Germany Takes Center Stage in London

Ball Harambee By Bagga Wilks



Adolph Hitler tired to conquer the world and failed abysmally. Hitler even sent bombers to the United Kingdom in an attempt to bring the British to their knees during World War 11.

Where the Nazis failed, democratic Germany has triumphed. Germany established their supremacy in the Champion's League as two German teams went to war at Wembley Stadium, London. Of course, the German Chancellor was proudly perched in Wembley Stadium overseeing the German Clubs. Bayern Munich and Dortmund fiercely battled on British soil for soccer supremacy. Both teams played like champions. The level of ball lived up to the expectation.

Bayern was the favorite but Dortmund dominated the first half and it looked as if we could be in for an upset. Both goalkeepers were scintillating and it was their superlative performance that kept the score nil all at the end of the first half.

In the second half, a long ball from Dante, the Brazilian central defender, found the Dortmund defenders napping. Robben got an opportunity to run at the Dortmund defenders and in a flash the favorites were on the scoreboard.



Dortmund equalized with a penalty. As the game progressed, Ribery and Robben got more and more opportunities to run at the Dortmund defenders. Nonetheless, it appeared that we would go into over-time and perhaps penalty kicks which Bayern lost to Chelsea in the Champion League last year.

Robben is a deft dribbler and his left foot is like a guided missile. For someone designated as a great player, Robben failed to play well in the World Cup final in South Africa in 2010 when the Netherlands lost to Spain. Bayern Munich lost the Champions League finals in 2011 and 2012. In both games Robben failed to rise to the occasion.

The 2013 Champions Final became Robben*s redemption. The flying Dutchman picked up a ball in the 89th minute and produced some magic that left Dortmund defenders spread-eagled. Robben scored in the 89th minute.



Bayern Munich for 2012-2013 was a cut above all other teams. Next year the Champions League final will not be monopolized by Germany, we hope, but the German teams displayed a high level of football and the Bundesliga has re-emerged as one of the top teams in the World and the German national team will be serious contenders for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

The Cream Rises

Ball Harambee By Bagga Wilks



Football or soccer, as it is called in the United States, is known as a working class sport. In Britain, cricket and polo are seen as the sport of the upper class. The fans who pack the stadiums on weekends are still very much the working class of Britain but some soccer clubs have become the “play thing” of the rich and the no-so-famous.

Clubs are divided between the haves and the have-nots. It has become extremely difficult for the have-nots to compete on the same level of the richly endowed clubs. In fact, the UEFA Champion’s League has become the playground of the wealthy clubs.

As we enter the remaining stretch of the EPL, Manchester United is far in front of their closest rival, Manchester City. Competing for the remaining two places for the Champion’s League for 2013-2014, are Chelsea, Tottenham, Arsenal and Everton. Everton is a club of modest means and if they fail to qualify for the Champion’s League, it is likely that their top players will peel off and seek contracts with the more richly endowed European clubs.



As the struggle for the top four becomes fiercer, in the waning days of the season, the teams at the bottom, predominantly comprised of have-nots, are struggling to remain in the Premier League where the television money for next year will be more fulsome. Reading’s fate has already been sealed and Queens Park Rangers despite the influx of new dollars is destined for relegation.



Interestingly, Aston Villa that has been experiencing tough financial times jettisoned their expensive players and started a youth campaign with a reduced payroll. They have played spectacular ball in recent matches and have slowly climbed out of the relegation zone. Wigan and Sunderland are still battling to avoid the pitfalls of relegation.

Newly promoted Southampton has performed well on their return to the Premier League. Newcastle at times looked shaky but has done enough to distance themselves from the precipice of relegation.

The influx of foreign capital in this age of globalization has rescued some fledgling clubs but in a league of twenty competitors, there will be an ongoing division between the haves and the have-nots.

Drogba: The Last King of Chelsea

Ball Harambee By Bagga Wilks

It is likely that Didier Drogba will not return to Chelsea for the EPL season of 2012-2013. But he has been immortally etched in the annals of Chelsea’s history. Minutes from being knocked out of the Champions League, Drogba rose above the Bayern Munich defenders and executed a spectacular header from a corner. Muller had appeared to seal the deal for Bayern Munich after scoring a header from a free kick in the 83rd minute.

Bayern Munich held the upper hand for ninety minutes but Chelsea defended tenaciously. The game was tied after 90 minutes and went into overtime.

Drogba inastutely tackled Ribery in the extra thirty minutes and gave Munich a penalty. Robben “bushed” the penalty. Robben throughout the game was forever dangerous but was never able to win the game for Bayern Munich. If Robben had scored half of the chances in the World Cup final in 2008, the Netherlands, not Spain, would have been crowned champions. If Robben had scored the penalty in overtime, Bayern Munich would have been crowned European champions. Robben is a great player who is yet to show his greatness when it really matters.

Drogba is the opposite of Robben. Drogba rises to the task in the matches in which champions are crowned. He not only scored the goal in regular time that placed his team in a position to win in overtime but he was the fifth shooter and with the game on the line triumphantly placed the ball in the back of the net.

Juan Mata choked on the first penalty but Bayern although poised to win, had two of their penalty kickers fail to connect. Lampard, Cole, and Luiz did not fail to connect. Drogba placed the icing on the cake.

Chelsea’s victory means Tottenham will not play in the Champion’s League next season as Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United and Arsenal will be the four teams to represent the English Premier League.

Will Di Matteo be the Chelsea coach next season? Roman Abramovich will decide whether to run with Di Matteo’s successful record or to venture into the unknown. Nonetheless, the expectation is that quite a few of the aging players will make their exodus from Chelsea and new talent will be seduced to bring new potency to enhance future success at Chelsea. Irrespective of what occurs next year, Chelsea can bask in the glory that they are champions of Europe in 2011-2012. Such a feat would not be possible without Didier Drogba.

E.P.L. Greek Tragedy or Shakespearean Theatre?

Ball Harambee By Bagga Wilks

We are approaching the end of the English Premier League. For the 2011-2012 season, it has been both Greek Tragedy and at the same time, Shakespearean Theatre.

Arsenal is Chasing Copperware

Ball Harambee By Bagga Wilks

There will be no silverware for Arsenal again for 2012. Wenger’s team will spend the rest of the season chasing copperware and maintaining some level of respectability. This marks seven years that Arsenal has been coming out of the cold.
As the resurrection of Thierry Henry has reminded us, Arsenal’s best days are behind them. The present Arsenal team looks good against bad teams and bad against good teams. In the Europa Champions League, Arsenal was out of their league playing against A.C. Milan. Arsenal defense could not cope with the Milan’s movement off the ball. Robinho was at his best and when he is in form, runs off the ball as good as any player in the game. Arsenal returned from the San Siro with a four goal deficit and even though the return leg is at home at the Emirates with such a deficit, Arsenal has essentially made their exit from the Champions League.
Returning home against Sunderland in an FA Cup game, Arsenal succumbed to the improving Sunderland team. They lost 2-0. Sessegnon was the man of the match. Arsenal’s makeshift defense had a difficult time coping with his craftiness. Sessegnon is playing in his second season in the English Premier League and he is the embodiment as to how a playmaking forward can improve the standings of a non-elite team.


Wenger did nothing in the January transfer window. Some moves were made at the eleventh hour last summer but most of the acquisitions were non transformative with the exception of Gervinho.
Arsenal is now perched at fourth place in the race for the Premier League title but it is likely they will be knocked off that perch and finish among the mid-level pack.
Arsenal needs to acquire a new modus operandi. Building from below is fine but the world of soccer has changed. To remain at the top of the leagues, a club has to chase the class players if it is going to acquire silverware. With Wenger’s stubbornness, Arsenal invariably will be an “also ran” club in the competitive world of the EPL and beyond.

Happy Valentine's Day

When the day you have to show the significant other what you love, with all your passion and sound. Please baby, I just need 2 hours. Champions League starts up again today....

Barca v. Leverkusen
Lyon v. APOEL

UEFA Champions League Draw

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"?

How Great is Barcelona?

By Bagga Wilks

There is no question that Barcelona is the best team in football at this juncture. They do not have the best defense. Pique is an excellent central defender and Mascherano showed his versatility as a defensive player by partnering with Pique. Playing as a central defender is not Mascherano’s natural position. Danny Alves is more an attacking full back and Abidal’s quick return from cancer surgery was heroic. When Manchester United attacked, Barcelona’s defense looked shaky and Rooney’s masterful curler gave United hope and signaled that Barcelona’s defensive perimeter could be breached.

Other than Rooney’s goal, Manchester United looked incredibly ordinary. Barcelona plays against great teams like Manchester United, Arsenal and Real Madrid and treats the game like a training exercise.

Coaching is significant but the aggregation of Messi, Iniesta, Xavi, Busquets, Alves, Abidal, Villa and Pedro make them into passing wonders. They short pass, they move, they turn, they mesmerize and then they strike like vipers.

The Manchester tactic was to pressure the ball and not give Barcelona time to dominate possession. It worked for a couple minutes in the first half but as Barcelona stepped into a rhythm, Sir Alex’s contingent was running in circles and when they got the ball, were immediately dispossessed.

A central aspect of Barcelona’s ability to dominate is their capacity not to allow their opponents to put passes together. What is unique is not the art of the short passing but the use of space and the nonstop running off the ball.

Futbol Over Everything

What is more important than watching the UEFA Champions League final? That is the question that the title sponsor Heineken set out to answer, interviewing over 5,000 men from 15 countries. Most men do not think much is worth missing the finals, including a date with a Victoria's Secret Supermodel. Huh? I say bring her to the game...

Here are other percentages that men would ditch for a chance to watch the Champions League Final.

A friend's stag-party (62%)
A date with a girlfriend/wife (58%)
Meeting a girlfriend's parents for the first time (55%)
An important meeting with the boss (48%)
A mother's birthday (46%)
Best-man's duties (44%)
Wedding anniversary (44%)
Girlfriend's birthday (44%)
University Graduation Ceremony (43%)
An important hospital appointment (43%)

So ladies, plan accordingly for next year May and guys, make notes of the important dates and do not commit to a day that you know should be marked off your calendar for the best in European football.

Source

Guess Who Is Invited To Tonight's Party?

Tonight's Champions League match up between the Iberian super-powers will be hot! The 5th El Clasico of the season between Real Madrid and Barcelona FC, coming off a heated matchday 1 in the Champions League Semi-finals. Both teams have filed complaints about each other, so UEFA has called in one of the most recognized figures in world football. Pierluigi Collina the head of referees for UEFA will act as a official observer of the match. This man is a legend and hopefully will inspire a true classic between these two giants.

The Beautiful Game

Schalke had their prayers answered in the first leg of their Champions League match against Inter Milan at the San Siro.

Comments From The Left

The Premiership is full of controversy, can we say that once you sign for any club that you have a target on your back from any of the media. So, with that in mind, you should probably keep your nose clean and keep your answers short. Well, we have a left-back that wants to let the people know how he really feels. Benoît Assou-Ekotto recently gave some hot quotables to The Sun published last Saturday. I guess this Cameroon international is just not rating his competition's lifestyle choices off the field. Here's a couple of his quotes:

"We kick a ball around and we earn 100,000, 200,000 or even 300,000 euros a week. We don't improve the world. It's not like we invented hot water. We just kick a ball.

"But sometimes when these guys go out, you'd think they were rock stars.

"I could understand that you wear dark glasses at night time when you do open-heart surgery and save lives, but not if you're a footballer.

"I'm not in the same world as most of the people in football. I really don't like this world.

"These people didn't feed me, they didn't bring me into the world and my life won't improve by going to a nightclub and drinking loads of champagne.

"I prefer to support players like Deco, who has used his fame to go back to Brazil to help some charities. I also like players of temperament like Edgar Davids.

"My view is whether you're a billionaire, Miss World or whoever, if I have to say 'f*** off' to you, then that is what I'll say."

Let's see Benoît back up his words against his fellow Indomitable Lion Eto'o and Milito in the Champs League.

UEFA Champions League Draw 2010-2011 Results

Group A: Inter Milan, Werder Bremen, Tottenham

Group B: Lyon, Benfica, Schalke

Group C: Manchester united, Valencia, Rangers

Group D: FC Barcelona, Panathinaikos, FC Copenhagen

Group E: Bayern Munich, Roma, Basle

Group F: Chelsea, Marseille, Spartak Moscow

Group H: Arsenal, Shakhtar Donetsk, Braga

Group G: Ac Milan, Real Madrid, Ajax

Whats the toughest group?

Goals of the Day

It's the last day to qualify for the group stage of the Champions League in Europe. So the players are trying to achieve top performance. These 2 achieved top honors for creativity.

Ireneuscz Jelen (Auxerre)


Momodou Ceesay (Zilina)

Soccer on TV this Weekend March 29-April 1

Monday, March 29
3:00pm Manchester City vs Wigan, ESPN2, England Premier

Tuesday, March 30
2:45pm Bayern München vs Manchester United, CSN, UEFA Champions League
2:45pm Olympique Lyon vs Bordeaux, FSC, UEFA Champions League
5:00pm Bayern München vs Manchester United, FSC, UEFA Champions League, DELAY
10:00pm Toluca vs Pachuca, FSC, CONCACAF Champions League, Semifinal

Wednesday, March 31
2:45pm Inter Milan vs CSKA Moscow, Directv, UEFA Champions League
2:45pm Arsenal vs FC Barcelona, FSC, UEFA Champions League
5:00pm Inter Milan vs CSKA Moscow, FSC, UEFA Champions League DELAY
10:00pm Pumas vs Cruz Azul, FSC, CONCACAF Champions League, Semifinal

Thursday, April 1
3:00pm Valencia vs Atlético Madrid, GolTv, UEFA Europa
3:00pm Benfica vs Liverpool, Directv, UEFA Europa League
9:00pm Real Salt Lake vs Houton Dynamo, ESPN2, MLS
11:00pm Chivas USA vs LA Galaxy, ESPN 2, MLS

Soccer on TV this Weekend March 15-18

Monday, March 15
3:55pm Liverpool vs Portsmouth, ESPN2, England Premier League
4:00pm Atlético Madrid vs Osasuna, ESPND, Spain La Liga

Tuesday, March 16
3:30pm Sevilla vs CSKA Moscow, FSC, UEFA Champions League
6:00pm Chelsea vs Inter Milan, FSC, UEFA Champions League
9:00pm Colo Colo vs Vélez Sársfield, Fox Sports Premium, FSE, Copa Libertadores
11:00pm Morelia vs Deportivo Cuenca, Fox Sports Premium, Copa Libertadores

Wednesday, March 17
3:45pm Barcelona vs Stuttgart, FSC, UEFA Champions League
3:45pm Bordeaux vs Olympiakos, Fox Sports Basico, FSE, UEFA Champions League
6:00pm Bordeaux vs Olympiakos, FSC, UEFA Champions League
8:00pm Toluca vs Columbus Crew, FSC, CONCACAF Champions League, 2nd Leg

Thursday, March 18
8:00pm CONCACAF U-17 Women's Soccer Championship, 1st Semifinals, FSC
11:00pm CONCACAF U-17 Women's Soccer Championship, 2nd Semifinals, FSC

Who's Champions League Goal was better?

Nasri Goal vs. Porto


Robben Goal vs. Bayern

Futbolr Radio Champions league Recap w/ guest Damarcus Beasley

Futbolr Radio Champions League Preview 2nd Leg

Listen Now

Soccer on TV this Weekend March 8-12

Monday, March 8
3:00pm Valencia vs Racing, GolTv, Spain La Liga
3:00pm Wigan vs Liverpool, ESPN2, England Premier League

Tuesday, March 9
2:45pm Arsenal vs FC Porto, FSE, FSN, CSN, UEFA Champions League
2:45pm Fiorentina vs Bayern München FSC, UEFA Champions League
8:00pm Columbus Crew vs Toluca, FSC, CONCACAF Champions League

Wednesday, March 10
2:45pm Manchester United vs AC Milan, FSC, UEFA Champions League
2:45pm Real Madrid vs Olympique Lyon, Fox Soccer Plus, UEFA Champions League
5:00pm Real Madrid vs Olympique Lyon, FSC, UEFA Champions League

Thursday, March 11
8:00pm Arabe Unido vs Cruz Azul, FSC, CONCACAF Champions League

Friday, March 12
2:45pm Catania vs Inter Milan, FSC, Italy Serie A
9:00pm CD Tecos vs Club Futbol Indios, Galavision, Mexico