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Another Brazilian Vagner Love returns home

2012-01-30T13:31:00.004-05:00

Brazilian striker Vagner Love completed his move from Russian side CSKA Moscow back to Brazilian club Regatas do Flamengo. The 27-year-old penned a four-and-a-half year deal with a transfer fee of €10million.

Damarcus Beasley scores game winner for Puebla

2012-01-30T11:15:00.004-05:00

USMNT Damarcus Beasley scores a beautiful game winner to give Puebla 1-0 Jaguares victory. Big shouts to tricky and you can see he is enjoying his futbol in Mexico.

Goal Scoring Gooch aka Captain America does it again

2012-01-29T17:05:00.002-05:00

United States Men's National Team defender Oguchi Onyewu or known to Sporting Lisbon fans as "CAPTAIN AMERICA" scores two in first half from set pieces to give his team a convincing victory Sporting Lisbon 2-0 Beira-Mar in Alvalde before 40,000 persons. Onyewu scores in 18' & 27' of 1st half.

Ball Harambee Jan. 23

2012-01-23T13:25:00.002-05:00

Manchester and the Beautiful Game by Bagga Wilks
The English Premier League has entered the second half of the season and the second half is shaping up to be more unpredictable than the first half. Liverpool succumbed to Bolton, a team that prior to this weekend seemed hell bent for relegation. They were able to put three goals on the scoreboard against the once formidable Liverpool defense. Bolton played with new-found energy and new-found creativity. We will see if that high octane level of ball can be sustained for the critical second half.
Chelsea vs. Norwich

Chelsea was held to a nil all draw by the recently promoted Norwich. Villas Boas still can’t find the right combination. David Luiz and John Terry have become more comfortable playing with each other. Villas Boas has relegated Malouda from his previous starting role and has treated Lampard as a “has been” but Lampard is a mid-fielder who has a track record of scoring twenty goals for the season and is always dangerous when the game is on the line. Malouda is a player with great playmaking skills. Playing Mata and Malouda together as was done in the later stages of the Norwich game, could enhance Chelsea’s goal production. Torres needs a “bath” and Sturridge has lost some sharpness in recent games. Essien is back and should start as the defensive mid-fielder over Meireles. When Didier Drogba returns, with Essien catching his stride, hopefully, Chelsea can finish the season with greater potency than the disarray that characterized the first half.
Manchester City vs. Tottenham
The Manchester City vs. Tottenham Spurs encounter produced one of the scintillating games of the season. The first half was pockmarked with possession football and half-chances.

The second half began with a bang. Manchester City scored goals in the 56th and 59th minute. This was Nasri’s coming of age game. He made a superb run and the magical David Silva made a defensive splitting pass that led to a terrific finish by Nasri. The second goal was from a corner and an ensuing melee and the ball ended in the back of the net from Lescott’s header. It was 2-0 and Manchester seemed to be on its way to another home victory. But Harry Redknapp Spurs replied with typical fire power. Defoe took advantage of Manchester City’s over-celebration after the second goal and put one in the back of the net. Almost immediately after Lennon used his pace on the left-wing and squared a ball to Bale who beat Hart from a little beyond the penalty box with an exquisite curler. Tottenham had risen from the dead and Mancini was stunned. In the waning moments of stoppage time, Defoe just missed converting a cross from Bale that would have given Spurs three points.
On the other side of the pitch, Balotelli who had replaced Dzeko, was heading for goal in the penalty area when Tottenham’s Leslie King was forced to bring down the galloping striker. Balotelli took the penalty and Spurs had the long trek home to recuperate from a devastating loss.
Manchester United vs. Arsenal
The other Manchester team was on display but far from home as they played Arsenal at the Emirates. Arsenal had put behind their lackluster performance last week against Swansea. They played up tempo football. Oxlade-Chamberlain was brought into the starting team and looked like he deserves to be a starter. It was a Chamberlain run that ended with a superb pass to Van Persie that enabled Arsenal to tie the game after Valencia had scored from a Ryan Giggs cross shortly before the first half interval.

Throughout the game Nani and Valencia, playing on the flanks, mesmerized Arsenal full backs. Djourou could not cope with Nani and Vermaelen could not stop Valencia. It was a run from Valencia and a cross to Welbeck and the conversion that gave Manchester United the three points. The inexplicable Wenger replaced Chamberlain with Arshavin in the second half. Linares came in for the ailing Djourou and Ramsey was replaced by Chu-Young Park. Chamberlain is a far more intelligent player than Walcott who relies exclusively on his amazing pace.
Arsenal looked competitive with Manchester United but if they are going to finish in the top four and qualify for the Champion’s League, Wenger has to make some changes in mid-field. He has got to find a starting berth for Chamberlain when Gervinho returns from the Africa Cup.
Despite the injuries, the defense department has held its own in recent matches. Arsenal’s problem is in the engine room. There is the need for new pistons in mid-field. When Gervinho returns, Wenger should play Chamberlain in Ramsey’s position and if not, sit Walcott.
This was a triumphant weekend for the two Manchester teams. Chelsea has faltered. Arsenal has backfired. Liverpool is suffering from the Suarez fallout. And Tottenham suffered a crushing setback this weekend.
Silva seemed to have discovered his stride and Nasri looks like the player that he was at Arsenal. With the eventual return of Kompany and Yaya Toure, the Mancini experiment should mean an EPL trophy for Manchester City.

Futbolr 15: Brian "Cobi" Span

2012-01-20T14:52:00.000-05:00

Welcome to a new segment on Futbolr that will pose 15 questions with soccer enthusiasts. These enthusiasts could be professional players, coaches, soccer moms, color commentators, agents, so basically anyone that could be in a pub watching a match. Our first interview is with recently signed UVA alumni Brian "Cobi" Span. This Sophmore landed a signing with Swedish outfit Djurgårdens IF one month ago. Talk about a great way to end the year. After the jump find out more from the self-described sushi loving panther.

FUTBOLR15

1. What makes you a Futbolr?
BCS: What makes me a Futbolr is my creativity and style on and off the field, willing to try things most are afraid to.

2. What is your pregame and mental preparation routine before a match?
BCS: Pregame I like to stay relaxed, play some FIFA and listen variations of different types of music.

3. Describe your dream job?
BCS: My dream job is what I'm doing now playing professional soccer but I've always wanted to play for Arsenal.

4. If you could play another sport what would it be?
BCS: I would play basketball

5. Do you have any team traditions? If so, what is your favorite?
BCS: My favorite team traditions is going out to eat at an italian restaurant before games to get good pasta dinner.

6. What animal best describes you and why?
BCS: A panther because they seem independent and out of sight while they are not searching for food.

7. What is your favorite phrase or quote?
BCS: Favorite quote "you can't just play football, you gotta have the sway" Robinho

8. What is your favorite type of food?
BCS: Favorite type of food is Sushi

9. What is your favorite place to visit or you have ever been and why?
BCS: Bermuda is my favorite place due to its warm weather an beautiful resorts.

10. If you could have lunch with anyone, who would it be and why?
BCS: I would love to have lunch with Kobe Bryant because of his inspiring self motivation

11. Who is your favorite person to stalk on Twitter or Facebook?
BCS: Soulja Boy is always funny to watch tweet on twitter

12. How will you change the world?
BCS: I will change the world by giving an opportunity for young kids to play soccer without having to pay money to join a club and get noticed.

13. What is #1 on your bucket list?
BCS: To buy my whole family all new cars.

14. What is your best non-athletic skill?
BCS: Best non athletic skill is being able to motivate people to achieve goals and dreams.

15. Name one obstacle you have had to overcome in your life?
BCS: Many people not believing in me and doubting my abilities.

Anyone that still is doubting Span's abilities can see him on the pitch for Djurgårdens IF in Sweden and below a sizzling hot reel of his goals via the left & right foot including a fierce header! Make sure that you follow Brian "Cobi" Span on twitter as well as Futbolr. So you can stay upto date with our following Futbolr 15s.

Ball Harambee Jan. 16

2012-01-16T22:18:00.000-05:00

The Arsenal Wasteland By Bagga Wilks

Arsene Wenger’s team has always been known as one that is skilled in possessing the ball. Playing against Swansea on Sunday, January 15, 2012, Swansea out-possessed Wenger’s Gunners. Swansea looked like an elite team while Arsenal played like a recently promoted team from the lower division.
With such a performance, Wenger can easily step out of the Fool’s Paradise. He cannot let January come and go without getting rid of the dead weight. Wenger has to jettison Arshavin, Benayoun, Chamakh and Rosicky. They are useless and contribute nothing whether they play 20, 30, or 90 minutes. On the bench or on the pitch, they add nothing of value to Arsenal.
With Gervinho away at the Africa Cup, Arsenal is bereft of a playmaker. Ramsey works hard but should either be on loan homing his talents or sitting on the bench learning from his elders. Against Swansea, Arsenal was without Arteta but even though he has some EPL value, Arsenal cannot be satisfied with his contribution hitherto. Old man Thierry Henry was a savior in the Carling Cup but Henry represents the past, not the future.

Chelsea vs Sunderland

Villas-Boas eked out a 1-0 victory against Sunderland but Chelsea seems to be neither fish nor foul. The new manager has not put in place a brand of soccer that reflects his coaching expertise. Chelsea in the closing minutes of a game does not even know how to possess the ball. They have Ramires playing as an attacking wing player but that robs the mid-field of someone who can run until the cows come home.
Off-Form, On-Form Players

Fernando Torres is still desperately trying to get on track. One of the bewildering things about football and sports in general is how form can quickly evaporate. Sean Wright Phillips who now plays for Queens Park Rangers is also out of form despite the fact that he is a regular starter for QPR. Wright Phillips had been relegated to the bench while playing for Manchester City and despite the new surroundings is still a shadow of himself.
On the other hand, there are those who are lighting up the EPL. Demba Ba has emerged as one of the more dangerous strikers in the League and will be sought by elite teams. Dembele of Fulham has shown that he has all the tools to be a player of class. Even though he does not start regularly for Newcastle, Hatem Ben Arfa has shown the importance of the super-intelligent advanced mid-field player. Welbeck of Manchester United can no longer be kept out of the English team. Also, Dyer and Simpson of Swansea are quality wingers who mesmerize defenders who face them on a weekly basis.
There is no formula for maintaining or when form disappears how to retrieve it. It is more about psychology than about physicality. Nonetheless, there is no question that a motivating manager and sympathetic teammates are big factors in the re-acquisition of form.

Ball Harambee Jan. 11

2012-01-11T21:39:00.000-05:00

On the Goaline of Racism By Bagga Wilks

The English Football Association published the findings of the Suarez vs Evra incident that occurred in October when Liverpool and Manchester United played to a 1-1 draw at Anfield. The FA was careful in ensuring that all the parties involved received due process. There was no rush to judgment. The Regulatory Commission explored the evidence meticulously and came to the conclusion that the Liverpool striker, Luis Suarez had violated Article 3 (1) and had used racially abusive language to Patrice Evra, the Manchester United left full back. Suarez was fined 40,000 pounds and suspended for eight Premier League matches. Mr. Suarez has decided not to appeal the verdict as the evidence against him is overwhelming.

The findings of the Regulatory Commission give us a fascinating insight into the globalized world of English professional soccer. Manchester United is a globally diverse soccer team. The squad, one of the best in the world, hails from South Korea, Brazil, Portugal, France, Serbia, Spain and a healthy contingent from the United Kingdom. The manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, is considered one of the better coaches in the history of the game.
Suarez, a newly acquired Uruguayan to the Liverpool team, is new to English soccer but not to the world football. He represented his country in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and previously played professional football in Holland. The Liverpool team is less diverse and has become even less so under the new coach, Kenny Dalglish. Only one starter on the Liverpool team, Glen Johnson, who is also a member of the English national squad, is black.
The clash between Suarez and Evra began in the 65th minute in the match between Liverpool and Manchester United. Suarez had previously fouled Evra and Evra was particularly peeved as Suarez had kicked him on an ailing knee. After the foul, the anguished Evra wanted to know from Suarez why he had kicked him. This is where the Regulatory Commission combed through carefully all the contradictory accounts of what occurred between Suarez and Evra as they exchanged words waiting for the Liverpool skipper, Gerrard, to take a corner kick. Evra’s account which the Commission found credible stated that in response to his inquiry why Suarez had kicked him, Evra reminisced that Suarez bellowed that he did what he did because Evra was black. Evra interpreted that use of the word to mean the “N” word. Evra threatened to punch Suarez and Suarez further told him he does not speak to blacks. Suarez continued to taunt him “Blackie, Blackie, Blackie”.

Suarez’s version of the incident was different. He postulated that in his use of the word, he meant no racial disrespect but was in response to Evra calling him a “South American”. That was the account that Suarez gave to Matt Connelli of the Liverpool management team who speaks fluent Spanish, and Kenny Daglish, who does not speak Spanish. Suarez’s knowledge of English is rudimentary.
Sir Alex Ferguson and Patrice Evra filed formal complaints of the racial abuse to the referee and the fourth official immediately after the match. Evra had complained to the referee, Mariner, right after the incident but the referee took no action on the field except trying to calm down Evra and Suarez and later Evra and Kuyt. On the goal-line stand, it was Kuyt, the Liverpool forward who came between both players that thwarted the two players coming to blows.
Suarez does not speak English and his written testimony given to the Commission was backed up by Dalglish and Connolli. It is evident that Dalglish as the manager of Liverpool did not take seriously the charges of racial abuse and that is a poor reflection not just on Dalglish but on the entire Liverpool Football Club. Sir Alex Ferguson is to be commended as when Evra reported the incident, he immediately went with Evra to report it to the referee and the fourth official.
In the dressing room after the game, Evra re-enacted the incident to four of his team mates. They submitted written testimony in their own native tongue and which was translated into English. Valencia, an Ecuadorian, Nani, a Portuguese national, Anderson, a Brazilian and Hernandez from Mexico, all persons of color, bolstered Evra’s testimony of racial abuse.
The language barrier in the English Premier League is apparent. The Portuguese and Spanish speaking players are able to communicate with each other. Other than Sir Alex, no other English player or official appear to be involved. Ryan Giggs was told about the incident on the field but his pre-occupation was for Evra to avoid getting sent off the field.
The English Football Association Report on the incident of racial abuse and the action taken must be commended. They have demonstrated a “no tolerance” policy on racial abuse. But it is evident that all is not well in the English Premier League vis-à-vis matters of race and identity. Suarez claims that his grandfather was a black man and thus that makes him unlikely to be a racial abuser.
Anyone who has observed Suarez’s conduct for the short time that he has played in England will see evidence that he is an intemperate young man who lacks discipline. It is clear that he was not forthcoming to the officials of the Liverpool Football Club and was also not forthcoming at the hearing. He is deserving of the fine and the eight games suspension.

Throwing players together on a team from the four corners of the world does not automatically produce harmony. The variegated nationalities that make the EPL exceptional potentially have a lot to teach the world. It is obvious that the chemistry on the field does not necessarily spill over to relationships off the field. Referees are eager to issue yellow and red cards but they have to ensure that there is a higher level of civility on the field. They must clamp down on the profuse use of curse words. It is evident that the referee, Mariner did not respond appropriately to Evra’s complaint of racial abuse.
Dalglish has done a commendable job of coaching at Liverpool but in his handling of the Suarez incident, he behaved disgracefully. A coach is expected to support his players on the pitch, but he is also an educator about life off the pitch. Dalglish handling of the incident has not helped Suarez grow as a human being and maybe Dalglish cannot help Suarez because Dalglish is simply incapable of handling matters of racial abuse.

MLS Releases Schedule for '12 Season

2012-01-05T19:41:00.000-05:00

It may feel that the professional soccer season in North America just wound up with a destined L.A. Galaxy taking the Cup in what may have been David Beckham's final season in Hollywood.

Amidst all the European transfer rumors, loans & signings, Major League Soccer announced their 2012 schedule. This features many talking points from First Kick on March 10 to the last regular season game on Sunday, October 30th. Here's a couple things to look out for.

L.A. Galaxy's Fully Booked Dance Card
2 CCL matches with Toronto FC a week apart starting on March 7th in Toronto with the return leg a week later at home. In between those fixtures Galaxy will feature in a First Kick season opener at home replaying the 2011 West Final versus Real Salt Lake. A week and a day later they take on Golden Boot winner Dwayne DeRosario and D.C. United. 4 Games in 11 days for Beckham, Donovan, Keane & co.
The Rookie vs. Sophomore Challenge

On the first day of the season, 2 former USL teams who have made the upgrade to MLS will face each other. Vancouver Whitecaps have plenty of room to improve after their first year in the league. Hopefully, this game they can show new boys Montreal Impact the ropes with a friendly cross-country clash.
The Brian Ching Cup

In the expansion draft Houston Dynamos management left their coveted and fan-favorite Brian Ching off the protected list. They thought that there would be no way the Montreal Impact would choose the USMNT striker. They were wrong and disappointed, now after threats of Ching retiring deemed empty, the 2 games Impact & Dynamo have scheduled are destined for controversy. Mark your calendars for June 23rd in Montreal & the epic return in Houston on July 21st.
NBC National Coverage

So brokering a deal with NBC and MLS have a commitment of 41 matches on their network, which is mainly cable featured. The highlight of this deal is the 3 games shown on national television in the fall season. The first shown is a great choices considering all the regalia of the Cascadia Cup between two great supported sides in the same region. Portland Timbers vs. Seattle Sounders will be shown September 15th 3:30pm EST. The remaining 2 NBC showcases will feature the New York Red Bulls taking on Chicago Fire before the season closer versus Philadelphia Union that could potentially decide a playoff spot in the East Conference.
Along with the major Regional Match-Ups,this should be another exciting MLS season. Make sure that you order your Futbolr to match your favorite teams in the MLS to double your support!

Ball Harambee Jan. 3

2012-01-04T02:48:00.000-05:00

How Have the Mighty Fallen at the End of the Old Year By Bagga Wilks

At the beginning of the New Year 2012, the Manchester City vs Sunderland game could not have ended with greater drama. At the end of the first half, the score was scoreless. Coach Mancini made some changes to Manchester City line up in search of a victory. Micah Richards was brought in at right back for his attacking attributes. Aguero was asked to partner with Dzeko to expand the scoring potency. And the playmaker, David Silva brought in as a replacement for Nasri who was ineffectual.
Manchester City bombarded Sunderland hitting the cross bar, trying shots from inside and outside the area but no cigar. During the three minutes stoppage time, Sunderland scored on a break-away to steal three vital points and to thwart Manchester City from jumping ahead of Manchester United.

The English professional league is particularly grueling at the end of the year. The grind catches up with players around the half-way mark of the season. Manchester City is like a highly-touted heavyweight who finds himself winded in the middle of a championship fight and must catch a second wind to have a chance of finishing with splendor. Yaya Toure and David Silva are Mancini’s spark plugs. Both do look winded as if the Premier League grind is beginning to take a toll. The goals are not coming in bunches. Arguero and Dzeko also are in need of a second wind.
Luckily for Manchester City at the start of the second half of the season, other rivals also seem to be running out of steam. Manchester United were defeated by lowly placed Blackburn. Manchester United rallied from a 2-0 deficit to draw even only to be beaten by a belated third goal.

Chelsea was stunned by Aston Villa as they managed to pierce Chelsea’s defense three times. Chelsea appears like a deer blinded by headlights. One has to wonder if Villas Boas is not over his head. Chelsea has just not been able to establish any consistency for the first half of the season. They do not appear winded, just utterly confused.

Arsenal eked out a victory over Queens Park Rangers which means they have narrowed the gap between themselves and those at the top of the tables. Without Gervinho, there is no creative movement. Arsenal must improve their midfield in the January transfer market. They keep their shape better than any team in the EPL but they are too predictable in attack. Ramsey and Arteta are useful mid-field runners but they are not in the same league as a Mata, a Silva, a Modric or a Rooney. Wenger must discard some of his baggage and acquire a player like Germany’s Mario Gotke. A player of Gotke’s ability will take Arsenal to another level. What they presently possess is sufficient for a finish in the middle of the pack. Acquiring Henry for two months is simply window dressing. Wenger needs to be active in the January market if the Gunners are going to be a quality team.

We Are Your Friends

2011-12-28T12:39:00.000-05:00

As a Futbolr there is something on the inside that makes people wanna hang out more. We don't know what it is, but now there is actual studies to back it up. Telecom giants BritishTelecom conducted a study that focused on the most social sports. Soccer was at the top with 3 out of 4 players having an average of 17 friends. #2 was swimming and I guess that is why all the Futbolrs spend their off-season by the beach. The proof is in the study, this is the Futbolr lifestyle!

Season of Fun @Futbolr Annual Holiday Kick 2011

2011-12-24T20:57:00.003-05:00

On Christmas Eve December 24th, 2011 Futbolr and friends gathered to start an annual tradition of playing some footie in Chesapeake Virginia. We split 3 teams up of 9 with winner stays on. Many megs were given and taken to complete a joyous afternoon. We at Futbolr want to say Thank you to all who came out and all who supported. See you next year
Click Here for Pics

Sean Paul's “Material Riddim Medley” Video

2011-12-21T13:17:00.002-05:00

Filmed in Kingston, this ten-minute video medley, directed by Mykal Cushine and choreographed by Tanisha Scott, gathers 13 of the riddim’s performers, shoe-loving Ce’Cile, crunk-baritone Future Fambo and craggy-voiced lover Laden among them.

Sean Paul's second Riddim album as a producer "Material" is available now HERE. Sean's highly anticipated new studio album "Tomahawk Technique" hits stores in February and features the hit singles "Got 2 Luv U" ft. Alexis Jordan and "She Doesn't Mind."

Bird of the Beach : Young Futbolr Profile

2011-12-20T12:34:00.001-05:00

Words by Pat McStay

Virginia Beach has already produced talented Futbolr’s: Corey Ashe, Angela Hucles, Wade Barrett, Evan Newton, and Steve Jolly to name a few. Eric Bird might be well on his way into this category. He has been a winner at every level of soccer so far in his career and plans on joining UVA’s rich history of accolades by the time he graduates. Just 2 seasons ago, UVA won a national championship and has been trying to reach the top since then. They were knocked out in the first round this year by Delaware and are looking forward to big things in 2012.

Futbolr recently sat down with Eric.

Futbolr: Growing up playing for Beach FC, Cox HS, and also the Region I ODP team, who helped shape you into the player you are today?
Eric: So far I have been extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to participate with many different teams, coaches, and players. Playing for Beach, Cox High School, Virginia State Team, and Region I have all had great effects on me as both a player and a person as well. Jon Hall and Gerry Sharpe were the two who really got me interested in the sport and sparked the idea in my mind that I could actually go places with it if I applied myself. Steve Danbusky and Kevin Denson were also great coaches from Beach who taught me a lot to further develop my game. They also played the significant roles in getting me noticed by the colleges that I was interested in. Scott Meade, from Cox, was a great coach too. He puts 100% into everything he does at the school and truly believes that his team can accomplish anything (2 state titles his first two years as head coach). In ODP, I'll never forget my coaches like Gordon Miller, Grant Smith, Brian Hinkle, George O'Neil and Keith Tabatznik. And of course all of my peers who I completed with and against throughout my youth career.

Futbolr: How did you get started in soccer?
Eric: I started playing soccer when I was about 6 or 7. My best friend and next door neighbor Riley Smith (goalie at Cox High School) got me into the sport.

Futbolr: Who was your biggest influence on the field?
Eric: I couldn't tell you who influenced me most on the field because everybody has in their own way. However, Jon Hall was the man who really took me under his wing and helped me develop confidence in my football.

Futbolr: Any good movies on your IPHONE/IPOD?
Eric: Don't really have any movies on my phone or ipod, but my favorite movies of all-time are Braveheart, 300, and Grandma's Boy.

Futbolr: Who did you look up to growing up?
Eric: As a player, I looked up to Steve Gerrard. He's my favorite player of all-time. I try to model my game after his. Yet, I also looked up to my parents. They are the best people I've ever met. I thank god every single day of my life for blessing me with such an amazing support system. I looked up to them (and still do) because I knew that they would be there for me no matter what whenever I needed them.

Futbolr: What was your greatest memory growing up as a player in Virginia Beach?
Eric: My greatest memory growing up in Virginia Beach as a player had to be practicing on rainy days with Coach Hall and the Beach FC Fire (Neil Harrison, Chris Albiston, Hunter Byrnes, Paul Braunstein, Zac Eckert, Riley Smith, Danny Scholz). I'll also never forget playing sand soccer every year when we were little at NASSC at the Oceanfront. I don't think we ever lost a game.

Futbolr: Cox HS has had a long history of success in the high school soccer scene. Explain your experience there.
Eric: Playing at Cox was a real honor, I look at the banners in the gym with all of the All-Americans and All-State Falcons and it tickles me that I would even be considered in the mix with the rest of them. Cox has a history of greatness and I'm just glad that I was able to be a part of its unbelievable traditions.

Futbolr: What made you choose UVA? How has that worked out so far?
Eric: I chose to attend the University of Virginia because I thought it would give me the best opportunity to pursue my dreams in both academics and athletics. Unfortunately, I suffered a season-ending injury about 10 games into the season this year so my college career got off to a shaky start. However, the support system here is phenomenal and I am 100% confident that I will make a full recovery and slide back into my starting spot before next season. Oh and I absolutely love the school here! It has the right balance of everything you need in order to succeed in my opinion.

Futbolr: It looked like you started off very well at UVA starting 8 out of 9, recording a goal and 2 assists before suffering a knee injury. How did it happen? How far into rehab are you now?
Eric: My injury happened against the University of North Carolina. It was unfortunate, but it's part of the game. I don't like to think about what happened because to be honest I don't really remember. I do know that I will get past this injury by staying positive and doing my rehab. I'm not worried about it at all. I'm two months into the process and according to my doctor I'm well ahead of schedule. But for the record: I completely tore my ACL and I had a grade 3 MCL tear.

Futbolr: What are you looking to accomplish while you are at UVA?
Eric: While at UVA I am looking to accomplish many things. National Titles, ACC Championships I want it win it all. It's one of the main reasons I attended such a high profile university like UVA.

Futbolr: Any plans to play after?
Eric: As for what happens after, we'll just have to wait and see! I'd love to continue my career as a professional soccer player wherever it may take me!

Futbolr: On a long road trip, what do you have playing in your IPOD? What about pre-game?
Eric: On the long bus rides I normally like to relax and tap a nap, maybe listen to my favorite artist Jack Johnson. Before the games I'm all business. We have speakers blaring in the locker room playing whatever song the team wants to hear.

Futbolr: Name 2 posters in your dorm room/apartment right now (let me guess-one of them is Bob Marley)?
Eric: Hahaha no actually, I do not have a Bob Marley poster. I have my Cox Letter hanging up with a few pins and I also have a poster with a quote by Steve Jobs. It reads "Remembering that you are going to die is the best way to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose."

Futbolr: Any advice to the young players reading this?
Eric: I would stress to all young players reading this to follow your dreams, not only in soccer but also in life. Don't let anybody tell you that you can't do something because anything is possible if you approach it with the right mentality.

Last Minute Sale 15% Off

2011-12-20T00:44:00.002-05:00

WWW.FUTBOLR.COM

Ball Harambee Dec. 19

2011-12-19T11:51:00.000-05:00

Messi is the King of the Hill By Bagga Wilks

Some months ago Pele compared Neymar and Messi as two of the world’s top footballers. According to the Gospel of Pele, Neymar had the potential of being better than him. Neymar was a far more completed footballer than Messi as he kicked with both feet. Pele also encouraged Neymar to stay at Santos and play in the Brazilian league until after the World Cup in Brazil in 2014.

In recent years, aging Brazilian footballers like Ronaldo, Adriano, Elano, Ronaldinho, et al, having lost a few steps, have left European clubs to return to Brazil as a way of extending their careers.

Brazil is a rising world power. It is an integral part of what world economists call the BRIC emerging markets, Brazil, Russia, India and China. At the same time that Brazil has emerged as a world power, it is declining as a football powerhouse. The Brazilian national football team performed poorly in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and in the 2006 World Cup in Germany. The game has changed but Brazil is still playing at the same old anachronistic tempo.

At the FIFA club championships in Tokyo, Japan, that was telecast on Fox Soccer at 5:30 a.m. Sunday morning, Barcelona of Spain completely dominated Santos of Brazil. What made the game of historical importance was that it brought together Messi of Barcelona on the same pitch as Neymer of Santos. The two great players were on the world stage. Also the Brazilian league would be tested whether it was in the same class as the elite teams or leagues in Europe. It was not much of a contest as Barcelona pawed with Santos and simply held the lion share of possession and seemingly scored at will.

Messi was surrounded by a great aggregation of players, Iniesta, Xavi, Fabregas, Alves, Thiago and Busquet. Messi time and time again destroyed Santos’ pervious defense. He clearly demonstrated that Neymar is still a “babe in the woods” and is not yet in the class of the great Argentinian.

The question for Neymar and his Brazilian advisors is is it possible for Neymar to morph into a great player by limiting himself to the mediocre competition that he faces playing in the Brazilian league? Neymar is 19 years old and there is no question about his talent. But achieving greatness in the world of soccer requires more than national ability. It means developing a mental toughness, adhering to a strict physical regiment, staying uninjured and with the introspection to work on one’s game. Messi is beyond those trials. He is truly one of the great players in the history of the game and his wizardry against Santos in Tokyo is a testimony to his elite stature. Neymar is still climbing the hill of greatness and must in coming years maneuver the steep slopes. He has miles and miles to climb before he is in the class of Messi. Lionel Messi is sitting on the top of the hill of world soccer and before his playing days are over,he may be rated above King Pele but he will need to win a few World Cups for his country Argentina.

Game On

2011-12-19T07:20:00.000-05:00

words by Ana Raya

The answer that every WPS fan was waiting for came as an early Christmas present this month as The U.S. Soccer Board of Directors approved the Women’s Professional Soccer league to continue its fourth season in 2012, with five active teams. The approval came with certain conditions that are related to the league’s expansion in the future years.

The power of the social media showed US Soccer the tremendous amount of support from fans around the world. Over 50 thousand people signed the petition to let their voice be heard and US Soccer listened.

Now the fourth season is around the corner and will begin in April 2012, Atlanta Beat, Boston Breakers, Philadelphia Independence, Sky Blue FC and Western NY Flash will battle it out in a five-month schedule.

The next step in helping this league grow is attending these games. It’s not enough to sign a petition, it’s not enough to tweet your favorite players, and it’s not enough to read articles on WPS. What will help this league expand and stay alive is for you to buy tickets and be a witness to the beautiful games these ladies showcase on a weekly basis. The best players around the world are here in your backyard, all you have to do is dedicate 90 minutes of your life per week and I guarantee you, you will not be disappointed. When the players reach the field and they look out to the stands, they are looking for you. You are who they perform for, you are who they play their hearts out for, you are who they sacrifice family and special events for, you are who they leave everything on the field for. You are who they look forward to seeing, You are who they play for, NOW the time has come for YOU to be there for them.

Please help this league grow and show up for the games. Thank you.

Sean Paul on Video Set wearing Futbolr

2011-12-16T16:47:00.004-05:00

Sean Paul on set of his new video "Call on pon Jah Jah" ft. Spragga Benz. The Shoot was Directed by the talented Walu of Capital Agent Media and Produced by Mabricio Wilson.
Thanks to all that helped to make it a very smooth shoot.

Overcome With Emotion

2011-12-16T12:04:00.000-05:00

For some teams, being sent to the Europa League is not upto standards. Here is the elation of staying alive in the Europa League. The passion shown by the fans and players of Wisla Krakow who were needing to win against FC Twente and anything but a Fulham win in the other group match featuring Odense BK. Wisla were able to secure a 2-1 win that wasn't enough knowing that Fulham was up 2-1 at Craven Cottage, but watch the surprise and emotion when they were notified of the Odense equalizer in stoppage time that sent them to the next stage of the Europa League. This is what football is about!

Ball Harambee Dec. 12

2011-12-12T22:02:00.001-05:00

Chelsea Rises From the Ashes By Bagga Wilks

In the world of soccer, a game is for ninety minutes, not for those who can start it with unbelievable fury for the first 15 minutes but for those who can endure to the end.

Manchester City started with such ferocity that the Chelsea players looked as if they were ready to roll over and play dead. In the early moments at Stanford Bridge, a combined move by Aguero and Balotelli ended up with Balotelli rounding the goalkeeper to put the mighty City one up. Immediately after, City looked as if they owned Chelsea and Stanford Bridge. But the disarrayed Blues crawled their way back into the game and Stanford Bridge looked as if it was again a level playing field.

As the game progressed, it was clear on this wet cold night, Sturridge owned the former Arsenal left back, Clichy. The Chelsea goal came from Sturridge beating Clichy, squaring up and Meireles who started over Lampard brought the Blues back into the game. At half time, it was all tied up.

It could have been anybody’s game playing under difficult conditions. Clichy let down his team and manager by committing two stupid fouls and left his team to defend with ten men. Chelsea got the go-ahead goal with the substitute Frank Lampard scoring from the penalty spot.

Chelsea’s defeat of Manchester City has slowed the Manchester City team. Manchester City are still the favorites to take the EPL title but the race has tightened. Newcastle seemed to have returned to a state of normalcy and the all year contenders are back to the two Manchester teams, Chelsea, Tottenham, Liverpool and Arsenal.

Van Persie’s goal against Everton was exquisite beauty. Arsenal deserved the three points. Arsenal’s horrendous mistakes at the back have diminished but Arsenal’s mid-field needs a quintessential playmaker.

Wenger, if he is to finish in the top four, needs to spend some money in the January market. He will also have to trade for a left full back as Andre Santos’ ankle injury will sideline him for three months.

As Christmas approaches, there will be a speed up of matches. Some teams will be adversely affected as the African contingent flies off to compete in the Africa Cup. That departure will leave a gaping hole in some teams. The Africa Cup needs to take place at a time when it is not disruptive to the European Leagues where those players make their money.

Futbolr Street Team

2011-12-12T14:04:00.000-05:00

Now's Your time to register for the Futbolr Street Team!

Goal Scoring Gooch w/ game winner

2011-12-10T22:16:00.004-05:00

USMNT Defender Oguchi Onyewu scored a game winner for his Portuguese club Sporting Lisbon against CD Nacional de Madeira. The result keeps Sporting four points from leaders Porto.

Oceana For Euro 2012

2011-12-08T19:37:00.001-05:00

So every tournament there's a song that you are going to start singing whether you like it or not. The last World cup was Waving Flag by K'Naan, which was actually a decent track. Moving forward to Poland & Ukraine hosting the 2012 European Cup, they chose to lock into German Soul-pop artist Oceana for her song Endless Summer. Not only is she soft on the eyes and has a great voice, she also is familiar with Futbolr and we want to congratulate her for a great achievement that can be added to her always growing list. Maybe this means a trip to Kiev or Warsaw is in the lans

Stoke City Cameron Jerome is a Futbolr

2011-12-06T01:05:00.003-05:00

Stoke City Football Club striker Cameron Jerome is spotted wearing Futbolr pullover in central London.

Ball Harambee Dec. 5

2011-12-05T23:13:00.001-05:00

God’s Speed for Gary Speed By Bagga Wilks

Gary Speed by conventional standards was a very successful man. He enjoyed a long professional career as a footballer in the Barclays Premier League. He was loved by his colleagues. After retiring from his job as a professional footballer, he worked as a manager in the professional game and was recently appointed manager of Wales.

Speed was presumably happily married and the father of two teenage sons. As some would say, “Gary Speed had it made in the shade”. Last week the clubs in the Barclays Premier League paid tribute to this beloved footballer. The puzzle is why does a retired professional footballer at the age of 42 wakes up one early morning, enters his garage and takes his life?

What drove Gary Speed in the prime of life to take his life? Obviously, this was a man struggling with demons that were greater than he felt he was capable of handling. The signs are that Speed must have been plagued by some mental tribulation such as depression. Was he clinically diagnosed as depressed or suffering from some other psychological malady? Were there warning signs that were not heeded?

A couple of years ago, Germany’s top goalkeeper also took his own life. He was suffering from depression. Football is a sport that generates great fan enthusiasm but there is always tremendous pressure on professional athletes to win, to keep their jobs and to function in the real world. Speed’s suicide forces the question how many other professional footballers are dealing alone with the scourge of depression or mental illness?

The soccer world suffered another premature death when the Brazilian soccer player, Socrates, died at the age of 57. Socrates is remembered as the architect of the 1982 Brazilian World Cup team. That team was knocked out by Italy in the 2nd Round but even though they did not win, they were one of the best Brazilian teams ever assembled.

Socrates was a medical doctor who during and after his playing days consumed too much alcohol. Socrates, his wife and a friend had the misfortune of being food-poisoned. His wife and friend recovered but Socrates was in such poor health that he succumbed.

Professional athletes often have a difficult time surviving after the lights have been turned off. The life of a professional athlete is sometimes short-lived as was the case of Speed and Socrates. Much attention has been given to the high salaries that professional athletes command. Soccer associations need to pay far more attention to the athlete’s mental well being.

Today is the day you help save WPS!

2011-12-04T22:22:00.003-05:00

For 3 years Womens Professional Soccer has been showcasing the best female soccer players under one roof here in the US. For young girls across the country, this league not only provided great role models to follow but also provided a dream. A dream to someday become a professional soccer player and follow the footsteps of Abby Wambach, Hope Solo or Alex Morgan to name a few. Today, this dream may be crushed as WPS finds itself in crisis. U.S soccer requires all professional leagues to have a minimum of 8 teams in the league. Last year, WPS applied for a waiver from U.S Soccer to retain its status as a Division 1 professional league playing only with 6 teams. U.S Soccer agreed. This year, WPS has again applied for a waiver but only has 5 teams in the league, (Atlanta Beat, Boston Breakers, Sky Blue FC, Philadelphia Independence and the 2011 Champion: Western NY Flash. The final decision from U.S Soccer is set to be revieled this Tuesday December 6th. If you are wondering what happened with the 6th team: Magicjack, The league decided to terminate the team due to turmoil with its owner Dan Borislow. Now, the league is fighting for its survival and all we can do is wait for U.S Soccer to determine whether the waiver has been granted.

Alex Sahlen, Western NY Flash club’s president started a petition to present to U.S Soccer. Last Monday it had 3,000 signatures, now it has over 40,000 thousand signatures, from WPS players, Pro Soccer players around the world to little girls holding on to their dream. With your help, we can make this dream come true for the next generation of female professional soccer players. Today is the day you stand up for women soccer and let the world know, women professional soccer is here to stay for good. Today is the day you put women soccer players on a pedestal and give them the recognition they deserve. Today is the day you help save WPS!
Please sign petition http://www.change.org/petitions/support-womens-professional-soccer-wps-remaining-a-sanctioned-league

WPS blog written by Ana Raya

U-17 USMNT defeats Brazil to win Nike Friendlies

2011-12-04T19:51:00.003-05:00

US U-17 MNT MNT completed a outstanding weekend by defeating Brazil 3-1 Sunday evening in Lakewood Ranch Florida to win the Nike Friendlies. The showcase included 3 other teams, european powerhouse France, Samba Kings Brazil and the talented Turkey. After drawing to a quick and powerful France the young Americans displayed a convincing win against Turkey which set up a winner takes all game against Brazil Sunday evening. U-17 USMNT featured many promising players of the future. The two creative players in the midfield are Junior Flores & Rubio Rubin. Both players possessed the ability to keep the ball for the USMNT but also create dangerous opportunities to score. To go along with these weapons are natural goal scores in Wesley Wade & DeAndre Robinson. In three matches Wade the towering striker had two goals and an assist. Defensively the U-17 USMNT was solid but two who stood out to me was the general in central defender Tyler Turner. Turner not only led the yanks defensively but also scored two goals in 3 games to highlight is incredible weekend. Shaquell Moore who plays right back for the yanks was a consistent threat going forward. Showing not only his pace but ability to make key passes to start the young yanks attack. All around a solid and inspiring result for coach Wilmer Cabrera & the entire US Soccer program.

Future Futbolrs: U.S. Development Academy Winter Showcase.

2011-12-04T14:59:00.001-05:00

Top 10 goals from Saturday’s action in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy Winter Showcase.

All About The Benjamins by Didi

2011-11-30T20:50:00.001-05:00

Words by Pat McStay

MLS worst nightmare summed up in one word: "Drogba"

Didier Drogba will end up at whichever club will pay him the most next year. After declining the one year extension at Chelsea, his agent told the press regarding Drogba, “once you are well into you thirties, you have to go to a club where you can be certain you’ll be able to pay your bills.” It’s got to be tough only making an estimated $27,000 a day. The average household income in the United States in 2006 was about $45,000, and the average household in his native Ivory Coast is about $710 US dollars per year.

To sum up what his agent has told the press, in my mind, is this: Didier has nothing left to prove in soccer. He has played at the highest level and has been the best. Now it’s time for him to relax. Someone will pay him a lot of money eventually and he wants to make a lot of money, play in an average league, and not have to work so hard for his paychecks anymore.

He’s already coasting (1 goal and 1 assist in 10 appearances), and he’s already mentioned that his career is winding down, so why pay him big money? Beckham brought attention to the league, but his career here in the MLS, besides this year, has been average. Who wants an average player for $250 million who went on loan twice and was more productive overseas on loan than the same year for the club that is paying him $250 million (Milan in 08-09 he played in 18 games, 2 goals 5 assists vs Galaxy 09 where he played in 11 games, 2 goals 3 assists). I think that his contract, based on what he is saying, may end up the same way.

Another overpaid player who is cashing in on the MLS’ will to attract top level players is not in their best interest. Attracting a 31 year old Robbie Keane is different. Thierry Henry is different-although older, he loves the US and the culture here and it had always been a dream of his to be here.

If the Galaxy acquire Drogba, I hope I am wrong. I love Drogba as a player in his prime, and I know that he will not be the same player at 33 that he was at 28, but I really hope his attitude toward the game doesn’t change. He will do the job of raising awareness and the profile of the MLS, but at what cost?

Setting The Mood

2011-11-29T18:13:00.001-05:00

Words by Pat McStay

Over the past six months, there have been several tragedies in the soccer community worldwide. When you put them all together under one umbrella, it really begins to speak volumes about how depression and other mental health issues continue to affect soccer players and coaches. Over the last six months:

• April 30th 2011 - Cheung Sai-ho-Hong Kong National Team player commits suicide• September 7th 2011 - App. State head coach Shaun Pendleton found dead (suicide)• September 26th 2011 - Carlos Tevez-publicly states he has been battling depression and eating disorders• November 25th 2011 - Babak Rafati-Bundesliga Referee tries to kill himself• November 27th 2011 - Gary Speed-Welsh Manager commits suicide

Today, professional athletes are seen as persons who can do no wrong, and because of that, showing weakness is not an option. If they did, it would be analyzed to the Nth degree. The question 'he’s a millionaire! What’s he depressed about??’ is radiating through my mind right now. It’s much easier to smile for the camera and hide those weaknesses until they are out of the spotlight or their career is over. According to the World Health Organization, depression is ranked as the 4th most common disease and by 2020 it is projected to be 2nd. There are many other cases of depression where the end result is not death, however, these cases over the last 6 months should speak volumes. According to ScienceDaily.com who obtained their information from the British Psychological Society, young men are the least likely to seek help when under mental distress or suicidal-maybe even taboo for someone to admit that there is something wrong with them but they are not sure what. If you are an athlete and you break your leg, there are procedures to make sure your leg is fully functional in a certain period of time. Mental illnesses are treatable, but it’s not that cut and dry, making it difficult sometimes for athletes, as well as our youth, to ask for help when they sometimes don’t even know what is going on.

Depression does not just affect adults. This article from 2007 in Sports Illustrated demonstrates the effects of depression on our youth. I happened to coach at Lynchburg College just a few years after this took place in the close knit community of Lynchburg, VA.

There are several programs throughout the world that help raise awareness of mental health illnesses and let the youth of the world, as well as adults, know that they are not alone. There is help-the first step is to ask for it.

Everybody Is Doing It

2011-11-29T17:16:00.001-05:00

It's a hit in Brazil and obviously sung in Portuguese, so why would we cover it on Futbolr? Well, Brazil is the home of dancing, accordions, harmonicas, beautiful women & soccer. The dance associated with Michel Teló's Ai Se Eu Te Pego is unofficially becoming the goal celebration of the top tier soccer players. Considering most of the players doing the choreographed dance are Brazilian, there are Germans, Argentinians & even Polish players getting in on the moves. Loosely translated the song means ".. and if I catch you" suggestively of course, so the 56million views on youtube have to have merit in the hearts of the Futbolrs of the world. Below is a look at your favorite players getting involved in the "Ai Se Eu Te Pego".

Neymar

Cristiano Ronaldo & Marcelo

All of Panathanaikos

Borussia Mönchengladbach ft. Marco Reus

Lewis Holtby of Schalke

Ball Harambee Nov. 28

2011-11-28T12:03:00.001-05:00

Liverpool Slows the Manchester Train By Bagga Wilks

Manchester City before clashing with Liverpool seemed to have the weaponry to crush all their rivals. But Dalglish’s Reds held them to a draw. Liverpool’s performance was so herculean that were it not for some spectacular goalkeeping by Joe Hart down the stretch, Liverpool would have emerged victorious.

Liverpool attacked with speed and with purpose. Suarez, as is per usual, troubled Lescott and Kompany. Liverpool won every 50/50 ball and played with greater intensity.

Manchester City having played in the Champions League early that week, lacked spark. Yaya Toure was not his usual energetic self. Silva failed to be mesmerizing and Aguero was ordinary. Nasri was substituted in the second half as Mancini sought to get some spark from Balotelli. Balotelli was in the game for only a few minutes before trigger happy Martin Atkinson gave him two yellows. Balotelli had reverted to his infantilism.

Manchester United also played in the Champions League. Nonetheless, they deserved more than a draw in their match against Newcastle. In the last 15 minutes of the game, they swarmed all over Newcastle but just could not find the second goal to put Newcastle away. But what made matters worse is that the replays showed clearly that the penalty given to Newcastle from a well-timed tackle by Ferdinand was a clean tackle.

Arsenal is not in a position to drop points as they started the season so poorly. Again showing the wear and tear of playing early in the week in the Champions League, they could only manage a come from behind draw with Fulham. Fulham was the only team before Liverpool to hold Manchester City to a draw. Fulham does not score that many goals but they are a robust running, tackling team that leaves everything on the field after ninety minutes.

Arsene Wenger game Arshavin a start and an opportunity to show why he should be in an Arsenal shirt after the January transfer deadline. What is clear with the Arsenal team is that the wellspring of creativity stems from Gervinho. Only when Gervinho replaced Arshavin did Arsenal arise from their slumber. Van Persie is a deadly marksman. Walcott is electric but Gervinho is the straw that stirs the drink.

Chelsea played during the week but they had the lowly-placed Wolves as their opponent. Chelsea ran the wolves out of the forest and built back some confidence. That victory takes some pressure off Villas-Boas. Romeu had his first start as Chelsea’s defensive mid-fielder and played with maturity despite his youth. Mata is a savvy playmaker and Sturridge is showing his worth as a goal scorer. David Luiz played for ninety minutes without cracking up and one hopes that Villas-Boas is having a calming influence on the Brazilian. Chelsea had a downhill ride this week. Let us see if they can find the gears when they have to ride uphill against formidable opponents.

DC United Chris Pontius is a True Futbolr

2011-11-23T11:56:00.003-05:00

We had the Pleasure of meeting Chris Pontius at MLS CUP as he was presenting awards to the winners of Volkswagen Junior Masters alongside Damarcus Beasley. Chris is going thru rehab from a crucial injury but he assured us he is feeling great and will be back next season scoring great goals like the one below.

To Draft or Not to Draft-That is the question by Pat McStay

2011-11-22T16:07:00.004-05:00

The MLS expansion draft is like picking your fantasy draft starting in round 12. All the great players are protected, so who is the best of the worst. These players might have salary issues, are too old, are young, were not productive this year, have off the field problems, or just might not be good enough to be in their clubs’ top 11. If I am Montreal management, I would choose players based on what I call my ‘Core Characteristics’-experience, youth, or the future. Choosing players in the draft to then leverage them for other, potentially better players, is genius. Portland did it with Dax McCarty who eventually went to DC United for Rodney Wallace and cash. I think these core characteristics have to be the basis behind drafting as an expansion club.

Here are my 10 players I think Montreal should draft-

1. Chad Barrett-injured but due to start for LA in MLS Cup final, scored 7 goals this year
2. Sal Sizzo-started 12 out of last 15 games this season for Portland playing in 30 total-has represented USA on almost every level and played for Hannover 96 in Bundesliga.
3. Jeff Cunningham-MLS All Time leading goalscorer and in National Team training camp as late as last year
4. Andres Mendoza-Peruvian who was 4th in goalscoring in MLS with 13 this past season
5. Omar Bravo-tied as Sporting KC leading goalscorer last year with 9
6. Adin Brown-GK for Portland. Did not see much playing time but has a wealth of experience in MLS and overseas. Took Revolution to MLS Cup Final.
7. Bobby Convey-2010 MLS Comeback player of the Year and played 110 games with Reading FC in England
8.Stefani Miglioranzi-played in 43 games for the Union in the last two seasons. Has had some injuries in the past but can do a job.
9. Joe Cannon-GK has started 305 of 306 games in his career. Approaching the end of it I imagine but is still just 35 years old. Helped San Jose win MLS Cup in 2001.
10. Tyson Wahl-started 22 of 23 games he played in this year as a center back for Seattle.

I will be interested to see if anyone from my list actually gets drafted by Montreal. If Montreal management is as smart as I want them to be, I will bat .400.

Ball Harambee Nov. 21

2011-11-21T08:30:00.000-05:00

The Unmanageable City by Bagga Wilks

Newcastle United before clashing with Manchester City was not only an undefeated team but one that was playing above expectations. Playing against Manchester City, they lacked the fire that they had displayed from the commencement of the season. Their strength was not their talent base but their willingness to pressure the ball for ninety minutes. They did get a consolation goal but the Manchester City giants reduced Newcastle to eleven dwarfs.

We are still a few weeks from the half-way mark of the EPL, but if past is prologue, then Manchester City will march to the championship of the EPL in grand style.

Mancini has to be judged the coach of the year. Their defensive form has been solid since the season began. The mid-field with Yaya Toure has been a torrid force and with Balotelli, Aguero and playmaker David Silva, they score goals in bunches.

Arsenal vs Norwich

Arsenal creates chances in bunches but scores goals spasmodically. With the superb finishing of Van Persie, the Arsenal attack which includes Gervinho and Walcott, has demonstrated their potency. Both Gervinho and Walcott are capable of dazzling defenses. What they need going forward is to finish like their skipper, Van Persie.

Arsenal problematic is not up front but is in their mid-field. They have three competent mid-fielders in Song, Ramsey and Arteta. The question is that Arteta and Ramsey are similar players. Arsenal needs a runner in mid-field and an attacking mid-field player that is more penetrating than Ramsey or Arteta. They beat Norwich quite easily and have put together five back-to-back victories.

Chelsea vs Liverpool

Arsenal’s back four has looked better since Vermaelen’s return but Chelsea’s back four continues to look shaky. The Liverpool/Chelsea match was a game of two halves. Liverpool had Chelsea mesmerized for the first 45 minutes but only got the go-ahead goal because of a defensive error by Mikel, the defensive mid-fielder.

Villas-Boas made some changes in the second half. Mikel was taken out, Sturridge brought in and Mata moved to the center of the pitch. Malouda who has been re-discovered by the coach, had a sensational second-half and it was not long before Chelsea equalized from a Malouda run and a cross and a tap in by Sturridge.

Liverpool in the second half was playing like an electrical car that was running on low voltage. Chelsea was all over Dalglish Reds but could not get the go ahead goal. Against the run of play, Glen Johnson who is back to top form after his injury, won the game for Liverpool with a scintillating solo effort where he left the Chelsea’s defense spread-eagled and placed a shot passed the outstretched hands of Chelsea’s goalkeeper, Cere.

The Blues lost and are still searching for the right combination. This is a difficult task for a young coach with a demanding boss and a team with an abundance of mercurial personalities.

Manchester United vs Swansea

Ferguson’s problems are not dissimilar from that of Villas-Boas. Manchester United took 3 points from Swansea but it was not in the normal convincing Manchester United manner. For the match against Swansea, Sir Alex brought in Giggs and Park and had Rooney and Hernandez up front. Manchester United looks disjointed and the just promoted Swansea looked more comfortable on the ball. If Swansea had taken their chances, the score line could have been different.

The scramble below Manchester City will get even more intense among those vying to play in the UEFA league next year. There is still a lot of sorting out to be done, as the English would say.

Pre Holiday Sale

2011-11-18T16:44:00.000-05:00

Click Here

Stoke City Striker Cameron Jerome talks to FutbolrTV

2011-11-18T10:43:00.000-05:00

Stoke City new signing Cameron Jerome discusses w/ FutbolrTV his fitness and joy for playing for Stoke City. We even ask Cameron if he would ever consider playing in the MLS. For more of the interview checkout http://www.futbolr.com

Chelsea Salomon Kalou w/ FutbolrTV - UFC & South Beach edition

2011-11-18T10:38:00.001-05:00

Chelsea & Ivory Coast Striker Salomon Kalou sits down w/ FutbolrTV for 2nd part of a 3 part series. In this episode Salomon discusses the change in Chelsea's style of play due to new coach Andre Villas-Boas. He also gives us insight on what he likes to do when he is not on the football pitch, like watching UFC's Anderson Silva and what is his favorite city in the United States. For more interviews visit http://www.futbolr.com

Tarrus Riley wearing Futbolr Hoody in Photo Shoot

2011-11-18T10:33:00.002-05:00

Leading International Reggae Artist Tarrus Riley wearing Futbolr Hoody while shooting for a NYC Magazine
http://www.futbolr.com

MLS Goal of the Year

2011-11-16T14:19:00.001-05:00

Congratulations to Portland Timbers and Futbolr Darlington Nagbe for winning the Major League Soccer Goal Of The Year. Not a bad accomplishment being that this is his rookie year. Let's add this to his trophy case that includes the Herman Trophy in the NCAA that he discusses in an interview with FutbolrTV earlier this year. Only bigger things to come from this member of the expansion Timber Army!

Here's the Goal that beat out Eric Hassli by 10% in the fan voting.

German Engineering

2011-11-15T17:12:00.001-05:00

Words by Pat McStay

What can you say about Klinsman as a player? He won a World Cup in 1990, ‘96 Euros, was the first player to ever score at least three goals in three consecutive World Cups, and currently sits 6th all-time in World Cup goals scored…ever. He was heavily criticized for the poor results his German side managed leading up to the 2006 World Cup-and then Germany finished 3rd. The USSF has wanted Klinsman for years and now they have him. Prior to the Slovenia game, the US had scored just 2 goals under Klinsman in 6 games. So what do I think of him?

What’s not to like.

Billy Crystal is famously quoted as saying, “change is such hard work”. In this case, I tend to agree. What is easiest isn’t always what’s best. It takes patience to do what he’s doing. Klinsman is a competitor like everyone else and he wants to win more than anyone because that’s what he is-he is a winner. But he understands that development is a process, and he is doing a great job enjoying that process. He has always been upbeat after every loss-pointing out the positives. He sees the potential and no American coach up to this point has ever helped our national team players truly realize their full potential. He’s aggressive…progressive. He has put in a challenge to all future national team players-“It’s impossible for a national team player to stop for 2 ½ months and be on vacation. It’s just not working.” And then he brings in foreign based American players, challenging our current MLS national team prospects. 12 of the 30 U-23’s are German based. What he is demanding is simple-find a way to play at a higher level, consistently throughout the year. This is a change that some critics aren’t going to like-but I do. He’s thinking outside the box, he’s being different, and ultimately he will succeed in raising the bar for our national team (#34 World Ranked USA beats #27 World Ranked Slovenia 3-2 as I am writing this). And for that I will thank him.

The way that we play is certainly more appealing. Sure we had only scored two goals in 6 games, but the one difference is that we have created more chances in the last six games than I can ever remember. Now it’s a matter of fine-tuning those opportunities into actual goals. As a casual fan, you see the stat and scoff. As a fan that is intimately involved in soccer every day, you are excited. You are excited that the United States is being put in an environment to succeed at the highest levels and I hope his track record of silencing critics will continue in 2014.

American’s want results, and they want them yesterday. But change is hard work. It takes time. If the goal is to qualify for the World Cup and then succeed once we get there, does it really matter if we lose 1-0 to France in France in November of 2011?

Off The Pitch

2011-11-15T16:03:00.001-05:00

All across the world there are international friendly soccer matches this past week. From the huge nations like Germany v. Netherlands and the smaller ones like Macedonia v. Albania, but in North Africa two teams from the past World Cup couldn't get it together and had to cancel the arranged match. Cameroon was set to play Algeria in Algiers on the 15th of November, but the Indomitable Lions refused to board the plane from their previous match in Morocco for their next match.

This is not the first time that this has been an issue with the Cameroon's national team players and their national federation. The bonuses that were promised didn't not arrive to the players and they responded with a strike. Now there are ramifications and threatened legal issues from the Algerian Football Federation that was force to play a match with both sides formed of players from the Algerian National Team. All this coming from a team that has Samuel Eto'o the world's highest paid footballer in the squad who makes roughly $0.25million a week.

Ball Harambee Nov. 15

2011-11-15T13:46:00.001-05:00

England: The Duppy Conqueror By Bagga Wilks

England has not performed well in the international stage for decades. England last won the World Cup in 1966 when they played at home and the referees did everything to emasculate Pele.

England performed relatively well in the 2002 World Cup when there was great expectation that they would knock-out Brazil and go on to win the World Cup.

The England vs Brazil game of 2002 was a memorable event. Ronaldinho at the top of his game picked up a dribble and with a step-over annihilated Sol Campbell and Rio Ferdinand. Ronaldinho squared the ball to Ronaldo and that’s all she wrote. England lost 2-0 as Ronaldinho scored from a free kick.

In the 2010 World Cup, England performed abysmally. The team on paper seemed formidable but in praxis, lacked chemistry. England returned from South Africa with not much to show for the journey.

In the last European Cup, England failed to qualify. They are in for the 2011 European Cup but must play three games without the mischievous Wayne Rooney.

There are some fascinating new developments taking place in English football. The victory over Spain, even though a friendly, point to England’s bright future. The world champions, Spain, outplayed England. England was on their defensive heel for most of the ninety minutes. Spain passed and passed but England’s defense refrained from being breached. Cole, Lescott, Jagielka and Johnson fought off foray after foray.

England got a goal from a Milner cross into a Bent header and Lampard opportunity goal. Spain got chances in the closing stages of the game but Fabregas could not convert Spain’s playmakers, Silva and Mata are no Messi.

The England team has begun to age and there is a new crop of footballers coming to the fire. Rodwell, Wilshere, Jones, Welbeck, Smalling and Young represent the future of English football. These are not role players but young bucks with speed and intelligence. If managed adroitly, English football should rise from the doldrums that has been its fate from 1966. A victory over Sweden in the opening.

Chelsea's Salomon Kalou "Futbolr Days Futbolr Nights" Edition

2011-11-14T22:40:00.001-05:00

FutbolrTV caught up w/ Chelsea & Ivory Coast Striker Salomon Kalou. He gave us a inside look at some of his most memorable moments of his career exclusively inside is London home. We spoke on his Messi, Henry and Ronaldinho Jersey's hung up on his wall. Kalou is a great guy and friend and thank him for his hospitality. We shot this on the night he scored his 1st goal of the 2011 season in Champions League game against Genk.. For more interviews w/ Kalou goto
www.futbolr.com
WHERE SOCCER MEETS FASHION

Borussia Dortmunds Fans Rock!

2011-11-11T10:38:00.001-05:00

This is how fans should spend their time and efforts. Lately, the media has been focusing on stories of the nasty and ignorant fans that continue to keep the beautiful game in an ugly place. The Borussia Dortmund fans decided to keep it dark too, but with an artistic take. The tifo demonstrated before their 5-1 crushing over Wolfsburg was menacing and by the scoreline it did the trick. Below in the video there is a brief behind the scenes of the creation of the the fan-induced celebration, then the presentation. The bar has been set!

Ball Harambee Nov. 7

2011-11-08T09:08:00.000-05:00

The Dust is Settling in the EPLBy Bagga Wilks

This was a telling week in English football. The results tell us where teams are likely to finish when the fat lady sings. Wigan, at the bottom of the tables with 5 points, lost to Wolves, a team slightly above relegation contention. All the signs are that Wigan will face relegation and one of the two teams sitting in the cellar, Blackburn also lost in this first week of November 1. Wolves, as they did last year, will avoid regulation by a whisker.

What is quite revealing thus far in the EPL is the performance of the three promoted teams, Swansea, Queens Park Rangers and Norwich. Swansea drew this week with Liverpool playing away. Queens Park Rangers gave the juggernaut-like Manchester City a run for their money playing them at home. Norwich lost to Aston Villa in a hotly contested game.

The contrast is fascinating when one compares the three recently promoted teams with the likes of Reading, Birmingham, Hull City, etc., teams that were promoted to the Premier League but were still playing an obsolete brand of football.

A club like Swansea is well coached and plays the beautiful game. Queens Park Rangers got a transfusion of new blood just prior to the opening of the season and there is no question that players like Joey Barton, Sean Wright Phillips and Anton Ferdinand have made QPR a more competitive team.

As we take a FIFA break, Manchester leads by five points. Manchester City has shown that even in tight games they can find that little extra to come away with three points.

Manchester United remains in second place. After an auspicious beginning, Manchester United is now only able to grind out narrow victories. They defeated Sunderland 1-0 and Wes Brown, formerly with Sir. Alex, scored an own goal for his old team.

The surprise of the contenders is Newcastle United. Newcastle finds a way to win. It is far from a star-studded team but they are disciplined, fight for every ball and are impeccable in the back.

Tottenham won again this weekend. Against Fulham, they showed an inability to control the game, particularly in the second half. Fulham was all over the Spurs in the second half and deserved a better outcome.

Arsenal’s nightmare start is now behind them. Arsenal has put together back to back wins and the return of Vermaelen and the improvement of Koscielny have strengthened the defensive line. Arsenal beat West Bromwich 3-0 and kept a clean sheet. Arteta looks like a Gunner and is back to his peak form when he was the playmaker at Everton before his serious knee injury.

Arsenal is in 6th place with 19 points, way off Manchester City’s pace. It is unlikely that Manchester City will stumble but Arsenal has an excellent chance of finishing in the top four.

The January transfer will soon be on us and the canny acquisitions by the top six can make a difference when the tight bottles are underway in the waning weeks of the season. It is quite unlikely that any of the Manchester teams will be seeking talent in the January market. Chelsea’s problem is not the search for new acquisitions but to find the right chemistry. Their dilemma is what does one do with the off-stride $50 million man? Send him on loan to another league until he is no longer a shadow of his old self. For the relegation teams, they wish they had some of Chelsea’s money or Manchester City. Chelsea’s problem is that they had too much and they did not spend it wisely.

Ball Harambee Oct. 31

2011-11-01T03:50:00.001-04:00

The Arsenal-Chelsea Shootout

By Bagga Wilks

The English Premier League has begun with some surprising high scores. Manchester United whipped Arsenal 8-2. Manchester City humiliated Manchester United 6-1. And last Saturday October 27, 2011, Arsenal outscored Chelsea 5-3.

We seem to be entering the age of open football. Chelsea’s new coach, Villas-Boas, is still adapting to the EPL after coming over from Porto in Portugal. This season has been an ongoing baptism for the coach. He is still fiddling with his lineup, trying to get the winning mix.

Full backs in this new era of open football are essentially old time wingers. Bosingwa, Chelsea’s right full back is played for his forays on the right wing and secondarily for his defense. Ashley Cole has always been treasured as an attacking left full back who is always in the offensive mix.

Once full backs are relieved of their defensive duties, more pressure is placed on the two central defenders and the holding mid-field player. Villas-Boas is still searching for the right defensive chemistry. Alex has lost favor. The other Brazilian, David Luiz is the overly energetic bunny who has shown lapses in judgment. Ivanovic and Terry have played together a lot over the seasons but they don’t seem to cover each other very well. Terry, the English skipper, has lost a few steps and his slip in a crucial moment of the game, gave Van Persie an easy sitter.

Mikel is no Essien and one wonders if Essien will ever be Essien again after so many injuries. Juan Mata has added some creativity to Chelsea’s attack but Fernando Torres is still a lost soul at Stanford Bridge. Chelsea has spent a great deal of money but unlike Manchester City, at this juncture, Chelsea is still trying to fit the pieces into a winning whole.

This was a landmark win for Arsenal. Nonetheless, Wenger’s team suffers from some of the same frailties as Chelsea. They play a high defensive line and at times, the defenders do not play in harmony. Teams in the EPL are becoming more adept at breaking down the high defensive flat four which in actuality is a flat two as the full backs are caught up stream in the attack.

There was some improvement in the Arsenal defensive posture in the second half as Alex Song stayed at home as the defensive mid-field player. Koscielny has shown some improvement this season but the lanky German, Mertesacker, is still looking awkward and trying to keep up with the fast tempo of the English game.

Theo Walcott is a player of extremes. With Walcott, there is no “aristotelian” mean. He is either very innocuous or exceptionally destructive of defenses. Playing against a Chelsea’s defense where the left full back was missing in action, Walcott ran all over the Blues. Gervinho also benefited from Chelsea’s open game and is growing in confidence. But what was most heartening about the Arsenal win for Wenger, was the play of Aaron Ramsey. He was far from a non-descript player and was constantly troubling to John Terry et al.

At this early stage in the season, it appears to be Manchester City on top and six other teams vying to be in the top four. Tottenham, Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal will be involved in the death struggle to qualify for the lucrative Champion’s League.

The New Race Dialectics in Football

2011-11-01T03:27:00.000-04:00

By Bagga Wilks

For decades, football had been plagued by travelling packs of wolves that would attend soccer matches and create mayhem. Harsh law enforcement has reduced hooliganism from marring the world of soccer.

As soccer has globalized, we are witnessing a resurgence of nativism and racism. At an international game involving Italy, Italian nationals expressed their resentment that the black Italian Mario Balotelli was representing Italy.

Just over the last fortnight, there has been a series of racist allegations encompassing the English League and the Spanish League. Cesc Fabregas who just this season transferred from Arsenal to Barcelona has been accused of making racist remarks to an opponent. Fabregas has denied the accusation and there will be an inquiry.

The English skipper, John Terry, has been accused by Anton Ferdinand of Queens Park Rangers of making racist remarks and the FA is examining the veracity of the claim. Terry is not known for his moral character. A couple seasons ago, he caused a disruption on the English team as he was accused of sleeping with his best friend’s girl friend at the time. Wayne Bridge was a member of the English squad at the time and was alienated from his best friend, John Terry.

In the Manchester United draw with Liverpool, Patrice Evra has accused the Uruguayan, Luis Suarez of using a racist remark ten times on the field. Suarez is new to the EPL after playing for Ajax in Holland and in his short sojourn has demonstrated an intemperate spirit. His manager, Dalglish, has come to his rescue without knowing the facts.

In an international friendly in London, Brazil’s Neymar complained in the game against Scotland of fans throwing a banana peel on the field and of racial taunts. Neymar complained but the issue faded with time.

Why are these racist taunts now coming to the fore? FIFA has been instrumental in taking the World Cup to other parts of the world beyond the European enclaves. The 2010 World Cup was held in South Africa. The 2014 World Cup will be held in Brazil. Brazil has the largest concentration of blacks in the western hemisphere. Brazil’s definition of race is far more nuanced than in the United States or Europe.

Europe is experiencing a difficult time in assimilating a heavy influx of immigrants. Even in tolerant societies like the Scandinavian countries, the assimilation of Muslims has been a difficult task. The English League in certain parts of the country had to be postponed because of the city riots which were more about class than about race.

European economies are also struggling with their own debt crisis and inequality of wealth. But one would expect those stressors to be manifested among fans, not players who are well paid.

There was a time when the English team had difficulty including in the side some of their top black players. The World Cup of 1986 may have had a different outcome if England had built the team around the guile of Johnny Barnes who was used sparingly but whenever he was inserted, made a difference in the potency of the English attack.

The English team no longer has just a token black but it is a fully integrated team with Theo Walcott, Darren Bent, Ashley Cole, Ashley Young, Danny Welbeck, Rio Ferdinand and Glen Johnson. There are other black players knocking on the door to represent England in the international game.

The English League may be the most integrated in all of Europe. Chelsea boasts players from the African continent, Brazil, Black British, the European continent, etc. Arsenal has comparable diversity with black players from France, white players from France and players from the African continent. Manchester United and Manchester City have a similar racial mix.

There has been a concern in England that English players are becoming a minority in the EPL, particularly among the elite clubs which are endowed with billionaire foreign owners. Teams that wish to win at all cost will purchase the players more likely to enhance the chances of victory. Unless teams are vying for championships, the fans become restless and the gate receipts are affected.

Of all the professional money-making sports, soccer is the most globalized. FIFA and the English FA have embarked on inquiries to deal with the racial sparks. In this globalized world, racism cannot be glossed over and those found guilty should be given severe punishment. Both FIFA and FA should be reminded that justice delayed, is justice denied.

MLS Gets Scrappy

2011-10-31T09:16:00.000-04:00

Who says that the players in MLS don't have passion? After L.A. Galaxy squeaking past the N.Y. Red Bulls 1-0 with a brilliant ball from Beckham to Magee for a goal that had Red Bull defence and keeper looking for an offside whistle. But, that's nowhere near the excitement after the final whistle was blown. Designated Players Rafa Marquez & Landon Donovan decided to up the ante for the 2nd round match-up this Thursday in Los Angeles. Marquez took the ball and gave it a pretty good toss at Donovan that started a scuffle where Marquez's head-butt and right hook were lacking in comparison to throw the ball, because he caught wind on both attempts. If that wasn't bad enough Rafa ended his performance with a phantom K.O. that laid him out on the Red Bull Arena pitch(Above). Enjoy the full foolishness below.

Cummings Kimura Colorado

2011-10-28T06:05:00.001-04:00

The 2nd game of the MLS Playoffs went down last night as the reigning champs were up against the Black & Yellow of the Columbus Crew. After what looked as the whiteout conditions of the day before it was amazing that they were not in snowshoes to play the game. The game was end to end with both sides having clear chances, but solid goalkeeping from both Pickens & Hesmer kept the game close throughout the entire game. The breakthrough was for Colorado Rapids just before the half when Kimura found space down the right wing to cut back a clear pas to Jamaican international Omar Cummings to drive the one-timer to the near side of the post to claim the difference. Now the Rapids have 2 days to prepare for their next match against Sporting Kansas City in the next round to defending their MLS Cup.

Soccer Has Gone to The Dogs

2011-10-26T11:53:00.000-04:00

There are a ton of pitch invaders that are paid to interrupt games and give advertisement to brands or run like asses just from a friends dare. Well in the Copa Sudamericana between Independiente Santa Fe & Botafogo someone's pooch decided to go for a sweat in the cup game. Not only did this dog get on the pitch, it was very aware that he wasn't going to get taken off until he was ready. Sign of a true Futbolr.

MLS Goals of the Year '11 Part 1

2011-10-25T14:11:00.000-04:00

The regular season has ended with a 2 leading goal scorers in the MLS in Chris Wondolowski(SJ) & Dwayne DeRosario(TOR/NY/DC) with 16 each respectively. Our boy DeRo came through with the tie-breaker being assists having 12 versus Wondo's 3. Aside from the consistent finishing touches of Chris & Dwayne, here are some spectacular finishes that are vying for the Goal of the Year award for 2011. The format given by MLS is obviously a unique one. There are 64 entries for the GOTY broken down into 4 groups of four entrants. So think Road to the Final four, but substitute the basketball games for goals you can vote for online and enter a 2nd round that is round robin style, then proceeding into a knock-out round. It could be perceived as confusing, but all we suggest is watch the clips and VOTE HERE!

Group A
• J. Agudelo (NY) vs. SEA, 3/19/11
• L. Gil (RSL) vs. NY, 8/6/11
• A. Gordon (TOR) vs. LA, 6/11/11
• D. De Rosario (DC) vs. SJ, 7/30/11

Group B
• J. Martina (TOR) vs. POR, 3/26/11
• D. Beckham (LA) vs. CHI, 7/9/11
• B. Shea (DAL) vs. TOR, 7/20/11
• J. Gardner (CLB) vs. SEA, 8/27/11

Group C

• J. Agudelo (NY) vs. DC, 4/21/11
• K. Cooper (POR) vs. VAN, 10/2/11
• A. Dixon (HOU) vs. RSL, 8/20/11
• N. LaBrocca (CHV) vs. CHI, 7/2/11

Group D
• T. Henry (NY) vs. LA, 5/7/11
• K. Stephenson (SJ) vs. SEA, 4/2/11
• E. Gaven (CLB) vs. DC, 10/2/11
• T. Bunbury (SKC) vs. VAN, 4/2/11

Groups E - P will Be Uploaded here when available.

Ball Harambee Oct. 23

2011-10-24T09:12:00.000-04:00

By Bagga Wilks
The Manchester Juggernaut

Johnny Evans playing for the injured Vidic, mauled Balotelli outside of the penalty box, and Sir Alex’s Manchester United were forced early in the match to play the juggernaut-like Manchester City with ten men. Manchester United ended being pistol whipped 6-1. One is forced to question Ferguson’s judgment. He could have played Smalling or Phil Jones to partner with Ferdinand. His faith in Johnny Evans has failed to pay any dividend. Even in his substitutions, Ferguson took off Nani and Anderson. Nani can change a game at any time and Anderson runs hard and passes well in mid-field. Ferguson’s moves in recent games have been dubious. Manchester United began the season in a blaze of glory. In the last couple of games, the fire has burnt itself out and there is only smoldering coming from the Manchester United campsite. Manchester City now leads the champions by five points. Balotelli is on fire, literally and metaphorically. Silva is showing this season that he is one of the better playmakers in the EPL. Micah Richards has grown under Mancini and is always a threat. The acquisition of Clichy has meant that City now has two speedy attacking full backs. Tevez is still in the dog-house and will be sold in January. Even without their leading goalkeeper from last season, Mancini strike force appears unstoppable. Manchester United destroyed Arsenal at the beginning of the season. Now they have been pulverized by their cross-town rivals. Suddenly Manchester United looks very ordinary.

Arsenal Keeps the Powder Dry

Wenger made a gallant effort to resuscitate Chamakh’s career in the EPL. But Chamakh looks like he is shovel-ready for a post-mortem. Wenger had to produce his remaining trump card, Van Persie, to show that Arsenal is not bereft of artillery. The difficult-to-play Stoke City was completely thrashed by an Arsenal team that has rediscovered the magic of the passing game. Arteta seemed to have caught his second wind and Gervinho scored and had an assist. Coming off the bench, Van Persie scored two goals. Allan Ramsey seems to have gotten back his game. Arsenal could finish in the top four. They are climbing back from the torturous days of August. Wenger is still a couple of players short of being an elite team and the January window will tell us much about Arsenal’s willingness to invest in the present.

Chelsea Departs in Pieces

Chelsea played QPR with nine men. They were like a boxer fighting with one hand tied. Bosingwa was given a red card for tugging at the shirt of Sean Wright- Phillips even though it was not a clear breakaway at goal. Drogba made a silly two-footed tackle that earned the Ivorian an early shower. David Luiz plays like he is on steroids. He comes into games with kinetic energy and usually ends up doing something stupid. He failed to play a clearance in the box and having allowed the ball to bounce, with the QPR forward off to the left side of the goal, the erratic Luiz pushed him unceremoniously. That resulted in a penalty that was converted. Chelsea had the opportunity to make up ground on Manchester City but squandered the opportunity as the squad performed like schoolboys.

Prince of Milan

2011-10-23T11:10:00.001-04:00

Not the most convincing start of the year for the Rossoneri. Only winning 1 of it's first 5 matches in Serie A. But it looks like between the Champions League win against Bate Borislav and today against Lecce, AC Milan now has a rocket launcher on their squad. Kevin Prince Boateng has scored 4 goals in his last 2 games. The goal against Bate was sanctioned by the military, but after being 3-0 down to Lecce, Boateng entered the Serie A match for Robinho in the 2nd half. What happened next is below, but the first 2 goals were a mix of precision, placement and power. Single handedly bringing AC Milan back into the match by scoring 3 goals in the second half, it looks like Massimiliano Allegri has to reconsider his starting line-up immediately. The footage below is proof!

Footballer Femininas

2011-10-20T10:43:00.002-04:00

Some of the most famous players in the game have lost twin sisters. We decided to post the pictures to assist in getting these Futbolr families back together. So, Neymar, Ronaldinho & Messi get intouch with us. It's the right thing to do.

Van Persie & Balotelli

2011-10-17T13:21:00.000-04:00

Van Persie: The Arsenal Trump Card

Arsenal etched out a victory (2-1) over Sunderland. There is now some hope in the Arsenal ranks. They outplayed Sunderland and there were no defensive lapses. Sunderland scored from a well taken free kick by Sebastian Larsson.

Wenger started Arteta, Rosicky and Song in mid-field. Rosicky played one of his better games in years as he made quite a few penetrative dribbles. Song was his usual outstanding self, excelling both offensively and defensively. Arteta has cooled off since the season began and frequently becomes a non-factor in the midst of the soccer drama. Gervinho has become a non-factor and when replaced by Arshavin, we saw something of the old Arshavin as if he appears to have awakened from his Siberian slumber.

Vermaelen and Diaby are expected to be back shortly. Diaby, perhaps, can apply that pace and penetration in mid-field that can make Arsenal more than an also-run team in the Premier League.

Balotelli: From Woe to Wow

Last season when Mario Balotelli was making a fool of himself, picking up red cards, snarling at referees, manifesting a poor work rate on the field, it was Gareth Barry who stated that Balotelli was a player endowed with an abundance of football talent.

Against Aston Villa that talent was on display. Balotelli scored an incredible bicycle kick to break the deadlock. But it was not just the bicycle kick. There seems to be a new maturity to the impetuous Italian. His work rate has increased, he comes back to help defensively and he is now integrated into the Mancini aggregation.

Much credit for the emergence of a more professional Balotelli has to be given to Mancine. The Italian coach could easily have lost faith in Balotelli as he has lost faith in Carlos Tevez. Manchester City at this early juncture is the premier team in the Premier League. Manchester City has become a well-oiled attacking team. Milner and Barry are in top form. Under Mancini, Kompany has developed into an outstanding central defender and thus far this season DeJong is more composed and less reckless in his tackling. A great deal of money has been spent and Mancini has put all the pieces into place. Sir Alex Ferguson will have to dig deep to finish ahead of his Manchester counterpart in the English Premier League 2011-2012.

Brazil vs. Marcelo

2011-10-17T12:47:00.000-04:00

By Bagga Wilks

The English Premier League took a break to allow qualifying games for the European Cup in 2012 and the World Cup in 2014. Mexico and Brazil faced off for an international friendly in Mexico. At half time, it appeared that Brazil was heading to another defeat. They were down to 10 men and 1-0 behind. Dani Alves who has not played well at right-back for Brazil was sent off for fouling “Chicharito” Hernandez in the box. In the ensuing penalty kick, Jefferson, the Brazilian goalkeeper who had replaced the injured Julio Cesar, came up with a remarkable save. Playing with 10 men in the second half, the Brazilians lifted their game and played with great gusto.

Ronaldinho, who returned home to Brazilian club football, has been called back to the national team. This is the rejuvenated Ronaldinho. Not the Ronaldinho who merely perch on the left and sent in dangerous crosses and did zero defensive work. This is the Ronaldinho who is trying to win a World Cup for Brazil in 2014 alongside Neymar, Damaio, Marcelo, Robinho, et al. The big question regarding Ronaldinho is can he re-capture the form of the 2002 World Cup when he was instrumental in leading his country to victory? Can he re-capture that form of playing at home for Flamengo? Can he stay out of the night clubs and maintain a high level of fitness? Can he perform at a high level in the 2014 World Cup at the age of 30 plus?

It was a Ronaldinho’s free kick that allowed Brazil to level against Mexico. And it was a dazzling run by Marcelo of Real Madrid that allowed Brazil to emerge triumphant against Mexico even though the gold shirts were playing with ten men.

Brazil in that second half played with great energy, grit, and gusto. Mano Menezes team may be coming together. Alves needs to be replaced as the right full back. Cesar and Lucio are part of an over-the-hill gang that does not belong in the Brazilian national team. Menezes still has to sort out his mid-field. He needs runners and creative players who can assist Neymar, Ronaldinho, Robinho and Damaio. Menezes cannot keep rotating ad infinitum. He needs to settle on a core that can establish the necessary Samba chemistry. A competitive Brazilian national team is critical to the international game.

EPL BallHarambe Oct. 16

2011-10-16T19:30:00.000-04:00

Tottenham vs. Newcastle

What a difference a fortnight makes in the EPL. Tottenham looked in great form a fortnight ago but against Newcastle, they were lucky to leave James’ Park with a 2-2 tie. Tiote, the Newcastle mid-field player, completely outplayed Tottenham’s Scott Parker in mid-field. Tiote is emerging as one of the top mid-fielders in the League. Without any great expenditure of funds, New Castle is a well-coached team, effectively organized and a team that plays attractive attacking football.

Tottenham had difficulty putting passes together. Bale and Modric had off-days. Defoe came in as a substitute and scored a glorious goal. But Newcastle substitute, Amoeba, also beat Friedel with an exquisitely placed shot. No question, Newcastle will be a force to contend with in the 2011-12 season.

Liverpool vs. Manchester United

Sir Alex Ferguson blundered with starting a team against Liverpool with Nani, Rooney and Anderson perched on the bench. Ryan Giggs has had a great career at Manchester United but one wonders if he and the team would not have been better off if he had bowed out with his side-kick Paul Scholes.

That clever aggregation of Rooney, Welbeck, Young, Andersen, Nani and Cleverly has been dismembered by injury and by Ferguson’s inastuteness. Manchester managed a 1-1 draw but deserved to lose to Liverpool. Gerard got a gift from Giggs as the latter created a gaping hole in the wall as Gerard’s free kick gave Liverpool the lead. Liverpool played purposeful ball with Downing, Suarez, Gerard, Adams and Kuyt placed Manchester on the back foot.

Ferguson is quite adept at rotating his players and that is good management in a long season but he needs to know who are the big players that make a difference in this Manchester United Team. The team Sir Alex started against Liverpool was not that team.

One unsavory outcome of the hard-fought contest is Evra’s accusation of Suarez, the Uruguayan, making repeated racist remarks. Suarez is a feisty character and has denied the charges, although his denial does not come across as credible as the remarks according to Evra was repeated at least ten times.

Sign Up NOW EAST COAST INDOOR SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP

2011-10-03T18:17:00.003-04:00

East Coast Premier Indoor Soccer Tournament comes to The Virginia Beach Field House. Virginia’s premier indoor sports facility December 16-18 2011
Boys/Girls: U8-U19
For more info visit: East Coast Indoor Championships

Ball Harambee - EPL GameWeek 6

2011-09-26T12:25:00.001-04:00

Ball HarambeeArsenal The Clean Sheet MiracleBy Bagga Wilks

Arsenal triumphed for the first time in the 2011-12 English Premier League season. Wenger’s eleven beat lowly placed Bolton at home 3-0. Arsenal miraculously did not give up a goal and did not squander a lead. Mertesacker and Koscielny did not commit any major blunders and Sagna and Gibbs on the defensive flank held their respective corner.

Alex Song missed a few games at the end of last season and earned a red card easily in this season. Nonetheless, Song is improving as an Arsenal defensive mid-fielder. He is becoming not just a specialist defensive mid-fielder but one who can produce a telling through ball and as he demonstrated against Bolton, one who can finish. Song scored the third goal after Robin Van Persie had put Arsenal two up, the second being his 100 goal as a player in the Arsenal uniform.

Arteta continues to be the effective playmaker but the 20 year old Ramsey, captain of Wales needs to master the important art of finishing. Walcott is no longer an afterthought in the Arsenal line-up and is becoming the straw that stirs the drink in the offensive line. He is still not at the peak of his game. His decision-making still lacks maturity but when this galloping thorough-bred takes his game to another level, together with Van Persie, Gervinho and Arteta, Arsenal will have the necessary artillery to beat much of the opposition.

Arsenal is not out of the woods. Beating the lowly placed Bolton is not a test of their elite competence. We still do not know if the defensive safety-net is still appallingly porous. Vermaelen’s return will be a God-sent and it will be intriguing to see if Diaby’s return will add more creatively and pace to Arsenal’s mid-field.

Manchester United Is Poked by Stoke City

Manchester United began the season with the big bang. The aggregation of Welbeck, Rooney, Nani, Young, Anderson and Cleverly simply blew away the opposition. Facing Stoke City at home, Manchester United was without Welbeck, Cleverly and Rooney in the starting line-up. Chicharito had replaced the recovering Welbeck but got injured at the outset of the game.

A soccer team is a compendium of delicate pieces and all the pieces have to be synchronized for the team to be firing on all cylinders. Berbatov, Owen and Fletcher filled in, perhaps ably, but there was no scintillating movement off and on the ball. Manchester fought toe to toe with Pulis’ unsleeping giants. One of the newly acquired giants, Crouch, scored the tying goal from a corner kick.

Manchester United will re-group but Ferguson must not forget the dazzling aggregation that abused early opponents. Re-assembling that aggregation will be essential if Manchester United is going to get to the mountain top in 2012.

Manchester City Edges Everton

Playing every player virtually behind the ball made it extremely difficult for the Mancini millionaires playing for the Abu Dhabi billionaires to penetrate Everton’s defensive strategy. Mancini brought on Balotelli in the second half for the red hot Dzeko and his shot which took a slight deflection changed the game. Everton was forced to come out of their shell and City were able to put the game away.

Tevez has not been able to break into the team. Tevez has not endeared himself to managers at the club level or at the national level. For his career, they will have to find a new resting/nesting place for the Argentinean. His salary makes a January trade a formidable undertaking. In this age of playing in two leagues simultaneously clubs need a team with depth but it is cruel to have players of the caliber like Tevez not applying their skills. Hopefully, some club with a high roller and a manager willing to deal with Tevez’ volcanic eruptions will rise to the fore in the dead of winter.

Designer Drogba

2011-09-26T11:33:00.002-04:00

After coming back from a scary concussion to score in his latest appearance against Swansea. But, how should we celebrate this return to form? Maybe a trip to Munich to wear some lederhosen and drink some brew for Oktoberfest. Maybe this is the after effects of a mid-air collision with a premiere league goalkeeper. Do you think that this will catch on?

The Hair Apparent

2011-09-21T18:20:00.000-04:00

The game that everyone waits for once a year is about to drop. You can tell that they are adding more personality to the game by promos that have US national soccer players having a game against non-soccer sports celebrities. One of the promos have Landon Donovan against "The Freak" Tim Lincecum of the San Francisco Giants. In the video above the trash talk centered around the excess and lack of hair. The actual video game result is secondary.

Dalglish Sputters

2011-09-19T11:59:00.003-04:00

By Bagga Wilks

Kenny Dalglish made some canny moves over the summer to acquire Charley Adam, Downing, Henderson and before Suarez and Carrol. They seemed poised for greatness but suffered a meltdown against Tottenham.

Harry Redknapp didn’t make that many moves over the summer. He adroitly acquired Adebayor and Scott Parker, kept Modric and jettisoned Crouch. Against Liverpool, Redknapp’s two acquisitions, Parker and Adebayor, played magnificently. Parker was his usual busy self in mid-field and Adebayor took up where he left off when he was one of the premier strikers in the EPL.

Liverpool had an emotional letdown. Charley Adam received a red early in the first half. Then Skrtel who had Bale skirting around him for the entire time he was on the field also joined Charley Adam with a red card. Yellow cards and red cards are becoming a menace in football. Eleven against ten is an unfair advantage much less eleven against nine.

In addition to keeping his Liverpool players on the field, Dalglish needs to shore up his defends. He has acquired Sebastian Coates, the young Uruguayan, a central defender but it will take him some time to adapt to the speed of the English game. Liverpool and Arsenal seem to be swimming in the same leaky boat. Harry Redknapp has the horses to finish among the elite.

The First Battle of the Titans

The Manchester United vs Chelsea game lived up to the expectations. In the first half, it was clear that the Chelsea defenders could not cope with the Manchester assault. Not long after the referee blew his whistle, Chelsea were three down with goals by Smalling, Rooney and Nani.

Chelsea came alive in the second half and there are signs that Torres is awakening from his long slumber. He ran off the ball well and Anelka delivered an exquisite through ball which Torres deposited in the back of the net. He received another perfect through pass from Ramires, beat the goalkeeper and blew the “sitter”. But Torres and his coach should not be daunted by him missing the “sitter”. The key is that he is making the beautiful runs that have made him a thorn in the side of defenders.

Manchester United is a cut above the rest in the EPL. Manchester City allowed Fulham to come from behind and tie them to a 2-2 draw.

The EPL is off to a great start and Manchester United, even though the last four intermittently looked shaky, the offensive weapons are too variegated for defender to cope. Rooney, Nani, Young, Chicharito and Anderson are playing at a level that their match up with Barca later in the season should be an epic.

Monday Blues

2011-09-19T11:56:00.000-04:00

The big match-up this weekend in the EPL was Manchester United Red Devils versus Chelsea F.C. Blues. This was the highlight between the last two winners of the league title. This may have been the best game $50 Million dollar striker Fernando Torres has played in blue, but it does not over-shadow Nando's gaping miss. So to take away from the anguish, below we have provided a video for the worst misses caught on tape in the history of football.

The Arsenal Downpour

2011-09-19T11:41:00.006-04:00

By Bagga Wilks

Arsene Wenger has been blind to Arsenal’s defensive weaknesses. Those defensive weaknesses have been apparent from last season. At the beginning of the current season Wenger needed to go out and purchase experienced central defenders preferable with experience in the EPL. Instead, he looked to France and brought in Squillaci and Koscielny, central defenders who merely added to the porous nature of Arsenal’s defense. At 12 minutes to midnight, he went out and bought the German international, Mertersacker. The German will take some time to adjust to the English league. Wenger’s best defender who was hurt most of last season is again injured.

Against Blackburn, Arsenal did show that with the departure of Nasri and Fabregas, they shall have offensive punch. With the acquisition of Gervinho and Arteta, both players early in the season have demonstrated that they can finish, they can put the ball in the back of the net.

Arsenal falls apart in the defensive third of the field. They are incapable of defending against set plays. Sambo could have easily scored twice at the far post as the Arsenal defenders were temporarily fixed in cement. Wenger needs to hire a tested defensive coach and in January, jettison the jokers in the back, and acquire defenders who have an established track record in the EPL.

Arsenal gave up eight goals to Manchester United and four goals to Blackburn Rovers in their 4-3 loss away from home. They gave away two own goals, what has become typical self-inflicted wounds. Despite the tawdry defending, Arsenal had opportunities to pull the chestnuts out of the fire but Chamakh and Mertersacker misfired.

All signs are that this is going to be a season of tough sledding for the Gunners. With an unwillingness to spend for a premier central defender early in the summer and an ostrichtitive approach to the departure of Fabregas and Nasri, Wenger did not adequately prepare the club for the 2011-12 EPL season. Managers cannot glory in the past. Wenger has been more than wanting in getting his team prepared to play in the toughest league in the world.

Arsenal: From the Bottom Up

2011-09-11T22:12:00.002-04:00

By Bagga Wilks

Arsenal finally posted a victory in the Premier League edging out the newly promoted Swansea 1-0. The goal that made the difference was a gift given to Arsenal by the Swansea goalkeeper who threw an unexpected ball to his defender which the alert Ashavin intercepted and perceptively put the ball in the back of the net.

This was the new Arsenal with Arteta as the playmaking midfielder and Mertesacker as the eleventh hour imported central defender summoned to marshal a defense below Premier League standards. Vermaelen is hurt again but when he returns the Belgian and the German should make a formidable central defender duo in the English Premier League.

Arsenal played without Gervinho and Alex Song who are serving a three game suspension after being red carded in previous encounters. Frimpong filled in for Song. The new Arsenal will be tested throughout the season. What will be critical is whether the young midfield players like Song, Frimpong, Diaby (when he returns) can move beyond runners to be finishers. The same will apply for the full backs, Gibbs and Sagna.

Arsenal created openings against Swansea but failed to finish decisively. If the new aggregation can cease giving up goals in the late stages of matches and demonstrate the killer-instinct at finishing, then Arsenal can remain if not an elite team, a team that is middle tier and competitive.

Manchester United: Making Mincemeat Out of Lesser Opponents

Last year, it was a truism that on any day in the EPL, any team on any day could emerge triumphant. That might not be the case in 2011-12. Chelsea and Manchester City seem to have moved to another level and should roll over lesser opponents as the season unfolds. In the case of Manchester United, the drubbing given to Arsenal and Bolton indelibly establishes offensive superiority. Manchester United scored 8 against Arsenal and 5 against Bolton.

Rooney when in form is an unstoppable scorer of goals. His style is different from that of Messi or Ronaldo. He is at his best when he is free to roam like a buffalo soldier, striking with lethal passes to his colleagues and finding spaces and angles to score goals in bunches.

Playing with Ashley Young, Welbeck, Nani, Cleverly and Anderson has brought Rooney’s game to another level where he must be regarded as one of the better offensive players in the world of soccer.

Anderson this season is not the young indecisive player he was in yesteryear. He has arrived as a formidable midfield player in the English Premier League. Mano Menezes, the Brazilian coach will have to call Anderson as a starter in Brazil’s mid-field. The extant mid-field is lacking in creativity and Anderson as he has done for Manchester United will make a stark difference in the bumbling Brazilian mid-field.

Three titans have emerged in the EPL, Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea. As with the clashes that pit Real Madrid vs Barcelona which produces the best of ball in La Liga, when the three titans clash in the EPL, soccer fans will see in living color some of the best soccer drama in the world.

Self-Powered Futsal

2011-09-08T11:04:00.003-04:00

Nike's Miyashita Cup is more than a 5v5 tournament. Enlisting top tastemakers and fashionista locally including retailer Beams, skate brand Nitraid, & designers SOPH this tournament stored energy a week in advance specifically for the tournament. To assist the already rationed power grid in Tokyo, the self-powered tournament utilized saved power from solar panel and motion generated energy to sustain the energy used during this day and night event. Truly responsible event planning that balances the cities needs with the futbolr's own. Congrats to the champs F.C.R.B.

The World's Greatest Pitch

2011-09-01T11:39:00.002-04:00

Fifa Street knows exactly how we are living as Futbolrs. Give us just a little space to make 2 goals and watch the ball roll. So look out for the game that will be coming to your game console and computers early 2012. In the meantime, travel with your shoes and ball wherever you go.

Arsene Wenger: Arsenal’s Dinosaur

2011-08-31T15:57:00.003-04:00

By Bagga Wilks

Arsenal succumbed to an 8-2 drubbing from Manchester United on Sunday, August 28, 2011. The previous week, they lost to Liverpool 2-0. Arsenal managed to qualify for the Champions League by defeating Udinese but Arsenal is falling behind and runs the risk of becoming anachronistic in the rapidly changing world of soccer.

Wenger is living on past glory. He enjoyed success in the past with players like Viera, Henry and Bergkamp. Wenger presumes that he can continue in the same mode and still enjoy success. Wenger is now an albatross around Arsenal’s neck.

Kenny Dalglish took over Liverpool last season and recognized that if Liverpool was going to be competing in the league of the elite, his club would have to spend money. Dalglish did not spend money aimlessly. He understood the team’s weaknesses and he moved to fill certain critical positions. His signing of Suarez was key and Suarez has performed magnificently. He purchased top flight wingers, Dowling and Henderson. And he acquired Charlie Adams for his midfield general.

Even though Gerard is still mending, Liverpool has a first class aggregation, not only with the newly acquired players but Kuyt, Lucas and Meireles. Liverpool has great attacking weapons. Dalglesh needs now to strengthen his central defenders and he can compete with the top clubs in the world.

Mancini was drowning with dough and spent much of that money foolishly. But for this season, things are finally falling into place. With players of the caliber of Dzeko, Aguero. Nasri, Toure, Silva and Richards, Manchester City will run over the mediocre like Tottenham and compete with the best in the world.

Manchester United as they demonstrated against Arsenal are now a cut above where they were when they won the league. The young bucks at United have come of age. They were brought along adroitly by Sir Alex and now he is turning them loose on those who seek to dethrone the EPL champions.

Winger has to recognize that scrooges in the world of soccer finish last. Arsenal is now an also ran team because Wenger hasn’t realized that an elite team can no longer depend on homegrown talent. It has to aggressively scout talent throughout the world and be willing to pay big bucks for top notch players.

Wenger had expressed an interest in Juan Mata but allowed Chelsea to snatch the playmaker from Arsenal. With the loss of Fabregas and Nasri, Arsenal is bereft of playmakers. The young Turks springing up from the academy are not that better than the old Turks. Arsenal is like the Ottoman Empire at the beginning of the twentieth century. Arsenal has become the sick man of the EPL and Wenger, the tragic anachronism in the new age of soccer.

Scoring Sideways

2011-08-30T08:57:00.004-04:00

Meet Jermain Lens of PSV Eindhooven. This young man made one of the best goals of this week and possibly the year out of an improbable shot. After slightly avoiding the keeper on a breakaway well outside the box that steered him towards the corner flag, Lens decided to use the outside of his foot to try and curl it into the open net from 25 yards. It worked! Amazing goal!

70 Yard Sprint & Strike

2011-08-26T12:24:00.003-04:00

The Ukranian Premier League might not always get the spotlight, but with a quarter-final finish by Shaktar Donetsk in the 2010-11 Champions League and stars like Taison scoring fantastic goals like the one above for Metalist Kharkiv we should put it on the radar.

UEFA Champions League Draw

2011-08-25T12:50:00.001-04:00

Group A
Bayern Munich
Villarreal
Manchester City
Napoli

Group B
Internazionale
CSKA Moscow
Lille
Trabzonspor

Group C
Manchester United
Benfica
Basel
Otelul

Group D
Real Madrid
Lyon
Ajax
Dinamo Zagreb

Group E
Chelesa
Valencia
Bayer Leverkusen
Genk

Group F
Arsenal
Marseilles
Olympiakos
Dortmund

Group G
Porto
Shakhtar Donetsk
Zenit St. Petersburg
APOEL

Group H
Barcelona
Milan
BATE
Plzen

What group is the "Group of Death"?

English Premier League Wrap Up

2011-08-22T22:12:00.004-04:00

By Bagga Wilks

The Riot in Tottenham Continues

Tottenham’s first scheduled game in the EPL was canceled because of the rioting throughout the United Kingdom. Tottenham traveled to Old Trafford to play their first game of the season and ran into a riot. Tottenham was routed by the Manchester aggregation of Welbeck, Rooney, Young, Nani, Anderson and Cleverly. The machine gunners were ably supported by Smalling, Jones, Evans and Evra. The only aspect of Manchester United game yet to click is Da Gea, the new Spanish goalkeeper who seems to be fighting the Spanish Civil War within himself.

The pace, the movement, the clever pacing of Manchester’s new nucleus was too much for Tottenham and by the start of the second half the rout had begun. Tottenham got their chances and were competitive at times but were shellacked.

Wenger’s Strategy

Just approximately another week before the transfer window closes and it is unlikely that with the departure of Fabregas and Nasri, Wenger will make any bold moves to fill the void. Arsenal lost to Liverpool 2-0 over the weekend playing at the Emirates. Liverpool failed to score while Arsenal had eleven players on the pitch. Once Fripong was issued a second yellow, Liverpool managed to score two goals.

Since coming to Liverpool, Dalglish has been some smart moves. Suarez again demonstrated his worth once he got on the pitch in the second half. His runs, his passing and his goal scoring, make Liverpool a different team.

Wenger thinks that his younger players – Fripong, Welshire, Ramsey, Miquel, and Jenkinson can keep Arsenal at the top of the tables. The return of Vermaelen to anchor the defense has made a marked difference.

There is some talk of Kaka leaving Madrid and coming to Arsenal. Kaka needs to leave Madrid and would benefit immensely coming out of the shadow of Ronaldo. He appears to be over his injuries and if he is going to re-capture his greatness, he needs to be playing every day. But Wenger is convinced that Arsenal’s future is in the womb of his yet-to-be born youth squad.

Mancini Has Finally Got It

No team in the history of the EPL has spent as much money as Manchester City to achieve greatness. Last year, they emerged as contenders but even though they won the F.A. Cup, they never looked like champions.

For the 2012 season, much seems to have fallen in place. The aggregation of Aquero, Dzeko, Toure, Silva De Jeong, Milner and Johnson make them a formidable team. With goalscorers, Dzeko and Aquero, the playmaker, Silva, will be even more devastating. For harmony, Mancini should find a place to park Balottelli and Tevez.

Chelsea and the Struggling Torres

Form in soccer and in sports in general has always been inexplicable. It comes and goes. Unfortunately with Torres, he has not been able to re-capture his goal-scoring prowess. The talent that he possesses could not have evaporated. Torres’ problem is more psychological. He has to find ways to extricate himself from the self-induced rut.

Chelsea still lacks the playmaker. They have acquired Juan Mata and he will be put to the test. The team desperately needs creativity and even though the acquisition was made at the eleventh hour, in the middle of the rough and tumble, Juan Mata should make a difference.

MLS on NBC

2011-08-22T12:58:00.003-04:00

While the major soccer leagues around the world are starting up, MLS in North America is beginning looking to the Playoffs. Another league in America that is getting started is the NFL that showcases the other football where they use their hands... But not to get away from the fact that the viewers of both games are sports fans. The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is banking on that fact and has committed to showing the MLS and USMNT games for the next 3 years starting at the beginning of the 2012 season. Above is the trailer that was broadcasted this weekend during a Dallas Cowboys broadcast. Hopefully, this raises the awareness and we can see a decent highlight package of the games on your local sportsreel.

The Matador vs the Ball

2011-08-18T16:04:00.004-04:00

By Bagga Wilks

There have been historic match-ups in the world of sports and the Barcelona vs Real Madrid struggle for soccer supremacy in La Liga, Spain, can rival any of the past epics.

In the world of boxing, we have had the epics between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. In baseball, there was the fierce rivalry of the New York Yankees vs the Brooklyn Dodgers. In the world of football, there is the fierce rivalry between Indianapolis Colts and the New England Patriots. The mushrooming rivalry between Guardiola’s Matadors and Mourinho’s Bulls will do a lot for expanding the base of world soccer on cable stations.

The return leg of the Super-Cup was played in Barcelona on Wednesday, August 17, 2011 and it will go down in history as one of the greatest club soccer games in history. The first leg played in Madrid ended in a 2-2 draw. The finale ended Barcelona edging Real Madrid 3-2 and winning the Super-Cup. They also retained their place as the best soccer club in the world of soccer.

In a Barcelona-Real Madrid match-up, there are macro plots and there are micro plots. Throughout the night, Danni Alves, the Barcelona right full back was determined to keep Real Madrid’s Ronaldo in check. Although Ronaldo scored one of the Madrid’s goals and was outstanding, Danni Alves tackles against the Portuguese winger were superb. Alves played miserably in the Copa America tournament and below par in the friendly against Germany but against Real Madrid and Ronaldo, the Brazilian full back rose to the occasion.

The other sub-plot is watching two of the outstanding creative players in the game do their best to steer their team to victory. Both Ronaldo and Messi are intensely competitive. On a Wednesday summer night in Barcelona, it was the Argentinean whose genius as a player took his team over the finish line.

Mourinho’s pressuring the ball tactics worked again and the Barcelona players had difficulty establishing their rhythm. The predominance of ball possession went lacking. But the magic of Messi was the difference in the game. His two goals were herculean and even though Messi has not performed at a high level for Argentina in Copa America or the World Cup, performances like what he turned in against Real Madrid in the Super-Cup, makes him the El Numero Uno in the world of soccer.

Although the game was scintillating and showed that Mourinho’s Real Madrid had closed the soccer game, the rough-house tactics and sometimes dirty tackles of the Real Madrid players is unbecoming of a world class team. Marcelo, the Brazilian left full back for Real Madrid, was sent off the field for his vicious tackle against the newly acquired Barcelona star, Cesc Fabregas. From the first leg of the two match tournament, Marcelo had demonstrated malicious intent against Messi. That kind of reckless intent should be severely punished by the Spanish Federation of Football.

Although one has designated Mourinho’s boys in this article as the Bulls, Mourinho’s club has an excess of quality to win by playing by the rules.

For the 2011-2012 La Liga season, there will be more epics in the making. Barcelona and Real Madrid are perhaps two of the better teams in the world of soccer. The two clubs have become ambassadors of soccer. This is an historic rivalry steered by two exceptional coaches. As long as the match-ups remain on a civil plain, the world of soccer will be enriched by the upcoming epics.

NEW FUTBOLR BAG

2011-08-16T10:02:00.002-04:00

More Info CLICK HERE

Guardiola vs Mourinho

2011-08-15T22:52:00.006-04:00

By Bagga Wilks

Guardiola and Mourinho are recognized as two of the top coaches in the world of soccer. Sir Alex Ferguson is included in that exclusive club. Last year in La Liga, Guardiola’s Barcelona beat Real Madrid consistently. This season as was clear in the Super-Cup on Sunday, 14th August, 2011, the Real Madrid’s coach, Mourinho, has developed a new strategy to knock off Barcelona from occupying the pinnacle of world football.

Barca has perfected the short passing game with mid-field players becoming non-stop moving parts, possessing the ball and immediately dispossessing opponents whenever losing the ball.

Guardiola has assembled a special cluster of mid-fielders that rhythmically control mid field better than any other team in the world. Busquet, Inesta, Xavi, and Messi are some of the best mid-field players in the world. Playing this brand of soccer last year, they had teams like Real Madrid and Manchester United mesmerized.

At the Super-Cup, Guardiola did not start Xavi and Busquet and had some new players unfamiliar with the system of soccer end product that he has perfected. Nonetheless, Mourinho came with an effective counter-strategy. Real Madrid in the first leg of the Super-Cup, pressured Barca relentlessly and like a pugilist hitting his opponent frequently below the belt, Mourinho’s rough house boys kept fouling to push Barca from establishing a rhythm. For the ninety minutes, Barcelona lacked the old magic. The game ended in a 2-2 draw although Real Madrid created the majority of chances and had Barca on the back foot for the entire game.

Mourinho will adopt the same tactics when they meet for the return leg. It will be fascinating to see how Guardiola counter-punches. His system pivots around key players and if they start on Wednesday, can they resist the swarming tactics of Mourinho and establish the Barca game of monopoly ball possession?
Despite new acquisitions, Barca does not look solid at the central defender position. The acquisition of Fabregas and Sanchez should strengthen Barca’s offensive game. Acquiring a top class central defender before the season gets underway may be a critical factor if Barcelona is to maintain their hegemony in world football. They will also have to find an effective antidote to Mourinho’s new tactics of disrupting the traditional Barca mid-field rhythm.

The Brazilian Enigma

2011-08-15T21:19:00.004-04:00

By Bagga Wilks

The Brazil under 20 edged Spain to reach the semi-final of the World Cup being played in Columbia. They will play Mexico on Wednesday, August 17, 2011 for one of the semi-finals. Mexico won the Under 17 World Cup for which they were the host.

Against Spain, the Brazilian Under 20 were outplayed. Spain had the majority of possession and Brazil kept giving up possession. In the overtime, tied at 2-2, Spain tired and the Brazilians finished strong. Unlike in Copa America when the Brazilian national team muffed all their penalty kicks against Paraguay, the Under 20s converted all four penalty kicks and squeaked through to the semi-final as Spain flunked two of their penalties.

The Brazilian national team not only failed to advance in Copa America, but was thrashed by Germany in an international friendly on Wednesday, August 10, 2011. The final score was 3-2 but the score belies the reality. The Germans completely dominated play and for most of the game the Germans had the Brazilians chasing in futility.

Mano Menezes will not survive as the national coach if Brazil continues to give those sub-par performances. The game has changed and perhaps it would be beneficial to Brazilian soccer to employ a non-Brazilian as the national coach.

After being in charge for a year, Menezes’ team has no chemistry. Danny Alves has not performed as a national player and his fellow full back Andres Santos has been equally lacklusure. Neymar and Pato as strikers do not make a compatible marriage and Lucio and Silva make an odd couple. Further complicating the back line is that Julio Cesa seemed to be rapidly rolling down the hill of Father Time.

The Brazilian Squad needs a blood transfusion and organ transplants to be competitive on the world stage. Menezes, the former Corinthian coach, is out of his depth. The scouting of players abroad in the top leagues will have to improve. Anderson of Manchester United will have to be a main stay in mid-field and once the Tottenham defensive midfielder, Sandro, recovers from his knee surgery, he should help to give that position the defensive and offensive capabilities vital to that position. Robinho is one of the few players in the squad who is playing exceptionally well. There is enough talent inside and outside of Brazil to mold a team that can give Brazil its sixth lien on the World Cup trophy when they play at home in 2014. If that is to occur, the Brazilian Federation has got to get cracking and put to pasture the leftovers from the Dunga era.

EPL: Play Ball

2011-08-15T20:26:00.004-04:00

By Bagga Wilks

The English riots have subsided. Some sociologists would argue that growing inequality in the United Kingdom was the cause of the gang violence and damage to property. In the English Premier League, we do have inequality but that has not necessarily diminished the competitive nature of the League.

Manchester United began the new season with a bang. They beat West Brom 2-1 in a tightly-fought match which further raised questions about the successor to Van de Saar. De Gea looks shaky and the next couple of games will determine if he has the mettle to be a top class goalkeeper in the rugged EPL.

What would have been gratifying to Sir Alex is the versatility of his newly-assembled aggregation. Vidic and Ferdinand had to limp off injured but Phil Jones and Johnny Evans filled in ably. The pistons up front displayed their creative ferocity with deft passing, running off the ball, passing into spaces and kicking with great defiance. They have served notice on defences. The aggregation of Nani, Young, Rooney, Anderson, Welbeck and Cleverly will prove their uncontainability as the 2011-12 season continues to unfold.

Arsenal encountered Newcastle in their season opener and the unsurprising result was a scoreless draw. Both Arsenal and Newcastle are clubs on the descendancy. Arsenal will still be able to play attractive soccer but they will not be able to compete at the highest level, not with the loss of Fabregas and the pending loss of Nasri. Nasri is not convinced that Arsenal is committed to winning trophies. The club merely wants to be in the mix. The play-off for the Champions League against Udinese should tell us much about Arsenal’s fall from grace or their ability to continue competing with top tier teams.

Join Futbolr's EPL Fantasy League

2011-08-12T15:27:00.002-04:00

Join Futbolr's EPL Fantasy League
http://fantasy.premierleague.com/
Code:314171-263461
Lots of exciting prizes thru out the season

Dreamtown

2011-08-10T00:47:00.005-04:00

We can all name players from Manchester United and debate their transfer fees and speculation for this coming year, but at least one of those Red Devils is from Ecuador. This could be a who cares moment, but director/producer BETTY BASTIDAS(of Ecudorian descent) decided to figure out more about Ecuador's futbol background. During this time she noticed the divide between the economic & social that were only removed through futbol. Check out the video above that shows the to-date footage of the project named Dreamtown. They are currently involved with a fundraising initiative facilitated by Kickstarter and have until this Thursday morning to have their pledges hit their target. Please head over to learn more about Dreamtown and make the assist.

EDIT:
When this post went up there was a need for 20k in funding needed in 36 hours. The Dreamtown team made their goal before their deadline and will continue to make their film. Thanks to all the Futbolrs who made this dream happen, this is what the beautiful game is all about.

The Manchester Derby

2011-08-08T15:55:00.004-04:00

By Bagga Wilks

Both Manchester teams have made moves to improve their respective squads. Mancini of Manchester City still thinks he needs two or three more players to round out his squad while Sir Alex made his moves early and spent the pre-season integrating the new players into his squad.

In the Community Shield game on Sunday, August 7, 2011, the match-up between Manchester City and Manchester United was a preview of what we can expect from the EPL for the 2011-2012 season. Chelsea with their new coach Vilas-Boas has also been busy filling in gaps in their over laden squad. Arsenal seems likely to start the season much weaker than the previous season. Rather than gaining key players, Arsenal is poised to lose key players. Clichy is gone, Fabregas is partly out the door and Nasri’s future is undecided.

The big Serbian, Dzeko, showed his worth when he picked up a dribble and from outside the box, let loose a scorcher that beat the new Manchester United goalkeeper. That spectacular goal put Manchester City in front with a comfortable 2-0 lead at half time.

The game was far from over as Manchester United aggregation of Rooney, Young, Welbeck, Anderson and Nasri discombobulated the usual impregnable Manchester City’s defensive line. Smalling scored a header from an Ashley Young spot kick and a combination of passes from Cleverly, Welbeck, Roooney and Nasri ended up with Nasri tying the score. In the last minute of the encounter, it was the Nasri show as he outhustled Kompany and dribbled around the keeper to give his team the 3-2 victory.

The chemistry of the Manchester United players will only get better as the season progresses. Welbeck and Cleverly have been out on loans and they have returned to their host club with renewed confidence and maturity. Ashley Young was quite an acquisition and Anderson with the retirement of Scholes seems all set to be the ball maestro in center field. And then there is the balding but not aging Rooney, playing behind the striker, working his intermittent magic. The only possible weakness is the replacement of Van de Saar. The goalkeepers in the wings will be in need of protection from the likes of Evra, Smalling, Vidic and Ferdinand. I would not be surprised that the youngster, Phil Jones could wrest the starting position as central defender from the oft-injured and aging Ferdinand.

Manchester United are the defending EPL champions. Barcelona showed in the Champion League Final that they were a cut above Manchester United. This year, Manchester United is an improved team and should be far more competitive against Barcelona if fate brings the two teams to the Champion League final in the 2012 season.

MLS & Futbolr Give Back

2011-08-08T13:48:00.003-04:00

Young Futbolr Francesco Galvano who plays for World Class FC has recently been diagnosed with Acute Lymphocystic Leukemia.

At only 11, I had the pleasure to watch Francesco play and I immediately became a huge fan from the way he dribbles with skill and plays with passion on the field. With the MLS All Star game taking place close to his hometown, I brought up Francesco's situation to fellow Futbolr, Corey Ashe of the Houston Dynamo, who this year is a first time all star. When Corey found out about Francesco's situation, Corey insisted on getting an officially signed MLS ALL STAR 2011 jersey to present to the young futbolr.

I want to say thanks to MLS, Houston Dynamo and all the players on the MLS All Star team for giving back, not only to the community, but to an 11 year old Futbolr Francesco Galvano.

We wish Francesco a speedy recovery and can't wait to see him back on the soccer field being the maestro he his.

We are asking all Futbolrs to make a donation:

All Donations will go towards any uncovered Medical Expenses. Any donations exceeding Medical Expenses will be donated to the Ronald Mcdonald House.

Checks payable to:
"Friends of Francesco Galvano"

Mailed to:
Friends of Francesco Galvano
c/o Battiato & Associates
51 Union Street Suite 131
New Rochelle, NY 10801-7407

TARRUS RILEY - ARMAGEDDON TIME

2011-08-04T22:23:00.004-04:00

This is the official video for "Armageddon Time" by Tarrus Riley the #1 Reggae Artist in the world. The video is Directed by Melissa Llewellyn & music Produced by Romeich Records. Futbolr Clothing shirt, hoodie & official Tarrus Riley Zipper jacket is featured in the video. Tell what you think?

Bicycle on Barcelona

2011-08-04T16:16:00.002-04:00

It's not even debatable that there is a club team in the world right now that is better than FC Barcelona. This makes a friendly match a daunting task, but bear in mind there are reserve players in the travelling squad and the pressure isn't as heavy to win. Mexican Primera team Chivas de Guadelajara was able to put together a 4-1 victory over the UEFA Champions League winners including this stunner(above) by Marco Fabian. A concise counter-attack that ended with a sublime cross and immaculate finish.

The Summer Treat

2011-08-01T18:11:00.003-04:00

By Bagga Wilks

The American soccer fans get an opportunity in the summer to observe in living color the best European teams in the world. The was the case in Washington, D.C. in a match-up between Barcelona vs Manchester United before an audience of 81,000. The MLS players are also afforded an opportunity to compare their level of competition against some of the best players and top clubs in the world. The summer extravaganzas will serve as a further impetus for the development of soccer in the United States. The results clearly tell us that America’s newly appointed soccer coach, the former German striker, Klinsman, has a long road to hoe to bring up the men’s national team in a comparable position to America’s women national team.

The Pre-Season Drama

Arsenal has not missed a beat from last season. In the Emirates Cup played in their own backyard, they readily gave up leads in the waning moments of the second half. The newly acquired prospect, Gervinho, adds some creativity and striking power to the Arsenal line up but there is much uncertainty concerning Nasri and Fabregas. Clichy is gone but if Gibbs can stay healthy, it will turn out to be more of a plus than a minus at the left back position.

Arsenal has not made the moves that Manchester United has already put in place to have a more creative mid-field. Ashley Young, Welbeck and Anderson are players capable of playing at a high upscale tempo.

In the game against Barcelona, Manchester United was forced to concede possession. But the brilliance of Nasri who could come into full bloom this season, demonstrated the vulnerability of the Barcelona back four. Twice Manchester United broke Barcelona’s back with breakaways.

This was Barcelona without Messi, without Xavi, without Mascherano and without Danni Alves. Nonetheless, Manchester United this season will be an improved team and like last year will covet their share of silverware. Sir Alex Ferguson becomes more solomonic with age while Arsene Wenger’s best years are unquestionably rooted in Arsenal’s past.

Defense Is The Best Offense

2011-07-25T14:16:00.004-04:00

So as a part of Manchester United's pre-season romp through America, they made a stop in Chicago to face the Fire before they play the MLS XI in NYC for the All-Star game. After beating New England Revolutions 4-1, then 7-0 on the Sounders in Seattle, they probably were not expecting anything out of the windy city.

In the 13th minute defender Cory Gibbs, who is no stranger to the EPL style of play being with Charlton Athletic from 2006-08, headed home a long ball to put the pressure on Man. U. early. Unfortunately, United was able to put together 3 goals and the Fire had missed opportunities in front of the goal. So in short, let's put Gibbs on the list of players in 2011 that have been able to bury a chance against the EPL champions.

Not So Super Mario

2011-07-25T10:44:00.004-04:00

When it comes to Italian & Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli he lives on the extremes. Either he is utilizing his natural ability & creativity for the good of the game or he is committing atrocities. So during the Man City friendly versus the L.A. Galaxy, Super Mario decided to turn and back-heel the ball into the net after being in a great position. That didn't work, and he received a substitution from coach Roberto Mancini after heeling the ball wide. Ciao Mario.

Has Copa America lived up to its billing?

2011-07-18T20:57:00.004-04:00

The presumption was that there would be another epic final between Brazil and Argentina but both teams have been left in the dust, both favorites being eliminated on penalty kicks. Other highly ranked Copa American team, Columbia and Chile have been knocked out leaving in their wake, Uruguay, Peru, Paraguay and Venezuela.

Argentina outplayed Uruguay but lost. Brazil dominated Paraguay but lost in penalty kicks. Chile had the better of Venezuela but Venezuela came through with an early goal and a late goal. That kind of result is understandable but FIFA needs to find a resolution to a game other than by penalty kicks.

After 90 minutes in regulation time, there are two 15 minutes half. Rather than resorting to penalty kicks, there should be 15 minute segments decided by sudden death. The penalty shoot-out is too much like a crap shoot and soccer deserves a classier ending to a hard fought contest.

Whither Brazil, Whither Argentina?

Brazil and Argentina are powerhouse soccer countries that have entered a rebuilding stage. Neither South American team performed well in the 2010 World Cup.
Argentina had to jettison Maradona who was one of the greatest forwards who played the game but may have been one of the worst soccer coaches in the history of the game. Batista is trying to rebuild. Argentina has an abundance of strikers up front but their mid-field horses and defense need rejuvenation. Messi is exceptional and displayed his pinpoint passing against Uruguay but football has long since ceased being a one-man show.

The Brazil team came alive after being unimpressive in their first two meeting. They over-ran Ecuador and made Paraguay look like amateurs. Despite having the ball at their disposal for 90 minutes and 30 minutes overtime, Brazil could not net.

The team is beginning to gel. The understanding of Lucio and Silva improved. Maicon has shown that he is head and shoulders above Danni Alves even though he was not as potent against Paraguay as he was against Ecuador. Santos is adequate but Marcelo has demonstrated that he is a hell of an offensive player.

The offensive trio of Neymar, Pato and Robinho is potentially devastating to opponents but perhaps is not the right combination. Robinho has shown his worth as a busy play-maker and seems to have a higher work rate than Gunso. Gunso is not ready to be a regular starter on the Selectao and one wonders about the productivity of Lucas Levva and the efficacy of Ramires. Clius could easily lay in Ganco’s spot and designate Robinho as the official playmaker in mid-field.

Does Pato fit in or is he too similar a player to Neymar and Fred or preferably Danair may mesh better.

Brazil has much of the ball but the offense and the mid-field are not creating clear chances. There is much work to be done in the last third.

Menenzes must continue the search for the right chemistry. The talent for greatness is there and must be molded in time for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Japan Wins Shootout

2011-07-18T20:12:00.004-04:00

By Bagga Wilks

The Women’s Soccer Team captured the imagination of a nation as they miraculously defeated the Brazilians in melodramatic fashion. What appears to be a team of destiny swamped the French 3-1 in the semi-final and was poised for victory in the final against Japan.

The melodrama ended in tragedy as in another shoot-out against the Japanese, the American soccer players initiated the gang that couldn’t shoot straight. Going into shoot-outs, one was assured that the United States had the best goal-keeper of Women’s soccer in the world. But those selected to convert the penalty kicks, failed to convert. Much credit must be given to the Japanese goal-keeper whose saves made the Japanese Team for World Cup 2011, the team of destiny.

PENALTIES

Back-Heel Penalty

2011-07-18T12:54:00.004-04:00

Not simple, questionably effective, this penalty shot taken by Dhiab Awana of United Arab Emirates in the friendly against Lebanon can be said that it potentially would substitute well for the four PKs missed by Brazil on Sunday.

Kicking & Screening

2011-07-18T12:18:00.004-04:00

Film & Footy seems like an evident marriage. The beautiful game presented on the silverscreen is an event not to be missed. This is an idea that started in 2009 and is continuing it's energy as the Kicking & Screening Film Festival. Hosted at Tribeca Cinemas in NYC, between the dates of July 20th & 23rd you can get passes to watch the programming of diverse perspectives of the beautiful game. Soka Afrika, that chronicles 2 Africans players from 2 different countries aspiring for European contracts. For more information goto the K+S website or follow them on twitter.

Attacking Goalkeeper

2011-07-13T23:07:00.002-04:00

What do you do when a mid-level EPL team come to your MLS team for an exhibition game? Make your goalkeeper pull off the impossible. David Bingham of San Jose Earthquake decided that West Bromwich's GK was cheating and gave it a shot from in his own box. Golazoooooo!!!

Argentina's Futbol Villas

2011-07-13T10:49:00.002-04:00

Al Jazeera takes a look at the under-privilege areas in Argentina that has produced fine international stars including Diego Maradona & Carlos Tevez.

The Crowns and Thorns of Ball

2011-07-12T15:30:00.003-04:00

By Bagga Wilks

Mexico has shown over the last couple of weeks that it is more than a country of internecine drug cartels. The Mexican economy has been growing at a steady pace and the investment in the nation’s soccer program is reaping dividends.

Mexico defeated the United States convincingly in the final of the CONCACAF tournament. The Central American nation staged the Under 17 World Cup and the Mexican youth team emerged as 2011 Champions. Mexico defeated Uruguay in the final and Germany pinched Brazil 4-3 to win the Bronze medal. Mexico will be a force in world football in the coming years.

The Brazil Triple Tragedy

The United States Women’s World Cup team put up an epic performance in defeating Brazil in penalty kicks. Brazil was leading 2-1 in overtime from a spectacular goal from Martha. The United States Women’s Team down to 10 players, rather unjustly, played with great determination and their leading scorer, Wambach, converted a header in the extra minutes of the 30 minute overtime.

The game was decided by the goalkeeping prowess of Sola who was herculean between the sticks and pulled off a great save in the penalty shootout to give her team the opportunity to dream as they enter the semi-final against France. Japan will play Sweden in the other semi-final.

This was a terrible weekend for Brazilian football. The men’s team performance in the Copa America competition has been thus far abysmal. Brazil led Paraguay at half time 1 nil and like in the game against Netherlands in South Africa in the 2010 World Cup, the normal ironclad Brazilian defense fell apart. Paraguay scored two goals on breakaways and poor marking. Brazil fortuitously rescued its Copa America chances of reaching the quarter final as Fred, the substitute, salvaged a draw for Brazil by scoring a spectacular goal in the 89th minute.
The Brazilians play Ecuador on Wednesday and must win to remain alive. Paraguay will play Venezuela who leads the group going into Wednesday.

The Brazilian Youth Team (Under 17) were leading 3-1 and allowed Germany back into the game. The Germans were dangerous on attack and simply destroyed the Brazilian defenders by running at them. Brazilian football is played at too slow a pace and Brazilian players turn back the ball too frequently. They maintain possession but give opposing defenses time to regroup.

The Men’s team will get another opportunity to shine on Wednesday against Ecuador. At present, Brazil’s soccer is lingering under the dark clouds.

Camouflage Keeper

2011-07-06T12:49:00.003-04:00

Goalkeepers have been known to get the short end of the stick when it comes to jersey designs. Everton gets involved with a camouflage pattern that would work for the outdoorsman hunting quail or maybe trapping crosses. We're not sure what to make of this one, the only thing that we can confirm is that Tim Howard is going to have to wear this. I'm sure the comments from the press box will be fashion related for the first 8 weeks of the EPL season.

Dancing Daniel Sturridge

2011-07-05T23:20:00.003-04:00

Two weeks ago we at Futbolr received messages about EPL players going really hard in the Kingston nightclubs. After our sources confirmed it was Wes Brown of Manchester United & Daniel Sturridge of Chelsea our speculations could end. What we didn't expect is that the inform Sturridge is a part of the dancing crew. Watch as he gets involved with a local morning show dancing away from Jamaican national team questions from the hosts.

Brazil Falters

2011-07-05T13:53:00.003-04:00

By Bagga Wilks

Mano Menezes has been experimenting with the Brazilian squad since he succeeded Dunga as the coach of the Brazilian national team. In essence the experiment has come to a close as Menezes has settled on his squad of 22 that he has selected for Copa America. A squad is not a team and that was obvious from Brazil’s goal-less draw with Venezuela.

Menezes has adopted a 4-3-3 formation and on paper, the aggregation has the potential to be one of Brazil’s great national teams. Up front, there is Neymar, Robinho and Plato. In the mid-field, there is the highly touted Ganso, and there is Ramires and Lucas as the defensive mid-fielders. Brazil is quite solid in the back with Lucio and Thiago Silva as the central defenders and Dani Alves and Santos as the two full backs. And there is Julio Cesar in goal, one of the best between the sticks in the world.

In recent World Cups, Brazil has produced great teams. The 1970 team with Pele, Carlos Alberto, Gerson and Jairzinho was formidable. That team destroyed Italy in the 1970 World Cup Final.

The 1994 Brazilian team that edged out the Italians in penalty kicks included Romario and Bebeto as strikers, the indefatigable Mauro Silva in mid-field and the indomitable Dunga as the defensive mid-fielder. The two central defenders, Adair and Santos performed brilliantly as the World Cup staged in the United States.

The 2002 World Cup team was comparable to the 1970 team although for some people that would be tantamount to soccer sacrilege. But the 2002 team included Cafu and Roberto Carlos, two full-backs who transformed that position. During the 2002 World Cup, we saw Ronaldinho, Ronaldo and Rivaldo at the peak of their careers. No one can forget the scintillating dribble of Ronaldinho against England ending up with the body-shift that left Campbell and Ferdinand spread- eagled and the killer pass to Rivaldo that broke the back of England’s hopes of advancing in the 2002 World Cup.

The performance in South Africa in 2010 was not up to the celestial world standard that is expected of the Brazilians. Netherlands knocked them out in the quarter-final. Dunga had built the team around Kaka who was recovering from a serious injury and was only a shadow of himself.
Brazilian fans and the Federation are not known for their patience. Prior to the start of Copa America, Julio Cesar in response to the fans booing the Brazilian team after a scoreless draw against the Netherlands, the Brazilian goalkeeper pleaded for patience.

In Copa America 2011 in Argentina, Brazil like Argentina is off to an inauspicious beginning. On July 9, they will face Paraguay who drew nil all with Ecuador. Menezes’ squad must save Menezes’ job by at least emerging from the round robin stage and into the quarter finals.

Brazil dominated the first half against Venezuela but even though chances were created, Brazil failed to score. Both in the first half and the second half, Brazil’s build up was too slow and the running off the ball was non-existent. Neymar and Ganso, two up-and-coming stars failed to put their stamp on the game. But this was the opening stanza of a protracted drama. This is a team inundated with talent. Copa America will tell if Menezes is capable of blending this abundance of talent into a formidable strike force. Against Paraguay and Ecuador, we will see if the aggregation can forge a pathway and achieve some level of greatness.

4th of July Sale

2011-07-03T10:49:00.002-04:00

Right now get involved with explosive savings from Futbolr's 4th of July Sale, with 20% off of Futbolr Clothing

The Best MLS Goal Ever

2011-07-03T10:41:00.003-04:00

Portland Timbers rookie Darlington Nagbe from the University of Akron scores an amazing goal full of talent. Is this the greatest goal scored in MLS history?? Discuss in the comments.

Place Kick w/ Edson Buddle

2011-06-29T15:26:00.006-04:00

Hey Futbolrs, as you know we are always keeping you in the mix w/ the lifestyle of your favorite sport. Here's a new section that will keep you close to the travelling pros. We call it Place Kick, a quick Q & A with focus on what the players are up to.

First up we have Edson Buddle of FC Ingolstadt of Bundesliga 2. Currently, with their eyes on a title season, Die Schanzer are in pre-season training across the border to the east. Here's former LA Galaxy striker taking a Place Kick for Futbolr.

Ftblr: When did you guys get to Austria & how long are u staying?
Edson Buddle: We arrived in Achenkirch, Austria on Mon Jun. 27th. We are here for 7 days.

Ftblr: How many training sessions a day?
EB: 3 times a day training. 8:30am, 11am, 5pm

Ftblr: Any injuries?
EB: No

Ftblr: How you feeling?
EB: Your typical preseason soreness tight everywhere

Ftblr: In shape or not?
EB: I'm getting there. Its hard to tell w/ 3-a-days lol

Ftblr: Any games played as yet?
EB: We played a few games Back in Germany. Were on our way to play a game now vs. Dinamo Bucharest, Romania. Then 1 more game Saturday vs FC Zestafoni from Georgia.

Ftblr: What's been your best or common past time off the field while in Austria?
EB: Lots of R&R. Our day's are compact w/ training. I love to sleep. Waking up to the view on my balcony every morning(below). Very scenic in Austria

Ftblr: Have u had any local food, and how was it?
EB: They have different local fish that they've been serving. (I don't know the names) I'm a seafood lover & it's been pretty good.

Best of luck to the training and upcoming 11/12 season for Edson Buddle & FC Ingolstadt. Check back with Futbolr for your lifestyle updates!