Upset of a Lifetime

Tell me you watched. Tell you me were able to get off work or had the game recorded and you experienced the same wondrous, awe-inspiring, history-defining moment that occurred on Tuesday in Barcelona. If you don’t know, you’re about to: Chelsea, a club that has been disappointing in Premier League play this season, pulled off the upset of the century in the Champions League semifinals against the mighty Barcelona.

The week before at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea played phenomenally and held off Barcelona 1-0 to take a lead going into the leg in Spain. Even though they were down, no one expected that Barca would have any trouble regaining their form and moving on at home. Then, Saturday happened. What happened, you ask? The all-important match with Real Madrid that pretty much decided the La Liga title ended with a loss for Barcelona. In that match, and in the first leg with Chelsea, something looked off with the Spanish giants. They didn’t have the consistent and precise touch and finishing that has been so frustrating for opposing sides the last few years.

After that loss, I thought that Chelsea might have a chance to move on, even though on paper they were the far inferior team. This thought was weakened when the game began. Camp Nou was rocking and Barcelona came to play, dominating from the get-go. Sergio Busquets gave them a lead in the 35^th minute and then John Terry committed a dirty knee-in-the-back foul and earned himself a red card just a couple minutes later. Chelsea found themselves a man and then another goal down after Iniesta scored Barca’s second. However, just before halftime, Ramires took a wonderful through-ball from Frank Lampard and scored a beauty of a goal, chipping the ball over Victor Valdes from the edge of the box. This goal evened the aggregate score and gave Chelsea some hope.

For me, the deciding blow came shortly after halftime. Barcelona were again pressing heavily in the Chelsea box and Didier Drogba, who has played so well in Champions League, committed a penalty in the box. Lionel Messi, arguably the greatest player of this generation, stepped to the spot to finish the Blues off. Right as he went to kick it, there seemed to be a moment of hesitation and he banged it off the crossbar.

After the Messi miss, there were still an innumerable amount of chances for Barcelona to score the winning goal. They had possession almost non-stop and were in Chelsea’s half constantly. In this manner, they looked the Barca of old. However, they lacked just the right amount of finesse to finish off their chances. Chelsea even tried to help. They brought on Fernando Torres, who up until that time was the biggest bust of recent transfer memory, for Drogba. Torres struggled a bit in defense and it seemed that he could be the goat once again. But in the 90^th minute, Torres broke free on a clear and coolly slotted home the goal that assured Chelsea of advancement. To have Torres finish off this monumental upset was symbolic of the greatness of this accomplishment.

Taken as a whole, this round was as unlikely as anyone could have imagined. Even the most loyal of Chelsea fans had to admit that their chances were minimal. But Chelsea showed that heart and willpower could trump a less-than-perfect Barca squad. Over a span of eight days, Barcelona fell hard from glory. They were bounced out of both Champions League and La Liga title contention and on Friday, coach Pep Guardiola stepped down as Barca’s top man. Barcelona will have to use this offseason to re-group and evaluate how to get back to the pinnacle.

Chelsea, on the other hand, will have a tough time in the final against Bayern Munich, who won in astonishing fashion against Real Madrid, as they lost several players on yellow cards and Terry’s red. Though their chances will be slim yet again, I will not doubt Chelsea’s chances, even if they have to travel to Bayern’s home stadium to play. No matter the result, I have to like interim coach Roberto Di Matteo’s chances of becoming the permanent coach, as he has done an amazing job of keeping this squad on task. We can only wait and wonder until May 19^th to see how this crazy and exciting Champions League season comes to a finish.

As the EPL Turns

It was an interesting week for the top teams in the English Premier League. Sunday brought us an upset of Manchester City by recently promoted Swansea while Wayne Rooney led Manchester United to a victory over West Brom. This turn of events allowed United to leapfrog its rivals for the top spot in England. With only 10 matches remaining, City finds itself in a precarious situation.

Both teams also played in the Europa League during the week. If you remember, both were embarrassingly knocked out of the Champions League in group play and relegated to playing in the second-tier Europa competition. Of course, both were knocked out that this week. This was just the final punctuation in what has been a miserable year for English teams in European competition (except you Chelsea, congratulations on advancing, or whatever).

So now the teams from Manchester only have the EPL title to fight over. City had been coasting along most of the season, but United has been able to fight through injuries to get results and stay within striking distance. With the shocking loss to Swansea, City finally cracked and let United into the driver’s seat.

While examining the remaining schedules, I always thought that City had the tougher road to glory. They still have to play the likes of Chelsea, Newcastle United, and Arsenal. Even more importantly, a second match against United (who they manhandled earlier this season) looms. This match may very well decide the championship.

I still believe that both teams have some kinks to work out and whichever squad is able to regain composure will take the title. Overall, the league has seen some new teams sustain success (Newcastle United and Tottenham) and a familiar face regain some pride (Arsenal). The contest for a top four spot in the EPL and thus a spot in the Champions League next season also remains in the balance.

The end of this season, however disappointing it was in Europe, still guarantees excitement as we wind down. While many may say that the EPL had a down season, I think (and hope) that they saved everything for the last two months. Whoever takes home the title will have earned it and will show the world that there are still competent soccer clubs outside of Barcelona and Madrid.

Top Soccer Moments of 2011

As we close out another year and chapter in our lives, I am taking a few moments to reflect back on the most significant memories of 2011 in the world of soccer—both at the club and international levels. It has been quite an interesting year on and off the field and though this year is ending, we have much to look forward to in 2012.

7. Fernando Torres to Chelsea There were many significant transfers this year, including Samir Nasri to Manchester City and Cesc Fabregas to Barcelona, but the one that got the most press was the star Spanish striker moving to Stamford Bridge for a fee of £50 million (yes, that is pounds), only to disappoint by not scoring his first goal for over 900 minutes of action.

6. Barcelona Dominance This seems to be a common trend the last few years, but again, we cannot ignore the greatness of Lionel Messi and his crew of Spanish stars. They once again dominated the Champions League when they dismantled a very good Manchester United squad in the final. They also won La Liga and even though Real Madrid won the coveted Copa del Rey, Barca still managed to win that battle.

5. FIFA Scandals 2011 started off with a scandal for FIFA in both the presidential election process and the picking of the 2018 and 2022 World Cup sights. There were accusations that choosing Qatar for 2022 was not clean. In the past few months, FIFA President Sepp Blatter attracted criticism when he denied the presence of racism in soccer. This was followed up by serious allegations against prominent EPL players Luis Suarez and John Terry that they used racial abuse during matches. Hopefully, 2012 will be a better year for FIFA with World Cup qualifying and the Euro Cup.

4. Manchester City’s Rise to Prominence City flirted with the top of the table during last season’s campaign, only falling when United smacked them down with the goal of a lifetime (see below) and recaptured the title. City was not deterred and acquired Samir Nasri over the summer and came out on fire this season, culminating in a 6-2 shellacking of hated cross-town rivals Manchester United. Both teams are currently tied atop the table, so 2012 should bring much drama in the EPL. City’s talent, however, is not to be doubted any longer.

3. Hiring of Jürgen Klinsmann At the end of July, after much speculation, the US Soccer Federation fired embattled coach Bob Bradley and hired fan-favorite Klinsmann. This was a move that many thought was going to happen a few years ago, but finally came to fruition in 2011. Klinsmann’s start to the US era has been slightly disappointing, but with a few months to go until World Cup qualifying, he still has time to measure the talent available and create a side that will be somewhat respected on the international scene.

2. Wayne Rooney Bicycle Kick If you have not seen this play yet, please do so now. This was one of the best goals I have ever seen and came near the end of the crucial aforementioned match against a surging Manchester City squad. It is also synonymous with the growth in Rooney’s career as a professional soccer player and will be replayed on top ten lists for centuries to come.

1. Women’s World Cup In any other year, Rooney’s goal would have taken the top spot. However, for anyone who watched the WWC this summer, you will agree that this was the soccer event of the year. Women’s soccer has never been considered on the same level as the men’s game, but the women proved they are no joke. The feel-good story was the US Women’s team, which was the favorite going in, but did not win their group, then had some amazing matches against Brazil and Japan in the knockout round. In the end, even though the US, Brazilian, and German teams got all the coverage, an underdog Japanese team took the title by showing that heart can win out over talent. The sportsmanship displayed during the tournament left a good taste in everyone’s mouths, a refreshing turn from the embarrassing antics by some of the men’s national teams in the recent World Cup.

As you can see, this has been a fantastic year of soccer at all levels. This year was also big for me personally, as I joined the ranks of soccer journalism with MyBriefs.com, and it has been a wonderful ride. I hope you stick with us into the New Year, as we get ready for the great goals, moments, and competitions of 2012!

Settling The Debate of Best Ever—Or Not (August 2011)

Over the last couple seasons, many soccer analysts and so-called “experts” have stated that the current Barcelona team could be the best ever assembled. Across all sports, it seems that we hear “Best Ever” thrown around like a seal during Shark Week. The 18-1 2008 Patriots were regarded as Best Ever until they weren’t even best in the NFL that season. Individual players such as Wayne Gretzky and Michael Jordan have been called the best to ever play their individual sports as well. 

The only problem with these statements is the one thing that matters most—time. Sports are ever-evolving; there is no definitive way to compare athletes or teams that competed in different eras. Were the ’27 Yankees better than the ’75 Reds (as a native Cincinnatian, which way do you think I lean?). Or how does one know that Jordan was better than Oscar Robertson when they never played against one another or against the same competition?

While we will never definitively know who the best team or athlete of an individual sport is, at least in the “Ever” sense, it is a mighty good time to talk about it and watch YouTube videos to “research” the subject. Regarding Barcelona, it is possible that they may be the best ever-assembled soccer team on the club level, but there must be a player that stands out to make this team so great. That individual is Lionel Messi. While we cannot definitively state he is the best player to play this beautiful game, we can argue that he is amongst the greatest to touch a soccer ball.

Now if for some reason you have been living under a rock, get on a computer and watch some highlight footage right away (also, Geico can save you 15%). Now, one thing you should know is that I am a fan of English soccer; I think the style of play is more exciting, there is less (though still too much) diving, and the competition is higher throughout the standings. But watching Lionel Messi and Barcelona play is a joy. Sure, they are a possession team that frustrates their opponents by keeping the ball for hours, but they always have a purpose and the offense runs through perhaps the best soccer player on the planet right now. Messi seemingly keeps the ball glued to his feet and weaves in and out of defenders, making the world’s best athletes look like kids wearing Rec-Specs (see: Chris Sabo).

And if you’re not convinced that he is the best player in the world right now, watch some video of Barcelona and imagine if he did not play for that team. They would still be pretty good, but the gel that makes them the best in the world would be absent. Furthermore, any Barcelona game will feature a Lionel Messi at the top of his game; he’s not error-free, but he plays as flawless as anyone else in the world.

While we may never know if he is better than fellow Argentinian Diego Maradona, or Brazilian Pelé, or even American Michael Bradley (kidding!), we do know he is definitely in the hypothetical conversation for “Best Player to Ever Touch a Soccer Ball.” If Lionel Messi is able to lead Argentina to World Cup glory, we may be able to put him in to the Michael Jordan/Wayne Gretzky category of possibly Greatest Ever!

Champions League Final Preview (May 2011)

Well, it’s almost here! The Champions League pits the best club teams from around Europe against each other in a Soccer Battle Royale. This year, the top two teams were Manchester United and Barcelona, and both were expected to be in the Final. Truly a competition between the best, the dream Final is just days away.

Manchester United has nearly clinched the Premier League title after a clutch victory against second-place Chelsea last Sunday. Similarly, Barcelona wrapped up their La Liga title this Wednesday after running away from Real Madrid over the last few weeks. And while the Italian Serie A and the German Bundesliga are usually strong contenders, the Spanish and English leagues have been the strongest this season.

Barcelona has been touted as perhaps the best club team ever assembled, with an All-Star crew led by the amazing Lionel Messi. With most of the World Cup-winning Spanish team dispersed between the top two Spanish club teams, Barcelona has become a powerhouse.  With finesse and a possession-heavy style, Barcelona are fun to watch for soccer purists, and are rightfully the favorites.

Manchester United, on the other hand, came into this season trying to recapture the Premier League, as well as make up for a disappointing Champions League campaign in 2010. They had early magic from the likes of Berbatov and Nani, then Chicharito burst on the goal-scoring scene and Wayne Rooney re-emerged to his usual level of play. After a short struggle, United are back to their winning ways and are perhaps the deepest team in Europe.

Why Barcelona will win: They are the best team. Won La Liga with relative ease, have the best player in the world (Messi), stay cool under pressure and beat Manchester United in this very game two years ago.  Simply put, if they get an early lead, they can frustrate United into silly mistakes and take the title home.

Why Manchester United will win: They have the best manager (maybe ever) in Sir Alex Ferguson, who will not let his team falter on the big stage. Ryan Giggs and Wayne Rooney have played like veterans in leading young players Chicharito and Antonio Valencia into surprising stardom. The defense (Vidic and Ferdinand) is healthy. Finally, the Edwin Van Der Sar swan song will provide strong motivation.

Key Matchups:

Lionel Messi vs. Nemanja Vidic—Will the Serb keep the World’s Best Player under check? While that’s nearly impossible, Vidic will need to play strong defense without allowing too many close-range set pieces.

Barcelona backline vs. United set pieces—Perhaps the most glaring weakness for Barcelona is their relative lack of height, and against a taller, more aggressive lineup than they’re used to, Gerard Pique and company will have their hands full.

The Midfield Battle—Will Ryan Giggs, Michael Carrick, and friends be able to compete with Xavi, Iniesta, and Busquets? You may laugh at that, but United’s midfield and defense are rarely caught out of position and will have to be at the top of their game to disrupt the ball-controlling midfield of Barcelona.

Prediction: Since I’ll be rooting for Manchester United, this is tough. Barcelona are the favorites, and we see great soccer, but United take this one, 2-1, in regulation. Remember, you heard it here first (unless I’m completely wrong).