SoccerUSA!!!

By Sean Connolly

And the winner is…Alan Curbishley! Beating Kevin Keegan by what looks to be a week!! We all thought Keegan would be the first casualty of this season’s firings, but it turns out that Curbishley has been the first to step out.

Blaming a “breach of trust and confidence,” Curbishley resigned today as West Ham United’s skipper and taking the prize of first coach leaving in the 2008 EPL season. Curbishley has been under enourmous pressure for the past few months and has been the favorite to be the first fired until last weeks tabacle with Kevin Keegan. But, not to be defeated Curbishley has taken the crown.

It seemed that if Curbishley could get off to a good start this season that this whole thing would just be forgotten. And sure enough he did leading West Ham to their best start in 9 season. Nevertheless Curbishley jumped before he was pushed off the plank landing in the seas of lost coaches.

For now Kevin Keen will take over West Ham as they search for a permanant replacement for Curbishley. Keen will now have to deal with what Curbishley has been complaining about. Curbishley said he was not involved in player moves and transfers and felt, rightfully so, that he should be considered when signing or releasing a player.

However, the club continued to make significant player decisions without involving me. In the end such a breach of trust and confidence meant that I had no option but to leave. Nevertheless, I wish the club and the players every success in the future.

Alan Curbishley on Leaving West Ham United

Now, we wait for Kevin Keegan’s turn, as it seems imminent that he and Curbishley will be swimming in the same waters soon.

By Sean Connolly

In one of the most drawn out signings in recent memory, Ronaldinho has officially signed with AC Milan. It seems like such a long time ago when it was first said that Ronaldinho would be a part of AC Milan, and after several months and several teams getting involved it’s finally over with.

Many things have happened but in the end I have become a Rossonero player. I am happy to find so many Brazilians but also all the champions that wear the Rossoneri colors. I am really happy. After many years I am here. I am delighted to have arrived to AC Milan and I hope to be able to give a lot of joy to everyone.

Ronaldinho on Finally Signing With AC Milan

AC Milan’s new product will be shown off on Thursday as Ronaldinho will be welcomed with welcomed arms at the San Siro Stadium at 9:30 P.M. This tedious transfer hasn’t taken its toll though. Both Inter Milan, and Manchester City were very well involved in looking to pick up the once world’s greatest player. It has also affected other players who have been unsure where to go, with a portion of their decision in the hands of Ronaldinho. Emmanuel Adebayor seemed the likely choice for Milan but suddenly chose Ronaldinho over the Arsenal star. There has also been rumors that Frank Lampard and Ronaldinho wanted to join forces and that a trade could put those two together.

This transfer should open the flood gates for a lot of moves in the next week or two. It seemed like this and the Cristiano Ronaldo transfer seemed to be blocking the door for a lot of teams. Barcelona haven’t looked back on Ronaldinho as they themselves have signed Alexander Hleb to a 4 year deal from Arsenal.

Who are the losers in this move though? It has to be Manchester City. At one point it seemed imminent that Manchester City would in fact steal Ronaldinho from AC Milan and sign the star but even after offering more than the 21 million Euros that AC Milan will pay Ronaldinho, his heart is in Milan. Signing Ronaldinho looked like such a smart and promising move for Manchester City that would have garnered them much attraction and could possibly allow them to compete with Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal, and Manchester United. Now, even after signing Brazilian Jo, things look bleak for Manchester City as they may need to pull out another blockbuster to bring them up the table.

What does moving to Serie A mean for Ronaldinho? Personally I think this is where it ends for the star. The league is way too strong defensively for Ronaldinho to pull out his magic and he will soon become an average player whose impact won’t reflect his paycheck. I think it’s time to bid Ronaldinho farewell as he will become lost in Italy.

Finally, it’s here. It’s been four years since Greece shocked the world and won Euro 2008 and this tournament should be just as exciting.

Alright, if you’re looking for predictions for Euro 2008 you came to the right place. Lets start with the first group, group A. You got Czech Republic, Turkey, Switzerland, and Portugal. Expect Portugal to have an outstanding Euro this year as they will easily top Group A. Cristiano Ronaldo will lead the Portugal side, despite trade rumors that he may leave United to go to Real Madrid, deep into the tournament. He is coming off his best season with Manchester United, and now knows what it takes to be the best in Europe as he won the UEFA Champions League title. Czech Republic should be the second team to come out of Group A thanks to the best goalie in the world, Petr Cech.

Group B has Austria, Germany, Croatia, and Poland. Although Austria will be playing on their home turf, I don’t think they’ll have a chance to get out of this solid group. Germany, an absolute soccer power house, will top the Group. My surprise pick of the entire group stage will be Poland. This is Poland’s first debut in Euro 2008 and I think they have a great chance to be this year’s Greece. Europe should not underestimate Poland.

In the most exciting group France, Italy, Netherlands, and Romania will fight it out in Group C. Now this is obviously the most difficult group as the group contains the World Cup winners and runner up in France and Italy. Both France and Italy will top the group but not without a fight from Netherlands. Luca Toni will put up a huge number of goals just like he did in 2006 and Italy’s defense will lead them to the top of this group. This will be the most entertaining group so make sure you tune in.

And finally Group D. Group D contains the surprise Euro 2008 Champions in Greece so they will play with a huge target on their back. The group also has Russia, Spain, and Sweden. Spain will easily top this group as they along with Portugal, Italy, and Germany are the sure favorites for winning the tournament. Spain’s Torres is an absolute star and should lead the tournament in goals and bring Spain deep into the tournament. Following Spain in Group D will be Greece. They did it four years ago and I expect them to make a move again this year and be this year’s Greece (it does make sense).

Portugal, Italy, Germany, Spain. Pick one of those countries if you want a Euro 2008 champ. Don’t expect a huge surprise winner like in 2004 but don’t count out a couple spoilers like Poland, Greece, and Czech Republic who can ruin someone’s day.

By Sean Connolly

With a slap Didier Drogba shattered Chelsea’s dreams of winning the Champion’s League. Today’s game will go down in history as the best game in Champion’s League history and includes the worst mistake in soccer since Zidane’s headbutt in the 2006 World Cup Final. Before I get into the finer things of the game let me sum up the final penalty kicks that made this game so exciting.

Tied after two overtime periods, penalty kicks were the only solution. At about half past one in Moscow, Russia both teams would have to fight through rain and try and take the cup. Both Chelsea and Manchester United made their first two shots convincingly. Then, Cristiano Ronaldo stepped up for the third shot with the score still tied. Surprisingly, the best player in the world failed to step up and it’s all due to his dumb move that he thinks fools the keepers but in facts gives them a better chance. Ronaldo’s penalty approach has been talked about amongst fans and head officials in Europe as to whether it was legal or not. Either way the star stepped up, stopped, and then had his shot blocked by Petr Cech. This stop and go move could have easily cost Manchester United the title, and he should quickly get rid of it before it ends up costing United a game. The tension built up to the 5th and possibly final shot for the Chelsea Captain, John Terry. With rain pouring down in Russia, the captain had a chance to end the game and give Chelsea the cup. He slipped as he shot and forced the ball right, just glancing the outside of the post. Two feet to the right would have won the game with Van Der Sar diving to the opposite side. The conditions of the field were awful to begin with, and with heavy rain making the field worse, the captain’s left foot gave out just as he struck the ball forcing the shot wide. This mistake by John Terry opened the door for Manchester United. After a goal by Ryan Giggs, Nikolas Anelka who had come on late in the game would step up for Chelsea. Anelka went right, as did dutchman Edwin Van Der Sar and blocked the shot to the right. Anelka’s penalty was poorly taken with little strength and neither high nor low where Van Der Sar couldn’t reach. His approach was predictable, and you could see Van Der Sar begin to smile before the ball hit his hands. With that Manchester United had won the Champion’s League.

If you’re a Chelsea fan though, do not blame Nicolas Anelka for not going right, or John Terry for not being aware of the conditions of the field, blame Didier Drogba. Reminiscent of the 2006 World Cup final between France and Italy where France Superstar Zinedine Zidane head butted Marco Materazzi and was sent off, Didier Drogba lost his head in a confrontation and decided to slap Manchester United player Nemanja Vidic. And the worst part is, it wasn’t even a good slap. If you’re going to slap someone to get sent off in the Champion’s League Final, make sure you get him good. At least Zidane’s headbutt was creative, I mean who headbutts someone in the chest anyway? Instead Drogba barely glanced Vidic’s chin right in front of the Referee, Lubos Michel. Michel immediately sent Drogba off as the game headed into penalty kicks. With the game obviously heading to extra time Drogba made the worst mistake of the game. To play for that long and get kicked out of the biggest game of your career over something so small and dumb is beyond me. Drogba’s character was shown in this game and it should definitely hurt him as trade rumors surround him.

Surely if Drogba was in the game in penalty kicks, Chelsea would have won. His stupid antics cost his team a win and should be looked at as the goat of this game. If Drogba was in the game John Terry would not be taking the 5th and final shot to win the game, but Drogba would be. Instead, John Terry, a defender, stepped up and missed. This will most likely be Drogba’s last game as a Chelsea player and Chelsea fans should be happy.

The drama of Drogba’s slap of Viddic and the final penalty kicks will definitely overshadow an amazing game throughout. The first goal was scored by star Cristiano Ronaldo from a beautiful cross from Wes Brown. Ronaldo lifted high above marker Michael Essien and buried the ball perfectly into the lower left corner. Frank Lampard, overcoming the death of his mother, buried a goal after a deflect fell right to his feet minutes before half time which turned the momentum around for Chelsea in the 2nd half. The 2nd half wasn’t as eventful as the first half until Drogba took a shot outside the 18 yard box that hit off the post. If that shot was two feet to the right it would have ended the game and gave Chelsea the title. And then later in the game with the ball floating around Manchester United’s box, Frank Lampard found the ball at his feet about eight yards from the goal. With his back turned to the goal, Lampard turned and shot and drilled the ball off the crossbar. Again, two feet lower the cup would have been Chelsea’s. So, in total Chelsea came up two feet shy of the cup on three different occasions. Tough luck.

It’s amazing how many players could have ended up being criticized and blamed if the game turned out differently. If Manchester United doesn’t win you could easily blame Ryan Giggs for missing a wide open shot within the six yard box. Giggs recieved a perfect pass with the goal wide open and instead of drilling the ball home with his right, he decided to try and nudge it in with the outside of his left. This gave time for John Terry to get back to the line and push the ball away with his head. And then you could blame Alex Ferguson for taking Scholes out and putting Giggs in. You could easily blame Cristiano Ronaldo for trying to be too fancy and missing a penalty. The stop and go move by Ronaldo was so overt that if it went in the referee would have disallowed it. With Anelka’s miss though, both Giggs and Ronaldo were vindicated, leaving Ronaldo weeping in the middle of the field like a baby after Van Der Sar saved it.

This was the best game I’ve seen since the 2006 World Cup Final, and there are a lot of elements that remind me of it. If you’re a Chelsea fan feel bad for John Terry and maybe Anelka, but make sure you blame Didier Drogba’s slap for losing this game.

Champion’s League Final, May 21st 2008

Manchester United-2 Chelsea-1

Yeah, that’s my prediction but with the way the Champion’s League has gone this year who knows. Manchester United, after wrapping up the Premier League title over the weekend, go into the final on May 21st with the most momentum. Alex Ferguson had an interesting way of explaining their momentum coming into the final in Moscow,

If we’d lost the title it would have been a great knock but we are bouncing into the Champions League final

Both Chelsea and Manchester United went into the final weekend of the season tied in points, but United’s win over Wigan Athletic, 2-0, and Chelsea’s 1-1 tie to Bolton gave United the cup. Chelsea goes into the final beat up after a long season of injuries and trade rumors that have slowed, but not stopped Chelsea. With questions surrounding Didier Drogba, and John Terry’s fitness coming into the match Chelsea will be coming into the game already down.

Although Drogba and Terry have confirmed that they will without a doubt be ready for the final, they will definitely not be 100%. Terry who dislocated his elbow on Sunday against Bolton and Drogba who hurt his knee assured the Chelsea faithful that they will be on the field when the whistle blows. This is what Drogba had to say about he and his captain,

He (Terry) will play in Moscow. No one wants to miss this gigantic match, the match of our careers.

There is less question about Terry who is arguably the toughest player in the world but more about Drogba. Drogba’s season has been riddled with knee injuries and it seems that he gets injured nearly every game. Drogba and Terry aren’t the only Chelsea stars who will be overcoming injuries for the final, Ricardo Carvhallo is also scheduled to come back after battling a back problem.

As for United, they come into the final relatively injury free and on fire. Cristiano Ronaldo won the English Player of the Year award after his most spectacular season yet. He has had 38 goals and has done nothing this year but prove he is the best in the world. His back to back awards as PFA Player of the year has made him the main target for Chelsea in the final. Ronaldo’s speed, agility, and sheer genius will be too much for Chelsea and their injuries. Chelsea will have to find a way to keep the ball on Frank Lampard’s feet and distribute vertically to Drogba to avoid Ronaldo. Against Barcelona, Ronaldo was given room to roam and just torched the Barcelona defense and midfield. Ronaldo is the key for Manchester United, and the only way Chelsea can prevent a Manchester United double will be to contain him. But, as I predicted before Chelsea will come up a goal shy and expect United to take home a 2-1 victory.

By Sean Connolly

Throughout my years as a soccer fan I have seen some pretty stupid things. Such as Arsenal blowing a lead by tying a bunch of games in row this year, but forget that for now. Also, I have heard some pretty dumb things. Below is my list of the top 10 dumbest quotes from the players you love to watch. Enjoy!

10. Ugo Ehiogu- “I’m as happy as I can be…but I’ve been happier.”

9. David Beckham- “My parents have always been there for me, ever since I was about 7.”

8. Lee Hendrie- “I took a whack on my left ankle, but something told me it was my right.”

7. Mark Viduka- “I wouldn’t be bothered if we lost every game, as long as we won the league.”

6. Les Ferdinand- “I was surprised, but I always say nothing surprises me in football.”

5. Mitchell Thomas- “All that remains is for a few dots and commas to be crossed.”

4. Stan Collymore- “I faxed a transfer request to the club at the beginning of the week, but let me state I don’t want to leave.”

3. Barry Venison- “I always used to put my right boot on first, and then obviously my right sock.”

2. Thierry Henry- “Sometimes in football you have to score goals.”

drum roll please….

1. Ronaldo- “We lost because we didn’t win.”

Quickly let me get some of my frustration out from today. Although I am fan of the English Premiership as a whole, I find myself as a fan of Arsenal more than any other team. This leads to my frustration today as Arsenal blew a 1-0 lead and lost to Liverpool 4-2 in today’s Champion’s League match.

As Arsenal continue to squander all of their chances for any sort of title, Arsene Wenger continues to coach poorly. He is incapable of handling these young players and is useless unless he coaches superstars. Therefore, Arsenal needs to make a drastic change and delete Wenger from the equation. This move would mirror that of the Yankees getting rid of Torre despite their winning ways in that winning the entire thing is more important than winning a lot of games and coming up short when it matters. But I digress. So, please make a big move and shake things up again Arsenal. For now I am stuck watching MLS, but after its start on Thursday it could become the main staple in my soccer watching diet.

Written By: Sean Connolly

This week has been a very interesting one for English soccer teams playing in the Champion’s League. With four teams currently still in play(Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United, and Chelsea), the premiership is trying to prove that it is the most powerful in Europe. For the most part they have done so. Manchester United, led by the brilliance of Cristiano Ronaldo, took a 2-0 victory out of Italy as they beat AS Roma. Cristiano extended his amazing play from the premiership over the weekend to the Champion’s League on Tuesday. Cristiano has proved that he is the most electrifying player in soccer in the past year as he had yet again another brilliant game. His header for the first goal showed how much passion he plays with as he rose above a few Roman Defenders to finish in the back of the net. Over the weekend he helped United basically seal the premiership with only a few games left. He had total control of the game as he sent cutting passes throughout the game and led United to a victory. The way Ronaldo and the rest of United are playing they are with no doubt the favorite to win Europe and England.

As for Arsenal, they have chose the worst time to play like a rec league team. In only a month they have lost their spot atop England as they are now in third and need a miracle to take the title. They look as young as they are as they continually make childish mistakes that make them look absolutely awful. Today, Wednesday, they dominated the entire game against Liverpool at home but yet again failed to come away with a victory. After an amazing header from Adebayor from an equally amazing cross from Van Persie, Arsenal became flat and within 3 minutes, Liverpool’s Gerard cut the Arsenal defense up and put a pass right across Almunia for Kuyt to finish easily. Liverpool leaves North London with the ever crucial away goal as Arsenal and Liverpool tie 1-1. Although they tied Arsenal has to look at this game as a loss as they now need to go into Anfield and score at least one away goal. Despite being all but mathematically eliminated from winning the premiership, Liverpool seems to be doing everything right in the Champion’s League. As always they prove as a threat in Europe and could easily be the kind of team that could take down the streaking Manchester United.

The last team in England, Chelsea, had a rather upsetting day in Europe as they lost 2-1 to Fenerbahce in Istanbul. Chelsea couldn’t get anything going on offense and couldn’t score a goal themselves. Deivid of Fenerbahce, could not control a cross from Drogba and placed a ball perfectly in the back of his own net. That looked like that would be the end of Fenerbahce but they fearlessly came back and scored an equalizer. Then in the 81st minute Deivid went from goat to hero as he scored an impressive goal from 30 yards out into the top corner. Watching the first goal he scored on his own team you thought that he couldn’t finish any better, and ironically he showed that he is a true goal scorer as Fenerbahce leave with an impressive victory over a more talented team in Chelsea. Chelsea has has a tumultuous year since Jose Mourinho left. They haven’t been able to get over the hump in England as they are still out of first place. They did capitalize on Arsenal’s terrible play and now sit one spot ahead of them but they still need a lot of help in second place as Manchester are running away.