Looking Forward to the Champions League Round of 16

Looking forward to those incredible matches resulting from the Champions League round of 16 draw. As usual, at this stage of the competition, things get really exciting for fans around the world. Given the outcome of the round of 16 draw on Thursday we just can’t wait to see those great clubs go against each other on February and March.

Manchester United vs Real Madrid…Really! Could we have asked for a better match than this one? I’m not a fan of either of these teams, but these two powerhouses represent institutions of world football that have accomplished greatness.

Things are not going as expected for Real Madrid this season on La Liga. But they are legitimate candidates to go all the way and win their 10^th Champion’s League title, which would immortalize Maurinho as the “special one”. But Manchester United is a tough obstacle to beat; they will put a good fight because they too want to go all the way and lift that beautiful trophy with big ears after being beaten by Barcelona in two finals in recent years.

It will be great to see Ronaldo vs his former club. I am sure Rooney, Nani and Van Persie will be glad to stop Real Madrid from going all the way. A clash of titans no doubt….

Here is the draw outcome:

Galatasaray AS (Turkey) vs.  FC Schalke 04 (Germany

Celtic FC (Scotland) vs. Juventus (Italy)

Arsenal (England) vs. Bayern Munich (Germany)

FC Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine) vs. Borussia Dortmund (Germany)

AC Milan (Italy) vs. FC Barcelona (Spain)

Real Madrid (Spain) vs. Manchester United (England)

Valencia (Spain) vs. Paris Saint-Germain (France)

FC Porto (Portugal) vs. Malaga CF (Spain)

Take Long-Range Shots

We would like to see more soccer players take long-range shots...

Often when I think about the training of professional soccer players I wonder how often do they practice taking long-range shots. As a soccer player for a professional league you would expect to see more strikers taking chances from outside the box. But unfortunately for the game it doesn’t happen that often.

Think about it… when we see stars constantly scoring goals such as Ronaldo and Messi we [the fans] want to give them the world. But I wonder why don’t we see more players like this? They all share the same profession; they all practice in the same turf, they have the same coaches and management team.

I often think that if I were a professional soccer coach I would dedicate a lot of my training to shooting from outside the box. Especially the forwards, I would make sure they practice so much that their shots would become perfected and it would be reflected on every match against opponents.

It would be interesting to see more competition from professional soccer players of different leagues when it comes to scoring goals. As a coach I would line up my best strikers, I would simulate situations that happen on regular games to put in practice long-range shots from the distance. Because we don’t see that too often, what we see is that teams want to walk with the ball inside the box and when we see a nice strike we can’t stop talking about it for a week.

There are only a few teams that can actually walk inside the goal line with the ball. One team has perfected that, we know who that is, but wouldn’t we love to see a team that can perfect the method of long-range shots. It would be great to see the underdog bombard their opponents at least for the first 20 minutes to test that method and see some results.

My advice for soccer players out there from semi-pro to pro is …Take long-range shots and you might score amazing goals. My advice to coaches out there from different leagues is… Put shooting from long distance to practice. I am sure that if you get this method to near perfection even the big teams will be scare of your team. 

Maurinho and Real Madrid

Maurinho and Real Madrid… what will happen on May 2013?

Maurinho and Real Madrid are facing a challenging season as they are eleven points behind of archrival Barcelona. So the question of what will happen on May 2013 arises. Given that the league title is sliding away this season, though there are so many games still to be played until the end of it, shifting focus on the Champion’s League title might be an encouraging option.

Real Madrid wants to get their 10th Champions League badly and Maurinho is there to help. Last year was a tough blow losing to Bayer Munich during the semifinals on penalty kicks and this year doesn't seem to be easy for los blancos either. 

The knock out round of the Champion's will no doubt be very tough. Borussia Dortmund has shown signs of going for glory, and Barcelona continues its dominance with their style of play. So the questions is...What will happen on May 2013?  If La Liga title continues its course away from Real Madrid and they don't end up lifting that beautiful trophy with big ears then will Maurinho and Real Madrid stay together? What will happen to Ronaldo? There are only few teams that can afford him is he decides to leave the Bernabeu like Paris Saint Germain or he might return somewhere in the EPL.

There is no question that the next round of the Champion's League will be very exciting. As Maurinho said after they ended up on second place of its group "a team that thought will have it easy next round will play agains Real Madrid". In my opinion there are no easy games at this level, sometimes the least expected team end up with the glory. Last year, Chelsea pulled a surprising victory against Messi and Barcelona, and this year the Champion's League season seems to have a lot a surprises that we don't know what will happen on May 2013...

Pep Guardiola on the news...

Pep Guardiola the former FC Barcelona coach is in the news again as a possible replacement for Arsene Wenger current Arsenal coach. This is good news, Guardiola stepped down from his job as Barca's coach early this year to take some time off. However, Soccer fans around the world know that when Guardiola took the reins of Barcelona in 2008 through 2012 the club achieved great success. During those years the accomplishments including the sixtuple: six trophies in six competitions in one year (season 2009-2010). 

Guardiola left a long lasting legacy in Barcelona and was instrumental in the rise of current stars such as Xavi, Iniesta and Messi. During those years as a manager the club accomplished 3 La Liga titles, 1 Copa Del Rey, 2 Champions League titles, 2 Uefa Super Cupas, 2 FIFA World Club Cups. Umm! undoubtedly a great resume in a short period of time. 

His name being linked as a possible future coach for Arsenal is good news. The reason I say this is simple, I would really like to see him back in action as a coach, especially in the EPL. I would like to see what changes he would do at Arsenal. Because he can bring change to a club, for instance, he gave the chance to players such as Pedro (of Barca), brought Alves in as defender and changed the formation from the previous manager. 

Arsenal would be a good fit for him, the club has a great academy as well as millions of fans all over the world. I as mentioned, I would like to see if he can accomplish in Arsenal what he did in Barcelona by applying his methods and coaching strategies in a different turf. That being said, I hope the next news about Guardiola is about accepting the job as Arsenal manager. 

Messi, Iniesta and Ronaldo

Should I get into this? just did. It is fascinating to watch the different contributions made by Messi and Ronaldo on the pitch in recent years, but I always thought that Iniesta is someone special, a gifted player. He has accomplished so much with club and country that not many soccer players get to do in their careers.
There is no doubt about Ronaldo and Messi about being shortlisted for the FIFA Ballon D'or 2012. In recent years this two icons of the game have accomplished so much for their respective clubs and for that reason fans and media create rivalry between the two. Ronaldo has won the ballon D'ore once and Messi three times and Iniesta none. The reason Iniesta has been in the shadows is simple, CR7 and Messi are goal machines, shattering records that have been untouched for decades, so there is no doubt about their candidacy for the most respective prize and individual award.

Iniesta is like that guy that doesn't talk much but when he talks everybody listens. Let me explain why... He has not scored or broken a record of goals and does not have many individual awards accumulated in his personal shelf but he is a guy that appears when his team needs him the most. Iniesta scored that iconic goal against Chelsea in 09 and FC Barcelona moved on to beat Manchester United in the Champions League final in Rome. Since then, FC Barcelona's dominance in the soccer world has been extended. In the last World Cup, South Africa 2010, it was Iniesta that made the difference for Spain. In that final, Spain vs Holland, Iniesta scored the only goal of the game that made his country champions of the world, a championship that Spain has sandwiched with two Euro cups as well. So Iniesta is a World Cup winner, Ronaldo and Messi are not, for that reason I wouldn't be surprised if the FIFA Ballon D'or ends in the hands of this fascinating player.

Good Stuff Today in the Champions League

The cold weather was not a factor for FC Barcelona as they comfortably defeated Spartak Moscow 3-0 and get to advance in the round of 16. Barcelona opened the scoresheet with Dani Alves in minute 16 and by minute 39 the wonderful Messi was scoring his second goal of the night. By the way Messi's double puts him closer to break Muller's record of  85 goals in 1972, the most goals scored in one calendar year, the Argentine has 80 so far. It would be amazing if Messi could break that record in the next seven games left this year... Why not...

Another entertaining game was Valencia vs Bayern Munich as they draw 1-1 but the goalkeepers were busy stopping really good attempts from both side. However, the results ensure that both teams also qualified for the knock out stages, that's where things get even more entertaining. Sofiane Feghouli scored for Valencia and Thomas Muller equalized for Bayern. However, the participation of players such as Schweinsteiger, Lahm, Frank Ribery and Mario Gomes from the Bayern side and Ricardo Costa, Andres Guardado, Roberto Soldado from Valencia made the game very interesting to watch.

The blues were left feeling blue by Adrea Pirlo and company. That's right, Juventus defeated Chelsea 3-1. That results puts the blues in a tough position to qualify for the knock out stages. Chelsea was not able to connect the dots and capitalize on the few chances they had. But Juventus took advantage of the home game and inspired by loud chants of their fans opened the scoresheet at minute 38. It was a nice shot by Pirlo from outside the box that was deflected by Fabio Quagliarella and send it to the net. Next, Arturo Vidal put his name on the scoreboard with his goal at minute 61. Then it was Sebastian Giovinco that scored the third goal of the night via a nice through ball in midfield which the attacker managed to put in the net.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic

After scoring four goals against England, Zlatan Ibrahimovic is making headlines across the soccer world. It was FIFA friendly matches across the globe this week and Ibrahimovic happen to steal the show with four goals in one game which is not easy to do at the national team level. His last goal was an amazing bicycle kick from thirty yards that puts Ibra on the spotlight for scoring one of the greatest goals of the year. The Swedish international at 31 is still one of the best striker in the world, and had a spectacular night at the new stadium the Friends Arena in Sweden.  Currently he plays for Paris Saint-Germain, but indeed he has had a great career playing for teams such as Inter, Juventus, Milan and FC Barcelona among others.

What's new in footynews?

Messi surpassed the legendary soccer star Pele in goals scored in one calendar year. That's correct, after a successful victory over Mallorca this past weekend FC Barcelona continues its winning streak so far in La Liga with Messi adding goals in its career. He scored two important goals that helped defeat Mallorca (4-2) and enable him to break Pele's record set in1958 with 75 goals in one calendar year. Messi has enough weeks to score 9 goals needed to break Gerd Muller's all time record of 85 goals set in 1972. There is no doubt that the Barcelona ace would be capable of passing Muller's record given that there is plenty of weeks left in this calendar year.

Ronaldo got elbowed but that did not stop him from scoring against Levante. It was not the best condition to play a soccer match, the pitch was fill with so much water that slowed the pace of Real Madrid. However, on minute 3, Ronaldo received a hard elbow from Navarro causing him to step to the sideline and get treatment as he was bleeding. Luckily it was not as bad as it seemed, and the Portuguese striker scored one goal in the first half. Real Madrid beat Mallorca 2-1 but it was a hard fought game as they scored the second goal in the last few minutes of the match.




Chelsea is in pain after their draw against Liverpool this weekend. In pain not only because they lost two points against Liverpool but also the injury that caused John Terry to leave the match after he collided with Luis Suarez. Terry was coming from a four match suspension, but with this injury he will likely spend more time off the pitch this season, a situation that will create a great challenge for Chelsea in their quest for the EPL title. Chelsea has 24 points so far, behind Manchester City with one point and Manchester United is at the top of the table with 27 points. Always fascinating stuff in the EPL given that there is not much gap between the teams at the top and the teams trailing them.

SLIDE TACKLE

BICYCLE KICK

Celtic did not park the bus

F.C. Barcelona At Glasgow

This was a spectacular game not only because of the atmosphere at Parkhead Stadium but also because Celtic is traditionally known a fighter fast team, and Wednesday night was not an exception. A header by Wanyama in minute 21 shock the visitors who usually kept possession of the ball most of the game. However, goals are the ones that define the game, and instead of Barca catching up Celtic would score a second goal at minute 83 as Anthony Watt captured a long ball that bounced off Xavi and run to effectively put the second one on the net. It wasn't a bad day for Barca at all, it's just that they were off target and Foster the Celtic goalkeeper did some world class saves that keep the visitors off the scoreboard. However, after many attempts and the constant movement of Barca did pay off in minute 90+ when Lionel Messi scored the only goal for the visitors. Celtic did not park the bus, meaning that they were not just playing defense and bunching up to defend their goal line but they were running the ball and constantly threatening Barca. It was definitely a great victory for Celtic FC given that it was the 125th anniversary of the club and they were happy to celebrate that by playing and defeating the Catalan giants. The victory was so meaningful for fans that even famous singer Rod Stewart had tears of joy at the end of the match. Barcelona still leading group G with 9 points followed by Celtic with 7. Most likely this two teams will move to the next round of the Champions League.

Ugly games, fun and weird day!

Why ugly games? Well, the scores do not reflect the outcome on the pitch.

Manchester United 2 vs Arsenal 0
Van Persie scored against his ex, his ex team that is. No mercy from Persie who spend 8 years with Arsenal. The Gunners visited Old Trafford to shake things up for the Red Devils. However, Man U opened the scoreboard in about 3 minutes of the first half with the agility of Robin Van Persie. It was painful for the Gunners to see their former striker score against them. It was a gift for RVP as the defender Thomas Vermaelen fail to clear the ball from the box, allowing RVP to put it in the lower right corner. There was not much creativity by both teams but some of the highlights include Rooney missed a penalty kick in minute 45+ and Patrice Evra scored the second goal for the Red Devils in minute 67. However, the Gunners would not back, and goalkeeper Javier de Gea helped the Red Devils maintain a clean sheet until minute 90+ when the visitors scored a deserved goal via the strike of Santi Cazorla.

FC Barcelona 3 vs Celta 1
The Catalans continue with an undefeated streak in La Liga, but this game should have had a different score as well. As usual, a spectacular atmosphere at Camp Nou, with thousands of fans chanting and displaying banners. FCB started with their fabulous passing skills to work on  and tried to open the scoreboard in the first 3 minutes with Fabregas trying a volley from 25 yards that goes wide. However, Celta had a fast pace, and in minute 19 they almost struck first when Alpas broke from the offside line and obliged keeper Victor Valdez to make a great save and to keep the scoresheet clean. Two minutes later, with a series of passes inside the box FCB struck first with Pedro crossing and Adriano sliding nicely to put it in the net. But Celta would strike back quickly, in an attack from right wing Lopez drove the ball forward and took a nice shot that was saved by Valez but Barmejo gets the rebound to make it 1-1. Yep, fans are like WHAT THE F#@# umm you get the idea. But a couple of minutes later FCB would get back in the lead with a nice give and go from Villa who passes it Iniesta to the left then Iniesta passed right back to Villa to make it 2-1. In minute 61, Jordi Alba made a nice goal getting around the goalkeeper after receiving a nice pass from Villa but i was clearly an offside. Messi did not score but it was always a threat for Celta .


Real Madrid 4 vs Zaragoza 0
This was game in which the host did not look good at the beginning. It was business as usual for los blancos at stadium Bernabeu, they were constantly attacking and pressuring on Zaragoza. But the visitors were putting up a good effort in keeping a clean scoresheet. But in minute 23 Zaragoza fail to clear a corner kick which Arbeloa headed in, it was blocked by goalkeeper Roberto, but Higuain was there to pick up the rebound. Two minutes later, as Madrid attacked from right, Angel de Maria took a shot that was blocked by Roberto but lucky di Maria as the ball landed in his feet for a rebound and Bam! Goal. Zaragoza was playing really good but were unable to find the net. Real Madrid added to the scoresheet on minute 89 and 90+ with Essien and Modric respectably. Ronaldo could not find the net this time, however he was constantly part of Real attempts against Zaragoza.


D.C. United 1 vs Red Bulls 1
I attended this game and it was a great atmosphere at the RFK stadium with the Screaming Eagles and the Barra Brava. This was a fun game to attend though it ended in a tie, when DC should have won it, but unfortunately Chris Pontius missed a penalty kick.

I had a little mishap early that day as I was planning to drive to the stadium but...
I found a little something in my car!

I was like ...................> what do I do?

After fixing my car I decided to take the metro

And then Finally at the stadium fun fun...
DC United played really good, created chances but unfortunately they couldn't find the net more than once... now we'll see what happens next week in New York facing the Red Bulls at their turf.

The Red Devils felt Blue in Overtime

What an explosive match this one was! The atmosphere at Stamford Bridge was impressive, the never-ending chants, the attacks and counter-attacks of each team. But at the end of the match Chelsea beat Manchester United 5-4 in overtime. At the end of the match the Red Devils were looking like this guy below.

And Chelsea was more like this one 

    

A classic match no doubt, but the ingredients were there: fast pace, goals, bookings, penalties and everything in between. After their defeat on Sunday 3-2 agains Man U, Chelsea would be looking for revenge at Stamford Bridge. However, it was a hell of a ride for the Blues because they were coming from behind as the Red Devils would not back down. Ryan Giggs opened the score sheet for Man U at minute 22 after a mistake by goalkeeper Petr Cech and defender Romeu. The pressure was on for the Blues, but they were always going forward and attacking, and at minute 31, a well-taken penalty by David Luiz would give Chelsea the equalizer. But at minute 43, another mistake by Chelsea, as Anderson gives a nice pass from half field to 'el chicharito' Hernandez who seems consistent in finding Chelsea's net. Again, the Blues were behind, but at minute 52 Chelsea levels again with a nice header by Gary Cahill. Not enough action yet! At minute 59, Nani scored a beautiful chipped goal which was a nice give and go teamwork with Anderson. But we're not done with goals yet! as the Blues would keep on the attack... And OMG! At minute 90+ a penalty given to Chelsea, and Eden Hazard makes it 3-3 and overtime here we go... In about five minutes Chelsea would make it 4-3 with a goal by Daniel Sturridge and they would be on the lead this time. But Chelsea is not done yet. After a series of yellow cards going in different directions, Ramires makes it 5-3 for the Blues but the Red Devils would find the net one more time via a penalty taken by Ryan Giggs. After this fierce classic battle, it was the Blues who defeated the Reds and get to move to the quarterfinals of the Capital One Cup. But what an exciting match this one was... And what an explosive atmosphere.

Say Hello to my Little Friend!

This is not an exclusive blog about Lionel Messi, but given that he's won the Golden Boot I decided to write back to back about the genius. Those of us who follow the game and have watched exceptional players that come and go would know that Messi is special. We've seen great plays with Ronaldinho, Ronaldo the Brazilian, Zinedine Zidane, Roberto Baggio among others who had made their mark in the world of football. However, Messi has scored 73 goals in 2012, meaning that he is only a couple of goals away from breaking Pele's records of 75 goals in 1959.

In Latin America, Messi is considered a 'phenomenon' just like Maradona and Pele. However, there are certain arguments that conclude that Messi has lifted every trophy except the World Cup. But, there are also analysis that conclude with today's game rolling at a faster pace and that the Champions League is more competitive than the World Cup. One thing is certain, and that is that we've seen Messi make unique decisions that have defined the winning game for country and club. Barcelona and Argentina fans would be saying "say hello to my little friend" when their striker makes a run and takes the ball to the net. At age 25, there is no doubt that we'll be seeing more magic from Messi.

Amazing Messi gets Golden Boot!

Messi the Genius...

The Argentine captain and Talisman of FC Barcelona keeps on adding trophies to his private collection. The soccer ace has been awarded his second Golden Boot for his amazing record of scoring the most goals last season in Europe.  Messi scored 50 goals for Barcelona; his previous Golden Boot was awarded in 2010 with 34 goals that helped the team win the Liga Title.  Messi also has won the prestigious Ballon d’Or award for individual player three times and is up on the list of contenders for this year.

At 25, Messi carries on to win the hearts of fans around the world. Recently, his performance with club and country has been extraordinary, FC Barcelona continues with an undefeated streak so far this season, and Argentina is leading the charts with 20 points in the World Cup qualifiers.  The beautiful game has seen many stars come and go, but Messi is simply amazing. 

The Bragging Rights go to Manchester United

GoooaaaaL

In a battle of the titans, Manchester United snatched 3 points from Chealsea at Stamford Bridge. Indeed, an important victory for the Red Devils, given that they have picked up injuries in previous games. But most importantly, this victory puts Man U just one point behind the Blues who are at the top of the table with 22 points. But the pressure is on for the other contenders of the Barclays Premier League Title as well. Manchester City also has 21 points, followed by Tottenham with 17 points.

It's exiting to watch the Premier League not only because of its world class players, but also because of the competitiveness among the teams. In this case, the bragging rights go to Manchester United after Javier (el chicharito) Hernandez struck a late goal against Chealse making it a 3-2 lead. This victory also ended the Red Devils' curse of not being able to win at Chelsea for a decade.

This is all from me and supersoccerplus. Have a good one!

Vamos United!

the biggest game at RFK returns

My hometown team DC United has a difficult task ahead today as they will be playing Chicago Fire at their turf. However, this is exiting news for the club and fans, because it has been since 2007 that DC United has not made it to playoffs. The glory days of DC United are not forgotten, I remember the days of Marco Etchevery, John Harkes, Eddie Pope, Raul Diaz Arce  among others who created a strong fan base for the club. Living in the DC area, it is definitely good news to see a home team on the playoffs, but it's definitely more exiting to be present at the RFK stadium and hear the non-stop chants of La Barra Brava and Screaming Eagles.

Playing against Chicago Fire at their turf is an uphill task. But a DC United victory or draw against Fire today would place the team in very good standing in the MLS Cup Playoffs. The last time these teams met was back in August here in Washington where United beat them 4-2. For that reason I say... Vamos United... The Blackout Returns!


.....

DC United Beats Red Bulls at New York on November 8th so it gets to advance to the Eastern Conference Final. The 1-0 result thanks to Nick DeLeon on the 88th minute was enough for DC United to move forward to play Houston Dynamo on Nov 18th.... Vamos United!!!

Not a good night for Real Madrid

Borussia Dortmund beats Real Madrid

The night showcased a fast-paced game in the so called Champions League group of death. Borussia Dortmund vs Real Madrid did not want to give an inch of opportunity to score, but in the 36 minutes the striker Robert Lewandowski opened the scoreboard for the German side. About two minutes later, a fast counterattack by the Spanish side would level the score to 1-1 thanks to the magnificent Ronaldo. 

The second half had the same pace as the first one, but it was the German side that ended up with the victory. In minute 64, Marcel Schmelzer scored the second goal for the home side formulated by the constant pressure of the Germans. Real Madrid will have to get back on track and try to go for glory on November 6, the date these two teams will meet again at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu. 
It's fascinating how these four teams ended up together in the same group, the group of death. Real Madrid actual champions of La Liga, Manchester City champions of the Premier League, Borussia Dortmund the champions of the Bundesliga, and Ajax the current crown holders of the Dutch league Eredivisie. 
We'll have to wait until 11/6 and 11/7 to see what other surprises these Champions League tournament will have for us. 
Have a Good One!!

A thrilling match!

What an amazing game this past weekend in Spain's La Liga between FC Barcelona and Deportivo La Coruña. The atmosphere was like a World Cup Final, and fans and viewers around the world were not prepared for such an epic and spectacular ride.
It was business as usual for Messi and company as they started thrashing Deportivo and were up 3-0 just under twenty minutes of the match. However, in soccer, a goal changes everything and that is exactly what happened as the game progressed. A well taken penalty shot by Pizzi brought Deportivo back into the game 3-1, and later a low shot deflected from goalkeeper Valdez made the score 3-2. But just before the first half ended superstar Messi would score his second goal of the night for a 4-2 lead.

Bucle up because the second half has started and this is where things got a little dramatic for Barcelona. About four minutes entering the second half Barcelona defender Macherano got ejected from the game for hitting an opponent on the face and Pizzi of Deportivo would take an amazing free kick to make the scoreboard 4-3 and Barcelona would play the rest of the match one man down. Not enough yet! the bar denied Messi his third of the night, but in order to keep the possession of the ball, Barcelona coach Vilanova brought in midfielder Xavi Hernandez. In the seventieth seven minute the magic of Messi would appear again, in midfield, he turned around controlling the ball with his left foot and charging forward at incredible pace to shoot into the bottom right corner and making his third goal of the night or hattrick 5-3. But hold down! We are not done here yet! Deportivo backed with their fans and chants continued to pressure on Barcelona and in an attempt to clear a long cross from left to right Jordi Alba defender of Barcelona scored an own goal making it 5-4. Certainly this match was a thrilling to watch and as the game ended the crowd was very satisfied.
And tha's all from me, until next time more notes will come about the beautiful game.