A Tale of Woe Before Brazil 2014 Begins: 6/6/2014

The injured list for the run-up to the World Cup in Brazil has become rather populated of late. Even since my last post, France's Franck Ribery and Clement Grenier (who play at Bayern Munich and Lyon respectively) have been forced to withdraw from the tournament due to fitness concerns. England will be without Theo Walcott while Spain will miss Victor Valdes (although they do have Iker Casillas who would have doubtless started in goal). Part of the reason why Germany may be seen as having a weaker defense than they have fielded in the past is the fact that both Holger Badstuber and Ilkay Gundogan have been ruled out. One danger for Italy is the fact that midfield partner of Andrea Pirlo, Riccardo Montolivo, has been sidelined with an injury similar to the one Mexico's Luis Montes has experienced: a serious fracture in the leg. To clarify: Andrea Pirlo was NOT the one who was injured. Riccardo Montolivo was. The pair in the Italian midfield had only been brought up due to the fascinating football they have been playing up to this point. Add to that the fact that Croatia are without three class acts - Ivo Ilicevic, Niko Kranjcar, and Ivan Strinic - and you may just wonder whether a conspiracy exists to get the Brazilians to lift the World Cup on home soil. With absentees such as Kaka and Alexandre Pato (through the decision of the coaching staff, not injury) you can't say that everything looks great for the hosts, but it certainly could be worse. Personally, I hope that the likes of Bernard, Luiz Gustavo, and Maicon are able to perform. If so, the Brazilians might just take the world by storm.

International Friendlies 3/5/2014!

Building up the excitement as we approach the 2014 World Cup, France have ended the Netherlands' run of 17 matches unbeaten in competition. Scoring through Karim Benzema and Blaise Matuidi, the 2-0 scoreline was well-deserved after a poor showing from the Dutch side. Meanwhile, Ukraine were able to keep a clean sheet against the United States in addition to scoring twice against the Americans. Courtesy of Andriy Yarmolenko and Marko Devic, the Ukrainians were able to put aside the troubles sweeping their nation for a time and provide a stunning performance in Cyprus against a quality - though defensively questionable - U.S. team. As for Argentina-Romania, the South Americans will be hoping that their performances improve in time for the tournament in Brazil: a 0-0 scoreline was a salute to the Eastern Europeans' defensive solidarity but left many doubts over the Argentine goal-getting capability. England's game with Denmark was a close affair though the British were finally able to get their noses in front through a phenomenal performance by Daniel Sturridge after Denmark's keeper, Kasper Schmeichel, had kept a clean sheet for much of the match single-handedly. Playing in Madrid, Spain were able to notch a 1-0 victory over Italy thanks to Pedro's 2nd half goal. One of the most riveting matches was arguably that between Portugal and Cameroon where the visitors performed admirably in the 1st half only to get clobbered in the 2nd. Vincent Aboubakar gave Cameroon the lead but Cristiano Ronaldo equalized accounts just before the half-time break. Ronaldo went on to score a second while Raul Meireles, Fabio Coentrao, and Edinho each contributed to the 5-1 final score. Two more games now. Germany's date with Chile was an awkward affair, the Europeans winning through with a solitary goal from Mario Gotze in the 1st half. I would like to note that the uniforms the Germans wore seemed a little strange to me, feel free to leave your own comment on them but I prefer the predominately white jersey. Last but not least, Belgium versus Ivory Coast! The hosts went into the half-time break leading due to Marouane Fellaini's goal though I would say the 2nd half is where the action really started. Belgium's midfielder Radja Nainggolan made it two for the Europeans while Didier Drogba reminded us why he is better than many of the younger players with a goal. Max Gradel also scored for the Ivorians making it a 2-2 final score. Great games all around, best of luck to the teams as they continue their preparations for Brazil!

Domestic Round-up: Where the Leagues Stand After a Thrilling Weekend - 3/2/2014

Brilliant games around the world this week as most leaders continued their dominance, increasing their margins over their nearest rivals. Spain was a notable exception to this case as Real Madrid were only able to keep a one point cushion after Atletico Madrid - who sit in third with 61 points - were able to tie with their cross-town rivals 2-2. One point behind Real, in second place, are Barcelona who have 63 points after a 4-1 victory over Almeria this weekend. Besides these three though, the league title appears to be out of the reach of fourth position Athletic Club who have 50 points. Villarreal occupy fifth position with 44 points while Real Sociedad are hot on their heels and seventh position Sevilla have 38 to their name. Over to Portugal where, after many years of dominance by the northern side Porto, Benfica have claimed the top spot with 52 points. Their rivals Sporting Lisbon sit second with 47 while the dragons of Porto hold third with 43. Estoril is still in the title race with 39 points in fourth while it is a slightly longer shot that CD Nacional or Vitoria - in fifth and sixth respectively with 34 and 30 points - could challenge. North now to France where Paris Saint-Germain are eight points clear at the top of the table with 64 points to the good. Monaco are in second with 56 points while LOSC Lille are in third with a lot on their plate: Saint Etienne are in fourth with 48 while Marseille and Lyon have 43 and 42 respectively. Stade de Reims are in seventh with 42 meaning the next round or two of games will go a long way to determining who ends up having a chance at taking a swing at either PSG or Monaco. East now, in Germany, Bayern Munich are twenty points clear at the top of the Bundesliga. Dortmund are the side in second with 45 while Bayer Leverkusen are in third with 43. Schalke meanwhile, who have played a style of football that can only be described as abominable, somehow sit in fourth with Wolfsburg and Mainz particularly close to overtaking them. Down in Italy, Juventus are the side that are looking most likely to win Serie A this time around. While Bayern are without a doubt the team with the largest cushion, Juve have amassed an eleven point gap between themselves and closest pursuers Roma, who have 58 points. Napoli sit third with 52 while Fiorentina, Inter Milan, and Parma sit in the forties. Finally, to the north where England has seen Chelsea cement their position with 63 points. Both Liverpool and Arsenal have 59 while Manchester City have 57 and Spurs hold 53. United are in the top seven though, right under sixth place Everton who have 48 points from 27 matches played. Finally, and I know you are all concerned about this one, Celtic of Scotland have collected a grand total of 75 points from 28 games, losing just once and drawing thrice. Aberdeen and Motherwell are their closest competition - in second and third - though the bhoys should feel secure in their position. Dundee United and Inverness round out the top five with 44 each. Keep following and I hope you got to catch some of the games!

Women's World Cup Qualifying! 2/13/2014

Alright then! The qualifying campaign for the showcase event in Canada 2015 has begun with the usual suspects making the rounds and looking like solid contenders for qualification. In Europe, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Scotland, Norway, England, and France have put themselves at the top of their respective groups with some mouth-watering performances (Not one of the top sides has any less than 12 points to their name). The Germans are undefeated in 5 matches with a positive 40 goal difference while Switzerland have struck 17 without reply in 4 games. England are the other side to have notched plenty of goals while maintaining a clean-sheet with 20 to the good in 4 matches played. The second place teams of the respective groups are the Republic of Ireland with 7 points from 3 games; Italy are 2nd in Group 2 with two victories and a loss in 3 games. Israel meanwhile are 4 points off of the mark in Group 3 with the same performance as that of the Italians although Sweden in Group 4 are just 3 points away from Scotland with a game in hand. Arguably one of the tightest groups is that of Group 5 where both Belgium and the Netherlands have 10 points from 5 games - meaning Norway with 12 at the top actually have a game in hand - 4 more than Portugal in 4th position. Over in Group 6, Ukraine and Wales are the sides picking up the scraps left by England with 6 points each. Onwards to our last group for today: Group 7! Finland are the side directly in the shadow of France with a perfect record from 3 games. Hungary also have the opportunity to move up the ladder effectively as they are currently tied for 3rd with Austria though with a game in hand.

World Cup 2014 draw! 12/6/2013

And the results are out! After the drawing for the group-stage of the Brazil 2014 World Cup, we have hosts Brazil in Group A against Croatia, Mexico, and Cameroon. In Group B, Spain, the Netherlands, Chile, and Australia will face-off for the right to make it into the knock-out round. Group C is full of dark horses with Colombia, Greece, Ivory Coast, and Japan promising for an exciting opening set of matches. Group D is arguably the opposite with Uruguay, England, Italy, and Costa Rica competing for just two places in the next round. Group E should be relatively straightforward with Switzerland, Ecuador, France, and Honduras fighting for the right to lift the World Cup. Group F should be relatively open as Argentina must contend with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iran, and Nigeria. Group G on the other hand will likely be incredibly tight as Germany, Portugal, Ghana, and the United States must fight with only two sides progressing to the next round. Last but certainly not least, Belgium, Algeria, Russia, and South Korea make up Group H. Look for a predictions post in the very near future!

Women's U-17 European Championships and the Passing of Nelson Mandela. 12/5/2013

Excitement and somber memorial. That is what today may be described as in a few words. In the European Championships Semi-Final round, Italy faced Germany as hosts England took on Spain. In the first match, the Germans booked their place in the Final with a 0-1 victory over the Italians. The solitary goal was courtesy of Ricarda Walkling in the 15th minute after a stunning performance by the Germans which saw them largely dominate proceedings. Elsewhere, Spain gave their hosts no quarter in a 3 goal thriller that saw Andrea Sanchez perform admirably with goals in the 16th and 79th minutes. Pilar Garrote's 55th minute strike was also clean as the Southern Europeans absolutely dominated the game from start to finish. Expect a good match in the Final, I would tip Spain to win as they seem almost unbeatable at the moment.
Nelson Mandela, the one-time South African President and non-violent opponent of injustice and South African Apartheid as well as the voice of modern human rights passed away today at the age of 95. While a phenomenal example of the good that can manifest itself in the human spirit, Nelson Mandela was also an stunning figure in the world of sports. Utilizing rugby in particular, he united a nation; in 2010, he was arguably the man who inspired South Africa to successfully host the largest sporting tournament in the world - the FIFA World Cup. Words cannot describe the significance of Nelson Mandela in life, and his passing similarly prompts one to speechlessness. He will be missed, and may his memory be eternal.

Latest Domestic Standings 12/4/2013.

Before the upcoming fixtures across Europe, let's look at where things stand on a domestic basis! Spain seems like a decent place to start, where Barcelona have been in imposing form alongside Atletico Madrid - the two sides tied at the top with 40 points apiece. Real Madrid occupy 3rd position with 37 points as Athletic Club and Villarreal round out the top 5. The former have 29 as the latter sit on 28. Onwards to England now where Arsenal have gotten off to a decent first 13 games with 31 points earned. Chelsea hold 2nd with 2 points to spare over Manchester City as the Blues have 27 to their name. Liverpool are the side tied for 4th with Everton: both teams have 24. Across the channel, in France, Paris Saint-Germain have a slender lead of the table with 37 points and a game in hand over the competition. LOSC Lille are a point behind the Parisian outfit and one up on AS Monaco who have a significant hold on 3rd. 4th position Marseille have just 27 points as Nantes round out the best teams thus far with 26 points. Over in Germany, things are somewhat closer with Bayern up top with 38 points from 14 matches, Bayer Leverkusen 4 points off in 2nd, and Borussia Dortmund in 3rd with 31 - 3 points clear of 4th-placed Borussia Monchengladbach. Schalke have 5th just barely in their grasp on 24 points. South, in Italy, Juventus have grabbed 1st with 37 points just as Andrea Pirlo is forced out of contention for what may well be a month! Roma sit 2nd with 34 while Napoli are 3 behind them and Inter Milan and Fiorentina are tied for 4th with 27 each. Last but not least, the Portuguese league currently has the two main Lisbon sides, Sporting and Benfica, level at the top with 26 apiece while Porto are in 3rd with 24. As for those teams that aren't really in contention but would like to think they are, Gil Vicente and Estoril Praia are the closest to mounting a challenge with 18 and 17 respectively. Let me know if there are any things you'd like to see more of!