International Break for FIFA World Cup 2014 Quealifications

This past weekend (September 7-11th) is an international break from club soccer for national teams to have an opportunity to play a few games in the group stage of the World Cup 2014 qualification.

For many European teams, these are some of the first national team games since the Euro Cup in which Spain put on a dominating performance in the final winning it 4-0 over Italy.

There are quite a few interesting match-ups in World Cup 2014 qualification where teams are placed in groups, and the top two usually advance from the group.

Often the games are David and Goliath battles, with large soccer countries taking on much smaller countries. But the Davids rarely win.

A few of the notable games already played include:

England 5-0 Moldova
Germany 3-0 Faroe Islands
Italy 2-2 Bulgaria
Netherlands 2-0 Turkey
Jamaica 2-1 USA

Visit the FIFA Website for more on World Cup Qualification Games.

USA Loses to Jamaica 2-1

In a surprising game in Jamaica, USA lost to Jamaica 2-1 in World Cup Qualifying.

After an early goal by Clint Dempsey, Jamaica scored two beautiful free-kicks to win the game.

Clint Dempsey's goal was scored in the 1st minute of play, and set a new record for fastest goal scored by the US in World Cup play.

The Jamaicans responded with two free-kicks, one in each half, that beat Tim Howard and gave Jamaica a valuable 5 points.

This leaves USA in a must win situation when the play Jamaica again on September 11th. This game will be played at home for the US and they will look to get the full three points as they strive to get to the top of their group.

USA's World Cup Qualifications Current Standings (9/11/12)

Jamaica is the surprise leader of the group after 3 games played.

• Jamaica - 7 Points
• Quatermala - 4 Points
• USA - 4 Points
• Antigua and Barbuda - 1 Point

With only the top two teams advancing, the US will have to start winning if it wants to avoid serious abuse from fans for not qualifying for the World Cup 2014.

Tonight (9/11), the US will have an opportunity to get three points as it plays Jamaica at home in Columbus Ohio. The game will be live at 8pm on ESPN2 and ESPN3.com.

Be sure to watch and cheer on the USMNT!

The Champions League Groups Announced for 2012/13

The Champions League, arguably the best league in the world, announced the groups for its group stage in the 2012-13 season starting September 15th.

The UEFA Champions League invites the top soccer teams from many of the leagues in Europe to play together in one league with the goal of winning the title, champions of Europe.  In this league, 32 teams from top leagues such as La Liga, Serie A, EPL, and many others, are placed in eight groups with four teams in each.

During the group stage of the Champions League, each of the four teams in a group play against each other, and the two teams with the best results (most points) advance to a knockout playoff format competition.

To view the complete list of groups, read this article on the Analysis and Predictions for the Champions League 2012-13

This year, one group stands out as being particularly interesting and nicknamed the 'group of death'.

Group D: The Group of Death

In group D are: Manchester City, Real Madrid, Ajax, and Dortmund. At first glance, Manchester and Madrid stand out as the favorites to win it. But once you take a closer look and realize that each club in this group won their home league last season, you realize this is a group packed with talent. 

Although it still seems likely Manchester and Madrid will advance, Dortmund and Ajax will fight hard to survive past the group stage and one slip up could lead to an early exit for any of the four.

The likes of Manchester United, Barcelona, Chelsea and Bayern Munich are also scattered throughout the various groups. It will be exciting as the games unfold to see who might challenge the defending champions, Chelsea, and try to take the title Champions of Europe.

Philly Union News and the Origin of the Word 'Soccer'

PPL Park - Source:  Something Original

The Philadelphia Union grabbed a valuable point on the road when they played DC United to a 1-1 ties on August 19th, 2012.

The Union Had a handful of chances in the first half but only managed to get up by one goal. DC United came back in the second half to score a goal making the game 1-1. There was significant late drama at the end of the game including three red cards, and a missed penalty by DC United. With the penalty miss, the Union happily took the one point as they strive to earn enough points to reach the playoffs this season.

The Union are currently in 8th place out of 10 teams in the Eastern Conference of the MLS. DC United is sitting in the last playoff spot at 5th place. The union have had several encouraging wins in their last five games, but the last two have been small stumbles from a team that must get points if it wants to make the playoffs.

Catch the highlights to the Union's drama filled tie vs DC United from MLSSoccer.com

And current MLS Standings for the Union

The Origin of the Word 'Soccer'

I recently discovered that the word 'soccer' was not created by Americans who wanted to spite the English by making up a new name for European football. In fact, the word actually came about as a nickname for football that was created by a university student in England.

Read my full article on the Origin of the Word 'Soccer' to find all the details.

Because of my discovery that soccer is as English as calling the sport football, I will proudly refer to the game as soccer, whether I am in America or a pub in England. I hope not to upset anyone with this, but how can anyone be upset if Englishmen created the word soccer, and used it for nearly one hundred years before it caught on in America?

My biggest question is why soccer is not still used in England today. It is simply a nickname for the sport, which has become unpopular to use because, as far as I can tell, it is used in America.

Anyway, I hope this will give a few people a moments hesitation the next time they try to correct someone for calling football, soccer, and soccer, football.

What Does the MLS All-Star Game mean to Major League Soccer?

Tonight, (Wednesday, July 25th, 2012) The MLS All-Stars will play the European Champions, Chelsea in a friendly at PPL Park in Philadelphia, PA.

The question that tends to come up each year around this game is, what does this game mean? Well, depending how you look at it, this game can mean a lot of things, or very little.

Most MLS fans see this game as a yardstick comparing the MLS to other clubs around the world. In past games, the MLS All-Stars have had mixed results. Sometimes they win, other times they lose. But this game does seem to have some extra expectations. Maybe because Chelsea are European Champions., Or perhaps it is because more and more stars from around the world are playing in the MLS. Either way, the result of the MLS All-Star game will have reverberations around the league, and even the world.

The MLS All-Stars do have a challenge on their hands. Although they are a team made up of the best players in the league, they have little experience playing with each other. Chelsea, on the other hand, has much more experience playing together and even though they might not have all their players, they have a formidable lineup.

In the end, if the All-Stars lose, I don't think much will be said about it. After all, Chelsea did win the Champions League. But if the MLS All-Stars win, I think it will be one step closer to bringing Major League Soccer up to par with the rest of the world, as well as gaining a little respect.

The MLS All-Star game will be live on ESPN and ESPN3.com at 8:30pm Wednesday, July 25th.

Union Future Looking Bright with Three Game Winning Streak

PPL Park Home of the Philadelphia Union 
courtesy Philadelphia Union 

The Philadelphia Union are on a three game winning streak at the midpoint of the MLS season.  In each of their wins the Union displayed good passing and possession and most importantly, goals, which brought them each win.

In the Union's Major league Soccer game against Toronto FC on July 8th 2012, they recorded an impressive 3-0 victory over their opposition. Although the Union are just one place ahead of last place Toronto, in their last meeting Toronto was the victor.

The Union played well throughout the game against Toronto and goals by Adu, McInerney, and Farfan sealed the victory. This was the Union's second win in a row, after surprisingly beating the Galaxy 2-1 the week before.

While the Union's victory over Toronto was complete, they faced a more difficult challenge in the form of the Montreal Impact, who they played on July 14th 2012 at PPL Park.

Goalkeepers Zac MacMath for the Union, and Donovan Ricketts for Montreal each made invaluable saves during the first 80 minutes which kept this MLS game scoreless. But in the 82nd minute, Lionard Pajoy broke the deadlock and knocked a lose ball into the back of the Impact's net.

But Montreal came level just minutes later when an Impact corner kick was curled in at the Union goal, deflected off a player, and ended up in the back of the net. A 1-1 tie was not what the Philadelphia Union wanted or needed as they try to salvage their season and win games. So in extra time, defender Carlos Valdez took it into his hands and grabbed a late game winning goal (his first of the season), to give the Union the full 3 points they need.

Watch full match highlights of the Union's 2-1 win over Montreal.

The Union seem to have found the scoring ability they lacked for most of the season. If they can continue to win games, they are likely to make the playoffs, and have a chance for the Cup.

Philadelphia will play Aston Villa in a friendly on Wednesday, but return to MLS play on Saturday as they take on the New York Red Bulls. The game against New York will be broadcast live on ESPN at 2:30 PM EST July 21st.

Union Secure 2-1 Win Over LA Galaxy

The Philadelphia Union beat the LA Galaxy 2-1 after a stoppage time goal scored by Michael Farfan. It was an important victory for the Union as they attempt to get their season back on track with new coach John Hackworth.

Union Win 2-1 vs LA

The Union faced an immediate onslaught for the first 20 minutes or so as the Galaxy pressed them and took several shots. But Philadelphia made it through the initial push, and began to settle in and pass the ball around. The half looked to end scoreless but just before the whistle, Michael Farfan made a drive to the end-line past his defender and sent a low cross that Jack McInerney elegantly back-healed into the side netting on the far end of the goal. And before anyone knew it, the Union were up 1-0 at halftime.

The Galaxy made a few changes, notably to their back line, and came out in the second half looking for an equalizer. The Union did well and kept the Galaxy from scoring until the 73rd minute when a ball sent across the goal found Chad Barrett who finished it to make it 1-1.

LA continued to look for goals but it was the Union who got the late winner.

In the 95th minute, Michael Farfan got the ball just outside the area and dribbled towards goal under minimal pressure. a low curling shot to the back post left the Galaxy keeper no chance, and give the Union a 2-1 victory.

This victory is crucial for the Union after an unfortunate loss last week in Houston as they try to make up for lost points. The good news for the Union is they have been playing very well recently and have 3 games in hand on the Montreal Impact who are 1 point ahead in the Eastern Conference Standings.

The Philadelphia will play Toronto on Sunday and plan to extend their winning streak to two games.

Spain Play the Perfect Game in Euro Cup Final

On July 1st, 2012, Spain beat Italy 4-0 to become European Champions. They also defended their '08 Euro Cup title, and became the first team to win three major tournaments in a row (Euro '8, World Cup '10, Euro '12).

Spain are Champions

But what the world watched in the 2012 Euro Cup Final was not the same Spanish team that won in '08 or at the World Cup, it wasn't even the same as the team that made its way to the final. No, the Spanish team that showed up in the final was a perfect team.

From the goalkeeper Casillas, who made several key saves to keep the clean sheet, to the defense who effectively shut down the Italian attack, to the substantial midfield that not only blocked Pirlo from passing, but created goal scoring opportunities in wonderful passing efficiency. The Spanish played the best any team has ever played, and they did it with the world watching.

Each goal came about because of quick passing and perfect accuracy. The fact they scored 4 goals against a good Italian defense and one of the best goalkeepers in Buffon, shows how deadly they were.

Some might say it goes too far to call Spain's performance in the Euro Final 'perfect', or to say they are the best team in history. But the fact that no other team has put together a show like Spain did in the final, and no other team has won three major tournaments in a row, seem like overwhelming factors in their favor. I think Spain are due their recognition.

While I look forward to Spain's next involvement in a tournament (World Cup 2014), I recognize that it will be nearly impossible for them to play better than they did in the Euro Final. From now on, people will compare their performance to that game, and will likely be disappointed when they don't meet that expectation. I am just glad I was able to watch the game in which Spain proved they are the best.

If you are looking for more on the final, read Euro Cup Final 2012 - Spain Beat Italy 4-0