9 September 2007
A.C. Milan
The Rossoneri are a squad of aging veterans. This killed them during a slow start at the beginning of the season when the creaking old men failed to find their legs, but aided them in the second-half as the crafty battle-tested side stormed back to finish 4th in Serie A and win the Champions League. They are a squad full of ancients, but when those elders have names like Maldini, Inzaghi, Ronaldo, Seedorf, Emerson, and Cafu its not necessarily a bad thing. They also have a few 20-somethings like Kaka, Gattuso, and Pirlo, who may have something to say in their performance as well.
They are currently 3rd in Serie A with 4 pts form two matches after beating Genoa 3-0 and drawing Fiorentina 1-1. Kaka has three goals in the two games, and is backing up his claim as the best player in the world. They have too much quality to be beaten in this group.
Celtic
Gordon Strachan led Celtic to an incredible season last year. The Bhoys easily cleared Rangers by 12 points for the SPL title. They also scored a dramatic victory at home against Manchester United to qualify for the Champions League knockout stages, where they performed admirably but lost 1-0 on aggregate to eventual champion A.C. Milan. They added Scott Brown, Scott McDonald, and Massimo Donati, but offloaded some experience with Kenny Miller, captain Neil Lennon, and Gravesen leaving the club. They haven’t run away with the SPL, mostly because Rangers have shown signs of life in the early going. They currently sit 2nd with 13 pts from 5 matches.
Benfica
Benfica was one of a trio of dominant clubs in the Portuguese Liga last season, finishing third on 67 pts, 2 pts behind winners Porto. They qualified for the Champions League, but were eliminated in the group stage as Manchester United and Celtic progressed. This season will be one of transition. They sold off a number of key players including Simao (Atletico Madrid), Manuel Fernandes (Valencia), and Anderson (Lyon). They spent 9.1 m euros on Paraguayan star Oscar Cardozo and also brought in Argentinian teammates Angel Di Maria and Andres Diaz and high-profile American youngster Freddy Adu. They have the talent to be competitive, but with so much squad turnover and the manager being sacked, it is hard to see them progressing to the next round.
Shakhtar Donetsk
Shakhtar Donetsk finished 2nd in the Ukranian Premier League last season. They brought in talented Italian striker Cristiano Lucarelli from Livorno, but lost Brazilian playmaker Elano to Manchester City. Ukraine is not weak! But they will be in this group.
4 Comments | 
Uncategorized | Tagged: AC Milan, Benfica, Celtic, Shakhtar Donetsk | 
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Posted by tyduffy
9 September 2007
Seldom is a 4-2 defeat at home a good result in soccer. However, the U.S. team should feel proud of their performance in Chicago on Sunday. They played well.
The AP reporter, who obviously did not want to be there, will bombard you with bleak statistics about the moribound American team.
“It was the fifth straight defeat for the United States, its longest losing streak since 1994.” Yes, that is true. But, since most of that streak was friendlies and a B-squad sent to Copa America how is that relevant? “The Americans dropped to 1-12 all-time against Brazil.” Who cares? It’s Brazil! Who actually has a good record against Brazil besides France? Carlos Bocanegra scored “just his 7th goal in 51 appearances.” Probably because he’s a f-ing center half?
Why should the U.S. be optimistic? They didn’t get beat in open play. With fancy-dans like Ronaldinho, Robinho, and Kaka running the pitch, Brazil should have far out-classed the Americans, but they didn’t. Brazil did score 4 goals, but those goals were from an own-goal, a corner kick, an advantageously placed free-kick, and a penalty. The Americans didn’t allow a goal from open-play.
They also, unlike some notable International sides, went after Brazil. The only goal scored from open-play was Clint Dempsey’s in the 73rd minute. They had some other good chances from Peace and Bradley. They gave Brazil a match and were only put away by the penalty at the end.
It never feels good to lose, but the Yanks should feel good about their performance. They weren’t intimidated by the star power and the joga bonito and they played well. They aren’t in a position yet to start picking off the Brazils and Argentinas of the world, but being able to play on the same pitch with them and not get throttled is a step forward. They are a long way from being a powerhouse, but it certainly beat the putrid performance in Germany.
1 Comment | Uncategorized | Tagged: Brazil, USA | Permalink
Posted by tyduffy
9 September 2007
Oregon 39 - Michigan 7
Michigan proved a point this weekend, that last week was no fluke. The 32-point loss to Oregon was the worst loss Michigan has suffered since 1968. Their defense, despite Ron English’s pledge that they would play better, allowed an astonishing 624 total yards. Turning the ball over four times as well did not exactly help their cause. After suffering their two worst defeats of the last 40 years at home and back to back, the Wolverines are reeling. Coming into the season expecting a National Championship contender, Michigan fans will now have to pray for this team to even make a bowl game.
(14) Penn St. 31 - Notre Dame 10
Providing further proof that Jesus does not care about football, Notre Dame once again got drubbed at the weekend. The Irish played somewhat better defensively, but their vaunted pro-style offense managed a mere 144 total yards and was a dismal 2-16 on third down conversions. They also shot themselves in the foot with 14 penalties for 97 yards. You can’t really win in College Football when your team has a total of -8 yards rushing after 2 games. No one is looking forward to watching Michigan and Notre Dame play each-other next weekend.
(2) LSU 48 - (9) Virginia Tech
The Tiger fans were respectful of Virginia Tech, the players, not so much. LSU ran up 598 yards and allowed just 149. They don’t have the #1 next to their name, thanks to brilliant pre-season pollsters, but they have definitely proven to be the best team in the country at this juncture.
South Carolina 16 - (11) Georgia 12
The Old Ball Coach once again pulled one out against Georgia. This time, with defense rather than offense, as the Gamecocks kept the Bulldogs out of the end-zone. 15-10 in his first two seasons doesn’t look impressive, but all five losses last season were against ranked opponents. He already pulled off the impossible by taking Duke to a Bowl Game. An SEC title is well within reach for South Carolina in the next couple of seasons, particularly when the Spurrier recruits mature.
South Florida 26 - (17) Auburn 23
Yes, this was a bad loss for Auburn. However, when you stink up the joint and turn the ball over 5 times and are still in the game, it shouldn’t be too discouraging. Unlike Michigan and Notre Dame, this will be a bad day, not a sign of things to come. Look for Auburn to bounce back and roll some heads in the SEC.
Washington 24 - (22) Boise St. 10
Football writers appear to have made up for underrating Boise St. for years by overrating them. The great win against a sub-standard Oklahoma team was a wonderful story, but it didn’t exactly prove that they can consistently win against quality opposition and away from that god-awful blue field. The Huskies will need the momentum going into a stacked Pac-10. It also provides them with a bit of breathing room because we all know that Jim Mora Jr. is interested.
2 Comments | Uncategorized | Tagged: Auburn, Boise St., Georgia, LSU, Michigan, NCAA, Notre Dame, Oregon, Penn St., South Carolina, South Florida, Virginia Tech, Washington | Permalink
Posted by tyduffy
9 September 2007
Early in the third quarter of today’s Pats-Jets game, Chad Pennington limped off the field with an ankle injury. After Pennington left the field, second-year QB of the future Kellen Clemens came onto the field. Having made only 2 pass attempts the previous season, Jets fans acknowledged his first meaningful series by cheering for him when he came onto the field, and showered him with another cheer following his first NFL completion.
Rather than praising this or simply letting it pass, Jim Nantz and Phil Simms proceed to comment about how awful it was that fans cheered when Pennington went off injured. Despite the fact that fans waited until Clemens came onto the field to cheer rather than immediately when Pennington went off hurt, these two still concluded that the cheer was meant as an insult to Pennington. Even when Jets fans replicated the cheer after the completion, Nantz and Simms still stuck to their guns. Simms even resorted to the Tim McCarver philosophy of “I don’t care what anyone says. I am right,” with no justification.
Chad Pennington isn’t the best quarterback in the NFL, but, when he is healthy, he is competent and effective. He has his weaknesses (arm strength), but has prominently displayed his ability to lead a team to the playoffs. Furthermore, he was having an excellent game (16-21 for 167 yds and 2 TD). Why on earth would the fans cheer Pennington getting injured? There is no rational explanation for it. Even Philly fans aren’t that sadistic.
For fans to cheer when the starting quarterback was injured, it would have to be a Joey Harrington in Detroit type situation, which Pennington’s time in New York surely is not. It’s one thing to be wrong. It’s another to be wrong and stubbornly cling to your position despite clear evidence to the contrary. File this is as incident #578,642 that proves all football announcers are complete and utter buffoons.
1 Comment | Uncategorized | Tagged: CBS, Chad Pennington, Jim Nantz, New England Patriots, New York Jets, NFL, Phil Simms | Permalink
Posted by tyduffy
