Wednesday March 19 two games would decide the final two teams to the round of 8. At the beginning of the day Borussia Dortmund led Zenit St. Petersburg 4-2 on aggregate. Manchester United trailed 2-0 to Greek Champions Olympiakos. Dortmund was in the drivers seat with a 2 goal lead going into the Signal Iduna Park.
Zenit opened the game with a long knuckled shot from Hulk which Roman Weidenfeller was unable to coral. About 15 minutes later Sebastian Kehl would answer with a goal of his own for Dortmund. At this point the game score was 1-1 but aggregate was 5-3. In the second half at around the 73rd minute Jose Rondon would strike for Zenit, trying to keep their hopes alive. At that point of the game I believe it was too late even though the aggregate ended at 5-4. The Black and Yellows of Dortmund earned their spot in the last 8 and Zenit were eliminated.
The second game on Wednesday was Manchester United and Olympiakos. United had a different look in their eyes while walking out to the crowd at Old Trafford. David Moyes and the boys had an uphill battle being down 2-0 before the whistle even blew. Plenty of chances were squandered by both teams early. Manchester United were at a pace that their Greek opponents couldn't keep up with. At the 24th minute Ryan Giggs sent in a beautiful pass to Robin Van Persie which was defended all wrong. The only defense for Olympiakos was a penalty in the box. The referee pointed to the spot and RVP took complete advantage. Just before halftime Robin Van Persie would be heard again with a great setup by Giggs and Rooney. Van Persie's second was the easiest of them all. At half time the aggregate read 2-2.
The final half was an all out fight. Both teams with questionable fouls. On tired legs Olympiakos had begun to show some holes. While it seemed DeGea of Manchester United got better and better in goal. The 50th minute would prove to be the big mistake by Olympiakos. A possible goal saving foul outside the box setup Rooney and Van Persie from about 20 yards out. Rooney stepped over and RVP buzzed a rope with bend through the wall and into the back of the net. United were able to score the 3 goals they needed to advance and the round was officially over.
On Friday the drawing for the Round of 8 in Champions League will take place. Lets take a look at the 8 squads who will be represented. The teams will be representing four countries. From England you have Chelsea who defeated Galatasaray and Manchester United who defeated Olympiakos. From Spain you have 3 teams. Atletico Madrid who defeated A.C. Milan. Real Madrid who blew passed Schalke 04 and Barcelona who defeated Manchester City. France has one representative in the defending Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint Germain. PSG defeated Bayer Leverkusen. The last two teams represent Germany and were both in the 2013 Champions League final. Borussia Dortmund defeated Zenit St. Petersburg and Bayern Munich defeated Arsenal in a great clash between the Gunners and Bavarian champions.
Many questions have to be asked with these great squads advancing. Is Bayern still the favorite and will they repeat? Will Real Madrid continue to score at will against any side? Can Manchester United who was written off be a legit contender in this tournament? The 3 big time players right now in this tournament have to be Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Obviously it won't happen but i'd love to see Barcelona vs Real Madrid, Dortmund vs Bayern , Manchester United vs Chelsea, and Paris St Germain vs Atletico Madrid. Any way you look at it there will be plenty of action. Is there a diamond in the rough that hasn't shown through yet? Who do you want to see drawn in the round of 8? Let us know here or at our twitter @OTPSoccerblog. Or on our Facebook On The Pitch Soccer Blog.
All Things Soccer All The Time
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Saturday, March 15, 2014
The Rise and Fall of the Arsenal FC
Tomorrow Arsenal play their neighbors Tottenham in the North London Derby. As of late the Gunners have been up and down. At the start of the season Arsenal jumped out to a commanding lead in the Barclays Premier League. Players like Olivier Giroud and Aaron Ramsey were on fire scoring most of the teams goals. The addition of German Midfielder Mesut Ozil opened up plenty of opportunities for his teammates. For the first time in a while Arsenal's higher ups decided to open their purse and make the team better instead of letting their top players get away like Robin Van Persie and Samir Nasri.
Looking at the what seemed to be a dominant roster, I noticed the striker position was a weakness. In England with all the tournaments whether it be the FA Cup, Capital One Cup, or the BPL, lots of minutes have to be covered. I felt relying on Nicholaus Bendtner and Yaya Sanogo didn't quite add up to back Giroud. Even the best goal scores would tire out with the demanding schedule.
When the winter transfer window opened I thought for sure Arsene Wenger would bring in a talented Striker to the Emirates. Two deals that were on the table that fell through was acquiring Lazio's German Striker Miroslav Klose and Schalke's Julian Draxler. Maybe the numbers didn't add up or the other teams didn't want to part ways with their players. This definitely hurt the Gunners squad.
Another weakness was the Centerback position. Per Mertesacker while being a solid defender would have to endure the rough schedule and i believe his fatigue has slowed him down as of late. Laurant Koscielny is a great defender and if Arsenal would have went out and picked up another Centerback to rotate with Mertesacker and Vermaelen the defense would stay fresh.
The biggest downfall of the Arsenal Gunners has been health. Ar the start of the season Podolski and Oxelade-Chaimberlain went down early. Then a big knock on their goal scorer Aaron Ramsey who to this day is still out. More recent injuries occurred during an England friendly where Jack Wilshere fractured a bone and during a Champions League battle with Bayern Munich, Mesut Ozil pulled his quad. Placing him on the long list of injuries for a few weeks.
If Arsenal win tomorrow they can keep pace with the other top of the table teams. That in itself is a positive outlook for a team with such bad luck this season. It is time for the secondary players like Lukas Podolski and Matthieu Flamini to rise to the occasion and keep the London based club in the race. Only time will tell when the game begins from White Hart Lane.
Looking at the what seemed to be a dominant roster, I noticed the striker position was a weakness. In England with all the tournaments whether it be the FA Cup, Capital One Cup, or the BPL, lots of minutes have to be covered. I felt relying on Nicholaus Bendtner and Yaya Sanogo didn't quite add up to back Giroud. Even the best goal scores would tire out with the demanding schedule.
When the winter transfer window opened I thought for sure Arsene Wenger would bring in a talented Striker to the Emirates. Two deals that were on the table that fell through was acquiring Lazio's German Striker Miroslav Klose and Schalke's Julian Draxler. Maybe the numbers didn't add up or the other teams didn't want to part ways with their players. This definitely hurt the Gunners squad.
Another weakness was the Centerback position. Per Mertesacker while being a solid defender would have to endure the rough schedule and i believe his fatigue has slowed him down as of late. Laurant Koscielny is a great defender and if Arsenal would have went out and picked up another Centerback to rotate with Mertesacker and Vermaelen the defense would stay fresh.
The biggest downfall of the Arsenal Gunners has been health. Ar the start of the season Podolski and Oxelade-Chaimberlain went down early. Then a big knock on their goal scorer Aaron Ramsey who to this day is still out. More recent injuries occurred during an England friendly where Jack Wilshere fractured a bone and during a Champions League battle with Bayern Munich, Mesut Ozil pulled his quad. Placing him on the long list of injuries for a few weeks.
If Arsenal win tomorrow they can keep pace with the other top of the table teams. That in itself is a positive outlook for a team with such bad luck this season. It is time for the secondary players like Lukas Podolski and Matthieu Flamini to rise to the occasion and keep the London based club in the race. Only time will tell when the game begins from White Hart Lane.
Friday, March 14, 2014
New York City FC and the Supporters 3/14/14
Last night on Facebook I found a group of people with the same passion as mine. Being a resident of New York, people think we have an MLS team. Yes the Red Bulls are called the New York Red Bulls, but their location is in Harrison, New Jersey. The North American Soccer League brought back the fan favorite New York Cosmos which is definitely appreciated. As you all know they won the league last season. Living on Long Island our Cosmos are great but we want a team in the big league. We want Major League Soccer to have a team in New York.
We then received the announcement that made a dream begin to come true. The merger of Manchester City FC in England and the New York Yankees put their funds together to start the expansion team New York City Football Club which will debut in the 2015 MLS season. On May 22,2013, New York City FC signed Claudio Reyna as the DFO. Reyna a New Yorker and former Captain of the United States Men's National Team was a great choice. We feel he's one of our own and understands what we have missed in New York.
On December 11,2013 our Head Coach was named. The selection was former Real Salt Lake coach Jason Kreis. In 2009, Kreis Led Real Salt Lake to its first MLS championship. I believe with the right formula of players Coach Kreis will be the answer to positive results for City. Then comes the question, who will be the players chosen for the 2015 season?
Looking at some of the rumor sites, a few veteran names come to mind. A strong defender from Barcelona Carlos Puyol gave his team the notice that he wouldn't be returning next season. Sticking with the defensive side of the pitch another name which doesn't seem too popular with the NYCFC fans is John Terry. Although a solid defender, Terry has baggage off the pitch that turns people away from him. Along with top players, we want class as well. Midfielder Frank Lampard is nearing the end of his career at Stamford Bridge and has been linked with a move to the MLS. Could Lamps be the answer to the squad representing the city?
Myself and a few other of the NYCFC Supporters believe Garreth Barry is the strong answer because of his affiliation with Manchester City FC. Barry is still young enough to put in some positive years in the 5 boroughs. In my opinion the Manchester City FC coaches should loan New York City FC some of their younger upstarts to get them playing time. Only time will tell what direction the City squad will go.
The excitement is unbearable when it comes to the supporters wanting their football. Get the scarves ready. Put together the lyrics to the chants and songs. Band together like a family and lets carry the boys into 2015 and our ultimate goal of raising the MLS trophy. Let's go City!!!! Let's go City!!!!
We then received the announcement that made a dream begin to come true. The merger of Manchester City FC in England and the New York Yankees put their funds together to start the expansion team New York City Football Club which will debut in the 2015 MLS season. On May 22,2013, New York City FC signed Claudio Reyna as the DFO. Reyna a New Yorker and former Captain of the United States Men's National Team was a great choice. We feel he's one of our own and understands what we have missed in New York.
On December 11,2013 our Head Coach was named. The selection was former Real Salt Lake coach Jason Kreis. In 2009, Kreis Led Real Salt Lake to its first MLS championship. I believe with the right formula of players Coach Kreis will be the answer to positive results for City. Then comes the question, who will be the players chosen for the 2015 season?
Looking at some of the rumor sites, a few veteran names come to mind. A strong defender from Barcelona Carlos Puyol gave his team the notice that he wouldn't be returning next season. Sticking with the defensive side of the pitch another name which doesn't seem too popular with the NYCFC fans is John Terry. Although a solid defender, Terry has baggage off the pitch that turns people away from him. Along with top players, we want class as well. Midfielder Frank Lampard is nearing the end of his career at Stamford Bridge and has been linked with a move to the MLS. Could Lamps be the answer to the squad representing the city?
Myself and a few other of the NYCFC Supporters believe Garreth Barry is the strong answer because of his affiliation with Manchester City FC. Barry is still young enough to put in some positive years in the 5 boroughs. In my opinion the Manchester City FC coaches should loan New York City FC some of their younger upstarts to get them playing time. Only time will tell what direction the City squad will go.
The excitement is unbearable when it comes to the supporters wanting their football. Get the scarves ready. Put together the lyrics to the chants and songs. Band together like a family and lets carry the boys into 2015 and our ultimate goal of raising the MLS trophy. Let's go City!!!! Let's go City!!!!
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