Aston Villa at the 2009 Peace Cup (r)

[GW Emperor]

Aston Villa will play their first match of the 2009 Peace Cup today in which they will take on Spanish La Liga outfit Málaga CF. The match will be the first of two group games for Villa, with the second being against Mexican outfit and 2009 CONCACAF Champions League winners Atlante FC, this on July 29th. Should Villa advance past the gruop stage then they will move on to the knockout stage, in which the semi final will take place on July 31st and the final on August 2nd. All of these matches will be held in the Andalucia region of Spain, which is the host destination.

Official Peace Cup website:

http://www.copadelapaz.es/EN.html

[TFoAV]

I think it would be imperative for Villa to get as good of a result in the prelim group as possible so that they can get as many games out of this as possible. They're gonna need as much experience as they can get since it's becoming more and more clear that unless MON does a deadline blitz in the transfer window, this is going to be the group of guys that Villa will take into the regular season. And the young ones would definitely benefit from getting as many games as possible, and possibly getting a game against teams like Lyon & Real Madrid. Hell, any game past the prelims would be a huge help when it comes to experience.

[Jimellow]

Málaga played very well. The team's lack of depth and highly priced players was the theme of the match commentary on GolTV, but they did a nice job against an Aston Villa team that is likely not going to look much different at the start of the regular season than it did tonight.

Villa didn't impress, at least not offensively. Friedel made a few nice saves and I'd say had a strong game overall, but the goal he did give up was the result of poor defending as well as a very nice offensive pass from the Málaga player.

Despite the sub-par performance, I found the game to be very enjoyable and action packed, especially for a pre-season match.

I was pleasantly surprised to see Aston Villa game being aired, and on GolTV no less. Overall, the Peace Cup seems like a nice tournament with a good blend of teams from assorted European leagues.

[GW Emperor]

In the second Group C match Atlante just defeated Malaga 3-1, therefore still leaving Villa with a chance to qualify from the group. Aston Villa will need to defeat the current CONCACAF Champions League winners by a margin of over three goals though in order to do so.

[TFoAV]

Well, if the USA di-

Nah, won't even think that. lol. No semifinals, though they should definitely have a good game from Atlante. Once again, since this is basically the team that Villa will be going into the season with, I'm just hoping for them to get into good form and no injuries.

[Tano09Xsiempre]

Atlante up by one

[TFoAV]

Yeah, I think MON just said "screw this tournament, let's get ready for the games that count."

EDIT: He seriously said "screw this tournament", he just got sent off!!! Wow.

EDIT 2: And now Villa's 1-1 after scoring on a set piece started by Young. Really great goal. Seems like MON getting himself sent off was a great move. lol.

EDIT 3: 3 minutes into the 2nd half, Carew puts Villa up 2-1. Now they're looking good.

EDIT 3: Young puts one in at 62'. 3-1 Villa. Holy crap they could actually do this.

[TFoAV]

Villa wins 3-1, and they advance on goal differential. They will face either Porto or Besitkas.

Young and Carew were great today. Both of those guys were the reason behind the 3 goals that were scored today by the Villans. And on top of that, they really didn't have to exert themselves to do so, so that's good news as well. They were able to get in, show their form, and get out after that. Albrighton was great as well once he came in. He was getting after it from the time he entered the game until the final whistle. That was definitely encouraging to see. The defense (aside from that own goal) was great as well. They really locked down on Atlante's attack after that own goal. Pretty good game, especially since they get to spend a little bit more time in Spain now.

The downside to this might be that the longer they stay in Spain, the longer we won't hear anymore transfer news. But right now, I'm ok with it.

EDIT: How about that other semi-final? Real Madrid and Juventus. That should be a pretty good game, preseason nevertheless.

[TFoAV]

Petrov has a bum shoulder; MON worried. (http://bit.ly/Mq3HB)

I'd be worried too if I could barely field a reserve team after the starting XI. This is what happens when you make one or less signings over the offseason. Injuries like this one wouldn't be as much of a big hit if we had a deeper squad.

[GW Emperor]

Aston Villa have defeated FC Porto 2-1 in the Semi Finals of the 2009 Peace Cup. Heskey (14) and Sidwell (37) scored the Villa goals, while Hulk (90) converted a late consolation goal for Porto via the penalty spot. Aston Villa will now move onto the final where they will meet the winner of tonight's other semi final match which is between Juventus and Real Madrid.

[iDiveStevieG]

Regardless who they play, it will be a great warm up game for the upcoming season.

[TFoAV]

Yeah, for me this is a best-case scenario for Villa @ the Peace Cup. They get through the group, they win the semis, and now they get a pre-season tilt against either Juventus or Real Madrid. Can't ask for a better warm-up than that. This has been a pretty good pre-season for Villa. The only way it could've been better was if there were more signings, but oh well.

[-Fifth CharM-]

Congratz.

[TFoAV]

Thanks!

Well, this was a pretty awesome game, win lose or draw. Our guys showed a LOT of promise, not only in this game but throughout the tournament. Little Brad is great in goal. It's good to know that we've got a great backup in Little Brad, and even better to see that Villa have tapped into the American GK pipeline. Albrighton made some HUGE strides during this comp. (he was 'megging Juventus players left and right, just outstanding), Cuellar was an absolute brick wall. Young is getting even more dangerous out there, and the rest of the team is just gelling together. As long as our guys (particularly Petrov with his shoulder) come out of this preseason healthy, I like our chances. I've been criticizing MON all summer for the lack of transfers, but now I see: This team is being built for the long run. These guys are going to be studs sooner than later. They aren't going to win league, but I could see them fighting for a UCL spot this year. Gonna be rough, but I think our guys can do it either this year or next if they stick together and keep on progressing.

[TFoAV]

http://i32.tinypic.com/et8b9u.jpg
Putting a cap on this thread. :)

[canadianscraggledog]

You guys looked good today. Your youngsters have a lot of potential and could develop into some great players. MON seems to have a solid academy setup.

[ctoa23]

Saw a lot of good stuff today. Our future looks bright.

[os_mutante]

Congratulations Villans! I was really happy and proud to see Guzano come through for you guys.

[AVFC1982]

Astonvilla are the champions of the peace cup 2009.
Im loving it:D