2011 Women's World Cup Final Report: USA v Japan

This 2011 Women's World Cup final embodied the drama, sorrow, and elation that earned soccer its moniker as "the beautiful game." Abby Wambach, who three matches earlier was branded an injury risk, was in her usual inspirational form with each match. Wambach scored decisive goals in the two preceding matches against Brazil and France. True to form the towering striker scored another crucial goal when her nation needed it: in overtime.

A 0-0 scoreline at halftime foreshadowed the drama to come. Lauren Cheney made way for Alex Morgan who represented the only change in a Starting XI that nearly scored three times in 45 minutes. Morgan strategically imposed her presence as a lead striker with Abby Wambach playing a deeper role. Ultimately, the California native opened her account in the 69 minute.

Japan's Aya Miyama pulled back a goal to keep the match interesting. Her 80th minute contribution left American jaws agape and Japanese fans smiling.

Miyama's effort simultaneously underscored the USWNT's fragile defense. Rachel Buehler, back from one match suspension, flailed at a tricky cross to no avail. Ali Kreiger, who scored the winning penalty against Brazil, was unable to clean up her teammate's error.

The high drama continued with two overtime goals from Abby Wambach and Homare Sawa. Despite the parity in scoreline, onlookers could see Japan was gaining strength.

However, penalty kicks dealt a permanent blow to America's heroines. With two early misses, Saki Kumagai eventually ended the USWNT quest for victory. One camera captured Pia Sundhage's pursed lips and sullen gaze in a moment that conveyed the thoughts of 11 American women standing arm in arm at midfield.

Verdict: A few of USWNT players will probably have rattled nerves they next time they don red, white, and blue. However, the match is an aberration in a tournament where America consistently proved it had heart. Still, Japan deserved to win as the USWNT defense crumbled before imploding during penalties.

Leave comments below sharing your thoughts about World Cup 2011! Keep up with my latest soccer tweets.

How Strong Are You?

There is something indomitable about the human spirit. Surely, we have all heard this assertion in one form or another, however one seldom considers it's truth. History provides no shortage of examples of individuals who are forever etched in our collective memory. From Kyle Maynard to Michael Jordan, moments past and present are saturated with determined people who rose to the occasion when it counted.

The question is: How strong are you?

Juventus Visits Inter Milan

Tonight’s match featured two of storied sides in Juventus and Internaziole. Pre-match previews surely focused on Quagreglia and Sneijder but neither showed up in the first half. Tactically, the match played like chess with the sides trading shots throughout.

The first half left Juventus fans frustrated. The visitors were up to the challenge of playing away from home however the La Vecchia Signora could not take the lead. A Milos Krasic cross found Iaquinta's feet and the net. The goal was called back quickly after the linesman saw the striker was offside. The sides went into half time level and each side hopeful.

In the 57^th minute, Samuel Eto’o imposed his presence with a 90-yard run that beat three defenders and ended with a disappointing lack of support. Two minutes later, Krasic nearly added to his recent form with a blistering shot from 30 yards out. A sprawling Julio Cesar parried the effort wide.

Alessandro Del Piero’s 65^th minute appearance made Quagliarella the primary forward target minute. The introduction infused bianconeri supporters with enthusiasm and his side with confidence but Juventus still lacked the scoring touch.

A 67^th minute Sneijder free kick provided a rare flashpoint as Storari fell victim to Lucio’s misaimed kick. Samuel Eto’o quickly lowered hot tempers and continued proceedings. Quagliarella took issue, after beating a high defensive line, to nearly put his ahead through a firm, low shot.

The 78th minute added to Diego Milito’s goal-scoring frustrations as Estaban Cambiasso chipped a delightful ball over the Juventus defense. The Argentina’s first touch complemented the effort but the second was wanting.

In the 80^th minute, Alberto Aquilani made way for the hard man Momo Sissoko to indicate Juventus’ comfort with a draw. Despite having 60% of the ball possession, Inter obliged to usher the match towards the final whistle quietly.

Starting XI:

Juventus

Storari, Chiellini, Bonucci, Grygera, Melo, Marchiso, Aquilani, De Ceglie, Krasic, Quagliarella, Iaquinta,

Inter Milan

Julio Cesar, Lucio, Chivu, Cordoba, Maicon, Cambiasso, Stankovic, Coutinho, Sneijder, Bianbany, Eto’o

AC Milan v S.S. Lazio Match Report

Roman Club S.S. Lazio hosted AC Milan in a clash with several story lines flowing through the fixture. A resurgent Zlatan Ibrahimovic started for the visitors, Lazio's stadium formerly hosted events during the 1960 summer Olympics, and AC Milan new boy Robinho graced the field. It was a game of two halves with the first proving to be more pedestrian than the second.

After a slow start, the second half was full of flair. In the 66th minute, Ibrahimovic opened the scoring as the Lazio defence were beaten by the Swede's speed. He beat a desperate tackle from the keeper and poked the ball in from 12 yards out. Following a pair of goals in the Champions League Milan supporters will be encouraged seeing his third goal in three matches.

Lazio were not to be outdone. Hernanes sped passed Thiago Silva and Nesta to cross a perfect ball to a streaking Floccari. The 81st minute goal threatened to turn the game on its head as the Romans searched for a second goal.

In the 88th minute, Zambrotta delivered a powerful shot that struck the underside of the bar and bounced out. Moments later, Lazio responded in kind with a Floccari effort that beat Abbiati but trickled just wide.

Robinho's late introduction did not provide the desired impetus as Milan settled for a 1-1 draw. Lazio deserved the resulted. Still, the Rossoneri will have to sort out how they let the game slip away.

Have your say: Is this result the first crack in AC Milan's armor?

Goals:

Ibrahimovic 66'

Floccari 81'

Starting XI

AC Milan

Abbiati, Thiago Silva, Nesta, Zambrotta, Abate, Gattuso, Pirlo, Seedorf, Boateng, Ronaldinho,

Ibrahimovic

S.S. Lazio

Maslera, Dias, Biava, Radu, Ledesma, Brocchi, Floccari, Hernanes, Foggia, Cavanda, Mauri

Substitutions (In/Out):

AC Milan:

Flamini/ Gattuso 69'

Antonini/Abate 83'

Robinho/Sedorf 87'

S.S. Lazio:

Rocchi/Foggia 74'

Zarate/Mauri 79'

Lichtsteiner/ Cavanda 87'

Arsenal vs Braga Match Report

Arsenal opened the Champions League campaign against Portuguese side Braga at the Emirates. The Gunners took full advantage of their fans' enthusiasm as they riled up the crowd with an 9th minute penalty kick following a reckless foul on Marouane Chamakh. The men in red followed up with an a great move to double their lead.

Jack Wilshere played a brilliant match setting up the third Arsenal goal with a delightful back heel to Marouane Chamakh. The 18-year old showed a swagger that the Gunners embodied on the weekend's 2-1 win against Bolton. The youngster combined with Cesc Fabregas to great effect. Like Kaka and Seedorf, he was the fulcrum of the midfield.

Braga threatened to get back into the game with their striker, Mattheus, kept Koscielny and Squillaci alert. The side, off a 3-2 loss against Porto FC, clearly struggled against Arsenal's deft passing. When Hugo Viana was subbed for Mossoro in the 54th minute, the Portugeuse appeared to put up the shutters.

After halftime, Arshavin turned from scorer to provider. The Arsenal midfielder chipped a nice ball captain Cesc Fabregas who obliged with a spot on header. With Vela's 63rd minute introduction, Arsenal did not slow down as the Mexico international grabbed a goal that is sure to boost his confidence. Following the Arsenal hat trick, Andrei Arshavin sought his second inclusion on the score sheet but settled for an assist to Vela. The younger Arsenal striker later doubled his tally on 85 minutes.

The Emirates faithful were in full voice tonight. More importantly, Arsenal looked the part. If the Gunners can consistently replicate their delicious form, there is no telling how far they will go.

Players to watch against Sunderland: Samir Nasri and Laurent Koscielny

Have your say: Has Wenger finally gotten it right?

Starting XI:

Arsenal

Almunia, Sagna, Koscielny, Squillaci, Clichy, Nasri, Song, Fabregas, Wilshere, Arshavin, Chamakh

Braga

Felipe, Miguel Garcia, Moises, Rodriguez, Silvio, Vandinho, Aguiar, Hugo Viana, Alan, Matheus, Paulo Cesar

Goals:

Fabregas 9' (Pen)

Arshavin 30'

Chamakh 36'

Fabregas 53'

Substitution (In/Out):

55'

Mossoro/Miguel Hugo Viana

60'

Lima/Mattheus

63'

Vela/Chamakh

Denilson/Alex Song

70'

Emmanuel Eboue/ Andrei Arshavin

Hashtags For Soccer (Football) News On Twitter

During the last three months, I have regularly spread soccer gossip and news throughout the Twittersphere. Twitter is a great source for breaking news as information is pushed out quickly. The soccer community focuses primarily on disseminating updates, but there a few Twitter pundits that will engage you in the familiar debate about the Big Four or the Bottom Three.

I enjoy sharing soccer news more than the next person and noticed there isn't really a cohesive hashtag procedure among soccer news tweets. Last December, an astute observer noted the same obstacle in a Bigsoccer.com post about MLS Teams. There is a fledgling list of MLS-specific hashtags to keep up with MLS team news. In June, another blogger gave World Cup teams a go.

My axe to grind is far more basic. Anyone in the world should be able to find soccer news, in the English language, using a predictable and predetermined set of hashtags. This simple formula guides my tagging guidelines: sport (#soccer) + league (#EPL) + Associated Club(s) (#Arsenal #Fulham) + Broad Word (usually #news, #Wenger). I currently use the hashtags below but welcome additional feedback about preferred hashtags:

Leagues

• English Premier League = #EPL
• Scottish Premier League = #SPL
• French League = #Ligue1
• German League = #Bundesliga
• Italian League = #SerieA

Clubs:

• Arsenal Football Club = #Arsenal
• Manchester Football Club = #ManU, #MUFC
• Chelsea Football Club = #Chelsea, #CFC
• Liverpool Football Club = #LFC
• Aston Villa Football Club = #AVFC, #Villa
• Fulham Football Club = #Fulham, #Cottagers
• Tottenham Hotspur Football Club = #Tottenham
• Manchester City Football Club = #MCFC
• Blackpool Football Club = #BFC
• Birmingham Football Club = #Birmingham
• Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club = #Wolverhampton
• Sunderland Football Club = #Sunderland
• Bolton Football Club = #Bolton
• Newcastle Football Club = #NUFC
• Everton Football Club = #Everton, #Toffees, #EFC
• Blackburn Rovers Football Club = #BRFC
• West Bromwich Albion Football Club = #WBA, Baggies
• Wigan Athletic Football Club = #Wigan
• Stoke City Football Club = #Stoke
• West Ham United Football Club = #Westham

Unless a team was recently relegated from the English Premier League, I seldom tweet about the Coca-Cola Championship. Again, I welcome comments about how the aforementioned hashtags could be more accurate or suggestions based on tags you currently use.

Cheers,

@bellsworld

Arsenal Beat Blackburn 2-1

Arsenal and Blackburn have met 116 times in all competitions. Today’s match was not a test of talent as much as it was a battle of tactics. Meetings between Arsene Wenger and Sam Allardyce are regularly frustrating affairs as the Frenchman often struggles to beat his counterpart. While at Bolton, Allardyce utilized El-Hadj Diouf and Nicolas Anelka, to make trips to the Reebok Stadium a headache. In May Blackburn, with Allardyce at the helm, beat Arsenal 2-1.

The Gunners opened their account early when Theo Walcott finished a brilliant move. Walcott’s 20th minute strike, similar to his first goal against Blackpool, was Arsenal’s eighth in just three games. The impressive goals to games ratio could not hide their infamously porous defence that conceded goals in their last 10 league and cup away matches.

Blackburn responded with a 26th minute goal from M.B Diouf. Blackburn, devoid of perennial thorn Anelka, still put Arsenal to the test. The Gunners succumbed to El-Hadj Diouf’s speed on the width. The Senegal international breezed passed Koscielny and drew the ball back to the younger Diouf who obliged.

In the first half, Arsenal gave away more than the lead as Robin Van Persie came off with an ankle injury. The Holland international was replaced my Maroune Chamakh, a clear choice in Bendtner’s absence. The first half concluded with few fireworks and set the stage for an interesting second 45 minutes.

Andrei Arshavin clearly stated Arsenal’s intentions with his 50th minute goal off a Bacary Sagna cross. The Mad Russian’s strike settled the game and gave control to the men in red.

Blackburn rebuffed efforts from Walcott, Chamakh, and Arshavin. After falling behind again, Rovers could not eke out another goal. Sam Allardyce, as usual, had done his homework but Wenger’s side were clearly better on the day.

Man of the Match: Theo Walcott

Substitutions (In > Out):

Arsenal
Maroune Chamakh > Robin Van Persie (34)
Tomas Rosicky > Cesc Fabregas (68)
Wilshere > Arshavin (84)

Blackburn
David Dunne > Vincenzo Grella (56)
Martin Olsson > Nikola Klasnic (65)

Bookings:
Gael Givet (73)

Highlights:

Tigers Tame City

A relieved Phil Brown walked away from today's match with a little less weight on his mind. The 2-1 win over Manchester City, move Hull out of the relegation zone but not out of danger. In the next 16 days Tigers will play 5 matches that will likely determine whether they remain in the EPL. If today is any indicator Brown's boys just may beat the drop.

Hull snatched the extended their lead after a 54th minute strike from George Boateng. The Ghanaian latched on to a poorly cleared corner from 18 yards out. The emphatic strike, enhanced by the Tiger's faithful, made City's comeback increasingly dubious.

Minutes later City responded but never really looked like the could take the lead. Standout performances by Jozy Altidore, Stephen Hunt and Jan Venegoor of Hesselink halted the men in blue.

Surely, the former will gain the most from today's win. Altidore has struggled to adapt to Hull and Phil Brown since he arrived on loan from Villareal in August. Today's effort was the American's first EPL goal in 19 appearances and lifted Hull to their first win in 11 games.

In the latter stages, Carlos Tevez embodied City's fighting spirit on the day. The Argentine won challenges while creating chances for a lackluster Adebayor. Despite a late flurry of attempts the Tigers stood firm until the whistle blew after 93 minutes.

In other news, Liverpool won the morale-building Merseyside derby 1-0. The win continues a 25 game win streak against the Evertonians. Manchester United further humbled Portsmouth in a 5-0 route.

Break Free

Often we equate fairness with some sort of parity however the world shows us this merely chimerical. Examples abound, from relationships or work, of things that seem unfair. This notion comes from conventional wisdom that espouses balance as equity.

Circumstances do not need to change. Rather, one must reframe one's perception and respond accordingly. When you push back against the problem you will probably fail on the first few attempts. However this exercises your creativity and makes one mentally agile for the future. In short, outsmart your problem.

Here are some tips to finding a solution:

• Do not react. Emotions can cloud your judgement and inspire a counterproductive response.
• Exhaust all possible solutions. The answer may not appear clear immediately however a quick brainstorm session creates.
• Think creatively. The most obvious answer is not always the best one.
• Stay positive. Commit yourself to finding a solution from the onset. A positive outlook is the common denominator between success and failure.

Until next time,

M

You Mean They Don't Do This All Year?

So much has transpired since my last post! Today was deadline day for all EPL player transfers with Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United sticking to their guns. None of the Big Four decided to increase their payrolls or dole out several million pounds on last-minute prospects.

However, Tottenham snapped up Croatian midfielder Niko Kranjcar, who previously topped Arsenal's short list, beating out interest from Everton. This is yet another example of Harry "Houdini" attracting quality talent. Surely, the ex-Portsmouth player will be in pleased to leave Pompey's sinking ship and bolster the Tottenham midfield.

Everton made amends acquiring Johnny Heitinga from Athletico Madrid for 6M pounds. The 25 year old is a versatile defender that can play defensive midfield when called upon. He should fill in nicely for the void at center back due to Joleon Lescott's absence. I am interested to see how well he adapts to the Premier League as the Eiredivisie is nearly a universe away in playing style.

Well, continue to check regularly for football(soccer) updates, musings, and additional miscellaneous information. I will try to update the page more regularly as I have more time with Fall's arrival.

Cheers!

'Round and 'Round We Go...

It's official. The summer merry-go-round known as the summer transfer window has begun. With Fabio Cannavaro and Ricardo Kaka making early moves one must wonder who will top these big names with each club vying for its own coup. Surely, Real Madrid will be the team to watch this summer as Florentino Perez looks to usher in the galacticos redux at the Barnabeu.

Apart from the usual surround Adebayor, Drogba, and Eto'o, this summer could see Javier Mascherano moving from Anfield to La Liga Champions Barcelona. Apparently the player's agent fancies a move enough though his client said he wanted to fight for a starting spot with the Reds. More notably, Brazilian Alexandre Pato may follow Carlo Ancelotti to Chelsea in a rather puzzling move. Kaka's absence must have unsettled the promising forward. That said the transfer period is still young so anything can happen.

In other news, England is finally turning up now that they have new management. The boys in white seem to have a cautious spring in their step although a win again Khazjikstan should be moot given England's quality.

That's all for now. Stay tuned for updates regarding possible moves by Ibrahimovic (Inter Milan), Ribery (Bayern Munich), Ronaldo (Manchester United), David Villa (Valencia) and Fabregas (Arsenal)!

Cheers,

M