Copa del Rey BAR v. MAD Leg 2

This was one of the best games I've seen in a very long time, so intense! I love to see how Real Madrid's egos can't handle losing. As a defender I enjoyed seeing 3 of Barca's backline net some serious goals (Puyol, Abidal, Alves).
My thoughts on this game are very much in line with Graham Hunter, a Barcelona-based freelance writer for ESPN.com. He talks about superior powers and how God is a fan of the beautiful game that He Himself created. We are lucky to live during this golden era of football.

I added his article below these pictures, its a great read, enjoy!

After Messi's run/assist

Can't handle it.

"BARCELONA -- For those of you who are non-believers, please excuse me, but when you either attend, play in or simply watch a football match such as the second leg of the Copa del Rey quarterfinal between Barcelona and Real Madrid, I contend that it's incredibly hard not to feel that there is a superior being.

In this contention, he (she) not only created all of us but decided to give us football, too. Then, every so often, he (she) decides to take a little look in to see how things are going.

It would be my feeling that Wednesday night, somewhere over the city of Barcelona, this superior being sat down with a pizza and a cup of coffee and became absolutely absorbed. He (she) obviously doesn't carry a season ticket for a particular club, doesn't watch while wearing a particular scarf -- it's just fun to see something you have invented going so well.

And for much of the first half, this absolutely slap-bang, top-class cup tie was absorbing in the extreme.

This time Jose Mourinho got just about everything right. For all the deserved opprobrium that Pepe has earned because of his outright disgraceful behavior, the fact remains that while the Spanish Federation refuses to give him an appropriate punishment he remains free to play. And if the coach thinks that is the best way to win a match, then he'd be culpable to his paymasters if he chose not to use him.

So Pepe -- jeered by the Camp Nou fans with every touch of the ball as though he were single-handedly culpable for the world recession -- was in the starting lineup. But, fortunately, what made this night celestial was the fact that Madrid, and Mourinho, finally got men's performances from their "artistic" players.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Mesut Ozil and particularly Kaka pressed, harassed, worked and used what physical presence they possess to augment the majestic ability that already makes them stand out from the crowd. For all the accurate stories of discord between some players and their controversial coach, Madrid played like a team. Not like dilettantes. Nor superstars. They played like a unit.

It was great to watch, and what it did was bring the absolute best out of this sublime, admirable and irresistible Barcelona team.

Barcelona coped with what was asked of them and then produced better. For all the healthy aggression, hard work and pressing that Madrid offered, the home team found remedies.

Then Barca tried to create.

Passes within small spaces, physical risks in trying to carry the ball into danger areas, and generally displaying a philosophy of football that has been taught to some of them since they were 8 or 9 years old.

Even though one of the principal architects of what Barcelona is so adept at building, Andres Iniesta, stomped off with frustration and anger at his professional life being gnawed away by another injury, the Spanish and European champion hardly missed a beat.

Then came the moment that turned the night. Whichever team scored first was going to hold a massive card in its hand, and Lionel Messi, again, made the difference.

When you enjoy his skills, as I'm sure my theoretical maker was doing, it's easy to be seduced into thinking that it's all invention and improvisation. In fact, during one of the first interviews I had with him he told me he doesn't plan his wonderful slalom dribbling in advance, he just erupts into these movements.

However, what Messi has developed in recent years is the capacity to make magnificent decisions at very high speeds. His awareness of Pedro to his left and his willingness to drag three men in white toward him were the keys to releasing the winger for Barcelona's first goal, to make it 1-0.

Then the maker got annoyed. Halftime was approaching, Lassana Diarra committed an awful foul on Messi and went unpunished by the referee. So a superior being intervened.

When Dani Alves thrashed his right-footed shot on the volley past Iker Casillas it felt, honestly, like there had been some sort of divine retribution.

But what is admirable, and what I believe I have been trying to communicate for some time, is that irrespective of the division that exists within Real Madrid in terms of tactics, behavior, public declarations and, generally, how to deal with FC Barcelona's annoying habit of winning more trophies than Los Blancos, Mourinho's side is a fine group of competitive professionals.

The work ethic at Camp Nou was not only laudable, it narrowed the gap.

Often Madrid produced ugliness, which continues to scar its reputation -- Pepe's flailing hands and elbows, Fabio Coentrao's rugby tackle on Messi -- but it also scored two absolutely delightful goals. Those moments told a tale of a squad that doesn't feel beaten, which wants to lose with pride if it absolutely has to lose, and which gave the level of physical and mental application that marks out potential champions.

The product was entertainment and tension that matches any sport in any country anywhere in the world. Ever.

While this was occurring, there was also a soundtrack.

I'm quite sure that there are other examples, but if you grew up in the UK during the 1960s and '70s, then Anfield, home to Liverpool Football Club, was where the Kop choir produced the wittiest, quickest and funniest chants. Last night at Camp Nou, there was something similar.

"Mourinho come out of your dugout and face us" the Catalans sang. (It is shorter, punchier and funnier in Spanish -- trust me). Then "Mourinho please stay at Madrid forever." (Ditto.)

And as the minutes ticked down (forgive me again here), I think that the celestial being who gave us football wound up his (her) evening thinking, "Well, that was a job well done when I created this sport. They don't always understand what I wanted it all to be about, but at least this time I know that some of them down there 'get' it."

Irrespective of the 10th red card in these 10 Mourinho-Pep Guardiola Clasicos, irrespective of the continued ill feeling, Wednesday's match was a spectacle of absolute and complete magnificence. Those of us who were there will always be glad that we "got" it. Thanks whoever you are up there. This was great."

Graham Hunter is a Barcelona-based freelance writer for ESPN.com who specializes in La Liga and the Spanish national team. You can reach him on Twitter at twitter.com/BumperGraham.

USA vs Venezuela

We beat Venezuela Saturday night. Took all of 97 minutes to do so but we got the win. Here is the game winner:


The announcer was pretty annoying and Taylor Twellman was awkward, this being his first game commentating. Anyone is better than John Harkes though.

With all the senior players in the middle of their seasons in Europe, Jurgen was able to field an experimentally young roster. Here it is:

Training Camp

I thought Jermaine Jones played better than anyone on the pitch. He is currently serving an 8 game suspension for Schalke '04, so I think it was smart for Klinsmann to give him the captains armband. Looks like the leadership role helped smooth out his rough edges.

Jermaine

Graham

Game Winner
(look at Shea's face HA!)

Victory

Our defense looked great in my opinion. I was very impressed with Geoff Cameron and Michael Parkhurst. Zach Loyd didn't get to play much but when he did I think he looked very calm and smart. He should connect well with Shea in future games being that they both play for FCD. Heath Pearce didn't do much to catch my eye, which isn't good but it isn't bad either. I am excited to see that we may have found some hope in solving our back line issues. Cherundolo and Bocanegra are great, but risky in age for the next WC. I have never trusted Gooch since his knee injury. Timmy Chandler is quick and aggressive but sometimes makes errant passes and gets caught too far forward. Our boys had great possession and patience, which actually made the game really dull. There were times I found myself yelling, "GO UPFIELD!" or "TAKE HIM ON!" because we were so concerned about maintaining possession that we never took any risks. Maybe they were just apprehensive because for many it was their first game. My boy Brek Shea and Teal Bunbury seemed to be the only ones for a while with killer instinct. Feilhaber contributed well offensively until #8 for Venezuela got into his head by sexually assaulting him on every single set play. Things are looking up though, and as a USMNT fan I am always optimistic for my guys. Hopefully this game was a sign of good things to come.

Pele vs. Messi

With Messi being crowned "The Best Player in the World" for the third year straight, I was waiting for Pele to steal the spotlight. No one EVER asks this guy for his opinion except no-name brazilian magazines that nobody cares about. His recent comments are the following:


"I like Messi a lot, he's a great player," when asked who his favorite current player is. "Technically, we are at the same level."


Yes, you heard it right, Pele said that he and Messi right now, are at the same technical level of football.

Pele also believes that he has more natural ability than Messi by saying:


 "No one knew which foot I was going to shoot with, I was two-footed. I also scored a lot of goals with my head."


Let me discount this with a fable I created~


A man walks into a boxing gym for the first time. A boxer approaches him and says, "I will train you if you can block one of my punches. I will either punch you with my right, with my left, or I might head butt you." The man gets punched hard with a right hook. A second boxer approaches him and says, "I will train you if you can block one of my punches. I am going to punch you with my left hand." The man gets punched with a hard left hook. He leaves the gym hurting, and when asked which of the two boxers he would rather have as a coach, he chose the latter explaining, "I knew where his punch was coming from, yet still could do nothing about it. Even without the element of surprise he got me."

Draw your own conclusions.


Pele's next argument is:


 "When Messi has scored 1,283 goals like me, when he's won 3 World Cups, we'll talk about it."


So Pele hangs all the qualifications of "Greatest Player Ever" on these 2 stats alone- # of goals/ # of World Cup titles. So let's first take a closer look how Pele scored so many goals with his club F.C. Santos, and then later see why he was so successful for "A Selecao."

SANTOS F.C.

Pele played for Santos for 18 years back in the 50's, 60's and 70's.


1.) The world's best club teams were not in Brasil, they were in Europe. Pele never left his home nation to go play with the big names in Europe. Goals were easier to come by in a second-tier league. Would Pele have as much success playing in the Premiership or La Liga? I doubt it. He taught Neymar how to hide out where his skill couldn't be rivaled.
2.) Having never left his homeland, Pele was the beloved "national treasure" of the Brasilian league and was respected by his opponents. Messi, as we saw in this week's Copa del Rey vs RM, is obviously not. Goals are harder to come by when the other team tries to murder you weekly. Even the opposing team's fans would get upset at their own defenders for fouling Pele because they knew they needed him for the WC.
3.) Santos has a rivalry with Corinthians. Is Corinthians anything like Real Madrid? No. Easier goals.

CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores 1960's vs. UEFA Champions League 2000's

-Pele won the Copa Libertadores 2 times in 18 years with Santos ('62 & '63).

-Messi has won the UEFA Champions League 3 times in 7 years with Barcelona ('06, '09, '11).

 (He scored in 2 of them, the game winner in 2011.)

-Messi is also the top scorer in the past 3 UEFA Champions League Tournaments.

-Where are better club teams found at any time, CONMEBOL or UEFA?

-With Santos Pele scored 589 goals in 18 years. 589/18 = 32.7 goals a year.

-With Barcelona, Messi has averaged 46 goals in the past 3 years.

-Let's say he plays 18 years at Barca, like Pele did at Santos.

                                 46*11(more years) = 506 + 213 (from the first 7 years) = 719 total goals

                                                 719 - 589 = 130 more goals than Pele.

-Messi has also completely stumped Jose Mourinho, arguable the greatest manager the world has ever seen. I am pretty sure RM brought him in solely to solve the "Messi problem" and yet RM hasn't beaten Barcelona in under 90 mins. for years.

So head-to-head at the club level, Pele better watch out....

A Seleção

-Pele scored 77 goals in 92 appearances.
-That means there was a 91.7% chance he would score in every international game. Simply incredible.
-He won 3 World Cups in years '58, '62, '70.
-12 goals in 4 different WCs.

For me, this is where Pele has been much more successful than Messi, but here is why.


I compared the rosters for the World Cup team and the Copa Libertadores team in '58, '62, '70.  In the first 2 years, the rosters are virtually the same. 

1958- Santos F.C. won the World Cup
1962- Santos F.C. won the World Cup

1970- Pele was older and around a younger group of players. He did well then and I give him credit, he even scored 4 goals. 

BUT- in 1962 he only played in the 1st game, and was benched in the 2nd due to injury, so his team lifted the Jules Rimet while he rode the pine.

12 Santos players won the World Cup during his time!

Compare this to current day Barcelona, would you agree that Barcelona pretty much won the World Cup in 2010? (Pique, Puyol, Busquets, Iniesta, Xavi, Pedro, Villa, etc.) So my point is, if Pele was born in let's say, Germany, but still played for Santos in Brasil, would he still have won so many World Cups? This is the same predicament that Messi is in, having been born in Argentina. It was Santos, with the help of Pele, who won the World Cups, not the other way around.

Now all of these arguments are stacked around the numbers. I don't like to look solely on numbers when asked to quantify the "Greatest Player of All Time" but they were Pele's weapon of choice so that's why I broke 'em down. If numbers were the only thing we ever looked at then we would only be looking at strikers. In my opinion there shouldn't be a "Best of All Time" but rather a "Best in that Era" or "No one was better than him while he played" but those are long-winded. Plus I've only attacked Pele, and not praised Messi enough.

Point being, it's almost impossible to cross-examine someone who played in the '50's to someone who played today. They were both better than everyone else at the time. The game of Football changes so much, if Messi went back in time to 1958 then of course he would annihilate Pele. For now, let's just count ourselves lucky to be around this golden age. We get to see Messi!

Post Script Soapbox:

Dear Pele,


Please shut your old mouth. You are 71 years old and with each dying breath you are ruining your legacy. You just said that "Neymar is much better than Messi." You are making a fool out of yourself. Your self-indulging-brasilian-prid---.....err, I mean your patriotism, is blinding your judgement. We all know you can't help but stick your leathery face into the spotlight when you are feeling jealous, but please don't overshadow your own amazing legacy with your late-life antics. 

Stop criticizing anyone not from Brasil,

-Jacob

  (Another debate, for another date)

3 of Forlan's Goals from WC 2010

(These videos show up different depending on your computer, if they are too small, just maximize and enjoy!)

Ghana

Diego pretty much rewrites physics with this goal. I have never seen a shot curl one way, and then midway through decide to curl back the other way. Kingston the goalie is left looking like a fool. After the play the camera man shows Kingston looking around trying to figure out what just happened. He wants to blame a defender, or maybe the wall, but he is left speechless. Don't worry Kingston I don't get how Forlan does it either. This goal doesn't get the hype it deserved because of Suarez' "Mano de Dios, de la Virgen, del Papa, y la de JesuCristo mismo."

Netherlands

This is just "Forlan Unleashed." Just before this happened the announcer noticed that the Dutch had control of the game and that if Uruguay were to have any chance at all they would need a "Diego Wonder Goal." Well, we got one. I guess he can shoot left footed too. And let's not forget that Stekelenburg is easily in the top 3 best GKs list along with Iker Casillas and Manuel Neuer.

Germany

Okay, before you watch this video, let's refresh our memory. Uruguay had just been ousted from the Final by the Netherlands 3-2 and were playing Germany for 3rd place. We were tied 1-1 in the 2nd half when this happened. By the way this was later voted "Goal of the Tournament."

Impossible. This goal is UN-REAL. Taking a closer look at the physics, it's unlike any goal I have ever seen. First of all, Manuel Neuer is a world class GK, yet Forlan's strike voids him of any reaction. He is motionless. The assist from Rios is met in mid-air, by a mid-air Diego, and is struck in such a way that it curls madly after ricocheting off the pitch first. I have tried for hours to replicate anything that resembles this strike, but I've learned only one thing; this goal is a result of some strange yet perfect storm created by the Football Gods. Diego broke a WC record by scoring 4 goals outside of the 18. 

Also, I apologize for John Harkes commentary. He has subsequently been sacked, honestly.

*All 3 are from after the group stage

¡El Maracanãzo!

When I lived in Uruguay the World Cup was going on in Germany. At the time I was living roughly 6 blocks from the Brazilian border. It was pretty much a big city that was cut in half by an imaginary international line, yet everyone spoke portuguese.

White Line: International Border
Red A: My house

Uruguay didn't qualify, and Brazil had won it's group handily and just destroyed Ghana (who kept the USMNT out). So living there I could definitely tell my beloved Uruguay was in the shadow of mighty Brasil. I was having lunch with my friend Julio and talking futbol when he mentioned "El Maracanazo." For me this is probably the most in-your-face underdog story that I've ever heard in football, nay all sports- I'm looking at you "Rudy."

Let's go back to 1950. It had been 12 years since the last WC because of WWII. Earth was starving for football. The host nation was Brasil and the Samba Boys. They had just won their 2 previous playoff games by a deficit of +11. They were set to play little Uruguay in the final match to seal their place as the Champions. I'll use Wikipedia to help tell the story-

"The specialised press and the general public had already started claiming Brazil as the new world champions for days prior to the final match, and they had reasons to do so. Brazil had won their last two matches with a very attack-minded style of play against which all efforts had proved fruitless. Uruguay, however, had encountered difficulties in their matches with Spain and Sweden, managing only a draw against Spain and a narrow victory over Sweden. When those results were compared, it seemed that the Brazilians were set to defeat Uruguay as easily as they had dispensed with Spain and Sweden.

On the morning of 16 July 1950, the streets of Rio de Janeiro were bustling with activity. An improvised carnival was organised, with thousands of signs celebrating the world title, and chants of "Brazil must win!". This spirit never ceased, right up until the final minutes of the match, which filled the Maracanã stadium with a paid attendance of 173,830 and an attendance estimated to be about 210,000 (a record for a team sports match that remains to this day)"

How Uruguay Prepared


The Brazilian newspaper O Mundo printed an early edition on the day of the final containing a photograph of Brazil with the caption "These are the world champions". Uruguay's captain Obdulio Varela bought as many copies as he could, laid them on his bathroom floor and encouraged his teammates to urinate on them.

In Uruguay's locker room in the moments prior to the match, coach Juan López informed his team that their best chance of surviving the powerful offensive line of Brazil would come through adopting a defensive strategy. After he left, Obdulio Varela, captain of the team, stood up and addressed the team himself, saying "Juancito is a good man, but today, he is wrong. If we play defensively against Brazil, our fate will be no different from Spain or Sweden". Varela then delivered an emotional speech about how they must face all the odds and not to be intimidated by the fans or the opposing team. The speech, as was later confirmed, played a huge part in the final outcome of the game. In response to his squad's underdog status, the captain delivered the memorable line, "Muchachos, los de afuera son de palo.", literally: "Boys, the outsiders are wooden.", roughly meaning that Brazilian fans had nothing to do with the match, and the game was to be played inside the field.

Summary

Brazil scored the first goal of the match only two minutes after the interval. After the goal Varela took the ball and disputed the validity of the goal to the referee (arguing that the player was offside). Varela drew out this argument intentionally, to the extent that he even forced the referee to bring out an interpretator. By the time the conversation ended the crowd had calmed down, then took the ball to the center of the field, and shouted to his team, "Now, it's time to win!"

 (Is it weird that I have a man-crush on a guy who died 15 years ago?)

Uruguay managed to turn control the game against Brazil. When faced with a capable Uruguayan attack, Brazil showed their defensive frailty, and Juan Alberto Schiaffino scored the equaliser in the 66th minute. Later, Alcides Edgardo Ghiggia, running down the right side of the field, scored another goal, with only 11 minutes remaining on the clock.

The crowd was virtually silent after the second Uruguay goal until English referee George Reader signalled the end of the match with Uruguay winning 2–1.

Former FIFA president and originator of the World Cup, Jules Rimet, commented about what happened, "The silence was morbid, sometimes too difficult to bear". The once roaring crowd of two hundred thousand people stood in disbelief as they were being "stripped" of a title they had already considered rightfully theirs

Aftermath

Jules Rimet had already prepared a speech in Portuguese to congratulate the winners, whom he expected to be Brazil. The organisers of the World Cup left Rimet alone on the field, holding the trophy. There was no presentation ceremony for the Uruguay victory. Rimet had to call out for Varela in order to present him with the trophy. The Brazilian Football Confederation had made 22 gold medals with the names of the players imprinted on them (at that time, FIFA did not present medals to the winning team) which eventually had to be disposed of. A Brazilian victory song entitled "Brasil os vencedores" ("Brazil The Victors"), was composed several days prior to the final and was to be played in anticipation of a Brazilian win. The song was never performed.

"The Higher You Are The Harder You'll Fall"

In Brazil many newspapers refused to accept the fact that they had been defeated, famous radio journalist Ary Barroso (briefly) retired, and some fans even went so far as to commit suicide. The players of the time were vilified by the fans. Many went silently into retirement, while some others were never considered for the national team again. Unused squad members Nílton Santos and Carlos José Castilho won the FIFA World Cup in 1958 and 1962. Santos played in both finals whereas Castilho only played in the 1954 FIFA World Cup and in 2007 has was posthumousaly awarded the 1958 and 1962 winning medals as a squad member.

Brazil decided to change the design of their national uniforms after the defeat since they considered it to be a jinx. Before the Maracanazo, Brazil's home shirt was white with a blue neckline along with white shorts; this was changed to a yellow shirt with a green neckline along with blue shorts and plain white socks with green as a secondary colour.

If you listen close at around 2:17, you can hear the announcer begin to cry.

¡Gol! ¡Gol! ¡GOL URUGUAYO!




I love Futbol Uruguayo. This story just adds to how much of a fan I am. They are no longer the kid brother of South America, the role they have played for a long, long time. FIFA has had them ranked in the top 10 for almost 2 years now. They have been in front of Argentina and Brasil for months, and trail only Spain, Netherlands, and Germany. They are the kings of South America and breezed their way through the Copa America final defeating Paraguay 3-0 this past summer. 


¡VIVA LA CELESTE!

Clearing the Air

Being that this blog is still in it's infantile stages, let's clear the air on some of the important issues. Feel free to disagree all you want because these are simply my opinions, but this way I can disclaim all my soapboxes and justify my rants. These posts are primarily meant to serve as a storage unit for my mind.

Teams that I love:

1.) United States Men's National Team (USMNT)

2.) La Seleccion Nacional de Uruguay (Uruguay's national team)

3.) Football Club Dallas (FCD)

4.) Tottenham Hotspur

Honorable Mention: Juventus, Barcelona Liverpool, Everton, Fulham, Houston Dynamo, Lazio, Napoli, Nacional

The only way I was able to rank the first two teams, is by asking myself the question: "If the United States and Uruguay were in a war, which country would I give my life to?" So in all other respects, they are equal in my mind and in my heart (haha). As a kid I was a huge fun of the Dallas Burn, and now they are known as FCD. Luckily I was raised in a town very close to an MLS team so I naturally loved the burn. I follow them every season. Tottenham and I have a different love story. In 2010 I decided "I need a prem team to follow." I am belligerently against jumping on any band wagons, and subsequently ruled out Manchester United. Arsenal has way too many fans. Chelsea is full of babies. Tottenham stole my heart during the Champions League group play of 2010 against Inter Milan.

Teams that I do not love:

1.) Anything Mexican

2.) The National Teams of Brazil, Portugal, and Italy

3.) Colorado Rapids, Real Salt Lake

4.) Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City, AC Milan, Real Madrid

Most of these teams are just the rivals of my favorites, which makes sense right? The only reasons why NOT to like a team that has nothing to do with one of your favorites, is because 1- they are good and beat your favorite team and/or 2- they are dirty/whiny. Exhibit A: Real Madrid, AC Milan, and #2 on my black list.

Players that I love:

1.) Diego Forlan

2.) Clint Dempsey

3.) Brek Shea

4.) Gareth Bale

5.) Carles Puyol

Honorable Mention: Messi, Iniesta, Xavi, Tim Howard, Luis Suarez, David Beckham, Cesc Fabregas, Edinson Cavani, Sebastian Abreu, Carlos Bocanegra, Mikkel Diskeruud, Benoit Assou-Ekotto.

Players that I do not love:

1.) Jonathan Bornstein

2.) Marcelo
3.) Pepe

4.) Felipe Melo

5.) Marco Materazzi

6.) Carlos Tevez

* Note on #6: This guy grew up in the slums of Argentina. He now makes $20,134,400 per year. That's $387,200 a week. Only a fool will sit the bench in protest while he gets paid enough to buy a lamborghini every 7 days. What does he say to the little kids in the slums when he goes home?

Leagues/Tournaments that I care about:

1.) The World Cup

2.) CONCACAF Gold Cup

3.) CONMEBOL Copa America

4.) UEFA Champions League

5.) Euros

6.) English Premiere League

7.) La Liga

8.) MLS

The following video was made by ESPN in the spring of 2010. If you are going to watch it, FULL SCREEN this baby cause honestly, I would cry when I saw it then, and I cry when I see it now. I wish I had a time machine cause that was probably the best summer of my life.