World Cup and European leagues

[Joe Wally]

My local internet provider is now providing access to ESPN 3 and the myriad of La Liga, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, Eredivise, Serie A, and Portugese league football games that it offers.

It's like Christmas in May!!!!

God Bless Us, Everyone!

[Joe Wally]

Fare Thee Well, Blackpool.  You will be missed.

[Mr. Ypsi]

I see that Freddy Adu has been selected for the Gold Cup team.  This may be about his last chance to ever make it big - but you really hate to give up on a guy who's still a week shy of 22.

[sac]

Fare Thee Well, Blackpool.  You will be missed.

Indeed, I will miss them.  I would trade them with Wigan in a heartbeat, maybe even Wolves.  Also.........poor, poor Birmingham, what a terrible last day they had.


Rooting for Swansea now, mostly because I just like saying it and I once knew someone who visited Swansea.  They've almost sold out their allotment of tickets for Wembley next Monday (39,000).  Their home stadium only holds 20,000 but is relatively new and modern.

I've decided if they make it I'll refer to them as the the 'Jacks' rather than 'Swans'.........that's quite an out of the way trip for the rest of the EPL.

[Joe Wally]

Champion's League Finals Prediction

Barca 3 - Man Utd 1

Barca Goals:  Messi, Messi, Xavi
Man U Goal:  Park

Man of the Match:  Messi

[sac]

Champion's League Finals Prediction

Barca 3 - Man Utd 1

Barca Goals:  Messi, Messi, Xavi
Man U Goal:  Park

Man of the Match:  Messi

Excellent prediction, almost as excellent as Barcelona were.

[sac]

Swansea go up with a 4-2 win over Reading.  Sounds like they play a similar style to Blackpool.

[Joe Wally]

Champion's League Finals Prediction

Barca 3 - Man Utd 1

Barca Goals:  Messi, Messi, Xavi
Man U Goal:  Park

Man of the Match:  Messi

Excellent prediction, almost as excellent as Barcelona were.

It wasn't as close as the score, was it?

[sac]

Here's a nice (and long, uh very long) piece written by a hockey blogger about a trip to England where he followed his favorite EPL team, Blackpool, for a couple games at the end of this season.


part 1
http://www.mc79hockey.com/?p=3633

part 2
http://www.mc79hockey.com/?p=3634

I might have to check back to see if there's a part 3.  It seems to end abruptly, but it does have a happy ending.

[Mr. Ypsi]

For some unknown reason, my computer is no longer allowing me to cut-and-paste, but if you go to Yahoo Sports you should be able to track down the story: Martin Rogers is predicting that the current FIFA corruption scandals may lead to a re-vote for the 2022 World Cup, with Qatar banned and the US favored.

My gut hunch is that FIFA is WAY too corrupt to go that route - Qatar bought that vote 'fair and square'.

[WLCALUM83]

Mexican National Team Update:

What was billed as "The New Era" by Univision begins with these 2 finals:

Ecuador 1, Mexico 1

Mexico 3, New Zealond 0 

(C Blanco's heirs are holding their own --last this poster heard he's been toiling for Irapuato--2nd Division of Mexican League)

[Mr. Ypsi]

A follow-up.  Grant Wahl (SI.com) also thinks the US still may have a shot at the 2022 WC, and explains why the US has not come out publicly against the scumbag Blatter.  I wish I could give the links, and have been unable to determine why I can't.

Both a computer and a version of Explorer (Firefox will no longer run ) dating to approximately the 1800s are leading suspects! )

[Joe Wally]

U.S v. Espana - I've got a bad feeling about this.

[sac]

U.S v. Espana - I've got a bad feeling about this.

You were right to have a bad feeling about that.

[Hoosier Titan]

U.S v. Espana - I've got a bad feeling about this.

You were right to have a bad feeling about that.

I guess the Spanish learned about resting people when they lost to the US in South Africa.  Was it as bad as the score looked? 

I'm in England, and the English team looked very poor in a 2-2 draw with Switzerland.  They were down 2-0 and managed to draw back even thanks to a penalty earned by Jack Wilshere and taken by Frank Lampard, and then a nice goal by Ashley Young.  Young came on for Lampard in the second half.  Lots of talk about the so-called "golden generation" -- Lampard, Terry, Ferdinand, etc-- being past it.  Not a good ending to the international season.