With the EPL Title Wrapped Up, the Real Fun Takes Place This Weekend

The battle for the Premier League trophy effectively ended last Sunday, when Manchester United downed the defending Premier League champions, Chelsea. A win for the team from the red side of Manchester saw them set an English record by winning their 19th league championship trophy. Thus, surpassing arch rivals Liverpool FC for the all time lead.

As entertaining as the race at the top of the table was, the relegation battle on the final weekend will undoubtedly provide more drama and many more increased heart rates for the supporter's of all the clubs involved. West Ham United was the first to fall to the second tier of English soccer, by losing to fellow relegation battlers Wigan Athletic this past weekend. The loss leaves West Ham, who has one of the most faithful followings in the capital, in a very tough spot. The East London club was given the right to play in the 2012 Olympic Stadium after the 2012 summer games finish. How will West Ham fill the Olympic Stadium, if they are still playing in the Championship during the 2012/13 season?

Avram Grant will not be signing autographs at Upton Park anymore. The club sacked him after Saturday's loss

With one match to go, Blackburn, Wolverhampton, Birmingham, Blackpool and Wigan are all in danger of dropping to the nPower Championship. Relegation is not only a shot to a club's pride, it is also a hard hit to its wallet. West Ham, and the other two undeterminded teams that are set to join it, will lose an estimated £40 million in revenue. Aside from revenue, they will undoubtedly lose their best players and top coaches. All of these negatives can pile up and cause damaging long-term finanicial issues for a club. The plight of once great Premier League sides tells the tale of what relegation can do to healthy Premier League clubs. Look no farther than the carcass of Leeds United. The one-time Premier League and Champions League titles contender, which employed the likes of Johnathan Woodgate, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Mark Viduka, Rio Ferdinand, Eric Cantona and Robbie Fowler now lies in the middle of the pack in the Championship after falling to League One in 2007.

Yet, this upcoming weekend's losers are not destined for certain doom and gloom over the next decade. Newcastle United's resurgence this year shows that a club can bounce back to the Premier League. Key players like Jonas Gutierrez, Jose Enrique, Steven Taylor and Joey Barton stuck with the club despite its misfortunes and aided the Geordies back to safety in the Premier League. Yet, the Newcastle United of the late 1990s and early 2000s is certainly gone for the forseeable future, as they are more likely to compete for a spot in the top 10 and not the top 4 spot they were accustomed a decade and a half ago. Thus, is the price of relegation.

So, who will suffer a similar fate to West Ham United? We will all find out on Saturday. And the best thing about it: all the games will start and be played at the same time, which means nobody will know what teams are relegated until the final whistle!

Here are my predictions:

15th) Wolverhampton Wanderers - 43 pts (Win over Blackburn Rovers)
16th) Blackpool - 40 pts (Draw with Manchester United)
17th) Blackburn Rovers - 40 pts (Loss to Wolverhampton)
18th) Wigan Athletic - 40 pts (Draw with Stoke City)
19th) Birmingham - 39 pts (Loss to Tottenham)
20th) West Ham United - 33 pts (Already Relegated)

Hassli's Physicality Brings Jubilation and Frustration for Whitecaps FC

Many things went right for the Vancouver Whitecaps FC during their inaugural MLS match against Toronto FC last Saturday. To start, even before the match started the clouds parted and the sun made a surprise appearance over Empire Field. What followed during the rest of afternoon not only shocked those at Empire Field, but also soccer fans across North America.

The Whitecaps dismantled Toronto FC by dominating in all parts of the pitch, trouncing the Easterners 4-2. The defense made all the necessary plays. When Toronto did score, it was through two great finishes by Dwayne DeRosario and Maicon Santos. Davide Chuimiento pulled the strings in the midfield and set up two goals in the first half and Terry Dunfield scuppered attacks by Toronto FC's attackers. But, where the Whitecaps dominated most thoroughly was up front where Vancouver's designated player Eric Hassli and Atiba Harris at times toyed with the three defender system employed by Toronto FC.

Toronto FC is still getting used to a new 3-4-3 formation, their relatively new back line trio of Nana Attakora, Ty Harden and Adrian Cann employed by coach Aron Winter undoubtedly played a role in TFC's defeat on March 19th. The team is simply not used to its new formation just yet. But, the physicality of one Eric Hassli also took a significant toll on the defenders. Hassli backed into, tossed to and fro, and systematically wore down Toronto's physically smaller central defenders and it payed immediate dividends as TFC's defense and midfield was stretched and exploited for 4 goals.

Fast forward to earlier today as the Whitecaps took on the Philadelphia Union. Hassli started the match against the Union the same way he did against TFC, throwing his body into defenders. As in the previous match, the burly Frenchman picked up an early (and slightly soft) yellow card in the 27th minute for a trip on Philly's defensive juggernaut, Danny Califf. The physical play continued into the second half and then Hassli saw red. In the 59th minute, he was sent off on a follow through on the Union's defender Carlos Valdez. Definitely worth of a second yellow.

Even prior to the sending off, the Caps lacked creativity in the midfield against the Union. The loss of Davide Chuimiento was evident, there were a number of misplaced passes, and Hassli did not get the same service he did in the team's first match, as the striker was forced to generate scoring chances on his own. The Whitecaps did not have a quality scoring chance in the entire game. Coupled with suffocating pressure on the ball by the Union, the Whitecaps did not look like they would score on Faryd Mondragon at any point during the 90 minutes.

Whitecaps coach Teitur Thorardsson has clearly given Hassli instructions to play as physical as he possibly can this season. Playing a big striker with a smaller, slightly more athletic and quicker forward (in this case Atiba Harris) is a formula that was used by last year's MLS Cup champions, the Colorado Rapids. The Rapids' attack was and is still led by hulking U.S. international Conor Casey and speedy Jamaican striker Omar Cummings, the classic thunder and lightning combination which led the Rapids to last year's championship. The Whitecaps expansion cousins, the Portland Timbers have also attempted this with their own big man, Kenny Cooper.

What is unique about the Hassli experiment is that the big Frenchman is still trying to figure how the North American is refereed. In his first match, it looked as though he tossed around TFC players at will with very few of these instances were whistled down for fouls. Yet, in the second match, the referee called anything and everything, slowing down the game considerably and saw Hassli get sent-off after he came in with a late tackle.

Ultimately, until the Whitecaps can figure out what level of physicality is just right for their top striker to play, and MLS referees can achieve a consistent standard of rule enforcement, Hassli and Caps' fans may be in for more mixed emotions in the coming weeks.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs Toronto FC - March 19 2011 - PT 2

The Southsiders going bonkers after Eric Hassli's 1st goal

The temperature rises after Terry Dunfield's goal to make it 2-1

Caps' fans on their feet as the final whistle is blown by the referee

A tired Adrian Cann walks off the pitch after his team is defeated by a score of 4-2

The Whitecaps and their fans celebrate their first MLS win

More celebrations at full-time

The captain leads his victorious team into the tunnel

Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs Toronto FC - March 19 2011 - PT 1


The Vancouver Whitecaps kicked off their inaugural season in the Major League Soccer with a bang today in front of a raucous crowd at Empire Field. Here are some images from the Caps monumental 4-2 win over Toronto.





Enroute to Empire Field

 



The Caps & TFC warming up 1 hour before kick-off

 

Gone are the days of the solitary camera man at Swangard. An army of photographers following the Caps now.

The sun is out just in time for kick-off at Empire Field

Captains Dwayne De Rosario and Jay DeMerit leading their teams on to the pitch

Festive atmosphere in the Southwest end of the stadium

Arrivederci to the Golden Age of Italian Soccer?

20 years ago, Italian soccer was the gold standard in the soccer world. World class talents like Gianluca Vialli, Marco Van Basten, Gabriel Batistuta, and Giuseppe Signori were filling the nets in Serie A, while young talents like Paolo Maldini, Alessandro Del Piero and Francesco Totti were being nurtured and introduced both to the Italian league and Italy's international youth teams.

Not only was skill at a premium in Serie A, but so was money. Inter Milan's £32 million
purchase of Christian Vieri from Lazio in 1999 was the most expensive in history. This purchase was soon followed up by Lazio's and Juventus' spending sprees in which they acquired the services of Argentine striker Hernan Crespo and future Italian superstar goalie Gianluigi Buffon, respectively.



Gianluigi Buffon: The most expensive goalkeeper in the world to date


Yet over the last 5 years or so, the Italian game has taken a huge hit both in the realm of public opinion and on the soccer pitch itself. Replacing the aging talents of Totti, Del Piero and Maldini (who has now retired) have proven difficult. To add insult to injury, the Serie A has now lost its place as one of the elite leagues in Europe. Previously perched alongside Spain's first division, La Liga, and England's Barclay's Premier League, as the best in Europe, Serie A was knocked down a level last week. Germany's top division gained a fourth Champions League spot at the expense of Italy, who will now only have three of their top clubs representing the country in Europe's top club competition. UEFA's scientific ranking system deemed that Germany's clubs are more deserving of the fourth spot, since all the Italian sides in the Europa League have already been knocked out of the tournament, while the two remaining clubs in the Champions League, AC Milan and Inter Milan, are facing elimination with 1-0 deficits after the first leg in the Round of 16. While, Germany's Bayer Leverkusen has advanced to the Round of 16 in the Europa League and two German teams (Bayern Munich and Schalke) are in the driver's seats of their Round of 16 match-ups in the Champions League.

Italy's loss of a Champions League spot may seem like a minimal loss, yet it represents a slide of the Italian game that has been underway for the better half of a decade now. Scandal, low attendance, and a lack of evolution in the style of play threatens the competitiveness of the Italian league.

The slow digression of Serie A has been well underway for over almost a decade, but 2006 was the year that brought it into the spotlight. 2006 was a year that would highlight both the negatives and positives of the Italian Serie A. The year began with the emergence of the Calicopoli scandal, in which match fixing and referee intimidation schemes were uncovered in Italy's top league. Italian giants, such as Juventus, which is owned by the Agnelli family (also owners of Fiat) and AC Milan, which is owned by part-time Italian Prime Minister and full-time "bunga-bunga" partier Silvio Berlusconi, were seen as the main perpetuators of the scandal. The Italian football federation replied swiftly by relegating Juventus to the second division of Italian soccer and fining and deducting points from Berlusconi's AC Milan and other Serie A clubs.

The 2006 World Cup in Germany provided Italian soccer with a reason to celebrate after a dismal year. Led by a stingy defense, timely scoring and the exploits of Gigi Buffon, Fabio Cannavaro and the effective shenanigans of Marco Materazzi, the Italian's triumphed over France in the World Cup final. Although the soccer played by the Italian side was not the most visually appealing, Italians could care less. The golden generation of Italian soccer had finally delivered on the international stage. The success in Germany temporarily swept the real issue in Italian soccer under the rug: the continued demise of Serie A.

The Estadio Guiseppe Meazza (also known as the San Siro), one of Italy's premiere soccer stadiums, is home to Italy's current heavyweights, Internazionale and AC Milan. The arch rivals from Milan share the stadium. The mammoth and intimidating venue can hold up 85,700 soccer crazed Italians. The thought of any stadium filled with nearly 90,000 can irk any opposition. Yet visiting teams at the San Siro need not worry, the stadium seldom reaches a capacity crowd these days. Inter and AC Milan draw an average attendance of 52,000 and 44,491, respectively. Mid table clubs in Spain and England dream of attendance figures of that sort, but those numbers are far from what is expected from the two enormous clubs of Milan. Thus far for the 2010/11 season , the average Serie A match attracts 6,000 less spectators per match than Spain's La Liga, and just under 50% of the German Bundesliga's average per match (41,973).

Not exactly a sell-out just prior to kick-off to a Lazio match in Rome

So what is the cause of these dwindling numbers? The nasty environment provided by certain supporters' groups or ultras is certain to be playing a role in low attendance numbers in Italy. The idea that somehow soccer hooliganism is the true way to support your club has blossomed in the last decade and a half, despite the fact that violence in and around English stadiums has decreased since the mid 1990s. Films and television shows like Green Street Hooligans and The Real Football Factories have helped to romanticize the soccer hooligan, yet the current state of Italy's game shows that hooliganism can not only have a devastating effect on the in-game experience for fans, but it can also have a devastating effect on a club's bottom line.

Hooliganism and ultras are not limited to Italy. Russia, Ukraine and Poland are just some of the countries that are attempting to deal with their aggressive "supporters" groups. Incidents involving Italian club team supporters have often turned fatal, as in other countries. However, unlike the other countries, Italy is a long-time member of the international soccer hierarchy, with a storied past and a highly competitive domestic league. If the threat of violence continues to turn off more Italians from attending their local team's matches, Serie A could be in some real economic trouble.

Ultras at Napoli's Stadio San Paolo

Although hooliganism is a major problem in Italy, the biggest threat to the game may be the on-field product itself. The Italian league is starting to suffer from a stagnation of creativity. Although a win at all costs strategy focused on defense and grinding out a low scoring win may be commendable, in the realm of dollars and cents, it can be disastrous. Despite Inter Milan's Champions League success last year, Italian soccer has lost the flair that it was once known for. This stagnation is not from a lack of talent, since the Italian league has some of the world's best players (Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Edinson Cavani, Wesley Sneijder, Samuel Eto'o and Lucio to name just a few). Yet, despite this talent, Serie A cannot stack up to its Spanish and English equivalents in the department of entertaining football. Even Italian international Giuseppe Rossi feels that the Italian game has fallen behind its main rivals. The New Jersey born striker who opted to represent Italy knows the difference between the Italian, Spanish and English games, since he has played in all 3 leagues (for Parma, Manchester United, Newcastle United and currently with Villareal in Spain). "You're always going to watch an English game or a Spanish game before Serie A and this is because they were both able to evolve," says the 24-year old.

Giuseppe Rossi at Steve Nash's charity game in NYC

Serie A's evolution may be slower than other leagues, but if the league hopes to keep up with its competitors, it needs to improve its product now. A system focused on a defense first approach, which the Italian side used to win the 2006 World Cup, may be a way to win, but it won't attract international notoriety, something that La Liga and the EPL clubs have realized. Serie A clubs will have to realize that domestic success is great, but in the end, the market dictates what lasts. If Serie A cannot cope with the threat of violence in its stadiums and cannot produce a product that attracts fans and investment, it may be losing more than just a Champions League spot in the future.  






A Tale of Two Ronaldos: The Great, and the Gargantuan

He was born to the name Ronaldo Luis Nazario Lima, but to the world, he is simply known as Ronaldo. The prolific goal scorer from Rio de Janeiro officially retired today after a legendary career that saw him play for some of the top teams in the world over 18 years. The likes of PSV Eindhoven, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and AC Milan acquired the Brazilian's services for his goal scoring prowess. Ronaldo saw ultimate team success winning numerous trophies with teams in Brazil, Spain, Holland and Italy, and winning 2 World Cups (1994 & 2002) with the Esquadrão de Ouro.

For all his team success, Ronaldo is one of the greatest talents that soccer has seen since Pele. Often called the greatest player of the last decade, Ronaldo is only one of two men (the other being his former Real Madrid team mate Zinedine Zidane) to win 3 Fifa World Player of the Year awards. The Brazilian still holds the record for most goals scored in World Cup tournament history, with a grand total of 15, and was named the Italian Serie A's Player of the Decade in 2007, for his exploits with Inter Milan during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Ronaldo's career goal scoring statistics are jaw dropping, with the Brazilian scoring 247 goals in 343 games for his clubs and 62 goals in 97 games for his country.

Yet, over time devastating knee injuries and a weight problem slowed down the star striker. His trademark speed, which had made him the most exciting player in the world, was all but gone in his final year with Real Madrid in 2007. But, even then, his immensely skilled feet toyed with some of the world's best defenders.



Ronaldo at Corinthians FC: A shadow of his former self



For all his skill and genius on the soccer field, the 34 year old Brazilian leaves the game, much like his good friend Zidane, with a whimper (albeit for different reasons). Overweight, aged and unrecognizable on the soccer field, Ronaldo now hobbles off the field that he so masterfully controlled as recently as last year with Brazilian team Corinthians. The star striker cited injuries and lack of fitness as his reasons for retirement.

In some people's minds, the final chapter of Ronaldo's career may take away from the amazing career that he had. Yet, for those that saw him in his prime, Ronaldo will always be regarded as one of the greatest strikers that ever played.  

Even in Soccer, Defense Wins Championships

Arsenal can be a joy to watch in most matches. The quick movements and smooth passing plays generated by the likes of Cesc Fabregas, Andrei Arshavin and Jack Wilshere in the midfield, finished off by the immensely talented Robin Van Persie or the clinical Samir Nasri can thoroughly impress even most ardent Manchester United or Tottenham fan. Yet, with all the technical brilliance and flash of Arsenal's offensive players over the past 5 seasons, the team has been unable to win a trophy, let alone the Premier League title. It seems as though the Gunners may finally end their silverware drought this year, with a win in the Carling Cup final as the most likely outcome, but the biggest prizes, the Premier League and Champion's League trophies, will be the toughest to come by for the Gunners.

For most, being 4 points off of the Premier League lead is by no means an insurmountable deficit. But the Gunners will most likely lag farther behind Manchester United because they lack one especially important characteristic of a championship winning team: a strong and confident pairing in the centre of defense. The Gunners has given up a total of 27 goals in 25 matches so far this season, 5 more than the league leaders in that department, Chelsea and Manchester City. But, unlike those two teams and Manchester United, Arsenal lacks a confident defensive partnership at centre back and the depth in defense to address injuries that inevitably occur throughout the season. Chelsea's central defenders provide a blend of young and older talent with John Terry, Alex, Branislav Ivanovic and new addition David Luiz. Manchester City boasts the impressive collection of Kolo Toure, Vincent Kompany, Micah Richards, Jerome Boateng and Joleon Lescott among their defensive stalwarts. While, league leaders Manchester United boasts two of the world's best defenders in Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand, but also have a full stable of solid depth players who can fit into the squad in times of injury or suspension. The Gunners do not have this luxury.

A makeshift pairing of Johann Djourou and Laurent Koscielny has played admirably in the absence of Arsenal's most talented (and injured) central defender, Thomas Vermaelen. Koscielny has made a great transition to the English game in his first year with Arsenal, while Djourou finally seems to be reaching the heights that were expected of him when he arrived at the Emirates Stadium. Individually, both Koscielny and Djourou are a major upgrade from the last year's horror show on grass, the aged and accident prone Mikael Silvestre, but still lack the muscle that Sol Campbell brought to last year's team. While, Sebastian Squillaci, whom Arsene Wenger acquired from Sevilla during the summer, has had a horrendous first 5 and a half months in England. The Frenchman has been caught out of position, out muscled by forwards and has provided panicked service at the back for the Gunners. Not the traits you want out of your third defensive option. For all his eccentricities, the Gunners would have definitely benefited from keeping the services of their skilled (and sometimes crazed!) former captain William Gallas, who is now plying his trade down the road at Tottenham.

The Gunners now find themselves in a more precarious position as Johann Djourou has gone down with a knee injury, which he suffered in Saturday's devastating draw against Newcastle. A pairing of Koscielny and Squillaci will now face the likes of Barcelona's Lionel Messi, David Villa and Xavi, in next week's Champion's League knockout round game. This upcoming match-up against arguably the world's best team has Arsenal fans wishing their manager had invested in some defensive help during the January transfer window. The loss of Vermaelen, who is expected to be on the sidelines for another month, will continue to hurt the Gunners significantly, but even with the Belgian in the line-up, the Gunners have an undersized and under skilled defensive core.

The injured Belgian is sorely missed in Arsenal's defense 

One of the main factors in Arsenal's last Premier League title triumph and the unbeaten season of 2003-04 was undoubtedly a solid defensive core, anchored by Sol Campbell and Kolo Toure. Arsenal's current team lacks this presence. The Gunners will continue to play breathtaking soccer this year, by controlling the possession of the ball and slicing through opposing team's defenses. They always do. Yet, as the recent past has shown, whenever a formidable opposing team, such as Barcelona, or Manchester United takes an equal share of the possession and attacks the heart of Arsenal's defense, the Gunners crumble. Oddly enough, these are the same two teams that Arsenal will have to defeat to achieve their goals of Champions League and Premier League success this season. Without a defense? Better luck next year.