European Championship TV Schedule

The start of Euro 2008 is creeping up on us. Luckily we will be blessed with ESPN/ABC airing every game on TV. Here is a fixture list to help you all with scheduling your TiVo.

Classic Nike Commercial

Although this video is a little dated (Denilson, and yes, this was before he was a substitute for FC Dallas) it is still a pretty cool commercial. Enter, THE SCORPION TOURNAMENT.

McBride to return to MLS

Brian McBride has decided to part ways with Fulham after 4+ seasons with the London club. After coming back from an pretty bad knee injury to help the Cottagers avoid relegation, McBride has decided to return to the States with his family. The 36 year old still has some good soccer left in him if you ask me. He is one of the most prolific soccer players in the air, never seems to stop working, and can provide invaluable leadership. I'm sure any MLS club would like to have his services. Let the speculation begin.

Here is a video montage featuring McBride that we linked to a couple months back.

DC United grind out win against TFC

DC United finally secured a win tonight in the nation's capitol, beating Toronto FC by a score of 3-2. Danny Dichio opened up the scoring for the Canucks in the 13th minute with a close range header. Later in the first half, Gonzalo Peralta headed in his first career MLS goal to level the score at 1 a piece. Then just when DC was feeling confident about tying the score, Dichio slots home his second of the night to put Toronto back in front.

During the second half DC was able to claw back to 2-2 on a Jaime Moreno penalty. Santino Quaranta was able to draw the spot kick after a rather stupid push from Marvell Wynne. Less than two minutes later, last year's MLS MVP and golden boot winner, Luciano Emilio, hustled to clean up a Sutton rebound and put DC in the lead at 3-2.

This was a much needed win for United as they have already lost 7 games, the same amount that they lost during all of last season. A very full fixture schedule in the preseason and first month or so of the season, Emilio's lack of form and key injuries to players like Ben Olsen have all played a role in DC's surprising tumble down the table. Tom Soehn can now breathe a bit easier as they managed to earn 3 points from a home and away series with Toronto during this past week. Hopefully DC will be able to build on tonight's performance and start to turn their season around.

So Long Avram Grant

It seems that almost winning the Champions League Final won't be enough to save Avram Grant's job as Chelsea's head coach; the London based club terminated his contract this afternoon. This decision probably doesn't surprise many, despite achieving success on the pitch, Grant never won the hearts and minds of the fans, the players, or the media. Grant supporters (the few that are out there) might argue that he wasn't given a long enough tenure (or enough credit for his successes), but in the end the expectations of a club as immense as Chelsea proved to be too great for Grant.

The news of his departure from the Blues will soon be dwarfed by the speculation of who his replacement will be. It has been reported that Frank Rijkaard and Sven-Goran Eriksson are early favorites. Let the rumor mills begin to churn.

Celtic, Rangers Vying for SPL Title

Scottish Football fan's around the world won't consider yesterday's conclusion of the Champions League the end of the European football season. Rangers and Celtic are tied for first place in the Scottish Premier League with just one game to go for each side. Although tied for points, Celtic is holding on to first place thanks a favorable goal margin.

Rangers will face off against Aberdeen while Celtic will take on Dundee United in the season's final matches. If Celtic loses, Rangers will control their own destiny, a win or a tie will ensure them the title. However if Celtic wins, Rangers will have to better Celtic's goal margin by at least 4 goals.

Unai Emery Selected as Valencia's New Coach

It has been a long season for Valencia. They have shed three coaches and ended in a disappointing (albeit safe from relegation) 10th position in Spain's La Liga. I really hope this coach is the answer to Valencia's problems because it doesn't make sense how a team with so much talent can play so inconsistently. Hopefully Emery will be able to lead the team through the off season and provide them with hope for next season.

Under Emery in the 2006/7 Segunda Division season Almeria finished as runners up and were subsequently promoted to La Premera division for the first time since 1981. Emery's success as a manager continued in La Liga as he was able to lead the Andalusian side to a surprising finish in 8th place.

Barton in the Slammer

"Nice knowing you man. Give me a hug, I'm going to jail!"

Some people are just plain stupid. Especially high profile athletes that have everything to lose and then go ahead and lose it. Case in point: Joey Barton. Mr. Barton managed to get 6 months in the klink for attacking two people last winter. This guy is a genius. I mean, if I was on probation for two other charges, I don't think I would leave the house much less drink 15 beers and then go attack people in the streets. Oh well, maybe he will learn his lesson. I think Michael Vick should call him up and give him some pointers about jail life. Idiots.

Fulham Rallies to Save Premiership Status

Fulham managed to escape relegation to the Championship by winning 1 - 0 against Portsmouth on the last day of the season. Reading beat Derby 4-0 so that meant Fulham had to take the full 3 points from Portsmouth. Late into the second half Murphy seemed to be the only one to rise for a Jimmy Bullard free kick and headed home the game winner and season saving goal. This video, which I saw on Soccer by Ives, gives a nice little recap to the Cottagers' end of the season. Enjoy.

The End is the Begining

This can be a very exciting time of year for a soccer fan. All of the major European leagues are coming to an end. All domestic cups and European competitions reach their climax. MLS is starting to heat up. Needless to say there is a lot of soccer available to the fan who is willing to following the game. This also means that the summer doldrums are on their way. 2-3 months of speculation, transfers and gossip. It's kind of like high school all over again. Booooo.

BUT WAIT! This summer we have Euro 2008 held in Austria/Switzerland from June 7th - June 29th. I am pretty sure ESPN/ABC will be broadcasting each and every game of the tournament. (High def soccer! Get a hint FSC.) I really am going to need to invest in a DVR. So go ahead and vote on the poll at the top of the page for who you think will win this summer's European Championship. (Sorry England, maybe next time.)

Relegation Escape for Fulham?

Can you say clutch performance? That is what Fulham has delivered in the past two weeks in their fight to stay in the Premier League. A remarkable 3-2 comeback win against Manchester City last week and a 2-0 victory over fellow bottom dwellers Birmingham City have moved the Cottagers out of the drop zone for the first time since Christmas.

Yesterday Brian McBride headed home the go ahead goal and Erik Nevland sealed the win for Fulham. With Reading losing, Fulham leap-frogged up to 17th place. Next week Fulham plays Portsmouth which should prove to be a challenging last match. But to put it bluntly, Fulham has no other option except for victory if they want to secure another season of top flight football. Here are the other fixtures that will have implications in the relegation battle in the EPL:

• Birmingham City v Blackburn
• Reading v Derby County
• Chelsea v Bolton

It finally seems as though Roy Hodgson has Fulham playing quality football. Now if they had only started to find their form a bit sooner....

Goal of the Week; Marcelo Gallardo

For those of you who though that great goals only happen in Europe, think again. This week's Goal of the Week is awarded to Marcelo Gallardo of DC United. United has had a rough start to the season, but performances like last week's 4-1 victory over Real Salt Lake are the perfect way to jump start your team. Check out Gallardo's blast here.