Memorial Edges Past North in Tight Battle

Finally…some warm weather, sunshine and a little breeze.  Sounds like perfect weather for some soccer!  It has been a slow start to the season for High School Girls soccer with multiple games cancelled or postponed due to cold weather, snow and unplayable fields.  Practice time has been limited and that makes it tough for teams to find their rhythm early in the season. Tonight’s cross town rivalry game between Memorial and North was played with high energy, passion and lots of fight.  You could tell it was a rivalry game.  As well, maybe both teams were a bit rusty and needed a game to find their way early in the season.  Memorial had only played once, back on April 12th, so it had been awhile for a competitive game.

You can see talent all over the field for Memorial.  Individual players look big, fast, strong, athletic and skilled.  The combination play and possession will take a few games to develop in a new season.  Seemed the field and the wind did not help either…the ball was not rolling as smooth as a possession team prefers.  Memorial controlled a majority of the possession in the first half, found some shots and managed 1 goal, but never really took control of the game.  North was stout on Defense, stepped into passing lanes aggressively,  put a lot of bodies behind the ball and in the box, and prevented Memorial from getting into a comfortable flow offensively. There were nice moments and spurts, but that last key pass or clinical shooting was missing.

In a tight cross town rivalry game, with lots of wind and two rusty teams, I guess you would expect a close game.  North only had a few moments near Memorial’s final third but did find some good fortune when they pressed Memorials defense, won a ball in a dangerous place and found the net on I think their first shot of the game.  One of the few shots Memorials defense has allowed this year.  Still early in the game and now a 1-1 score.  North’s strategy to sit back defensively and counter attack produced a 1-1 halftime score.  Pretty confident the Memorial fans were disappointed and North’s were feeling a bit optimistic. North was playing well and although lacked possession, it felt like a fair score.  Although Memorial controlled possession, it did not turn into a ton of dangerous chances.  Likely the shots on goal stats will be very lopsided in the official box score, but only a few tough saves for the North GK.

The second half provided Memorial the wind advantage and their energy picked up in the second half.  With the wind, possession in the North half was pretty consistent. But still no goals.  North tried to throw balls over the top and into space to counter attack, but Memorials defense was up to the task and limited any shots.  It felt like it was just a matter of time….shots were coming at a pretty regular clip, but no goal.  Multiple corners and balls pinging around the box…but no goal.. Tick tock tick tock.  Moving past the 75th minute and the crowd is feeling a bit anxious…but no goal.  North started to spend a bit more time in Memorials half as we entered the last 15 minutes and I think that actually was the difference in the game.  North got stretched a bit and now, guess what, Memorial started to counter attack with success. They actually looked much better when counter attacking than sitting back in possession and trying to break down North’s defense.  I forgot to mark down the time, but I think the winning goal was between 75-80 minute mark.  The crowd erupted, both cheering and letting off some anxiety I think.  A solid, blue-collar 2-1 victory.  Not pretty, but sometimes you just have to win a game ugly, knock off some rust, and move on.

Let’s check out some highlights.  It was a pretty physical game.  Expected in a rivalry game.  This sums up the game pretty well.  A tough battle.

Memorial had their chances.  Their build up play created multiple shots on goal and their width was causing some problems for North.

As the counter attack game kicked into gear late in the game, Memorial found a lot of space out wide creating some good chances.

You just knew it was coming, the quality of players and the experience, you just knew there was a game winner out there.  No surprise who delivered in a tight game.

Key Take Aways from the Game

Lauren Carmody is a handful up top.  Carmody was strong in her hold up play and distribution.  Her physical play and energy allowed her to win the ball on the winning goal. Strong all night.  As well, it would have been pretty easy for her to take the shot on the winning goal….pretty impressive she made the pass, and made the perfect pass…perfect weight, perfect location, perfect roll. She is off to a strong start to the season.

More Games and this team will look different. Just a bit rusty.  More practice, more games, more learning their new system and I think this team will look completely different the next time they face North.

Special players deliver when needed.  Abigail Stow delivered tonight when the team needed a goal.  Two goals and both were solid strikes.  Hitting that one time shot to the side net is not as easy as she makes it look.  Well done to finish off the game.

Big Game Thursday vs. Hudson.  Likely a match up of the top two teams in conference and a road game.  Memorial will need to play big.  Go Abes!

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World Soccer Update: April 22

So let’s get to it soccer fans.  The High School season is off to a very slow start.  What the heck is going on with all the snow.  Weather looks great this weekend, but still a few weeks away from any training on the local fields.  Not sure what the High School schedule will hold for the next few weeks, but likely a lot of games postponed and then jammed into late May!

So…let’s talk about World soccer today and get caught up on the key competitions; Premier League, Champions cup and FA Cup.  Things are winding down and we have a huge month of May to determine the winners.

Premier League Update

Manchester City are the 2018 Champions!  In fitting fashion, Man City were guaranteed the title when their cross town rivals, Manchester United lost a game they should have won!  Perfect for the Manchester City fans.  Win the title when your hated rival loses an embarrassing game.

Match Week 35 is almost complete but with all the extra games from the FA Cup and Champions League, many of the teams are just completing their 34th game.  Regardless, we are down to the last 3-4 games of the season and still some things to be decided.  League Champion is decided…but who will finish in the top 4 and qualify for Champions League next year.  Manchester United seems a lock to finish second, but then things get a bit more interesting.  A week ago, it seemed done.  Liverpool would finish 3rd and Tottenham would finish 4th.  After a disappointing 2 months, Chelsea were destined for a 5th place finish.  But hang on.  Chelsea have closed the gap from 10 points back to 5 points back.  Tottenham have hit a slippery spell, losing 2-3 games in the past week and maybe, just maybe, feeling some pressure.  Liverpool are crushing it in Champions League and playing in the Semi-Finals, but as well have dropped points the past few weeks in Premier League and may be vulnerable.  Chelsea and Liverpool still face each other one more time, a huge 3 points if Chelsea could get that win.  Could Chelsea make a miraculous recovery into Top 4.  Still a long shot, but now there is hope and maybe a path.  Pressure does funny things to teams as they hang onto the Top 4.  Stay tuned!!!

The bottom three is taking shape as well, but still lots of movement possible in the 18-19 positions.  Who will drop down?

Race for the Top 4.

Manchester City 29-3-2 90 points.  34 games.  Champions.

Manchester United 23-5-6 74 points.  34 games.

Liverpool 20-11-4 71 points.  35 games.

Tottenham 20-8-6 68 points.  34 games.

Chelsea 19-6-9 63 points.  34 games.

Arsenal 17-6-11 57 points.  34 games.

Race for the Relegation Zone. Still a tight race and teams fighting to get out of the zone. Southampton and Stoke City both in danger of relegation but one win could pull them out.  Crazy.  Teams in 15-16-17 positions are all still at risk.  West Brom has picked up 5 points but are dangerously close to relegation.  Likely they are going down. Stoke City and Southampton need to get wins and hope teams above them lose.  Time is running out.

16. Huddersfield  35 points

17. Swansea City 33 points.

18. Southampton 29 points.

19. Stoke City with 29 points.

20. West Bromich Albion 25 points.

Big Matches Next Weekend

Southampton v. Bournemouth.  Can Southampton get out of the bottom 3.

Totenham v Watford.  Can Watford apply some more pressure on Tottenham and get points.

Weekly Highlights

Liverpool v. West Ham United.  This is a Top 4 vs. the last place team in the league.  Liverpool goes up 2-0 late but then….amazingly.  West Ham mounts a comeback.  Check out the 31st goal of the season for Liverpool’s Salah.  Chelsea sold him a few years back because they did not think he could score goals in the Premier League.  Likely he wins the Golden Boot this year. Ugh!  Chelsea…what were you thinking!!  The late header is pretty cool.  Hang in till the end.

FA CUP Update

And then there were 2.  Finals are set.

Manchester United 2 v Tottenham 1.  Tottenham looked the better team, got the early lead, but then…..somehow just found a way to lose it.  Alexis Sanchez played big.  Pogba was a beast.

Chelsea  2 v. Southampton 0

So that sets up a marquee match up for the FA Cup Finals.  Chelsea v. Manchester United and their ex-manager Morinho.  Should be interesting.  May 19th at Wembley.  Can’t wait!!

Champions League Update

The final 4 is set.  Semi-Finals action as follows:

Liverpool v Roma

Real Madrid v Bayern Munich

The first round games are 4/24 and 4/25.  The second round games are 5.1 and 5.2.  These should be great games.  Can’t wait!!

So…just have to show the Christiano Ronaldo goal one more time.  One of the best I have ever seen.  A special player.  A special goal.  When you watch the highlight, you will hear the Juventus fans cheering for the goal…against their team. You don’t see that often, but again, you don’t see a goal with this level of athleticism or pure quality very often either.  Wow, just wow!

 

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Eau Claire Memorial Season Preview: Girls Soccer

Okay, this will be a bit of a departure for me.  I started this blog to chronicle Cooper’s final season as a Varsity soccer player and as well, I have always felt that soccer was a bit under represented in the local sports pages.  So, what better way to accomplish both goals than to start a blog…..perfectly logical right.  Well, it has been fun and I picked a pretty good season to blog, Memorial made it to State and almost had an epic season.  It was quite a ride….still remember that 2-1 lead at halftime of the semi-finals.

So I figured what the heck, let’s keep this thing going and blog about the Memorial Girls soccer season as well.  I have been fortunate to coach some girls who will be Freshman this year and had the chance to watch some of their games over the past few years supporting players and friends of the family.  Hoping I can catch lightning in a bottle and blog another season that leads to a State tournament birth.  It could happen!

Lets start with a little recap and some highlights from last season.

2017 Season Recap

Record: 21-4-1.  Impressive, only 4 losses on the season.  Lets break that down a little and take a deeper dive.

1st Loss is to Whitefish Bay 0-3.  Whitefish Bay was ranked #1 in Division II and went on to win the Div. II State Championship.  Wow.

2nd Loss is to Arrowhead 0-1.  Arrowhead who during the season last year was ranked #1 in Div. I. Very difficult team.

3rd Loss is to Notre Dame Academy.  NDA was ranked #2 in Div. II during the year.  Holy cow, another top 5 team.

Loss #4 is to Bayport in Sectional Finals…in OT 2-3.  Bayport was ranked #4 in Div. I and made it to the state finals where they lost to Brookfield Central in the State Finals.

Memorial had a great year, winning 21 games with all 4 losses to really high quality teams including two teams that played for State Titles.  What a schedule outside of their conference! During the season they had winning streaks of 4 games, 11 games and then 5 games.  They finished an undefeated Conference Schedule.  At one point during the season they rose to being ranked #6 in the State Coaches Poll.  They almost made their 10th appearance at the State Tournament making them one of the Top programs in the state. More to follow on that in a later post.

Scoring: Memorial scored 121 goals and their defense only gave up 24 goals, less than 1 goal per game.  Impressive defensive statistic.  They had 13 shut outs in 26 games.  Man, I love a team that plays defense and obviously, Memorial was really solid on D last year.

2018 Season Preview

So what will 2018 hold for the Old Abes.  Well, I will need a little more time to evaluate the roster, but here are a few thoughts.

-A new GK will be in the play.  Grace Frank held that spot down for the past few years and really commanded a presence in net.  She will be missed and it will be crucial to have strong GK play to go deep again in 2018.

-Will the defense be as strong.  I think a few graduations, but it also feels like a bunch of returning starters with a few solid new players to fill in for the graduating seniors.  The 3-5-2 formation needs some strong wing play to help cover the defense and I think there are solid players to fill that role as well.  Looking forward to watching them play and checking out the rotations.

-Will they score goals. Well, on this front, I think we can safely say yes.  They return the likely Conference Player of the Year in Abigail Stow…a goal scoring machine.  Having watched some indoor games, there seem to be lots of additional firepower on offense and solid midfield play to feed the forwards.  Should be exciting to watch them this year.

Preseason Rankings

Division I

1. Arrowhead  2.  DHSA  3. Muskego  4. Bay Port (ugh!)  5. Neenah

6. EC Memorial  7. Middleton  8. DC Everest  9. Oconomowac  10. Madison West

Well, get ready for another tough schedule.  Included in this years non-conference schedule are the following games.  Arowhead (1), DHSA (2) and DC Everest (8). Another loaded schedule! As well, they have scheduled Notre Dame (#2 Div III) and Brookfield East (#7 Div. II).  That is 5 Top 10 teams in their schedule.  Wow!

The season starts today actually, as Memorial travels up to Superior to play on the turf in some chilly Lake Superior weather.  Look forward to report some updates tomorrow.  Plan to get to as many games as possible and provide game updates and recap including video.   It feels like it could be another special year.  Solid in Goal, big/fast and aggressive on defense and with a special player on offense to take them deep.  In all my years watching high school soccer, one thing I have found…you need at least one special player to go deep at State.  Could be interesting this year.  Hope they play hard, develop team chemistry and have a great season.  Let’s go Abes!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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World Soccer Update April 3

We are winding down the season so let’s see where we stand.

Premier League Update

Match Week 33 is approaching this weekend.  Only 6-7 games remaining and things are taking shape as far as Top 4 and Relegation teams.  What did we learn this weekend…Chelsea is still struggling…just not their year.  After taking a 1-0 lead in their biggest game of the year, it all fell apart quickly.  An injury to their top GK forced a back up to take the limelight. It did not go well for him.  Tottenham crushed Chelsea’s Top 4 dreams with a 3-1 win.  See highlights below for a goal of the year candidate.  GK did not even try to stop it, he was so fooled by the strike.  Hard to report that as a Chelsea fan, but truth is truth!

The bottom three is taking shape as well, but still lots of movement possible in the 18-19 positions.  Who will drop down?

Race for the Top 4.

Manchester City 27-3-1 84 points.  31 games.

Manchester United 21-5-5 68 points.  31 games.

Liverpool 19-9-4 66 points.  32 games.

Tottenham 19-7-5 64 points.  31 games.

Chelsea 17-5-9 56 points.  31 games.

Arsenal 15-6-10 51 points.  31 games.

Race for the Relegation Zone. Still a tight race and teams fighting to get out of the zone. Southampton and Stoke City both in danger of relegation but one win could pull them out.  Crazy.  Teams in 15-16-17 positions are all still at risk.

16. Huddersfield  31 points

17. Crystal Palace 30 points.

18. Southampton 28 points.

19. Stoke City with 27 points.

20. West Bromich Albion 20 points.

Big Matches Next Weekend

Manchester City v. Manchester United.  #1 vs. #2.  A Manchester Derby to boot.  Does not get much better than this one.

Weekly Highlights

This is a hard one to show…a frustrating game for Chelsea.  Check out the shot to tie the game at 1-1. Pretty amazing.  How does he get the ball to dip like that.  Oh my!

FA CUP Update

And then there were 4.  The Semi-Finals are set.

Manchester United v Tottenham on 4.21

Chelsea v. Southampton on 4.22

Champions League Update

Round of 8 started today.  Next two games are 4.4, here ae today’s results.

Bayern Munich 2 v Sevilla 1

Juventus  0 v Real Madrid 3

It is worth five minutes of your day to catch these highlights.   Christiano Ronaldo goes for two and the second is one of the more incredible goals you will ever see.  The pure athleticism and skill is off the charts.  Best player in the world does best player in the world stuff on the second goal.  Most players would not even think to try this move. Even the ones that think about it would never try it…too hard and likely leading to an embarrassing miss.  But Christiano….no problem…goal of the year candidate for sure!  The third is kind of cool as well.  This team is so talented!

Manchester United v Liverpool. Game 4.4

Barcelona v Roma  Game 4.4  Can Messi one up Ronaldo….can’t wait to find out!

Shaping up to be an epic Final Four.

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World Soccer Update March 27

Sorry for no posts recently, had a little trip the family took and I did not have easy access to internet.  But….what a trip it was…plan to dedicate a blog in the near future.  Here is a little teaser to get you excited for the full blog.  Knocked a few items off my Soccer Bucket List.

Pretty cool pictures, right….you can’t wait to read the next blog, right…man, what a trip!

Now, let’s get caught up.

Premier League Update

Match Week 31-32 are a bit of a challenge to report.  A few things happening.  With all the activity related to FA Cup and UEFA Champions League, the Premier League has been forced to reschedule games.  Teams are forced to squeeze in these extra tournament games in addition to League games.  As well, we are on the International break right now with players switching to their National teams for games this past week.  Friendly games between National teams as we gear up for the World Cup.  Makes for a crowded schedule and forces teams to reschedule league games.  Lets try to catch you up and as well let you know how many games a team has played….might be a few behind.  Officially Week 32 starts this weekend.

Who will survive the Top 4 and qualify for Champions League next year.  Manchester City and Manchester United feel like locks right now, but still some drama for the final two spots.  Liverpool has already played 31 games while the others in the Top 4 have only played 30, so the table will adjust and teams can close the gap on Liverpool.  The pressure is on Chelsea right now.  they have slipped so far this year and now have to finish fast to get back into the Top 4.  They still play both Tottenham and Liverpool, so they do control their destiny a bit. Huge game this weekend as Chelsea v Totttenham will either keep Chelsea’s hopes alive or maybe kill them off.

Race for the Top 4.

Manchester City 26-3-1 81 points.  30 games.

Manchester United 20-5-5 65 points.  30 games.

Liverpool 18-9-4 63 points.  31 games.

Tottenham 18-7-5 61 points.  30 games.

Chelsea 17-5-8 56 points.  30 games.

Arsenal 14-6-10 48 points.  30 points

Race for the Relegation Zone. Still a tight race and teams fighting to get out of the zone.

16. Crystal Palace 30 points.

17. West Ham United 30 points.

18. Southampton 28 points.

19. Stoke City with 27 points.

20. West Bromich Albion with 20 points.

Big Matches Next Weekend

Chelsea v. Tottenham.  This is a HUGE game for Chelsea.  Come on Blues!

FA CUP Update

And then there were 4.  The Semi-Finals are set.

Manchester United v Tottenham on 4.21

Chelsea v. Southampton on 4.22

Highlights from the Quarterfinals.  Chelsea v Leicester in a great game that goes to extra time before we get a winner.

Champions League Update

The round of 16 is complete.. We are down to 8.

Real Madrid advances with a second win over PSG.  PSG, one of the pre-tourney favorites is knocked out of the competition!

Check out the Ronaldo header.

Juventus advances over Tottenham on aggregate 4-3.  After a 2-2 tie in the first leg Juventus wins 2-1 in the second leg.

Liverpool advances over Porto with  5-5 aggregate.  A 0-0 game in the second leg after crushing Porto 5-0 in leg 1.

Manchester City advances 5-2 on aggregate over Basel. Basel wins the second leg 2-1 but Man City crushed Basel 4-0 in leg 1.

Barcelona advance 4-1 on aggregate as Messi leads them past Chelsea at home 3-0.

Bayern Munich advance after demolishing Besiktas 8-1, winning both games.

Roma advance, winning based on away goals advantage, after a 2-2 tie in the two games.  Away games are hi=uge in Champions League.

Sevilla advance after shocking Manchester United with a 2-1 away win in Manchester. Wow!

Next round of games is 4.3 and 4.4, next Tuesday and Wednesday.

Manchester United v Liverpool

Bayern Munich v Sevilla

Juventus v Real Madrid

Barcelona v Roma

If you are counting, that is 3 teams from Spain, 2 from England, 2 from Italy and 1 from Germany.

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World Soccer Update March 11

Premier League Update

Match Week 30 is in the books, only 8 games remaining in the 2017/2018 Premier League season.  So what are the story lines as we move into the final weeks of the season.

Who will survive the Top 4 and qualify for Champions League next year.  Manchester City and Manchester United feel like locks right now, but still some drama for the final two spots.  Tottenham move into third this week and Liverpool down to 4th while Chelsea ended their tough stretch with a critical 3 points in a win over Crystal Palace.  They are in 5th but in striking distance with games still against Liverpool and Tottenham… both at home in the final 8 games.

Race for the Top 4.

Manchester City 25-3-1 78 points.  Plays Monday.

Manchester United 20-5-5 65 points.

Tottenham 18-7-5 61 points.

Liverpool 17-9-4 60 points.

Chelsea 17-5-8 56 points.

Arsenal 14-6-10 48 points

Race for the Relegation Zone. Still a tight race and teams fighting to get out of the zone.

17. Southampton with 28 points. Currently safe in 17th.

18. Crystal Palace  27 points.

19. Stoke City with 27 points. Plays Manchester City on Monday and needs an epic upset to gain some points and get out of the zone.

20. West Bromich Albion with 20 points.

Big Matches Next Weekend

No top 6 match ups to get you excited about.  Next week is all about the relegation zone.  Some games between teams in the 14th – 19th positions that could get teams out of the zone or lock them down even further.  Drama for sure. 

Highlights for the Week

Game of the week: Manchester United vs. Liverpool

Marcus Rashford…oh my!  Two goals and a wonder strike for the first one.  He is a spot starter and can’t find much playing time.  Wow…how does he not start.  Did I ever tell you this was a tough league, best players in the world. A little English soccer talk…they call two goals in one game a Brace.  Not sure about that one, how does 2 goals equal a brace.  May need to google or talk to some of my English friends.

 

FA CUP Update

Round 5 games are now complete and we are on to the final 8  and Quarter Final action.  There was still some hope of the underdogs advancing, but unfortunately, as expected, the clock has struck midnight, the carriage has turned back into a pumpkin and the big bad teams from the Premier League have taken over the FA Cup.

 

So here are your FA Cup Quarter Final match ups.

Manchester United v Briton

Chelsea v. Leicester

Wigan v. Southampton

Tottenham v Swansea City.

Only one true underdog left is Wigan.  They have a shot of getting to then Semi-Finals.  The next round of games are on March 17-18.

Champions League Update

The round of 16 is underway.  The second leg games will be the week of March 6 – March 14.   Round 2 games are halfway complete.  Four teams have advanced to the Round of 8 Quarter Finals.

Real Madrid advances with a second win over PSG.  PSG, one of the pre-tourney favorites is knocked out of the competition!

Check out the Ronaldo header.

 

Juventus advances over Tottenham on aggregate 4-3.  After a 2-2 tie in the first leg Juventus wins 2-1 in the second leg.

Liverpool advances over Porto with  5-5 aggregate.  A 0-0 game in the second leg after crushing Porto 5-0 in leg 1.

Manchester City advances 5-2 on aggregate over Basel. Basel wins the second leg 2-1 but Man City crushed Basel 4-0 in leg 1.

Big games this week.  Chelsea and Manchester United both tied on aggregate in their matches and need big wins to advance.  Chelsea vs. Barcelona should be a classic again.

And I could not finish the blog without a shout out to my alma mater, the University of Kentucky, who won the SEC Tournament today with a hard-fought victory over Tennessee.  Check it out.  Not soccer, but I love me some Big Blue!!  March Madness is here!

Check it out.  All Kentucky highlights of course!!

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World Soccer Update – March 3

Premier League is back after a week off for tournament play.  Some changes at the top after the past few weeks with Chelsea under some pressure after dropping out of the Top 4 as Tottenham continue their recent good form.  Manchester United with a critical win against Chelsea in Week 28.  That was a tough loss for Chelsea after leading 1-0.  They face another massive game on Sunday against Manchester City.  A win gets Chelsea right back on track, but a loss could mean their fight for a Top 4 is in danger.

Premier League Update

Race for the Top 4.

Manchester City 24-3-1 75 points.  Plays Sunday.

Liverpool 17-9-3 60 points.  2-0 win earlier today.

Manchester United 18-5-5 59 points.  Plays Monday

Tottenham 17-7-5 58 points. 2-0 win earlier today.

Chelsea 16-5-7 53 points. Plays Sunday

Arsenal 13-6-9 45 points. Plays Sunday

Race for the Relegation Zone. Still a tight race and teams fighting to get out of the zone.

17. Southampton with 28 points.

18. Crystal Palace  27 points.  Plays Monday against Manchester United.  Needs a big upset!

19. Stoke City with 27 points.

20. West Bromich Albion with 20 points.  Seems dead man walking and no way to get out of being relegated.

Big Matches Next Weekend

Manchester City v. Chelsea is huge.  A 1 v 5 match up that could be a factor in whether Chelsea can secure a Top 4 spot. Chelsea outplayed Manchester United last week but feel victim to a post and unfortunate head injury allowing a goal that flipped the momentum.  They have lost back to back games where they were the better team with more shots and chances.  Maybe their luck will turn tomorrow.

FA CUP Update

Round 5 games are now complete and we are on to the final 8  and Quarter Final action.  There was still some hope of the underdogs advancing, but unfortunately, as expected, the clock has struck midnight, the carriage has turned back into a pumpkin and the big bad teams from the Premier League have taken over the FA Cup.

 

Swansea City 2 v Sheffield Wednesday 0.  I was hoping for the upset just so I could continue to report on Sheffield Wednesday, I still love that name.  How do you think a football club gets a name like that….they played all their games on Wednesday?  The club was formed on  a Wednesday?  I got to google that one!

Tottenham 6 v Rochdale 1.  Rochdale had their chance last week to shock the world, but you just knew Tottenham would crush their hearts in the replay.  This is what you expect when a team from the Premier League plays a team from the third division.

So here are your FA Cup Quarter Final match ups.

Manchester United v Briton

Chelsea v. Leicester

Wigan v. Southampton

Tottenham v Swansea City.

Only one true underdog left is Wigan.  They have a shot of getting to then Semi-Finals.  The next round of games are on March 17-18.

Champions League Update

The round of 16 is underway.  The second leg games will be the week of March 6 – March 14.   Some quick notes on the First Leg games.

Manchester City, Liverpool and Bayern Munich all in really good shape to advance after convincing first round wins.  Real Madrid with a huge 3-1 win over PSG, who was one of the tournament favorites.  Manchester United still with some work to do after a first round tie against Sevilla. The best game of the first round: Chelsea v. Barcelona.  I am a Chelsea fan and it was a tough one.   Willian hit the post twice and we had several other chances to score.  Willian finally got his goal but a late defensive error allowed Messi to tie. 1-1.  A great game, full of drama for a 1-1 tie. Felt like Chelsea could have won 3-0, but soccer can be cruel at times, so they walk away with a tie and a tough road game in Barcelona at Camp Nou.  They need a 1 goal win to advance or a 1-1 tie to get to overtime and a shootout. Check out the highlights.  Ugh!  Still hurts to watch.  How did we not get a win in that one…sometimes the post is your friend…but sometimes it crushes your heart!

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World Soccer Update: February 22

Okay Soccer fans, it was a busy weekend and week of soccer, so it’s time for an update.  Premier League took a week off so no updates to report, but some very interesting updates on the FA Cup and UEFA Champions League.

Premier League Update

Match Day 28 picks back up this weekend.  To get you ready.

Race for the Top 4.  Only 4 points separate 4 teams , places 2-3-4-5, pretty amazing.

Manchester City 23-3-1 72 points

Manchester United 17-5-5 56 points

Liverpool 15-9-3 54 points

Chelsea 16-5-6 53 points

Tottenham 15-7-5 52 points

Arsenal 13-6-8 45 points

Race for the Relegation Zone. 

17. Huddersfield Township with 27 points.

18. Southampton with 26 points.

19. Stoke City with 25 points.

20. West Bromich Albion with 20 points.

Big Matches Next Weekend

Manchester City v. Arsenal is huge.  A 1 v 6 match up that could be a factor in the Top 4 Race. Arsenal loss may eliminate their shot at a top 4 finish.

Chelsea v Manchester United will be interesting.  Chelsea starting to find a groove the past 2 games and Manchester United flat the last two games. #2 v #4.  Huge Game.

 

FA CUP Update

Round 5 Games are now complete.  And it happened….I told you it might, we discussed there was a chance for a big upset, but never would I have predicted it to be this big of an upset.

Let’s start with the first of two shocking updates.

Tottenham 2 v Rochdale 2.  You read it right, a tie.  Let me share the significance of the result. Tottenham is in the Premier League, the top league in England and currently sits in 5th position.  Rochdale is in League 1, the third tier of soccer in England and sits at 22.  They are about to be relegated to the 4th tier of soccer.  If you do the math, this match up is between the 5th best club in England and the 66th best club in England.  5 vs. 66…so yea…a tie makes perfect sense.  What the heck!  These teams are now forced to play again to determine who will advance.  This was a huge result in the FA Cup and really helps define the spirit of this competition.  It is David vs. Goliath.  The little local club vs. the mega international club. Sometimes, somehow, someway, the little club gets a result.  Amazing.  Here are the highlights.

Really good stuff.  The underdogs take a lead.  Give up two goals in the second half and appear to be going down for a tough 2-1 loss…only to score in extra time for the time.  Wow.  What a story.   Feels like Tottenham will get them in the replay…but hey…you never know.

So if that wasn’t shocking enough.  Check out the really big upset of the weekend.

Manchester City 0 v. Wigan Athletic 1.  Yes, you read that right.  Manchester City, the best team in English football.  The team on a record pace to win the Premier League in a runaway, the team with only 1 defeat so far this year in the Premier League, lost.  Let’s get some perspective on this one.  Manchester City is the #1 team in English football.  Wigan Athletic is also in the third tier of English football and rated the 47th best team in English football.  #47 beats #1.  Imagine a #16 seed beating a #1 seed during March Madness.  Similar stuff.  An impossible task, but they did it.  This is a really shocking defeat.  Way to go Wigan.  Shock the world.  Here are the highlights.

Big upsets usually have a formula.  This one did.  A red card leaves Man City a man down for the second half.  An incredible defensive lapse allows a Wigan player to get behind the defense and fires a rocket into the corner.  Wow.  Down goes Manchester City.  Epic.  One for the ages and one for the record books.

The FA Cup.  It does not disappoint!

6 of the 8 teams are confirmed with two replays to determine the final 8.  Here are the confirmed 6 teams.

Manchester United v Briton

Chelsea v. Leicester

Wigan v. Southampton

Swansea v Sheffield Wednesday (love that name) and Tottenham v Rochdale are still fighting to get into the Quarter Finals.

 

Champions League Update

The round of 16 is underway.  The second leg games will be the week of March 6 – March 14.   Some quick notes on the First Leg games.

Manchester City, Liverpool and Bayern Munich all in really good shape to advance after convincing first round wins.  Real Madrid with a huge 3-1 win over PSG, who was one of the tournament favorites.  Manchester United still with some work to do after a first round tie against Sevilla. The best game of the first round: Chelsea v. Barcelona.  I am a Chelsea fan and it was a tough one.   Willian hit the post twice and we had several other chances to score.  Willian finally got his goal but a late defensive error allowed Messi to tie. 1-1.  A great game, full of drama for a 1-1 tie. Felt like Chelsea could have won 3-0, but soccer can be cruel at times, so they walk away with a tie and a tough road game in Barcelona at Camp Nou.  They need a 1 goal win to advance or a 1-1 tie to get to overtime and a shootout. Check out the highlights.  Ugh!  Still hurts to watch.  How did we not get a win in that one…sometimes the post is your friend…but sometimes it crushes your heart!

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World Soccer Updates: February 16

Okay Soccer fans, things are starting to get busy.  I wanted to try to catch you up on all the activity, Premier League, FA Cup and the UEFA Champions League.  Let’s start with the Premier League.

Premier League Update

Match Day 28 is a week away as the European teams are taking a week off for the FA Cup and the UEFA Champions League.

Race for the Top 4.  Things holding steady again this week at the top as the only wobble was Manchester United losing to 17th place Newcastle United, 1-0.  That tightens up the race for positions 2-3-4 between 4 teams.  Critical to make the top 4 as that qualifies for Champions League and BIG, BIG money.  Only 4 points separate 4 teams, pretty amazing.

Manchester City 23-3-1 72 points

Manchester United 17-5-5 56 points

Liverpool 15-9-3 54 points

Chelsea 16-5-6 53 points

Tottenham 15-7-5 52 points

Arsenal 13-6-8 45 points

Surprise of the Week.  Newcastle United beating Manchester United. Big upset and pushed Newcastle clear of the relegation zone.

Some highlights for you.

Got to give you some Chelsea and Eden Hazard.  When he is healthy and focused, one of the best in the world. Enjoy is two goals in the 3-0 win for Chelsea.

Race for the Relegation Zone.  The bottom had some movement.  Southampton who had just exited the bottom 3 a week ago is back.  Huddersfield Township made the biggest move from 19th to 17th and out of the zone for the first time in a while.  Tight race for 18 and 19.  West Brom is starting to fade but two wins could turn it around!

17. Huddersfield Township with 27 points.

18. Southampton with 26 points.

19. Stoke City with 25 points.

20. West Bromich Albion with 20 points.

Big Matches Next Weekend

Manchester City v. Arsenal is huge.  A 1 v 6 match up that could be a factor in the Top 4 Race. Arsenal loss may eliminate their shot at a top 4 finish.

Chelsea v Manchester United will be interesting.  Chelsea starting to find a groove the past 2 games and Manchester United flat the last two games. #2 v #4.  Huge Game.

 

FA CUP Update

Round 5 Games are this weekend and we are working to go from 16 teams to 8 teams.  Two games today.

Chelsea advance with a 4-0 win over Hull City

Leicester City advance with a 1-0 win over Sheffield United.

No upsets yet, but a few chances this weekend.

 

Champions League Update

We are at the Round of 16 stage.  Each team plays a home and away series to determine who advances to the Quarter Finals. Four games are completed.

Manchester City, Liverpool and Real Madrid all with big wins in the first leg.  Tottenham and Juventus with a 2-2 tie.

Big games next week include Chelsea v. Barcelona.

 

 

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ECU Juggle Challenge

Okay, you have had your fill of Premier League updates and are looking for something a bit different to keep your attention this winter.  Spring is coming.  High School girls soccer is coming.  But….to try something a little bit different I decided to have a little challenge at a recent training session with the U15 Girls team from ECU.

We work on juggling and foot skills every session.  Seems simple, but actually takes a lot of practice and patience to get good at it.  And controlling the ball with your feet is the core of soccer.  Every now and then we like to test the team and check their development.  So…what better way than a coach vs. player challenge.  We kicked it off last week and I had no idea what would happen.  I told them I was going to take a video of the challenge.  Will they get nervous and not be able to keep it up.  Will it last only 10-15 seconds.  No idea.  But I was pleasantly surprised and excited to see a battle taking place.  The competitive fire kicked in and it was fun to watch.  Check it out.

Molly took on Cooper and it turned out to be quite a battle.  I am not sure Molly’s best ever, but this must be one of her best ever.  Pretty impressive under the pressure of being videotaped.  I counted 79 or 80.  I don’t think Cooper thought he needed to go that long…lost his focus. 🙂  Anyway…the challenge is out there.  Can you beat 80?  Greta…can you take down MJ.  Next training is Wednesday so we will see if anyone wants to challenge MJ.  If you have a video of you want to submit…send it to scottlyonssoccer@gmail.com.

Premier League update later today, but a quick teaser, Manchester United went down today.  Big upset. Huge win for Newcastle that pushed them a few points clear of the relegation zone.

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