10T07:24:00.000-04:00

I didn't want to write about the matches on Sunday; I was more interested in just enjoying the win. By now you're well aware of the details of Arsenal's win and Tottenham's loss, so I won't go into depth on that. Instead here are the 'take a step back' thoughts about what happened.

Obviously the Spurs illness outbreak was the major controversy. Tottenham are keeping that alive, requesting that the match be replayed. This is of course complete foolishness. If they hadn't been able to field a team, then of course the situation were different. But as it happened, Spurs had 11 on the field and 5 on the bench. They played a full 90 and lost. Now I suppose my feelings on this would change if it were proven that the illnesses were the result of a criminal action. But barring that, there's absolutely no way that the FA will grant this request; otherwise they open themselves to all kinds of replay requests whenever results don't go their way.

The illness story makes discussion of the match almost superfluous; any Spurs failing can be blamed on their sick players. Still, West Ham did their part; the team fought hard from the first whistle. I'm curious where they drew their motivation; Arsenal have suffered in similar situations this year. Still, all credit to the Hammers for doing Arsenal a favor. Gunner fans will buy a few drinks for Hammers fans this week, I'm sure.

And what about that Arsenal match? When the schedule came out in August, Wigan were supposed to be prime candidates for relegation. Instead the Latics have proven that they belong in the Premiership, and an Arsenal win was certainly not inevitable. And yet, every Arsenal fan had to feel confident that the team would turn in a top-drawer performance for the final match at Highbury. When Robert Pires scored on 8', it seemed the party had begun; news of an early West Ham goal added to the festival.

But Wigan didn't accept the invitation. Instead, they drew level on some dodgy defending and passive goalkeeping, and then took the lead on more of the same. The Gunners' concentration was lacking and Wigan took advantage.

But the Gunners were always going to win this match, and of course Thierry Henry provided the key spark. The first goal was the key. He perfectly timed his run to Pires' pass, and coldly beat Wigan keeper Pollitt. That goal, coming just two minutes after Wigan took the lead, made all the difference in the match. There was plenty more drama in the match -- Uriah Rennie's inconsistent officiating, Wigan's bouts of second-half pressure, the penalty call and red card -- but in the end the Arsenal win seemed the correct conclusion, both for the play of the teams and for the mood of the day.

And what a mood it was. The final match at Highbury was an historic occasion and the club did themselves proud with the festivities. The souvenier t-shirts in alternate red and white made for a beautiful stadium. And the Wigan fans weren't left out; they were given blue shirts for the occasion, truly a class act by the club. All 38,359 fans came prepared to send Highbury off in style, and the songs ringing through the stadium put paid to the "Highbury library" image. The atmosphere was electric, even when Wigan took the lead, and the forthcoming Arsenal (and West Ham) goals only added to it. When Henry completed his hat-trick and bent to kiss the Highbury turf, the day was complete; the subsequent good news and ceremonies only underlned the perfection of the day.

St. Totteringham's Day

2006-05-07T20:32:00.000-04:00

It came late, and left us plenty nervous. But it came with great style and excitement.

There's so much to reflect on. A very strange tale of food poisoning, complete with conspiracy theories. Old heroes and old enemies closing out their careers. A great game played by the enemy of mine enemy. A real cracking game at Highbury. Dodgy refereeing decisions. Missed penalties. Made penalties. Dramatic red cards. Emotional goal celebrations.

And farewell to one of the greatest stadiums we'll ever see.

There's so much wrapped up in one day, it's impossible to account for it all. I'll sum up the matches. Soon. But it's too soon, too raw to do it now. Today? All I could do was walk around in my Toure 28 jersey, singing in my excitement and pride. I'm so happy for the Gunners and for their fans. And most of all, I'm incredibly happy for Highbury. The grounds have seen their last shots fired in anger; never again will official football be played on the Highbury turf. And the last game saw this crop of Gunners do her proud, winning with grit and style, in a game that had meaning.

In 2006, St. Totteringham's Day came on 7 May. And Arsenal made sure it was a day to remember. Thank you, Gunners!

Final Prem Matchday: Preview

2006-05-07T09:30:00.000-04:00

A busy day today, as every team is playing to finish the season. Unlike last year's relegation thriller, this year most of the key positions have been solidified and most games will lack external drama. The exception of course is the battle between Arsenal and Spurs for fourth.

And Spurs seem to have suffered bizarrely bad luck, as food poisoning has decimated their team. It's unclear who is affected and how much, so we'll just have to watch the match to see how it unfolds. Tottenham face West Ham, who have indicated that they have everything to play for, despite the upcoming FA Cup final next week. Of course this is a London derby and so the fans will be all over it; there's been a real kinship between the Hammers and Gunners this week.

Meanwhile, Arsenal face Wigan in the final match at Highbury. I'll have more to say later in the week about the passing of Highbury. But for now I'm going to concentrate on the game itself. The Arsenal lineup has already been announced:

Lehmann

Cole
Campbell
Toure
Eboue

Pires
Fabregas
Gilberto
Hleb

Reyes
Henry

It's a strong lineup and one fitting the final match at The Home Of Football. Based on the Arsenal TV Online video, it looks like the stands are already full and the players are warming up. Should be a real emotional day, and hopefully the team can live up to their end of the bargain.

It's twenty minutes to game time, and it's time to see what's happening. I'll check in after the matches. But for now... Come on you Hammers! And, of course, COME ON YOU GUNNERS!

Man City 1-3 Arsenal

2006-05-05T07:50:00.000-04:00

In the end it was a comfortable win but Citeh kept it close for much of the match. Both City and Arsenal had their chances in the first half, and Arsenal finally took the lead on 30' from a sweet Thierry Henry pass followed by a strong Freddie Ljungberg finish. It was Freddie's first Prem goal of the season, and it's good to see him get off the mark. Unfortunately the home team equalized just a few minutes later, with David Sommeil poking home after a corner. It was a poor piece of defending and a bit worrying to revisit our old difficulties at set pieces. So 1-1 at halftime.

The second half saw a real back-and-forth develop between the two teams, but the Arsenal subs made all the difference. The offense really gelled when Cesc Fabregas was brought on for Alex Song, but it was late sub Jose Antonio Reyes who took over the match, scoring first from an outstanding Emmanuel Eboue cutback and later from a generous Henry. Man City had their threats too, drawing a couple of fine saves from Lehmann, but in the end the Gunners made it look easy.

Just a word about Henry and Reyes. I would pay a chunk of cold cash to understand what their relationship is about. There seem to be real issues there; Henry didn't really congratulate him on the first goal (he found Eboue, who surely deserved acclaim as well) and was rather subdued for the second too. This is a long-standing pattern; I'm not one to over-analyze onfield relationships, but it's difficult to miss the tension there. And yet, Henry's selfless layoff found Reyes for the second goal, when he could have taken the shot himself. If they play that well together, then maybe the personality clash just doesn't matter. But with Henry's Arsenal future up in the air... well, I think every Arsenal fan wants him to be very, very happy with everybody at the club.

Player Ratings:

Lehmann: 7 A mixed game for Jens. Had a couple of absolute top-quality saves that kept Arsenal in the match. However he also allowed himself to get wound up by the City players, particularly Darius Vassell. Should have done better on the City goal. City used the familiar set-piece tactic of stationing a big player in front of Jens to impede him in coming for crosses, and it was effective.

Cole: 6 Nothing spectacular but very solid. Still needs to recover some speed but played the full 90 with no real worries. Looked solid and effective, though he didn't get forward as much as we would expect.
Campbell: 6 Bit of a mixed bag for Sol. For the most part he was confident, well-positioned, and able to deal with the attack. Had some problems though on set pieces and arial work. I think we're all beginning to understand how good Senderos is at defending with headers; Campbell was lacking in that department. Could stand to lose some weight. Should have had a goal on an early free header.
Toure: 7 Another excellent game. Had a touchy tackle in the box, that could have gone for a penalty on a different day. But generally kept the defense organized and effective. Clear choice for the next captain if Henry leaves.
Eboue: 7 One of the brightest lights for this season. His defensive play was only good today, but his runs forward brought a great deal of threat; his run and cut-back that found Reyes for the second goal was a thing of beauty. The scary part is that you can still see some room for improvement. It will be fun to watch him burst into the international scene this summer.

Ljungberg: 7 Did all his usual stuff -- worked like a demon, fought for balls, made timely runs. The one difference was that he got the goal, which was long in coming and well-deserved. Hopefully this sparks a Freddie renaissance.
Gilberto: 7 Did his usual Gilberto thing, and did it well. Seems like his forward passing is getting crisper and more dangerous. I've said it before, but Brazil fans must be happy to see him peaking at the right time.
Song: 5 Not really sure why he's playing for Arsenal. Yesterday's game was particularly damning, because he didn't play that badly; he just didn't do anything very helpful. In other words, this may be the best that he has to offer. Clearly has speed and agility, but continues to prove himself unable to mesh with the team. I suspect his loan won't be renewed, so hold off on buying those 06/07 "Song 17" jerseys.
Hleb: 7 Another good game from our #1 Alex. Had a fine shot saved by James; looked dangerous all evening. His ability to hold posession has proven to be the pressure-relief valve that we need.

Henry: 8 Built much of the threat for the Gunners all night. His assists unlocked both the Freddie goal and the second Reyes goal. If he leaves, the Arsenal are in trouble.
van Persie: 6 Difficult to rate. Played well and had some quality shots, but also squandered a couple of opportunities. Somehow allowed himself to get wound up by Sommeil, and was lucky not to receieve a yellow card from the uncharacteristically generous Graham Poll.

Subs:
Fabregas: 8 (58' for Song) That Cesc guy? Yeah, he's pretty good.
Pires: 7 (72' for Hleb) Did well for himself, took a good outside shot that found James. Worked well in his 20 minutes of action.
Reyes: 8 (72' for van Persie) He does love the warm weather, doesn't he? Two quality goals, the first with quickness and power, the second with patience and placement. Hopefully we will see more of the same on 17 May.

So we're down to the last game of the season. Arsenal are now one point back of Tottenham, so fourth place will come down to the wire. If Spurs beat West Ham, they'll take fourth, but even a draw leaves the door open. Arsenal now need help and so every Gunner is becoming a true Hammer fan, for one week at least. Arsenal will have Wigan in the final game at Highbury, but aside from the history of the occasion, you have to assume that Arsenal have the ability to win that match. There's 10 days to rest after that, so no reason to save anyone; and with the historic occasion nobody will want to sit on the bench anyway. So let's get a win, Gunners, and the same to you Hammers as well.

News: US Squad, Rooney, and Citeh - Arsenal

2006-05-04T07:24:00.000-04:00

How about a quick trip around the news, followed by a brief preview of Citeh v. Arsenal? Sound good? Good!

Let's begin with the World Cup and the US team. Bruce Arena named the US squad yesterday. There are no huge surprises here; Arena likes stability and his squad reflects that. I was a bit surprised to see Brian Ching named, as I've not yet seen a match where he's impressed me. But somehow I suspect that Bruce Arena has a tiny bit more information than I do, and his success has earned a lot of trust.

Unfortunately, after naming Frankie Hejduk to the squad yesterday, Arena was promptly forced to replace him with Chris Albright. Hejduk suffered an injury on Saturday, and yesterday it was diagnosed as a torn ACL. He had played the remainder of the match and continued training too, before continued pain led him to the MRI room and a diagnosis. Horribly unfortunate timing on that, and Hejduk will be missed. Let's hope Albright can step up and show that he's earned his spot.

Meanwhile, England have until 9 May to decide whether Wayne Rooney can play in the World Cup. I don't understand how FIFA can just change rules around like this, but it's a common thing for the soccer federations (ask UEFA and Liverpool!) so I'll let it pass. Evidently Rooney has multiple fractures in his foot, which sounds grim. But Sven Goran-Eriksson is talking about taking Rooney even if he wouldn't be fit until the final, which is complete bollocks and demonstrates what a tool Eriksson is.

His time is limited however, and it appears that Steve McClaren is set to become the next manager for England. It's certainly not the worst choice. Middlesbrough's run in the UEFA cup makes him a media darling, which is all that the FA are looking for. Will he be a good manager? Uncertain. With England, his main challenge will be drawing superior performance out of extremely talented but ego-burdened players. Suffice to say, that's not been an issue at Boro. But I prefer McClaren to Curbishley or Allardyce. We'll see how it goes.

Arsenal are debating legal action against Dan Smith. I totally understand where they're coming from. My non-legal guess would be that they don't have a chance in hell of taking this forward. But the real problem is the lack of punishment from the FA. Their stupid rules mean that no further attention can be given to the issue. Without ranting more about it, I'll point you to Arseblogger's post which illustrates the idiocy with his usual delicate touch. He's got this one dead to rights; let's hope the FA wake up and realize it.

Arsenal of course travel to Manchester to take on Citeh today. Arsenal's injury situation changes daily. The good news today is that Ashley Cole is expected to start, and Mathieu Flamini is nearly ready and may be available today. In addition, Aleksander Hleb, Gilberto, Jose Antonio Reyes, and Freddie Ljungberg all return. The only new loss -- aside from Diaby -- is Emmanuel Adebayor, who's suffering from a sinus infection. Dennis Bergkamp and Gael Clichy are expected to be rested.

So again Arsene Wenger will shuffle the squad, balancing today's team against the Sunday finale with Wigan. I won't be surprised to see Thierry Henry rested for much of the game, after 72 minutes on Monday and with another match Sunday. City have been on a poor run of late, with a 1-0-4 record in April, the lone win coming at the expense of the skidding Aston Villa. No Arsenal fan can be sanguine about an away match in the Northwest, where the Gunners have suffered this season. Still, I'm convinced that a victory is in the cards today. Let's call it a comfortable 2-1 to the Gunners, with a late Citeh goal giving them consolation only.

A win brings the Gunners to within a point of Spurs, and it would bring a decent amount of pressure onto their shoulders. They'll face the derby with West Ham on Sunday, and I'm hopeful that the Hammers can nick a point. But we have to get three from City first. COME ON YOU GUNNERS!

Sunderland 0-3 Arsenal

2006-05-02T07:07:00.000-04:00

An expected win for the Gunners. With Sunderland so dismal, particularly at home, it was difficult to get worked up over the game. Sure, it was must-win, but there was a sense that if Arsenal couldn't beat Sunderland, winless at home on the year, then they deserve what they get.

And somehow the game suited that downbeat attitude. Arsenal won handily, with three goals in the first half, but also never seemed to really be involved in the game. Taking the 0-3 lead into the dressing room, Arsenal seemed content to play the second half at reduced pace, satisfied to go home without injury.

But that intent was frustrated in the 92nd minute with a horrid tackle from Dan Smith on Abou Diaby. The reckless challenge saw Smith fly in, studs held high, and catch Diaby square on the ankle. His screams were unsettling and it was clear that he was badly injured. The outcome is a fracture and dislocated ankle. It's the same injury that Alan Smith suffered back in February, though the circumstances were completely different.

Much of the online debate now is around Dan Smith. The anger towards him is immense and it's clear why. Though Diaby is still new to the Arsenal, he's played well and done credit to the badge. And frankly, he's just a likeable kid. To see him injured like that -- especially so late in an essentially meaningless match, with nothing to gain for the hosts -- is simply unacceptable.

Was the tackle intentional or accidental, malicious or stupid? Nobody knows -- probably not even Smith. In the end it doesn't matter. It was clearly dangerous play and as such deserved a red card. Unfortunately, since referee Dermot Gallagher chose to show yellow, I believe the FA are unable to punish Smith further. And that's too bad because he clearly deserves to be punished. Smith offered an apology of sorts after the match. It's a mealy-mouthed politician's apology, more defensive than apologetic. Try again, Dan.

So there's nothing more to be done. It's happened and we have to move on. One thing is certain: every Arsenal fan is in full support of Diaby and will be eager to see him playing again. Let's hope that he has a full recovery and that he's back on the pitch quickly. And as for Dan Smith, his karma will have to punish him, because otherwise there's nothing to be done.

Still, it's probably a good thing that Sunderland are relegated.

On to Manchester City for Thursday. Let's get another win!

Sunday Wrap-Up

2006-05-01T07:40:00.000-04:00

Good morning, folks, and I hope the weekend treated you well. Unfortunately it wasn't great for the Arsenal as Tottenham 1-0 Bolton was the scoreline. I haven't seen the match, but evidently it was a near thing, particularly with a late penalty shout for Bolton. So things look grim for the Gunners' quest for fourth place. West Ham are Spurs remaining opponents, and the Hammers will rest players for the FA Cup final. But there's still a game to be played; we'll see what happens.

But even if Spurs win out, they miss Champions League play if Arsenal win the Champions League final. After last years' debacle, UEFA clarified the rules so that the winner is entered next year, regardless of where they finish in their league. Of course, at this stage that would bump Tottenham into the UEFA Cup. Of course, Martin Jol is agitating for a change; after all, that worked for Liverpool last year. I can understand where he's coming from... but after last year, things are rather clear. And it makes the Champions League even sweeter to know that a victory would cause Tottenham that much more pain.

In other Sunday news, it appears that Wayne Rooney has a broken metatarsal and is unavailable for six weeks -- coincidentally, the amount of time left before the World Cup finals start. This presents Sven-Goran Eriksson a real dilemma as he has to name his squad by 15 May. It seems that he's inclined to include Rooney on the team, gambling on his quick return to health. Let's hope he's right. Whether you're an England supporter or a neutral, you'll enjoy the matches better with Rooney on the field.

For Arsenal it's going to be a busy week: a visit to Sunderland today; a trip to City of Manchester stadium on Thursday, and then the final Highbury game on Sunday against Wigan. Obviously Arsenal have to win all three to keep the hope for fourth place alive, yet with such a schedule a rotating squad is a necessity.

Sunderland present perhaps the easiest target, yet it's also the easiest day to use the first-team players. There are plenty who are missing the match today due to injury; Arsenal are reporting that Gilberto, Mathieu Flamini, Jose Antonio Reyes, Theo Walcott and Philippe Senderos will all be unavailable, while Aleksander Hleb is doubtful. We'll see what kind of lineups Arsène Wenger has up his sleeves; it should be interesting if a bit unsettling. But whoever Wenger chooses today, a win can be all that we expect. Sunderland are frankly woeful; their home record stands at 0-4-13. Arsenal just can't be the first team to lose at the Stadium Of Light this year, no matter who's in the squad. So let's see some effort from the boys. COME ON YOU GUNNERS!

Prem Falls Into Focus

2006-04-29T13:04:00.000-04:00

Lots of news in the Premiership today. First, I feel honor-bound to offer my congratulations to Chelsea, who won the Premiership with a 3-0 defeat over Manchester United. Chelsea are not my favorite team in any way, and I certainly don't enjoy their style of play. But I have to give them full credit for their back-to-back titles. Around Christmas it seemed they'd have the league title in March, and it's good to see that they're no longer such a juggernaut as they were in 2005. Yet still they have done more than enough to win the title, and securing it with a 3-0 win over their closest rivals only underscores that fact.

However it may be a costly afternoon for England. Wayne Rooney left injured in the second half, and he was clearly in a lot of pain. It's difficult to see what the injury was, but my uneducated guess at this stage would be either a severe ankle sprain or a broken foot. If it's the latter, then there's a major chance that he will miss the World Cup, an absence that England can hardly afford. In addition, John Terry was in obvious distress through much of the match, and near the end could scarcely kick a ball. Terry should have come off in the first half, or at the interval at least. Clearly he didn't want to go, but it's the manager's job to make the right long-term decisions, and Mourinho didn't in this case. Perhaps it's only a short-term thing, but I'm sure that Sven-Goran Eriksson is anxiously awaiting the reports on two of his key players.

Meanwhile, the other end of the table also solidified. Portsmouth beat Wigan 2-1 to ensure their survival, dooming Birmingham and West Brom in the process. I'm pleased for Pompey, as they play an inviting game that deserves to be in the Prem. However I would rather have seen another manager at the helm. Not being English, I can't understand the Harry Redknapp fascination, and his dodgy Portsmouth-Southampton-Portsmouth saga left me cheering for him to take another team down, hopefully destroying his 'great escape' myth in the process. It was not to be. But Pompey are always good for a game, so I won't be sad to see them in the Prem again in the fall.

And finally, it's farewell to Alan Curbishley, who is quitting the helm at Charlton after nearly fifteen years. He's a class act and a good guy, but Charlton frankly could use a shakeup. Since winning promotion in 2000, they've finished as follows: 9th, 14th, 12th, 7th, and 11th, and they'll find themselves somewhere similar this year. Charlton are a team stuck in the middle, consistently staying clear of relegation while never really threatening to become a Premiership power. It's fine as far as it goes, but it smacks of stagnation and fresh ideas are called for.

The sad part is that a manager such as Curbishley is a serious candidate for the England managerial vacancy. Don't get me wrong; Curbishley has done a respectable job with a tiny budget. But he's also not done anything worthy of acclaim. I would even understand bringing in a new, unproven talent like Stuart Pearce, but with so much Prem experience you can't expect Curbishley to surprise anyone. Of course, the FA have really made a dog's breakfast of the whole selection process, and clearly they're almost to the point of picking someone -- anyone -- just so they can end the circus.

So a big match for Arsenal fans tomorrow, as Tottenham host Bolton. It's the biggest chance for Spurs to drop points in the remaining matches. Even a draw would give Arsenal hope. Bolton still have a thin chance at a UEFA Cup place, so it should be a hard-fought game. So let's see the Wanderers win one, followed by an Arsenal victory over Sunderland on Monday.

Villareal 0-0 Arsenal (0-1 agg.)

2006-04-26T07:04:00.000-04:00

Paris.

The Arsenal is going to Paris.

Can you believe it? The whole 90 minutes felt like a Villareal goal was only seconds away. Arsenal were bunkered and unable to threaten. Villareal held posession at will, though a desperate Arsenal defense limited their chances. The Gunners held on by their fingernails. Surely Villareal would break through at any moment.

After 80 minutes of this, we began to hope. Ten minutes -- if we can hold for 80, surely we can for ten more! And the Villareal desperation grew. Their legs began to weaken; their hope began to fade. Arsenal held posession more and more. Paris was within reach.

And then, one last desperate Villareal effort. A hopeful cross into the box. Jose Mari didn't even jump for it, but when he felt contact, he collapsed to the ground, bringing down Gael Clichy with him. A heap of players in front of goal. And Russian referee Valentin Ivanov -- who had been fair all night -- finally succumbed to the Villareal tactics and pointed to the spot. 88 minutes of torture, and now this.

But we have Jens Lehmann.

And of course you know how it ends. Riquelme takes a long run up. He goes for power and a solid middle-goal placement. Jens guesses left, dives, and blocks. The Gunners scramble the ball out, but it doesn't matter -- Riquelme is rooted to the spot, and his teammates are thunderstruck. They know: this was their chance. And now it's gone.

Five minutes later, and Arsenal were through. I am forced to admit it: Arsenal were lucky. I think the Gunners made their own luck, though hard work, belief, and an incredible defensive effort. But it was clear that the past weeks of twice-a-week football have taken their toll; their tanks were dry and it was only sheer will that kept them going. But Arsenal have now survived 929 minutes of Champions League play without conceding a goal, and there's no way that's luck.

We'll find out tonight who Arsenal will face in the finals. Barcelona hold the advantage but it's still within reach for AC Milan. Either team will be a huge challenge of course, but so were Real Madrid. And Juventus. And Villareal. What will change is the nature of the game. It's a completely different situation -- one match to decide everything. No homefield advantage. No away goals rule. The strategy is completely different, and it will be interesting to think through how Arsenal will approach it.

But that will come later. For now, we can all enjoy the victory. Arsenal finally have a bit of a rest; the next game is at Sunderland, next Monday. Things will remain busy for the Gunners, with Man City next Thursday and finally Wigan a week from Sunday. But then they will have a week and half to recover before 17 May and Paris.

Paris. Six months ago, after the Sparta Prague match, I was in the basement room at the T-Bird on Blackstock Road, signing with the rest:

We're on our waaay,
We're on our waaay!
We're going to Paris,
We're on our waaay!
How we'll get there, I don't know,
How we'll get there, I don't care,
All I know is that we're on our waay!

It's been a long road, Gooners. But we are on our way!

Villareal-Arsenal Preview

2006-04-25T12:15:00.000-04:00

Tense? Me?

Two and a half hours to go. Gunners fans around the world are nervous and jittery; it's the biggest night we've seen in quite some time. Arsenal head to Spain with a slim but workable lead; the 1-goal advantage makes a big difference but still there's work to be done. The second legs against Real Madrid and Juventus were both tense 0-0 affairs; if this one ends with the same scoreline, we'll all collapse in heaps at the end.

Villareal face a tough choice; they need to score, and yet an Arsenal goal would make for a nearly insurmountable lead. I would guess the home team will start a bit cautiously, feel out the Gunners, and try to ramp up the pressure midway through the first half. Arsenal will do their best to hold posession, remain patient, and attack on the counter. An early Arsenal goal would do much to reduce our nerves, thankyouverymuch.

Villareal will have a few advantages. They rested ten of their starters on the weekend, so the team will be rested. First-choice keeper Sebastian Viera returns to the lineup. As an Arsenal reject, he'll surely be motivated, though he's been a bit brittle through the season. Juan Manuel Pena also returns in defense. Alessio Tacchinardi is suspended.

Arsenal have a worry in defense as Phillip Senderos is unavailable; he had ligament damage in the Tottenham match. Sol Campbell will return in his place. This is obviously a risk, but Sol played well against Portsmouth before his broken nose. He has everything to prove and I expect him to be a rock in the middle tonight. Gael Clichy also returns, though he will likely sit on the bench. Arsenal will probably play the following lineup:

                   Lehmann
       Eboue - Toure - Campbell - Flamini
Hleb - Gilberto - Ljungberg - Fabregas - Reyes
                    Henry

It's a lineup that can win this match. My prediction? Jose Antonio gets a goal on the counter around 25', and the match finishes a frantic but solid 0-1 to the Arsenal. That first goal is crucial; if Villareal score first, expect to hear a global 'sproing' as overstrained nerves snap on Gunners fans worldwide. But I have faith that we'll see the best out of the boys tonight. COME ON YOU GUNNERS!

Beckenbauer? Beckenbauer!

2006-04-24T20:04:00.000-04:00

The Joga Bonito ads are pretty good. But I'm sure you've all seen them. This one from Adidas was new to me... and it's pretty good too!

It's just too bad there aren't any Gunners in it. But it's still worth watching.

Yeah, I guess the World Cup is approaching...

Edit: Sorry, forgot to mention -- link thanks to Soccer-Weblog.com.

FA Cup Finals Set

2006-04-24T07:08:00.003-04:00

The FA Cup final is set now. The semifinals saw Chelsea 1-2 Liverpool on Saturday and Boro 0-1 West Ham on Sunday. I'm pleased for both teams. I was never going to be excited about a potential Double for Chelsea. They might get there eventually, but every year it's postponed adds to its value. Liverpool on the other hand have had a good solid year and played some attractive soccer along the way, so a bit of hardware would be well deserved.

I can't comment on that match without mentioning Jose Mourinho's whiny comments afterwards. Mourinho's already the runaway leader for Poor Loser of the Year, so it's no surprise. Not for the first time, he said, "Did the best team win today? I don't think so."

Here's a hint, Jose. The best team is the one that scores more goals. You lost; come to grips with that fact. Creating excuses for your team won't help.

Instead of Chelsea it will be West Ham that represent London. Despite Wigan gaining all the attention, West Ham have been just as impressive following promotion. They've always been up for a game, and did particularly well against Arsenal this year, drawing 0-0 at Upton Park and winning 2-3 at Highbury. The Hammers, like Wigan, came to the Prem looking not just to survive but to thrive. It's great to see that they've done so while also putting together a run to the FA Cup finals. Good on them. Even better, the win guarantees them an entry to the UEFA Cup next season, as Liverpool are already qualified for the Champions' League.

I am a bit sad for Middlesboro though. The thought of a bottom-half team like Middlesboro winning an unlikely double of the FA Cup and UEFA Cup had a good bit of charm, but that dream is gone. They're out of the FA Cup and on the knife edge in the UEFA Cup. Steaua Bucuresti have a 1-0 lead from the first leg of their tie, and so Boro have work to do back at the Riverside on Thursday. I'd hate to see all their dreams end this week. So best of luck to you, Boro! Get a couple of goals Thursday!

But for the FA Cup it's Liverpool and West Ham. Liverpool are the obvious favorites there and deservedly so. They've met once this season, back on 29 October at Anfield, where Liverpool walked out 2-0 winners. Of course, that leaves the reverse fixture still to come, this Wednesday at Upton Park. Both teams still have outside shots at improving their position -- Liverpool are 6 points behind Man Utd for second, while West Ham have four teams within 6 points themselves. But this match will clearly be an opportunity to prepare for the cup final, and I'm sure that neither manager will show every card in their deck.

Arsenal 1-1 Tottenham

2006-04-22T12:42:00.000-04:00

A disappointing draw for the Gunners. Arsene Wenger clearly gambled with the starting lineup. Thierry Henry, Cesc Fabregas, Freddie Ljungberg, and Emmanuel Eboue were all rested for Tuesday's match. Instead, he brought on Robin van Persie, Abou Diaby, Jose Antonio Reyes, and Johann Djourou, and you have to say that only Reyes was an even swap in that equation.

The first half was rather tense. Arsenal had a few good chances but so did Tottenham and they certainly held the bulk of the posession. The Gunners looked just a bit unorganized, particularly in the center of the park, and Tottenham were able to pick their chances at will. Fortunately the defense was solid and limited most chances. There were a few scary moments, most notably an amazing late-half run by Michael Carrick, winding his way through much of the defense, only to take himself too wide and fire into the side netting. The half ended 0-0 but with a bad case of nerves for the Arsenal supporters.

The second half saw some better play from the Gunners but still the posession favored Spurs. Unfortunately, Phillip Senderos went down with a knee injury and Eboue subbed in for him. Van Persie had a golden chance, beating the trap and taking on Paul Robinson one-on-one, but Robinson did just enough and van Persie too little, and the ball went wide. That was van Persie's final chance, as Wenger threw the dice and brought in Henry and Fabregas, replacing van Persie and Diaby. Yet it was shortly thereafter that the Spurs pressure told, albeit in controversial fashion. A three-way midfield collision left Eboue and Gilberto injured on the turf, yet Spurs pressed ahead, and their break found the back short of players; Edgar Davids sent in a cross that found Robbie Keane who easily knocked it home.

Make no mistake, it was an unsportsmanlike play and Spurs should be ashamed. They've attempted to make excuses that the injury wasn't their fault, but that's irrelevant. If the other team has players down, you put the ball out. Simple as that. If Arsenal had done the same, I would be embarassed; rest assured that Spurs fans would be screaming bloody murder had the situation gone the other way round. It was a crap goal, end of discussion.

Yet it still stands as a goal, and in any event Aresnal hadn't given a solid account for themselves. But finally the addition of Eboue, Cesc and Henry began to take effect. In particular, Eboue's aggressive runs down the side and Henry's controlled attack began to put pressure on Spurs. But it was the hitherto unhelpful Adebayor who unlocked the Tottenham goal. He won the ball on the touchline, beat his man, and then found Henry... who did the rest. A fine outside-boot finish beat Robinson, and Arsenal were back level at 1-1. Shortly after, the annoying and whiny Edgar Davids picked up his second yellow, and Spurs were down to ten men. Arsenal brought a huge amount of pressure, but of course Tottenham packed back in the box and thwarted everything that came their way. The last frantic ten minutes finished and the scoreline remained.

Wenger definitely showed that the Champions League is the primary focus for Arsenal. Still, despite some poor play and a dodgy game, the Gunners nearly took three points. But in the end, the changes to the side damaged the team's cohesion, and the lack of posession made the difference. So now Spurs are 4 points to the good; Arsenal have a game in hand but need help to catch them. Spurs are home to Bolton and away to West Ham, while Arsenal visit Sunderland and Man City before hosting Wigan in the final Highbury match. I certainly wouldn't be shocked to see Tottenham drop points, but Arsenal won't have it easy either, especially with the busy schedule over two weeks.

Player ratings:

Lehmann: 8 Really thought he had a quality game. Didn't make any stunning saves -- but that was because he was always in position to make them easy. Had no chance on the goal; had to dive at Davids' threat before the cross. Did some good work late in his sweeper-like way to clear a potential Spurs attack. Definitely making all the right decisions at the moment, which bodes well for Germany.

Djourou: 6 Didn't play too badly in the fullback role, though he didn't get forward much either. Fairly solid at center-half after Senderos left; not spectacular but decent.
Toure: 6 Not a bad game but certainly not at his best. Looked either exhausted or injured, particularly in the first half; a bit uncomfortable on the ball and not as active as usual. A worrying sign for Tuesday.
Senderos: 7 Was having a good game before the injury. I like the way he and Toure complement each other; Toure is faster and better in motion, while Senderos is better in the air. Hopefully he'll be OK for Tuesday, though Wenger's quick assessment is that he'll miss the match.
Flamini: 6 Had real trouble with Aaron Lennon, though he never made a mistake as such -- Lennon was just too fast for him. Had a better time after Lennon was subbed (a mistake on Martin Jol's part, I would say), and was a key part of the Arsenal threat in the last 15 minutes. His late-game workrate is amazing; he must be a Lance Armstrong-like metabolic freak.

Pires: 8 Had a great game. Got really stuck in, did a lot of work coming forward, but also did some good defensive tackling. Obviously trying to pump his value -- but at least this is the right way to do it.
Gilberto: 8 Also well played. He's really peaking in time for the World Cup. Some stellar tackling and very good distribution; looked good with the ball at his feet today.
Diaby: 6 Not bad for the youngster. Suffered from a lack of organization; he still isn't familiar with his midfield partners. But does obviously have skills -- could be a real force in the future.
Reyes: 5 Very disappointing. Had a few moments, but also many gaps where he fell off the pace. Inexcusable when he didn't play on Wednesday. Probably too focused on the trip to Spain. Had a golden opportunity midway through the second half, but took it too casually and allowed Robinson to save.

van Persie: 6 Also disappointing. Had some good play but never really integrated; doesn't appear that he and Adebayor know how to work together yet. Might have done better with his breakaway; the finish was uncharacteristically lacking. At least he brought energy to most of the match.
Adebayor: 6 The most difficult player to rate. Looked very poor in the first half -- many Arsenal moves broke down when he got involved. Looked like anything beyond the second touch was a disaster, and was zero threat in the first half. And yet his work for the goal was fantastic; obviously has a lot more comfort with Henry than anyone else.

Subs:
Eboue: 7 (54' for Senderos) Brought a lot of energy to the match. Much more of a threat going forward; provided a key element in the late siege on Tottenham's goal. Must be more wary of getting caught forward though -- hasn't learned yet how to time his attacks.
Henry: 8 (62' for van Persie) A high-quality goal, though he made it look easy. Fought hard in the closing minutes for a second goal, but suffered a bit from the hectic nature of the finish.
Fabregas: 6 (62' for Diaby) Fought hard for the last part of the game, but he too suffered from the disorganized finish. Did bring a bit more thoughtfulness to the attack, but I think that has more value in the meat of the game rather than in a frantic close.

So there you go. Now on to Villareal, and the boys will have everything to play for. If we didn't have clarity before, we do now: this is the most important game, bar none. Hold nothing back and get the job done, you Gunners!

Arsenal 1-0 Villareal

2006-04-20T07:00:00.000-04:00

Halfway there. The 1-0 win is not everything that Arsenal fans would have hoped for, and yet it's much better than we might have feared. Keeping the clean sheet was most important, particularly as Villareal have advanced from both previous ties due to the away goal rule. So while 1-0 isn't as good as 2-0 or 3-0... it's a far sight better than 2-1 or 1-1. And any of those scorelines could have applied, had the officals decided things differently.

The match itself was tense of course. In the first half, Arsenal looked the better team, and fashioned a few decent chances without converting. In particular, one clear Henry goal was ruled out for a dodgy offsides call. Then, off a cleared Arsenal corner, Henry fed Hleb in a dangerous position, and his low cross was met perfectly by Kolo Toure for the goal. I can't tell you how happy this made me. Kolo is probably my favorite player for the Gunners: central defender, hard worker, always a good attitude, and very. Very. Good. But he had never scored at Highbury, and time grew short for him to break that duck. I'd be chuffed if he scored against West Brom; to have him score the last European goal at Highbury is just fantastic. Cheers, Kolo!

Toure-iffic! (image from BBC)

But shortly after, Villareal had a shout for a penalty. After some pinball in the Arsenal box, Gilberto got tangled with Jose Mari on the edge of the box, and he went down hard. No call was given, probably in large part because Jose Mari channeled Greg Louganis all evening. The Yellow Submarines deserve their name, because they sure spent a lot of time diving. Post-match photos showed that the tackle came just outside the box, but in the event, the whistle didn't blow and Arsenal cleared their lines.

The second half saw good chances both ways. Villareal held much more possession than they had in the first half, but in the end couldn't make it tell. Arsenal had another dodgy offsides call or two, while Villareal had some dangerous freekick opportunities that came close enough. Dennis Bergkamp had a late chance that was cleared off the line (though I believe the flag was up on that play as well).

A word or two about the officials. The referee -- Konrad Plautz from Austria -- had a difficult job. Villareal are a team that comes in hard in the tackle but go down easily themselves, and that's a real challenge to officiate. They worked hard to manufacture as many fouls as possible, and spent a lot of time arguing about it. In the end he handed out five yellow cards to Villareal, and Tacchinardi will miss the next leg. He also did a fair job of sorting out the real fouls from the acting, and generally kept control of things. The linesmen however were not up to the task. They had several baffling calls, and Arsenal should have had two more goals than they did. Disappointing, in such a crucial match.

In any event, Arsenal have the 1-0 lead. Still, just one quality Riquelme free kick and Villareal are level. They're certainly capable of scoring... but they're also capable of conceding, and an Arsenal goal would make their task difficult indeed. Next Tuesday will certainly be incredibly tense once again.

But between now and then, we have a little matter of the North London derby on Saturday. It's the match that may well decide fourth place, and both teams will be up for it. I'll preview the match later in the week; it's going to be a classic and I'm really looking forward to it.

The Arsenal season will be defined by the next six days. I can hardly wait!

Arsenal - Villareal Preview: Farewell To Highbury

2006-04-19T07:17:00.000-04:00

OK. This afternoon we'll see the final European game at Highbury. It's obviously huge for the team, as we need to do as much as possible at Highbury. It's been our recipe in every tie so far -- get the goals in the first leg, and then hang on. AC Milan failed to do so yesterday and now they must score in a difficult visit to Camp Nou next week. We don't want any of that situation, and so it's crucial to both score and keep a clean sheet.

The good, unsurprising news is that Cesc will be available tonight. He's been crucial in the wins against Real Madrid and Juventus, and he's sure to play a key role tonight as well. Reyes is out due to his silly yellow card in Turin, and of course Adebayor is unavailable in the CL. Wenger has been able to rest his key front players a bit, but the back line has been under seige of late and is starting to appear a bit fatigued, particularly Eboue. Defensive play from the wide midfielders will be crucial.

Villareal certainly have the scoring threat to make Arsenal sweat, particularly with the first leg in Highbury. Riquelme is the obvious keystone to their attack, and the Gunners must harrass him all night. Villareal are missing their keeper Sebastian Viera due to suspension, and their two starting CBs (Gonzalo Rodriguez and Juan Manuel Pena) who are both injured.

Make no mistake: Villareal are a dangerous team. It's a cliche but only because it's true: you don't reach this stage without demonstrating quality. To be sure, Villareal have arrived in the semis by the thinnest of margins, winning the ties with both Rangers and Inter by the away goals rule. Villareal are making noises about a "zonal defense" which can only play into Arsenal's hands. If Inter can get two goals and Gers three, then I have to believe Arsenal will get their chances as well.

But all that is on paper and makes no difference whatsoever once the whistle blows. I'm nervous and tense, and it's still seven hours before the game. This afternoon will be a struggle, particularly if I get stuck in a meeting as looks likely. But I have faith in the Gunners. They know what the match means, and having this last European match in Highbury is obviously an added incentive. I'm sure they'll do Arsenal Stadium -- and the fans that fill it -- proud. Fight hard, give them no time on the ball, and be clinical and ruthless in front of their goal. COME ON YOU GUNNERS!

Arsenal 3-1 West Brom

2006-04-17T07:49:00.000-04:00

A friendly scoreline but a difficult match. Arsenal had some difficulties in the first half, but were able to finally take the lead just before the break with a nice little 1-2 that ended with Aleksander Hleb scoring a nifty little goal.

I think we all expected the Gunners to cruise from that point but it was not to be. West Brom kept themselves in it, and after a rash of substitutions, they finally got a goal on 72' thanks to an error by Emmanuel Eboue. Based on recent form, there was cause to be nervous. But... it was Dennsis Bergkamp day. First he set up Robert Pires, then he put away his own shot, cheering the orange-clad fans and giving Arsenal the crucial three points.

Still, it was a near thing. Arsenal are clearly not on their best form at the moment, and it will be interesting to see what happens for the Villareal match. Cesc is missed in the midfield, particularly going forward, so hopefully his foot will be in good shape come Wednesday. The defense is also starting to show the effects of wear, with Eboue in particular looking like he could use a rest. However, it appears that Lauren is out for the duration. Ashley Cole is nearing his return, so perhaps that will help. But it's all hands to the pump now. There are six games remaining -- seven if we defeat Villareal -- and every one is a must-win. Let's see it, Arsenal! Step up and get stuck in!

Update: With just 13 minutes gone, Man Utd is up 0-1 over Spurs. That's exactly what we need. I hate rooting for the Mancs, but we need Spurs to drop the points. So far, so good.

Portsmouth 1-1 Arsenal

2006-04-13T07:13:00.000-04:00

A disappointing draw down south. Too many missed chances, and just one missed defensive opportunity. Adebayor missed a couple of sitters; it happens sometimes, but twice in a game is not what you want to see. But I suspect that's the kind of player he'll turn out to be -- whatever the opposite of "clinical" is.

It was a bit of an odd lineup, with Abou Diaby and Alexandre Song partnering in midfield. Much has been made of the choice, as both are inexperienced, particularly Song. He's only played 16 minutes of Premiership soccer until yesterday. As Arseblog pointed out, Sebastian Larsson would have been the more experienced choice. I suppose though that we did have the chances we needed to take three points, and our problems came more from misses from Adebayor (and Ljungberg) than from Song.

Arsenal are in the thick of it and every match is vital at this stage. Disappointing as it is, that point gained yesterday may prove the difference in the battle with Spurs for fourth. The runout will be frantic, with 11 matches from 1 April thru the final League match on 7 May. With that many matches, players will become injured or just worn out, and Wenger will draw deeply from his squad. The Alex Songs and Sebastian Larssons of the team must step up and perform alongside the Freddie Ljungbergs and Robert Pireses, or both the Prem and the Champions League will disappoint us. PhysioRoom tells us that both Cole and Clichy are potentially near returning, and that would be good news indeed.

And speaking of injury news: just a quick note to mention that Claudio Reyna returned to action on the weekend. While I'm happy for Man City, I'm ecstatic for the US Men, as team captain Reyna supplies organization and stability to the team. Without him, the center of the pitch is much less effective for the Nats. Let's hope he stays healthy and uses these last few weeks in the League to regain his match fitness.

Well, on to the weekend. Arsenal are home to West Brom. Facing a relegation candidate, with Villareal looming large on Wednesday, we can expect Wenger to reach for his bench players again. Here's hoping that he comes up with a winning hand for Saturday. COME ON YOU GUNNERS!

Man Utd 2-0 Arsenal

2006-04-09T21:08:00.000-04:00

Well, crap.

I might post more on the game later, but for now I'll just say that it was a depressing result because Arsenal didn't play too badly. The first 20 minutes went all our way, and we had plenty of chances the rest of the game. But still, we gave up two disappointing goals, and United could probably have had more.

So anyway, United take the points in their (probably fruitless) quest to challenge Chelsea. They don't have much of a chance; Chelsea just aren't going to drop enough points to matter. But Man U are on form and will probably put together a good push until 29 April, when they take on Chelsea. They'd just better damn well do a number on Spurs in a couple weeks.

But more importantly, I had a fantastic time with the Arsenal America crew. What an amazing weekend. I will definitely post more on that, but for now, just thanks to you all. I had a great time and look forward to the next meetup. You all rock! Hard!

Arsenal America Chicago Meetup: Pregame Update

2006-04-09T08:59:00.000-04:00

Well the meetup has been a blast so far. Friay night was, well, call it pub-intensive. The Schoolyard was packed with Cubs fans, so we changed venues to the Globe. I had a chance to meet several new faces and a few I knew from November's roadtrip. And it was a blast.

Saturday morning then was a bit low-key. *boilk* But we were ready to go by the time of the supporters' match against the Mancs. It was entertaining to play, but the Manchester team (along with their, ahem, recruits) were able to jump out ahead and keep a big lead to the finish (the final score was... 9-3? I can't remember...) And frankly, given that we probably had an average of 10 or 15 years on their guys... I think we did OK. In the end the match was a lot of fun, and that was the whole point.

From there of course we headed back to the Globe for lunch, and then off our separate ways until dinner. Dinner was at the Grafton, which was a great spot. We had a back room reserved, which had plenty of space and a fireplace with sofas. Fantastic stuff and good food too, so it made for a fun evening.

I've posted a few photos out on Flickr. Check them out; I'll caption them later, but for now I have to get moving. Off to the Globe again, this time for the match. It's hugely important to get some points off this one; this weekend's results haven't been as kind to the Gunners as last week. Both teams will be going for 3 points and I think there are goals in the game. Let's just get them for Arsenal, eh? COME ON YOU GUNNERS!

The Copa

2006-04-08T00:42:00.000-04:00

The Copa
Originally uploaded by cisko.

In honor of Rick... The ArseAm crowd rocks to the Copa Cabana.

More Pints For The Gooners

2006-04-08T00:27:00.000-04:00

More Pints For The Gooners
Originally uploaded by cisko.

The festivities continue. Much fun is had. The Meetup... It is good.

Manchester Utd - Arsenal Preview

2006-04-07T07:18:00.000-04:00

A massive game this week, and here we are, faced with another massive game just four days later. But of course the situation in the league is quite a bit more dangerous. The table shows all the drama, with Arsenal just 2 points behind Spurs for the last Champions League place, while Manchester Utd are 7 points back of Chelsea and closing.

So both teams have everything to play for, and both are on fantastic runs of form. Here's what they've done since February:


         P  W  D  L  GF  GA
Man Utd  6  6  0  0  12   3
Arsenal  7  5  2  0  16   1

...and both of those Arsenal draws were effectively wins, as they finished the ties with Real Madrid and Juventus. So in other words, both teams are red-hot and brimming with confidence.

So what will we see Sunday? It's possible that we'll see a tight, tense match such as the FA Cup final from last year. A 0-0 draw is not out of the possibility. But my gut is telling me that there are goals in this match, that both teams will find the net. I'd love to see the same 2-1 win we got over Liverpool; let's call that the prediction.

And it's a good weekend for it. This is the weekend for the Arsenal-Man Utd Chicago Meetup! Several of us are gathering in Chicago to take in the game and hang out at the pubs. I hear there will be some soccer played too. Check back here early and often; I'll post some photos throughout the weekend.

So a win this weekend is crucial -- it will provide in-person bragging rights over the Mancs! Let's get stuck in. COME ON YOU GUNNERS!

Juventus 0-0 Arsenal (0-2 agg.)

2006-04-06T07:55:00.000-04:00

We're going to the SE-mis! We're going to the SE-mis! We're going to the SE-mis!

What a great night to be a Gunner. Unlike the home game against Madrid, this was not "the best 0-0 draw ever." It was a bit too chaotic for that, and the 2-0 lead meant that the tension just wasn't the same. Juve had their chances, and so did the Gunners, but only one team needed goals. Frankly I was surprised that Juventus weren't able to score at home. I believed they would press hard, and that would both get them a goal and leave them open to Arsenal attacks. They did try to bring pressure, but they also knew that one Arsenal goal would effectively end the tie. That tension left them indecisive and adrift. On the other hand, Arsenal knew exactly what they needed to produce, and that was disciplined enough to make it happen. It was a gritty, disciplined performance, and I can't help but love it just for that.

A few of the more pithy quotes:

"A gleaming new reputation is always erected on the rubble of former grandeur. Arsenal have reached a semi-final meeting with Villarreal by demolishing the pride of Juventus."(The Guardian)
"If victories in the Bernebeau and against Juve at home were all about thrilling attacking abandon and the exuberance of youth, then last night told us this team can also do defensive maturity and discipline." (Goodplaya)
"It was another fantastic performance, and forget what people say about Juve being poor - they’re top of Serie A by nine points. The fact is, we outplayed them not once, but twice." (East Lower)
"The Juventus manager Fabio Capello knew long before the final whistle his team had not done enough but all the credit has to go to the side from north London." (Graham Taylor, via BBC Sport)
"In the end though there was no doubt that Arsenal deserved to win the game despite the 0-0 scoreline and Juve were booed off by their own fans - a beaten and jaded team having been run ragged by the young Gunners." (Arseblog)
"We have played really compact in Europe. We have had the right shape to play. We knocked out Real Madrid then we come here to Juve after winning 2-0 at Highbury yet we still play an attacking game." (Freddie Ljungberg, via arsenal.com)
"This is one step more we have walked tonight but we still have a lot more to do in the Champions League this year. This is not the time to relax. We need to look forward and be concentrated to achieve something more."(Gilberto, via arsenal.com)
"But still, for the first time in the history of our Club, we are in the semi-finals of the Champions league. Just take that, and savour it for a moment. Drink it in." (Goonerboy)

So there you have it. The work isn't done, by a long shot. You don't get to the semis of the Champions League without quality, and Villareal are no exception. They're not such a pillar of world soccer as Juventus or Real Madrid, and so there's some sense that we're on the brink of the final. Don't believe it. We have just as much work to do against the el Submarino Amarillo as we did against la Vecchia Signora or los merengues. In the end, what the fans believe doesn't matter (no jinx! no jinx!) but let's hope that the players don't give in to the hype either. And if they listen to their captain, they won't:

Everyone is congratulating us for having made history but we haven't done anything yet, We need to reach the end of the journey and that means winning the final in Paris in May. It's amazing what these young guys are doing and the stage that they are doing it on, but we can't let up. We must keep attacking and defending as a team and reach the end of the line.
Thierry Henry via UEFA.com

And right he is. Not to mention, there's a pretty big game coming up this Sunday, as Arsenal visit Old Trafford to take on Manchester United. Back into the league for the Gunners, and points are crucial at this stage. Let's hope that there's no hangover for the lads. COME ON YOU GUNNERS!

Juventus - Arsenal Preview

2006-04-04T13:04:00.000-04:00

The key things you need to know about tomorrow's game:

Situation: Arsenal 2-0 Juventus, of course. The target for Juve is to get two goals, which would send the match into extra time (and then penalties if necessary). If Arsenal get a goal, then Juve need to get 4 (due to away goals rule), which would just about kill off the tie.

Arsenal: The Gunners are coming off their 5-0 win over lower-half Aston Villa on the weekend. Emmanuel Adebayor is cup-tied and unavailable. Both Freddie Ljungberg and Aleksander Hleb return from injury. Cesc Fabregas and Emmanuel Eboue were both subbed due to injury on Saturday, and both are concerns for Wednesday. However, they've both traveled with the team to Turin, so they may be available. According to Arsène Wenger, Cesc should be ready, while Eboue is still uncertain. Abou Diaby is ready to fill in for Cesc at need, while either Sol Campbell or Johann Djourou would be available in defense if Eboue can't go.

Juventus: Juventus drew 0-0 with Treviso on Saturday. Treviso are woeful -- 16 points and bottom of the table -- so the weekend can't have helped the bianconerri's confidence. Pavel Nedved returns from suspension, while Alessandro Del Piero remains unavailable. Of course, Mauro Camoranesi, Jonathan Zebina, and Patrick Viera are all suspended after their meltdown in London.

Television: Viewers in the US, rejoice: In a late change, ESPN has decided to televise the match. Huzzah! (It's nice to see they can pull their collective heads out once in a while. Now if they can just ditch Tommy Smythe...) So the match will be televised at 1445 EDT on ESPN2. Set your Tivos now. The only problem for me is that I've 'watched' all previous CL matches online. So my superstitious nature is asserting itself, reminding me of every major televised defeat I've seen, like Germany 1-0 US in World Cup 2002, or Arsenal 1-2 Chelsea in the 03/04 Champions League. But I've got to face those demons. (Right?)

Prediction: I'm a pessimist by nature. But I have to believe that we can do this. On the other hand, I can't imagine I'll be comfortable with it. Call it 1-1 final, with Juventus getting a goal around 40', and then Arsenal responding at 75'.

Or we could just win 5-0. That would work too. Either way, we should expect nothing less than an advance to the semifinals, facing either Inter Milan or Villareal. So let's do it, get the job done, and get the early goal. COME ON YOU GUNNERS!

Update: According to Arsène, Cesc looks good for Wednesday, and Eboue is 80% likely. So we're likely to have two of the key players back from the match last week. Here's hoping they're fit and play as well as they did last week. If they do... then I feel pretty good about the match.

Arsenal 2-0 Juve; Arsenal 5-0 Aston Villa

2006-04-03T07:30:00.000-04:00

What can I say about two fantastic matches? I've been slow to post for a few reasons (no match video and new computer). But the good news is that I haven't had to. Plenty of news outlets and blogs have covered Arsenal's success of late. Nothing brings attention like success I suppose.

So what's the consensus?

"Patrick Vieira's return to Arsenal was ruined by Arsene Wenger's new generation as the Gunners ran out comfortable 2-0 winners." (Soccernet)
"Juventus might be eight points ahead at the top of Serie A but they were a ragged mess by the end of the match. They had heavy legs and bowed heads after being blown away by an Arsenal side that played with verve and invention." (BBC Sport)
"The first 10 minutes aside, when Juventus looked mildly irritating if not dangerous, the game was all Arsenal. We were the ones who looked dangerous, the ones who looked like we wanted to score, the ones who had the desire to win the game, the ones who put 100% in our tackles and positioning and without question we were the ones who deserved to win the game." (Arseblog)
"We were so good that we made the runaway leaders of Serie A look – well, poor. I’m not one to get carried away as a rule, and I know we could still get bumped out of the CL against a team that will fight to the last, but last night cemented the notion that something big is happening at Highbury – and I’m not talking about the new stadium (though that is big, I admit)." (East Lower)
"Juventus, on the receiving end, were in a most un-Italian panic well before the close while Arsenal did not get over-excited and the triumph was pieced together with patience." (The Guardian)
"Well, "The Old Lady" just had a stroke!!!!" (Surfcam on Big Soccer)

And the thing is, Arsenal really did dominate Juve to that degree. Their two red cards were perhaps the best illustation of how frustrated they became. Of course, it's only half the story, and taking a 2-0 lead into Turin guarantees nothing. But the cards will help, as three Juve players are ruled out for Wednesday.

As for the Villa match, well, simply yet another brilliant performance. Two brilliant goals for Henry, another as good for van Persie, and a fine debut goal for Diaby. The defense played well, and even Jens got in on the fun with a couple of fantastic saves. But I think you have to make Emmanuel Adebayor the Man of the Match. His opening goal was, frankly, ugly -- a header off a clearance that found first the bar, then the back of the defender's head. Yet for much of this season we've lacked just that sort of positioning that finds rebounds and puts them away. And he had wonderful play throughout the match. He had a great touch with the sole of his foot on a 60-yard ball, flicking it onto Henry's feet for his beautiful second goal. And his incisive run left the middle wide open for Diaby's goal. All match long, Adebayor was in good positions, making nice runs, and generally doing very useful things. He's really making a spot for himself, and is really going to put the pressure on Robin van Persie (not to mention Theo Walcott) to find playing time.

The match had its down side though, with Fabregas and Eboue both departing due to injuries. Wenger says that "Both are a small 50/50 for Wednesday night. That means a 60/40 against.", which means I'm fairly sure he's a football genius but not a math genius. But in any event, it reduces our options for Wednesday, which is unfortunate. Hopefully one or both of them will be able to play, but we'll only know for sure on Wednesday.

And I can't wait. It should be an intriguing match, though I'll admit to some nerves for it. 2-0 is not insurmountable, and Juve will be tough at home. I'm sure they'd like nothing better than to craft a huge upset. But if Arsenal can play on Wednesday like they have in their past several matches, I think they'll be OK.

Much more to post this week, there's a lot going on. Juve on Wednesday, followed by a visit with Man United on Sunday. COME ON YOU GUNNERS!

Two Tickets To Nashville

2006-04-02T21:13:00.000-04:00

Two Tickets To Nashville
Originally uploaded by cisko.

It's not Germany, but still we'll get a chance to send the Nats off in style. We'll stand with Sam's Army. Should be a blast!

Before the Big Night: Arsenal-Juventus Preview

2006-03-28T07:02:00.000-05:00

What a huge night for the Gunners. I'm edgy now, seven hours before the match. I don't know how I'll react as gametime approaches. Better back off on the caffiene today. I'm so thankful that I was able to be at Highbury for two matches back in November. Even for Sparta Prague, the atmosphere was electric; it really brought home for me how special the Champions League has become. But for Juventus? I can only imagine. It helps that the weather here is cool and misty -- a very London day. In fact, the forecasts are quite similar. So in my minds eye, I can see the bright green pitch glistening under the lights; rows of transfixed fans, tens of thousands, and yet still intimately close to the action; and the players, running their drills, loosening up and calming the jitters before that first whistle. And the roar that greets it.

So the match is progressing normally. Of course most of the stories are about Viera's return to Highbury, and why not. But of course that has no relevance after the first kick. What's going on tactically? Arsenal are missing Sol Campbell and Freddie Ljungberg. Sol was unlikely to start anyway but Freddie will be missed; Pires needs to play with immense energy today if we're to succeed. Of course, Emmanuel Adebayor is cup-tied and unavailable also. Arsene Wenger will have the services of Jose Antonio Reyes, Robin van Persie, and Abou Diaby, so at least a few of our recent injury worries are past us.

For the other side, Juventus are missing some key players as well. Alessandro Del Piero is unavailable after the Roma match and Pavel Nedved is suspended. The tough 1-1 draw against Roma on Saturday will surely have some effect, while Arsenal inadvertently took the weekend off due to poor groundskeeping at Fratton Park. It will be interesting to see what tactical formation Wenger will use, the standard Arsenal 4-4-2 or the 4-5-1 that served so well against Real Madrid. Given the strong midfield pairing of Viera and Emerson, it wouldn't surprise me to see the 4-5-1 to put more pressure on the middle of the pitch. But if we do, then Pires needs to have a huge game, and to provide defensive support for Emmanuel Eboue. Or perhaps Wenger will start Aleksander Hleb wide right instead.

I don't know and it really doesn't matter anyway. I'm excited and nervous, and more than anything I want to see a fiery, aggressive performance from the Gunners. We know they have it in them, and the Champions League has treated them well so far. Let's have at it, boys, and give THOF one more classic night under the lights. COME ON YOU GUNNERS!

Pompey - Arsenal Postponed

2006-03-25T11:53:00.002-05:00

Well, that sucks. It's an odd feeling, anticipating a game, and then getting nothing. I was planning to head to a local pub to watch the match, the first time I'd tried at this particular place. They always have FSC on but I don't know whether they'd turn up the sound for a match or not. So now, no luck.

So we'll have to see when the match is rescheduled. I have to assume that it won't be tomorrow. Arsenal have Juventus on Tuesday, and only one rest day in between would be a bit much to ask. I would have preferred to play today, as we're on good form. Instead, we'll have to watch as Arsenal are passed again; as I write, Blackburn leads Sunderland (what a shock), so they'll pass Arsenal in the table. Bolton visit Boro on Sunday, while Tottenham host West Brom on Monday. Which means Arsenal could find themselves in seventh on Monday, through no fault of their own.

Still, having a game in hand could be nice, particularly against bottom-feeders Pompey. We'll see how it plays out. Tuesday is huge in any event, and now the players will have that extra rest. (Hm. A bit of an FA conspiracy? Nah, couldn't be...) Juventus face a tough match with Roma this evening, and will want a win over their big rivals. Del Piero is scheduled to rest but otherwise it should be a normal team playing. Will it make a difference for Tuesday? Let's hope!

Update: I'm keeping an eye out for news stories on this one. This one claims "Arsenal Relief" but doesn't have the quotes to back that up. Here are more details from the disappointed Pompey side. I'm sure they'd like to face the Gunners on a soggy pitch -- that's one way to gum up the Arsenal passing machine -- but no such luck today.

Germany 4-1 US

2006-03-23T07:02:00.000-05:00

Not a good night for the US. The first half was rather even, with both sides getting chances but nobody converting. The second half unraveled quickly, with sub Bastian Schweinsteiger scoring 20 seconds in. The US held for another half-hour, and then the wheels came off. Olliver Neuville, Miroslav Klose, and Michael Ballack all scored in a six-minute span, officially routing the Nats. The US got a goal back, but (as the Germans would say) it was merely an Ehrentreffer.

You could see this result coming from a mile away. The US didn't field its best team; Wednesday was not an official international date, so clubs weren't required to release players for the match. Yet Germany was able to put out its best team. Germany saw this as a must-win game after its 1-4 loss to Italy, and in particular coach Jurgen Klinsmann was under enormous pressure. If the US had even kept the match close, the pressure would build, and a loss would possibly have seen Klinsmann sacked.

In no way is this a pleasing result. And yet there's no need to ring the alarm bells for the US. The main purpose for the match (if I can read Bruce Arena's mind for a moment) was to consider some of the borderline candidates for the squad, and to gain some experience in a difficult situation. Those goals were met. Of course, the fans are ballistic. For whatever reason, a substantial portion of Nats supporters seem a touch bipolar. I was tempted to trawl the BigSoccer threads for some of the more incendiary comments, but it's probably best not to feed the flames.

In reality, very little has changed for the US since yesterday. Despite FIFA's bizarre #5 ranking for the US, the Nats have never been a potential favorite to win the World Cup. (Odd run about 80/1 on the prospect.) Even a repeat of the 2002 quarterfinal appearance would be a major accomplishment. Group E is going to be a dogfight.

So, US fans, set your expectations accordingly. And give credit to the team when it's due. Don't worry too much about yesterday; nobody will remember this match in four months. And if you simply must have something to worry about? Well, I'm sure we can find something.

Fran Merida Videos

2006-03-21T10:56:00.000-05:00

And now for some search-term pimpage...

Still no hard news on the Catalan youngster. The stories are all feeding on last week's rumor-spill, but I can't find any new information on the story. Speculation is that he'll be 'loaned' to Celta Vigo, as with Carlos Vela, but I haven't seen anything new on that.

Still, I know we're all interested in his abilities, at least judging by your search terms. So let's take a look:

Here a permalink.. And here's another video hosted on YouTube.

Yeah, looks like he's got some potential. It's hard for me to judge from these games, though. They're against young players which has to make a difference. I'd love to see video from the closed-door friendly from last Tuesday, but if any exists I'm sure it's closely held in Arsene Wenger's Fortress of Solitude. We'll see if the rumor has truth behind it...

A Tale Of Two Managers: Class vs. Ass

2006-03-21T08:00:00.000-05:00

Jose Mourinho, on Saturday:

"It's a handball so it's not a goal and the decision is correct. What is not correct is the referee didn't see and allows the goal, the linesman didn't see but after pressure by Fulham they changed their decision."

Stuart Pearce, on Monday:

"It happens at times. The referee has made an honest decision and I will stick with that, I will never criticize referees. Jihai swung his arm out, there was no contact at all but we will live with the referee's decision."

Mourinho says the call was correct, but the ref was still wrong to make it. Pearce says that the call was wrong, but that the ref made the best call he could.

Enough said there. I'm starting to become a fan of Pearce. He's carried himself well since he was named manager at Citeh last March. He's probably a bit inexperienced to manage England, but still I wouldn't mind seeing him appointed. I think his work ethic and straigtforward honesty would serve the country well.

And I love the irony too. Here's a punk rocker as one of the real class acts as a manager. Cheers, Stuart!

Arsenal 3-0 Charlton

2006-03-18T17:02:00.000-05:00

A bit of an exhibition for Arsenal. Arsenal were in control throughout. Charlton looked to have little attack threat, while Arsenal were constantly threatening the goal. The statistics are a bit flattering to Charlton -- it's hard to believe that they actually held 44% of the posession, and I can't remember their one shot on goal. Arsenal were less dangerous in the latter part of the game, but only because they brought on three subs, and because they were looking for the 'right' goal, creating opportunities for first Bergkamp and then Toure.

So all around, a fine performance for the boys. None of the Gunners had a bad game, though Henry was uninvolved for much of the play. Hleb and Pires both had great games, and I think this improved wide play has been one of the major factors in Arsenal's resurgence. It takes the load off the spine of the team; in particular, it reduces the need for Gilberto to attempt aggressive passes. And it provides protection for the inexperienced fullbacks. In any event, Arsenal look as threatening and creative as ever, and it's good to see.

The win was crucial, as the rest of Arsenal's competitors for European spots also took three points: Birmingham 0-2 Tottenham, Blackburn 3-2 Boro, and Bolton 2-0 Sunderland. Of course, Birmingham and Sunderland are in the relegation zone, while Boro isn't far from it (and had the Roma match during the week). So no surprise on the wins. Still, Arsenal needed to keep pace, and did so easily.

Next weekend could be a bit of a challenge, as Arsenal travel to Fratton Park to take on Portsmouth. Pompey have won their last two and look to ignite a fight-back from relegation. Arsenal must keep their belief and get ahead early next Saturday. Again their rivals will have bottom-feeder opposition: Blackburn visit Sunderland, Bolton visit Boro, and Spurs host West Brom. So, another must-win weekend. But today's performance was custom-made for building hope. COME ON YOU GUNNERS!