Sorry we've been out of touch for a while, but it has become increasingly difficult for Bill and I to coordinate on recording the podcast. We still plan to put out podcasts this soccer season, just not on as regular of a basis as before. So please keep checking the web site, and stay subscribed to our RSS feed (if you're not subscribed, you can sign up by clicking on the link at right) for new content.

In soccer news, we were happy to see the US national team's qualification for World Cup '10, but shocked and saddened by news of rising star Charlie Davies' car accident and the serious injuries he sustained. While a great loss for the team, obviously this event transcends soccer and we hope Charlie is able to recover successfully and get his life back on track.

I hope you're enjoying the Champions League and Europa League seasons, and looking forward to the WC playoffs next month!

--Scott and Bill

Barcelona-Chelsea
1st leg result (@Barcelona): 0-0
Can anyone slow down Barca’s lethal offensive attack? This was the big question coming into this tie and before the 0-0 draw at the Nou Camp I thought the answer was “not likely.” But Chelsea proved me wrong, shutting down Barca’s sharpshooters and holding on for a crucial away draw. Was Chelsea’s play too conservative? Was it dull to watch? Maybe and probably, but they got the result they wanted.

2nd leg preview (@Chelsea)
Iniesta is a key architect for Barca in midfield, and he must do better in the second leg for his team to succeed. Chelsea was (somehow) able to contain Messi for most of the first leg, and the Blaugrana will need a better performance from him next time as well.

Chelsea’s defensive performance from leg 1 is to be praised for sure, but can they do it twice in a row? It’s hard to believe they can, which means Chelsea’s offense will need to step it up. I wonder if Hiddink will consider putting Nicolas Anelka into the starting lineup. He seemed to energize the Blues after coming on in the quarterfinals against Liverpool, and teaming him with Drogba upfront seems like the recipe for success.

Barca’s defense, widely considered the team’s Achilles heel on a good day, suffered a double blow in leg 1 when they lost Rafa Marquez to an injury and then his replacement Carlos Puyol picked up a yellow card and a suspension for leg 2.

Prediction
I would not have said this before the first leg, but with Barca’s battered backfield and Chelsea only needing a win at home (any draw would give Barca the edge on away goals) I’m going with Chelsea to advance.

Man United-Arsenal
1st leg result (@Man U): 1-0 win for Man U
Arsenal fans should be thanking their lucky stars—and keeper Manuel Almunia—that their team is only down by a goal. Man U dominated for virtually the entire game, and only some spectacular saves from the Arsenal keeper prevented a larger deficit for the Gunners.

2nd leg preview (@Arsenal)
In my opinion great move by Sir Alex starting the dangerous Carlos Tevez. He gives United yet another weapon that needs to be closely monitored, which may end up freeing Rooney or C. Ronaldo. Tevez ran all over the Arsenal defense—especially Kieran Gibbs on the left, and Nasri looked lost in midfield; both will need to do better in leg 2 if Arsenal are to have any chance—and I think it would be foolish to leave him on the bench. Though Berbatov did well coming on as a sub, so swapping him for Tevez isn’t a bad option to have.

The Man U defense did well to contain Theo Walcott, Emmanuel Adebayor, and Cesc Fabregas. If those three don’t make something happen at the Emirates, Man U will ease into the final.

Prediction
Pardon the pun, but I think Arsenal is outgunned in this tie. Without an away goal in the bank, they would need to win by 2 goals to advance outright (a 1-0 Arsenal win would force extra time). Given this difficult task and Man U’s dominance in leg 1, I’m going with Man U to move on to the final.

Champions League Final Forecast
Chelsea-Man United in Rome
Another all-English final, and a rematch of last year’s championship! Chelsea will likely be smarting after last year’s penalty shootout loss (and John Terry’s breakdown), while United is still on a quest for a quadruple.

Early prediction: Chelsea gets revenge and wins its first Champions League title. Regardless of the state of the oil market, Roman Abramovich is all smiles. Enjoy the second legs!

No episode before MD4, but here are Bill and Scott's picks! Same matchups as MD3, but with home and visiting teams flipped (home team listed first). Our picks for UEFA Cup games to watch also included. Enjoy!

Bill's picks
Tuesday
Cluj-Bordeaux: Cluj
Roma-Chelsea: Chelsea
Anorthosis-Inter: Inter
Werder Bremen-Panathinaikos: Bremen
Sporting Lisbon-Shakhtar: Sporting
Liverpool-Atletico Madrid: Draw
Marseille-PSV: Draw
Barcelona-Basel: Barca

Wednesday
Aalborg-Villareal: Villareal
Celtic-Manchester Utd: Man U
Fiorentina-Bayern Munich: Draw
Lyon-Steaua Bucharest: Lyon
Arsenal-Fenerbache: Arsenal
Dynamo Kiev-Porto: Draw
Real Madrid-Juventus: Real
BATE Borisov-Zenit St. Pete: Draw

Marquis Mactchups for UEFA Cup Thursday
Manchester City-Twente: Steve McLaren leads Dutch side Twente into his home country.
Standard Liege-Sevilla: Belgian league champions Liege took Liverpool to the wire in Champs League qualifying and took out another Merseyside team, Everton, in the UEFA Cup first round. Can they continue their rousing start to the European campaign against the Spanish giants?

Scott's picks
Tuesday
Cluj-Bordeaux: Cluj
Roma-Chelsea: Draw
Anorthosis-Inter: Inter
Werder Bremen-Panathinaikos: Bremen
Sporting Lisbon-Shakhtar: Sporting
Liverpool-Atletico Madrid: Liverpool
Marseille-PSV: Draw
Barcelona-Basel: Barca

Wednesday
Aalborg-Villareal: Villareal
Celtic-Manchester Utd: Man U
Fiorentina-Bayern Munich: Bayern
Lyon-Steaua Bucharest: Lyon
Arsenal-Fenerbache: Draw
Dynamo Kiev-Porto: Kiev
Real Madrid-Juventus: Draw
BATE Borisov-Zenit St. Pete: Draw

Marquis Mactchups for UEFA Cup Thursday
AC Milan-Braga: Portuguese entrants Braga are coming off a group stage win over Portsmouth. Facing Milan in the San Siro will be their toughest challenge thus far, but if Milan's hearts (and heads) aren't really in it, Braga could pull the upset.
Tottenham-Dinamo Zagreb: Juande Ramos is out, Harry Redknapp is in, and Spurs are turning things around. After taking out first-place Liverpool in the EPL, Spurs welcome Croatia's Zagreb to White Hart Lane.

Due to scheduling conflicts, we will not be able to record an episode previewing Matchday 2, we're doing the next best thing: giving you our predictions for the matchups right now! We also tell you our suggestions for games to watch if you can. So here you go (home team listed first):

Bill's Picks
Tues. 9/30
Zenit St. Petersburg-Real Madrid: Draw
Aalborg-Manchester United: Man U
Villareal-Celtic: Villareal
Fiorentina-Steaua Bucharest: Fiorentina
Bayern Munich-Lyon: Draw
Arsenal-FC Porto: Arsenal
Fenerbache-Dynamo Kiev: Fenerbache
BATE Borisov-Juventus: Juventus

Wed. 10/1
CFR Cluj-Chelsea: Chelsea
Bordeaux-Roma: Draw
Anorthosis-Panathinaikos: Draw
Inter Milan-Werder Bremen: Inter
Shaktar Donetsk-Barcelona: Barcelona
Liverpool-PSV Eindhoven: Liverpool
Atletico Madrid-Marseille: Atletico
Sporting Lisbon-FC Basel: Sporting

Bill's Games to Watch: Zenit-Real Madrid, Bayern-Lyon, Atletico Madrid-Marseilles

Scott's Picks
Tues. 9/30
Zenit St. Petersburg-Real Madrid: Zenit
Aalborg-Manchester United: Man U
Villareal-Celtic: Villareal
Fiorentina-Steaua Bucharest: Fiorentina
Bayern Munich-Lyon: Lyon
Arsenal-FC Porto: Arsenal
Fenerbache-Dynamo Kiev: Fenerbache
BATE Borisov-Juventus: Juventus

Wed. 10/1
CFR Cluj-Chelsea: Chelsea
Bordeaux-Roma: Draw
Anorthosis-Panathinaikos: Panathinaikos
Inter Milan-Werder Bremen: Draw
Shaktar Donetsk-Barcelona: Barcelona
Liverpool-PSV Eindhoven: Draw
Atletico Madrid-Marseille: Atletico
Sporting Lisbon-FC Basel: Sporting

Scott's Games to Watch: Bayern-Lyon, Inter-Werder Bremen, Anorthosis-Panathinaikos (the Cyprus-Greece showdown!)

We'll try to recap MD2 with the MD3 preview!

Less than a week after Getafe's gut-wrenching defeat to Bayern Munich in the UEFA Cup quarterfinals--in which the Spanish Cinderella side were within a minute (give or take) of taking down the German giants not once, but TWICE--they had a chance at redemption in the Spanish domestic cup final (aka Copa del Rey).

Getafe faced Valencia with a UEFA Cup spot next season on the line. Sadly this was not to be Getafe's day either: they fell behind 2 early goals, though pulled one back with a penalty just before the half. But a late header by sub Fernando Morientes sealed it for Valencia, who secured the domestic cup and UEFA Cup birth with a 3-1 victory.

And how was Valencia coach Ronald Koeman rewarded for this impressive achievement? The team fired him a few days later! Granted Valencia's La Liga form left a lot to be desired, as the team currently stands 4 points above the relegation zone with 4 games to go. Koeman also did not make many friends in Spain by ostracizing several of Valencia's most popular players, David Albelda, Santiago Canizares, and Miguel Angel Angulo. Within the first few days of taking over, new appointee Salvador "Voro" Gonzalez reinstated all three. The soccer soap opera continues...

Meanwhile Getafe have yet another tough battle ahead, as they are also just 4 points removed from relegation. Here's hoping they can pull it together and salvage a season they should be very proud of. In the meantime, enjoy the Champs League and UEFA Cup semifinals this week!!

Remember back in the fall when we posted about talk of playing English Premier League games in the US, or elsewhere outside of England? Thought it was just a wild rumor? Think again: this week the EPL introduced a plan to add 1 game to its schedule starting in 2011, with teams travelling to 5 cities outside of England to play that game. All EPL teams would participate, and cities would put in bids to host matches, similarly to how host cities are chosen for the Olympics.

Now this is just a proposal, which will be debated for quite some time, but just the fact that it is being considered at all is a major development. Even the Prime Minister has weighed in!

In voicing the proposal the EPL referenced the need to raise its global profile in an increasingly crowded sports landscape (case in point: the NFL returning to England for a regular season game this year), and that money generated from this int'l fixture will go to the EPL teams, who won't be ones to turn away more money. Whenever money is involved in any sport, it usually wins out, which is what some expect will happen here.

What do you think? Smart move? Not needed? Is it a big deal that it will upset the balance of the current "1 home, 1 away" against every team format? Will it really happen? E-mail your opinions to us at scpodcast@gmail.com, and don't be surprised to see this topic pop up in a future podcast!

Three--count 'em 3--stories discussed on episode 37 of Soccer Champions (posted this past Sat. Jan. 26) have made headlines this week.

As Bill had suspected, FIFA rejected the transfer of Daniel Cousin from Rangers to Fulham. Soccer's governing body cited its rule that a player cannot play for more than 2 teams in a season. Since Cousin played 20 mins. as a sub for Lens before his move to Rangers, he cannot switch teams again. Pretty ridiculous!

EPL side Middlesbrough are closing in on completing a transfer for Brazilian playmaker Afonso Alves. A hearing has been set to approve a work visa for Alves, which according to this article is not a done deal yet.

Finally, Germany legend Franz Beckenbauer has expressed doubt that Jurgen Klinsmann can succeed as coach of Bayern Munich. Beckenbauer said he "can only hope" Klinsmann makes it to the end of his 2-year contract. Wow. Why he would say that publicly, and put even more pressure on Klinsmann, is beyond my comprehension.

Keep listening to Soccer Champions for more high-profile soccer discussion! You can also e-mail us at scpodcast@gmail.com with questions, opinions, or suggestions.

 

So America's NFL will make its high-profile European debut with a regular season game at Wembley this Sunday. It remains to be seen how English fans will take to the "other football," though the league might've thought harder about picking teams more likely to be halfway decent than the 0-7 Dolphins. And what's with the giant animatronic Jason Taylor in Trafalgar Square!? This is supposed to convince people to watch?

In any case, what about soccer (or, to most Americans, "the other football") doing the reverse: playing regular season English Premier League matches in the US? It might happen in the not-to-distant future, according to some EPL execs.

What do you think about playing EPL games in America? Savvy promotional tool, or pointless publicity stunt? How about playing NFL games (and perhaps, as the commissioner has mentioned, the Super Bowl!!!) in Europe?

E-mail your thoughts to scpodcast@gmail.com!

 

Here's a story that shows how critically important success in the Champions League can be.

Since become Chelsea manager, Jose Mourinho led the Blues to the Premiership title (in 2005) for the first time in 50 years, and only the second time in the history of the team (and they have a long history). Then the following season Chelsea won the Premiership again. He's also collected the FA Cup and the League Cup twice. Oh yeah, prior to Chelsea he led FC Porto to the UEFA Cup and Champions League titles in successive years, a very rare feat.

Probably 98% of soccer coaches worldwide go through their ENTIRE CAREERS without ever accomplishing what Mourinho has in the last 4 years alone. Most teams (and fans) would give anything to have a coach with that pedigree in charge of their club.

But apparantly, it was not enough. Following a disappointing draw at home to lowly Rosenborg in the Champions League, Mourinho suddenly resigned as Chelsea manager. While the timing was unexpected, the move itself was not, as it has long been suspected Mourinho has been at odds with Chelsea's Russian billionaire owner Roman Abramovich.

Supposedly, while the Premiership and Cup titles were nice, Abramovich above all wanted the Champions League trophy. And that was the one competition where Mourinho had failed to deliver at Chelsea, who reached the semifinals twice in the last three years before losing to Premiership rivals Liverpool each time. With Chelsea's deep well of talent--acquired largely through Abramovich's personal fortune--they should've dispatched Rosenborg with ease. But the draw in front of just a half full and apparantly apathetic Stamford Bridge crowd proved to be the final straw. Plus this weekend's huge Premier League showdown at Man United was looming over Mourinho, and some believe that would've put unbearable pressure on him.

Mourinho has developed a reputation for being a hothead, arrogant and stubborn. But on the other hand, you can't argue with his results at Chelsea and Porto. I think this is just a case of two "type A" personalities that could only co-exist for so long. In a sense Chelsea wasn't big enough for the both of them; since Abramovich owns the team, it was Mourinho who had to go. In the interim period,  Avram Grant will run the club with the help of assistant coach Steve Clarke.

What do you think about this development? Was the fallout inevitable, or did Abramovich (+ media, fans) put undue pressure on Mourinho? Since he won basically everything else he could besides the UCL (Uefa Champions League), should he have been given more leeway? Chelsea only played 1 UCL game this season! Maybe the draw against Rosenborg was a fluke.

Make your feelings known! E-mail us at scpodcast@gmail.com.

 

The UEFA Super Cup will take place later today in the glitzy principality of Monaco. Typically seen as inaugurating a new European soccer season, it is an exhibition--though a trophy is awarded--featuring the defending Champions League (AC Milan) and UEFA Cup (Sevilla) champions.

A showcase of European soccer's best teams, the Super Cup is usually played in a jovial and celebratory atmosphere, but this time will be different. The thoughts of all are with Sevilla, who somehow have to deal with the shocking, tragic death of one of their own. Midfielder Antonio Puerta, just 22 years old and a rising star not just with his club but with the Spanish national side as well, collapsed on the field during Sevilla's first La Liga match last weekend, and died a few days later.

Sevilla coach Juande Ramos has said his team is in a "trance-like state." While it must be incredibly difficult for anyone on the team to maintain focus on soccer in such a situation, perhaps the best way Sevilla players can honor their fallen teammate is to redouble their efforts on the field and perform to the very best of their abilities. They have a strong squad, and are certainly capable of achieving great results both in Spain's La Liga and the Champions League, assuming they can see off AEK Athens in the second leg of their qualifying match to be played on Monday. Assuredly Puerta will be in Sevilla's hearts and minds throughout the season, and I think all fans, no matter who they support, would like to see the team triumph over this terrible adversity.

--Scott

As we prepare for the start of a new Champions League season, Bill and I are working on a special episode. As we get great enjoyment out of following the Champions League, we want to help introduce others to the competition, and to European soccer in general.

In our next episode, to be posted this week (assuming no technical difficulties), we're going to talk about the main concepts and structure of European soccer and the Champions League, in a way that will hopefully allow new fans to better understand what's going during the season, and in later podcast episodes!

So if you know anyone--friends, co-workers, neighbors, relatives, spouses, friends of neighbors, neighbors of friends, etc. etc.--who's been trying to follow the Champs League but isn't sure how things work, or who is curious about Euro soccer and looking to learn more about it, this is the episode for them! But we think seasoned fans will have something to listen to as well, as we will discuss some of the more interesting questions/issues brought up by our overview of the Champs League. Stay tuned...

...and after Labor Day, Bill and I will break down all of the Champions League groups to get you ready for Matchday 1 on Sept. 18. Finally, our e-mail box is always open, so get in touch with us at scpodcast@gmail.com.

 

While rumors have persisted for a while that Chelsea is interested in up-and-coming Sevilla defender Daniel Alves, the Blues instead acquired Brazilian Juliano Belletti from Barcelona.

And just in case you thought Real Madrid hasn't spent enough money this offseason, the Spanish league defending champions made two more significant additions today. They picked up veteran Man United defender Gabriel Heinze and young Dutch star Arjen Robben (from Chelsea). Concurrently Real announced its Brazilian defender Cicinho has signed a contract with AS Roma.

In case you've lost track, that brings Real Madrid's summer spending to 120 mil euros, or about $167 mil. But as we've seen in the past, just paying the most for the best players doesn't necessarily guarantee wins, in soccer or baseball or any other sport. Real's former coach Fabio Capello has criticized the team for waiting too long in the summer transfer window to start making moves, and the club's preseason form has ownership and fans quite worried: most recently Real Madrid got battered 6-3 on aggregate by Sevilla in the Spanish Super Cup (an exhibition mind you, but one featuring the previous season's league and domestic cup winners). Consensus is that Real has looked disjointed and sluggish throughout the preseason.

Meanwhile, across town, Atletico Madrid spent sparingly in the summer and by accounts are looking in fine form. While the departure of Fernando Torres to Liverpool was certainly a blow, the striker pairing of experienced new arrival Diego Forlan with young Argentinian Sergio Aguero worked out beautifully in Atletico's 3-0 win in UEFA Cup qualifying last week in which both scored. The third goal was scored by Aguero's countryman Maxi Rodriguez, who scored that incredible volley goal vs. Mexico in last year's World Cup.

So who does Atletico play in their first La Liga game of the season this Saturday? Real, in a Madrid derby at the Bernabeu. Should be quite an interesting matchup.

The 2007-08 campaign is underway in several European countries, including England, Scotland, Germany, and France among others. Sadly, early action has brought serious injuries to two powerhouses of note. Lyon lost captain and defender Cris for six months due to a torn ligament in his knee. The French champions are also without keeper Gregory Coupet for four months. In England defending champs Man United will be without Wayne Rooney, who has a fractured foot, for about 2 months. Keep these developments in mind if you're going to be playing Champions League fantasy football.

One new signing of note: Real Madrid continued their busy summer by grabbing young Dutch international Wesley Sneijder from Ajax.

Speaking of new signings, Bill and I talked in our last episode of how we were impressed with Bayern Munich's recent moves. Well, their new additions paid immediate dividends over the weekend in the first Bundesliga match of the new season: granted it was against newly promoted Hansa Rostock, but new arrival Miroslav Klose netted 2 goals, and fellow summer signing Luca Toni added a third as Bayern cruised to a 3-0 victory. Hopes are certainly high this year in Munich...

In addition to domestic leagues, the third round of Champions League qualifying starts this week. It features: last year's finalist Liverpool along with Arsenal; 2-time defending UEFA Cup champs Sevilla and fellow Spanish side Valencia; Scotland's 2 entrants (and usual suspects) Celtic and Rangers; Freddy Adu's new team, Benfica; and the now Klose-less Werder Bremen.

Who are you rooting for to make the group stage? Let us know at scpodcast@gmail.com, and you'll have a good chance of hearing your message read on a future episode!

On Episode 26, Jeff Carlisle said it would be interesting to see how Freddy Adu would fare in Europe, and it looks like we'll be able to find out. It has been reported that Adu is on the verge of signing a 5-year deal with Portuguese club Benfica.

My off-the-cuff reaction: this has the potential to be a great move for Adu. He will get to play (assuming, of course, he actually plays and doesn't just ride the bench) on one of the elite teams in Portugal, against generally good quality competition. But, Portugal doesn't have as intense a league as England or Italy. So the pressure on him to perform should be tolerable, which bodes well for his development.

We've seen what Adu can...uhh, do...for the US U-20 team. How will he play against some of Europe's best? Benfica will play in the Champions League 3rd qualifying round on Aug. 14/15 and 28/29, so if his deal goes through in time we could get an idea pretty soon.

--Scott

The Champions League may be on summer break, but they're still playing in La Liga Primera! And Spain's top league is coming down to the wire. With 2 games remaining, Real Madrid tops the table with 72 points. Barcelona is even with their fierce rivals at 72 points, but Real leads due to their head-to-head advantage. Last month's UEFA Cup champions Sevilla are just 2 points behind the leaders.

Thiscoming weekend Real travels to Real Zaragoza--who is trying to cling to a UEFA Cup place--while Barca hosts the city derby against this year's UEFA Cup finalists Espanyol. For next week's finale, Real hosts Mallorca while Barca plays at relegation-bound Gimnastic.

Can Real cap a remarkable rebound this season with the Primera crown? Or will Barca repeat as champions? Should be a great finish!

Goalkeeper Jose "Pepe" Reina will remain in Liverpool Red after signing a 5-year contract extension with the English club.

France World Cup star Franck Ribery will attempt to return Bayern Munich to the Champions League next season, after confiriming a move from Marseille. Bayern will fork over 26 million Euros (about $35 million) for Ribery's services, plus an extra 4 mil Euros if they do indeed qualify for the 08-09 Champions League.

Will there be a Galacticos reunion in LA? Galaxy GM (and former US international) Alexi Lalas has expressed interest in bringing Luis Figo to California, now that the Portuguese star has rejected an offer from a Saudi club and is a free agent. Newly restored English international David Beckham joins the Galaxy in July after his Real Madrid contract expires.

US Soccer announced today that Bob Bradley has been named coach of the national team on a permanent basis.

This fan's opinion? Ehh. Disappointing they couldn't get someone with international experience, but not unexpected. We'll see how the team does in the upcoming CONCACAF Gold Cup and Copa America tournaments.

Perpsective on this decision, as well as a recap of the all-Spanish UEFA Cup final, and of course a preview of the Liverpool-AC Milan Champions League final grudge match, on our next episode, to come out May 20 or 21.

--Scott

Heerenveen's Afonso Alves, who we profiled in Episode 22, set up the only goal as the Frisians beat Ajax today in the first leg of their Champions League qualification playoff semi-final.  The Brazilian also hit the cross-bar with a 30 meter free kick.

Soccer Champions' listener Tom Lewis e-mailed us with a link to Alves' stats.  Perhaps the folks at UEFA were also listening to Soccer Champions Episode 22, as they published a story today on UEFA.com regarding the Eredivisie's top scorer.

It looks like we'll be hearing Afonso's name (as well as his namesake,  Sevilla's Daniel Alves) linked with many clubs during the summer.

   -  Bill

While Manchester United clinched the English Premier League title in effect yesterday, and Inter Milan and Lyon will become Italian and French domestic league winners (respectively) with ease, the Spanish and German league titles are still up for grabs.

In Spain, Barcelona hold a two point advantage over Real Madrid, with Sevilla in third place 4 points behind the leaders, followed by Valencia 6 points out with 5 games to go. Yesterday surging Real Madrid--winners of 6 of their last 7 La Liga matches--overcame a 1-0 deficit to Sevilla and then outlasted the UEFA Cup Final contenders to win 3-2. This game not only featured entertaining play (including a beautifully struck goal off a volley by Sevilla's Enzo Moresca) and a riveting, tense atmosphere, but the bizarre occasion of a Sevilla substitute getting a red card...while on the bench, and a Real player getting a red card purely for excessive celebration! A second Sevilla player was actually sent off for an on-field incident for good measure. :) Sounds like a great game!

In Germany's Bundesliga, Schalke is hanging onto first place by a thread, with Stuttgart just 1 point back, and Werder Bremen hanging around in third place only 2 points out of first with only 2 games remaining. Now that Bremen are out of the UEFA Cup, can they make a run at the title?

Should be some great contests in these leagues down the stretch. Hopefully you'll get a chance to see some of them. And let us know your thoughts! Who do you think will come out on top in Spain and Germany? Who are you pulling for? E-mail scpodcast@gmail.com.

 

Add Andriy Shevchenko to Chelsea's injury list.  The Ukrainian's groin strain means that the Blues will likely go with an all-Ivory Coast front line of Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou. 

Manchester United's injury list grew this past weekend as Rio Ferdinand and Kieran Richardson were both injured in the 1-1 draw with Middlesbrough.  Ferdinand will likely miss both legs with a groin strain. 

Park Ji-Sung and Louis Saha are also out while Gary Neville, Mikael Silvestre and Nemanja Vidic are struggling with injuries.

Milan's main injury concern is GK Dida's shoulder.  Zeljko Kalac would deputise if Dida misses out.

Both Celtic and AC Milan have striker injury concerns heading into their Champions League encounter today. For the home side, Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, Craig Beattie, and Maciej Zurawski all missed practice yesterday, though coach Gordon Strachan is hoping (praying?) at least one of them will be able to join Kenny Miller, who was pronounced fit and should be in the lineup.

Clarence Seedorf and Alberto Gilardino will both be gametime decisions for visiting Milan.

PSV and Arsenal have striker worries of their own. PSV will likely not have the services of Jefferson Farfan, who picked up a foot injury in an Eredivisie game over the weekend. Visiting Arsenal will be without Robin van Persie, out with a metatarsal injury, and William Gallas is expected to take the place of Emmanuel Eboue in defense.

Only a couple hours to go! Enjoy the games!

 

Don't get me wrong, I'm pleased that the US was able to beat Mexico last night, and keep a clean sheet to boot.  Some of the US squad will gain confidence from their ability to hang with our biggest competitors in CONCACAF.  On the other hand, the over zealous spin that some of the ESPN-US crew were spouting, made me want to turn the sound off the TV.

For starters, Mexico demonstrated superiority for long stretches and I'm sure that Bob Bradley would have accepted a nil-nil draw up until the first goal was scored.  That goal was well-taken by Jimmy Conrad but had more to do with very poor marking than great US tactics.  Conrad didn't even have to jump, let alone fend off an opposing player.  After the goal, the dynamics of the game changed and the US found more space for counter attacks. 

The US created very little in the final third of the field until after the first goal was scored.  The Americans seemed to have great difficulty maintaining possession and creating real danger for Mexico.  The second goal probably wouldn't have happened without a big assist from the referee.

So what is ESPN's message?  Essentially, that the US maintains its dominance over Mexico and should remove the 'interim' part of Bob Bradley's title.  As I said on Podcast Episode  #9, the decision on a permanent coach for the MNT should be based on the candidates' total body of work, not the team's performance in a couple of friendlies.  If Sunil Gulati didn't think that Bradley was the right man to take the US team to a higher level, then the feel-good effect of a fortunate victory over Mexico is virtually irrelevant.  Honestly, would it be any more fair to call for Bradley's dismissal if we had lost both friendlies? 

Rob Stone in particular made me shake my head.  He has been working US MNT games for years but his post-game comments made him seem like a cheerleader, not a journalist.  I won't get too riled about Dave O'Brien, but virtually everyone agrees that he should learn more about soccer and soccer play-by-play before being given responsibility for marquee games.  If the Mouseketeers demand an American accent, I'm sure that the very underrated Howard David is available.  (Husker du, Cosmos fans?)

What do you think?  Send your thoughts to scpodcast@gmail.com.

 - Bill

All Felix Magath has done recently as coach of Bayern Munich is finish first in the Bundesliga, and win the German Cup, for 2 years running. So what does that get him? The pink slip apparantly, as today Bayern fired Magath and replaced him with the man Magath had replaced in 2004, Ottmar Hitzfeld.

Bayern is currently struggling, in fifth place in the Bundesliga and in danger of missing out on the Champions League next season (where they have, admittedly, struggled under Magath's reign). But shouldn't Magath's recent track record at least allow him the opportunity to turn things around!? Seems to me that Bayern was a little trigger-happy with this move, unless there are other things going on behind the scenes that the public doesn't know about.

However, Hitzfeld has a pretty decent pedigree as well, guiding Bayern to the 2001 Champs League title in his last stint there (after doing the same for Borussia Dortmund 4 years prior).

-Scott

It's just as well that we didn't post the 'near-certain' rumor that Oguchi Onyewu was about to sign a deal with Olympique Marseilles.  As it turns out, Onyewu has decided to go on loan with Newcastle United for the remainder of the year, rather than returning to France.  He had played for Metz in 2002.

Newcastle has negotiated an option to make the transfer permanent over the summer.  Onyewu should have an opportunity to play as the Magpies have battled injuries and an overall lack of quality in their defensive ranks.

Do you think this was the best availabe option for Gooch?  Did the Chelsea and AC Milan rumors ever make sense?  Send us your thoughts at scpodcast@gmail.com.

After running Europe's soccer governing body for 16 years, Lennart Johansson will make way for former France captain and star Michel Platini, who was elected UEFA President today.

One of the more controversial tenets of Platini's campaign is his desire to limit the number of Champions League births for any country to 3. While probably not a very popular policy in England, Spain, Germany, and Italy--who now have 4 spots each--it will make more entries available to smaller countries, and give more teams the chance to experience the grandeur and spectacle that is the Champions League.

So just who is Michel Platini? If you don't know or need a refresher, check out this BBC profile.

Comments or opinions on his selection as President? scpodact@gmail.com is the place to send them!

UEFA has awarded Tottenham Hotspur automatic passage into the last 16 of the UEFA Cup, due to the banishment of their scheduled Round of 32 opponent, Feyenoord, from the competition. Spurs will play the winner of the SC Braga-Parma tilt.

On a more uplifting note, more good news for Cesc Fabregas (after being spotlighted in our up-and-coming players segment on Episode 11, of course): he has been chosen by uefa.com readers to be on the Team of the Year 2006!

Almost 400,000 fans voted for the best starting 11 from European club teams, based on performance in the last year. Congratulations Cesc!

Rotterdam, Holland-based club Feyenoord, who won the UEFA Cup in 2002, have been evicted from the competition by Europe's soccer governing body. The punishment results from riotous behavior on the part of Feyenoord fans at a UEFA Cup group stage match in France against Nancy-Lorraine last Nov. 30. The situation devolved to the point where tear gas canisters spilled onto the field, delaying the game by 30 minutes.

A horrid, shameful incident to be sure, but it brings up some very interesting questions. 1) Is kicking the team out of the competition an appropriate punishment? After all, it was the fans, not the players, whose behavior led to the punishment, so why should the players have to suffer as a result by being removed from a competition? (you could make the same argument regarding the Italian teams involved in the match-fixing scandal, and question why players were punished with relegation or point removals for actions they had nothing to do with. But I have a little easier time buying into the punishments here because at least the offenders had official ties to the teams)

2) Is this type of punishment effective? Will taking a team out of a competition really cause fans to change their behavior?

3) If UEFA's course of action wasn't the best one, what is?

E-mail us your thoughts at scpodcast@gmail.com. Plus stay tuned to the podcast, this topic could very well come up on a future episode... :)

P.S. This situation also puts Feyenoord's scheduled opponent for the round of 32 in February--England's Tottenham Hotspur--in a precarious position. UEFA officials are trying to decide whether to give Spurs a "bye," and a free pass to the last 16, or have them play Wisla Krakow, the 4th place finisher from Feyenoord's group in the group stage. And it might not be as clear cut as you think- while I'm sure Spurs would love to be automatically qualified for the next round and alleviate their busy schedule by removing 2 games--the home and away legs of the matchup they would've had with Feyenoord--it also means they'd miss out on the ticket and TV rights proceeds from that home leg. We'll see what happens.

After we recorded episode 11, Paul le Guen decided to return to his home country, signing on to be head coach of a team he used to play for, Paris St. Germain. PSG played to a 0-0 draw in its first game under their new coach. Rangers brought in Scottish national team coach Walter Smith to replace the Frenchman, leaving an opening at the national team post.

And for what it's worth, since the announcement of the Beckham signing, the LA Galaxy have sold 5000 season tickets. Even the expansion Toronto FC have sold 2600.

As you may recall, we discussed WPOY contenders in Episode 5.  FIFA selected Fabio Cannavaro as its Men's POY in December.  Brazil's Marta won the Women's POY.

Italy's Captain benefitted from the Azzurri's surprising success at the World Cup.  Interestingly, the scandal which caused Cannavaro's former club Juventus to be relegated to Serie B did not derail the defender's candidacy.

The selection of Cannavaro, with Zinedine Zidane a close second, highlights the over-weighting of World Cup performance in the voting.  Do you agree with the selection?  Should a player's club performance (2/3 of the year) be more influential?

E-mail your opinions to scpodcast@gmail.com, and we'll discuss them on an upcoming episode!


 

Fulham has been pretty busy in the opening days of the winter transfer window. The Premiership side, already home to Americans Brian McBride and Carlos Bocanegra, should soon be adding New England Revolution striker Clint Dempsey. Dempsey can be streaky, but has the potential to be a big impact player. He scored USA's only goal at the World Cup this past summer.

The Dempsey deal now hinges on him getting a British work visa. The transfer fee could reach upwards of $4 million, which would make it the largest in the history of MLS, the US's professional league (in the US, the league owns players' contracts, not individual teams).

In other Fulham-USA-related news, the club could not come to terms with central defender Oguchi Onyewu. According to the article, Onyewu--who is also negotiating with AC Milan--rejected Fulham's offer of $2 million.

For my mind he's absolutely nuts to turn down that kind of money, and the chance to play in the spotlight of the English Premier League. He would get a chance to play in one of the top-quality leagues in the world, and by doing so could hopefully raise his level of play, which would in turn benefit the US national team. It's gotta be better than playing in Belgium (though no offense to any Zulte Waregem fans out there), where he's been with Standard de Liege since 2004. And you'd think that with Fulham he'd have a good shot at being a starter, whereas I can't imagine he'd see much playing time with AC Milan. Oh well...

--Scott

Well, unfortunately, for Bill and Scott, our national team coach for US men's soccer dream is over. Yesterday it came to light that Jurgen Klinsmann would not, in fact, be named as the coach after failing to agree on terms with the US Soccer Federation.  :-(

Later yesterday, an unnamed source commented to ESPN.com that Bob Bradley, currently the manager of MLS squad Chivas USA, will be officially named the nat'l team coach today. But the appointment is only an interim one--apparantly ANOTHER search for a permanent coach will resume next summer. So it's unclear whether or not Bradley will be coach of the team at either the Gold Cup or Copa America, though he could be considered a candidate for the permanent post. Confusing enough!?

So where did this choice come from? Bradley wasn't even considered a likely candidate for head coach by the popular press. Sometimes the ineptitude of our soccer federation is startling. You better believe we'll be talking about this on an upcoming show!!

Will Bill and Scott's prayers be answered!? According to multiple reports from both sides of the Atlantic, Jurgen Klinsmann is set to become the next head coach of the US national team.

The only problem? A US Soccer Federation source told ESPN today that no decision has been made and no deal has been reached as of yet.

US national team defender Steve Cherundolo is among those saying that it's a done deal, and Klinsmann is the choice. He is certainly our choice. Heck, the German maestro even has Pele's seal of approval!

But adding further intrigue to this situation, a Spanish language newspaper based in Los Angeles ran a story in mid-November stating that former Argentina manager Jose Pekerman had already signed a contract, and would soon be introduced as the coach.

In any case, Team USA has already scheduled a friendly against Denmark on Jan. 20, so let's just hope they have it figured out by then.

We discussed it on Soccer Champions (Episode 6), and now action is taken! (coincidence? hmmmm) It's not full instant replay, but it's a start: BBC announced today that FIFA will use "goal line technology" at next year's World Club Championships. The video replay, which can be used in virtually real time, will help determine whether a ball did or did not cross the goal line, which would allow or disallow potential goals.

However, opposition apparantly remains to using a "video referee" for other aspects of the game. One step at a time, I guess.

So following on to a story we discussed on episode 6, the MLS has in fact agreed to give each of its teams the opportunity to sign 1-2 players whose contracts would cause team salary caps to exceed the current $2 million limit. They're even calling it (somewhat humorously) the "Beckham Rule."

You can read more about this development here.

So, we want your feedback! Is this good news for Beckham? For MLS? Or will it end up being a mistake?

E-mail us at scpodcast@gmail.com with your opinion.

On Episode 4 (10/14/06) we discussed the pros and cons (mostly pros) of the US men's national team playing in the Copa America, the South American national team tournament. Well, looks like the US Soccer Federation took our advice, as it was announced that the team will indeed participate in the tournament in Venezuela next summer. It remains to be seen what the makeup of the team will be, considering Copa America falls during the MLS (Major League Soccer, the top US domestic league) season and starts just 2 days after the conclusion of the Gold Cup, North America's national team tournament.

In other news discussed on Soccer Champions, looks like Jurgen Klinsmann has met with US Soccer to discuss the coaching vacancy. Bill and I hope he accepts! Refer to Episode 4 for more on this as well.

The plot thickens in the search for the US national team's next head coach. Reports yesterday confirmed that Juergen Klinsmann has received offers from both the US and Mexico, and is weighing his options. He is my top choice for the post, so my fingers are crossed...

Moving on to more somber news, all US soccer fans were saddened to learn today of the death of men's national team assistant coach Glenn "Mooch" Myernick, who has been involved in all different levels of US soccer as a player and coach since the late 1970s. Myernick has been an integral part of the national team for the last two World Cup runs, and was often the voice of US soccer through sound bites and interviews.

Myernick suffered a heart attack last Thursday, and passed away this morning with his family at his side. He was 51 years old. He will be sorely missed.

ESPN's latest listings for MatchDay 2 (Eastern Time Zone):

Tuesday 9/26/06 -       2:30 PM ESPN2:  Benfica v Manchester United
                                  5:00 PM Classic:   Real Madrid v Dynamo Kiev

Wednesday 9/27/06 -   2:30 PM ESPN2:  Levski Sofia v Chelsea
                                   5:00 PM Classic:  Werder Bremen v Barcelona

Friday 9/29/06 -           2:00 PM ESPN2:  UCL Highlights Show

-  Bill

I mentioned on episode 2 that Rui Costa was one of the only players on Benfica whose name I recognized. Well, it turns out he missed the Portuguese side's first Champions League match against FC Copenhaven due to a thigh injury, and will also miss Tuesday's home clash with Manchester United.

Speaking of thigh injuries, the same ailment will keep Roma's Brazilian winger Mancini and AC Milan defender and captain Paolo Maldini out of action this week. Lastly on the injury front, Real Madrid suffered a harsh blow over the weekend (in domestic play) when their young Brazilian defender Cicinho went down with an ACL tear. He is expected to be out for 6 months.

Finally, Inter Milan's Patrick Vieira, Hamburg's Sascha Kirschstein (their keeper), and Valencia's Joaquin Sanchez will not see playing time on Matchday 2 because of suspension.

--Scott

I saw a story today that Sven-Goran Eriksson is in the running to succeed Bruce Arena as US national team head coach.

Yeesh. I think it would be a huge mistake for the US to hire Eriksson. Though it's far from definite according to the report, largely due to the US's ability or desire to meet his asking price. His flameout in England, and the antics that dominated his tenure, are enough to make him a poor choice. Although, since there is about 1000 times more intensive coverage of soccer in England than the US, those same antics could go on if he's the US coach and we'd probably never hear of it, but that's besides the point...

As I've told Bill numerous times, the US needs a coach with two main attributes: 1) foreign coaching experience at a high level, so they know what it takes to succeed at the World Cup; and 2) an understanding (or at the least, working knowledge) of the US soccer system/environment.

Arena had #2, but not #1. Erikkson has #1, but not #2.

The person that first comes to mind who has a good combination of the two is Jurgen Klinsmann, who has also been linked with the position. He lives in California after all, and for my money would be a vastly superior choice to Eriksson.

--Scott