Entries for May 2009

Another day, another England ex-pat moaning about the way MLS and American soccer does things. From the Seattle PI:
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OK - the day is here. Most of the people I know are rooting for Barcelona. So it almost feels like I'm pulling for the underdog today. But regardless, two take teams will great the field and one will walk off the European champions.

Two teams enter, one team leave!!!

Join us starting at 2:30 p.m. Eastern for pregame, with kickoff at 2:45 p.m.

UEFA Champions League Final - Manchester United v. Barcelona

Let me just establish here that I expect this match to be unwatchably dull. Chelsea established the formula for testing Barcelona and I fully expect United to also "park the bus" and look to hit Barca's depleted defense on a setpiece or counter-attack.

If the match will pivot on any single thing, it will be the advantage United has in big-match experience. Look at how many Barca players played in the 2006 final and compare it how many of United's players played in last year's final. Could that experience prove critical? I think it might.

Prediction: 1-0 Man U...

It's the two teams that I think most would agree are the best in Europe - actual champions of their leagues with a game or games to spare, and I'll be blogging it live tomorrow here at Fighting Talker.

Manchester United and Barcelona meet in the Champions League final; the last to be screened on the ESPN family of networks (at least for a little while). Fox takes over the production next year, using FSC, FX, FSE, and regional channels. So yes, this could be Tommy Smyth's last onion bag-filled hurrah.

United finished the English Premier League season with 90 points,...

In case you missed it, DC United's ownership structure changed rather suddenly this morning. Will Chang and former co-Executive Chairman Victor MacFarlane have split, with MacFarlane exiting stage left and Chang taking the overwhelming majority of the operation.

Given that MacFarlane's drive in being involved with United was not only getting a stadium built, but having be part of a multi-use, big-deal retail area that would work for him as a real estate investor, him leaving might actually be a good deal for United.

That's not meant as an insult to MacFarlane. He...

Are you going to try and tell me that you haven't ever wanted to see an "And-1" style video featuring foosball tricks?

Hat tip to Guardian

John makes the case for Blanco rejoining Mexico:
All that might be true, BUT... Blanco is just as likely to come on the field in a bad mood, antagonize a referee within 30 seconds and then...

Coming to a lower-division stadium near you!

Big club or not, I want Newcastle to be relegated so, so badly. With Arsenal collapsing like FILL-IN-YOUR-OWN-SYNONYM-FOR-LILY-LIVERED GIRLY-MEN, my end of season has been totally focused on hoping that Newcastle, its buffoon owner, idiotic xenophobic fans, its current hopelessly outclassed manager, its troupe of former hopelessly-outclassed incompetant managers, its brigade of annoying and hideously pompadoured former players, and its roster full...

Wenger begging club officials and police to stop fans from questioning him

Let me get the perfunctory platitudes out of the way. Thank you Arsene Wenger for not bounding off to Real Madrid where you would've been a dreadful fit and found yourself jobless in under two years, just like everyone else there. Great decision.

Now, for the love of God, stop whining about pointed questions being asked of you by shareholders. Since when did people at this club become so weak-kneed? From what I read,...

I'm going to the Nats-Pirates "tilt"* tonight at Nationals Park. Needless to say, the city shakes in collective anticipation.

But what would the equivalent match up like this be in sports or even just in other parts of life?

• A completely meaningless match like Stoke-Bolton with teams that aren't going to Europe and aren't going to drop either?
• A relegation six-pointer, with both teams going all out for survival.
• A cripple-fight
• Pro wrestling, where two groups of drugged-up men go through the motions of competition in which the actual result means nothing whatsoever.

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