EURO 2008 Semi-Final Preview

And then there were four. The semifinal picture is finally complete as Turkey looks to take on Germany and Spain faces off against Russia.

After 120 scoreless minuets in the last quarterfinal of the tournament, Spain defeated Italy by a penalty margin of 4-2. In my opinion the man of the match has to be Iker Casillas. Italy attacked sparingly and created few scoring opportunities during the run of play, but when called into action, Iker keep the reigning world champions out of the back of the net. Casillas' continued to prove his strength as a shot stopper during the penalty shootout, denying both De Rossi and De Natale

Here is a closer look at the Semifinals:

Turkey vs Germany (Wed. June 25, 2:30 EST, ESPN)
Turkey's Cinderella run has been incredible, but one has to wonder if they are facing too large a challenge as they look to take on Germany. Turkey will be without keeper Volkan Demirel, attacking midfielders Arda Turan and Tuncay Sanli and defender Emre Asik due to suspensions. Turkey will also be missing the lethal Nihat Kahveci due a groin injury. Germany's clinical attack may be too much for Turkey to handle.

Spain vs Russia (Thur. June 26, 2:30 EST, ESPN2)
Spain continues to believe that this is their year as they take part in their first semifinal of a major tournament in 24 years. Spain defeated Russia by a 4-1 margin during the group stage, but the Russians were without the magic of Andrei Arshavin in that match. Arshavin and the rest of his team will look to take the game to the Spaniards, much like they did against the Netherlands. Since both teams have a fast attacking style of play that flows through the midfield, control of that part of the field will be the key to the game. Personally, I think the best midfield to "out attack" the Russians would be one powered by Fabregas, Xabi, Ineista, and Silva. Perhaps Cesc's game winning penalty against Italy will be enough to secure a spot in the starting lineup.

USA Advances in World Cup Qualifying

The United States beat Barbados 1-0 in the Barbados to advance to the semifinal round of World Cup 2010 Qualifying. A first half goal by Eddie Lewis held up and gave the Americans the victory. This game came on the heels of last weekend's 8-0 drubbing by the Americans in LA by an almost full strength United States team. The team that took the field yesterday was composed more so of players that normally wouldn't get a look.

The Americans will now face Guatemala, Trinidad and Tobago and Cuba in semifinal group round play which will start up in August. You can see the results from the other recent CONCACAF games and the group play draw here.

Quarter Finals: Russia 3 - 1 Netherlands

A young and explosive Russian side managed to defeat the high flying Dutch by a score of 3-1 this afternoon. Russia struck first in the second half on a goal by Roman Pavluchenko. A great ball played into the goal area was finished off by the streaking Russian forward. It looked as though the Ruskies would win 1-0 until Ruud Van Nistleroy managed to sneak in behind his defender on a free kick and head home the equaliser in the 86 min.

In extra time it remained tied until Andrei Arshavin crossed in a ball that did not look that threatening but managed to make it drop in on the back post and the substitute Torbinsky flicked it into the back of the "onion bag" for the eventual game winning goal. 4 minutes later Arshavin buried a shot (which took a deflection to be fair) to seal the win. Arshavin was undoubtedly the star of the game, constantly displaying his quickness and nose for good attacking football. He should definitely move somewhere big over the summer transfer window.

This was a tough loss for the Dutch as they coasted through the group stage. I think it is safe to say that anyone who underestimates the Russians from this point on will be making a huge mistake. The Russians will play the winner of the Spain versus Italy game which airs on ESPN tomorrow. Gus Hiddink managed to pull off another unexpected result for his team. The man continues to impress wherever he coaches.

EURO 2008 Quarterfinal 1, Germany Oust Portugal

The German's put in a stunning performance to oust a Portugal team that seemed very uninsipired in the first Quarterfinal of the tournament. Bastian Schweinsteiger was the star of the show, coming back from a suspension with a superb showing, scoring Germany's first, and assisting the second and third goals. Here is a look at Germany's first goal--from which they never looked back; a truly beautiful display of precise football.



Portugal attacked with flair at times, but never seriously threatened Germany. Cristiano Ronaldo was a non factor for most of the game, and one has to wonder if his constant transfer speculations proved to disrupt his focus, as well as that of his countrymen.

Germany looked polished; for a team that struggled through the group stage, they must feel very confident as the look to take on the winner of the Croatia/Turkey Quarterfinal. That Quarterfinal takes place tomorrow, game time is 2:30 EST on ESPN2.

Euro 2008 Recap (Part 3), So far...

So the Group stage is now over. Here is what happened in the last round of group stage games.

- The Turks pulled of a remarkable win against the Czech Republic. Down 2 goals with about 15 minutes left to play, Turkey scored 3 goals in a row and won their way into the quarterfinals. It really seems as though Turkey has some momentum and they could be a team to watch closely. They will face Croatia in the quarters.

- Switzerland wins a game that really doesn't mean anything. 2-0 to the hosts over a second string Portugal squad. Hopefully the Portuguese don't lose their killer instinct that they showed in their first two games.

- Germany beats Austria on a screamer of a free kick from Michael Ballack, 1-0. Germany will face Portugal and the Ronaldo circus in the elimination round.

- Croatia beats Poland 1-0 and earns full points from their 3 games. They will face Turkey next.

- Ahh the "Group of Death." Italy beats an under performing French squad 2-0. A penalty/red card in the first half committed by Abidal gave the Italians the lead. A horrible deflection on a free kick off of Henry led to the second goal. Honestly the Italians did not impress me through their first 3 games. They will face Spain.

- The Dutch continued to roll with a 2-0 victory over Romania. With a +8 goal differential, it seems as though the Dutch will be the team to beat. They match up against a young and dynamic Russian squad next.

- Russia downs Sweden to move out of the rather difficult group D. A 2-0 victory over Ibrahimovic and the Swedes will see Gus Hiddink and the Russians into the quarters. They will try to take down the steamroller known as the Dutch. Should be a good game.

- Spain take out the 2004 European Champions, Greece, with a B squad by a score of 2-1. The Spanish will take on World Cup holders Italy in the quarters. I really hope they kick the shit out of the Italians. Not to sound bias or anything...

Euro 2008 Recap (Part 2), So far...

Here is a summary and some observations after the second round of the group stage games:

- Portugal put on a show against the Czechs and manage to put 3 past Petr Cech on their way to a 3-1 victory. It's safe to say that C. Ronaldo and his countrymen are looking very strong through the first two games.

- Turkey score a very late winner and as a result eliminate one of the tournament's hosts, Switzerland.

- Germany gets out played by the Croatians as they lose by a score of 1-2. Croatia shows its potential and Germany shows that it can be beaten.

- Italy and Romania tie as the Dutch route France 4-1. This "Group of Death" has been a bit unpredictable. The Netherlands are definitely one of the top teams in this tournament. Will Italy fail to make it out of the group stage?? (I guess Italy and France could both fail to advance, wouldn't that be something?!)

- Spain beats Sweden on a last gasp goal by the tournament's leading scorer, David Villa. This was a real heart breaker for the Swedes, although I think that Spain definitely out played Sweden in the second half. They must have had around 65-70% of the possession in the second half but couldn't put a goal in until the 93rd minute. A por ellos!

The third and final round of group stage games starts today. Should be some exciting stuff. If you are looking for the TV schedule, just look to the upper right of the page and there should be a link. Enjoy.

Euro 2008 Recap, So far...

So far there has been some really good soccer played and some not so good soccer played. Here is a quick list of some of the headlines and highlights of the European Championship through the first round of games for each group.

- Portugal wins their first match but all the media can still talk about is the Real Madrid/Man Utd/Ronaldo drama.

- Podolski scores a brace for Germany in route to a 2-0 victory over neighbors Poland.

- Both host countries, Austria and Switzerland, lose 1-0 in games where they could have had a more positive result.

- The "Group of Death" did not live up to its billing with France vs. Romania. Unless that name is referring to being bored to death with watching the game. I really thought France would have done better than a 0-0 tie.

- The other half of said group saw the Netherlands dismantle Italy 3-0. This could prove to be a rather large hole for the World Cup champions to dig themselves out of. It will be interesting to see how they rebound against Romania.

- Many peoples' favorite to win the tournament, Spain, picked apart a young Russian side 4-1. David Villa scored the first hat trick of Euro 2008. Russia was not all that bad though. I still think Spain and Russia will be the two teams to come out of this group.

More to come as the tournament progresses...

USA 0 - 0 Argentina

No doubt about it, Argentina is a good squad. They came out firing on Saturday night at the Meadowlands. The South Americans brought the pressure to the U.S. defense, causing Tim Howard and Co. to make several key defensive stands early on. Howard in particular made several point blank saves, including two on Julio Cruz of Inter Milan, one of which came right before half time. Argentina had the better play of the two sides in the first half, implementing a potent and quick counter attack. The Americans had some promising moments as they were able to keep possession on several sequences against the stronger Argentine side. The best scoring chances for USA came from a deflected Dempsey shot and a screaming volley from Heath Pearce on the left flank.

At half time, Coach Bradley subbed Maurice Edu for Michael Bradley. A good attacking run by Pearce in the 47th min almost yielded a goal with the subsequent scrum in the penalty area resulting in the ball hitting the crossbar. In the 50th minute Eddie Johnson showcased his new defensive move, "The Crotch Grab," on Mascherano. Result: pulled groin for Mascherano (yuk yuk yuk). The 62nd minute saw more subs for the U.S. with Jay Demerit coming on for Onyewu and Adu coming on for Dempsey. A phantom red card in the 71st on Mastroeni was a blow to the U.S. team but they managed to hold it together. Play continued to go back and forth until the 85th minute when Mascherano put a nasty studs up tackle on Donovan and was shown a red card as well. The younger U.S. attack of Adu, Edu and Klejstan had several good attacking sequences, but couldn't create any goals. The match ended in a 0-0 tie.


I would have to say that Argentina had the better portion of the play in the first half where the second half was much more even if not slightly in the favor of the U.S. I'm sure the substitutions (especially Messi and Cruz coming off) along with the playing conditions (100 degree plus heat) had something to do with this. My choice for man of the match would have to go to Timmy Howard for keeping the Americans in the match with his clutch first half saves.

This was a good result for the U.S. and I'm sure rather disappointing for the Argentines after dismantling Mexico earlier in the week. This result bodes well for the Americans as they start World Cup qualifying next weekend against the Barbados in L.A.

Video: Ridiculous Futsal Goal

This is one of the more acrobatic goals I have ever seen. Enjoy.

Jozy Altidore sold to Villareal

La Liga's Villareal reportedly purchased former Red Bull forward Jozy Alitdore for a fee of 10 million dollars. The European transfer window does not open until July 1st, but sources close to the Red Bulls have reported that the deal has been agreed upon by both parties. Jozy is expected to join the Yellow Submarine soon after the transfer window opens.

Jozy's transfer fee of 10 million dollars makes him the most expensive player to ever come out of the MLS. The previous record was held by Clint Dempsey who was bought for 4 million dollars in 2006 by Fulham.

I think this is a great move for Jozy; he is finally free of the continual transfer speculation that has continued to haunt him. Hopefully he will be able to adapt to the Spanish league, and continue to develop and mature as a player. The National team needs you Jozy--Good Luck!

Mourinho Unveiled as Inter Manager, No Longer "Special"

Jose Mourinho officially accepted the position as manager of Italy's Internazionale this morning, replacing Roberto Mancini. In the ensuing press conference Mourinho stated, "I have arrived to a special club and I believe I am a great coach but I don't want to be special." He continued, insisting that he is not "special," instead that he is, "Mourinho--period."

Mourinho did admit that he would like to bring in 2 or 3 players in order to make the current Serie A champions "more competitive." Frank Lampard, Ricardo Carvalho, and striker Didier Drogba have been linked with a move to be reunited with Mourinho, but Jose refused to comment on any specific prospects.

This guy is great, I don't know if he purposely soaks his speeches in irony, or its just his nature, but either way, I'm glad he is back. I look forward to the hilarity that will surely ensue with his future dealings with the Italian media. Welcome back Jose.

US Men's National Team Friendly vs Spain Preview

The European Cup almost upon us, its easy to forgot about some of the star power that the US Men's National Team will be squaring off against in the coming days. Just a week after suffering a defeat on English soil the National Team will be traveling to Spain for a friendly surly designed to "prep" the Spaniards for the European Cup.

Ranked number 4 in the world, Spain has the talent to make a run for the Euro 08 title, but on Wednesday, what can the United States expect? The United States won't have to worry about being terrorized by Raul or Bojan, but with a roster as impressive as Spain's, the good news stops there. Spain will probably look to give their European team a chance to gel before the tournament, so the United States should expect to see a full roster. The attack will be lead by Cesc, Xabi, Iniesta, Torres and Villa. Spain's defense will be controlled by Carlos Puyol, Sergio Ramos as well as Liverpool's Alvaro Arbeloa. Impressive.

Bob Bradley will look for Clint Dempsey, Eddie Johnson and DaMarcus Beasley to lead the attack. And with Landon Donovan out with a calf strain, perhaps its time for Freddie Adu to merit a starting position. Adu's injection into the squad could in turn give the United States more fluidity and creativity in the attack, something they will certainly need to break down Spain's defense.

Spain notoriously under preforms. On paper it looks like the US is in over their heads, but in actuality they need to be ready to take advantage of any studdering by the Spaniards. Upset anyone? I believe. Be sure not to miss this one, the game airs tape delayed on Wednesday at 5:30 PM on ESPN2.