Another Premier League Recap?

9:54 AM Unknown 0 Comments

For the second time in half a week, all 20 Premier League teams played this weekend, a true test of the depth of each squad. There was nothing going on around the world really, as most European and South American leagues are on a short holiday break.

And I swear, if one more commentator uses the word "sterling" to describe a player's defensive work in a Liverpool game, I will not hesitate to write an angry letter to NBC Sports. Yes, I understand that Liverpool has a player named Sterling. Now stop making puns and get over yourself.

But anyway... here is how the weekend shaped up:

West Ham 3-3 West Bromwich Albion
Aston Villa 1-1 Swansea City
Hull City 6-0 Fulham
Manchester City 1-0 Crystal Palace
Norwich City 0-1 Manchester United
Everton 2-1 Southampton
Newcastle United 0-1 Arsenal
Tottenham 3-0 Stoke City
Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool

Obviously, the first result that sticks out is the Hull City thrashing of Fulham. The introduction of loanee Clint Dempsey could not come soon enough for Fulham, because they vitally need some creativity going forward.

Manchester City left it quite late to beat a Palace side that did have its fair share of chances, and caused the home side quite a bit of worry. However, Jesus Navas was just too much of a menace throughout the day, and it's no surprise to me that he finally got himself an assist in the 66th minute (to Edin Dzeko).

At Carrow Road, Norwich gave Manchester United all it could handle, but the defending champions showed some grit that they had largely been lacking all season. Ryan Giggs definitely showed every single one of his 40 years, and his replacement by Danny Welbeck at halftime made all the difference for David Moyes.

In the Sunday lunchtime game, Olivier Giroud finally broke his duck for Arsenal (that means he finally scored after not having scored for a long time, you amateurs), as the Gunners went back to the top of the table.

For a second consecutive game, Liverpool went into a game down 2-1 at halftime, and for a second consecutive game, next to nothing happened in the second half. As they famously did in the Champions League final against Bayern, Chelsea "parked the bus" for the last 40/45 minutes of the match. I was most impressed with the ball control and poise of young Brazilian, Philippe Coutinho, as well as the intelligence of another young Brazilian, Oscar.

Later this week, I'll make sure to write about something besides the Premier League. But for now, there's not much else going on. Hope you enjoyed the read!

A Very Merry Boxing Day

11:26 AM Unknown 0 Comments

Even as an American, Boxing Day is legitimately one of my favorite holidays. Its main premise is that of boxing up extra/unneeded gifts and giving them to poor and less fortunate people. That's a fantastic identity for a holiday, but the international holiday also has a second identity: on this day every year, all 20 Premier League teams are in action. And as it is every year, the amount of soccer going on at once was entirely too stressful for a curious young fanatic like myself.

At a Ross for Words - Weekend Recap

10:14 AM Unknown 0 Comments

England:
After a comfortable win over Cardiff, Liverpool now find themselves at the top of the Barclays Premier League (at least until Arsenal plays Chelsea tomorrow). City found a way to win at a tough Craven Cottage against Fulham, and Manchester United finally won a home game, this time comfortably over a West Ham team that was riding high coming into the weekend. Unfortunately, poor officiating kind of robbed my boys Southampton at home, and the Saints fell to Tottenham.
But the player who impressed me the most this matchweek was Ross Barkley of Everton. At a ripe 20 years of age, he is an attacking midfielder that plays with the dribbling speed of a 20-year-old and the vision of a 30-year-old. Even before his stunning free kick, I noticed how Barkley was consistently running at defenders, tracking back on defense, and just generally looked like a world-class player. The English national team would be foolish not to invite him to Brazil next summer.

Italy:
Only a few notable results from Serie A this weekend. First of all, Hellas Verona continued their torrid start to their first top-flight season in 11 years by dominating Lazio en route to a 4-1 victory. Some call it beginner's luck, but I call it good chemistry and an underachieving league in general. The only Italian teams you can really count on these days are Juventus and Roma. Speaking of which, both clubs won easily, keeping them at 1st and 2nd in the league, respectively - and Roma is still undefeated.

Spain:
Barcelona won. Yawn.

France:
New rich boys Monaco fell at home to Valenciennes, as their season seems to be slowly unraveling. PSG will be happy about the increased failure of their main competition, and especially happy about the news that their best player - Falcao - is almost certainly prepared for a January transfer to Real Madrid. The Parisians now sit comfortably atop Ligue 1, and will turn almost all of their attention to preparing for the Champions League tie against Bayer Leverkusen in February.

Germany:
Dortmund lost again this weekend, this time at home to Bundesliga newcomers Hertha Berlin. After a season where the black-and-yellow turned their home ground into a fortress (e.g. a 4-1 home demolition of world power Real Madrid), consecutive home losses to Leverkusen and Berlin can't taste very good. Dortmund now find themselves precariously in 3rd place in the league, which I suppose is an indicator of how strong a league the Bundesliga is.

Club World Cup:
Bayern Munich was obviously off from league play this weekend, as they were a bit busy winning their first ever Club World Cup on Saturday. In the third place match, Atletico Mineiro's Ronaldinho got himself thrown out of the game after kicking a Guangzhou player in the thigh. It is a blip in his quest for a World Cup spot, but hopefully it doesn't knock him out of the picture altogether.

Thanks for reading, everyone. I pay attention to the smaller European and South American leagues as well, so if you'd like me to talk about one, just let me know in the comments.

- Cameran

DC is a Little More United

1:22 PM Unknown 2 Comments

The past week has been a crazy one for my hometown team. The black-and-red are coming off arguably the worst season for any team in MLS history, a season when young players refused to step up to the challenge, and veteran players refused to lead by example. Historically the best team in league history, they had some kinks to work out this offseason. I think they have addressed many of these kinks.

First of all, the blockbuster trade. Eddie Johnson, US international and a lock to make the World Cup squad next summer, was acquired from Seattle on December 17th for nothing more than allocation money. This move, coupled with the permanent signing of Conor Doyle (a promising young striker who was on loan from English side Derby County), instantly turns United's attack into one of the best in the Eastern Conference. But it got even better for DC.

There is no "free agency" in the MLS, per se, but a pseudo-system exists in the form of the MLS Re-Entry Draft. It provides a means for veteran players who are out of contract to move between teams. DC United used this draft to their extreme advantage this week. To shore up the Swiss cheese defense, the team picked up defenders Bobby Boswell and Sean Franklin. Both are solid defenders, and the former was the starting CB for United the last time they won the MLS Cup in 2004. In the second round of the draft, the offense potentially improved even further with the selection of potent attacker Fabian Espindola (also drafted was defender Nana Attakore). Of course, the team does not have any of these four players until contracts are agreed upon, but that should hopefully be a formality.

If Perry Kitchen can be the holding midfielder that many expect him to be, he can be the final bit of glue to piece together a playoff team. With Bill Hamid in goal, DC United is now an experienced, talented team on all four lines, especially so up top once the chemistry between Johnson and his partners begins to really solidify.

And don't forget: the MLS is a league with a lot of parity. Teams often go from playoff teams to bottom-feeders (Exhibit A: DC United). Don't be surprised if the Screaming Eagles jump and chant their way to a serious playoff run.

World Cup Shenanigans

9:21 PM Unknown 0 Comments

Who's excited for Brazil 2014? Many Brazilian residents might not be, for whatever political reasons, but I certainly am. I've been studying up on my Portuguese, and I'm ready to head down south next summer.

I'll start this post off with some brave words: I think Brazil will win the 2014 World Cup. I know it didn't go so well in 1950, but after seeing the Confederations Cup, the home-field advantage seems to really put the Seleção ahead of the game. Not to mention the world's best backline of Alves, Silva, Luiz/Dante, and Marcelo to provide cover for Paulinho and Oscar in the middle (and maybe even Ronaldinho, if the gods answer my prayers).

But forget the green and yellow. There are two national teams I truly support: the United States and Iran. Let's break their chances down.

Realistically, the US has a slim chance of progressing to the knockout stages out of Group G. Our first game against Ghana is a must-win, and there is a possibility that Portugal could slip up without a great performance from Ronaldo, yet I still rate our chances at no higher than 30/35%. Like I said, though, it's possible. Jozy Altidore has the potential to manhandle defenders and provide an outlet for the likes of Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan, and Michael Bradley has the legitimate ability to control the tempo of a game with his professionalism and calming influence. If Bradley can facilitate play out wide or up the middle for Jozy to clinically finish, and if the Gonzalez/Besler CB pairing proves as stout as the 0-0 draw at the Azteca would have me believe, then we certainly have a chance to finish 2nd in the group. But again, those other three teams are probably going to show up with their best efforts, too.

And Iran. For those who forget, they were drawn into Group F with Argentina, Bosnia, and Nigeria. I give my homeland a solid 50% chance of progressing to the knockout stages of the World Cup next year. Obviously, I think a determined Lionel Messi will lead the Albiceleste to the top of the group, but 2nd place is anyone's game. The Iranians just won for the first time ever in Seoul, so they are at a high in their history. If Dzeko and Ibisevic don't show up, Bosnia is beatable by way of Iran's tenacity and workman-like approach. Nigeria's speed may be too much for the Middle Easterners to handle, but on any given day, either can win. Any sort of offense against Argentina would just be a bonus.

And one final note: Here's hoping that Ray Hudson of beIN Sport is commentating on at least a few World Cup games. That guy is the man.

Quick Introduction

7:52 PM Unknown 0 Comments

I feel like there aren't enough people that I can talk to intelligently about the beautiful game. To those who listen to me babble on a daily basis: thank you. To those that would rather read my thoughts and have time to craft responses: this blog is for you. This will be where I talk about every aspect of soccer as it comes to my mind - why certain lineups don't work, a certain team's chances, or just a review of a certain league's gameweek.

A quick bit of info about me now... I have never been a fantastic soccer player, but I think I have an elite soccer mind. At least, I would hope I do, since it's all I think about. I have been a diehard Manchester United and DC United fan since as long as I can remember, and I have recently added Southampton and the Philadelphia Union to my list of obsessions.

Enough about me. Let's get to posting!

- Cameran