Japanese Girls Gone Wild
So you’re a young Japanese woman and your nation’s women’s soccer team has just won the World Cup. What do you do?
- Celebrate by drinking sake alone and getting drunk?
- Celebrate with friends over some sushi, sashimi and miso soup?
- Call up Mr. Miyagi and do the wax-on, wax-off thing?
- Hang out with former NY Governor Paterson?
Or do this!
Roto Roundup: Full Fantasy Coverage
Each week we’ll take a look at the best of the best from RotoExperts.com’s Fantasy content.
Dr. Roto has a complete breakdown of the Albert Pujols injury and answers reader questions regarding injuries. Maybe the biggest takeaway from this piece is his breakdown of Stephen Strasburg, who Fantasy owners are eagerly awaiting to return to the mound. [The Operating Table]
Scott Engel reports from inside the locker rooms, speaking to Gio Gonzalez about his mechanics and slugger Torii Hunter about his most recent struggles. Sometimes, as Scott tells us, simply listening to the players can tell us a lot about how we Fantasy owners should evaluate them. Makes perfect sense to me! [Engel’s Angles]
Here’s a fantastic piece of advice from Dave Gonos, the “So-Called Fantasy Expert.” He tells us, “It’s important not to forget what several wide receivers and tight ends were able to accomplish in injury-shortened seasons.” Truer words may never have been spoken. Think, Vincet Jackson, who Gonos believes will be a Top 10 wide receiver this season. [So-Called Fantasy Expert]
MLS – Still Waiting for the Takeover
“I remember back in the league’s first year of existence, in one game we had to play in a baseball stadium that was converted into a soccer field (it was more common to play in a converted football stadium). It would have been fine except for the pitcher’s mound that was left on the field that we had to play over. I just had to tell my players, ‘Play around the mound’.” – Ron Newman, First Head Coach hired by MLS (Kansas City Wizards)
There’s no denying it, since 1996 Major League Soccer has come a long way. The league started with 10 teams. 15 years later, there are 18 teams with plans of making it 20 in the next couple of years.
That’s great, but how many people actually care about MLS – or just soccer – in the United States? The game is more popular than it was back when MLS started, yet it still falls outside of the top sports in the country. Soccer fans thought some of that may have changed after watching the 2010 World Cup get so much attention from ESPN along with the heart-throbbing matches and finishes that took place. Unfortunately, it’s still the same.
U.S. National Soccer Team and New York Mets: Too Much In Common
This past Saturday I took part of the afternoon and decided that I was going to watch the U.S. National Soccer team play a “friendly” game (a game with no consequence) against the reigning World Cup Champions from Spain. It was supposed to be a game to not only prepare the U.S. for its upcoming Confederations Cup tournament, but also a good chance to see how we stacked up against the best soccer team in the entire world. It became clear that we were in way over our heads and were outclassed by a much better team. Then it dawned on me: After about 28 minutes into the match I realized that the USA is to world soccer what the Mets are to major league baseball.
Premier League Best XI
We’ve had a couple weeks to mull over the season and let our biases rest aside. At this point, Power Rankings are pointless as the final table is the exact representation of how each team has played throughout the year. That is why I am bringing you my best players of the 2010-11 Barclays Premier League campaign.
Some people say that this could also be a Best Fantasy team, but you could just look at their numbers and go from there. I actually watch the games. Plus, I will tell you now that Dimitar Berbatov will not be found on these pages. He may have been tied for the Golden Boot (21 goals), but he also was benched numerous times, including not being listed in the team’s roster for the Champions League final.
I bring you, my real life, best XI roster with reserves included.
Starters
GK: Ben Foster, Birmingham
Now you know how intense this list is going to be. Birmingham may have been relegated, but Foster deserves a ton of credit. On a team that scored the least amount of goals in the league, Foster didn’t get much help yet still kept the team in plenty of games. While he did concede 55 goals, he also made the most saves. In fact, Foster was just six saves short of having as many as Petr Cech and Edwin Van der Sar combined. The man was battered week-in, week-out and survived a full season. Expect a contract to be in his future.
LB: Leighton Baines, Everton
This one is pretty obvious. He scored five goals and recorded 11 assists, which are good numbers for a midfielder. On an Everton team that had trouble scoring most of the season, Baines came through in key situations. When a left-back gets the team’s awards for Player of the Season and Goal of the Season, you know he was doing something right.
Relegation Warriors
Everyone knows the top clubs of Barclays Premier League, but what about the ones on the bottom? This past weekend we saw wonderful displays of effort and emotions as teams fought for their lives. Throughout the season, the bottom of the table was crowded with competition. All three relegated teams this campaign had more points than any team that was relegated last year. Life isn’t easy in the Premier League, and this year was a prime example. Here’s a goodbye to a fantastic season for the forgotten teams.
First, here’s a look at the teams that survived on the last day.
Blackburn jumped to a 3-0 lead at Wolverhampton and eventually won 3-2. The Rovers only won three of their previous 18 matches on the road while giving up 43 goals, a league worst away from home. Wolves may have lost, but were given a nice nudge by Birmingham and Blackpool to stay one point above the relegation zone.
Premier League Down to the Wire
Manchester United did it. They let Chelsea back into the race for the Premiership crown. The clubs are separated by just three points with three matches a piece remaining. Time to break it down.
Schedule
- Manchester United – vs. Chelsea, at Blackburn, vs. Blackpool
- Chelsea – at Manchester United, vs. Newcastle, at Everton
United, arguably, has the easier schedule. They will face Chelsea at home where they haven’t lost in 17 Premier League matches this season, and 16 of those are wins. Their final two games could be tricky because both Blackburn and Blackpool are fighting to stay above the relegation zone. Blackburn is a tough home squad, but have nowhere near the tools needed to stay with United, as seen earlier in the season when the Red Devils beat the Rovers 7-1. Blackpool managed two goals in a 2-3 defeat at home back in January, but again, this will be the last game of the season and United will be licking their chops to win the EPL and take out Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League Final six days later.
Chelsea will have to go on the road twice in their final three games. Their road record is less than exciting at seven wins, five draws and five losses. Besides United, they also have to travel to Everton who are playing much better lately and sit at seventh in the table. The Blues will face a struggling Newcastle at home and should be an easy victory for them. Obviously, with the two road matches, the odds are against Chelsea to take the cake.
Advantage: Manchester United
Is Gareth Bale Worthy as Player of the Year?
Very few people seem to agree with the recipient of this year’s Professional Footballers Association Player of the Year Award. I’m not going to bash Gareth Bale and say he shouldn’t have won it. I’m going to list the numbers and let you decide if he was a worthy selection.
Premier League: 26 appearances, seven goals, three assists, zero since January 1. He’s dealt with an ailing back injury for most of 2011.
Champions League: 11 appearances, four goals (three against Inter, in a game Spurs were down 0-4), two assists.
Let me just spit out some quick numbers from his competitors in the category, and this is only in Premier League play.
Nani: nine goals, 18 assists
Carlos Tevez: 19 goals, six assists
Charlie Adam: Nine goals, seven assists
El Clásico Times Four
Regarded as one of, if not the best matchup in the entire soccer world, El Clásico pits two Spanish giants head-to-head. Real Madrid and Barcelona. Counting the current campaign, the clubs will have finished first and second in La Liga (Spanish First League) for three straight seasons. This is unheard of in other leagues and other sports. The two best players in the world, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, play for Madrid and Barca, respectively.
So when the second leg of Champions League Quarterfinal action finished up on Wednesday, it became clear, Madrid and Barca would be facing each other in the next round. It doesn’t end there. The clubs also have a La Liga match and the Copa del Rey final to look forward to.
Bend It Like Ochocinco: Chad Johnson To Play MLS?
Just the other day, former New York Giants All-Pro defensive lineman, Michael Strahan, was caught dissing Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson saying that there is no way that Ocho is going to make a professional soccer team. Well it looks like Strahan may have to eat his words.
Sports Kansas City has asked the ultimate catch, Chad Johnson, to play in their reserve team’s game on Monday against a local team. While this may just be a publicity stunt for the team and for Ocho, no one can deny the wide receiver’s athletic ability and Lord knows he’s just as hot as David Beckham.
Personally Ochocinco has always preferred soccer to other sports but was persuaded in High School to pursue football instead. Don’t worry football fans, 85’s first priority is still the Cincinnati Bengals and he is looking into soccer as a way to stay in shape and keep himself out of trouble during the NFL lockout. I can’t see Ocho’s interest and potential field time as being a negative in any way.
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