With a little and very loose tie-in to El Clásico The author likes this organization and the soccer it represents... if you've read anything I've written about soccer, you know I like Brazilian soccer, the Brazilian national soccer teams, and lots of Brazilian players. But there are Brazilians I don't like, or who I think are overrated, or both. Today I'd like to tell you about a major figure in Brazilian soccer, a coach who is both dishonest and not all that great at coaching, but who continues to be treated and paid as if he were one of the top Brazilian coaches. His name even comes up when the speculation about the seleção's next coach starts every time one quits, gets fired, or just has a bad game. I'm talking about Vanderlei Luxemburgo. Anyone who follows Brazilian soccer knows who Vanderlei Luxemburgo is, and some
Americans Tim Howard and Brad Friedel--generally considered among the stronger goalkeepers in the Premier League--had weekends to forget, as each gave up four goals Saturday in front of their home fans. Howard's Everton side lost at home to West Brom 4-1, while Friedel's Aston Villa side lost 4-2, also at home, to Arsenal: Video: PL Highlights: Everton/West Brom Video: PL Highlights: Aston Villa/Arsenal A much better performance and result for another American abroad in England: midfielder Clint Dempsey continued his strong play and scoring for Fulham, getting the equalizer for them against Birmingham City. Dempsey is playing aggressively and with confidence--watch the way he wins the header for the goal, and follows that up with a cracker that almost goes in for a 2nd goal, if not for a great save by the Birmingham 'keeper: Video: PL Highlights: Fulham/B'ham
We give you a somewhat abbreviated version of our weekly "what to watch this weekend" feature, since (a) there aren't that many matches Saturday or Sunday that look to be must-see TV; and (b) anyways, this weekend, Saturday and Sunday are only prelude to Monday...El Clásico. As usual, we rely on SoccerInsider's full listing of US-televised matches. Note that we've now included online-streaming information for matches that are available on ESPN3.com or FoxSoccer.tv; note that the prior requires that your ISP have an agreement in place with ESPN, while the latter requires a subscription: SATURDAY England, Aston Villa-Arsenal 7:30 a.m. ESPN2 & ESPN3.com: Can Arsenal rebound from two demoralizing losses? Spain, Atletico Madrid-Espanyol 4 p.m. ESPN Deportes & ESPN3.com: Espanyol has quietly climbed to 4th in the La Liga table, while Atletico Madrid is in 6th. SUNDAY England, Newcastle-Chelsea 8:30 a.m. FSP & FoxSoccer.tv: Chelsea needs to win in Newcastle to stay
From "Partido de la Vergüenza" (the Game of Shame) This is it. This game more than any other has divided the cultfootball brain trust, with one faction supporting the brilliant arrogance of the establishment side and the other hoping the subversives from the north can one-touch their way a million times to victory. The lead of La Liga is on the line, and with both teams reaching top form this will be a tight and exciting affair. Mourinho beat Guardiola's side in Champions League play last year using a tough defending - counterattacking game, flawlessly executed by an Inter side outclassed at every position. This time around Jose has a team whose attack is swift and devastating, supported by one of the most solid defenses in club football. Pep's boys play an inspired passing game, are the home side at hostile Camp Nou, and have won
Matheus put Arsenal to bed Quite a bit, apparently. First came Arsenal's shocking 2nd half collapse last Saturday in the North London derby, at home no less--yes, the headlines read "Spurs Triumphant at the Emirates". Certainly, Arsenal supporters must have thought, they would rebound mid-week in Europe, against a Sporting Braga side that hadn't accomplished much in Champions League so far this fall--a side that the Gunners had beaten 6-0 back in September on Matchday 1! But alas, all too predictably perhaps, Arsenal went down without much of a fight, losing 2-0 on two fantastic second half finishes by Braga's Brazilian striker Matheu. Watch the highlights from Tuesday's match--or lowlights rather, if you're an Arsenal fan: Actually, although Matheu does deserve great credit on both goals, close review of the video reveals that both chances were allowed by a flat-footed Arsenal defence. In fact both came
Eight more games today to complete Champions League Matchday 5. Like yesterday, one early kickoff (at 18:30CET = 12:30pmET), due to the fact that the game is in Russia (København at Rubin Kazan); followed by seven games kicking off at the usual time (20:45CET = 2:45pmET). Viewing options in the US: all of them available on DirectTV; three televised live on FSC/FSP/FSE (with some replays later in the day; check soccertvlisting.com; and seven of them available for streaming via foxsoccer.tv: Group Home Time Away UEFA Page Referee/Stadium Television Streaming A Internazionale 20:45 Twente More » Referee: Stéphane Lannoy (FRA) Stadium: Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milan (ITA) DirectTV foxsoccer.tv A Tottenham 20:45 Bremen More » Referee: Olegário Benquerença (POR) Stadium: White Hart Lane, London (ENG) DirectTV, FSP foxsoccer.tv B Schalke 20:45 Lyon More » Referee: Nicola Rizzoli (ITA) Stadium: Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen (GER) DirectTV foxsoccer.tv B H. Tel-Aviv 20:45 Benfica More » Referee: Alain
Romanian side CFR Cluj were bested away to FC Basel in group play today, effectively eliminating them from the knockout phase of the tournament. It was a meeting of minnows, but with great consequences, and while the Cruj players clearly didn't have the belly fire to mount a proper offensive, their manager, Sorin Cârţu, tried motivating his men with an impromptu act of passion from the sidelines. Basel is left with a game against Roma for a chance to advance. They'll need a win to tie on points, and that same win will give them a goal advantage to put them through to the next stage. Unfortunately for the Swiss side, Roma are finding their footing at home, and their win against Munich today suggests they're clear favorites. But back to Cârţu and his managerial methods. You won't often see such a dramatic display outside lucha libre...
The Collision of Ethnicity, Class, and Memory in My Father and Other Working Class Football Heroes If one believes the authors of Soccernomics, the provincialism of the nation’s working class remains one of the maladies plaguing English football. Though the authors acknowledge England’s creeping post war “embourgeoisement”, working class attitudes continued to dominate footballing circles and not necessarily for the better. In America, football depends largely on the middle class, but in England, for much of its sporting history, working class culture produced the vast majority of players. Soccernomics laments this development, suggesting the exclusion of the nation’s middle classes from competitive soccer acts as a “brake” on England’s international hopes. Furthermore, Simon Kuper and Stefan Szymanski argue that the provincial proletarian mindset continues to bedevil the sport. Pointing to the insights of Manchester United Manager Alex Ferguson as evidence, Britain’s working class players subscribe to a theory of work
