"Paris Saint-Germain Is In a Spending League of Its Own" -- The New York Times
Ahead of Ligue 1's start this weekend, more on PSG's transformation.
"Reading Between the Lines" -- ESPN.com
Michael Bertin provides commentary and analysis of what Manchester United's IPO prospectus reveals about the club and the Glzer family's amibitions for the global brand.
"Uncertain Future Awaits U.S. Women's Soccer Players Back Home" -- SI.com
Grant Wahl discusses the fate of the eleven players on the Olympic roster without a club. The American women's leage collapsed earlier this year, leaving many on the roster no choice but to field offers from abroad. England, Sweden and Germany are ranked highly by the players. Wahl followed this report with an update a few days later.
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Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Match Report: 1860 Munich v. Jahn Regensburg
Munich's second club, TSV 1860 Munich, opened the 2012/13 second-division season on Saturday in front of 45,300 fans at the Allianz Arena, and I was among them on the muggy afternoon. While it was a pleasure to again watch a match in the flesh, to see a "whole" match rather than the isolated runs of a handful and the snippets of the pitch provided by the producer in the TV trucks, it was, in all honesty, a somewhat dull affair. It of course had its moments, namely the early goal and the last-minute penalty (saved by 1860's Hungarian keeper Gabor Kiraly, as was the rebound!). 1860 is in the running to win promotion to the Bundesliga, but to do so they will certainly need to improve on Saturday's performance. The one goal was enough against promoted Regensburg, but the fan and press reaction were very critical. The team's next chance to prove their critics wrong comes on Monday, July 13, when they travel to Dynamo Dresden. I'll be watching, but this time I'll be at the mercy of the man in the truck.
Here are some picutres from the afternoon, and what follow are some random impressions / thoughts / theories:
1) As noted, there were 45,300 paying customers in attendance. The club averaged just half of that last season (22,898). With the backing of Jordanian investor Hasan Abdullah Ismaik, the club spent big (in relative terms) over the summer, and is poised to compete for promotion to the top flight. I doubt that 45,000 fans will be in the Allianz Arena on an icy December or January afternoon, but the blue-half of Munich is optimistic nevertheless.
2) Of the new recruits, Gregorz Wojtkowiak made the biggest impression. In addition to heading home the first and only goal in the 8th minute, his throw-ins were colossal. I was reminded of Stoke City's Rory Delap. Like with Delap, any of Wojtkowiak's throw-ins in 1860's own half amounted to a corner, with his teammates crowding the box in eager anticipation. The crowd gasped after the first throw-in on Saturday afternoon and looked forward to them throughout the match.
3) Marin Tomasov, another of the new recruits, acquitted himelf well. Formerly of Hajduk Split, the 24-year-old midfielder assisted on the goal and had a few positive scenes going forward in the first half. He disappeared in the second half (because of the heat and humidity?) and he is a slight one -- he carries 71 kilograms on his 1.81-meter frame --, so durability is a concern, but he has promise.
4) The biggest surprise of the afternoon was seeing Moritz Volz in 1860 blue (and on the left-side of the back four). I lost track of him after he left Fulham, but he is one of the great characters of the last few years. He just published a book about his time in England, and it is sure to be a hoot. For those of you who don't read German, you'll have to wait for the translation (or my upcoming review).
Here are some picutres from the afternoon, and what follow are some random impressions / thoughts / theories:
1) As noted, there were 45,300 paying customers in attendance. The club averaged just half of that last season (22,898). With the backing of Jordanian investor Hasan Abdullah Ismaik, the club spent big (in relative terms) over the summer, and is poised to compete for promotion to the top flight. I doubt that 45,000 fans will be in the Allianz Arena on an icy December or January afternoon, but the blue-half of Munich is optimistic nevertheless.
2) Of the new recruits, Gregorz Wojtkowiak made the biggest impression. In addition to heading home the first and only goal in the 8th minute, his throw-ins were colossal. I was reminded of Stoke City's Rory Delap. Like with Delap, any of Wojtkowiak's throw-ins in 1860's own half amounted to a corner, with his teammates crowding the box in eager anticipation. The crowd gasped after the first throw-in on Saturday afternoon and looked forward to them throughout the match.
3) Marin Tomasov, another of the new recruits, acquitted himelf well. Formerly of Hajduk Split, the 24-year-old midfielder assisted on the goal and had a few positive scenes going forward in the first half. He disappeared in the second half (because of the heat and humidity?) and he is a slight one -- he carries 71 kilograms on his 1.81-meter frame --, so durability is a concern, but he has promise.
4) The biggest surprise of the afternoon was seeing Moritz Volz in 1860 blue (and on the left-side of the back four). I lost track of him after he left Fulham, but he is one of the great characters of the last few years. He just published a book about his time in England, and it is sure to be a hoot. For those of you who don't read German, you'll have to wait for the translation (or my upcoming review).
Thursday, August 2, 2012
What I've Been Reading -- No. 4
"Manchster City Are in a Transfer Mire of Their Own Making" -- The Guardian
Paul Wilson, writing on the 28th of July, looks at Man City's lack of transfer activity and chalks it up to the club's poor planning. Simply put, a bloated roster demands that City sell before bringing in new players. But of equal importance is the fact that the revenues from sales are crucial as City need to meet UEFA's Financial Fair Play regulations.
"The 60-Year Job: Brian Glanville" -- Intelligent Life
A short profile of the legendary British soccer journalist.
"'I Got Next': Exploring New York Through Pickup Basketball" -- The New York Times
As the title makes clear, Isaac Eger's story has nothing to do with soccer, but it does make me hungry to see something similar written about soccer at the grassroots, ideally comparatively and globally.
Paul Wilson, writing on the 28th of July, looks at Man City's lack of transfer activity and chalks it up to the club's poor planning. Simply put, a bloated roster demands that City sell before bringing in new players. But of equal importance is the fact that the revenues from sales are crucial as City need to meet UEFA's Financial Fair Play regulations.
"The 60-Year Job: Brian Glanville" -- Intelligent Life
A short profile of the legendary British soccer journalist.
"'I Got Next': Exploring New York Through Pickup Basketball" -- The New York Times
As the title makes clear, Isaac Eger's story has nothing to do with soccer, but it does make me hungry to see something similar written about soccer at the grassroots, ideally comparatively and globally.
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Dudelange Surprises Salzburg
The second round of qualifying for the European club competitions wrapped up this week, with the biggest surprise undoubtedly being F91 Dudelange, the champions of Luxembourg, getting past Red Bull Salzburg in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League. The part-timers from Luxembourg squeezed by 4-4 on aggregate, with their three away goals in the return leg on Tuesday deciding the tie in their favor. See the highlights below.
Dudelange began its run in the competition by thrashing the San Marinese champions 7-0 on aggregate, with the meeting of the two minnows having attracted the attention of World Football, the BBC World Service's excellent program on, well, world football. The club is now poised to take on NK Maribor of Slovenia for the right to progress to the last qualifying hurdle, and if you watch the highlights above, you'll see that Dudelange is a quality team. Maribor be forewarned!
Dudelange began its run in the competition by thrashing the San Marinese champions 7-0 on aggregate, with the meeting of the two minnows having attracted the attention of World Football, the BBC World Service's excellent program on, well, world football. The club is now poised to take on NK Maribor of Slovenia for the right to progress to the last qualifying hurdle, and if you watch the highlights above, you'll see that Dudelange is a quality team. Maribor be forewarned!
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Terrence Boyd Highlights: Rapid v. Innsbruck
US international Terrence Boyd had a big day in his Austrian Bundesliga debut for SK Rapid Vienna on the weekend, scoring two goals and assisting on another against Wacker Innsbruck. Rapid walked away 4-0 winners on the day, and Boyd's performance -- following his bicycle-kick goal against AS Roma in a friendly -- has left his many fans in Vienna and the US eager for more.
2011 Copa Libertadores Coefficients
Yesterday I calculated and published the coefficients for the 2012 Copa Libertadores, and below are the numbers for the 2011 edition of the tournament. Once again, Brazil is atop the standings, with Uruguay and Paraguay taking silver and bronze. As I said yesterday, I will postpone any meaningful analysis until the five-year rankings are complete. Wihout further ado, here are the numbers:
1. Brazil 13.4
2. Uruguay 12
3. Paraguay 10,33
4. Colombia 9.67
5. Argentina 9.2
6. Chile 8.33
7. Mexico 8
8. Ecuador 7
9. Peru 4
Venezuela 4
11. Bolivia 3.5
What I've Been Reading -- No. 3
"Global Transfer Spending Falls by a Third" -- Soccernet.com
The title says it all. Spending is down by a third in the first half of the year, according to FIFA. The article speculates as to why. Economic slowdown? UEFA's Financial Fair Play regulations? Interesting factoid: of the 4,973 transfers registered with FIFA, 708 involved Brazilian clubs. English clubs came in second, but by quite a margin.
Interview with MLS Commmissioner Don Garber (Part 1, Part 2) -- Sportingnews.com
The intervew covers a number of topics, chief among them the growth of the league domestically and internationally and supporter culture.
"Fergusons's Indifference Toward Berbatov Could Usher Spurs Return" -- SI.com
A profile of Dimitar Berbatov's recent struggles at Manchester United and speculation about his next club. The fourth-choice striker is by all accounts set to leave the club in the coming weeks.
"Soccer's Lost Boys, Stranded in Istanbul" -- The New York Times
A photo slidehow depicting the difficult lives of a group of young Nigerian men lured to Istanbul with promises of a professional tryout, only to then be abandoned. The photographs are the work of Jason Andrews.
The title says it all. Spending is down by a third in the first half of the year, according to FIFA. The article speculates as to why. Economic slowdown? UEFA's Financial Fair Play regulations? Interesting factoid: of the 4,973 transfers registered with FIFA, 708 involved Brazilian clubs. English clubs came in second, but by quite a margin.
Interview with MLS Commmissioner Don Garber (Part 1, Part 2) -- Sportingnews.com
The intervew covers a number of topics, chief among them the growth of the league domestically and internationally and supporter culture.
"Fergusons's Indifference Toward Berbatov Could Usher Spurs Return" -- SI.com
A profile of Dimitar Berbatov's recent struggles at Manchester United and speculation about his next club. The fourth-choice striker is by all accounts set to leave the club in the coming weeks.
"Soccer's Lost Boys, Stranded in Istanbul" -- The New York Times
A photo slidehow depicting the difficult lives of a group of young Nigerian men lured to Istanbul with promises of a professional tryout, only to then be abandoned. The photographs are the work of Jason Andrews.
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