Now that's what I call a goal celebration. Liverpool's Steven Gerrard was arrested the morning after getting into a bar fight at about 2:30am. Gerrard was 'Pool's hero against lowly Newcastle yesterday bagging two goals.

I was watching Gerrard after his two goals and the way he threw his fist into the air with such fiercness made me think that I probably wouldn't want to be on the end of a punch from him.

Sounds like the Scouser and his mates put one guy in the hospital. After Gerrard called this current Liverpool side the "best" he's played for. Hopefully, Stevie will still be in that side and not in some jail cell.

I've got a feeling that footballers in England are like celebrities in Los Angeles where justice is few and far inbetween.

Thanks to Soccer By Ives, I've come across a video that brought a holiday smile to my face. And, for Dan and my Brother who were at the MLS All-Star game in Chicago with me, there's a nice jab at one of our favorite "simulators".

Enjoy and have a happy and safe holiday season.

Sunday 12/28

• Newcastle 1 – 1 Liverpool
• Mikey Strikes again.  Working on getting a high transfer fee, and a fat contract, will inspire him.  The biggest question, will be whether the Reds can pull themselves out of this slump in time to remain in the title race?
• Arsenal 2 – 1 Portsmouth
• van Persie comes to Arsenal’s rescue, though it won’t be as pretty as it usually is.
• Bolton 2 – 1 Wigan
• Usually I would be completely disinterested and not even offer a comment for the two rugby teams, but Bolton didn’t bore me against Portsmouth, and I think they’ll put it to Liverpool on Boxing Day which will give them some confidence.
• Everton 0 – 1 Sunderland
• Everton can’t score, Sunderland has dropped 8 total on their last two opponents.  Everton’s defense is a little better than the Black Cats’ last two opponents but they’ll still come out on top.
• Fulham 0 – 2 Chelsea
• Fulham will continue their downward slide, and Chelsea will continue their march towards what is rightfully theirs.  Fulham will walk out of this one with enough pride and dignity to turn their ship around in the next game.
• West Brom 2 – 2 Tottenham
• The mauling from Chelsea aside, I think the Brummies will build on the victory over Man City and come out swinging against Spurs.  ‘arry’s squad will react just enough to get the draw but it’ll be just demoralizing enough to keep Spurs 13 spots away from where they assumed they’d be last season, and the season before, and the season before, and the season before.
• West Ham 0 – 1 Stoke
• Rory Delap throw-in, Hammers’ defense bumbling, blah blah blah….  Maybe Spector will get some PT.
• Blackburn 2 – 2 Man Ctiy
• Rovers will continue to build on their good start under Big Sam, and Man City will start their upward surge under an interim manager. 

Monday 12/29

• Man Utd 2 – 1 Boro
• United will still be a little rusty in the first 15 minutes, but their legs will eventually come back to them, and their class will shine through.  Plus SAF will have kicked a few boots after the Boxing day nightmare (insert clip of I’m On Setanta Sports with Rooney in Japan) 

Tuesday 12/30

• Hull 0 – 2 Villa
• Villa will continue asserting themselves on the 4^th spot.  Hull’s “us against the world” mentality doesn’t work every weekend, and this game will be one of them.

On Dec. 22, the USSF received a letter from Neven Subotic informing U.S. Soccer that he will be playing for the Serbian national team, U.S. Soccer spokesman Neil Buethe confirmed to SBI on Wednesday.

Question: Why would anyone choose Serbia over the US? There's no way he looked at the future of both teams and said, "yeah I think Serbia is really going places. Especially in that easy qualifying region of Europe."

Given the turn over in the US Nats and the openings in the defense its not like one of the Bundasliga's bright, young stars wasn't going to get a huge shot for the Nats. 

Gooch, Boca, and Subotic. It had a nice un-American American sounding back line ring to it.

Editor's Note: The Homo is wearing yellow in this picture (and assuming the dominant position).

Friday 12/26

• Stoke City 0 – 0 Man Utd
• United’s jet lag will play a huge part in this match, as will the fact that the other 3 teams comprising the big 4 clubs all came up splitsies.  The biggest question for this match is what generation of players will SAF play?  The young guns who haven’t made the trip to the far east and back (in something like 5 days) before, or the old guys who probably have a few Deep Vein Thrombosises (plural for Thrombosis).
• Chelsea 4 – 0 West Brom
• Chelsea will be looking to rebound by dropping a four spot on the most hapless team in the league.
• Portsmouth 1 – 2 West Ham
• Pompey has been sucking it up lately and West Ham played Villa tough last time around.  Methinks the Hammers will continue their decent run of form.
• Tottenham 2 – 1 Fulham
• Fulham can’t possibly continue their fine run of form, not against ‘arry’s new look Spurs side.  Spurs haven’t exactly been kicking ass in the last few weeks, but Fulham are due for a bad spell.
• Liverpool 1 – 2 Bolton
• If I keep calling for Liverpool’s slip up it will eventually happen.  They looked woefully pedestrian against Arsenal last weekend, and not even the King of the Scousers could muster some heroics against 10-man Arsenal.  Until Fro Torres comes back, the Reds will continue to stutter like a 13 year old in a strip club.  A word about Bolton, they played some decent ball last weekend, I might be coming around to not hating them.
• Man City 1 – 1 Hull
• Hull will earn a hard fought draw to solidify their place in the Prem, which has been on somewhat shaky footing lately.  Man City will continue to play uninspired footy, and give away the points that finally nail Sparky’s coffin shut.
• Boro 1 – 0 Everton
• Boro, fresh off their embarrassing display at the Cottage will eke out one against Everton.  Even though the Toffees held the Blue Juggernaut to a goalless draw, John Terry was off the pitch for more than half the game and Everton still couldn’t snag a goal.
• Sunderland 0 – 1 Blackburn
• Big Sam’s MO, put ten players behind the ball and smack the shit out of the opponent.  Sunderland doesn’t have the maturity within their ranks to figure it out.
• Wigan1 – 2 Newcastle
• Newcastle are finding their feet and climbing the ladder back to mid-table respectability, and Wigan…well they haven’t been mentioned lately so we’ll assume that they’re playing average soccer. 
• Villa 4 – 2 Arsenal
• Consider this Villa’s “shot across Arsenal’s bow”.  Without Fabregas and Adebayor in the lineup for this one, Arsenal will have serious trouble maintaining possession, which will allow Villa to run roughshod all over the face place

Here's how our countrymen across the pond fared over the weekend:

Tim Howard (Everton, Premiership): Not sure how it'll turn out but I think we all know he'll be between the pipes on Monday against Chelski.

Brad Friedel (Aston Villa, Premiership): Went the full 90 to extend his new Premiership record in the 1-0 win over West Ham.

Brad Guzan (Aston Villa, Premiership): Didn't put a foot wrong this weekend while keeping the bench nice and warm.

Marcus Hahnemann (Reading, Championship): Again didn't make the subs bench for the 3-1 victory over Birmingham. Possibly out looking for Bobby Convey who's reportedly lost in some swamp with his hands duct-taped behind his back.

Michael Orozco (San Luis, Mexican Primera Division): Season will begin after the new year.

Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96, Bundesliga): Winter Break, they'll resume play in 6 weeks (I think)

Jonathon Spector (West Ham, Premiership): Apparently captained the reserve squad to victory over some Adidas Project 40 team. His Hammers los 1-0 to Villa this weekend.

Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes, Ligue 1): Started and went the full 90 in the 2-1 win over Lorient.

Jay DeMerit (Watford, Championship): Came on as a sub in the 52nd minute in the 1-0 loss to Derby County, yes that Derby County.

Danny Califf (FC Midtjylland, Danish SAS-Ligaen): Off until March 1st as the Danish League hibernates for the winter.

Neven Subotic (Borussia Dortmund, Bundesliga) (he's still considered a yank until he makes up his mind): Started and went the full 90, again, for Dortmund as they beat Moenchengladbach 2-1.

Oguchi Onyewu (Standard Liege, Jupiler League): Continues to marshall the Liege defense and increase his interest in the bigger leagues of Europe. 2-1 winners against KAA Gent this weekend.

Frank Simek (Sheffield Wednesday, Championship): Didn't even make the subs bench in the 2-0 loss to Cardiff City

Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock, 2 Bundesliga): Winter Break

Michael Bradley (Borussia Moenchengladbach, Bundesliga): Winter Break

DaMarcus Beasley (Rangers, Scottish Premiership): His side beat Hibernian 1-0, but Beasley could only watch longingly from the bench.

Maurice Edu (Rangers, Scottish Premiership): Apparently has joined Convey out in that swamp because he hasn't been seen in a while.

Danny Szetela (Brescia, Serie B): Got a solid 89 minutes in the 1-0 victory over Grosseto

Bobby Convey (Reading, Championship): No where near the stadium again for the 3-1 win over Birmingham

Benny Feilhaber (AGF Aarhus, Danish Superligaen): Also off until MArch 1st during the winter hibernation. Though he wasn't playing anyway.

Landon Donovan (Bayern Munich, Bundesliga): Took a much needed break from hyping the shit out of himself (see months leading up to World Cup 2006 for other examples of this). Also, rumors have been circulating that he may be called upon to end Everton's striker injury crisis in stead of joining Jurgy's Bayern side. We'll see what happens on January 2nd.

Clint Dempsey (Fulham, Premiership): Started, again (I think Hodgy's taking a liking to our Deucy), and played the full 90 scoring the 3rd goal in a 3-0 win over Boro.

Freddy Adu (Monaco, Ligue 1): Got a solid 15 minutes in the 3-4 loss to Bordeaux (we'll pretend to ignore the fact that Bordeauz scored the equalizing and game winning goals while he was on the pitch)

Jozy Altidore (Villareal, La Liga): Didn't make the bench in the 2-1 loss to Sevilla

Eddie Johnson (Cardiff, Championship): Came on to make a difference in the 90th minute during the 2-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday. Just kidding about him making a difference.

Sal Zizzo (Hannover 96, Bundesliga): Winter Break, might be moving on this winter...?!?

Jose Francisco Torres (Pachuca, Mexican Primera Division): PLayed 45 minutes in the 1-0 loss to Gamba Osaka in the FIFA World Club Cup (or whatever the F it's called). He also started and played 67 minutes in the 2-0 loss to LDU Quito. Played the final 21 minutes in the 4-2 shit-stomping of Al Alhy

Rumors abounded in November apparently that several Serie B sides and Cagliari in Serie A were interested in the services of one USMNT central midfielder (see: reckless, two footed tackler) Pablo Mastroeni. Reports are also linking Racing Santander of Spain with the Rapids player. The question that we have is why? Pablo is one of the least technically sound players in the USMNT fold, and he has a nasty habit of reckless, team compromising behavior. While Mastroeni would fit in well in Serie A's resident bad boy and maker of stupid decisions Marco Materazzi, Italy is reknowned for being one of the best leagues as far as technique and tactics goes (Spain is not far behind). I personally don't see what he would offer any of the teams in these leagues at his advancing age and declining skills. Check out Going to the Mat or American Soccer News for a more indepth, and accurate source on this.

There are other rumors which suggest LannyCakes will not be heading to the continent after all. Everton's strike force has been ravaged by the injury bug this season and could use an extra body in the squad. According to some, Lanny is the answer to all of David Moyes's questions, so much so that he will force Lanny's plane into an emergency landing in Liverpool in order to get his man (not really but it's fun to pretend isn't it). Anyway, the Everton rumors aren't definitive as to whether this would be loan move or a full transfer. In my opinion the Bayern move would better suit Lanny at this point in time. He's best utilized as a second striker playing off of a target forward, and Everton right now don't have any of those hanging around, whereas Bayern have the oafish Luca Toni. Also, Jurgen Klinsman is a big admirer of the speedy American and will likely give him the best looks and shot at succeeding, and Everton will most likely baptise him by fire, and then jump all over him when he fails to save the day (does anyone remember the Andy Johnson experiment at Ewood Park?).

Lastly (for today anyway) Sacha Kljestan is reportedly being courted by multiple teams across the pond (Thanks again Going to the Mat). One of which is Monaco in France; yes the club that already has Freddy Adu in its squad. While moving to France would give Kljestan a different dimension to his game, one has to wonder how much time he'll actually see. In fact that sentiment goes for most of the teams reportedly interested in the young American. I agree with Going to the Mat that moving to Greece, Russia, and to a lesser extent Scotland may not be challenging enough for him on a daily basis. Though, I do not agree that moving to a mid-table Bundesliga side just to sit on the bench would be a bad thing for Sacha. You see a player like Kljestan (Adu and Altidore are included in this too) can learn an awful lot from just practicing with a squad like Shalke's (Monaco's or Villareal's), which will make them much better internationals for the USMNT. His first few months over there should be spent just learning from the veterans on the squad, getting used to the environment, and trying to crack the squad a few times. If he's not getting regular first team opportunities by the start of next season then it might be time to go on loan somewhere. But, until that happens any move to a more competitive environment with tactics that can add a different dimension to his game, and improve his technique is a good one.

He is so much better than me at this "consistent" thing. Here's Nick's Prem pick for the weekend. Dan will be back for the Holiday picks.

Saturday 12/20

Blackburn 1 – 0 Stoke
With new boss Big Sam at the helm look for Rovers to settle in for a long winter’s slug-fest. Allardyce’s reliance on beating opponents into submission will work on Stoke because a) Stoke are used to hacking at ankles in the Championship not full blown WWE style cross-body blocks from Prem defenders and b) Rovers have some thuggish defenders. Look for Santa Cruz to nick one off of a MGP free-kick.

Bolton 2 – 0 Portsmouth
Pompey you’ve screwed me two weeks in a row, so why not make it three? I’ve picked you to win and you lose, shamelessly I might add. Now I’ll pick you to lose and you’ll probably play the game of your life. Bolton has been hot of late and Pompey has not, so…I have to go with the hotter team. Plus Bolton need the points prior to playing Liverpool on Boxing Day.

Fulham 0 – 2 Boro
Fulham haven’t scored in what seems like forever, and they usually don’t last much past Christmas in the middle of the table, so this one has to go to Gareth Southgate’s dreary Boro squad. Note: If you’re a fan of the beautiful game, like the one Real Madrid and Barcelona played last weekend, do not watch this game. Only long-ball purists who hold onto England’s 1966 World Cup victory like Sally Struthers does to starving children will be able to find any hint of joy in this borefest.

Hull 2 – 1 Sunderland
Hull needs these points more than Sunderland given their respective schedules in the next few days, and Hull is all about finding ways to win this season. Sunderland’s mini-revival should continue against a team, that is, on paper, on their level, but Hull are a different class of Championship team this year.

West Ham 0 – 1 Aston Villa
Champion’s League participants win these games, unless of course you’re Chelsea. Villa has been looking to break out of the doldrums the last few weeks but today that will not happen. Fulham has laid out the blue-print for struggling clubs to avoid getting embarrassed week-in and week-out. Look for West Ham to follow that formula and bunker in. Villa will eventually find a way to break them down if only to pip Arsenal to 4th place, even if it is Brad Friedel providing the magic in the 94th minute off of a corner kick.

Sunday 12/21

Arsenal 2 – 1 Liverpool
Consider this Liverpool’s two week notice on holding top spot in the Prem. Steven Gerard can only do so much without Fro Torres leading the lines. Liverpool’s reliance on these two will be exposed by ‘Good’ Arsenal. The Jekyl and Hyde rollercoaster will continue for the young gunners. Watch for the British press to run miles of print on why Arsenal is struggling for 4th place when they can beat everyone else above them?

Newcastle 2 – 2 Tottenham
Most would say Arsenal Liverpool is game of the week, but this one’s the tits for me. Both teams are epic failures by their own egotistical standards. ‘Arry might bring everyone over the age of 30 into the Spurs fold during the January window, which includes Michael Owen, so we got that subplot going for us, which is nice. Newcastle has been coming back from the dead of late, and Tottenham have started flourish (as much as a has been can flourish) under ‘Arry’s tutelage. Expect a back and forth matchup.

West Brom 0 – 2
Man CityWest Brom can’t score goals this season. City can, but only every 3rd game. It’s about time for them to break out of their recent goal slump.

Monday 12/22

Everton 0 – 4 Chelsea
The Chelsea juggernaut will steamroll what has been a pathetic attempt at defense by Everton this season. The only thing worth watching for is whether David Moyes will be whispering to Drogs on the sidelines, and whether Joleon Lescott will kung fu the ball or someone’s face

Here's a new feature for the fans of Snorting the Endline, or of our old blog, Seven Guys Short: British Media Madness!!!! This is our opportunity to take a page out of the British Media's playbook, and post crazy ass headlines based on quotes that are taken wholly out of context. Today's incarnation:

Jose wants to bring Drogba to MLS's Red Bull New York!

In an interview about the prospect of facing an English side in the Champions League knockout round (draw is tomorrow), the Special One was asked about his desire to Drogs to the Blue half of the San Siro and responded thusly: {in thick, pretty, Portuguese accent}"...If I were coach of Gamba Osaka, or Red Bull New York, I would want Didier in my squad. He's one of my guys..."

US Soccer just announced that the USMNT team will face Mexico in Columbus, Ohio on February 11th for the two teams' CONCACAF Hexagonal match up Stateside. If you like that run-on sentence stick around, because I think I can throw a few more in this post if you like.

Nick has opinioned before on this site that a cold weather venue is absolutely necessary for this qualifier and I couldn't agree more. While all of the qualifier's will present unique challenges, most of them favor the United State's to continue their tactical and skillful dominance of regional opponents. This is not the case for the Mexico match up.

Given our poor record in Mexico City at the Azteca Stadium, it is imperative that we pick up three points on our side of the Rio Grande. That means not only out-classing 'El Tri,' but out-psyching them also.

Even with home field advantage this match will be difficult and even though the USMNT has been extremely successful of late (8-0-2 since 2000) many of the matches could have gone either way. Not to mention that any Mexican game in the US will flooded with our opponents fans. Mexico has never had a problem bringing in the green, red, and white to our stadiums and Columbus will be no different. But this isn't Houston or the Home Depot Center (places notorious for turning a home game into a hostile environment) so we can flex our Northern cold-blooded Gringo muscles a bit more. I was in Columbus during our World Cup 2006 cinching victory in September of 2005 and can attest to the fact the staging important qualifiers up north does give us a mental and fan-base-related advantage.

I'm glad that US Soccer is seeing this not as a marketing opportunity and as a serious game that the US needs if it is to qualify for South Africa. US-Mexico games in the heavy Latino areas of the country are fine for friendlies, but when it comes down to taking carry of business in the Hexagonal I'm glad US Soccer saw tickets to 2010 and not dollar signs (Peso signs?)

Even cold temperatures don't guarantee victory (our boys train in Cailfornia and Florida), but is more of a negative for the Mexicans. The U.S. has a 3-0-2 record in qualifying and an unbeaten 4-0-3 all-time record in Columbus Crew Stadium.

Just to finish off the post, US Soccer has not announced any other locations for the home qualifiers, but here's to one in Chicago on June 6th (the only qualifier I'm actually in the U.S. during the whole process) so Nick and I can cheer on the red, white, and blue against my current home country of Honduras.

Let's drop the pretense... there's no way I'm smart enough or consistent enough to post a "look-a-like" every Monday. How about when they come to me? OK? Cool....




Sacked (today!) Blackburn Rovers manager Paul Ince and sacked series "Scrubs" (although apparently back on ABC now) character Dr. Christopher Turk.

Here's how our countrymen across the pond fared over the weekend:

Tim Howard (Everton, Premiership): Started and went the full 90 in the 1-0 win over ManCity.

Brad Friedel (Aston Villa, Premiership): Went the full 90 to extend his new Premiership record in the 4-2 win over Bolton.

Brad Guzan (Aston Villa, Premiership): Tried to lay the mack down on Randy Lerner's daughter from the subs bench.

Marcus Hahnemann (Reading, Championship): Must've been given the day off y the gaffer because he didn't even make the subs bench in the 2-0 victory over Norwich.

Michael Orozco (San Luis, Mexican Primera Division): Season will begin after the new year.

Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96, Bundesliga): Started and went the full 90 in the 1-1 draw with Armenia Bielefeld.

Jonathon Spector (West Ham, Premiership): Still recovering from an injury, not sure which body part this time.

Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes, Ligue 1): Started and went the full 90 at Left back in the 0-0 draw with Nantes.

Jay DeMerit (Watford, Championship): Didn't make the subs bench again this week in the 2-1 victory over Coventry. Something's gotta be wrong.

Danny Califf (FC Midtjylland, Danish SAS-Ligaen): Off until March 1st as the Danish League hibernates for the winter.

Neven Subotic (Borussia Dortmund, Bundesliga) (he's still considered a yank until he makes up his mind): Started and went the full 90, again, for Dortmund as they beat Moenchengladbach 2-1.

Oguchi Onyewu (Standard Liege, Jupiler League): Started and went the full 90 in the 4-1 stomping of Club Brugge.

Frank Simek (Sheffield Wednesday, Championship): Didn't even make the subs bench in the 0-0 draw with Bristol City.

Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock, 2 Bundesliga): Played 76 minutes as the left mid in Rostock's victory over SV Wehen.

Michael Bradley (Borussia Moenchengladbach, Bundesliga): Got the start and lasted 59 minutes, then spent the remainder of the game courting Nevin to join the USMNT from the sidlines as Moenchengladbach fell 2-1 to Dortmund.

DaMarcus Beasley (Rangers, Scottish Premiership): Texted Edu from the subs bench in the 2-2 draw with Dundee United.

Maurice Edu (Rangers, Scottish Premiership): TRied to ignore Beasley's hurtful texts, which mocked him for being up in the stands instead of on the bench.

Danny Szetela (Brescia, Serie B): Kept warm by the space heater on the bench during the 2-0 loss to Cittadella.

Bobby Convey (Reading, Championship): Still recovering from injury, I believe.

Benny Feilhaber (AGF Aarhus, Danish Superligaen): Also off until MArch 1st during the winter hibernation. Though he wasn't playing anyway.

Landon Donovan (Bayern Munich, Bundesliga): Pranced around his house in LA while modeling Bayern's kits for his hottie wife; decided he was going to be Jurgen's fashionista and tell him which kit the team should wear for each match.

Clint Dempsey (Fulham, Premiership): Started, again (I think Hodgy's taking a liking to our Deucy), and played the full 90 in another dreary 0-0 draw for the Cottagers. This time is was against supposed relegation fodder Stoke. The previous two 0-0 draws were respectable, this one is not.

Freddy Adu (Monaco, Ligue 1): Watched Jozy get some real minutes on his Iphone from the bench in the 3-1 loss to Valenciennes

Jozy Altidore (Villareal, La Liga): Came on as a sub in the 57th minute in the 1-0 loss to Sevilla

Eddie Johnson (Cardiff, Championship): Came on in the 35th minute, and then was subsequently subbed off again in the 83rd minute of the 2-1 victory over Ipswich Town. When a sub is subsequently subbed, it's never a good thing, but I gues it wouldnt' surprise me in the least that of all the Yanks it happened to Johnson.

Sal Zizzo (Hannover 96, Bundesliga): Kicked LannyCakes' ass in FIFA09 while Cherundolo froze his nips off in the 1-1 draw with Armenia Bielefeld

Editor's Note: If you' re wondering what's up with the image, its a painting by John Gast from 1872 depicting "Manifest Destiny" or the belief that God wanted Americans to dominate North America and its lesser people. Kinda like we're trying to do with our boys in Europe, right?

I hate to bump our Premier League Picks down the page, but I had to post this video.



Comments: First off, standing that close to the throw (flip or not) is illegal and a yellow card. The ref could have saved that dumb ass kid a lot of pain and suffering by calling a foul.

Second, the defender is a friggin' idiot. He was asking for that to happen and quite frankly I'm glad he got hit with the ball. He is probably never going to live this down. He's going to be as popular on the web as the kid who got hit with the basketball.
Third, THAT WAS AWESOME!

Last Week's Picks Face-Off: Dan 7-3, Nick 5-5 (no, expertise implied by either's results)

Saturday, December 13th

Middlesbrough - Arsenal

Dan's Commentary: Gunners boss Arsene Wengers said after his LOSS to Porto on Wednesday in the Champions League that his team can compete with the best in Europe. Its nice to here such comforting words from the manager of a team that just backed into the knock-out round of the CL and was dumped out of the Carling Cup last week, AND squeaked out a victory last weekend in the EPL. Wenger probably needs to get his ducks in a row and make sure his side even qualifies for Europe next year. Here's hoping that 'Boro wrecks those hopes like Southgate's snarly teeth.

Nick's Commentary: Thankfully Boro are playing one of the big four, so I can actually prognosticate on their game. This year’s Arsenal squad is suffering from the “playing-up-or-down-to-your-opponent’s-level” disease, which makes it very difficult to win the games that a big four club should be winning. And, even a few years back when Arsenal were the team of the league, Boro was a bogey team for them. All of this leads to a disappointing day for the Gooner fans out there.
Dan's Pick: Middlebrough 1 - Arsenal 0
Nick's Pick: Arsenal 1 - Middlesbrough 1

Aston Villa - Bolton

Dan's Commentary: After last week's stunning victory at Everton and their status as serious top four/five becoming more certain each week, Villa is becoming the bandwagon team of the year. I can't say that I don't want a ticket.

Nick's Commentary: Bolton has been surging of late, but Villa’s speed will trump the Punter’s Wanderer’s muscle come Saturday. Look for Ashley Young to cause problems again this week, though the chances won’t be as nicely gift-wrapped for him.
Nick's Pick: Aston Villa 3 - Bolton 1
Dan's Pick: Aston Villa 2 - Bolton 0

Liverpool - Hull City

Dan's Commentary: I will never, ever pick against my boys in Red. Buuuuuut... I do have a terrible sense of foreboding that recent results (Tuesday's romp in Holland, notwithstanding) spell trouble for 'Pool. I'm calling for victory still, but until Torres is back, it won't be pretty.

Nick's Commentary: Liverpool’s annual title aspirations are always shattered by games like this one. Every year some team that seems out of place in the middle of the table always brings the Reds crashing back to earth, which then starts everyone and their brother onto the “Liverpool need to do this….” “Liverpool can never win with that guy…” and “Get rid of the manager…” tirades that make absolutely no sense because they’ll still be sitting second after all is said and done. And, last I checked, if Liverpool loses there is no conceivable mathematical way that Chelsea can wrap the title up for good on Sunday morning. Could a loss like this cripple Liverpool’s confidence? Without a doubt. I said it two weeks ago, it’s about time that Liverpool begin their descent back down to third place, and last week only further proved that it’s gonna happen sooner rather than later.

Just for good measure…Windass, Windass, Windass, Windass, Windass, Windass, Windass, Windass, Windass, Windass, Windass, Windass, Windass, Windass, Windass, Windass. The guy’s got a cool name.
Dan's Pick: Liverpool 1 - Stoke 0
Nick's Pick: Liverpool 1 - Hull City 2

Manchester City - Everton

Dan's Commentary: City has been so absolutely disappointing this season. I guess we all assumed that millions would buy success, but in the end they only brought in Robinho. Until the Arab investors lure more top notch players to City they are just a mid-table team with deep pockets.

Nick's Commentary: I’ve been picking City lately to show up and begin dismantling teams like they were earlier in the season. They’ve failed to back me up, so I’m going with Everton as they attempt to make amends to Timmy for leaving him on an island on the last two Villa goals last week. City will continue to stutter until January when they can splurge like a Hilton sister at an Milan fashion store, so I’m taking Everton by two Joleon Lescott Kung-fu kicks.
Dan's Pick: Everton 2 - Manchester City 1
Nick's Pick: Everton 2 - Manchester City 0

Stoke - Fulham

Dan's Commentary: Nick will hate me for it, but I think that Fulham is one of the dullest team of this season's campaign. I can't think of a single instance where my interest has been peaked by hearing something related to the Cottagers. Just for the record I was reading the Daily Team-By-Team News from Premier League.com and normally there's quotes from players, managers, injury news, SOMETHING, but what's the story for Fulham. Its a cut and paste job of an announcement about "Christmas at the Cottage" where a few Fulham players might show up to mingle with fans. Really? That's what's making the headlines for Fulham before the weekend. Stoke meet boring. Like white-rice-on-a-white-plate-boring.

Nick's Commentary: What to say about Stoke v Fulham? Fulham seems to have Liverpool’s disease and can’t manage to win a game against a team that “on paper” shouldn’t be anywhere close to an even match for them. On top of all that, Fulham’s defense has looked considerably shaky and nervous in the last few matches (both goalless draws I think). It’s about time that Fulham begins their descent into the Relegation dogfight so they’ll being laying an egg
Dan's Pick: Stoke 0 - Fulham 0
Nick's Pick: Stoke 2 - Fulham 1

Sunderland - West Brom

Dan's Commentary: I really don't have a pick here. "Which pile of shit is shitter?" is a question that comes to mind. But, what I do have is a comment (hence the "commentary" part we have here) and that's is: Fuck Sam Allardyce. Earlier in the week he starts shooting his mouth off to the press about how "he knows how to fix" Sunderland because he played there like 20 years ago and also as a coach in the 1990s. First off, yet again were here at the coaching merry-go-round again where the same four or five names pop up each time a manager is fired. Second, Sunderland is certainly not the same club it was five years ago let alone 15 or 20 plus years ago so whatever the fuck you did back then has almost zero relevance. Thirdly, how much narcissism does it take to declare YOURSELF the right man for the job... not pundits or the chairman or the owner. Lastly, we're talking about the guy who stunk up Newcastle, played smash-mouth "football" (if that's what his black hole Bolton tactics could be called), and has been collecting unemployment for the last year. Is this the guy you really want, Sunderland?

Nick's Commentary: Which woeful team in the striped shirts can be the most woeful in this game? I realize that there is not (currently) a way for either of these teams to score in the negative but I’m betting these two will figure it out.
Dan's Pick: Sunderland 0 - West Brom 0
Nick's Pick: Sunderland -3 - West Brom -4


Wigan - Blackburn

Dan's Commentary: Paul Ince reminds me of Baghdad Bob. The tanks are rolling through your downtown and Ince is still acting like Rovers are winning the war, talking about "exceptional performances" and "positivity." > Guess what Paul? Reality's is knocking on the door and he's got a pink slip.

Nick's Commentary: Blackburn is going down faster than an erection exposed to icy water. Wigan is somehow managing to bludgeon it’s opponents into submission, and score a few goals while doing so. Consider this the nail in Paul Ince’s managerial coffin, in fact he may not even show up for the game (someone check Keano’s house).
Dan's Pick: Wigan 2 - Blackburn 0
Nick's Pick: Wigan 4 - Blackburn 0

Tottenham - Manchester United

Dan's Commentary: Carlos Tevez is on fire with four goals in the last two matches (he kinds of reminds me of the Tazmanian Devil from Looney Tunes... running all around slobbering looks for goals), while Wayne Rooney forgot to take his meds before the mid-week Champion League game. Rooney was auditioning for the musical "Stomp" with the way his was kicking out at the Aalborg players on Wednesday. Cristiano Ronaldo might try to sub himself again so Sir Alex might want to check with a mental health professional before filling out his line-up card. Who knows who might crack?

Nick's Commentary: After the midweek draw with some unnamed team in Norway, Denmark or wherever. The Red Devils will be looking to bounce back this weekend. ‘Arry’s Spurs side may have climbed out of the drop zone but there’s still a long way to go to catch the “League version” of United. In what most will call a Carling Cup Final preview the Red Devils will stroll out easy winners. The Carling Cup Final will be a different story because “One-off” football matches (even against the same teams that you see two weeks before in the league) are completely different. Bullshit.
Dan's Pick: Manchester Mental Institution 2 - Tottenham 2
Nick's Pick: Tottenham 1 - Man United 3

Sunday, December 14

Portsmouth - Newcastle

Dan's Commentary: Mmmm... Newcastle. There's no dark beer in Honduras. I would kill for one of those right now. About as much a Newscastle would kill to keep gone-away striker Michael Own (to where? Who actually wants him? Why do I feel like nest year I'm going to run into to him kicking my ass in a indoor league?)

Nick's Commentary: Will Marty McFly make an appearance in hopes of earning a higher transfer fee? Doubtful. Neither of these teams are playing all that well at the moment, and neither are playing badly so it’ll be a draw. Actually I don’t know anything about either of these two teams at the moment and wasn’t feeling creative enough to bs my way through it.
Dan's Pick: Portsmouth 1 - Newcastle 1
Nick's Pick: Portsmouth 1 - Newcastle 1

Chelsea - West Ham

Dan's Commentary: All of the "Big Four" have been erratic as hell lately. Why not put Scolari's team into a free fall. I like when Chelsea shows its human.

Nick's Commentary: Will Marty McFly make an appearance in hopes of earning a higher transfer fee? Doubtful. Neither of these teams are playing all that well at the moment, and neither are playing badly so it’ll be a draw. Actually I don’t know anything about either of these two teams at the moment and wasn’t feeling creative enough to bs my way through it.
Dan's Pick (Sunday Upset Special): Chelsea 1 - West Ham 2
Nick's Pick: Chelsea 2 - West Ham 0

Picture Courtesy of PremierLeague.com

Juventus 0 - BATE 0

New(ish) blog... old favorite. Here's the latest episode of the humorous rantings of Jose "The Special One."

A weekly feature over at the website "Soccer By Ives" written by Ives Galarcep:

Admit it, you are tired of Barcelona. Tired of watching them beat up on teams that are supposed to be some of the best in Europe. Sevilla? Battered. Valencia? Smoked. You name them and Barca has probably smacked them around recently (save for Getafe, which is giving everybody trouble lately). Okay, so maybe you aren't tired of watching some of the most beautifully-played soccer seen in a long time, but you must admit it is getting a bit monotonous seeing the No. 1 team in the SBI European Club Top 25 tear teams to shreds.

Real Madrid stands poised to be the next victim of a beatdown so inevitable that Real Madrid fired its coach BEFORE the match to get it out of the way. Juande Ramos is a good manager, but he will need some serious magic to help an injury-ravaged Real Madrid side have any chance against Barcelona.

Just who will stop Barcelona? Don't look now but there is a new force emerging from some early-season ashes. None other than Atletico Madrid, a team that suffered through a four-match winless streak that included a 6-1 hammering by Barcelona. Atletico has gotten through that rough patch and has now gone ten matches without a loss, including a pair of well-played Champions League ties vs. Liverpool. That run has been enough to help Atletico Madrid climb back into the SBI European Club Top 10 after completely falling out of the Top 25 just a month ago.

Who else has moved up the charts? Bayern Munich moved up after beating a game TSG Hoffenheim side, while Inter Milan has also crept closer to the top spot with a recent run of strong form in Serie A.

Here is how this week's SBI European Club Top 25 shakes out:

SBI European Club Top 25
1. BARCELONA (11-1-2 league record). Last week- beat Valencia, 4-0, on Saturday. This week- vs. Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday (UCL), vs. Real Madrid on Saturday.

2. LIVERPOOL (11-1-4). Last week- Beat Blackburn, 3-1, on Saturday. This week- at PSV Eindhoven on Tuesday (UCL), vs. Hull City on Saturday.

3. INTER MILAN (11-1-3). Last week- Beat Lazio, 3-0, on Saturday. This week- at Werder Bremen on Tuesday (UCL), vs. Chievo Verona on Sunday.

4. CHELSEA (11-2-3). Last week- Beat Bolton, 2-0, on Saturday. This week- at CFR Cluj Napoca on Tuesday (UCL), vs. West Ham United on Sunday.

5. MANCHESTER UNITED (9-2-4). Last week- Beat Sunderland, 1-0, on Saturday. This week- vs. AaB on Wednesday, at Tottenham on Saturday.

6. VILLARREAL (8-1-5). Last week- Tied Getafe, 3-3, on Saturday. This week- at Celtic on Wednesday (UCL), at Sevilla on Sunday.

7. BAYERN MUNICH (10-2-4). Last week- Beat TSG Hoffenheim, 2-1, last Friday. This week- at Lyon on Wednesday (UCL), at VFB Stuttgart on Saturday.

8. JUVENTUS (9-3-3). Last week- Beat Lecce, 2-1, on Sunday. This week- vs. BATE Borisov on Wednesday (UCL), vs. AC Milan on Sunday.

9. AC MILAN (9-3-3). Last week- Beat Catania, 1-0, on Sunday. This week- at Juventus on Sunday.
10. ATLETICO MADRID (7-4-3). Last week- Beat Sporting Gijon, 5-2. This week- at Marseille on Tuesday (UCL), vs. Real Betis on Sunday.

11. TSG Hoffenheim (10-4-1)
12. Napoli (8-4-3)
13. Sevilla (8-3-3)
14. Arsenal (9-5-2)
15. Lyon (10-3-4)
16. Real Madrid (8-4-2)
17. Aston Villa (8-4-4)
18. Valencia (8-3-3)
19. Bordeaux (8-4-5)
20. Standard Liege (8-3-4)
21. Fiorentina (8-5-2)
22. Olympiakos (10-1-2)
23. Ajax Amsterdam (9-3-2)
24. Bayer Leverkusen (10-5-1)
25. CSKA Moscow (16-6-8)

OTHERS RECEIVING CONSIDERATION: AZ Alkmaar (10-2-2), Dinamo Kiev (14-2-1), Marseille (8-2-7), Hamburg (9-4-3), AS Roma (6-6-2), Benfica (7-0-4), Sporting Lisbon (7-3-1), Stade Rennes (7-1-9), Anorthosis Famagusta (9-2-1), Panathanaikos (6-2-5), FC Porto (6-2-2), FC Metalist Kharkiv (11-2-4).

The "Big Four" all pulled off wins this weekend and as the English Premier League falls into predictability its nice to know that every once in awhile it CAN serve up a delicious dish ("shweaty balls" not included).

This weekend's match between Everton and Aston Villa was sublime. While I didn't get to watch the whole match it will serve you well to watch the highlights and focus your energies to not get goosebumps during the final twisted minutes of stoppage time.



On the unfortunate side of things, the scoreline is not flattering for the two guardians of the goals, Americans Brad Frediel and Tim "Timmy!" Howard. I always root for the American keepers aboard because their some of the few players across the pond that get any respect (or playing time). A 3-2 scoreline doesn't do justice to their contributions to both their sides this season.

Any game where someone (Villa's Steve Sidwell) can bag a goal within one minute (try 33.4 seconds) of the starting whistle is already awesome in my book. Sprinkle in a terrible back pass that results in a great finish by amateur webcam star Ashley Young and Villa looks to be waltzing to a decent 2-1 victory and setting up basecamp at the summit of "Big Four" Mountain.

Enter Joleon Lescott. The Toffee's only representative on the scoresheet for the afternoon makes it a break with a ridiculous side/bicycling/flailing move that sneaks the ball past Friedel in the 92nd minute to give Everton a share of the spoils. The ball floats around the 18 yard box like a ping pong ball floating on hot air.

Pure pandemonium follows as Goodison Park realizes it just snagged a point at the death. In the highlights its really interesting to see the Villa player sprawled out on the field dejected at their terrible fortune (oh, to be able to know was to happen next).

For anyone who's a fan of the EPL already know (see... I told you we weren't the site for breaking news), Ashley Young provides another highlight reel strike less than a minute later then careens down the sideline gesturing to the crowd, "Can you hear me now?" to which the crowd can only offer stunned silence.

Even though the so-called "Big Four" took away wins the weekend, nearly all of them were unconvincing. Only Chelsea really took away three points comfortably. Manchester need 90 minutes and then some to escape the clutches of the Prem's worst team. Liverpool wasted 70 minutes before snagging a goal from EPL also-rans Blackburn (the final 3-1 scoreline quite deceiving), and Arsenal in true bi-polar fashion also squeaked out a 1-0 win at new boys Stoke.

It's comforting to see Aston Villa make a serious run at holding the top club's feet to the fire and pulling out a win when one seemed less than impossible. Only time will tell, but so far this season Villa wants to play in Europe next season and is gunning (nothing implied as to who they're replacing) for top four status in the EPL.

Here's how our countrymen across the pond fared over the weekend:

Tim Howard (Everton, Premiership): Was hung out to dry twice as he went the full 90 in the 3-2 loss to Villa.

Brad Friedel (Aston Villa, Premiership): Went the full 90 in the 3-2 win over Everton

Brad Guzan (Aston Villa, Premiership): Sat still on the subs bench for the entire 90 minutes against Everton like a good witttwe backup keeper should

Marcus Hahnemann (Reading, Championship): Started and went the full 90 in the 1-0 win over Barnsley

Michael Orozco (San Luis, Mexican Primera Division): Fall season ended last weekend. Will resume after New Year.

Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96, Bundesliga): Did not play or make the subs bench in the 2-1 loss to VFL Wolfsburg

Jonathon Spector (West Ham, Premiership): Didn't even make the subs bench in the 2-0 defeat to Tottenham

Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes, Ligue 1): Started and went the full 90 in the 1-1 draw with Caen

Jay DeMerit (Watford, Championship): Captain Jay didn't even make the subs bench in the 3-2 loss to Birmingham

Danny Califf (FC Midtjylland, Danish SAS-Ligaen): Started and played the first 78 minutes in the 1-1 draw with Sonderjyske

Neven Subotic (Borussia Dortmund, Bundesliga) (he's still considered a yank until he makes up his mind): Started and went the full 90 in the 0-0 draw with Armenia Bilefeld

Oguchi Onyewu (Standard Liege, Jupiler League): Played full 90 in 1-1.

Frank Simek (Sheffield Wednesday, Championship): Went the distance in 1-1 draw with Southhampton

Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock, 2 Bundesliga): Made 26 minute appearance as a sub in the 4-0 ass whooping handed out by Nurnberg. Note: only one goal was scored after his insertion into the game.

Michael Bradley (Borussia Moenchengladbach, Bundesliga): His own goal last week earned him a 27 minute cameo appearance in the 3-1 loss to Bayer Leverkusen

DaMarcus Beasley (Rangers, Scottish Premiership): Started and went 79 minutes in the 7-1 thrashing of Hamilton Academica

Maurice Edu (Rangers, Scottish Premiership): Kept Beasley's seat warm on the subs bench for when he needed to come off

Danny Szetela (Brescia, Serie B): Didn't even make the subs bench for the 1-0 win over Albinoleffe

Bobby Convey (Reading, Championship): "Where's Bobby" is the new children's book that all of the tiny USMNT fans will be wanting this Christmas

Benny Feilhaber (AGF Aarhus, Danish Superligaen): Was not one of the 3 allowable Sustitutes in the 0-0 draw with FC Nordsjaelland

Landon Donovan (Bayern Munich, Bundesliga): Mentally pictured the goals he'll be scoring in five minute sub appearance for Klinsey

Clint Dempsey (Fulham, Premiership): Started and went the full 90 in the 1-1 draw with Man City

Freddy Adu (Monaco, Ligue 1): Played the last 9 minutes in the 1-1 draw with Sochaux

Jozy Altidore (Villareal, La Liga): Was on the field the entire 90 minutes in the thrilling 3-3 draw with Getafe. Had a hat trick of missed opportunities. The first was a bad pass from Pires that never made it to him. The second looked like a Penalty but I didn't get to see it on replay. And, the third was a little bit of Eddie Johnson-esque sloth at the back post, which would've been the game winner in the dying minutes. But oh well, he'll get plenty of chances to prove himself again, right EJ?

Eddie Johnson (Cardiff, Championship): Didn't even make the subs bench for the 2-0 win over Preston North End

Sal Zizzo (Hannover 96, Bundesliga): Watched the 2-1 loss to VFL Wolfsburg on his plasma hi-def TV at home

Gianfranco Zola, West Ham United Manager/former Chelsea striker, and Ben Stiller, actor/Hollywood schumck

I don't want to categorize ourselves as Euro-snobs. I would just say we're domestic-game-appreciation-deficient. I watched the Major League Soccer Cup Final a few weeks back and was genuinely impressed with the product on the field (from Columbus at least) and coupled with the fact I 1,000 miles away in a developing nation (Honduras) means I don't get a whole lot of Kansas City Wizards games (I just picked a team at random) games on the telly.

With that being said, and the fact that Nick actually lives in a MLS city (Chicago) Snorting the Endline is making a pledge to give the good ol' USA product a good look this year. I mean it has been around for over a dozen years so its about time!

We love our Nats and to love MLS is to love the Nats. So here it goes.

First Kick 2009 has been announced, mark your calendars:

Thursday, March 19, 2009 (ALL TIMES CENTRAL)

New York Red Bulls at Seattle Sounders FC, 8 p.m. (ESPN2/Deportes)

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Columbus Crew at Houston Dynamo, 7 p.m. (Fox Soccer Channel/Fox Sports en Español)

Toronto FC at Kansas City Wizards, 7:30 p.m.

Chicago Fire at FC Dallas, 7:30 p.m.

Colorado Rapids at Chivas USA, 9:30 pm (Fox Soccer Channel/Fox Sports en Español)

New England Revolution at San Jose Earthquakes, 9:30 p.m.

Sunday, March 22, 2009

D.C. United at Los Angeles Galaxy, 2 p.m.

A newly weekly feature at Snorting the Endline. Nick and Dan will go head to head with their picks for the English Premier League weekend matches. Chances are they're both terrible at this:

Saturday, 6 December 2008

Arsenal v Wigan

Dan’s Commentary: Which Arsenal will show up? Giant killers of Chelsea or crashers against Hull and Stoke. Herni Camera is warming up so look for mid-table trouble from Wigan.
Nick’s Commentary: After their solid performance against the Blue Juggernaut, one would expect the Gunners to continue their winning ways against one of the most agonizingly unattractive teams in the league, yet still mid table. However, if there’s one thing that this Arsenal side has shown us this term, it’s that they are anything but consistent. Getting dumped out of the Carling Cup in the midweek stings, but I don’t think it’s quite the epic failure that this “tragic hero” of a team seems destined for. Plus, Emile Heskey is vying for a January move out of the JJB, look for him to be a huge factor in all of Wigan’s Offensive displays.

Dan’s Pick: Arsenal 1 – Wigan 1
Nick’s Pick: Arsenal 1 – Wigan 2

Blackburn v Liverpool

Dan’s Commentary: Rovers are as sorry as ever, losers of their last four and nabbing a sorry one point in their last six matches. This should be an easy three points for Liverpool as they look to maintain their lead at the top of the league for another week. Liverpool have yet to really dominate any match this year and the loss of Torres until the new year is a blow to the sides creativity. Liverpool has struggle to take three points when Torres, Gerrard, or Kuyt are on. I think this is a good game to get Robbie Keane some goals.
Nick’s Commentary: Though I think Liverpool are on the way back down to 3rd place where they’ve been the last 3 seasons, I don’t see how Blackburn could possibly get anything out of this game.

Dan’s Pick: Blackburn 0 – Liverpool 2
Nick’s Pick: Bolton 0 – Liverpool 2

Bolton v Chelsea

Dan’s Commentary: As a Liverpool fan I really, really want Bolton to play that ugly football they do (and Nick hates so much) and just bash Chelsea. Between the weekend loss to Arsenal and the Champions League draw Chelsea has a bone to pick. I’m hoping Wanderers keep on denting the blues armor.
Nick’s Commentary: There is no possible way that Chelsea can drop points for the third straight week. It just doesn’t happen in this era of dirty Russian Oil money. Look for John Terry to go Roy Keane on this team if they’re deadlocked after 15 minutes, I’m thinking that Cashley Cole will be the first Kung Fu victim. Nic Anelka will be back on the scoresheet because that’s just the way things are going this season, and Drogba will be restrained ala Hannibal Lecter as he descends further into the depths of craziness. I think it’ll be more fun to prognosticate on whether he’ll try to eat someone, or sit at the edge of the box rocking back and forth crying. My money is on choice A.

Dan’s Pick: Bolton 2 - Chelsea 1
Nick’s Pick: Bolton 1 – Chelsea 2

Fulham v Manchester City

Dan’s Commentary: Robinho took some flack this week when he suggested that Man City had a “small time” mentality and needed to think bigger. The papers tried to suggest the was some sort of Gallas-esqe insult to City, but me thinks his quotes were taken a bit too far. If you read the rest of the interview he only says that he’s here to push the club to think big (titles) and not just survival. Nothing wrong with that. Speaking of just survival, Fulham seems to be playing with 10 defenders everyweek. Robinho and Co. should crack open the Fulham defense that hasn’t allowed a goal in two tough matches against Liverpool and Aston Villa. Haven’t scored any goals eithers.
Nick’s Commentary: In what is truly an inconsistent season for all teams, ManCity and Fulham seem to be the worst. ManCity either scores 4 or not at all, and Fulham either scores 1 or 0. However, Fulham’s defense has shockingly been able to withstand some pressure this year and have carved out a few more draws and a few less losses than City. As a Fulham fan I must say that I’m thrilled their sitting on 19 after 14 games (I think it took them until April of last season to reach such dizzying heights), but as a realist I’m putting my money on City to explode this weekend.

Dan’s Pick: Fulham 0 – Man City 2
Nick’s Pick: Fulham 0 – Man City 4

Hull v Middlesbrough

Dan’s Commentary: God Southgate is so friggin’ ugly and so is his team. How he has managed to still stay in charge of this team after all the mediocrity that ‘Boro has suffered through is beyond me. Please Hull put a nail in him.
Nick’s Commentary: Again, I ask, if a Middlesbrough plays against someone not in the “Big 4” does anyone care? This one may be a bit of a traditional English Longball slugfest, but at least it should produce a couple of goals.

Dan’s Pick: Hull 1 – Middlesbrough 0
Nick’s Pick: Hull 2 – Middlesbrough 2

Manchester United v Sunderland

Dan’s Commentary: I was writing this preview before as a showdown between Keane and his former club (as goes the storyline every time), but now the former ManU man is also the former coach of Sunderland. I don’t expect this to help the team at all. Dropping five in six…. Not equals six in seven. Down the toilet goes the Cats.
Nick’s Commentary: No Cristiano Ronaldo for United, and Roy Keane is getting a little loopy and philosophical (according to the coauthor of his autobiography). I’m thinking that spells to trouble for United. Watch the sidelines during this one. Ol’ Roy might sneak up on pretty boy and mess his face up for real. (side note: Nick's commentary was written before Roy left the Black Cats, but still watch for him to be giving Ronaldo the business sometime during the match)

Dan’s Pick: Manchester United 4 – Sunderland 0
Nick’s Pick: Manchester United 1 – Sunderland 1

Newcastle United v Stoke

Dan’s Commentary: Newcastle COULD pull even with newcomers Stoke IF they took all three points from this match. They won’t.
Nick’s Commentary: Newcastle is slowly but surely starting to resemble a team, and Stoke can only run the long-ass throw-in play so many times before it becomes old news. Since Titus Bramble no longer plays for the Magpies, I feel confident in saying that the Rory Delap 70 yard throw-in assist will not happen this week.

Dan’s Pick: Newcastle 1 – Stoke 1
Nick’s Pick: Newcastle 1 – Stoke 0

Sunday, 7 December 2008

Everton v Aston Villa

Dan’s Commentary: Who is Everton this season? The loss of Yakubu for the rest of the season, and Saha failing to make an impact so far (plus a minor knock from last week), who knows which direction the Toffees will go. Villa keeps showing that it wants to play with the big boys. These are the matches they have to pick up week in and week out if they’re going to play in Europe next year.
Nick’s Commentary: This will be a game of let’s see how many times Tim Howard can save Everton’s asses in one 90 minute game. Everton’s offense has been anemic of late and with the big Yak out for what looks like the remainder of the season, I don’t forsee Timmy getting any offensive help. Marin O’Neil might even let Brad Freidel play up top with Gabby Agbonlahor since John Carew is still out. Note: He has scored before.

Dan’s Pick: Everton 1 – Aston Villa 2
Nick’s Pick: Everton 0 – Aston Villa 2

West Bromwich Albion v Portsmouth

Dan’s Commentary: Pompey has shown that it had the tools for success along and is playing just fine in the Premier League without ‘Arry Redknapp. West Brom is just terrible, but still not too many points from relegation safety. Portsmouth should step on that hand that’s trying to pull WBA out of the bottom spot.
Nick’s Commentary: Portsmouth is due to break out of the post-‘Arry slump any week now, and what better team to beat up (i.e. have post-relationship anger-sex have with) on than the bottom feeder (i.e. cross-eyed troll at the bar) of the league. Crouchy is itching to debut his new dance move celebration as well so watch for him to be in an around the goal at all times; I think it’ll be something similar to Napoleon Dynamite’s moon boot dance.

Dan’s Pick: West Brom 1 – Portsmouth 3
Nick’s Pick: West Brom 0 – Portsmouth 2

Monday, 8 December 2008

West Ham United v Tottenham

Dan’s Commentary: The Hammers held strong against Liverpool last Monday so they have guts. Tottenham has been on a tear since Redknapp’s appointment. I serious don’t understand how a team can be so bad and then so much better with one change. Same players yet drastically different results. Some guy that ‘Arry. I’m going out on a limb and saying there’s not enough to overcome West Ham this week.
Nick’s Commentary: This is the match of the Weekend for me. Any time two lower table teams get together under the Monday night lights, high scoring draws and drunken chairpersons are the norm. For this game I’m hoping for a little bit of both.

Dan’s Pick: West Ham 2 – Tottenham 2
Nick’s Pick: West Ham 3 –Tottenham 3~

USMNT defender Oguchi Onyewu tallied Standard Liege's second goal in a 3-0 UEFA Cup rout of Sampdoria.

This is additional good news for the massive back line man whose, stock in Europe is on this rise again. Goal.com's Allen Ramseys reports:

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American defender Oguchi Onyewu will likely be moving away from Standard Liege in January. The Clemson University product is turning into a hot property. Clubs in two of Europe's biggest leagues are showing interest.

A Ligue 1 (the French top division) club, Olympique Marseille has shown great interest in the American center-back. Marseille is reportedly offering around $6.5 million U.S. dollars. Argentine defender Renato Ceville would also head to Liege as part of the deal.

Marseilli's offer may be too good for Liege to pass up. Onyewu will be out of contract at the end of the season and has shown little interest in staying in Belgium long-term. But now a German club has made another offer for the big American.

According to Belgiumsoccer.be, Borussia Monchengladbach has offered Liege close to $4 million for Onyewu.

The Bundesliga club has already been rejected by one Jupiler (Belgium's top division) side. M'Gladbach made an attempt to obtain RC Genk 'keeper Logan Bailly, but the offer was deemed too low. Now the Germans have turned their eyes to Onyewu in an attempt to bolster their defense. If sold to M'Gladbach, Onyewu would join fellow American Michael Bradley on the squad.

Both Marseille and Monchengladbach have ties to Belgium. Marseille manager Eric Gerets is a former Belgian defender who appeared 318 times for Standard. M'gladbach already have Filip Daems, a Belgian defender who began his career with K Lierse S.K.

The connections that the teams have to the Belgian league could play into Onyewu’s favor. Each club will likely hold the quality of competition in Belgium in higher regard than others who might still view the Jupiler as a second-tier league.

Onyewu has been rock-solid on the Standard back line. The 26-year-old will try to continue his fine form Wednesday when Liege plays host to Sampdoria in UEFA Cup action.

Hopefully, if these reports prove to be true, that Gooch's next European adventure ends better that his term at English side Newcastle. Nick will no doubt agree with me that while we love the fact that Onyewu is succeeding in Belgium, he needs to spread his giant wing span and have the same success in a larger European league if he's going to continue to improve and be relevant in the National Team picture.

(A little tradition over at our old blog, where Nick and I poach good articles from other sites. Pretty lazy, huh?)

By Benjamin Adler, ESPN

Freddy Adu has found life tough in France since arriving at AS Monaco from Benfica. Still only 19, Adu has spent just 144 minutes on the pitch this season.

The young American prodigy, a professional since the age of 14, is struggling to impose himself. But he sees a bright future ahead. ESPNsoccernet met with the former DC United player to talk about his career so far and his ambitions.

What do you take out of this season so far? Is it living up to your expectations or are you disappointed?
I am happy with my progress, I don't play a lot and I regret it but I can feel that I have progressed. I am training better, I have built better habits on and off the field, and that is great because the life of a pro comes down to little details. About a month ago I realized that I was too inconsistent and I have changed my way of working to change this, first of all in training. I now hope to just play more. I am ambitious and ask a lot of myself, I always remind myself I can do better.

Did you do your research on Ligue 1 before signing, on the style of play?
I gathered some information, yes. I knew for example that it was very physical so I was not surprised on that level. However, it is better technically then what I had envisioned.

You speak of the progress you have made, can you describe this?
I have to be better on the ball and also at finding it. My finishing is already much better, running with the ball also and that is what I really needed to improve at. That is where my margin of improvement has been the best since arriving in Europe. But, as I said before, I can do better.

You are only 19, which we often seem to forget. How is life in Monaco, so far from your family?
Very well, my best friend lives with me. He joined me after finishing his studies at university. He has kind of become my sports agent, I can trust him so it is great. The club's president will help him find a job in the region. He loves football and is playing for the third team.

And your integration within the squad?
I am lucky to be in a group in which many players speak English, so the language barrier is very small compared to Benfica. There the culture shock was very hard, in the beginning especially. And then I started to learn Portuguese and things became better. But here in Monaco, I am doing just fine.

Have you begun to take French lessons?
No not yet, I haven't really had time. But it is in my plans.

How do you deal with daily life in a locker room with experienced pros, egos, salaries and demands very different from MLS?
It took me six months to get used to it when I arrived at Benfica, so now it is not a problem. I learned: I work, I observe and I keep quiet. I take a lot from the star players, everyday and little by little. I really want to learn from them in order to progress, that's how it works.

After stepping back a little, did the buzz surrounding you after your very spectacular debuts not hurt you? So great was the expectations?
Maybe it didn't help, but that's what happened and I have to get on with it. When you are a pro you have to learn to handle it. I prefer to look at the positives. When I tell myself that I have already been a pro for five years, I smile saying "already, holy cow!" I have to put to use all that I have learned since the beginning.

Obligatory question for all Monaco players: playing in a stadium half full, it's not very attractive is it?
When you are a pro you have to play in all kinds of conditions, whether the stadium is full or empty. Of course I would like to play in a packed stadium but the fans that come have come to make noise, so it's ok.

Having a president who has spent a lot of time in the United States, does it help or not at all?
Yes it helps because he is familiar with football in the United States and speaks very good English. But it's the coach I have to impress. And recently he has told me he was happy with me and I had to keep doing what I'm doing.

What language do you speak with Ricardo [Gomes, AS Monaco coach]?
Portuguese

What is your opinion on Ricardo?
Ricardo knows what he is doing, he gives off that impression. But it is very hard to read what he is thinking, it's impossible. When he is happy with you he lets you know, and same if he is disappointed. Players like to know how they are doing. It is important the coach tells them what he thinks.

Last season at Benfica, you were playing superbly at the beginning of the season before suffering a loss of form. What happened?
I went through a season with three different coaches, it is not easy. I was playing very well at the start then I went away with the national team for a World Cup qualifier. When I came back, Jose Camacho was not there anymore and I wasn't in the new coach's plans. I basically didn't play after that.

Have you contemplated a return to MLS?
No I have never thought about it. It's in Europe that I want to continue my career and I will do anything to succeed. I will make it. Everything depends on me. I have received the talent, I have to maximize it.

Your parents were in agreement about turning pro at 14?
Yes, of course. I played for the team of my home city so I still lived with them like a normal teenager.

Who are your best friends in the locker room?
Jean-Jacques Gosso, Jerko Leko and Patrick Müller.

Your dream as a footballer, what is it?
My dream is to play for one of the top European clubs, the top five. Tottenham are also one of my dreams, since I supported them as a boy. My objective is the Premier League which is for me the best league in the world.

One last question on the national team: How is the squad coming together for the next World Cup?
I see the the whole squad improving so I am very optimistic. We have a lot of young players who play in Europe and fight to get a place, they have a strong mentality. The national team will benefit from it and I can guarantee you that we will do better than many people think come South Africa 2010.

As opposed to last weekend, I saw very few games on the telly. The previous weekend I was camped in front of my TV and saw nearly all the Prem games that Honduran TV put on. This weekend, however, I was relegated to catching about 15 minutes of the Manchester derby on a 13 inch TV in a hotel room in the middle of the western Honduran highlands. No complaints really, just a justification for my lack of Prem talk this week.

But what I did mangage to catch was one of the highlights (lowlights?) of the weekend's action; Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo's ridiculous handball during a corner kick against Manchester City.

I've heard the excuses: a phantom whistle, protecting his face, etc. I'm not even sure what the big cluck-up is all about. Ronaldo delibertly handled the ball. No question.

Let's look at the two main lines of thinking here:

1) CR hears a whistle to stop play.

This was Ronaldo's first attempt at an excuse. Watching the game and dozens of replays showed that there was no whistle during the corner kick. Whistles are pretty loud C-Ron and they're even louder in corner kick situations.

And even IF you did hear a whistle when has that stopped you before? How many times have you put a shot on goal, chipped the keeper, or kepts on running well after the whistle has blown? Dozens is the answer if I wasn't just asking this question to thin air.

Plus, I can't recall many other players stopping the ball, slapping the ball, catching a ball during play based on a hunch that a whsitle has blown.

2) He was protecting his face.

This is the line thrown out by manager Sir Alex Fergeson. First off, this is the gayest defense ever. Last time I checked soccer players were supposed to use their heads. This is a strategy called a "header" and I believe Mr. Ronaldo has scored a goal this way before.

If you look closely at the picture the ball does look like its going to be close to his face, but then if you realize this is a cross it is still moving upward. His face would have survived. In fact, it would have been perfect for a HEADER.

Another point I wanted to make is that if this is the line of thinking that Sir Alex is going to stick with why on earth is he not pissed off at Ronaldo. We all know he's a pretty boy, but no player on ManU should be above a little sacrifice. Are you trying to tell me that Ronaldo thinks that his face is more valuable that tallying a potential goal for his team?

(Side Note: Speaking of sacrifice... I'm not sure who the other ManU player is in the picture, but he's getting his ass kicked by two Man City players trying to get to the ball. That's committment.)

Is this the sort of committment that Fergeson fosters on his team? If I were him I would bust CR's face like he did David Beckham's a few years ago with that boot. Of course that was one of the last straws for Golden Balls before he took off for Real Madrid.... at least he'd worry a bit less about his face.

Cristiano alread picked up one yellow for being a pectulant child and so its of little surprise that he would pull this sort of stunt later. It just continues to puzzle me because there is absolutely no advantage in doing what he did. Many players before him (I did it in high school) have deliberately handles a ball to gain advantage, but this one is just bizzare.