You Don't Need To CGI My Kicks To Get them To The Bar

I have went down to the field for a second day and for a second day I hit the crossbar on the goal about six times on my free kicks. Now, I did punch the back of the net more times than I punched the bar but it is still a bit discouraging unless I want to be a stand in for Ronaldnhio in the next Nike commercial.

So why did I go down to the field for therapy? Chelsea lost to Man U in Moscow earlier today. Now mind you, I thought they would beat Chelsea but it was seriously touch and go for a moment. When it came down to penalties I started to pace around the living room and my mother looked at me like I had lost my mind and my friend Shibley just laughed at me.

I am not going to make excuses for Chelsea but I think the poor pitch conditions combined with the rain was the eventual downfall of the Blues. I think that UEFA really should have dealt with this problem well before the game instead of having to relay the pitch so soon to the match time.

Regardless of the pitch, United have won their third Champions League final and did it in amazing fashion. I do think that United started to back off in the second half and Chelsea had a few descent chances that could have ended it before the need for either extra time or penalties.

How does this effect the teams? Manchester is probably still partying at this hour even though it's close 4 AM on the other side of the pond. United are looking to dip their fingers into the transfer pool that will be opening soon and very well could increase the strength of their team even if Ronaldo decides to move.

As for Chelsea, I really think this will be a strong catalyst for them when next season rolls around. With or without Avram Grant at the helm, this will be a highly motivated team that will certainly be ready to take on the any of the worlds champions.

Congrats Red Devils. We will get you next year.

Sunny Spring Days in Moscow

Europe's premier club competition comes to an end tomorrow in the capital city of Russia and as a Chelsea fan, I can not wait for it to start. I have some bratwurst thawing in the fridge and I plan to toss on my Chelsea jersey and tuck in for the match. I will probably skip training tomorrow because I will either be too happy or too sad to really want to. But that is beside the point. The point of this blog is to discuss the match itself and who I think will hoist the trophy that hardly ever graces England.

For starters, this is the first all English final and I could not think of two teams that are more deserving than Chelsea and Man U. I do not know what made Didier Drogba wake up at the end of the the second tie between Chelsea and Liverpool, but the docile tones of the Ivorian were reversed when he banged home a splendid shot in extra time to help carry the Blues to their first ever Champions League final. This will truly be one of the most splendid finals in Champions League history.

Moving on for a look at the teams and you see that there is no lack of talent on either bench. The question is, who will be sitting on the reserve list and who will be in the starting eleven. The team sheets are not out yet but it is worth speculation. The Blues will more than likely field the side that they have in the past few games and I do not know if playing Drogba up front alone will really do any good. I hope that Grant has used his time off to work the Drogba, Anelka combo. A 4-3-3 with the addition of Lampard could prove trouble for the Red Devils back four. With Ballack and Essien in the midfield feeding crosses in, it is likely that United will have something to deal with.

United have a completely fit side to square off with and there is no doubt that it is the most talented side in Europe right now. They will likely field a stunning eleven that will clamp down on Chelsea early on. The one thing to consider with United is that they lost earlier in the season to Chelsea during the run down of the Premiership.

Despite the loss, I really do not see an easy going for either team. Both teams are hungry for the win and their motivations are more than enough to add up to a shocking final that will really astound the fans of both teams. So, who do I think will lift the trophy? As much as I hate to say it, I think United will win on penalties.

What does this mean for the two teams? Avram Grant is possibly looking at packing his bags and leaving the Bridge after the end of the season due to his rough and tumble performance the past eight months. Out of the potentials, it is likely that Roberto Mancini from Milan fame will be making a residence in west London in the fall. Hopefully he will speak better English than Mr. Cappello.

As for Fergie, he is probably the safest manager in the Premiership these days. If anything, this is practice for next year when United may very well win the Treble next year. Reports out of the camp have said that they are looking to snag up talent over the summer that could truly make them the best team in the world. I would not be surprised if Fergie was elevated to the gaffer of the English national team at some point in the future.


If there is one thing that is for certain when the Champions League anthem is played over the PA system at the dilapidated Luzhniki Stadium, truer lyrics will never be sung about the two teams that are on that pitch. Go Blues!!

I Got A List Of Deamands!

I demand that Nike stop making their adds so damn addictive. I saw this add the other day when I was watching softball and I got onto youtube and snatched the video up as well as the video for the actual song. Which is properly titled, List of Demands.

This motivated me to go back down to the high school field that I spent working on my game at last summer. The teams left the nets in the goals as opposed to last year and there is nothing like watching your shot smack against the back of the ol' onion bag. And there is nothing like looking back on the past year and the simple fact that in about a weeks time it will be the one year anniversary of me breaking my leg because I decided to be dumb and go play in the middle of the night.

I would almost say that this past year has been the roughest of my life. It doesn't even compare to the year that we got kicked out of our house or the year that followed my grandmothers death. It feels like something was robbed from me over the past twelve months. Yeah, sure I was walking again in ten weeks but all that work was destroyed. All the shuttle runs. All the nights playing in front of Humanities in the freezing cold with the wind. All the work I did to develop my juggle and my touch. All the plyometric work to develop my jump. It all got pissed away almost a year ago. I remember leaving the hospital after they released me before my surgery and I started crying as the nurse waited with me for my mom to pull the car around. She asked me why I was crying and I told her, "it's seventy degrees, good breeze, and no humidity... my feet should be on a ball getting to know it even better than it already does." She looked at me kinda awkwardly for a moment then it sunk in.

It's been rough but I've got back to it. I played at school on a basketball court but to be back on the grass today was liberating. The entire time I was down there I had the song from the add in my head. I've got my list of demands. I will increase the power in my shot by next year. I will run at least five days a week. I will get fast. I will develop touch. My better will be better than your better. It's simple. These are not goals, they are demands that I am making to myself and I will hold myself hostage until the demands are met. What are your demands? Find some and you will probably cease to be sitting around here reading my blog. Happy footie all.

Is Ronaldo Heading For Retirement?

The United winger said earlier in the week that he may consider a move to Real Madrid after next weeks Champions League final. Retirement you may ask? Why, he's the best footballer in the world. I agree with you. He is one of best, if not the best, player in the world right now. But in recent years it seems like Madrid have picked up United players who are well on their way out the door, Beckham and van Nistelrooy for example.

But will he leave? Will United let him leave? United's chief executive, David Gill, said in January that they would not sell their Portuguese international. He also hinted last week that Red Devils are gearing up for another high dollar signing season and that they hope to improve the team even more. I am not sure that they possibly could improve the team even more. This is by far one of the best United teams to ever be kitted out in a season and if the entire first team can be fit and fielded for next weeks match against Chelsea then it is highly likely that I will be dodging renditions of "Glory Glory Man United" both on facebook and at my friend Josh's wedding next week.

Will he leave? Not for another year. If the squad gets better next year, it is likely that they will win the Treble again. Ronaldo would not pass up a chance like that to play for the La Liga winners. He wants to win. He wants trophies to his credit. He said so at the Football Writers Association gala. I think he is starting to talk about the transfer prospect now so that when it comes down to actually transferring, he will have his pick of clubs that will be after him. So, is he heading for retirement? Nah, No one heading for the retirement home would be able to dance around defenses or his intentions quite the way Mr. Ronaldo does.

Will Barca be less messy with Messi back?

With the Champions League Final around a month away, the competition is truly heating up and as we head into the semi-finals that start tomorrow, the players themselves are starting to speak out about the key factors that they see will effect the upcoming matches.

One individual speaking out is Carlos Tevez. The Manchester striker told the BBC that he thinks that the return of Lionel Messi will be the make or break for Barcelona in their upcoming Champs League tie.

Does Tevez's claim have any weight to it? You can look at it from two angles. From an individual players perspective, Messi is an amazing player. I zoomed over to soccernet and had a look at his stats for the Champions League and he outscores everyone on the team. You could also argue that from the individual level, he could be a rallying point for his side and could lead them on to win against United.

The other major view would be that from the team level. This gets subdivided into the two teams. Barcelona have had a rough end to their La Liga campaign this year and with Real Madrid to be the sure winners of the title, there is no way that the Catalan's can mount a return for the season. There are also grumblings in the club itself of the bigger stars leaving after this season. Ronaldinho, who will finish the season on the bench do to a leg injury, is hinted to be going to both Milans and possibly Manchester City over the break. Samuel Eto'o is discussing leaving after next season if the Nou Camp fails to gain silverware for another season. And lastly, everyone pretty much knows that Henry has become a cry baby but that he is trying to be mainly about it. Does this hurt the team that will played on Wednesday? Sure it does. If your major first team players are not really in the game to win, then sure it hurts you. This is just a ninety minute kick about for them and it is a situation that United will exploit.

Speaking of Manchester United, how does this match look for them? Anyone who knows me, know that I hate Manchester United more than I hate the fact that my alma matter is starting to charge students for the football tickets this coming season, but I think despite Tevez's reassurance that this will be a different game with Messi in, I doubt it will be. United are the best team in the world right now with the best players in the world. They are the Yankees of world football (yet another team that I despise). The striker core for the team and their midfield will do 95% of the work against Barcelona over the next two legs and I think this will be a huge victory for the Fergie's lads, Messi or not.

But, it is hard to say who will win the match. Football is more fickle than a group of teenage girls trying to pick a dress for prom. There are simply too many factors to calculate for these ties and if you only look at the factors that rest on top (like I just did) you are going to get a somewhat accurate picture but odds are no greater than 60% that your outcome will happen. Happy footy, all.

6+5=0

No, my math is not off on this one. This 6+5 rule is something that FIFA's president Sepp Blatter is trying to impose on the world football community. What is the 6+5 rule you might ask? It is a rule that would halt a team from fielding more than five non-national players in a teams starting eleven. Has anyone took a look at the Premiership lately? How many of the starting elevens of the the top four teams in the league have six English players in them? The answer is probably what you expected: none.

It is not that these teams do not have English players, oh they do. And lets be honest, some of them are quite good. Frank Lampard, Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrad, and Theo Walcott are all amazing players, but it is the backbone of international players that hold these teams up. As you go down further into the Premiership, the situation evens itself out a bit more when it comes to the number of national players but I doubt the top four teams would be where they are today if it were not for their international players.

Looking around at the various other league, even in Spain, some of the better players that get noted are from Brazil and other non-national countries. This is true even in German football, although, not to the same extent. The only country out of the major world leagues that would not be greatly effected would be Seria A. The Italians, for the most part, believe in an "in house" system. I personally believe that mentality is why they field such a strong national team.

Perhaps that is one of the reasons that Blatter wants to do this. It would help foster younger nationals coming up through the academies. But he needs to take a step back and look at the bigger picture of who is really scoring goals in these league. If you took someone out of the Manchester United finishing school and put them up against some the Premierships best defenses, chances are that they would not have a chance, even if they had played for years on end.

Do I think it is the right move? Absolutely not, and both the EU and UEFA agree with me. Mark this date down in history because for once the whole footballing world might actually agree with me on something. The use of amazing international players has a two fold effect. First, for the internationals themselves, it gives them a chance to compete against some of the best players in the world and to get out of the squalor of their home countries (if they come from a squalorish country). Secondly, at the domestic level, it gives the nationals a chance to compete against some of the best players in the world. Me playing against the kids from college for four years will only stifle my playing, but if I can play against a new crop of talent from all over the globe every few years or so it will only increase the number of tools in my box that I can bring to me national squad.

Will Blatter get his way on this one? It is unlikely and it is honestly for the best that he does not. If some of the top flight teams in the Premiership were forced to play at least six English players every game, their teams would be worn out and the fans would loose interest. They pay to see big names, not Dave from Stoke or Paul from Blackpool. Happy footy all.

Global Politics and Soccer?

You bet your sweet ass they go together! I've met a lot of footy players over the years and most have been rather chill individuals, like sub-arctic... well, until you score on them. Anyways, most of them couldn't tell you the five members of the UN Security Council (UNSC), but they should really get acquainted with them if they have hopes of seeing Tibet in the World Cup ever.

We live in an amazingly connected world these days. I mean come on, there are three hundred page books and thesis work on the extent of globalization and rather or not it exists. From the footy fans perspective, I doubt the world is really all that flat because some countries simply can not seems to be able to get onto the moving ball. If you are still reading this and wondering why I brought up the UNSC in regards to this topic, here's why. FIFA, our beloved governing body, will only admit national teams that are recognized as a country/nation and the UNSC makes that decision.

This is truly sad. Football is the most popular team sport on the face of this flat earth of ours. No other sport can even begin to say that it has the fan base that the beautiful game does. But, when you start to ban teams from competition because five stuck up diplomats sitting in a building in New York fail to recognize you as a nation, how beautiful is the game?

I think it is pretty damn ugly. It is a disgraceful practice and one that you would think FIFA would not go along with. What do they loose if they allow Tibet to play? China? The Chinese can not even play decently, except their womens team and who really watches the Womens World Cup? And what about Greenland? What does FIFA really have to loose by not admitting a team from a damn country that most high school seniors in America can not find on a map?

What are the consequences here? Maybe the five security council member nations will pull their teams from the cup. Do it! That's one less grouping of teams to have to go through. And seriously, the US and the UK will not miss much by not going to the World Cup. Hell, maybe then they could devote money to building a better youth program (at least here in America). Russia has only attempted to go to four World Cups and they did not qualify for two of them. See the above paragraph for my opinion on China. Lastly, the only team that would really be hurt if their nation left FIFA would be France.

When it comes down to it, at the end of the day, the situation is rubbish! So, there is a snippet of how politics can influence something as beautiful as international football. Happy footy all. And as of this moment, I am officially boycotting the 2010 cup until FIFA can get its head out of its ass, wipe the shit from their face, and make football beautiful once again.