On David Beckham

I recently attended a Red Bull New York vs LA Galaxy game at the Red Bull's home at Giant's Stadium. It was the second NY vs LA game I have been to and it is quickly becoming a pretty good rivalry. Last year's game that I attended was Beckham's first game in NY and it was awesome. The final score was NY 5, LA 4. Beckham scored a beautiful free kick and set up 2 of the other 3 goals. My favorite former Red Bull player, Jozy Altidore, also scored 2 goals that game and the enitre atmosphere was just incredible. This year;s game was no less exciting. The final score was 2-2 and it could have been another 9 goal game easily, but both goalkepeer's played a hell of a game. But that's not my point.

During the game there was A LOT of anti-Beckham chants. Understandable; he is the best player on the opposite team and the fans were trying to psych him out. He still played a great game becasue he has been in much more hostile environments, I promise you that. But its when I hear people saying that David Beckham suck or is washed up and things that really irritates me. I'm not a Manchester United, Real Madrid, or England fan so I'm not here to promote my favorite player or anything. But the guy is good! He led Manchester to a never-been-done-before and since-then-ever-done Treble, which is winning your domestic league, domestic cup, and European cup. That year United won the Preimer League, the FA Cup, and the Champions League. That is absurd for one team to win all of those competitions in one year! You could argue that that was in his prime, but the year before he came to the LA Galaxy he played an entire half a season with an ankle injury and helped Real Madrid make a comeback and win the La Liga title. That was only 2 years ago.

Now he plays his soccer for the LA Galaxy. Oh and dont forget he still plays for the England National team. That's no easy feat. Players his age are usally retired from international play because they cant keep up with the younger, hungrier guys. Well Beckham is still doing it and is still showing his quality. He is still one of the most dangerous people on direct free kicks and can pick out a player 50 yards away with a perfect cross. No, not everytime he touches the ball, but no player does.

I think people expected him to come here and dominate and score goals every game, but thats not his position on the field nor is that how soccer works. There is 11 people on each side and they all have to be working together. This isnt basketball, where LeBron James can play on a horrible team and just get the ball everytime and take his team to the playoffs. (no disrespect to LeBron, he is amazing at basketball). But soccer take all players working together to win. Beckham doesnt exactly have the same quality around him that he had at Man U or Madrid so its hard to expect him to play at that level. He still shows us how good he is when the team does work together but it takes more than just him.

1st Round of Olympic Games

Well the first round of Olympic games started today. A lot of interesting results, a lot of predictable results. I didn't get a chance to watch the games, but here is a quick rundown of the results from the team's I previewed yesterday.

Brazil: While the formidable attack of Ronaldinho, Pato, and Jo didn't get a goal (Jo came on for Pato in the 74th minute), Brazil still squeaked out a 1-0 victory over a 9-man Belgium team. The goal came right after a Belgian player was sent off and was scored by Anderson de Carvalho Andrade Lima Hernanes. Another Belgian player was sent off shortly after.

Argentina: Argentina sure is glad star Leo Messi was able to play in this game. He scored Argentina's first goal in a 1-2 win over Ivory Coast. Aregntina took the lead in the 43rd minute with a goal from Messi and the Ivorians leveled 8 mintues after halftime. Lautaro Acosta gave Argentina the lead in the 86th minute of play and Argentina went on to win the game.

Italy: Italy enjoyed a comfortable 3-0 win over Honduras in their first game. 2 first half goals from Sebastian Giovinco and Giuseppe Rossi [pen] follwed by a goal in the second half from Roberto Aquafresca gave the Azzuri the victory. Honduras could have scored late in the game, but missed from the penalty spot.

USA: A goal from an unlikely source helped the US earn a very important 1-0 victory over Japan in their first game. The goal came by Stuart Holden 2 minutes into the second half. The US picks up an importnant 3 points in a tough group that also includes the Netherlands and Nigeria.

I'm looking forward to the second round of games this Sunday, and I'll definitely be watching a few of them. I'll be back later with some more news.

Soccer at the Olympics

So its that time again, the Summer Olympics! Although the Olympic soccer tournament is not usually regarded as a "big name" tournament, such as the Euro or World Cup, it is an excellent competition for the younger players to breakthrough and make their name on an international level. The Olympic soccer teams are comprised of eligible under-23[years old] players, with the option of having up to three over-23 players in the squad. This can also give the youth some valuable on the field mentoring and coaching. I for one am excited for this year's competition, as the field of teams is very strong. Lets take a look at some of the stronger teams:

Brazil: Probably the tournament favorites. This year's squad is just filled with quality and they have fast players at every position. They have arguably the most feared attack up front with former 2-time World Player of the Year Ronaldinho and young but talent-laden Alexandre Pato [AC Milan] and Jo [Manchester City]. If these 3 can all play on the same page, look for Brazil to score a lot of goals.

Argentina: Another team that is stacked at every position. With the inclusion of Leo Messi still in question (due to a club vs country row with Barcelona) this team still have a lot of promise. With an incredibly strong midfield with former National Team Captian Juan Roman Riquelme, Javier Mascherano [Liverpool], Fernando Gago [Real Madrid] and Jose Sosa [Bayern Munich] look for Argentina to make it to the semi-finals at least.

Italy: While a little shaky in defense at times, this very young Italian side is surely capable of winning it all. The attack is made up of a mixture of experience and youth including Under-21 Team Captain Sebastian Giovinco, Giuseppe Rossi [Villareal] and Tommaso Rocchi [Lazio]. This will be an exciting team to watch as these youngsters try to impress for a chance to earn a senior team call up.

USA: Ah Team USA. With soccer becoming more and more popular in the US, our national teams are doing better and recieving more credit. This year the team's success will hinder on the performances of Freddie Adu [Monaco] and Jozy Altidore [Villareal]. If these 2 can link up and play well, the team will have a good shot at reaching a semi-final place.

Well thats all for now, the games begin tommorrow and they should be exciting. Enjoy the games and Good Luck to your favorite team!

Lets get this party started!

Lets start with a short intro. I love everything soccer. And whether you call it soccer, football, futball, calcio, or whatever it's my passion. It's the world's most popular game and has more countries in its world association, FIFA, than the United Nations (FIFA has 208 while the U.N. has 192).

So this blag will be my thoughts and opinions on everything soccer. You may see more bias towards the Italian Seria A, the English Premier League, the Spanish Primera, and the MLS, as those are the leagues I follow most closely, but I always have an eye on everything.
Please feel free to leave comments on anything I say or ask any questions. If you are new to the sport and want to know how certain leagues, competitions, or tournaments are run, just ask!


One warning: I'm a die hard AC MILAN fan. I bleed Red and Black.