Unfamiliar Territory

Quick. Take a glance at the top of the Premier League table. Yes, you saw that correctly - it reads "Liverpool". While it is still early, Liverpool is off to a great start in their quest to capture their 19th Premier League title, and to end their 18 year drought.

The last two results, 1-0 at Sunderland, and 2-1 home against Middlesbrough, have left much to be desired. Both matches were victories snatched out of thin air, 80 minutes of poor, uninspired play giving way to moments of sheer luck and brilliance to end the day with 3 points in the bag.

It is clear that Liverpool is lacking threatening wide men, as every attack goes through the middle. Perhaps Barry would resolve this issue considering his versatility, but at this point I think Liverpool fans would be satisfied with the signing of a player like Middlesbrough's Stewart Downing.

However, it isn't all doom and gloom at Anfield. The return of three key players from the Olympics (Babel, Lucas, and Mascherano) is sure to bolster their at times weak midfield play, and with an attack minded fullback like Dossena bombing down the touchline, Mascherano's destructive presence in the defensive midfield would be a welcome addition, freeing Dossena up to be even more aggressive going forward providing width.

The mark of a champion is the ability to pull out a win even when you are not at the top of your game, and thus far Liverpool has passed that test with flying colors. Of course, we are yet to see just how good Liverpool's best can be, as the Keane + Torres partnership is still working out some chemistry issues and the lack of any true wide threats cripples the Liverpool attack. In the coming days, look for Liverpool's board to pony up the cash and provide the funds for a left footed midfielder to move to Anfield (Barry and Downing are both still in the mix, as Riera has been labelled as too pricy). Could this be the year that Liverpool finally gets it done? With Man U and Arsenal seemingly struggling, the mantle is there for the taking. I expect this season to be a two horse race between Chelsea and Liverpool, with Liverpool making a push near the end as Chelsea shifts its focus to Abramovic's coveted European Championship.

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Footballs

So, football season is about to kick off. The world breathlessly awaits as we wait to see whether or not the superstars of last season can return to their world-beating form, and to see which newcomers will step up and make the jump from obscurity to A-list celebrity.

Of course, what I am referring to is the English Premier League! Not to say I am not eagerly anticipating the beginning of the NFL season (I am, but I am way more excited for College Football), but as a fan of the beautiful game, I cannot help but be psyched for the new season of the EPL, not with so many intriguing stories abound.

For all of you who haven't been paying attention (I would guess that's all of you), the offseason for soccer really wasn't an offseason, as Euro 2008 took center stage. However, a few stories have certainly dominated the headlines. Here is a quick rundown:

Liverpool, with 18 Premier League titles, leads Manchester United by only one title in their claim as being the greatest English club in history. Their last title came in 1990, 18 years ago. The risk of losing their status atop English football is simply unbearable for Liverpool's fans, and the possibility that Manchester United could tie them is leading many Liverpudlians to claim that this is their year. With the offseason addition of Irish international and former Tottanham captain Robbie Keane, Liverpool sends out a strike force as fearsome as any in all of Europe - could this be the year their wait comes to an end?

Chelsea has fully moved on from the Jose Mourinho era. After a season in limbo under the unwanted and unloved Avram Grant, the Blues appointed former Brazil and Portugal coach Luis Felipe Scolari to the helm, in an effort to instill the flowing, attack-minded football owner Roman Abramovic prefers. With the offseason addition of midfield magician Deco, and the retention of the mercurial Didier Drogba, could this be the season that Chelsea can finally hoist the European Championship for the first time?

Arsenal continues to sell their established players, and bring in unproven youngsters to take their turn in the Arsene Wenger factory of football superstars. New faces Karim Benzema and Samir Nasri hope to offset the undoubtedly damaging losses of Alexander Hleb and Mathieu Flamini. Former Chelsea coach and current Inter man Jose Mourinho has ruled them out of the title hunt, but every season people write the Gunners off as being too young, Arsene Wenger is able to pull another rabbit out of the hat. Will Arsenal prove their resilience yet again, and show that last season's run at the title was not a fluke?

The story of the summer had been Cristiano Ronaldo's purported switch from Man U to Real Madrid. That noise has since died, as Ronaldo, Madrid, and Manchester United have all confirmed that the player will be staying at Manchester for at least one more season. The failed attempt at signing Tottenham want-away Dimi Berbatov has not dampened manager Alex Ferguson's outlook on the season, but with both Chelsea and Liverpool improving, and the ever dangerous Arsenal adding fresh new faces to the mix, will Manchester United be able to hold on to their spot atop the footballing world as Premier League and European Champions?

With so many story lines just among the big 4, the Premier League season, which kicked off on Saturday, is must see TV. Too bad it's only shown live if you have Setanta or special TV programming (satellite), or on replays on FSC.

Cmon American TV, get with the program! Euro 2008 was a massive success for ESPN! There's an audience for good football, so get with it!

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Headlinin': Sawker

• After tearin' up their hearts all summer, Adebayoor finally puts pen to paper, sticking with Arsenal until 2013 (or until he wants to leave again...next summer). FC Barcelona misses out on its target to replace Samuel Eto'o, who has yet to agree to personal terms with any of the big clubs after his signature.
  

• The on again off again Cristiano Ronaldo/Real Madrid/Manchester United love triangle is BACK BABY! To the dismay of Mancs worldwide, Ronaldo has made his opinion awfully clear.
  

• Chelsea boringly continues to pursue Robinho while denying any rumors of Drogba leaving the North London outfit.

• Liverpool, despite Aston Villa claiming the deadline for a renewed Gareth Barry offer had passed, continue to pursue the England international.
  

• Real Madrid's pursuit of Holland starlet Rafael Van der Vaart (possibly a substitute for their stalling progress on the C. Ronaldo front) gains steam, against the wishes of Hamburg (and ex-Tottenham) manager Martin Jol.
  

• Valencia hope to keep Spanish stars of Euro 2008 David Silva and David Villa, as rumors of their imminent departure swirl.

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What links all sports together? Illegitimate children.

Great article out of the Sports Illustrated Vault.
Paternity Ward

"I'd say that there might be more kids out of wedlock than there are players in the NBA ," estimates one of the league's top agents, who says he spends more time dealing with paternity claims than he does negotiating contracts.

The article is a bit dated (hence, from the "vault") but it is probably still very relevant. This whole "vault" idea is awesome. It's really interesting to look back and read how we were interpreting things.

Anyone know any present day sports stars who are hiding their children? List em please!

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Headlining: Futbol

• After his public pursuit of Aston Villa's Gareth Barry, is Rafa Benitez ready to leave Barry out to dry?

• Hotly pursued strikers Emmanuel Adebayor of Arsenal and Didier Drogba of Chelsea still remain with their teams - but for how long?

• The MLS, rising in popularity and visibility due partly to Beckham's heavily publicized move to the States, will be expanding to 18 teams by 2011.

• Amid not so quiet whispers that South Africa may not be ready to host the World Cup by 2010, ManYoo's manager Alex Ferguson gives his vote of confidence.

• Unwanted Barca striker Samuel Eto'o may be on his way to Barca's La Liga rivals Real Madrid ...but only if they're willing to cough up the dough.

• Chelsea continues its pursuit of Brazil/Real Madrid frontman Robinho.

• Liverpool closes in on signing Tottenham's Robbie Keane for a reported figure of £18million.

• MLS proves it has arrived by showing that it's very best can barely hang on to beat a middle of the road Premier League team in their preseason warmup. This would be like the European all-stars beating the Denver Nuggets during the Nuggets preseason, while the Nuggets play a bunch of NBDL and marginal NBA players for most of the game. Congratulations MLS, you have arrived!

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Euro 2008

The biggest international soccer tournament outside the World Cup is set to kick start its opening ceremony on Saturday - are you ready? Do you even care? I doubt it. Either way, here is my Euro 2008 preview!

In the group stages, as in most tournaments, the top two teams from each group will advance to the quarterfinal knockout stage. So, without further ado, let's introduce the groups!

From a cursory glance, it is quite clear that Group C is the dreaded group of death. Two of the favorites to win the tournament, France and Italy, are in this group, as well as a quality Netherlands side who boast top notch attacking players such as Klaas Jan Huntelaar, Robin Van Persie, Dirk Kuyt, Arjen Robben, as well as Manchester United's Champion's League winner Edwin van der Sar in goal. It is extremely likely that Holland is eliminated here. Italy and France will advance through this group easily.

Out of Group A, the favorites to advance have to be the Czech Republic and Portugal. Cristiano Ronaldo is simply too good a player, and unless his well publicized transfer to Real Madrid is weighing heavily on his mind, no defense in this tournament can stop him. Joining Ronaldo is the electrifying star winger from Porto, Quaresma and the reliable Portuguese legend Deco. And while Portugal will be dazzling in the attack with their fancy footwork, their defense will be solid as well, marshalled by one of the best in Ricardo Carvalho. If Ronaldo plays to his level, this could well be Portugal's tournament to win - and it would certainly cap Ronaldo's year off with a bang before he whines and manipulates his way into making a move to Real Madrid. Portugal is well set in the RB, CB, and attacking positions, likely employing either the 3-4-3 that Scolari used in leading Brazil to their World Cup success, or a 4-3-3. The midfield of Portugal is the only question mark, as outside of Deco, the options are either unproven youngsters or true veterans. Whatever happens though, if C. Ronaldo imposes himself on these tournaments, there is no stopping the Portuguese team.

The Czech team will be a formidable foe as well, if only because they have the unflappable stalwart between the posts, Petr Cech, who singlehandedly sent Chelsea to the CL Finals over Liverpool with some dazzling saves off shots by Fernando Torres. But in front of Cech will be one of the most solid back 4 in the tournament, led by David Rozehnal. It will be a difficult task for any team to unlock the Czech defense, but if there is one that can do it, it is the creative and pacy Portuguese team. Expect Portugal to win this group, with the Czech Republic coming out of it in 2nd.

In Group B, if one has not been following European international football closely, it might be compelling to simply take a peek at the group and tap Germany and Croatia to advance. However, that would be a dire mistake, as Poland will look to continue their run of good form after steamrolling their way into Euro 2008 by winning Group A over Portugal. I expect Poland to continue their run of good form, advancing to the knockout stages alongside favorites Germany, as Croatia is sent packing, leaving Croatia's Golden Boy Luka Modric to ponder his future as a Tottenham Hotspur.

Group D is a tough call - Spain are emerging as the sexy pick to win the tournament, and it is easy to see why. The attacking options Spain boasts are a who's who list for player of the year awards, led by sensational Liverpool striker Fernando Torres. However, Spain has seldom lived up to the hype, and could be stunningly sent packing after the Group stages if their defense is unable to slow opponents down. Against a team like Russia, who will pack the midfield with 6 men, it will be quite a task trying to get through - though with Torres as the lone man up front, you never know when an unexpected breakthrough might occur. Spain does not like to play long balls over the top of the midfield, as it goes against their technical ability to do so, but against Russia, it might be necessary to do so to eliminate the congestion in the midfield.

Sweden is ostensibly led by the mercurial striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic - who will one day look like the world's greatest in Serie A, and then proceed to lay up two stinkers and get played completely out of the match over Inter Milan's two leg match up with Liverpool in the Champions' League. Other than Zlatan, there is an abundance of talent with Sweden (although their top players are admitedly getting a bit old).

And lest we forget, the title holders, the defending Euro 2004 champions Greece. Often overlooked, they will not be this time, as they will have a target painted on their chests. In a stunning development, look for Spain and Russia to advance, as Sweden is knocked out and Greece is simply outclassed.

In the end though, it will be seen that Portugal simply outclasses the competition on the attack, and I predict Portugal will go through to capture the Euro 2008 championship (although my heart pulls for Spain in support of the Liverpool contingent...Viva Espana!)

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Cycles of Suckitude

"50 said go ahead switch ya style up,
and if they hate then let em hate,
and watch the money pile up."

Everyone's been writing about basketball and the Lakers, so I figured with my first post I'd switch the style up.

I like thinking that sports in the United States are awesome. And typically, that's right. NBA, MLB, NFL, and NHL are all the best leagues in the world for their respective sports.

What really irks me though, is the absolute atrociousness of American soccer. The MLS is simply a shit league. For a while, the signature player of the MLS was Landon Donovan, a man who couldn't even get into the starting lineup at Bayern Leverkusen. Now, the best player in the league is David Beckham, who, is admittedly still good, but the fact that a castaway, washed up 33 year old comes and is instantly the best player says a lot about the quality of players here.

I've given the MLS a chance - I watch as many games as I can, and I even went to a few Red Bulls games. Suffice it to say that I was extremely underwhelmed, particularly after being spoiled by watching my Liverpool team advance to the Champions League semifinals (only to taste heartbreak by the fuzzy red head of one John Arne Riise).

The game I recall best was the NY Red Bulls vs. NE Revolution - I had very good seats at midfield, and was fairly excited for my first taste of live MLS soccer. What. A. Letdown. While there were 2 goals, including one scored by the supposed future of US soccer (Josmer "Jozy" Altidore), the entire game was a farce. Players on both sides failed to control the ball, passes were sprayed all over the field with no direction, and any and all runs at goal were direct and had no creativity whatsoever.

Soccer is fun to watch because you never know at what moment the critical breakthrough will come. Will it come from a set piece? Will it come from a masterful run by a skilled player, or from a thrilling counterattack as both teams scramble? Will it be a perfectly placed cross, or a clever link up between two creative players on the same wavelength? There are simply so many possibilities that even when there is a lull in the action, I can't help but keep my eyes glued to the pitch. Every moment Zidane, Dinho, Messi, C. Ronaldo, or my favorite Stevie G is on the pitch is another potential moment of genius and creativity. Unfortunately, there are no midfield maestros of that class in the MLS. Neither are there top class finishers who take every chance they get a la Torres. Simply put, MLS is not dynamic - it's dull, slow, and direct.

Of course, this isn't news - everyone and their mother knows how shit-tastic the MLS is. My actual complaint is the vicious cycle of suckitude that doesn't allow MLS to break out of its own suckiness despite its best efforts: the MLS sucks -> nobody watches -> nobody plays -> future soccer players suck -> MLS sucks. It's interesting though, that every child plays soccer as a youngster in AYSO, but very few stick with it through high school. They move on to the big 3 mainstream sports: football, basketball, and baseball. Why? Because they are the "sexy" sports. All the big money superstars play those sports. How do we fix this cycle?

MLS is taking the right approach. By introducing the concept of the "designated player", they introduce a bit of the glitz and glamour to playing soccer. The biggest draws to being a professional sports player for a child, whether it is right or wrong, is the possibility of fame and fortune. Before, there was no fame nor any fortune to be had playing soccer. Kids in America don't even know how much money the big time soccer players make in Europe, but I bet if wages were at a similar level in America, Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, and Kobe Bryant would be playing soccer right now.

So, as usual, it all boils down to the $$$. America is the world capital of capitalism - if there is money to be made, someone will figure out how to make it - but the easiest way to monetize a sport is through sponsorships and advertisements. It's interesting to note that the 3 major American sports, football, baseball, and basketball all have stop and go action, allowing for commercial breaks every 4 minutes of action. Soccer is two 45 minute halves of uninterrupted action! No wonder corporate America aren't fans. So, that is the question. How can we change the business model of MLS to create revenue? With higher profit margins, players can get paid more, which will raise their level of celebrity (Q rating if you will). I don't know about you but, when I was a kid, if there were no Michael Jordan, I wouldn't have been that big a fan of basketball. In fact, I guarantee that if David Beckham were here and Michael wasn't, I'd eat breathe and sleep soccer instead of basketball.

And after all that, I have no idea how MLS should rethink its business model. Here's to hoping they have smarter minds than I.

Maybe Basccerball?

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