The Hunt for Silver Lining

Leagues around the world are winding to a close as we enter the end of spring (already?) and the beginning of a summer that will include Euro 2012, the Summer Olympics, and World Cup Qualifying. The last few weeks of the English Premier League have seen Manchester City squander away their stranglehold on first place. City fell apart to the extent that Manchester United climbed to an eight point lead last week and it seemed that the race was all but over. Even though this has been a down year for the EPL, this race has ensured that the title run will have some excitement.

City has regained some semblance of their early season form over the last two matches, winning by a combined score of 10-1. Meanwhile, United lost to lowly Wigan and now, after Saturday’s matches, sit only two points of City with a game in hand. If United struggle with Aston Villa on Sunday, Sir Alex Ferguson and crew will feel less than comfortable. The Manchester derby now looms larger than ever on the last day of April.

As I mentioned before, this has been a disappointing year for the EPL. The level of competition has been lower as it seems that injuries and lack of top form have ravaged many clubs. The title race has long been a two-team race and the battle for the last two Champions League spots has seen each team try to give it away. Tottenham started strong but has faltered. Arsenal started, well, like Arsenal, but they have come back with a vengeance to snatch third place. Liverpool continues to oscillate between competent and unmotivated. Chelsea fired their millionth manager in five years but have found a way to stay competitive. And Newcastle United continue to stick around with impressive victories and striker play from Demba Ba.

Last season, I stated that the EPL was the strongest club league in the world, closely followed by Spain’s La Liga. Barcelona and Real Madrid have been so strong this year that I can no longer state this as fact. However, there is plenty left to cheer for in England. Chelsea remain alive in the Champions League and if they can play as a unit, they may have a chance to surprise Barcelona in the semifinals. Arsenal have shown that it is possible to overcome the critics and ridicule they suffered in October. The staying power of Newcastle and Tottenham give credit to the unmatched top-to-bottom depth of the Premier League.

While this season has left many sour tastes in the collective mouth of the fanbase, there is hope that all will be better. The competition at the top of the table has been running hot for several years in a row, so we had to be aware of a letdown sooner or later. Given the apparent lack of fire by some clubs, we are still being treated to battles for the title, Champions League spots, and avoiding relegation. When players return from injury or clubs like Chelsea regain stability, the battle for glory will once again be intense and fun to watch. Until then, we can enjoy what is available and savor the last few matchdays of the season.

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!

What if City Won? (November 2011)

As we near the winter third of the season, we are provided an opportunity to review the English Premier League standings thus far. Right now, Manchester City leads the table with Manchester United and a host of others, in chase. However, it looks like a two team race with City the clear favorites.

So you ask, why should I care if City wins? If you’re not a strong fan a particular team, you should take note that since the induction of the Premier League in the early 90s, only one team (Blackburn) outside of Manchester United, Arsenal, or Chelsea has won. One of the beauties of this sport is keeping every team competitive through relegation; one of the blemishes is that parity is still tough to come by because money is such a factor.

Over the summer, Manchester City continued its buying ways by acquiring talents like Samir Nasri and Sergio Agüero to add to its already mounting artillery of talent. These moves have helped them overcome past obstacles that stopped them from truly challenging the title. They have not only gelled into a top team but one that has embarrassed respectable teams. This was capped off by a 6-2 humiliation of a befuddled Manchester United squad at Old Trafford a couple weeks ago.

Now, after this break is over, winter comes and teams must adjust for this crucial run. Teams tend to stumble during this period for various reasons. Last winter saw defending champions Chelsea stumble from a strong start to an unsuccessful chase of a stronger Manchester United side. Both City and United started this season by obliterating teams, but United has faltered because of a mysterious decline in team cohesion.

Nevertheless, Sir Alex Ferguson will find a way to re-energize his players in his 25^th season as manager. Whether Roberto Mancini is able to keep his team motivated at a high level all season remains to be seen. What we do know is that if they do take the title, City will break a longstanding run of championships from the almighty three.

Will it really mean all that much though? Yes, it will break a streak of Yankees-like squads from winning, but when you break it down, City has simply joined the ranks of these high-spending clubs. If they win, it will be refreshing for some fans to see a different face on the podium of champions, but it will only strengthen the notion that money is the key to success in professional sports.

This idea transcends almost all professional sports leagues around the world, and has proven to be the reason that so many leagues have lockouts, greedy owners, and disgruntled players. If anything, the ever-growing financial gap in sports is a representation of the financial gap in society. We have come to a crossroads in both, and future actions will decide if money or sport will prevail.

While it would be great for the EPL to have City as champions for a change, I am hoping for a different result. If it can’t be my beloved Red Devils, then I hope and root for a team on the lower rungs to surprise. This is currently too rare an occurrence, and owners and executives of all professional leagues must realize that money is not as important as true competition. For the sake of all athletes and fans, let’s hope they make changes to preserve the love of the game.

A Tale of Two Manchesters (September 2011)

It has been a good start for several teams to this 2011-2012 Premier League season: Stoke, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Newcastle United all have multiple wins under their respective belts. But no two teams have come out flying at a faster pace than the two squads from Manchester. Both City and United have enjoyed lots of goals and wins to make this an early two-horse race for the title.

Because the home stadiums of these two teams lie a mere four miles apart, the Manchester derby has always been heavily contested. There is a long and storied history of the meetings between the two, and recent years have done nothing to take away from this. As much as United have been at the top of the league, the overall series is only just in the Red Devils’ favor.

More than just wins and losses, the crossover between the teams has added kindling to the fire of this rivalry. Recently, transfers between the teams have been almost non-existent. One move of note is the signing of Carlos Tevez by City after he had two very successful and prolific seasons at United. After Tevez helped United win the Champions and Premier Leagues, he traveled the short distance from Old Trafford to City of Manchester Stadium in what was considered utter betrayal by some United fans. However, no one from the Red Army will admit that they weren’t somewhat happy when Tevez gave City troubles about wanting to transfer home to Argentina.

Another case of loyalty-switching occurred earlier in the 1900s with Sir Matt Busby. Busby played for two United rivals: City and Liverpool, but may be most well-known for how he revived United and brought them to the forefront of English soccer. Even more, after the tragedy of the Munich Air Disaster, he reassembled the team and united the Manchester faithful. The work done by Sir Busby on behalf of United must have sent daggers into the hearts of City fans, as most of them have passed on.

Since the creation of the Premier League, Manchester United have been at the top of the table almost every season. Thanks to the purchase of City by the Abu Dhabi United Group in 2008, City have seen a flurry of spending in the last three years to bring in high profile players. Though the derby is always intense, it has not carried the implications that it does this season.

While City come out blazing every week, United seem to not only match but also surpass the efforts of those in the light blue jerseys. After City beat Tottenham 5-1 to take the top spot, United came back to beat Arsenal 8-2 later in the day. After City drew against Fulham this past weekend, United held on to beat Chelsea in their toughest, but most controversial, match to date. As you can see, this season’s race promises to bring us a new battle between two teams who have been long-time rivals because of geography; now they’ll be duking it out with more than just pride on the line.

Rivalry Not New, But Fierce As Ever (September 2011)

While each team has historic rivalries with other teams that are considered more bitter than this one, fans and players of both teams will tell you that no other rival has come close to bringing the intensity that Manchester United and Chelsea have brought against each other over the past several years. In sports, history weighs heavily on every team; it brings undue pressures, lofty expectations, and lots of media attention.

Over the last decade in the Premier League, Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool, and Arsenal have been at or near the top consistently. Recently, the likes of Tottenham and Manchester City have peeked their heads while Liverpool and Arsenal have dealt with bumps in the road. Chelsea and United, however, have stayed strong by way of big acquisitions and youth development to stay neck-and-neck. Since Arsenal won the league in 2004 by going undefeated, the trophy has traveled back and forth between Stamford Bridge and Old Trafford, where it currently resides.

While some have argued that the lack of variation in champions has shown a plateau in the EPL, there is no lack of excellent soccer. Chelsea and United were so dominant that in 2008, after a hard fought battle in the Premier League race, they both reached the Champions League Final as the two best teams in Europe, with United giving Chelsea the blues in penalty kicks to take the title. Furthermore, during Chelsea’s title defense last season, United were able to start the season with a prolonged stretch without a loss to see saw the momentum of this rivalry back to northern England.

This Sunday’s matchup, to take place at Old Trafford, is the first of two games that will prove pivotal in deciding this season’s champion. Both teams reloaded for this year’s title race. Chelsea added forward Juan Mata, young phenom Romelu Lukaku, midfielder Raul Meireles, and new manager André Villas-Boas. Meanwhile, Manchester United somehow strengthened a squad that went to the Champions League Final with winger Ashley Young, defender Phil Jones, and an infusion of promising young talent.

Not only will both teams be fighting it out until the end (with the likes of Manchester City by their sides), but they could be on a collision course in the Champions League as well. There is no doubt that fantastic soccer will be played any time these two meet up, but a healthy display of yellow cards and a busy referee are sure to be at Sunday’s match as well. Yours truly will be taking in the match with a pint at his local soccer pub, and he recommends you do the same. This is not one to miss!

Edwin Van Der Sar—One Fan’s Goodbye (May 2011)

This Saturday will mark the final game of one of the best goalkeepers in Manchester United history, Edwin Van Der Sar (also referred to as VDS). What’s the big deal about this particular goalie retiring? He may very well still be the best goalkeeper in the world right NOW. And he is 40 years old. Being 40 in soccer is like, well, being 40 in any professional sport. Not many athletes make it that far, and if they do, they’re more Jordan on the Wizards than Jordan on the Bulls.

The Red Devils have several players who reached their late prime this season: Gary Neville (who retired after just three games), Paul Scholes (who has been sub-par in limited appearances), and Ryan Giggs (who has carried this team at times). However, VDS has been perhaps the most invaluable asset to this season’s team. He has been the steady veteran that comes up with big saves when they are most needed, leading them to a Premier League title and an appearance in Saturday’s Champions League Final against Barcelona.

You can go to Wikipedia or a stats page to look at Van Der Sar’s amazingly long and productive career, both club and international. He was signed by United at the age of 34, with many critics thinking he was a temporary solution. Not only did he prove his doubters wrong, he blew them away with his long streaks without conceding a goal and his unbelievable ball skills. As a Manchester United and Premier League fan, what never fails to amaze me is how top shelf goalies are miserable handling the ball. I am hard pressed, however, to remember an instance where VDS not only didn’t mishandle a ball, or didn’t play one as well as any defender could.

I can only dream that Edwin Van Der Sar goes home for a couple weeks after Saturday’s game and decides that he is not done with the beautiful game. Maybe he has a conversation with Brett Favre and they both decide to come back; I’m OK with the non-stop coverage on ESPN if it means that VDS will be back for another magical season. But the logic in me (no matter how little I have) knows that Saturday is most likely the last time I will see one of the best goalies in history put on a Manchester United jersey.

Obviously, a win would just add on to what is already cemented as a great career. Beating the arguably best club team ever assembled would just be extra whipped cream on top of the cherry. And oh, what a fitting farewell it would be.

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).