Just threw some pics up on flickr from some of my summer activities. A lot seem to be sports related – like this shot from the Sounders vs. Chivas USA game above.

Lemme know what you think.

Link

Props to Garth Davis for this very creative skate vid starring Steve Berra and his crew on the streets of Mexico City. Even with out the ill effects, this is some pretty incredible stuff.

Rolled from GT (a la Joel)

As we launch into the final 8 games and final 8 teams of the African World Cup, there probably isn’t quite as much to be gained from ranking the remaining squads. There are at least 5 teams with a realistic chance of winning it all – and after this weekend there will be 4 teams with a chance, no matter who comes through. Instead I want to take a quick look at an odd phenomenon that maybe isn’t as random as it seems.

The English Premier League is without a doubt the biggest professional soccer league. The best players for the majority of teams competing in the Copa ply their trade in the EPL. Yet out of 105 EPL players who started this tournament, only 13 are left. For you number lovers, 14.2% of the players in the Cup play in the EPL, 25% of the total players are left, but only 7% of the remaining players play there. To top it all off, the biggest star left in the Cup, Liverpool’s Spanish star Fernando Torres, is having an awful tournament. Arsenal’s Dutch goal machine Robin Van Persie isn’t doing much better and their Spanish play maker Cesc Fabregas can’t even get spot in the starting XI. With big guns like Rooney, Lampard, Gerrard, Drogba, Anelka, and Vidic all eliminated, that leaves just one bonafied EPL star alive and doing well in the World Cup. That man is Manchester City striker and Argentine star Carlos Tevez – who scored 2 key goals in Argentina’s Round of 16 win over Mexico.

So what is going on? Everyone knows that the England National Team couldn’t get their shiz together – and I think we need to start by looking there. The EPL being such a big and important league with so much money at stake, it seems that the EPL stars have allowed their priorities to switch to their clubs’ success. Even in a world cup year, any given star might only play some 10-15 games in their national jersey. By contrast, a successful club team will expect upwards of 50+ appearances from a healthy star, not to mention all that additional time in training. With annual competitions like the EPL title, FA Cup, and especially the Champions League, the world of soccer has created an extremely competitive and exciting landscape. But the downside is that the world’s biggest players are quite simply distracted when it comes to performing for their countries. Want more proof? Just look at the what is quite possibly the second biggest league in the World: Italy’s Serie A. No surprise that every single player from Italy’s anemic 2010 National Squad call Serie A home.

My picks for the Quarters:

Brazil over Holland. Can the Dutch potentially win? Absolutely. Will they? I just don’t think so. Robben might have a shot at scoring one of his magical goals from outside, but apart from that I just don’t see the Dutch penetrating the Brazilian back line.

Uruguay over Ghana. Ghana might put up a fight but I don’t think they will find the net. Uruguay’s Suarez and Forlan are simply dynamite together.

Argentina over Germany. We are getting an early final here with arguably the two teams in the best form matching up in the quarters. Will Messi finally find the score card? It doesn’t really matter with both Tevez and Higuain playing next to him. I just don’t see them giving in.

Spain over Paraguay. There is a bit of an upset chance here unless Spain starts to turn it on. I think they will do what they need to do to beat P.guay – but with Argentina awaiting them in the Semis, the fun might not last for la Furia Roja.

What a wild group stage of the World Cup it has been! Two huge power houses have gone home in France and Italy. Spain was facing an early exit today as well (which would have been a much bigger upset), but did what they needed to and move on as a still heavy fave. But of course the big story of the the final group games was the incredible USA finish! It may all be house money now, but we have a real chance to beat Ghana and keep the train rolling.

The power rankings for the final 16 were a bit harder, especially down towards the bottom. But I had to look at match ups and who was likely to advance. I’ll break it down after the list. Again, numbers are my rankings from the last go around.

1. Argentina (1)
2. Netherlands (3)
3. Spain (4)
4. Brazil (2)
5. Uruguay (7)
6. Germany (6)
7. USA (8)
8. Japan (15)
9. Portugal (6)
10. Mexico (17)
11. England (13)
12. Paraguay (10)
13. Chile (9)
14. South Korea (18)
15. Ghana (16)
16. Slovakia (28)

Uruguay vs. South Korea – Uruguay is one of only 2 teams to not allow a single goal in the group stage (Portugal being the other). The South American teams are rolling and I see Uruguay continuing the trend with their great defense and goal scoring duo of Forlan and Suarez just starting to heat up. South Korea is a well organized team but they looked less than dominant in their 2-2 draw with Nigeria. I don’t think they have what it will take to beat Uruguay – but I’d rather have USA face them than Uruguay in the Quarters, so go South Korea!

USA vs. Ghana – Who would have thought the USA would win our group and avoid Germany? Ghana is fast but they are young and I think our experience will get us through the round. But Ghana has the x-factor of having all of Africa behind them (lotta good that did the African teams in the group stage). Anything can happen, but USA wants it every bit as much if not more than Ghana.

Germany vs. England – Germany looked so dominant in their first game but then fell way off. They barely beat Ghana on the strength of my new favorite German Mesut Özil. Lucky for them, England has been less than stellar as well. All either team needs is one of their incredible super stars to heat up and it will be lights out. Will it be Rooney, Gerard, Lampard or Klose, Podolski, or Muller? I’m giving the nod to Germany but it could be in PKs.

Argentina vs. Mexico – Mexico is playing well and I can’t wait to see Javi Hernandez playing for Manchester United, but they have the unfortunate task of facing Argentina who tops my power rankings for a second time after another dominant performance over Greece. It makes me happy that new guns like Hernandez and Vela are bringing a positive face to our southern border rivals (Blanco can choke on a Tecate can and die) but I won’t be too sad to see them exit at the hands of the Albiceleste. But come on Messi, let’s see some knockout round magic!

Netherlands vs. Slovakia – I didn’t give Slovakia any credit (had them at 28) but their showing against Italy was awesome. Vittek is playing lights out. However they are going up against The Netherlands who are the only team other than Argentina to finish the group stage with a perfect 9. Guess what, they didn’t drop a point in qualification either. The Dutch ain’t losing – especially to Slovakia. Robben even saw the pitch Thursday which means only good things for the Oranje as they look toward a tough Quarter final against Brazil.

Brazil vs. Chile Question… What happened to that beautiful samba football? I couldn’t even stay awake during that snorefest versus Portugal. Maybe Dunga is a brilliant tactician but the boys gotta play if they are going to win. Chile was just as unimpressive in their draw with Spain – wait they lost..? whatever – no one even tried in the last half hour. Chile came in second in CONMEBOL qualifying but lost both their matches with Brazil. I imagine they’ll lose this one too unless they get some serious inspiration before Monday.

Paraguay vs. Japan Wow! Hello Japan! The Blue Samurai are playing incredible football right now and Keisuke Honda might be the hottest player in the tourney. All three of their goals against Denmark were great but that Honda free kick was something else. Paraguay looked great in their first 2 games, but the 0-0 draw with New Zealand was unimpressive. If Japan plays the way they did yesterday, then P.guay doesn’t stand a chance.

Spain vs. Portugal A Round of 16 Iberian derby is an exciting prospect but neither team has been playing to their full potential. Yes I know Portugal put in 7 against North Korea but their draw with Brazil was lackluster and Ronaldo seems to be out to lunch. Spain has so many good players that they should win every match 6-0. Even with Torres cold as ice (I say bench him… and then sell him to Chelsea for half their squad), they should be able to easily put down the pretty boys.

The Copa really heated up with the second round of group play this week. There are some pretty exciting story lines (success of the Americas) and some pretty pathetic ones as well (ahem, France). Probably the most disappointing trend is how poorly the African nations are performing. Not only does it look like this will be the first knockout stage without a host country, it is very possible this will be the first knockout stage with out a country from the host continent. I’ll break it all down group by group – but first here are my updated power rankings. Two teams have been eliminated (Cameroon and North Korea), so the list is down to 30. The numbers after the team are their rank in my last go around.

1. Argentina (3)
2. Brazil (4)
3. Netherlands (2)
4. Spain (8)
5. Germany (1)
6. Portugal (17)
7. Uruguay (14)
8. USA (12)
9. Chile (11)
10. Paraguay (9)
11. Serbia (20)
12. Italy (6)
13. England (5)
14. Switzerland (15)
15. Japan (13)
16. Ghana (7)
17. Mexico (21)
18. South Korea (10)
19. Denmark (23)
20. Slovenia (22)
21. New Zealand (26)
22. Ivory Coast (18)
23. South Africa (19)
24. Greece (31)
25. Australia (30)
26. Algeria (32)
27. France (16)
28. Slovakia (24)
29. Honduras (29)
30. Nigeria (28)

Group A – Everyone was saying that France had scored an easy draw when they found themselves in South Africa’s group. Well, they have managed to blow it. Weak leadership has found les Bleus in complete meltdown mode scoring zero goals in the first two matches and earning themselves a #27 ranking. Although they aren’t completely out of it, they need a win with a blow out margin, which just doesn’t seem possible from this squad. While it is just as much of a long shot, South Africa still has a chance to go through. If they manage to defeat France and can pull a combined goal differential of 5 (goals they score minus goals France score plus the goal differential of whoever wins the other game), they will be through. It is a long shot, but I am pulling for them. What seems far more likely is that Uruguay and Mexico will go through with a draw or with one team winning by a close margin. I’m picking Uruguay who made short work of the South African team that Mexico struggled against.

Group B – As evidenced by my ranking, this group is all about Argentina. The big fear coming in was Maradona – but things seem to be going superbly between the players and him and his tactics have been sound. They should defeat Greece easily and advance through on 9 points. Just think, Messi hasn’t even started to score yet. I’m giving the second place nod to South Korea who didn’t look completely awful against Argentina. I don’t see them beating Uruguay in the Round of 16, but they can surely handle Nigeria who just needs to go home.

Group C – USA! USA! If you had given me this scenario at the beginning of the Cup, I would have taken it in a second. Yeah I know we should be on 4 pts but I’ll take controlling our own destiny (forgive) against Algeria any day. We just need to win – and we can win – and we will win. The craziest part of this group is the England story. Who would have thought they would find themselves on 2 pts with a measly 1 goal scored? I am predicting a draw against Slovenia, which would see England exit. If that happens – or even in the more likely event England beats Slovenia – and we beat Algeria, the USA would advance as winner of our group. The irony is that we still might have to play Germany if they come in second in Group D. Don’t count out Slovenia, though. They advance with a win or a draw – and if they draw and we draw, then so do we!

Group D – There is no doubt that Germany was the big scary team after round 1, but Serbia (with the help of an over zealous referee) made das Hermans look not so tough. Still, all the Germans have to do to advance as group winners is beat Ghana and hope Serbia doesn’t make up a 3 pt goal dif. Seems quite likely. Ghana might be the highest ranked African squad, but I’m afraid that just isn’t going to be enough to beat the Germans. That means Ghana needs to pray to the Soccer Gods that Australia holds Serbia to a draw (or defeat). It is possible but not likely. I see Serbia advancing in 2nd and the Socceroos heading home.

Group E – The Dutch have not been the most convincing team on the pitch, but they have gotten it done and are the first team to clinch a berth in the Round of 16. Sorry Cameroon. Eto’o got his goal but no one else showed up. We’ll see if they have a little African pride on show in their final game. The big game of the group is Japan vs. Denmark in a battle for 2nd (or a possible but very unlikely 1st). Denmark has the momentum but Japan advances on the draw with a point better goal dif – which they might need as these two squads could be pretty evenly matched.

Group F – No South American team has lost a game in this Southern Hemisphere Copa and Paraguay is another team playing very well. With their final game against New Zealand, they look very likely to take their group. The Kiwis played valiantly against Italy (and Slovakia), but the fun stops here for the rugby nation. While Italy has looked far from superior as cup holders, they are certain to get their shit together to beat the very disappointing Slovakia and advance from the group as runners-up – setting them up for an exciting showdown with The Netherlands.

Group G – Not quite the “group of death” many had hoped for, the group has at least provided some very entertaining matches. North Korea played 135 minutes of very admirable football, but it all came crashing down in the second half against Portugal. I can’t wait to see the news reports that the feed cut out in the middle of the match back in Pyongyang and the newspapers the next day reported a win. It would take a complete miracle for Ivory Coast to make up the 9 pt goal differential with Portugal, so it is pretty much curtains for them as well. What a shame. That leaves a huge final match between Brazil and Portugal. They aren’t just playing for pride either as the loser (or Portugal in the event of a draw) will likely face Spain in the Round of 16. Who knows, maybe Portugal will come out with the guns still blazing. Regardless, this should be a great match.

Group H – The final group presents the most interesting scenarios. Chile holds the pole position and is the only team to “control their own destiny” – but they have to play Spain. Where it gets confusing is if Spain beats Chile and Switzerland beats Honduras. That puts all three teams on 6 points and it comes down to the margins of victory for Switzerland and Spain. Suddenly Chile’s position doesn’t look so good if they lose and either of those margins is more than a point. In one scenario it would even come down to a coin toss! If Spain does lose or draw, then they are likely out – which would be an even bigger shocker than England or France. Honduras needs to win by a big margin and hope Spain do as well if they have a shot to advance. I see Switzerland beating Honduras – but who knows by how much. This group will come down to the wire.

Here are my personal power rankings for each of the 32 competing national teams after watching each game in the first round of group play. These rankings are based on a number of factors including quality of play, strength of squad, results of first game, opposing team, potential, and more. The number next to each team is their Official FIFA Ranking going into the tourney.

I’ll give some more explanation on the next go around, but I just wanted to get these out there now. Germany is pretty obviously everyone’s choice for numero uno – but they definitely did look the best. I was most impressed by the play through the midfield by Mesut Özil, a complete unknown to me coming in. While some of the faves had poor first games (Spain, France, Portugal), they are by no means out of it and with the talents on their squads could still go all the way. I thought the USA looked great – but with the strength of Germany, we need to really show up against Slovenia Friday to make a play for the group win.

Here are my rankings. Check out my Statistics Companion if you want some more numbers thrown your way.

1. Germany (6)
2. Netherlands (4)
3. Argentina (7)
4. Brazil (1)
5. England (8)
6. Italy (5)
7. Ghana (32)
8. Spain (2)
9. Paraguay (31)
10. South Korea (47)
11. Chile (18)
12. USA (14)
13. Japan (45)
14. Uruguay (16)
15. Switzerland (24)
16. France (9)
17. Portugal (3)
18. Ivory Coast (27)
19. South Africa (83)
20. Serbia (15)
21. Mexico (17)
22. Slovenia (25)
23. Denmark (36)
24. Slovakia (34)
25. North Korea (105)
26. New Zealand (78)
27. Cameroon (19)
28. Nigeria (21)
29. Honduras (38)
30. Australia (20)
31. Greece (13)
32. Algeria (30)

It took a bit longer than I hoped, but I’ve put together a whole slew of statistics on each of the 32 teams competing RIGHT NOW in South Africa. The idea is to have this handy while watching the Copa for a quick reference on each player’s international and club experience. There are bound to be a number of errors in this thing. Let me know if you find any that should be fixed.

Download the PDF (460KB)

Wow! It is really here. At long last. The World Cup kicks off one week from today when South Africa hosts Mexico. Where are YOU going to be?

Check out these great posters (and the links on the side) commissioned for the Copa and count the seconds until 7:00AM PST.

thx Matt

A few of us have been singing the praises of JFT (Jose Francisco Torres) for months and months and he is finally going to get a really great chance to shine for the USA in South Africa. He play 45 minutes against Turkey last Saturday and his performance was stellar. 723FootballFilms put together this little clip of every touch. Here’s a vote for a starting spot come June 12 in Rustenberg.

Via TheFinalThird

Just wow. I have no problem calling this my favorite advertisement of all time. Huge soccer stars, World Cup, Kobe, and a sick sick concept.

Can you name everyone?

Jump to find MY LIST OF STARS and see BEHIND THE SCENES

I’m dealing with dial up – so here are some lo-res thoughts on today’s World Cup Preliminary Roster announcements.

For more info, visit these links at SBI: USA’s 30 Man Roster | Int’l World Cup Prelim Roster Day | What’s next for Davies?

Charlie Davies – The big news is that Charlie Davies was deemed unfit for the USA squad. It is a shame but it was always a long shot. The fact that he still isn’t cleared from his club team Sochaux made it an easy decision. While all USA fans are sad to see him fall short, he is only 23 and he’s gonna be a force in USA soccer for the next 8 years for sure. All things considered, I’m really not all that upset – especially with the way Edson Buddle has been playing (alongside Landon Donovan no less).

USA Squad – Thank god Gooch is there! While his rehab hasn’t finished in time to get him back on to the field with AC Milan, it looks like he should be able to lead the USA backfield onto the field in South Africa – we might be in real trouble if he isn’t. It was a toss up between a number of midfielders with Kyle Beckerman getting the short end. This is probably because Robbie Rogers is more dangerous at attacking from the left – a skill that will prove very necessary if DeMarcus Beasley has a weak camp. Only one of those two will likely go and my money is on Beasley. I thought that Conor Casey would get the call over the injured Brian Ching (do you really want to see either of them enter the game in late important minutes?) but apparently Ching is expected to be fit. I’m assuming he makes the 23-man squad since he made this list. Eddie Johnson, huh? Well he won’t likely go. Remember, Bob Bradley has to cut 7 more players before June 1!

Here’s my guess at the Cut List:
Definitley gone: Heath Pearce, Chad Marshall, Eddie Johnson, Robbie Rogers
Bubble (3 of 4 will be gone): Alejandro Bedoya, Sasha Kljestan, Robbie Findley, Herculez Gomez
Bob Bradley also has the option of dropping his 7th Defender (likely Clarence Goodson or even Jonathan Bornstein) and then keep one of those last 4. Sasha and Gomez seem the most likely to make it – but it is going to come down to who plays best over the next few weeks.

England – It is cool to see Joe Cole make the squad, but I don’t think he’ll make the cut to 23. It is too bad Carlton Cole didn’t nab a striker spot as he is a rising young talent and the experience would have done him a lot of good – especially since Emile Heskey is over the hill. Scott Parker won’t make it and Tom Huddlestone might not either, but Fabio Capello should definitely take Adam Johnson. The young right winger has been on fire for Manchester City. It is interesting to see Jamie Carragher come out of National Team retirement. Shows you England is really hurting at defense. Finally, Wayne Bridge is a bitch. John Terry shacked up with his girl and so he protests by not going to the World Cup?! Dude, you gotta get your priorities straight.

Brazil – While I’m not surprised Ronaldinho didn’t make the squad, it is still a shame. But the real shame is the exclusion of young striker Pato. Regardless, Brazil is going to be really, really hard to beat.

Argentina – Lisandro Lopez is an amazing player and they should have taken him – simple as that. But this team is stacked! Messi, Tevez, Kun Aguerro, Diego Milito, and Higuain… gimme a break!. The real question is if super-douche Maradona can get them to play like a team.

France – How do you not take Karim Benzema? If he had stayed at Lyon instead of being a $30M bench warmer at Real Madrid, he would have made the squad. Still, Le Bleu has the personnel to be pretty nasty.

Spain – Wow… I don’t see where you can cut 7 players. Spain is definitely the team to beat.

29 days to the Copa!!

World soccer teams take to the field today in celebration of the countdown reaching double digits. 99 days to the Copa Mundial!!

This anthem is pretty sick.

Artist MADSTEEZ has completed one of the sickest mural’s I’ve ever seen and what’s best, it is all soccer! Even better – it’s in LA! I gotta go see this thing with my own eyes.

Thx Addy

The torch may have been extinguished, but before the post-Olympic hangover really kicks in, I’d like to share a few of my favorite memories from the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. You won’t find anything on this list about NBC’s atrocious coverage (though NPR has a great article). Al Michaels’s daytime drinking might have been a fun diversion, but Costas’s constant head movement and witticisms grew old very quickly. You also won’t find anything here about choke artist John Shuster and his despicable performance for USA Curling. And I certainly have nothing good to say about Ice Dancing. No activity that involves twizzles should be an Olympic sport. While there might have been those few lows, overall the games were incredibly enjoyable – and successful for Team USA. Here are the moments I will remember most:

Hannah Kearney Gets Team USA Going
The first gold medal for the USA came in the Women’s Freestyle Moguls on the first full day of competition. Canada’s Jennifer Heil had laid down a killer run and everyone was thinking Canada might break their home gold drought on day one. But along came Hannah Kearney who threw down an absolutely perfect run and took the gold away with ease. Canada only had to wait one day for Alex Bioldeau to win the men’s turn down the bumps. They went on to win 14 golds on their home soil, topping the gold chart with 4 more than their closest competitor.

Sven “Drama” Kramer
Say it so it rhymes. I was truly touched when Dutch speed skating star Sven Kramer jumped into the crowd after winning the 5000m and hugged his family. Then a few days later, Kramer made headlines again when he asked NBC’s Andrea Kremer if she was stupid for not knowing who he was (video here). But the icing on the cake was in the 10,000m (Kramer’s best event). While setting a time that would assure him the gold, Kramer made an illegal lane change on the insistence of his coach and was DQ’ed! The worst part is that Kramer knew it was wrong but made the move anyway. Kramer came back and won a Bronze with Holland in the Team Pursuit a few days later.

The Glory of Curling
Anyone who has watched much of the games with me knows how bitten by the curling bug I have become (especially when it comes to Brit-Skip Eve Muirhead). I had heard it was a great game but really had no idea just how complex and exciting it is. It is often dubbed “chess on ice” because of all the strategy that goes into planning your shots out many throws in advance. But the huge element necessary in curling but not in chess is execution. After you figure out what you want to do, you still gotta be able to do it. I had a whole lot of fun watching and am hoping it starts to get some more non-Olympic TV coverage… especially the women’s UK team.

Canada Has Trouble Making Ice
One of the funniest moments came a few days in when speed skating was delayed because of problems with the surface of the ice. Three ice surfacing machines (notably not name brand Zambonis) malfunctioned at the Richmond Oval and it took “chief ice maker” Mark Messer over an hour to get it right. And here I thought it was Canada that invented ice.

Shaun White Simply Dominates
Love him or hate him, the guy is truly amazing. The first run White threw down was good enough to win him the gold (hell his prelim run was probably good enough) – but he still came back and laid down the sickest half pipe run ever seen in competition. There really isn’t anyone who can even get close to what he is doing.

Cross Country Wipeout Medalist
During a prelim run in the women’s Individual Sprint race, Slovenian cross-country skier Petra Majdic took a really nasty tumble into a gully. During the coverage, the NBC team showed the crash over and over again, deriding the fact that she was given a delayed start time. She went on to complete all three 1.4km heats and win the bronze medal. After the race, it was revealed she had broken four ribs and suffered a collapsed lung. Just imagine breaking four ribs and suffering a collapsed lung and then running 3 miles at medal pace!

Big Face and Funny Hat
Sticking with cross country, a quick word has to be said for NBC’s wonderful Nordic commentary team of Big Face and his pal Funny Hat (aka Al Trautwig and Chad Samelka). Al has an incredible voice which you can hear in the video above (you also might remember him as NBC’s gymnastics announcer) and Chad is surely quite knowledgeable – but more importantly… look at those guys! Al’s face in enormous! Just compare him to Chad. And those mitts! He looks like he is going to strangle that poor microphone. And come on Chad… just what is the deal with that hat?

Kim Yu-Na!
Incredible. While her free skate was glorious, it was Kim Yu-Na’s short program that won her both the gold medal and the hearts of millions around the world. Women’s figure skating is always one of the main things to be remembered from the winter games and Kim Yu-Na’s performance was simply one of the best ever.

USA’s Hockey Run
The only undefeated team coming into the final, Team USA hadn’t even trailed by a point in the tournament. As we all know, that ended 12 minutes into the final versus Canada (after defeating them in prelims). But for USA fans, it is hard to say there was any moment in the Olympics more exciting than when Zach Parise buried a goal with 24 seconds remaining in regulation to even the score at 2-2 and force Canada to a sudden death overtime. It may have ended up being Canada’s night, but really who can complain about that performance? It is almost worth it to lose and not have to feel bad about how devastated Canada would have been. Almost.

37!
What an Olympics! The USA jumped out to an early lead in the medal count on day one and never relinquished that lead. That is an incredible achievement and the first time since 1932 we have won the overall count. We also set a record for most medals ever won by anyone! Congratulations Team USA. What a fantastic showing!

I’m love love loving this sick new spot for the upcoming FIFA 10. In a week I hope to be love love loving the game too.

This is actually the UK version. The USA version is the same except they throw Blanco and Donovan at the end instead of Benzema and Xavi.

Check out the new Nike spot by none other than David Fincher.

Thoughts?

I can’t say I am the biggest P-Rod fan in the world – but I do love this commercial. This is the extended version which is even better than the 1 minute they were playing during the XGames. Bring on more LA love.

With this week’s amazing Champions League Final completed, the less amazing FA Cup in the books, and the final weekend of Serie A and La Liga all wrapped up, the season of European Football is over. It has been a hell of a ride and Wednesday’s defeat of Manchester United by Barcelona was a fitting swan song. Although it has only been my first season of fandom, I’ve jumped in with both feet and I’m already ready for next season. But before the first kick of the 09-10 season, we get all the excitement of the summer transfer window! So who is going where? At this point we can only guess – so let’s take some guesses. Please feel free to chime in with your thoughts fellow soccer fans.

Well first thing’s first and that’s that Chelsea needs a new manager. While it is still up in the air, my money is firmly on AC Milan’s Carlo Ancelotti (if no other reason than because he looks so much like Guus Hiddink). So what does an Ancelotti Chelsea look like? Here’s my guess, no more Didier Drogba. I’m going out on a limb, but I think Drogba leaves Chelsea for Inter Milan and his old boss Jose Mourinho. So who is out there to replace Drogba? How about Valencia’s David Villa? We know Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich isn’t afraid to spend money.

Liverpool has already been rumored to have made an offer for ManU’s Carlos Tevez and while I do think they could use a bit more depth at striker (move Kuyt to the bench spot), I just gotta think the money is better spent on defense. Liverpool needs a strong Rio Ferdinand type to lead in central defense. For me the best case scenario would be to lure Gerard Pique away from Barca. I know that this is unlikely as Pique just left ManU for Barca last year – but after his performance in the Champions League, he has gotta be on the top of the list. What are other options for potential Liverpool defenders? How about Everton’s Joleon Lescott or Juve’s Chiellini. Basically anyone better than Jamie Carragher will do.

Around the rest of Europe, the hottest player up for grabs has got to be Frank Ribery. Expect all the big clubs to make a play for him but my guess is that it will be the deep pockets of Manchester City that lure the frenchman away from Bayern. That is, of course, assuming that Cristiano Ronaldo stays at Manchester United, which I suspect he will (if he leaves watch Ribery go there instead). So if Ronaldo stays at ManU and Ribery goes to ManCity, where does that leave Real Madrid? My prediction is that they spend their rich transfer budget on Inter’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Of course this assumes that Drogba does indeed go over to Inter… and now it’s obvious how fragile this house of cards I’ve built really is.

So these are just some thoughts on a few of the potential big moves. Will Adebayor stay at Arsenal? Will Figo or any of the other old euro stars come to MLS? Where will big names like David Silva, Juninho, and Gareth Barry end up? Let the summer excitement begin!

Seattle sports fans finally have a reason to get excited – and it is for the beautiful game no less! MLS kicked off the ’09 season last night in Qwest field with the expansion team Seattle Sounders FC dismantling the NY Red Bulls – a team that played in the MLS final last year! Seattle has a great squad, led up front by 21 year-old Colombian phenom Fredy Montero (two goals and one assist) and in the net by 39 year-old captain Kasey Keller, one of USA Soccer’s best goal keepers ever. Former Arsenal star Freddie Ljungberg, certainly one of the best in MLS, is also on the squad but not quite in match form as he recovers from hip surgery.

What was really incredible was the support given the team by the fans. Qwest was roaring like the 4th quarter of a Seahawks game – the crowd a sea of rave green and sounder blue scarves. Everyone from the MLS Commish to the commentators was impressed.

“Having spent my whole career in Europe, I was worried about being let down — why come home for this?” said a beaming Kasey Keller. “But there’s probably not a better atmosphere for soccer in America.

“This team is raising the bar for what our teams could achieve,” Don Garber, MLS commissioner, gushed at halftime.

“This is the most successful launch in MLS history,” Joe Roth, the Hollywood movie producer and part-owner of the team told the crowd. “We proved Seattle is the capital of soccer in this country.”

MLS gets a lot of flack for the play not being up to the level of the Euro leagues. There is a lot of truth in that. But I for one am extremely excited to finally have a team I can fully support. Now just don’t move to Oklahoma.

The Sounders next take on Real Salt Lake a week from Sat. at Qwest. Here are some links:
Art Thiel reports (P-I) — Sounders Home — Sounders $5 T-shirt QFC Promo (someone in NW wanna grab one of these for me – size M pls?)

The trailer for new snowboarding flick from Brain Farm, That’s It, That’s All makes the movie look more like Planet Earth than your typical Mack Dawg affair. Judging from the 2nd hardcore trailer on their site, it might just be clever editing. Regardless this flick looks ridiculously sick and the line up of riders is about as good as it gets. Ohh, I hope Santa brings me this bad boy.

Nice spot Oliver.