The USA womens team qualified for the Olympics tonight with a 3-0 victory over Costa Rica. The last spot will go to the winner of Canada vs Mexico tonight as well. Go Hosers. ----------------------------- Canadian women advance to the Olympics with a win over Mexico.
We'll see what they've got when they face the USA. Hosers/Evil Empire is always a good match up whatever the occasion.
Yep. Regardless of who gets 1st place in the olympic qualifying, they both are in for the London Olympic games. Will be good. It looks like the field for the Olympics will closely resemble the field from the WWC.
Looks like the US team has a couple of new recruits. The one in the image would be VERY welcome in Sandolfistan. http://www.torontosun.com/2012/01/25/cuban-soccer-players-defect-to-us
FC Koln battling rivals Schalke 04 right now. Podolski opened up the scoring... 1-0 Die Geißböcke. --------------------------------- Damn.
Rags crashed out of the FA Cup. I wonder if they'll put a bit more effort into the Europa League now.
Dempsey might be getting too good for the Cottagers. http://www.metro.co.uk/sport/footba...with-champions-league-admission#ixzz1kgMvt200
Rags might even be getting more desperate than the Toffies. http://www.caughtoffside.com/2012/0...-consider-shock-swoop-for-former-chelsea-ace/
Interesting that Dempsey would be so vocal about that, although I can understand to a degree. He doesn't seem to care who he plays far as long as he plays in Champions League. Ballack's best days are behind him, so I'm not sure how much he would contribute to Man U.
Probably similar to Owen Hargreaves with City. I like Ballack... so to see him in Rags' kit would be rather disgusting indeed... (more from a personal sense than a sporting one).
Man Utd have a problem on their hands, and its their goalkeeper De Gea, very poor today, looked uncomfortable. Hes not really looked the part this season at all. Ferguson apparently said after the game it was a "smash and grab" exercise by Liverpool. Fergie must have been looking at a different game , I watch the whole second half and Liverpool were by far the better team throughout.
This would be in regards to the 2nd half I assume. Down to 13th... just three points out of the relegation playoff. --- All in all not a good day for the Beer teams. Newcastle was defeated in the FA Cup by Championship side Brighton.
I like Ballack too. He was a force for Germany in the lst few world cups. He's just getting older, but I like him.
Watching FA cup match between Arsenal and Aston Villa. Both teams are using mostly if not all 1st team players. Newcastle used only 2 starters yesterday against Brighton (Krul and Gutierrez), and the rest were 2nd teamers. Does that mean Arsenal and Villa both regard the FA cup with more esteem than Newcastle?
There is a saying in Germany that goes along the lines of... 'the Cup has its own dynamics". Essentially there is no good answer to your question Tyce. Lots depends on club and circumstance. Slur Alex du Rag once wanted to withdraw the Red Scum from a Cup competition because he claimed they didn't have time for it with all of their Champions League obligations. This arrogance created a mid-sized uproar. Fans of teams like Liverpool, Arsenal and maybe even Villa are used to a certain amount of success. When the natives get restless, then sometimes even a less significant trophy will due. The smaller and success starved teams would all like to win. But the fact is that 17th place in the EPL standings is worth an awful lot more financially. If you have the money City now does you can field almost two different squads. Not many can do that and injuries play a part in the decision making process. So if you luck out and win a couple of rounds with your reserves... then some teams may take the Cup more seriously as they progress along. But certainly not if they are too close to the top or the bottom of the table.
Amusing piece on Lothar Matthäus. (ma-TAY-oos). You may remember he was chosen to Sandolf's eleven of all time. He is listed in the piece as a midfielder. But he was considered a Libero. Probably even invented the position... (which I don't see played as much of late). http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/16775518.stm
I had a feeling it was a complicated answer. I debated whether or not Newcastle played their 2nd squad hoping to win as they rest their starters or whether they just didn't give a damn about the FA cup... or why Aston Villa and Arsenal really wanted to win and played their 1st team regardless that they had to play a regular season EPL game in 2 or 3 days.
The problem with the FA Cup is that financially to Premiership Clubs is aint worth s£*t. The bottom line for teams like Newcastle, Aston Villa, Bolton, Blackburn etc etc is that Premiership survival/consolidation is the most important thing, its worth millions. The FA Cup on the other hand, financially aint worth a whole lot. Fair enough if a team goes all the way and wins the trophy they could probably make a few million out of it, buts in nothing compared to the millions made in the Premiership and CL. To be honest I think teams even look on the Europa League as a bit of a nuisance at this stage. I remember when I was young FA Cup weekends were magical, especially the 3rd round of the Cup when the big boys from the PL (or old Div 1 as it was know then) joined in. The 3rd round always through up a surprise or an upset or two. Those were the days. In my view the day the publics perception of the FA Cup changed was when Man Utd were told they had to play in the World Club Championship out in Brazil in 2001 ( I think I have the year right) and therefore could not take part in the FA Cup that season as they were out in Brazil while the 3rd round took place. That completely devalued the whole competition in my mind and it hasnt been the same since.
Unfortunately there is a lot of truth to that Paddy. I still think certain fans, players and managers recognize the traditions behind the Cup competitions... not only in the UK, but in other European countries as well. I believe this tinkering with the Cup Winners Cup, UEFA Cup and the mass expansion of the Champions League has cast a pall of confusion over the whole thing.
It just seems there are a lot of extra "Cups/Other competitions". Carling Cup, FA Cup, Champions League, Europa League... Paddy makes some good points to which I agree. Europa League seems to be the equivalent of the College Basketball NIT. Those not good enough to make the final 64/65 teams for March Madness tournament.
Maybe Tyce. Europa League is great if your team is in Belarus. UEFA like FIFA have to look after the little guys too.... (which I think is a good thing). Diversity makes the world go round.
Transfer window closes today... watching all of the transactions, but nothing earth shattering so far. ---------------- Noticed that B. M'gladbach has let their best player, Marco Reus go to Borrusia Dortmund at the end of the season. --------------- Chelski seems to be fairly active so far.
