Soccer Saturday 4/19/14

     Saturday is for soccer and I took full advantage of that term today.  Whether it was fussball from Germany,  calcio from Italy, football from England, or soccer from the United States.  My day started off with coffee and the laptop for Bayern Munich versus Eintracht Braunsweig.  This was a game reporters thought would be a runaway score for Bayern even with their second team in.  Braunsweig hung around in the first half and played a good fifteen minutes of the second until the German Champions struck.  First a goal from Claudio Pizarro off of a great assist by Mario Gotze in the 74th minute.  Mario Mandzukic would be added to the score sheet in the 85th minute with a goal of his own which gave Bayern Munich the victory 2-0 over bottom of the table side Eintracht Braunsweig.
      Following Bundesliga action,  I decided to enjoy some English Premier League action.  Chelsea hosted the "Black Cats" of Sunderland at Stamford Bridge.  Jose Mourinho has an amazing streak of 78 unbeaten games for Chelsea as their manager when home in the Premier League.  On the other hand Sunderland were feeding off of a 2-2 draw early in the week with title contender Manchester City.
     Goals  started early in this match with Samuel Eto'o scoring for the Blues in the 11th minute.  In the 17th minute Connor Wickham of Sunderland would equalize.  Both sides had plenty of chances but the big chance came late in the game.  In the 80th minute American striker Jozy Altidore was fouled in the box for Sunderland.  Former Chelsea player Fabio Borini would step up to the spot and deliver the crushing blow to Chelsea and Sunderland earned themselves 3 points.  The Mourinho Era of home dominance was put to rest on this day but with a team that talented they will bounce back.
     My wild soccer journey would lead me to Italia for some Serie A calcio.  Parma hosted Inter and this game was all Inter.  By the end of the first half Parma was down to 10 men.  Gabriel Paletta received his second yellow card in the 45th minute and was sent off.  The second half opened and so did the Inter scoring.  In the 47th minute Rolando tallied a goal for the "Nerazzuri" (the Black and Blues).  Later in the game Fredy Guarin would come on and make his presence felt.  A slashing shot from Guarin in the 88th minute was the icing on the cake for the Milano based outfit.
     As we ventured into the early afternoon the Loons from Minnesota United were going up to Ottawa to take on the Fury.  This game might have been the game of the day in the NASL.  United struck first with a goal from Ibarra.  In the 50th minute Fury striker Vini Dantas would make history scoring Ottawa's first goal in the history of the club which tied the game at 1-1.  This game looked to be destined for a 1-1 draw but Chris Ramirez had something to say about that in the 96th minute.  As it said on the Minnesota United Twitter "loon's never say die" Ramirez came on and knocked the ball into the back of the net just before the final whistle.
    The Indy Eleven had another home game today when they took on the Tampa Bay Rowdies.  A packed crowd settled in for a tight game with many chances for both sides.  The Rowdies Shriver opened up the scoring with a goal that had to be hard to swallow for the Indy Eleven.  One of Indy's players were down injured in the box when Shriver sent the shot through the goalkeeper's legs.  Indy player Norales in the 82nd minute would draw the game even with a nice flick into the goal.  The game would end a draw and the Indy based side have 2 points after opening their first season in the NASL with a pair of 1-1 draws.
   Finally 9 o'clock Eastern time came and my team was going on.  The New York Cosmos took the trip up to Canada to face FC Edmonton with first place on the line after a win from Minnesota.  This wasn't the most attractive offensive game but both teams defensively were on point.  Both teams tried to make it impossible for the other to score a goal.
     In the 37th minute Mads Stokkelein would set up Sebastian Guenzatti with a goal which gave the Cosmos a 1-0 lead.  From that moment on a seesaw battle would ensue with no other goals being scored for either side.  With the win the Cosmos are 2-0 with 6 points and the lead in the NASL.
    As if today wasn't enough, tomorrow looks to be another action packed day of soccer.  Three important games in the English Premier League starting with table topper Liverpool traveling to Norwich City to try and keep the dream of an EPL title alive.  The second game places Hull City and Arsenal head to head as Arsenal tries to lock down the final Champions League spot.  Finally Everton host Manchester United at Goodison Park.  The Toffees look to sneak into the final Champions League spot but it will take a lot of work from Roberto Martinez's players.  Manchester United look to finish the season on a high note.  This was a great weekend for soccer.  All different games with different outcomes.